Chapter 69: Utter Relief

Chapter 69: Exhilaration

Thud!

A short, stocky figure hurtled sideways from the dissipating smoke and dust, spine crashing heavily into a beam.

The already tottering roof instantly shed tiles with a rustling clatter, smashing onto blood-slick floor tiles and spraying countless flecks of gore.

Gu Jia hunched over, gasping heavily; hands pressed on knees were a mangled mess of flesh and blood, revealing the distinct metallic sheen of mechanized bones.

The great moon atop the dome spilled a patch of pristine radiance through the hole in the roof, casting trembling light and shadow across Shi Chengfeng's savage features.

The head of Tianfu Heavy Industry's Operations Division looked bizarre at this moment; arms hung down past his knees, paired with twin butterfly knives in hand, he resembled an upright, knife-wielding enraged ape; the glint in his eyes was so bright none dared meet his gaze directly.

"Mech Heart: Ju Fu, Grand Completion, Soldier Eight!"

Gu Jia's face was grim; he turned to spit a mouthful of bloody phlegm, eyes locked dead on Shi Chengfeng, and roared, "Li Jun, are you dead yet?"

Rustling sounds emanated from a pile of rubble like a grave mound not far away.

Suddenly an arm burst through the debris, pressed against the ground, and with a heave dragged out a wretched body.

Li Jun's face was caked in dust, bruised purple and black; his bulletproof "Night-Watch" cotton-armored combat suit was slashed all over, his right shoulder missing a massive chunk of flesh and fabric alike.

Glancing at his still-bleeding shoulder wound, Li Jun frowned, grabbed a burning stick nearby, and pressed it hard against the wound.

Sizzle!!

Amidst rising green smoke, Li Jun used his knife as a staff to straighten up, grinned, and said, "Without your order, Chief, how would I dare die?"

"Hahaha, good that you don't dare!"

Gu Jia tore off the troublesome synthetic skin on his hands; the exposed mechanized bones shifted and combined, ultimately forming a set of steel knuckle-dusters on his knuckles.

"You've killed quite a few from the Soldier Path; any good ideas for dealing with this model?"

Li Jun curled his lip. "The Soldier Path has too many tricks; never killed this type. Does your bio-chip have any similar cases, Chief?"

Gu Jia sighed. "Mech Hearts vary by person; even the same model changes as the host's sequence rises."

"His 'Ju Fu' was originally just a brute-force ape; now he's wielding knives. This damn genetic mutation—where would I find a precedent?"

Li Jun rolled his neck, cracking sounds ringing out. "Then we just kill and study on the spot?"

"You make it sound like ordering dishes at a restaurant."

Gu Jia laughed heartily. "Crude words, sound reasoning; just study him carefully in a bit."

Watching Li Jun and Gu Jia flank him, bantering back and forth, Shi Chengfeng sneered, raising arms like twin spears, short knives like spearheads, killing intent palpable.

"Pressure too high, so you use this lame method to bolster your own courage?"

Gu Jia snorted. "Li Jun, he says you're under too much pressure. Are you scared?"

"Just killing a monkey, what's to fear?" Li Jun shook his head. "Are you scared, Chief?"

"Scared my ass. I'm afraid I won't enjoy the kill enough!"

"I'll take the headshot!"

"Win, and we make a killing."

"Lose, and we just die staring at the sky!"

Rage erupted on Shi Chengfeng's face; he shrieked, "Die!"

Li Jun and Gu Jia exhaled a breath of turbid air, eyes sharp as blades, and shouted in unison: "Then let's do this!"

The words barely fell before two black combat suits shot out almost simultaneously.

Gu Jia braced against the beam behind him and kicked off, launching like a cannonball from the bore, heavy fist smashing toward Shi Chengfeng's skull.

On the other flank, Li Jun lunged low, skimming the ground like a black falcon, the ink-black blade in his hand streaking horizontally for the enemy's legs.

Said headshot, aimed headshot; said sever legs, aimed legs.

The roar of fist-wind and blade-howl enveloped them; standing in the eye of the storm, Shi Chengfeng's face was savage, his ape-like arms whipping like lashes—crack!—one parried Gu Jia's fist, the other slashing at his chest from a bizarre, tricky angle.

