The Legendary Mechanic

by <unknown>

A jaw-dropping sight greeted him.

  Two guards were pressed together in an extremely compromising position. The sound of the door opening had startled them, and they were staring at Han Xiao in horror.

  Spicy.

  Chapter 7. Panic |

  Well, this is awkward. Should I just pretend like nothing happened and step out?wondered Han Xiao.

  Han Xiao did not have anything in particular against any group of people. He respected people’s hobbies and interests. These two men before him were simply two lonely hearts who had had no way of releasing their pent-up frustrations. Over time, their common bond developed into something special…

  It’s not your fault! It’s Tokiomi’s 1 —I mean—it’s just how things ended up!

  Although Han Xiao’s mind was dulled with such thoughts, his body was quick to act. Reversing his grip on his knife, he rushed forward to attack the closer guard.

  The guard was unable to react in time, and as he fumbled to draw his gun, Han Xiao went in for the kill.

  Unfortunately, the second guard kicked him to safety.

  Han Xiao’s surprise attack had failed, but he was not disheartened. Twirling the knife in his hand, he switched back to a standard grip and stabbed the second guard in his abdomen, followed by striking his neck with his free hand. The guard collapsed to the ground.

  _____________

  Overwhelming Force!

  You have 25 Strength. The target has 10 Strength.

  As you have over twice as much Strength as the target, your attack dealt 50% more damage!

  The target has lost consciousness.

  ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

  One down!

  The other guard who had been kicked to safety rolled further away to create some space between him and Han Xiao before raising his gun to fire.

  Han Xiao immediately tackled him down and slammed his hand against the floor, causing him to release the gun in pain.

  It would have been disastrous for Han Xiao if he had managed to fire.

  Han Xiao proceeded to head-butt the guard on his nose, disorienting him, and circled around to strangle him from behind.

  Rear naked chokehold!

  The guard’s face turned purple as he struggled to break free.

  _____________

  You have performed a [Submission].

  You have 25 Strength. Your target has 11 Strength.

  Your target is unable to break free.

  ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

  The guard struggled for a few more seconds before fainting.

  “That was close… It would have been easier if I were a Pugilist,” panted Han Xiao as he got up.

  The Pugilist class was the most popular class in Galaxy for the simple reason that it was the coolest looking class. Their skills had the coolest names, such as ‘Inferno Quake’, ‘Devil’s Beam’, or ‘Star Breaker’. Of course, many skills were not actually as powerful as their names suggested, but the point is that they sounded cool!

  Shouting out the skill’s name as you used it also always seemed to make it stronger. Although most players weren’t thick skinned enough to do so, Han Xiao enjoyed it.

  Pugilists were also a much simpler class to play – basically, just keep on hitting the enemy. Compared to the most demanding class to play, the Mechanic, the difference was night and day.

  Han Xiao used his knife to finish the two unconscious guards. He looted four magazines of bullets from them.

  He then moved the bodies of the other two guards into the room, cleaned up the bloodstains in the corridor, and smashed up all the security monitors. After confirming that he had not missed anything, Han Xiao emerged from the room with his usual blank expression on once more.

  Eliminating the surveillance room was important to Han Xiao’s escape – it allowed him to move freely.

  Han Xiao returned to the second floor where a guard suddenly stopped him.

  “Mr. Lin Wei Xian wants to see you.”

  Han Xiao’s eyes flashed.

  Lin Wei Xian was one of the few people in the base who possessed a security pass that could access the main gate. He was saving Han Xiao the trouble of looking for him.

  Han Xiao followed the guard to Lin Wei Xian’s private laboratory. It was a dimly lit room. The walls were lined with shelves of specimen jars filled with organs – almost like the private collection of a homicidal murderer.

  “The organization has finally let me have you. If I dissect you, I will be able to find out the difference between you and the other test subjects. After extracting all the valuable information your body has to offer, I will preserve your corpse as a specimen. You will be fondly remembered as the first test subject.”

  Han Xiao remained silent in the dark.

