Chapter 204: Dark Boundless Realm 59
Without electronic eyes for night vision or scanners to assist in surveying the area, Kui Xin faced extraordinary difficulty navigating through the mechanical maze.
She lowered her body and moved cautiously, afraid of kicking up any metallic trash that might make a sound underfoot. Her eyes widened as she heightened her senses to the maximum; in the darkness, her hearing became exceptionally sharp.
Now she stood on the same starting line as her adversaries. Without Augus’s assistance, the Mechanized Dawn operatives had also lost Eden’s command, and their technological equipment had become ineffective.
Kui Xin had just heard Silverface call out for Thorn Rose in the distance, indicating that her tactic had been successful and that the Awakened team from Mechanized Dawn had indeed scattered due to the explosion.
Aside from the Awakened team, there were various undefined combat squads dispersed throughout the junkyard. Kui Xin did not dare underestimate their combat strength; while their physical capabilities could not match the Awakened, they could still be considered elite among ordinary people, each having undergone professional training.
Her mind raced as she bent down and picked up a discarded metal pipe from the ground, tossing it far away.
“Clang…”
The crisp sound of metal colliding echoed in the area.
After the pipe made its noise, Kui Xin quickly hid, and within half a minute, two or three shadows moved slowly towards the sound of the pipe. They groped through the darkness, firearms in hand, their movements and postures visibly tense and their minds highly focused.
Observing the shadows, Kui Xin calmly drew a bomb from her waist and pulled the pin. She held the bomb for a second or two before throwing it, sending it on a perfect parabolic arc. Before it could reach the ground among the combatants, it detonated with a deafening explosion.
Screams were drowned in the roar of the blast, shards flying everywhere, and several old cars precariously perched on the mountains of trash crashed down, crushing those beneath them.
The firelight illuminated a small area.
Taking advantage of the chaos before more enemies arrived, Kui Xin quickly shifted her position to avoid being detected.
As she was sneaking, a sudden sharp “whoosh” pierced the air in the distance, reminiscent of the sound made by firecrackers during childhood New Year celebrations.
Alert, she looked up to see a bright flare bursting like a sun in the pitch-black sky.
It was an illumination flare!
That flare arced through the sky, rising higher and illuminating one side of the junk mountain, making the metallic colors shine brightly. Shadows shifted and changed directions and sizes with the flare’s ascent and descent.
Counting in her head, Kui Xin noted that the flare had remained in the sky for about twenty-five seconds…
She hadn’t expected Eve to equip her subordinates with such gear; illumination flares were not standard equipment, and the number carried by the combat team should be limited… unless Night Cicada had supplied them.
Within the range of Reset, it was hard to tell if Night Cicada’s spatial vortex could still be effective. If it could, matters would become even more complicated. The electromagnetic storm had also encompassed the Polar District’s Creative Technology Company, and the equipment inside had malfunctioned. At this moment, Night Cicada and others would need to adapt quickly.
I hope their response is slow.
After careful consideration, Kui Xin withdrew a dagger from the strap on her thigh and temporarily lifted her bulletproof helmet to make a small cut on the side of her face. The cut wasn’t deep, and while not much blood flowed, after making the cut, she put the helmet back on.
Regeneration was also out of effect. When the regeneration heals wounds, it brings a strong itching sensation. If she felt that intense itch on her face, it would mean her wound was healing, and her extraordinary ability that was erased by Reset was returning.
She could have made the cut elsewhere, but doing so on her arms or legs could affect her combat ability, and cutting elsewhere would require removing her bulletproof vest, which was cumbersome; cutting her face was most convenient and least likely to hinder her fighting. The dense facial nerves could help her perceive the sensation of healing more quickly.
“Whoosh—”
Another illumination flare shot up into the sky.
Kui Xin hunched over, walking closely along the dark face of the junk mountain; her breathing was shallow, her steps light and quiet.
Suddenly, she stopped, her gaze shifting forward as she caught sight of a swaying figure at the corner ahead. At that moment, the figure also ceased its movement—they had both found each other!
Kui Xin’s movements were the swiftest! Before the other could react, she dashed forward instead of hiding, unleashing her maximum speed to cover the distance in two seconds!
To her surprise, it was Thorn Rose who stood before her. Thorn Rose wasn’t slow to react; the moment Kui Xin showed herself, she instinctively raised her gun and delivered a barrage of bullets, but the bullets were all deflected by the helmet and vest. Undeterred, Kui Xin charged forward through the hail of bullets, sweeping Thorn Rose’s legs from under her!
