Rank 2 Adventurer and the "Mobile Walker"

"What is that purple cavalry saber! And what is this transformation?!" "Wasn't he supposed to be a Sun Knight who uses edgeless weapons?!" Screams of agony and curses echoed incessantly. Confronted by Bai Zhou's relentless "counter-encirclement," the soldiers could only huddle in defense, watching helplessly as their numbers dwindled. "Suppressive fire is useless, and curses don't work—what the hell is he?!" "That kid might be higher than Rank 3—" "The intel was wrong! We made a fatal mistake!" Surging power coursed through every limb and bone of Bai Zhou's body. It felt as though even if King Kong appeared before him, Bai Zhou could grapple and flip the beast over—and then snatch the captive princess right from under the ape's nose. By now, Bai Zhou had to count his blessings that he had been prudent enough to visit the Ruin Realm's deeper layer first, unlocking the *Dead Sea Secret Scrolls* and obtaining the Cursebound Colossus. The Cursebound Colossus was truly a divine skill in every sense! Never mind the officer and the captain, two high-ranking Extraordinaries eyeing him like predators stalking their prey. Just any single one of those cursed bullets would have been more than normal Bai Zhou could take! He would have been turned into a sieve. But now? Though it hurt intensely, after enduring it for a while, he got used to the pain. At this moment, a defense capable of shrugging off bullets and ignoring curses was far more vital than multiplying his strength several times over! Comparing Bai Zhou without the Cursebound Colossus to Bai Zhou with it: The former was the red-eyed lop-eared rabbit slain when an adventurer left the starting village swinging the finest sword the villagers had to offer. The latter was practically a top lieutenant serving directly under one of the Demon King's Four Heavenly Kings! Now, Bai Zhou wove through the battlefield, striking terror with every swing of his cavalry saber. Strong as a tiger, nimble as an ape, and exasperatingly cunning. On average, every ten seconds, someone collapsed into the rain. As part of the "core force" hunting him, these men were distinctly different from ordinary field squads on standard missions. Most standing before Bai Zhou were Swordbearer elites, while a handful of men in suits hailed from the secret unit groomed by the Major. As the trump card of the Special Control Bureau, the Swordbearer tactical response squad occupied a rather distinct position at the base. Although the Major, as the local administrator, could mobilize them, they were also directly answerable to headquarters and obligated to report their work periodically to the Special Control Bureau headquarters. Whatever the Major did at the base could never bypass them. Therefore, they were unquestionably accomplices sharing in the Major's chain of corrupt interests! On this point, Bai Zhou had received Crow's confirmation. In other words, there was no need to hold back. Every one of them could be killed. Every one of them had to be killed! On a battlefield like this, he had to give it his all! Yet Bai Zhou going all out—or rather, the Pale Rock Giant—presented an intensely terrifying sight to the enemy. They were supposed to be hunting a barely adult youth, like wolves cornering a lamb. Instead, he was a colossal monster harder than diamond! And an exceptionally agile colossus who wielded an extraordinary cavalry saber to boot! Dodging enchanted daggers thrust by the Swordbearers, under their horrified stares, he spun with his blade and stepped on shoulders to leap high into the air, bringing down crushing cleaves. Whenever a terrifying shadow blocked out the sky above, the soldiers knew he had arrived. First, the sheer terror of being dominated by a titan seized their entire bodies; then, before they could react, elusive, unpredictable purple currents grazed their necks. Blood spilled onto the ground, quickly washed and diluted by the torrential rain. This rainy night had become Bai Zhou's finest stage and ally. "A bit dizzy." Bai Zhou gave his head a shake. Spinning while swinging a blade might look somewhat cool, but that was its only merit. Come to think of it, no one was whipping him; why turn himself into a spinning top? "Bai Zhou! Don't get arrogant!" Seeing fewer and fewer men left standing, the second lieutenant officer made his move at the critical moment. He snatched up his mechanical briefcase with a grim expression, turned without hesitation, and jogged toward the minivan behind him. Naturally, he wasn't fleeing! Rather... Watching the second lieutenant's actions, the Swordbearer captain was momentarily stunned, then understood. "Is he going to try that?!" It seemed that was the only way left to break the deadlock. The captain's expression turned to one of solemn awe, his eyes gleaming with excitement and anticipation. Though with his entire face hidden behind a pig-snout gas mask, no one could see how his expression shifted anyway. *Step...* The officer halted. Behind him rained the blood of slaughter; he stood before the minivan. He hesitated, but quickly recalling the Major's terrifying wrath, he inhaled deeply and gritted his teeth. "Even though I'm still some distance from Rank 4..." "It's not entirely out of reach to try!" *Click.