The Death of Adjutant Han

Buzz... Crackle— Blue electrical arcs danced through the air. A severed mechanical left arm lay across the ground, twitching and thrashing every few moments like a dying fish. The cut was clean and smooth, its cross-section bristling with ruptured conduits and sputtering sparks as pitch-black machine oil, mingled with fresh blood, splattered across the earth. "Despicable!" "Bai Zhou—!" Howling in agony, the one-armed Adjutant Han writhed on the ground, forehead drenched in sweat, his body hunched and curled like a cooked shrimp. —He had let his guard down! This was no child at all! Smashing the cup as a signal wasn't a call for an ambush—it was to trigger a trap. And shouting "Watch this next strike," only to unleash an inexplicable, blinding flash of light... This person was rotten to the core, inside and out! A villain far more sinister than anyone from the Blood Worship Cult— "Who are you?" "Who the hell are you?!" His sole remaining right hand flailed uselessly toward his left side, slapping nothing but empty air before smacking against the cold ground. Screeech... His fingernails scraped frenziedly against the hard stone, producing an ear-piercing shriek. His crimson mechanical left eye flickered erratically, ticking and clicking. Only now did Adjutant Han's vision finally begin to clear. Yet the very first thing he saw through his clearing sight was lying not far away on the ground— His own severed arm. An instant later, excruciating pain swept through every nerve in his body with delayed fury. "Aaargh—!" A shrill, smothered shriek of sheer torment echoed through the tranquil expanse of the Resting Cemetery. The dense, endless thicket of headstones offered no reply. They stood silent as always, gazing coldly down at him as he rolled on the ground. Tap... Slow, measured footsteps drew near. A pitch-black short club cast its shadow across Adjutant Han's face. Han shuddered involuntarily, his mind snapping into stark clarity. "Don't you have my file?" Bai Zhou walked up to Adjutant Han and glanced down at the wound on his severed shoulder. Cables of various colors were tangled and fused with shredded flesh, spitting faint, unstable sparks with occasional sizzling snaps. Jagged shards of steel were embedded deep within the muscle. The scorch marks left behind by intense heat had charred the area pitch-black, reducing it to a charred, blackened mass riddled with silver-white metal. A faint wisp of smoke drifted upward, carrying a nauseating stench of scorched metal and burnt meat. "Looks like you've lost what you relied on." What had once been an imposing mechanical half-body had been reduced to this pathetic wreck in the blink of an eye. Without the metal left arm that served as his primary means of offense, the remainder of Adjutant Han's mechanized half was largely crippled. The battle was decided. —The victor was Bai Zhou, blessed by the "Light." "Phew..." Bai Zhou let out a long breath. It felt exhilarating. A weight seemed to lift from his shoulders, as though all his senses had suddenly opened wide. It was hard to describe the sensation of this complete role reversal. All the caution, the suffocating tension he had endured within the base ever since his arrival, seemed to pour out with that single swing of Moon Cinder Holy Oath Slash. A chest full of pent-up gloom was finally vented. It was like biting into a bowl of chilled strawberries drizzled with milk in the dead of midsummer. It was as if Bai Zhou had finally begun to realize... No matter how much unknown, mystery, suffocating injustice, and chaos existed in this world, he could always trust the blade in his hands. No matter how vast the disparity between enemy and self... In short—strike first, think later! On the other side, however, Adjutant Han was in utter misery. "It shouldn't be like this... It wasn't supposed to be like this!" Gradually, Adjutant Han stopped howling. Perhaps he felt that doing so was too disgraceful. He tried to make himself appear calmer, more dignified... Yet it was entirely futile. No matter what expression he wore, he was still sprawled on the ground. Bai Zhou simply stood beside him, watching his every twitch and changing expression with an impassive face, like someone observing... A filthy bug. A clown. This stoked a surge of fury within Adjutant Han. He threw his head back and struggled into a seated posture, as though trying to reclaim the arrogance of an adjutant. Yet he soon realized