What do I do? This is awkward. Should I just leave as if nothing happened and tell them, "Please stop your performance"? Han Xiao neither supported nor discriminated against this kind of special affection. He felt that what he saw was not just two men, but two lonely hearts. Their high-pressure work placed them under endless strain, with no way to release it, so a special affection had sprung up between colleagues who spent every day together. It's not your fault. It's all Tokiomi's... Bah, the world's fault!
Though his mind was occupied with indecent thoughts, Han Xiao's reactions were anything but slow. Holding his dagger in a reverse grip, he charged straight at Three Hundred Thousand like a sprinting cheetah.
Three Hundred Thousand snapped out of his daze and hurried to draw his gun. Han Xiao seized the opening and slashed. If Constipation Bro had not hastily kicked Three Hundred Thousand aside, the blade would have come within a hair's breadth of severing his gun hand at the wrist.
Han Xiao was not discouraged in the least when his ambush was evaded. With a flick of his fingers, he spun the dagger from a reverse grip into a forward grip and plunged it into the abdomen of Constipation Bro, who could not dodge in time. Then he clenched his fist and struck Constipation Bro hard in the neck. His movements flowed smoothly, knocking him unconscious to the ground in one blow.
-42! -45!
〔Your strength is 25. The target's strength is 10... Strength check successful. Your strength is more than twice the target's. This attack deals an additional 50% crushing damage! The target is stunned.〕
Han Xiao's strength was more than twice that of these guards, so his punches and kicks could inflict a crushing effect on them, along with negative status effects such as stun and broken bones.
Good, one threat dealt with! Han Xiao felt reassured.
Having been pushed aside, Three Hundred Thousand rolled backward to put a safe distance between them, then raised his gun to shoot.
If the gunshot got out, it would alert the entire base. Han Xiao reacted swiftly, launching himself forward in a diving tackle that knocked Three Hundred Thousand over. They grappled on the floor, and Han Xiao immediately jammed a finger against the trigger. Grabbing Three Hundred Thousand's gun wrist, he slammed it hard against the floor. With a cry of pain, Three Hundred Thousand dropped the pistol.
Without pausing, Han Xiao drove his head into Three Hundred Thousand's nose. The forehead was already one of the hardest parts of the human body, and this blow had the added force of Han Xiao's twenty-five strength points. There was a muffled grunt as Three Hundred Thousand's nose broke. Blood gushed from it, and he was stunned.
Han Xiao seized the chance to roll behind Three Hundred Thousand, locking his legs around his waist and hips and wrapping an arm around his neck. He squeezed hard. Three Hundred Thousand's face immediately turned purple. Unable to breathe properly or make a sound, he kicked and thrashed like a drowning man.
Rear naked choke!
〔You have used a lock. Your strength is 25. The target's strength is 11... Strength check passed. The target cannot break free.〕
After more than ten seconds of struggling, Three Hundred Thousand's resistance gradually weakened. The pressure on his neck became too much, and he passed out.
"That was close..."
Han Xiao climbed to his feet, panting, and reflected that if he were a Pugilist, he would not be this tired.
The Pugilist Class was the most popular class in Galaxy for no other reason than that it was cool. Cool as fucking hell! The names of its moves were so cool (cringe) they were off the charts: Flame King Earth-Splitting Wave, Special Beam Cannon, Star Annihilation Fist, and so on. It was hard to say whether their power lived up to their names, but at least they could ignite one's chuuni soul. When using a move, it always felt as though it could not reach its full power without shouting its name. Although most players thought it was too embarrassing, Han Xiao's experience playing a Pugilist alt had taught him that once he accepted the premise, it was actually quite a thrill. Who had not gone through a chuuni phase?
The Pugilist Class also had a straightforward fighting style: just mindlessly punch, punch, punch. Compared with the Mechanic Class, the hardest to learn, it was like the difference between Angry Birds and Dark Souls. They were practically two games with completely different styles, and the difficulty was much more beginner-friendly.
