Japan has been completely torn apart by their battle.
Looking down from the sky, the ground was riddled with deep craters, still steaming. Mountains were broken in half, rivers were cut off by collapsed earth, and large flames burned along the edges of the remaining cities, with black smoke rising high into the sky. Even the coastline had been significantly altered by the two people.
The territory that was once relatively intact is now so small that it's difficult to find its original outline on a map.
Chen Mo slowly fell into the deep pit. The rocks beneath his feet had been scorched dark red by the high temperature, and lava was still dripping from their edges.
Half a person was lying in the center of the deep pit.
Katyusha's right side of her body had disappeared, and only a faint golden light remained near the severed area, barely sealing the wound and unable to regenerate.
Her left hand was clenched into the rock, her fingers covered in blood. With each breath she took, the golden energy around her body dimmed a little.
The more noticeable change appeared in her hair.
His once golden hair turned black from the roots, and his nearly two-meter-tall frame slowly shrank. His bulging muscles gradually atrophied, and his oversized military uniform lost its support, lying loosely on the ground.
In less than half a minute, the tall woman who could fight Chen Mo head-on and whose every move could destroy the world disappeared.
Left at the bottom of the pit was only a young girl on the verge of death.
Chen Mo squatted down beside her.
"Although this might seem a bit much, I still want to do a post-match interview."
He waved his hand in front of Katyusha's eyes.
"Who was it that just said I'd pay a terrible price? Could it be this half- Katyusha lying in the pit right now?"
Katyusha struggled to lift her head.
Her eyes had returned to their normal blue, her pupils fixed on Chen Mo, the intense pain making her breathing intermittent.
"You... don't understand at all..."
"Understand what?"
"The meaning of power."
Chen Mo raised an eyebrow.
Katyusha coughed up a mouthful of blood, her voice growing softer and softer.
"You possess such immense power, yet all you know is plunder and destruction. Even if you could kill everyone... no one would truly follow you."
"Indeed, what you said makes a lot of sense."
Chen Mo nodded. "But the person you're protecting is currently far away in the Soviet Union, and you're in Japan. Aside from helping to redevelop the city here, your influence doesn't seem to have played much of a role."
Katyusha's fingers tightened instantly.
Soldiers, wounded, evacuation convoys, and those hiding in the ruins awaiting rescue flashed through her mind one after another.
She had promised to stay at the back of the team.
But she can't go back.
Looking at the sorrow in her eyes, Chen Mo suddenly lost interest in continuing his mockery.
The Mind Reading Technique instantly confirmed that she wasn't faking it; at least for this moment, she was still thinking about getting those people out of there.
Chen Mo remained silent for a few seconds.
To be honest, this was quite different from the Katyusha he remembered.
The character in the comic is no pushover; she's got blood on her hands just as much as anyone else. If we're really going to go by the original story, she could die eight hundred times over without a second thought.
But this one is different.
At least for this moment, what she wanted to protect was not power, nor reputation, nor any orders given to her.
She just wanted those people to leave alive.
"Tsk."
Chen Mo stroked his chin. "Your sudden shift to a righteous persona makes it harder for me to make a move."
Katyusha didn't understand. She just felt that this man was very strange. Just now, he seemed to be preparing to tear her apart and eat her whole, but now he seemed to be picking out meat at the market and discovering that this piece of meat had an outstanding employee medal hanging on it, and he began to hesitate.
"Stop pretending, just kill me if you want."
She gritted her teeth and said, "Don't even think about insulting me."
"Killing you? That's easy."
Chen Mo stretched out his hand, black and red tentacles emerging from his palm. "The problem is, I'm not the kind of person who kills just anyone. If you're really a bad thing, I wouldn't feel any guilt eating you."
Katyusha stared at the dark red mass.
She could sense that the thing was even more dangerous than the attack from before.
But given your current situation...
Chen Mo glanced at the remaining half of her body. "Eating it is fine; it should be enough for sampling."
"Sampling?"
"Yes, extract some genes, borrow some energy structure, and while we're at it, see how you ended up looking like this."
Chen Mo paused, then added, "Don't worry, it won't kill you. It'll just hurt a little at most."
Katyusha wanted to laugh.
She's already in this state, why would she care about pain?
Black and red tentacles clung to her remaining shoulder.
Katyusha tensed up abruptly, and just as a faint golden light appeared in her palm, tentacles burrowed into her body through the wound.
The next second, she began to tremble violently.
Once inside her body, the Blacklight Virus, like countless tiny needles, spread rapidly along her flesh, bones, and energy pathways. It didn't tear her apart; it merely read, copied, disassembled, and then took away the parts it needed.