his life rested entirely in the hands of this youth he had never once taken seriously, and his head involuntarily drooped again. "If... if we did this over, it wouldn't have gone like this." "You ambushed me!" Gritting his teeth, his lips smeared with blood, he growled in a low voice, "If you have any guts, set up your stance and face me properly!" "—I would tear you apart!" He could not accept such a defeat. He could not bear losing an arm just like this. He was only one step away from advancing to a Tier 3 Extraordinary. He had even prepared a mechanical briefcase whose power rivaled or even surpassed a Tier 3 Extraordinary in advance. How could this have... "Oh, my dear Adjutant Han..." Bai Zhou shook his head, finding it almost comical. Hailing from the simple, honest folk of Wancheng, having become an Extraordinary barely a week ago, Bai Zhou looked down at Adjutant Han—who had been an Extraordinary for nearly a decade—and said with complete solemnity: "You should have realized long ago." "—This is what real combat is." A fight to the death! In a true battle of life and death, the survivor takes everything. Who cares what methods were used? Besides... "Did I ever strike you from behind?" Bai Zhou tilted his head, asking in mock confusion, "Wasn't every single move I made open, honest, and completely aboveboard?" —That was simply how we adventurers operated. Adjutant Han was struck dumb. He opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it again, his expression as stiff as if he were badly constipated. Indeed. It was far too "open and aboveboard"—eighty thousand lumens of blinding light was more than enough to dazzle anyone's eyes. Yet every single time Bai Zhou attacked, including when he "smashed the cup as a signal," he had announced his intentions loud and clear in advance. Like an ancient gentleman of the highest martial virtue. ...As for whether what he shouted had anything to do with what he actually did, that was an entirely different matter. Still, Bai Zhou had to admit... He had relied heavily on tricks. Far too heavily. In a direct frontal clash, he was truly no match. For that, he had the battlefield ruins in the deep Realm of Ruins to thank— Throughout their scuffle, he had sensed a certain clumsiness in how Adjutant Han handled his mechanical half-body. It was as if the mechanical frame was on a level higher than what Han could currently master, and he was merely forcing it to move. A fight where he was completely outmatched in raw power, where taking a direct hit was out of the question, yet where gaps and openings could still be exploited... Bai Zhou was not unfamiliar with this at all. After all, his very first Extraordinary battle in life had been precisely of this sort. —His introductory combat mentor, the white bloated giant, had fought in the exact same manner. Thus, Bai Zhou had navigated the fight with practiced ease. A few effortless rolls had evaded Adjutant Han's long-premeditated lethal blows, making him appear like a battle-hardened veteran who knew Han's weaknesses inside and out. That was precisely what had sent chills down Han's spine, leading him to believe Bai Zhou was an undercover operative from the Blood Worship Cult sent specifically for him. And at the very end— The short club gave Bai Zhou the leverage to clash directly against the mechanical arm, While calling upon the "Light" provided the perfect cover to unleash the secret technique... The chemical reaction of this combined sequence was what yielded that final, fatal strike. Otherwise, even if Bai Zhou had swung Moon Cinder Holy Oath Slash, it might not have produced any effect. ...No wonder Crow had looked down on his chances against Adjutant Han. She could never have anticipated that someone could undergo such a complete transformation overnight. That mysterious mark was remarkably similar to a secret art mark, yet it did not take up one of the six slots on his Fate Principle, nor did it interfere with his Extraordinary path... It granted Bai Zhou an extra ability out of thin air compared to other "Destined" of the same tier. —An ability that felt completely innate, as though born with it. "May the light ever soothe your trembling soul." Bai Zhou inexplicably remembered the words "Laia" had left him. Was this what it felt like to be protected by the "Light"? Venturing alone into the deep Realm of Ruins on the eve of battle... A decision Crow could not understand, one that only he himself comprehended, had