* He activated the mechanical briefcase. *Hum—* The bound crucifix insignia gleamed with light. The silver-white mechanical case disintegrated on cue, transforming into wildly thrashing mechanical tentacles. One end of these tentacles connected to the officer, while the other lashed out toward the minivan. The instant they made contact with the vehicle, the mechanical tentacles mutated into something resembling a swarm of mechanical insects, expanding wildly and spreading across the entire minivan. Steel began to warp and deform. "Error—Unauthorized—Forced link established." "Identifying fusion substrate—Mitsubishi Guang—Match rate: 12%—" Electronic circuitry-like patterns spread across the officer's entire body, flickering with an eerie blue light. The synthesized voice stammered and sputtered in sync with the pulsing light. This was the qualitative leap of the "Mobile Walker" pathway at Rank 4! No longer merely deploying a mechanical briefcase to become a fire-spitting iron man, but utilizing the briefcase to interface and fuse with a mechanical creation like an automobile, transforming into an "Autobot"! Into a "Minivan-bot"! Facing Bai Zhou, the officer had deeply felt the powerlessness of humanity and the frailty of flesh and blood. As things stood, becoming an "Autobot" was the only path forward! Indestructible and immeasurably strong, wielding might unrivaled among Rank 4 Extraordinaries! And the so-called "Mobile Walker" pathway was a "standardized sequence" jointly developed by official modern authorities to preserve the Federation's stability. Its prototype stemmed from the fragmentary, elusive "Machinist" pathway of the Twelve Destiny Sequences. While standardized sequences had limited ceilings, advancing through their early stages was relatively easy and offered formidable power. Relying on the mastery of unique external tools like the mechanical briefcase, one could even run rampant among Extraordinaries of the same rank. The vast majority of senior Special Control Bureau commissioners followed this pathway. For at the Special Control Bureau headquarters lay a forbidden tome containing the complete Rank 1 to 6 "Mobile Walker" pathway—the *Mobile Manual*. Relying upon it, the Special Control Bureau had established a foothold in Tinghai City, building an illustrious reputation and opening thirty-six branch bases in one fell swoop! "Aaaargh—!" "It looks like... he might actually pull it off!" Hearing the officer's agonized howling and watching his myriad mutations, the Swordbearer captain widened his eyes, watching with fervent anticipation. Although the second lieutenant was not yet a Rank 4 Extraordinary, he had recently struck gold by fusing his own briefcase with the one Adjutant Han had poured a fortune into crafting. This elevated his case beyond the standard specifications of Rank 3. With it acting as a buffer, leaping ranks to fuse with a minivan was not entirely out of the question. Once the second lieutenant succeeded, no Rank 4 Extraordinary could face a "Minivan Autobot" head-on. Bai Zhou would stand even less of a chance! However, in the very next instant— *Bang!* The Pale Rock Giant descended from above, landing squarely atop the minivan. The vehicle's roof caved in under the massive impact, crumpling into a crater. The captain and the officer both jumped in shock. "What are you doing?" Bai Zhou blinked, looking at the officer who was clearly undergoing a dramatic transformation. Though he didn't quite get it, he raised his fist and hurled it without hesitation toward the mutating officer. At a time like this, was he supposed to keep tangling with others and just watch the guy power up to pummel him? As if! He had to interrupt it! *Boom—* Yet arriving faster than Bai Zhou's fist was the Swordbearer captain, striking straight for Bai Zhou's midsection! The mechanical briefcase disassembled mid-air, the captain transforming into a machine-clad form of formidable momentum. Opening fire with full thrust, five jets of eerie blue exhaust flared behind him, channeling all power into propulsion. Like a comet, he crashed headlong into Bai Zhou, knocking him back a substantial distance. "Hurry! Be quick!" Seeing distance open between them, the captain breathed a sigh of relief. While urging the officer to finish mutating, he stepped once more into Bai Zhou's path. "Though I don't know what kind of freak you are—" sizing up the pale giant, he said coldly, "I can at least buy time! This will become a distance you can never cross, Bai Zhou!" The captain's words rang with conviction in the ears of the rattled officer. The flab on the officer's face quivered, and while feeling reassured, he nearly wept with gratitude. Yet as he stood blocking Bai Zhou, the captain soon noticed the look in Bai Zhou's eyes. It resembled the way he used to look at subordinates who had lost their minds to corruption and were sent to an asylum. "What good is this distance?" Bai Zhou asked. "Even a Wancheng local like me knows... this isn't the era of cold weapons anymore." Saying so, Bai Zhou's left hand slowly emerged from behind his back. Resting in his palm was a strangely shaped revolver. It looked like an extraordinary weapon. An extraordinary weapon in the shape of a revolver? The captain's expression suddenly changed. In the next instant, Bai Zhou raised the muzzle, aiming at the mutating officer in the distance. As a portion of his willpower was siphoned away and a sharp pain stung his brain, Bai Zhou's mind hazed over for a brief instant. He gritted his teeth and pushed through it. Then, there was no gunshot as expected. Instead, a *ding-dong* resonated, like piano keys struck in melody. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7— Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti. The note struck this time was "Fa." A lone 4. Time seemed to freeze. Invisible ripples trembled through the air. In the distance, the officer's mechanical body, undergoing violent transformation, abruptly froze in place. Sound waves rippled across his frame like rings on water. The precarious "balance" barely maintained within his body shattered. Then, with a resounding *bang!