by <unknown>
Han Xiao was a little envious. He had also coveted some sort of invisibility skill when he was young. It had even been one of his thirty-three life goals at one point. It had only been scratched off the list afterward when he had already gained a decent amount of experience.
Under the cloak of invisibility, Han Xiao’s senses toward his surroundings were completely different. It was as if a thick cloud had covered everything around him, and it felt quite surreal. The feeling of being invisible reminded of an old film that he had watched. He remembered that it was called the Lord’s Ring or something.
This surrounding troops had a limited number of vehicles, and Han Xiao quickly finished planting all the explosives. He only left a few cars to be used for escaping later.
There’s still two minutes left on my invisibility. I just need to wait for the explosion and steal a car to escape.
Everything up till now had progressed as planned.
Han Xiao returned to the edge of the battle and saw that Hila was getting beaten up from all directions pitifully. The suit that she was unfamiliar with was not able to offer much help in holding out against all those executives.
Han Xiao took out a communicator that was connected to the earpiece inside the armor and said softly, “I am about eighty meters to the north of your position. A big explosion will occur in a few moments. Run toward me immediately after and switch out of the suit with me. There’s an armored car here for us to escape in!”
Although Hila could not see him, she had heard his instructions.
Han Xiao started counting down. Ten… five… three… He pressed down on the button.
Boom!
It was as if the ground shook for second!
Like a volcanic eruption, flaming pillars rose up high into the sky as all the armored vehicles blew up one after another.
A wave of heat rolled over and brought with it a dust storm. Countless ordinary soldiers were instantly knocked off their feet.
The Germinal forces were shocked stiff!
Why did it all suddenly explode‽
Using the brief moment of chaos, Hila rushed over to Han Xiao’s position through the clouds of dust. She quickly got out of the suit and swapped with Han Xiao. Han Xiao ran along as he put on the suit. The whole process only took about three seconds. Han Xiao had already accomplished his mission with the invisibility, and continuing to let Hila wear the suit would just be a waste. The last time that Han Xiao had modified the suit, he had added an assistive device to help with equipping it and taking it off, making it much more convenient.
Hila got into the driver seat of the car and turned on the engine. However, the dust and smoke cleared at this moment, and the Germinal forces once again saw Black Phantom’s figure. However, no one knew that, this time, it was the real deal.
“Don’t you even think of running!” Devin roared furiously and swung his fist. His big and muscly form bounded over and shook the ground briefly. His talent allowed him to strengthen his skeletal structure, making it as strong and heavy as steel. The might of his talent was combined with an active skill as he threw a fist at his foe. Based on the previous exchanges, he had already found out that ‘Black Phantom’ could not break his defense at all, and he did not even bother guarding his body this time.
It’s fine if you thought you could bully Hila, but now you want to do the same to me‽
Han Xiao’s eyes focused, and he activated both [Surging Mechanical Force] and [Overload]. The Mini Bonfire Reaction Furnace on his back burned bright red and started to make turbine-like sounds as the suit’s power rose exponentially. A piece of machinery would only truly become powerful in the hands of a mechanic.
As Devin swung his fist out, full of confidence from his previous fight with ‘Black Phantom’, he suddenly realized that his current enemy was releasing an unbelievable amount of murderous pressure. He instantly felt a gust of cold wind up the back of his head. This Black Phantom was drastically different from the one that he had fought against just a minute ago!
Danger!
Extreme danger!
Devin was shocked and felt goosebumps rising all over his body. The next second, all he saw was a sudden flash before an arm that travelled so fast that it left behind after-images slammed into his head. What followed was an explosive force on the top of his head before his whole body was smashed onto the ground like a bag of trash!
Bang!
His skull, which was as strong as solid steel, cracked into pieces as if it was made of glass.
Han Xiao’s left hand firmly held Devin’s head and locked him on the ground. The muscular giant could not break free no matter how much he tried. Just like a chef holding down a fish on the chopping board, Han Xiao’s right hand bulged up with the suit’s muscle system, and he slammed another fist onto Devin’s back as he activated the repulsion device, causing a wave of smoke and dust to spread out with the two at the center.
Crack!
Devin’s skeletal structure exploded apart, and blood splattered everywhere before his whole body sank to the ground. The Germinal executive had long since fallen unconscious. The battle interface showed that Devin had received critical damage and was currently in a stunned state.
“Boy, you came after the wrong opponent.”
Han Xiao shook his arm a few times as he observed the pieces of bone and skull scattered everywhere.
This talent is rather interesting. Was he able to strengthen his bones?
Devin was only level forty-something, and his strength meant nothing in front of him. It took Han Xiao less than three seconds to put him down. The others who had been prepared to rush up just a moment ago slowed their steps in confusion.
Just half a minute ago, Devin had still been going blow for blow with him, yet now he had been taken care of in just a single exchange!
Why was there such a huge change? It was as if this was a whole different person!
The ‘Black Phantom’ from before had been fighting like a newbie compared to this current one whose presence alone dwarfed those around him.
The group of Germinal executives had wanted to rush up earlier to take advantage of Black Phantom’s weakened state, but now, no one dared even take another step forward.