in a sense altered the course of his fate tonight. In truth, Bai Zhou had also wondered about something else— Before becoming an Extraordinary, fulfilling a final wish rewarded him with "items." ...Why had the reward turned into an "ability" after he became an Extraordinary? Was "Light" a special exception? Or had this change occurred because he had awakened his Fate Principle? —Perhaps those earlier rewards could have been "abilities" all along. It was just that Bai Zhou had not awakened his Fate Principle back then and had no way to carry such gifts, so they had manifested as items instead... That was his guess. He would find his answer the next time he fulfilled another dying wish. For instance... That somewhat unhinged "Skeleton General." Above his head still floated that final missing wish: [Let Me Rest]... "...So, you really are Bai Zhou?" Adjutant Han forced himself to remain upright, looking up at Bai Zhou. "How could you possibly be Bai Zhou? How did you deceive everyone?" Adjutant Han still could not understand. When they first arrived at the base, every person had undergone a comprehensive physical examination. How had Bai Zhou, an Extraordinary, bypassed every single one of those checks? As for the possibility that Bai Zhou had not been a Tier 3 Extraordinary, but had only begun touching the Extraordinary after entering the base— Adjutant Han had never even considered it. Yet Bai Zhou gave an answer unrelated to the question. "Adjutant Han, now it should be my turn to ask the questions." "What?" "Why did you kill Big Brother Liu?" Bai Zhou looked down at Adjutant Han with a puzzled gaze. "From what I know, he trusted you deeply." "...Of course he trusted me." At the mention of Section Chief Liu, Adjutant Han frowned. "Because we're from the same hometown, and we entered the Special Control Bureau during the same intake." "In the beginning, he took great care of me." "Later on, the Major took notice of me and promoted me. Later still, I caught the Major's eye on his behalf and got him promoted too." "Old Liu wasted over a decade at the grassroots level. If not for my help, he would have continued wasting away." "—Tell me, why wouldn't he trust me?" From the same hometown, of the same cohort, bonded by mutual aid. No wonder Section Chief Liu had spoken of his "backer" with such unwavering trust and confidence. "Yet you killed him." Bai Zhou's gaze lowered, his voice flat. "And turned him into... that sort of thing." "So what if I did?" Adjutant Han asked back, looking genuinely astonished. "...What?" "Isn't that his honor?" Adjutant Han shook his head repeatedly. He had thought Bai Zhou was with the Blood Worship Cult, never expecting that Bai Zhou was actually here for Liu Zhen. He wore an expression of utter incomprehension. "Do you have any idea what we're trying to accomplish? Do you know how vast our ideal blueprint is?" "You don't. All you know is killing!" "You only care about what's right in front of your eyes... That's the shallow, selfish nature of people like you and Old Liu." He spoke with utmost earnestness: "In this world, the birth of every new order requires the sacrifice of countless lives to pave the way." "—This is an inevitable path." "The Major and I are the executors of that path." "And you have the privilege of becoming the bricks and mortar that pave our way. Isn't that a wonderful thing?" "We will become heroes of history, and you will be heroes too! We are all advancing wave upon wave for the very same cause!" Bai Zhou froze. Then he fell silent, uttering not a word. He simply watched Adjutant Han continue to speak. He was calm—so calm that all anger seemed to have vanished. So... that was how it was. This Adjutant Han, or rather, the people standing behind him, Were far more arrogant, far more self-righteous, and far more unrepentant than Bai Zhou had ever imagined... And all the more deserving of death! Adjutant Han was still rambling: "Didn't we hold a funeral for Old Liu's sacrifice? Didn't we award him the title of heroic martyr?" "—What difference is there between dying by our hands and dying by the hands of cultists? In fact, dying for us carried far greater value, made him far more of a 'hero'!" "People won't forget his meritorious sacrifice—isn't that wonderful? Do you have any idea how much his bereavement pension was?" "You know none of it! But you should have realized long ago—" As he spoke, Adjutant Han's words eerily echoed Bai Zhou's earlier remark: "This