Escape

Afraid? In his brief bewilderment, Ming Yan could hardly hold back a savage grin. Too late! Unfortunately, he had rejoiced too soon. He had no idea what it actually meant on a battlefield when an enemy took such a posture... In the very next instant, he saw the figure revealed after Lu Feng hit the dirt. Ji Jue. And in his hands was a massive, staggering piece of weaponry that reached all the way to his shoulder. Rather than calling it a gun, it was more like an artillery piece! The Mammoth Mark II Assault Rifle—the standard weapon module for Federation military power armor. After decades of battle across the Mid-Continent, the muzzle, stained red with countless streaks of blood, still shone with a chilling radiance. Using his own body as a mount, Ji Jue braced the butt against the van's A-pillar. Tapping his fingers against the chassis, he smiled gently. "Fire." At that moment, the entire building seemed to shudder violently! Every pane of glass shattered "silently," because the deafening thunder that roared into existence stripped everyone of their hearing. Amid the fierce ringing in their ears, only a numbing silence remained. A bona fide weapon of war, dragged from the brink of death, roared once more, spewing forth raging fire, dread majesty, and sheer destruction! It was chambered for 22.4mm high-speed armor-piercing anchor rounds custom-built by Sentinel Armaments. While their effectiveness was practically nonexistent at long range, they had not been created to deliver death from ten thousand meters away. Their purpose was to unleash an exhilarating slaughter at point-blank range. On the battlefield, armored knights wielding weapons like this against comparable foes would press the muzzle directly against the enemy's armor, and then pull the trigger. It was known as the "Can Opener." No matter how tough or troublesome the can, once punched through from the front, it would spill sweet, savory ketchup everywhere! Now, once the thunder and tremors passed and everyone looked up, they saw Lu Feng slowly climbing to his feet, as well as the shattered wreck before him. The great shield was gone, the armor useless. Cracks spread rapidly across the steel before it caved in and fell away, revealing an ashen, slack face. Right across his chest was a horrific crater that had nearly severed him in two. Through that hole, one could see the torn wall behind him—punched through, and through, and through again, continuing right out of the building to soar into the vast night sky before finally plunging into the ocean. No one would ever find that spent slug. Nor could anyone save Ming Yan as he fell backward. "Move! Boss, run!" Bai Yi's face drained of color. He did not even have time to mourn his shadow beast getting mauled on the floor before dragging up the limp Jiang Jin. Even if an underhanded local thug like Jiang Jin was clueless, a Mid-Continent mercenary had seen scenes like this in his nightmares countless times. The moment the opposition brought out such an absurd monster of a weapon, any resistance became utterly meaningless. No, they should have made a clean break the moment the vehicle crashed in here! This wasn't some topmouth culter they had hooked, but a full-blown two-headed man-eating shark! He blew his whistle again, calling the invisible shadow beast back in an instant. Hoisting both himself and Jiang Jin onto its back, he bolted out the door behind them. "Boss, you go first!" he shoved Jiang Jin. "I'll hold them off!" Regrettably, the instant Jiang Jin rounded the corner, Bai Yi could not wait to ride the shadow beast toward the window, vaulting out to land smoothly on the ground below before sprinting away at full speed! Cover the rear? Stall them? Right now? Was he out of his mind?! He was only in it for the paycheck, not looking to throw his life away just to die for someone else. How could he possibly fail to weigh his own life against his boss's? If one boss died, so what? Say goodbye and move on—the next one would be even better! Yet mid-dash, the shadow beast skidded to an abrupt halt. No matter how he barked orders and cursed, it refused to advance. It could not—or rather, instinctively dared not—cross that invisible boundary. In the deserted alleyway, a slender figure sat on the steps, absorbed in a handheld console. The faint glow illuminated shoulder-length hair and an exquisite face with an ambiguous, androgynous beauty. A cane leaned