Thorn Rose not only wore a helmet but also had a thin layer of exoskeleton armor covering her body. When Kui Xin’s kick took her down, she felt a dull pain in her shin, as if she had kicked a hard iron plate.
At this moment, the exoskeleton armor had lost its powered assistance, thus relying solely on the wearer’s strength, making its actions less smooth than when powered, but still retaining significant defensive capabilities.
Not yielding to the attack, Thorn Rose clamped down on Kui Xin’s legs and threw her to the ground.
The two of them rolled on the ground, with Kui Xin’s hands gripping Thorn Rose’s neck, but the exoskeleton armor was equipped with a metal neck guard, truly armored from head to toe, without even a tiny gap.
Fortunately, Kui Xin had worn similar armor before, and she accurately targeted the buckle of the helmet in an attempt to remove it.
Thorn Rose noticed Kui Xin’s intention, swinging her right arm, the deactivated mechanical arm crashing down onto Kui Xin’s helmet with a clang, causing her head to tilt. Seizing the opportunity, Thorn Rose abruptly lifted her leg and kicked Kui Xin off her body, driving her elbow into Kui Xin’s abdomen.
Unable to suppress a painful grunt, Kui Xin defiantly attempted to straighten Thorn Rose’s arm and disarm her.
They grappled like primitive beings, revealing their murderous intent without restraint, pouring out their rage; each move aimed to kill the other.
Thorn Rose managed to wriggle free from Kui Xin, scrambling to her feet and grabbing a submachine gun that had fallen to the side, trying to create distance to hinder Kui Xin’s actions. But Kui Xin picked up a round steering wheel from the ground, half-knelt, and hurled it like a flying disc!
The disc left her hand, accurately striking Thorn Rose’s firearm!
With a loud bang, Thorn Rose’s weapon was knocked from her grip to the ground.
In the next moment, Kui Xin lunged fiercely at her, locking down Thorn Rose’s movements with her limbs while freeing one hand to reach for the connection point between the helmet and the exoskeleton.
“Click…”
With a faint sound, the helmet popped open.
Kui Xin ripped off Thorn Rose’s helmet and, with her metallic gauntlet-clad fist, slammed it down onto Thorn Rose’s shocked face.
One punch! Thorn Rose’s head snapped back, and a red bloom erupted on her face, even the underlying bones crackling under the force.
One of her eyes swelled up from Kui Xin’s precise strikes, deep red fluid trailing down her nose and eye socket; the punch nearly knocked her unconscious.
Two punches! Three punches! Kui Xin focused on Thorn Rose’s temple, every strike landing solidly without holding back. Protected by her gauntlets, she didn’t fear damaging her fingers, pouring every ounce of strength into her assault.
Thorn Rose’s head tilted, barely able to stand under the onslaught.
Seeing her unable to resist any longer, Kui Xin calmly pulled back her fists and switched to her firearm without hesitation, aiming right at Thorn Rose’s forehead.
“Bang!”
Thorn Rose’s heavy body collapsed to the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust.
“You killed Thorn Rose.”
“You deprived Thorn Rose of extraordinary abilities.”
“You gained extraordinary ability [Blazing Edge·B Rank].”
“[Blazing Edge·B Rank]: You can attach unparalleled high temperatures to metallic objects you touch with both hands.”
Without pausing to catch her breath, Kui Xin heard a cacophony of footsteps surrounding her; the combat auxiliary team had been drawn to the commotion of the battle.
Figures in black combat suits emerged, moving in precise unison as they raised their firearms and commenced firing collectively at Kui Xin, a barrage of bullets raining down like an impenetrable net.
Even with her bulletproof vest and helmet, Kui Xin could not withstand such overwhelming fire! Diving behind Thorn Rose’s corpse, she grasped it upright as a shield. With her other hand, she drew a bomb from her waist, swiftly yanking the pin and throwing it.
Her target was not the opposing combat squad, but the junk mountain beside her!
The bomb landed among them, and while it might not wipe out the entire team, it could easily shake the junk mountain, crushing the enemies beneath the metal refuse.
With a deafening roar, fragments of metal fell like iron rain; large and small debris crashed down in a cacophony.
Kui Xin dropped the cumbersome shield and ran with her head covered through the hail of falling debris, like dominoes set off in a chain reaction, causing the mountain of garbage to descend. With even a slight delay, she risked being buried beneath the wreckage. By the time she escaped the collapsing junk pile, the scene was utterly devastated.