is what the real world is like." In terms of rhetoric, Adjutant Han believed he had regained the upper hand. He had always taken considerable pride in his eloquence and debate. However— Smack—! Adjutant Han was struck across the face by a brutal, heavy slap from Bai Zhou. A tooth flew out amidst a spray of bloody spit. Just like the slaps the officers had delivered to the black-robed captive on the public trial stage back then. "You're a bit too noisy." Bai Zhou rubbed his wrist, wondering if he should use the club next time. ...Yet Adjutant Han was not as resilient as the black-robed cultist. Proud as he was, sheltered under the Major's wing, when had he ever suffered such humiliation? He was so consumed by rage that he coughed up two mouthfuls of blood, and then... He burst into loud, wailing sobs. Clutching his chest, he cried out in accusation: "I am Old Liu's benefactor, and I am your benefactor too! If I need your help for a higher ideal, shouldn't you help me?" "The Major spends money to support you all, meeting your every demand unconditionally, letting you live lives you never dared dream of..." "When he needs you, is it wrong to ask you to give back?" "Even if that contribution and return comes at the cost of your lives, it should be honored without question—hasn't that been the very essence of loyalty and honor since ancient times?" The more he spoke, the more wronged Adjutant Han felt. "How can you kill me over something like this?" "I gave you the privilege of becoming heroes, of witnessing history, of even becoming part of history!" "All these years, the others have consumed so many, while I've been raising mine carefully." "To achieve the most perfect advancement, I chose quality over quantity and kept Old Liu all this time—until I saw you!" "I planned to wait until you matured, then have you and Old Liu shine together for my sake..." "Who would have thought that a man as patient and gentle as me would be repaid with such vile ingratitude?" He felt wronged—wronged to the very core. "Just to wait for someone with a constitution like yours, I couldn't even bring myself to take a single bite!" By the end, he was practically roaring hoarsely at Bai Zhou— "What right do you have to kill me?!" "If Liu Zhen has a problem with it, let him come tell me himself!" "He's merely dead, not wasted! He has been integrated into someone superior!" "—Don't you want to see Old Liu run toward someone better?" "How can you possibly kill me for that?!" Bai Zhou: "..." And so, Adjutant Han took another fierce slap across the face. "Hopeless." Bai Zhou took a deep breath, a chill running down his spine. What did he mean by "merely dead, not wasted"? What did he mean by... "run toward someone better"? Why had he ever thought of talking with Adjutant Han to probe for information? It was like talking to a brick wall. As it turned out, he had long been brainwashed into... A man-eating lunatic. With that thought, Bai Zhou stepped back several paces and walked over to the briefcase he had set aside. Click. He popped open the briefcase he had brought and rummaged through its contents. "And another thing—you've got it all wrong!" Adjutant Han was still ranting. His emotions surged like a breached dam, pouring out in an endless stream as though lodging an impassioned grievance. "It's true that I made the Human Material!" "Because according to the Major's instructions, we must turn waste into value and extract the maximum worth from everyone, whether in life or in death!" "—But Old Liu wasn't killed by me!" "—The Major killed him!" Adjutant Han's words made Bai Zhou's hands pause mid-search inside the briefcase. The Major... Fine. Noted. "It was only because the Major happened to need an Extraordinary trait!" "Literally anyone would have done, but he just happened to pick Old Liu, who had come to his office to find him!" "—Tell me, why did Old Liu have to bother him out of nowhere? Did he really think the Major was some easygoing philanthropist?" "I was raising Old Liu for my own use! Do you think my heart didn't bleed when the Major took him away?" Adjutant Han kept speaking, clutching his chest in sorrowful indignation: "When Old Liu died, I was more heartbroken than anyone! That's precisely why I wanted to nurture you even more!" "Do you know how much effort I expended just to secure a quota for your advancement? Do you know how highly I regarded you?" "You don't know a thing—all you want to do is kill me!" "You vile