  “You there, secure him tightly and don’t let him struggle. It’ll ruin my experiment,” ordered Lin Wei Xian.

  He then proceeded to turn around to retrieve his toolbox of oddly-shaped surgical knifes and scalpels. Before Han Xiao, how many had fallen prey to them?

  Suddenly, Lin Wei Xian heard a dull thud from behind. He turned around, only to discover that Han Xiao was standing right behind him.

  Before he could react, Lin Wei Xian felt a pain in his chest. Looking down blankly, he saw that a knife was stabbed directly into his heart.

  His eyes widened with shock as he dropped the surgical knife he was holding

  He could see the motionless guard lying on the floor behind Han Xiao, as well as the coldness in Han Xiao’s eyes.

  Right! This room is under surveillance!

  Han Xiao seemed to have read his mind. “Give up. I’ve already cleaned the surveillance room.”

  That tone… is this really that dim-witted Zero?

  Lin Wei Xian shuddered as the color in his face drained quickly.

  “Half… half a year… you’ve been faking it all along?”

  Han Xiao nodded.

  “How is that possible… You’ve fooled everyone!” Lin Wei Xian wondered aloud, incredulous.

  “Nothing is impossible in this world.” Han Xiao twisted the knife viciously.

  Lin Wei Xian crumpled to the ground, wide-eyed in indignation and terror.

  “I… am your… creator…”

  Chapter 8. I Have the Trashtalk to Back Me Up |

  Han Xiao changed into the guard’s uniform before leaving Lin Wei Xian’s laboratory.

  It was likely that people knew he had been taken to Lin Wei Xian, so a disguise was necessary. There were usually four people in the base that he had to watch out for – Hila, No. 1, Lin Wei Xian, and Baltar. As Hila was not in, No. 1 had left, and Lin Wei Xian was a non-factor now, Han Xiao’s escape would proceed smoothly as long as he did not encounter Baltar.

  The main gate to the base was a reinforced steel door almost one metre thick. Even if Han Xiao used all the explosives in the armory, it would still not be enough to blast it open. The only way to escape would be through unlocking it, and only three people possessed the security pass to do so. One of them was none other than Lin Wei Xian, and, naturally, Han Xiao had already acquired his pass.

  However, as the main gate was heavily manned, and everyone knew exactly who possessed a pass, escaping was not that straightforward.

  If Han Xiao so much as appeared at the main gate, he would be surrounded by heavy fire in mere seconds. One bullet would do only 10 damage to him, but add them all up and he would be lucky to last for even a second.

  Mm, not a bad way to go, he thought, but I think I’ll come up with a better idea.

  Han Xiao’s plan was to cripple their communications in order to gain a few hours of time. This was the safest option. Currently, he was heading back to the tuning room to retrieve the mecha arm first.

  As the tuning room came into sight, Han Xiao was suddenly pushed from the side. To his horror, the person who had pushed him was none other than Baltar.

 
Why am I so unlucky‽ he groaned inwardly.

  “Which squad are you from?” questioned Baltar. “Why have I never seen you before?”

  Han Xiao lowered his head and pushed his cap down.

  “I’m new here. I’m from squad B.”

  “Why was I not informed of new guards? Hold on, your voice sounds familiar. Raise your head and show me your face.”

  Han Xiao noticed that Baltar was slowly reaching for his handgun. Three guards nearby had also sensed that something was amiss.

  What should I do now?

  If Han Xiao were exposed now, Baltar would definitely send guards to look for Lin Wei Xian. That would be disastrous.

  “This is a problem… I didn’t want to have to resort to plan B…” muttered Han Xiao.

  “What did you say?”

  Suddenly, Han Xiao raised his head to reveal his face to Baltar.

  “I’ve always wanted to tell you this: go see a shrink, psycho!”

  “Zero‽”

  Han Xiao took advantage of his confusion and thrust his knife into Baltar’s chest.

  Unfortunately, Baltar dodged on reflex, and Han Xiao’s knife only grazed his chin.

  “Fire!”