As the junk mountain fell, new heaps began to form, creating an increasingly complex environment.
Killing Thorn Rose did not bring Kui Xin any joy; the hard battles lay ahead.
The wound on her face pulsed with pain, showing no signs of healing. She pulled out an antique mechanical watch from her pocket; it was an old-fashioned mechanical pocket watch, powered purely by mechanics and unaffected by the electromagnetic storm.
Eight minutes had passed… she needed to finish off Reset within the remaining twenty minutes.
“Whoosh—” the familiar sound of a flare fired echoed.
The third sun rose in the junkyard.
Silverface gazed at the illuminating flare; its bright glow appeared and disappeared, making his pale face, already devoid of color, grow even paler. “The explosion was in the northwest corner; she must be nearby.”
“We’ve fallen into her rhythm of attack,” Ghost said.
“Night Cicada said she was a tactical master in the past,” Silverface whispered.
Ghost slowly stated, “The current situation has exceeded our control; should we retreat?”
Silverface was momentarily stunned, surprised by the suggestion put forth by “Reset.”
The decision to retreat or not needed to listen to the operational commander, but Night Cicada, as the commander, was uncontactable while the deputy commander, Sky Moon, was buried. Silverface was a competent soldier, but he was not an effective commander and felt utterly at a loss in such a situation; he didn’t know whose orders to follow. The cunning Thorn Rose had vanished, leaving him unsure of what to decide.
Silverface and Ghost were surrounded by six auxiliary combat personnel whom they had encountered while maneuvering through the junkyard.
Night Cicada had largely mobilized all available auxiliary combat teams, and no more personnel could be dispatched. The remaining team needed to guard the Creative Technology Company branch to prevent enemy ambushes; they could not be sent out under any circumstances.
Ghost looked at Silverface and remarked, “Without a timer, I can’t confirm if Reset is still in effect.”
Unlike Kui Xin, they were not adequately prepared and only had electronic timers on them.
Reset’s A-rank ability had a broad activation range but also specific limitations. First, it was limited by time; within the range, a person of the same level as the subject could only be restrained for half an hour. Eve judged that Kui Xin did not possess S-rank extraordinary abilities; hence she dispatched Reset.
Though artificially created Awakened were consumable resources for Mechanized Dawn, training these individuals required vast financial and temporal investments. One would select a qualified individual from tens of thousands of embryos, and even among those selected, there was no guarantee they would develop successfully—let alone achieve A-rank strength, which was exceedingly rare.
Every artificial person was a precious asset for Mechanized Dawn. Eve observed them, utilized them, trained them, hoping they would play a significant role one day.
Seeing the hesitation on Silverface’s face, Ghost raised an eyebrow. This man was reluctant to kill “Lady Fortune,” and thus he was indecisive about what choice to make.
Amber had once asked him to spare Silverface, a request he had refused, but now he had a thought—if only he could extract Silverface as easily as he had Amber Black Obsidian.
This guy was simple, gullible, and his self-awareness was clearly in its nascent stage; with just a little guidance… but his feelings for that woman posed a significant problem; he must not waver against the enemy.
Silverface’s gaze struggled as he listed the current situation in his mind.
First, things had spiraled out of control; they had lost contact with headquarters, and their equipment had malfunctioned.
Second, the deputy commander Sky Moon was incapacitated.
Third, the combat team was scattered, unable to effectively flank the enemy.
They were outnumbered, yet the situation was slipping into adversity…
Silverface exhaled, for the first time in his life making a significant decision beyond eating or sleeping: “We retreat, temporarily moving back outside the junkyard. Launch a signal flare to gather our members.”
One combatant at his side immediately retrieved a signal flare and fired it into the sky.
The red signal flare burst open in the night sky, signaling the retreat.
The group encircled Ghost, protecting him as they moved slowly.
Ghost carefully surveyed the darkness, feeling a sense of regret; missing this opportunity to kill, he wondered when he would get another chance. The enemy would undoubtedly be twice as cautious next time… If things had gone smoothly, if they had not lost contact with Mechanized Dawn, and if their equipment hadn’t malfunctioned, with so many of them, they could have encircled and killed that individual.
But there were no ifs; she did not fight unprepared, and she truly was a tactical master.
Not only Ghost thought this, but Kui Xin felt the same way.
Missing this chance to kill, who knew when the next opportunity would arise? Augus made a certain self-sacrifice, crafting her this perfect chance to counterattack, and if this opportunity was lost, a better moment would never present itself.