*, the officer's head exploded like a watermelon. A mist of blood sprayed outward, only to be drawn out by the acoustic waves into broken filaments of blood that swam through mid-air like tiny tadpoles along the cadence of the melody. A rather cute scene. Yet it chilled the captain to the bone. "See? What did I tell you..." Bai Zhou's voice rang out. "Mid-battle breakthroughs and all that—you're welcome to think I'm weak, but don't treat me like an idiot. Especially a blind one. After all, I'm no Demon King, and you're no brave heroes." Before the captain, whose spine ran cold and forehead dripped with sweat, the giant lightly swung the gleaming purple-gold cavalry saber in one hand while swaying the light-and-shadow-entwined extraordinary revolver in the other. A towering, fearsome shadow drew near, engulfing the captain's soaked, disheveled figure. Feelings of terror and bitter helplessness spread out from him, rippling through the remaining ranks. The strongest among them, the second lieutenant officer, was dead. Morale shattered. Everyone knew there was no hope of opposing Bai Zhou. The only thing the Swordbearer captain could not comprehend was... Why was Bai Zhou this strong? If he had been this strong from the start, why would he have needed to train day and night in his dormitory? Why bother tangling with Adjutant Han? But if he hadn't been this strong before... that was even more terrifying. Just how many days had it been? "Time to end this." Bai Zhou's voice drifted faintly into the captain's ear, cutting short his final thoughts. Fine raindrops fell upon the revolver's barrel. A cheerful chiming sound echoed faintly from within. *** 1:00 AM. The rain gradually subsided. Another flash of pure white holy light engulfed heaven and earth; Bai Zhou returned to his normal form and got dressed. With a crisp snap, the black umbrella opened, shielding him from the drizzle above. Beneath the umbrella, Bai Zhou let out a long breath. The battle was finally over. Everything before the unfinished building returned to silence. Only fallen corpses and rivers of blood remained. Even the bushes where he had once hidden were dyed red. No matter how hard the rain beat down, it could not dilute the pungent stench of blood. Yet Bai Zhou was in quite a good mood. Although the side effects of the Cursebound Colossus were beginning to surface—his muscles throbbing with tearing pain, waves of exhaustion washing relentlessly through his limbs and bones—an unfathomably profound spark of inspiration, indescribable in words, hung suspended in his heart. This time, there was no need to strain to capture it; this spiritual light had already solidified! Evidently, washed clean by the torrential rain alongside the pools of blood from this slaughter was Bai Zhou's mind. A thrilling, unreserved battle; a complete unlocking of his potential; and an intervention born simply from "doing it because I wanted to." Thus, his heart and mind were completely clear and unobstructed! In short, Bai Zhou only needed to find a secluded spot to compose himself and combine this inner spark with the next stage of *Moonblaze Holy Oath Slash*— And he would achieve a new advancement. He would become a Rank 2 Adventurer! When that time came, what would it be like to unleash the Cursebound Colossus with the power of a Rank 2 Adventurer? Bai Zhou looked forward to it eagerly. Without realizing it, he seemed to have grown to a point where even he felt a hint of unfamiliarity with himself. However, this was no place for a breakthrough. He still had matters to attend to. With that thought, he looked up, gazing into the distance through the curtain of rain beneath his umbrella. On the open ground before the unfinished building huddled that group of scavengers, soaked through, shivering, their hair disheveled... Cowering on the ground, the trembling scavengers had witnessed every bit of the bloody slaughter. Theoretically, the super-wanted criminal who had hacked from east to west, sliced from south to north, and ultimately slaughtered every single soldier was seemingly, probably, kind of their savior. Yet if one encountered a hungry wolf in the wild, only to find that the creature who saved them was a starving tiger who had gone without food for eight days and eight nights, eyes glowing green... their first reaction probably wouldn't be gratitude either. They had considered fleeing. But the last few soldiers guarding them had only just dropped dead at that man's feet. And now— "He—he's coming!" Watching the swaying silhouette in the distance, someone whispered in a strangled voice, legs shaking uncontrollably, trembling like chaff in a sieve. A wave of restlessness rippled through the crowd. Only Old Qiao looked upon that figure with eyes shifting between terror, shock, dazed distraction, and sudden realization... complex and unreadable. *Patter, patter—* Footsteps approached unhurriedly. The man surrounded by countless corpses, standing above a river of blood— The "monster" they had watched butcher soldiers like vegetables and treat bullets as nothing— The entity completely beyond their comprehension, who could manifest as a mythical colossus— And... the disheveled youth whom they had once cornered with rebar, shouted down, threatened, and shut out. Wading through the river of blood he had forged with his own hands, he came walking toward them beneath his black umbrella. His cool trench coat swayed in the wind. The man's posture was as straight as an undertaker heading to an interment. "Is—is he—" "Will he hold a grudge?" The uneasy scavengers watched the approaching trench-coated figure with apprehension. Remembering what they had done to Bai Zhou, their minds went utterly blank. They had finally escaped the wolf's den, congratulations to them. So why was their very next stop an express ticket straight to hell, ha ha? *Tap.* The figure holding the umbrella came to a halt. He adjusted the collar of his trench coat around his neck. It was creased. The black umbrella tilted upward slightly just as a streak of lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating his expressionless face. "We meet again, everyone."