With the bonuses from Basic Combat and Grappling, plus his experience playing a Pugilist alt, Han Xiao's fighting ability could be considered excellent. At the very least, he had no trouble dealing with strong opponents within the range of ordinary people.
He finished off the two unconscious men with his dagger. At a time like this, even the slightest mercy was cruelty to himself. He also took four pistol magazines from the bodies of Three Hundred Thousand and Constipation Bro.
With no time to rest, he carried the two bodies outside the door into the room, stripped off one man's combat uniform and used it to wipe the blood from the corridor. He smashed all the surveillance screens with a gunstock, checked that everything was in order, then locked the door and left the surveillance room. His expression was calm and untroubled; no one could have guessed that he had just killed four people, much less that it was his first time killing.
It had to be said that keeping a poker face was a good habit. No one could see what you were thinking.
Clearing out the surveillance room was like removing an all-seeing eye hanging over his head. At last, he no longer had to sneak around.
When he returned to the second floor, a guard suddenly stopped him.
"Mr. Lin Weixian wants to see you."
Han Xiao paused slightly, a flicker in his eyes.
Sure enough, Lin Weixian could not hold back any longer. Han Xiao had known this day would come, though he had not expected the timing to be such a coincidence.
On closer thought, this might work in his favor. Lin Weixian was an important person in charge of the experiments, held a respected position, and was one of the few people with a base access card. Han Xiao had already intended to make a move against him, and now the man had come to him of his own accord.
Following the guard, Han Xiao arrived at Lin Weixian's private laboratory. It was dimly lit, and the shelves along the walls held transparent containers, one after another, with human organs soaking in formalin solution. It looked like some deranged serial killer's collection room.
Lin Weixian sized Han Xiao up, his gaze burning. He was very happy now and said eagerly:
"The organization finally handed you over to me. Once I dissect you, I can find out why you're different from the other test subjects. When I've finished extracting your value, your corpse will be worthy of becoming one of my specimens. The first test subject-how commemorative."
Han Xiao remained as silent as a stone, his expression impossible to make out in the darkness.
"Guard, secure him for me. Don't let him struggle and ruin my experiment." After giving the order, Lin Weixian turned his back on them and took a series of strangely shaped scalpels and a craniotome from a toolbox. There was no telling how many human bodies they had cut into. Their cold gleam sent a chill through the body.
Suddenly, Lin Weixian heard the dull thud of someone falling behind him. He turned around in confusion, only to discover that Han Xiao had somehow come to stand behind him, looking down at him and filling his entire field of vision.
Before he could think, a sudden, agonizing pain struck Lin Weixian in the chest. He looked down blankly and saw a dagger buried deep in his heart.
His strength rapidly drained away, and the scalpel clattered to the floor.
Horrified, Lin Weixian met Han Xiao's eyes. The gaze he remembered as forever dull was now as sharp as a knife, making him feel as though he had plunged into an ice cellar.
Looking past Han Xiao, Lin Weixian saw the guard lying on the floor, his neck twisted at a strange angle. His not-yet-dead body was twitching from nerve reflexes.
Lin Weixian's eyes were blank. He had never even considered that Zero might resist. He had witnessed the entire process, from Zero's creation to his brainwashing. Where had something gone wrong...?
That's right, the surveillance camera! Clinging to his last hope, Lin Weixian looked at the camera in the corner.
Han Xiao said coolly, "Give up. Everyone in the surveillance room is dead."
That tone... It could never have come from the dull-witted Zero!
Lin Weixian shuddered, his face turning ashen. Using the last of his strength, he asked hoarsely, "This... this past half year, you were pretending the whole time?"
Han Xiao nodded.
"How is that possible... You fooled everyone!" Lin Weixian looked as though he had heard something unbelievable.
"In this world, nothing is impossible." Han Xiao twisted the dagger hard.
Unwilling and astonished, Lin Weixian crumpled to the floor. His eyes were wide open, and he died with them unclosed.
"I... am your... creator..."
To his dying moment, he could not believe that he would fall at Han Xiao's hands.