diagonally against the wall beside them, marking an invisible line. "Please stay right there. Don't move until I finish this run." The newcomer was wholly focused yet clumsily trying to land a Helm Breaker on the monster displayed on the screen, only to whiff repeatedly. A thread of impatience crept into their voice: "Take one more step forward, and you're dead..." Bai Yi froze where he stood. He did not dare make another move. *** Meanwhile, amidst the office wreckage, Ji Jue finally began to recover from the intense ringing in his ears and dizzying vertigo—barely. It felt as though he were cradling a scorching iron pillar; his fingers were nearly blistered. He looked down, catching his breath, and gazed at the weapon in his arms. *Satisfied?* *...Thank you.* After that single shot, countless fractures had surfaced along the Mammoth's frame. It was barely holding itself together thanks to the Sovereign Virtue emblem engraved upon it—Desolate Ruins. Yet at that moment, the murderous intent accumulated within the rifle from countless slaughters dissolved in utter relief and contentment. Like an old warrior who had fought and triumphed over an enemy one last time on his deathbed. It peacefully met its demise and decommission, without a single regret. Only faint wisps of spiritus seeped out of the rifle, merging without resistance into Ji Jue's ability. Instantly, within his perception, the Sovereign Virtue Swarm emblem grew brighter and more intricate. A massive surge of experience! "Phew..." Ji Jue slowly released his grip, carefully disassembling the weapon and returning it to the bag. He had promised Layla this was a loan; he had to return it in one piece. Only then did he hear returning footsteps. "What took you so long, Brother Feng?" he grumbled. "Can't blame me," Lu Feng panted, dragging Jiang Jin along like a dead dog. "This old bastard ran so damn fast, agile as an athlete. I nearly lost him." "What about the other one?" Ji Jue asked. "Got away, probably?" Lu Feng replied casually. "Judging by his skin tone, he's from the Mid-Continent. Got scared out of his wits the second he saw power armor ordnance. Ever since the Federation and the Empire arrived, the locals there don't even use monsters to scare their kids at night. They've seen too much on the battlefield. Rich combat experience—once they decide to bolt, there's no stopping them." "Lucky him." Ji Jue sighed, glancing down at the dirt-streaked, elderly face among the rubble and corpses, then flashed a sudden smile. "Mr. Jiang Jin, right?" Jiang Jin's expression twitched. Bloodied white hair hung over his forehead, leaving him thoroughly battered. "If you were looking for me, you should have just come straight at me. Why go through all this trouble?" Ji Jue counted on his fingers. "Look, so many people died because of you... one, two, three, four... at least seventeen or eighteen, right?" "You have no idea what you're doing!" Jiang Jin gritted his teeth, forcing the words through his throat. "You won't get away, Ji Jue!" "Why would I run?" Ji Jue asked with a curious chuckle. "I have family in Yacheng, a teacher, and backing. Why should I run? Besides, aren't you the one who ought to be running? Even if I don't kill you, do you think you can live to see tomorrow morning?" For a moment, Jiang Jin's face went deathly pale. His heart sank to rock bottom, especially when he realized Ji Jue was holding his phone, carefully taking pictures of him. Over the years, he had done so many dirty deeds that provoking public outrage would be an understatement. Once he fell from grace, his backers wouldn't necessarily bother lifting a finger to help him. In fact, his competitors would kick him while he was down without hesitation, just as he had done to others in the past... He wouldn't survive until tomorrow morning. That wasn't an empty threat. It was an accurate forecast of his fate. "So run, Jiang Jin," Ji Jue encouraged with a smile, patting his shoulder with deep earnestness. "Start running. Let us brothers see just how far you can make it." Jiang Jin's face contorted. He wanted to rage and curse, but when the muzzle in Ji Jue's hand leveled at his face, he ultimately swallowed his words. Gritting his teeth, he scrambled up and bolted toward the door on all fours. *Bang!