Mechanized Dawn had a fallback plan, Ghost had a fallback plan, but Kui Xin had no retreat! She had to win!
Just as Mechanized Dawn was pulling back, a strange noise suddenly emanated from above the junk mountain, causing everyone to panic and rush forward, only to find that the noise didn’t lead to the anticipated collapse of the junk mountain; only a few metal parts fell, making some noise.
Before they could breathe a sigh of relief, the sound of chains rattled suddenly in the darkness.
A long grappling line shot through the air, suddenly attacking when they were distracted, quickly entangling Ghost’s legs and pulling him to the ground.
Ghost crashed to the ground in shock, his body propelled forward uncontrollably by the grappling line, and he hastily clung to a nearby person’s leg to avoid being taken away by the grappling gun. As the combatants snapped back into focus, half rushed to hold Ghost while the other half aimed their guns and shot into the darkness.
But at that moment, the unfalling junk mountain, which had only acted like a distraction, emitted a terrifying sound once more. This time, what fell was not an inconsequential metal part but the entire junk mountain!
The incoming grappling line was not intended to capture Reset but to trap him in place, allowing the junk to bury him.
The grappling line tightened around him, hard to unwind in a short time. The rope had a limit to how far it could stretch; they couldn’t run back, so they could only run in the direction the grappling line had come from!
“Forward!” Silverface shouted, just as he noticed five or six round objects landing on the ground before them, neither too far nor too close—bombs!
Behind them were metal debris, and ahead lay explosives; they were caught between a double attack. Silverface’s heart nearly stopped. He grabbed Ghost’s arm: “Reset!”
Ghost’s eye twitched; under the instinct for survival, he reluctantly made a decision, “Reset” temporarily released!
A water curtain opened, and the flames from the explosion rushed in, firmly blocked by the water screen. The dropping steel and other debris struck the water curtain, creating violent ripples above before being neutralized, causing no tangible harm to those sheltered beneath it.
The combatants huddled together under the water curtain to avoid the assault.
But at that moment, a deep blue spatial vortex suddenly appeared beneath their feet, opening wide, causing their bodies to uncontrollably fall into it. Ghost had initially thought this was a spatial vortex set up by Night Cicada for their rescue, and in that instant felt somewhat reassured; however, Silverface’s heart raced. The water rope pulled Ghost suddenly, casting him into the air, and he used the water rope to pull himself free from the vortex.
Silverface was unable to save everyone as the vortex opened violently and then closed again, cutting anyone who had not fully descended into it in half.
In an instant, the stench of blood filled the air, the warm liquid splattering and staining the metallic refuse.
The vortex’s assault was not over; another vortex behind Ghost opened wide, eager to engulf him!
Silverface shouted: “Your ability!”
Without needing to be told, Ghost understood where the problem lay—they had an enemy wielding a spatial vortex!
Facing life and death, Ghost activated “Reset” again; an invisible field extended, and the deep blue vortex dissipated into thin air within a second, while Silverface’s water rope and curtain also dissolved!
A figure suddenly appeared behind Ghost; it had been a lump of merging darkness, but with the activation of Reset, the dark mist morphed into a human form.
A chill ran down Ghost’s spine, the hairs on his body standing on end as he barely turned his head to see a fist growing larger in his vision.
With a loud bang, he was struck back, his body reeling, his legs still bound by the grappling line, leaving him with no space to evade.
Kui Xin’s hand accurately grasped the helmet’s clasp, and under Ghost’s horrified gaze, she yanked off his helmet!
Her movements were so precise, as if she had rehearsed them a thousand times; when she struck, she did so with guaranteed success.
Just as Kui Xin raised her gun and the bullet was about to fire, Silverface stepped on top of the junk pile, mustering all his strength to charge towards her, shouldering into her body, causing her bullet to veer off target.
At that moment, a sudden change occurred!
In her peripheral vision, she caught sight of a silver object flying towards her; it was a silver arrowhead, aimed directly at her head! An alarm blared in Kui Xin’s mind, prompting her to instinctively extend her left arm to block. The arrowhead unexpectedly pierced through her forearm, embedding itself with its barbed tip deeply into her bone!
To make matters worse, the metal arrowhead was connected to the silver grappling line. Kui Xin followed its trajectory, her pupils dilating as she realized—Sky Moon!
She was still alive, even regaining some mobility.
Sky Moon’s body crackled with electric sparks, her mechanical body straining under pressure; one of her metal eyes had already burned out, but the other still functioned. The silver grappling line was anchored to her left arm, which had taken the shape of a crossbow; that grappling arrow was powered purely mechanically.