Katyusha gritted her teeth, cold sweat rolling down her forehead.
I'd rather die than beg for mercy from this guy in front of me!
The final layer of golden light shone against her heart, instinctively protecting her vital organs.
Chen Mo closed his eyes.
A flood of memories rushed into his mind.
Snow-covered villages, burning houses, a girl strapped to a metal bed by lab technicians, and endless wars.
She once loathed her own power, loathed war, and even tore apart several armies that came to capture her.
Until one day, she stood in front of the fleeing crowd and single-handedly blocked the falling artillery fire.
From then on, she felt she could do even more.
Chen Mo opened his eyes.
"That's true."
He retracted his tentacles, his expression somewhat subtle. "You're actually serious about being a hero."
Katyusha was breathing weakly.
She didn't know what Chen Mo had seen, but she could feel that something inside her had been taken away.
Golden light shone from Chen Mo's chest.
Golden patterns spread along the black and red armor, passing through the shoulders and arms, finally converging in the palm. With just one rotation, the nearby hills were once again pressed down several meters by an invisible pressure.
Chen Mo looked down at his palm.
"Great, it was worth the trip!"
Katyusha barely managed to lift her eyes.
Why... why didn't you kill me?
Didn't I just say that?
Chen Mo looked at her, "You're a good person, right, Maria?"
After these words were spoken, the bottom of the pit remained silent for a few seconds.
Katyusha's expression became very complicated.
She has heard many names in her life.
Weapon, monster, traitor, hero, Glory Class, the Soviet Union Katyusha.
But she never imagined that one day she would hear her own name from the mouth of this monster, and hear the words, "You are a good person."
"You don't seem like the type to let me off the hook because of this."
"That's true."
Chen Mo nodded, "The main thing is that you're still useful as long as you're alive."
Katyusha closed her eyes.
really.
That's more like him.
Chen Mo raised his right hand and looked towards a place hundreds of kilometers away.
There is another city there.
Air raid sirens are blaring through the streets of Osaka.
After Tokyo lost contact, large numbers of soldiers were organizing people to enter evacuation facilities. Modified soldiers guarded the city's outskirts, and all anti-aircraft artillery was turned towards the sky. Everyone was waiting for the enemy who would destroy Tokyo to appear.
But they didn't see anyone.
The sky only brightened briefly before Chen Mo made a finger gesture in the air.
A thin golden line descended from the clouds over Osaka, running straight through the city center.
There was no explosion.
There was no deafening roar.
Where the golden light swept across, buildings, streets, and underground facilities vanished simultaneously. The light continued forward, neatly severing mountains along its path, with rivers cascading down the fault lines, and vast swathes of land sinking into the sea.
Seconds later, a ravine stretching hundreds of kilometers appeared on the map of Japan.
Seawater poured in from both sides, forcibly tearing apart the once connected coastline. Osaka and the surrounding area could no longer be found to have ever existed.
Chen Mo lowered his hand.
The deficit from unleashing the ultimate skill was quickly made up for by the supply of energy from several sources.
"Excellent, this space-based cannon is useful and powerful."
The golden patterns gradually faded into the armor.
Katyusha stared at the seawater rushing in from afar, her gaze gradually darkening.
You just said I'm a good person.
"Um."
"And then, right in front of me, you erased a city?"
"So what?"
Chen Mo turned to look at her, "I don't have a good impression of this place."
Katyusha had nothing to say.
He has his own bottom line, but that bottom line is far removed from the morality that ordinary people understand.
Chen Mo raised his hand and placed it on her forehead.
A dark red substance flowed from her palm, covering her mutilated body. Katyusha instinctively wanted to resist, but she could barely lift her hand and could only let the substance burrow into her wounds.
Soon, her broken bones began to regrow.
Flesh and blood surged, nerves reconnected, and skin covered. The lost right half of her body was gradually restored, but the new growth was covered with fine black and red lines, which clashed with her original golden energy.
Katyusha looked down at her hands.
She's still alive.
Don't be too happy yet.
Chen Mo released his grip. "I only helped you create a mobile version. You now have my Blacklight tissue inside you. If I want you to fall, you won't even have time to finish your last words."
Katyusha raised her head.
"What do you want to do?"
"Simple."
Chen Mo pointed to the devastation all around, "This place is your responsibility from now on."
Katyusha followed his hand and looked down.
Vast craters, city ruins, overflowing seawater, and flames still burning in the distance.
This land has been ravaged.
Few survived, but there are certainly others.
"I need to continue searching for the Germany ' experimental data; I don't have time to slowly clean up this mess."
Chen Mo said, "You stay here and find the survivors. Collect everything usable: cyborgs, experimental data, weapons, and equipment."