wretch! Repaying kindness with malice!" Look how aggrieved the poor fellow was. Adjutant Han's face was bathed in tears and snot, grieving as though his own parents had died. He seemed to truly, genuinely believe what he was saying. He believed from the bottom of his heart that Bai Zhou had no reason to kill him. Yet precisely because of that... He deserved to die all the more. "Right, right, right..." After rummaging through the briefcase for a long while, Bai Zhou finally pulled out a small black box. "Actually, I didn't plan on killing you with my own hands," He said flatly, holding the small black box in both hands. At this moment, his demeanor and tone bore a striking resemblance to Crow's usual manner. "—Really?" Adjutant Han looked up in immediate, pleasantly surprised relief. Only to meet Bai Zhou's freezing cold eyes. There was not a shred of emotion in those eyes, as though wasting any feeling on him was entirely beneath him. "So, I prepared this for you." Under Adjutant Han's uneasy gaze, Bai Zhou walked over and slowly opened the small black box near him. A thick, stiffened, fleshy tube hung inside, its wrinkled surface pulsing with a breathing rhythm. "The Legacy of Bloodthirst?!" Adjutant Han shrieked in horror. "How dare you—?!" "Why wouldn't I dare?" Bai Zhou asked in return. "A Black Box may be dangerous, but I never planned to take it with me anyway." "—Don't worry. I prepared it specifically for you... for all of you." Just like the test Bai Zhou had faced when he first arrived at the base. Black Box F-1120, the Legacy of Bloodthirst... Was slowly squirming awake. "Starving, aren't you?" "This time, eat your fill," Bai Zhou said to the Legacy of Bloodthirst. For some reason, when Bai Zhou's left hand drew near the Legacy of Bloodthirst, The thing visibly shrank back in fear, attempting to evade him. Then, along with the black box, it was hurled right at the screaming, flailing Adjutant Han. "Aaargh—get it off! It's stuck to my face!" "It's disgusting! Aaaaargh!" Bai Zhou slowly exhaled a breath of pent-up air from his chest. "Let its rampage begin right here." Unrestrained, the Legacy of Bloodthirst would soon drain Adjutant Han into a desiccated corpse. He wouldn't even have the chance to be made into "Human Material." Afterward, it would instinctively seek out its next target. Bai Zhou looked down at Adjutant Han, who was writhing wildly like a maggot in an attempt to shake off the Legacy of Bloodthirst. "Don't rush." "You're only the beginning... a little bit of interest." While Adjutant Han was in a frenzy, Bai Zhou raised the short club and prodded him several times amid the chaos. Soon, with a soft smack— Bai Zhou flipped a black notebook out from his coat. "No!" Seeing this, Adjutant Han's already pale face turned ghastly white, bordering on green. Even his struggles against the Legacy of Bloodthirst seemed to lose much of their vigor... Bai Zhou picked up the notebook from the ground and flipped through a few pages. Well, he couldn't understand it. But it was the genuine article. A ledger recording their illicit transactions. The final entry was dated today, bearing the figures Adjutant Han had just recorded. Tucking the notebook away with satisfaction, Bai Zhou looked at Adjutant Han. "You can go in peace. See what Big Brother Liu has to say to you." "As for that Major..." Under Adjutant Han's gaze—as though looking at a madman—Bai Zhou rubbed the golden ring that had appeared on his finger at some point, turning his head toward the base. Sporadic gunfire echoed faintly in the distance. A battle was drawing to a close. Then, it was time for Bai Zhou's arrangements to take the stage— A theatrical play whose first act had unfolded as two separate performances on two different stages was drawing its curtains. Yet now, the second act was about to converge upon the very same stage. Bai Zhou's eyes flickered. After preparing for so long, preparing so much... How could a single Adjutant Han ever be enough? If he couldn't claim the principal just yet, he would collect plenty of interest first. "The show is about to start. I don't know if you'll live long enough to see it." "If you can, take a good look. Maybe it'll make you feel a bit more balanced inside." Bai Zhou turned back toward Adjutant Han, his eyes brimming with a murderous intent that chilled Han to the bone. Then, he made Adjutant Han a solemn, earnest promise: "That Major... he'll be joining you soon." "I guarantee it—" "Very soon."