The leader saw all this unfold through the screen, and he could only feel a ball of fire clumped at the back side of his throat. It was as if someone had poured ice-cold water on him as he was just starting to get excited.
Chapter 257. Breaking Out (2) |
Viper worn by him was the true Black Phantom!
The drastic change in their opponent’s strength caused the Germinal forces to sink into temporary chaos. Han Xiao took this chance and jumped onto the car, and Hila immediately stepped on the gas and took off. The car was like an unleashed bull, and it just slammed its way out of the encirclement.
The Germinal soldiers were still wary of their leader’s orders and tried to give chase. However, Han Xiao had already armed the car with long range weaponry, and they were able to shoot off all the pursuers.
As most of the vehicles had been blown up by his explosives, there were only a few who managed to give chase while the rest were all soon left behind.
The journey ahead was smooth, and this raised Hila’s spirits despite her fatigue.
“We made it out!”
The moment Han Xiao heard that sentence, he knew that something was up.
Just as he thought, just as Hila finished the sentence, three black hawk helicopters appeared on the horizon and made a beeline for them.
“This is Germinal’s instant response taskforce!” Hila’s expression became grave. “Thankfully, there are only three of the helicopters. With their limited firepower, we can get close enough for me to take care of the pilots directly with my powers!”
Buzz!
Viper’s built in radar suddenly sounded an alarm as it picked up five extremely strong life signals in the helicopters. These individuals were all well over LV 50 and were Germinal’s strongest militar
y force. All three of these helicopters were built to carry combat personnel, and now that they were being chased by the five similarly high-level people, there was no way that they were going to escape easily. Han Xiao suddenly felt depressed.
“Is something wrong with you? Please stop speaking already! Do you want to die that bad‽” Han Xiao shouted toward Hila, then without a single delay, pulled out his Ghost sniper rifle and took a shot at the closest helicopter.
A ray of faint blue accompanied the bullet as it shot out of the barrel and drew a line in the sky like a horizontal streak of lightning!
However, the always trusty sniper rifle did not find its mark this time!
The charged bullet was stopped short in front of the helicopter as if an invisible hand had grabbed it midair.
Force-field type. At least LV 50! Han Xiao’s heart dropped as he knew that things were not looking good.
A middle-aged female soldier in combat uniform then poked her head out from one of the helicopters. Han Xiao zoomed using Viper’s interface and saw that she had average looks, a nasty scar that cut through her lips, and short hair. She raised her hand and pointed it at the car on the ground.
Han Xiao then felt the car shake.
No, that was not right. It was the ground that was shaking!
The ground within fifty meters of the car started to vibrate as if waves on the ocean, and suddenly, a large chunk of ground rose up in front of the car, forming a ramp. Hila was not able to avoid it in time and drove right on top of it. The mini platform was too narrow for the car’s wheels, and so the car was stuck upside-down as the wheels slowly stopped spinning. The two people in the car almost flew out from the sudden stop.
At the same time, the helicopters did a fly-by and released their missiles toward the stranded vehicle.
Han Xiao and Hila hurriedly abandoned the car.
Boom!
Both the armored car and the surrounding rocks were blown to smithereens. Metal parts and dirt flew out in all directions.
Five people jumped down from the helicopters—the senior executives!
They instantly rushed toward the duo. Each of the five had a drastically different appearance, but all of them gave off an intense pressure.
Han Xiao and Hila went prone on the ground have just dodged the explosions, and Hila’s eardrums were still ringing because of it. She struggled to get back up, glanced toward the five executives, and said through gritted teeth, “I can’t believe that Germinal has sent them. They’re the top fighting force in in the organization, and except for extremely urgent missions, not even one of them even show up. This time, all five came to stop us. We’re in big trouble. There are two Espers, ‘Soul Shield’ Jeross and ‘Earth Hand’ Ingris. The three other pugilists…”
“Shut up and start running!”
Without waiting for her to finish, Han Xiao took off in the opposite direction while firing back at the executives. However, all the bullets were all stopped short by the force field executive.
Hila followed behind. Although she had a pair of long legs, she was still no match for Han Xiao’s Electromagnetic Hover-boots. As he could not just leave her behind either, Han Xiao grabbed Hila’s hand, increased the shoe’s output, and dragged her across the landscape.
Helping Hila meant that he could not fire back at the executives as much, but since it was still able to slightly delay the executives, it was more than enough for Han Xiao.
“We have backup ahead. Just hold out for a bit longer and wait for their help,” Han Xiao said with a low voice.
Although the enemy reinforcements would also soon arrive if they were to stall for too long, it was their only option as they had already lost their car and could no longer shake off the pursuers.
Hila turned her body and shot an arc of dark-red energy toward the executives, but doing this caused her to start coughing. Her condition was not looking good. If it was not for the dire situation, Han Xiao would have already tried to make fun of her.
“Leave me behind.” Hila, with a blank expression on her face, suddenly spoke. “You have the suit and can surely outrun enemy transportation. Just escape without me. I’m only a burden to you at this point.”