  The three guards hastily reached out to draw their guns. Unfortunately, they were too close to Han Xiao, and Han Xiao managed to close in on them before they could fire. He sent a fist smashing into the nearest guard’s face.

  -48!

  The punch sent the guard flying backwards into his comrades.

  Han Xiao gritted his teeth as he turned around to make a dash for the tuning room.

  Baltar’s face darkened as he felt his chin. As he gave chase, he shouted into the transmitter on his collar, “All agents, listen up! Come to the tuning room on the second floor at once! Test subject Zero has gone rogue!”

  All the guards who heard the news were stunned.

  “Zero? Gone rogue? Are you sure‽”

  “Wasn’t he brainwashed?”

  “Is this a drill?”

  “Are you dumb? Didn’t you hear the gunshots‽”

  Han Xiao became strangely calm under the assault of Baltar’s gunfire. As his brain began to process all the variables and data in his surroundings, the world before him astonishingly changed. Han Xiao’s surroundings began to be reduced to 3D lines, as though his mind were filtering out all the clutter – making everything look clear to him. Somehow, he had entered a state of mind in which all his brain’s functions were heightened.

  “2.0 seconds to reach the tuning room. 3.7 seconds for Baltar to catch up. The three guards will not pose any threat for another 4.2 seconds. Roughly 30.0 seconds before reinforcements arrive…”

  Han Xiao had been through countless battles before. Although they were all from his time in the game, it was still experience. And it was precisely experience that enabled him to tap into this special state.

  He started to run in an irregular pattern to dodge the bullets.

  “Interesting. The toy wants to resist,” mused a frenzied Baltar. “You asked for it!”

  Baltar was an elite agent with over 20 years of experience. No matter how terrifying Han Xiao’s learning capability was, he had essentially trained for only 6 months. To him, the outcome was already decided.

  As soon as Han Xiao neared the tuning room, he jumped inside and locked the door.

  Baltar burst out in maniacal laughter as he paused to reload his gun.

  “Hiding in a room? You have sealed your fate!”

  Suddenly, the door was blasted into smithereens by what appeared to be a gigantic mecha arm that appeared out of nowhere. It followed through to smash into Baltar’s chest.

  -95!

  Baltar was sent flying into the wall. 4 or 5 of his ribs were broken by the force of the impact. As he got up, he coughed a mouthful of blood and looked at the newly emerged Han Xiao in disbelief.

  “What the hell is that‽” Baltar stared in shock at the gigantic mecha arm that was enshrouded by the black smoke it was pumping out.

  The three guards raised their guns to fire, but Han Xiao was a step quicker. With his right hand, he drew his enhanced 73-WASP and fired two consecutive shots.

  With the accuracy bonus provided from his skills and DEX, Han Xiao’s current shooting abilities were extremely frightening. Each bullet hit either guard squarely in the throat.

  The third guard opened fire, but Han Xiao simply raised the mecha arm.

  Clank!

  The bullet deflected.

  _____________

  Lightweight Mechanical Arm (Left) has lost 8 durability.

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  Han Xiao fired another shot.

  The guard collapsed to his knees with an expression of disbelief.

  The corridor quietened down. Han Xiao and Baltar faced each other off.

  “The nearest guard will take another thirty seconds to arrive,” calculated Han Xiao.

  Han Xiao flexed his mecha arm tauntingly.

  “I really feel like crushing your throat with my bare hands to thank you for all four hundred and twenty cuts.”

  Baltor furiously spat out some blood and laughed coldly as he unsheathed a dagger that had been concealed within his boots.

  “That was quite a punch, but don’t think that you can defeat me with a piece of junk like that!”

  “We’ll see.”

  “I can kill you ten times in thirty seconds!” howled Baltar as he suddenly pounced forward.

  Han Xiao charged forward to meet him.

  Sparks flew as Baltar’s knife clashed with Han Xiao’s mecha arm.