Sky Moon gripped the silver grappling line tightly, yanking Kui Xin down from the trash pile. She rolled twice on the ground, her feet pressing firmly against the ground, while the agony in her left arm from the pull of the grappling line scorched her nerves. In a fit of rage, she yanked at the arrowhead embedded in her bone, desperate to wrench it free, but it wouldn’t budge. Despite using all her strength, she couldn’t remove the barb deeply lodged in her bone.
Sky Moon stabilized her strength, her expression fierce. Her prosthetic body employed Mechanized Dawn’s most advanced technology capable of maintaining combat abilities under extreme conditions, weighing over 300 pounds; Kui Xin could not move her and lacked the strength to compete against it.
Footsteps echoed from a distance; it must be the auxiliary combat team again, and Silverface was atop the junk pile.
Sky Moon yelled, “What are you doing? Attack, Silverface!”
At that moment, Kui Xin was decisive.
She drew the sharp knife she had purchased at a high price from her waist, swung it down hard against her left arm!
Blood gushed forth like a fountain, and while her body halted, her left arm was being pulled toward Sky Moon. After severing her arm, Kui Xin did not stop her movements; fury and malevolence burning in her eyes, she tightly gripped the handle and hurled the knife.
“Clang!”
The knife spun through the air, piercing directly into Sky Moon’s eye socket where her mechanical eye had been loaded!
Kui Xin did not pause to assess the damage done to Sky Moon; she barely had time to staunch her own bleeding before, with her functional right hand, she pulled out her backup weapon from her belt, turning to charge up the junk pile where Reset was located, aiming at Reset, who was still entangled in the grappling line.
Ghost raised his gun to protect himself, shouting, “Silverface!”
Reset’s restraints were released, and Silverface awakened, instantly unfurling the water curtain to envelop Ghost, blocking Kui Xin’s firing bullets.
Simultaneously, Kui Xin regained her extraordinary abilities; her body turned into mist, directly diving into Silverface’s water curtain. She then reappeared, fully materialized in the water bubble, spouting blood like gossamer in the liquid.
Her face was indistinct in the water, but her eyes were particularly clear, locking onto Ghost’s gaze.
In that short moment, Kui Xin thought of many things, her thoughts racing fleetingly. She was astonished to see such complex emotions reflected in the eyes of the Reset, feelings of shock, fear, confusion, anger… emotions that seemed beyond Reset’s capacity to feel.
He could not comprehend why she possessed such powerful will, a willingness to sacrifice an arm just to kill him; he also didn’t understand which extraordinary abilities Kui Xin truly held. The battlefield was too chaotic, leading to his erroneous response.
If he didn’t release her extraordinary abilities, Silverface wouldn’t be able to protect himself, and he would die; but if he did release her abilities… it seemed he would perish even faster.
In that moment, Kui Xin pressed her gun against his chin and squeezed the trigger.
Bang!
The entire water bubble turned crimson with blood, her blood mingling with Reset’s.
“You killed Reset.”
“You deprived Reset of extraordinary abilities.”
“You gained extraordinary ability [Reset·A Rank].”
Kui Xin didn’t wait for the system to finish announcing before using Shadow Transition to slip out of Silverface’s bubble; the entire process took no more than two seconds.
Soaked through, her body drenched in a mixture of water and blood, she slowly dripped as the droplets fell with a light patter.
After killing her biggest opponent, her expression was unexpectedly calm, yet beneath that serenity lay a volcano ready to erupt, and the frigid night of White Whale City could not quell its fury.
Silverface’s gaze darted between her face and Reset’s body, his mind blank, a surge of fear blossoming within him—the first time in his existence that he had felt fear.
Instinctively driven by that fear, he took a step back, his pink eyes blankly staring at Kui Xin.
The auxiliary combat team arrived, surrounding her.
They wanted to advance and attack, yet no one pulled the trigger. The atmosphere thickened as the two sides confronted each other; they hesitated to fire, feeling as if a terrifying monster stood before them.
Kui Xin brushed her hair aside to clear her sight, as the wound on her left arm quickly healed under the effects of regeneration, soon ceasing to bleed.
“Ha.” A muffled laugh escaped her throat, “If anyone here can escape alive, please tell Eve something for me.”
She spoke slowly, “This time, I won!”
Raising her hand, the knife embedded in Sky Moon’s eye socket flew back into her grasp as her body transformed into black mist, slicing straight into the enemy ranks.