Han Xiao frowned and was enraged by what she had said. “Don’t you give me that self-sacrificing bullsh*t. How long do you think you can even hold them back? Ten seconds? Twenty? What’s the point‽ If you dare let go of my hand right now to stay back to fight, I won’t even bother taking care of your sister after you’ve died!”
“You!” Hila got angry, too. Just then, she had started to loosen her grip on Han Xiao’s hand. However, just when she had made up her mind to stay behind and buy time for Han Xiao, he had stopped her with her only weakness—her sister. Hila was troubled. Although she was trying to sacrifice herself for the sake of her sister, Han Xiao was actually threatening her with Aurora. “Do you not understand the situation? If you just leave me behind, your chance of escaping will rise above seventy percent. What’re you not satisfied with‽”
“I don’t need you to teach me that. Let me tell you something, you aren’t worth that much. If things do get to that point, then I will leave you behind without a second thought. So, shut up and just follow me! I don’t need no favors from you,” Han Xiao replied without even turning his head.
Hila was dumbfounded. She gave a meaningful gaze to Han Xiao’s back, and just let herself be dragged along without saying another word while occasionally shooting waves of red energy toward their pursuers.
The five senior executives were slightly faster than them and were able to catch up with the duo after a three-minute chase. Now that there was no point in running, Han Xiao turned back to fight. His Magnetic Chain Split Blades drew arcs in the air, his Thermo-Electrical Incisor Gloves gave out hissing sounds as it reached an extremely high temperature, and his Ghost sniper rifle shot out round after round. Han Xiao made no reserves.
The fierce battle between this group of high level superhumans destroyed the surroundings. Jeross’ force field power was used to blast out constant cannon-like shockwaves that left craters on the ground. With him also supporting the other executives with defensive type forcefields, Han Xiao had a hard time trying to deal damage. Ingris formed the earth into numerous dragons that brutally clashed into Han Xiao and Hila, forming even more holes on the ground. The three pugilists fought as their fists were imbued with unspeakable strength, and their bodies were aflame with energy. The shockwaves from their punches were capable of doing massive damage.
Hila tried her best to muster her dwindling strength to cooperate with Han Xiao. Her unique Esper ability allowed her to directly attack her opponents’ minds. Although she was not that powerful yet, with how tricky her powers were and her experience in combat, she was able to work with Han Xiao seamlessly and significantly lessened the pressure on him.
None of the five senior executives were mechanics. Up till this point, mechanics were among the rarest among the people with high levels due to the class’s unimpressive early game attributes. Han Xiao was basically the strongest mechanic on the planet.
Fighting five people who were all approaching LV 60 simultaneously was taxing even for Han Xiao. The five worked together perfectly, and Han Xiao could barely go even with them, much less actually defeat them. Jeross’ force field abilities were like a natural counter to Han Xiao, and he could not get anywhere with his attacks.
In the middle of the fight, Han Xiao caught a glimpse of the Germinal forces that he had previously left behind. However, there were even more Black Hawks flying over from the horizon.
It was like a huge net that was slowly closing in on Han Xiao and Hila.
The enemy reinforcements were here!
Chapter 258. Breaking out (3) |
On the horizon, the reinforcements from the Germinal Organization quickly approached and surrounded Han Xiao. The situation turned south as a number of military helicopters hovered around the battlefield. The longer the fight dragged on, the more enem
ies would show up. Han Xiao had to fight while diverting his focus to look for any signals of the Six Nations reinforcement. His anxiety grew every second he waited for the signal.
Bang bang bang!
Han Xiao took three hits from the attacks from the pugilists, and bursts of energy exploded on Han Xiao suit. The platinum alloy armor started to show some dents and cracks. The energy of a pugilist had an armor penetration buff, but Han Xiao’s armor level was on par with that of a boss. If Han Xiao was a pugilist on the same level, under the continuous heavy attacks, he would have at least received some light injuries. However, Han Xiao acted like nothing had happened, and his movement was as agile as before.
The five senior executive officers’ jaws dropped as Han Xiao handled their attacks with ease. They thought that they could take Han Xiao’s life if it was a five versus one, and yet the battle was still in a stalemate.
“Even if we are on the same level, Han Xiao is too strong.”
Han Xiao fired back and pulled out compounded magnetic chain split blades with the skill [Revolving Slashes]. However, Han Xiao maneuvered the skill into [Blade Hurricane], as if a hedgehog protecting himself with the spikes. The pugilist would only inflict damage on himself as he punched Han Xiao.
The battle information flooded Han Xiao as the battle went on. He quickly observed the situation and thought, Ingris’ Esper power that can control earth and mud poses the most trouble to me even though it does not inflict much damage. Her health is the lowest out of everyone else, so I can use that as the opportunity to break the encirclement. If I use the Flaming Will and get a critical hit, he will at least be out of the fight. However, it will be hard to get rid of Jeross’ forcefield to attack him.
He contacted Hila using the earpieces and asked, “Do you have skills that are lethal? Only your power can get through the forcefield without much effect. I just need you to stop Jeross from using his Esper power for a second, just one second!”