  In the moment that they passed each other, Baltar bent down and aimed a kick at Han Xiao’s knee with his foot. To trip the enemy from behind was an extremely effective tactic that Han Xiao had learnt from Hila, and, unfortunately for Baltar, Han Xiao had anticipated the move. Seemingly with superhuman reflexes, Han Xiao swung the entire mecha arm back to smash into Baltar’s foot.

  Baltar’s foot was fractured by the blow. He crumpled to the gruond.

  -87!

  The Mechanical Arm had a power level of 38. Added onto Han Xiao’s own power level, the might of blow was already at the level of an E-grade Superhuman. It had essentially doubled Han Xiao’s damage.

  Han Xiao estimated Baltar to have a max HP of 300. Coupled with that destructive blow from earlier on, Han Xiao knew that he was probably at half health already.

  Baltar was indeed extremely weakened. However, he endured the pain and continued to attack. Unfortunately, his actions had grown dull, and Han Xiao easily caught his arm.

  “Impossible… How could I… You…”

  Baltar howled indignantly as he struggled to break free from the grip of the mecha arm.

  Suddenly, the world before him darkened as Han Xiao wrapped the mecha arm around his head and slammed him into the wall.

  Splat!

  Baltar was no more.

  Han Xiao dragged the already unrecognizable Baltar against the wall.

  “Sorry, I lied. I didn’t crush your throat. Why don’t you get up so I can do it properly?”

  Baltar did not reply, not that he could.

  _____________

  You have killed Baltar, Vice-commander of the Valkyrie Lab, gaining 1,500 experience!

  Chapter 9. Fierce Battle |

  Team A and Team B arrived at the gruesome scene on the second floor.

  “Vice-commander Baltar has been killed‽”

  “What exactly happened here?”

  “Where’s the enemy?”

  “Why is the surveillance room not responding‽”

  “Inform Professor Lin Wei Xian immediately!”

  “Team C has discovered Professor Lin Wei Xian’s body!”

  “Oh my god…”

  All the guards gasped in fear. Was all of this really done by Zero alone? All the commanders were either out or dead, and they realized that there was no one left to give them
orders.

  “Wasn’t he brainwashed already‽ Has he been planning this from the very start?”

  The thought of it sent chills down their spines; Han Xiao could have taken their lives anytime he wanted!

  “Don’t panic. There’s only one enemy. Proceed with a sweep of the facility. Fire at will. Team A will head to the armory, Team B, check out the surveillance room. Team C, go protect the laboratory. Team D, fortify the main gate. If Zero wants to escape he’ll have to go there. Now, go!”

  The Team A leader rose up to the occasion to give the orders.

  There were a total of sixty guards in the base grouped into four teams. Usually, they were scattered, but this was an emergency.

  Unfortunately, Han Xiao was reading them like a book.

  Bang!

  A loud crash came from above, and the entire facility started to tremble.

  “What’s going on‽” asked the panicked Team A leader through his intercom.

  The sound of gunfire intermixed with panicked yelling could be heard from the other end.

  “Team C has encountered the enemy in the lab. I repeat, Team C has encountered the enemy in the lab. Damn it! Zero set the lab on fire with a grenade!”

  “Where did he get the grenade from‽”

  The Team A leader was both enraged and horrified. His team had been standing guard outside the armory, but they had seen no one the entire time.

  “Send reinforcements quickly! Which team is nearest?”

  “Team B is also at basement 3. The surveillance room has been wiped. We’re coming over right now!”

  …

  In Basement 3, Han Xiao was hiding behind a corner near the laboratory while the fire raged within. He had used three hand grenades to set the lab on fire. Presently, there were a dozen guards from Team C that had suspected his presence and were advancing on him.

  After his battle with Baltar, Han Xiao had not headed for the main gate immediately. Instead, he had gone back down to basement 3, predicting that the guards would conduct a sweep of the facility from the top.

  Since it was no longer possible to sneak out as he had planned, Han Xiao had to change his tactics. Here in the laboratory at basement 3 was where all the Valkyrie data was stored, making it one of the key areas of the entire facility. He knew that setting it ablaze would cause the enemy to panic.