Katyusha frowned.
You want me to manufacture soldiers for you?
"Clever."
I will not help you harm civilians.
"I don't believe there are any innocent civilians here, but, well, you'll find out eventually."
Chen Mo glanced at her. "Go look for them. If you think there's someone you can let go of, then that's fine too."
Katyusha paused for a moment.
She had initially thought that Chen Mo would order her to turn all the survivors into materials.
"Of course, don't misunderstand."
Chen Mo added slowly, "I'm not being overly kind; it's just that ordinary people are of too low quality, and using them as material is a waste of time. High-level modified humans and experimental data are the priority."
Katyusha looked at him, unsure of what to say.
This statement is Coldblood, but for the survivor, the outcome was better than she had expected.
"There's one more thing."
Chen Mo squatted back down in front of her. "The evacuation of the Soviet Union isn't over yet. If you go back now, you'll definitely keep blocking my way."
Katyusha's expression changed slightly.
"You're going to take action against them?"
"It depends."
Chen Mo said, "If they're not blocking my way, I won't bother with them. But if they insist on getting revenge for you, or try to stop me from finding something, then things might get complicated."
Katyusha fell silent.
She knew those soldiers all too well.
If they knew they had died at Chen Mo's hands, even knowing they couldn't win, some of them would still stay and ask him about it.
After asking the questions, it's probably time to send them to their deaths.
But she's still alive. As long as she's alive, those people won't have to risk their lives.
"Okay, I'll stay."
Katyusha said in a low voice.
Chen Mo was not surprised.
"Have you figured it out?"
I don't believe you.
Katyusha looked at him. "But I believe one thing. As long as I'm alive, they won't send you to your death."
Chen Mo smiled.
"Okay, that's a pretty good reason."
Katyusha raised her head, her blue eyes regaining a pale gold hue.
"I can collect experimental data for you, and I can also deal with the cyborgs here, but I have conditions."
"You're quite outspoken."
"Innocent people, such as civilians, should not be used as experimental subjects."
"Can."
Katyusha was taken aback.
She didn't expect Chen Mo to agree so quickly.
Chen Mo waved his hand.
"Don't look at me like that. Like I said, ordinary people are too inefficient. If you can find a few usable semi-finished products here, you're worth more than ten thousand ordinary people."
"Second."
Katyusha continued, "You can't kill anyone because of the Soviet Union evacuation team."
"As long as they don't actively seek death."
I need your personal guarantee.
Chen Mo looked at her.
The bottom of the pit remained quiet for a few more seconds.
Katyusha did not look away.
She was so weak that a single tentacle could crush her, yet she still stared at Chen Mo like that.
Chen Mo suddenly felt like laughing.
"OK."
He nodded. "As long as they don't attack me first, I won't kill them because of you."
Katyusha slowly exhaled.
I promise you.
Chen Mo stood up.
"Then do a good job."
He raised his hand and waved it, and a ball of blackish-red substance fell from his palm, landing at Katyusha's feet, where it quickly transformed into a pulsating cocoon.
"Here, take this. If you encounter something you can't solve, just throw it out. It will take care of itself."
Katyusha looked down at the lump of something.
"What's this?"
"Insurance."
Chen Mo said, "It's also a reminder. If you're thinking of running away with the people here, or running back to the Soviet Union to play some touching sacrifice drama with me, it will be the first to bring you back."
Katyusha did not refute.
She is indeed no match for Chen Mo right now, nor can she escape his control.
But at least, she's alive.
As long as you're alive, there's always something you can do.
Chen Mo turned to look at the scorched earth in the distance.
"The first step is to find everyone who's still alive. Anyone who can breathe and move, regardless of age, dig them out. I don't think there are any innocent people here, but it's up to you."
Katyusha listened quietly.
"The second step is to find experimental facilities, find people to modify, and find data. Especially anything related to your Glory Class modification should be prioritized."
"Step three."
Chen Mo paused for a moment, then said, "Don't get in my way."
Katyusha raised her head.
"I know."
"You just need to know."
Dark red smoke rose from beneath Chen Mo's feet.
Before leaving, he looked back at her one last time.
"By the way, if anyone in the Soviet Union asks about you, I'll say you're still alive and working abroad."
Katyusha paused for a moment.
"Thanks."
Chen Mo paused for a moment.
Why are you thanking me? I didn't do this for you.
"I know."
Katyusha looked at the distant ruins, "But those words could save them a few lives."
Chen Mo clicked his tongue.
"You heroes, your words are always a hassle."
Dark red smoke completely enveloped his body.
The next second, Chen Mo disappeared at the bottom of the pit.
Katyusha stood alone on the scorched earth.