Pfft!

A hideous gash opened on Gu Jia's chest; through the rolled flesh one could see his mechanical heart beating; the man recoiled in horror.

On the other side, the ink-blade had sliced through the trouser leg, the edge kissing the flesh of Shi Chengfeng's leg, but just as Li Jun prepared to exert force, a bone-deep stabbing pain struck his brow.

Li Jun's face changed drastically; he planted his left hand and rolled sideways.

Shhhk!

A short knife pinned the spot Li Jun had just occupied; the floor tiles of the Yang Main Hall were like tofu, the knife sinking in to the hilt.

"Didn't you like running your mouths? Keep going then!"

Shi Chengfeng lowered his waist and arched his back, flashing like an old ape leaping; right knife slashing for Gu Jia's eyes, another cold gleam stabbing for his ribs!

"Why the hell are you only hacking at me?!" Gu Jia cursed inwardly.

Under Shi Chengfeng's frenzied assault, Gu Jia was instantly in dire straits.

Moments later, his body was covered in cuts; combat suit and the flesh beneath hacked to ribbons, blades striking mechanized bone showering terrifying sparks.

Both Grand Completion Rank Eight Mechanized Body Vanguards, yet Gu Jia had almost no capacity to retaliate under Shi Chengfeng.

It wasn't that his strength was lacking, but that his Mech Heart's traits were comprehensively suppressed.

Gu Jia's "Giant Spirit" Mech Heart excelled in strength, but Shi Chengfeng's "Ju Fu" Mech Heart specialized in the same, and due to fusion compatibility, his strength surpassed Gu Jia's by a margin.

Though Gu Jia held the advantage in mechanized body hardness, it only let him endure a bit longer against the incomparably agile "Ju Fu".

"Why so quiet? Scared of being chopped?"

Li Jun stepped silently, leaping behind Shi Chengfeng; his ink-blade struck without a whisper of wind, force not great, but perfectly concealed.

Yet this perfectly concealed ambush was easily dodged by Shi Chengfeng; his long arm whipped a knife out like a thrown dart-rope, slashing for Li Jun's brow.

Blade-light like lightning; Li Jun desperately crossed his blade before his face!

Clang!

Blades collided; Li Jun, with his injured right arm, seemingly couldn't withstand the force—the rebounding spine of his own knife smashed into his face, half his face instantly swelling purple, mouth split and bleeding!

How to break a siege? Just pin one down and beat him until he's dead!

Shi Chengfeng adhered to this logic to the end, abandoning the retreating Li Jun, twin blades once more slashing for Gu Jia.

The keen shriek of blades tearing air pierced Gu Jia's ears; two cold lights reflected in his pupils, drawing ever closer!

"Li Jun, if you don't go all out now, wait to die together!"

Gu Jia, like a cornered beast driven to desperation, actually crashed into the oncoming blades.

"Giant Spirit!"

The roar shook eardrums, blood spraying. The Mech Heart's surging drone was like a tide crashing ashore!

Near-disemboweled, Gu Jia clamped down on Shi Chengfeng's hands, roaring savagely: "Li Jun, kill him!"

Shi Chengfeng was stunned by Gu Jia's sudden eruption; by the time he reacted and tried to break free, a piercing whistle of air already rang by his ear!

Pfft!

Shi Chengfeng’s eyes widened until they were round, his gaze brimming with pure stupefaction and shock.

He dropped his eyes, and saw clearly a section of blade tip piercing clean through Gu Jia’s chest!

Gu Jia’s face was twisted into a fiendish rictus, his every mechanical bone shuddering violently as he wrenched his neck backward with desperate strength, trying to catch sight of the figure behind him.

The split second his peripheral vision was about to sweep across his assailant, that blade tip violently twisted, churning the mechanical heart in his chest into utter ruin!

[Acquired 150 Proficiency Points]

[Expended 98 Proficiency Points, the Poilu Saber ascended to Grade Eight, Grand Perfection]

Shi Chengfeng tore himself away, stumbling back, his face pale with the aftertaste of terror, his voice low and harsh: "You lunatic!"

Li Jun threw back his head and laughed, his mouth split wide, delight shining in every line of his brow and eye, "Lunatic? No hurry. First him, then you!"