* A shrill scream pierced the air. Jiang Jin tumbled to the floor mid-sprint, wailing and cursing while clutching his shattered knee. "Keep going, Master Jiang!" The culprit, Ji Jue, smiled even more brilliantly, waving his pistol in cheerful encouragement. "A true warrior doesn't let a minor setback bring him down! Stand up bravely! Faster, faster... or you're going to die!" *Bang!* Another bullet grazed his temple, blowing off his ear. Jiang Jin wailed, dragging his shattered leg as he crawled forward desperately. Right after, gunfire cracked again, sending him rolling across the floor in agony. This time, it was his right leg. Lu Feng whistled, blowing away the gunsmoke from his barrel. "How long do you think it'll take him to crawl to the door?" "No idea." Ji Jue shook his head, catching on to his thought and playing along. "Want to bet? Fifty bucks says ten minutes." "You're on!" Lu Feng grinned, raising his gun. "I bet he doesn't make it to the door." "Hey, Jiang Jin, hear that?" Ji Jue called out, raising his voice. "Keep at it! Don't be afraid! The comics say effort plus friendship equals victory! Believe in yourself, you can do it!" "Aaaargh—!" Soaked in a pool of blood, Jiang Jin screamed his lungs out, weeping, howling, and exhausting every curse and threat he knew. *Bang!* Lu Feng pulled the trigger again, this time hitting his left hand, blasting a bloody hole through the palm and shattering bone and tendon alike. "I knew you'd cheat." Ji Jue sighed, raising his own arm to aim and fire—at Jiang Jin's right hand! Well, now all four limbs were ruined. Bad news. On the bright side, he could still squirm, wailing and writhing forward through his own blood. Like a lost child searching for its mother. "Looks like you lose." Lu Feng shook his head, squeezing the trigger one last time. Aiming straight for his head. At that exact moment, a cold grunt sounded through the air. It was so low, yet erupted into nothing less than... a colossal crack of thunder! It made both of them almost forget to breathe. Blinding arcs of electricity burst from the night sky, hurtling downward in an instant with a gust of gale and a massive roar. Amid the violent shockwave, a figure materialized without warning from the lightning, casually raising a hand. He pinched the incoming bullet clean out of the air. A flash of lightning. Molten copper dripped slowly between his fingers. Yet his closing hand was entirely unharmed. —The Entropy lineage, Matrix: Awakening of Insects! The newcomer's narrow, chilling gaze slowly lifted, scanning his surroundings before finally settling on the two of them with realization. Seeing him appear, Jiang Jin seemed to find his backbone, howling in wild delight like a loyal hound spotting its master. If his limbs had not been ruined, he would have crawled right over. "Section Chief Yu, save me... I, I..." "Shut up." Yu Hanguang glanced at the disgraceful spectacle on the floor, then looked at Ji Jue, letting out a soft sigh. "As expected, a little bastard who knows only how to stir up trouble." Without warning, without an opening. He pointed a finger. A dozen meters separated them. Yet the ruined room was instantly flooded with endless lightning. Amid the rumbling thunder, ten thousand feet of searing radiance converged into a torrent, screaming toward them. In an instant, it swallowed both of them whole! Not even their bones would remain! Unfortunately, nothing happened. Ji Jue didn't lose a single hair, nor did Lu Feng—who even yawned, his nose tickled. On their collars, an inconspicuous crystal button quietly shattered. The crystal grew, blossoming into magnificent, razor-sharp petals. It effortlessly stalled and froze the wild lightning before them! —Path of the Desolate Ruins: Stasis Zone! At that moment, Ji Jue finally exhaled in relief, the twitching sinews in his calves relaxing. Safe. He looked toward the doorway. "Sister Wen, if you'd taken any longer, the two of us would've had to surrender." "Only patience lands big fish. Isn't that what you said?" Accompanied by those words, Wen Wen's figure emerged from the swirling dust. She looked at the frozen Yu Hanguang with a half-smile. "Section Chief Yu, what a coincidence running into you here." Yu Hanguang's expression shifted, but he said nothing. "If memory serves, North Mountain is my jurisdiction, isn't it?" She tilted her head, asking inquisitively, "Since when does Liying District get to stick its nose in here?" Her slender fingers clenched, her knuckles grinding with the crisp sound of fracturing crystal. In a cold voice, she asked: "Care to explain?"