Chapter 9: New Forces, Section 9

“Tch!!”
A sharp sound that tore through the air suddenly rang out in the silent corridor. Just as Blood Pupil turned around, he saw a giant hand, like lightning from hell, rushing toward his face. From such close range, he could even see the cold metallic glint on the hand.
It was his combat instincts that saved Blood Pupil’s life. In the blink of an eye, his body reacted in the most appropriate way—he twisted his body halfway to the side, using his shoulder to block the attack.
“Pfft!”
A flash of blood appeared. Blood Pupil was sent flying like a rolling gourd, propelled by an unstoppable force. His right shoulder was covered in blood and flesh, no longer recognizable in its original form. Pale bones were exposed, a horrifying sight.
In just one moment, Blood Pupil was severely injured!!
“Head!!”
Staring at the black-haired figure lying half-sitting in front of him, Blood Pupil could hardly believe his eyes.
Those blood-red eyes, filled with murderous intent. The faint dark aura around him. If he hadn’t already engraved that appearance in his mind, he would hardly believe it was his own head—the head that had risked everything for his companions, disregarding life and death!
Every assassin is lonely. Since entering this profession, Blood Pupil had never thought he would have companions, let alone be willing to serve someone else. Even when Black Hair jokingly invited him, he had only intended to play a game.
But after going through many trials and fighting side by side with Black Hair, when he truly accepted Black Hair’s leadership, why did Black Hair resort to killing!?
At this moment, Blood Pupil seemed to have forgotten the physical pain; his mind was filled with confusion, bewilderment, and agony.
But the next moment, his brows furrowed.
Black Hair’s condition was extremely strange. Although he had been injured, he showed no intention of attacking further. He simply sat there quietly, one hand still in the attacking position, with bits of flesh clinging to his fingers. His blood-red eyes stared at him intently, saying nothing. If it weren’t for his chest still rising and falling slowly, he would have seemed like a dead man!
Could it be?
Thoughts raced through Blood Pupil’s mind as he immediately recalled the transparent membrane he had just broken free from and the sudden strength he had gained.

He’s not a fool. On the contrary, as a killer who often relies on his wits to win, he has an extremely agile mind. He grasped the key to the situation in an instant. Since he could acquire such terrifying abilities through that strange device, Black Hair must have undergone the same transformation. Could this be the side effect of physical enhancement? The more Blood Pupil thought about it, the more convinced he became, his face turning ashen. Of course, he didn’t know that Black Hair, due to genetic enhancement, could no longer undergo further training. But by applying his own logic, he found a reasonable explanation. Yet he had no idea how to solve the problem. This cutting-edge biological technology far exceeded his understanding. “Head! What’s wrong?” Lowering his voice, Blood Pupil asked again. Leaning forward slightly, he adopted a ready stance. He was well aware that Black Hair was different from any enemy he had fought before—a truly extreme threat. Even with his newly acquired power, he dared not underestimate him at all. Still, Blood Pupil wanted to give it a try. “Head? Why aren’t you talking?” Calling out softly, Blood Pupil moved forward slowly to observe Black Hair’s reaction. To his surprise, Black Hair remained motionless like a wooden statue, not even shifting his gaze. Gaining some courage, Blood Pupil finally made up his mind. Pushing off with his feet, he rushed right in front of Black Hair. “Sss!!” Another screech echoed. Before Blood Pupil could stabilize himself, Black Hair’s other hand, like a venomous snake emerging from its hole, appeared before him in an instant. At the same time, his body trembled slightly as his left leg drew a graceful arc in the air, pressing down on Blood Pupil’s head! A gust of wind erupted instantly, slicing like a knife across his face! With just one move, Black Hair nearly sealed off all of Blood Pupil’s escape routes. Amazingly, Blood Pupil’s expression didn’t change at all. Twisting his waist, he managed to slow down his forward momentum. Then, using both hands and feet, he threw two punches and a kick, targeting Black Hair’s weak points, resulting in a situation where both might be harmed! “Bang bang bang bang!!” A series of rapid thuds filled the air, growing faster and faster until they merged into a continuous sound, like machine gun fire. Both were attacking with all their might, exchanging hundreds of blows in an instant. Their speed was astonishing, even making their figures blur. One kept moving, while the other remained seated the whole time.

On the surface, the two were evenly matched, but Xue Tong couldn’t help but feel distressed. Though his body had become extremely strong, the gap between him and Hei Fa hadn’t narrowed at all—it had even widened. Hei Fa could withstand his attacks without flinching, while every punch and kick from Hei Fa caused him excruciating pain, forcing him to rely on rapid movement to defend himself. The difference in strength was now obvious.

“Head! What’s wrong with you?” Another kick from Hei Fa left half of Xue Tong’s body numb. He rolled away and shouted anxiously, his worry evident in his voice.

Hei Fa remained silent, stopping his attacks. One foot still hung in the air, looking as ridiculous as a puppet. His eyes were blood-red and lifeless.

From this, Xue Tong realized that Hei Fa was now no different from an idiot—completely devoid of normal thinking ability. His earlier attacks were simply driven by his innate fighting instincts. As long as he stayed away, those instincts wouldn’t flare up.

But he had no choice but to get close… Their earlier clash had been fierce, and in this dangerous place, Xue Tong didn’t know what horrors might arise. With no other option, he prepared to attack again, hoping to knock Hei Fa out with punches and kicks so he could escape.

To his surprise, before he could act, Hei Fa suddenly staggered, closed his eyes, and collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Xue Tong didn’t need to think any further. Almost the moment Hei Fa fell, he rushed over and picked him up.

Checking his breath, he was relieved—it was steady and strong, clearly not a desperate situation. Xue Tong used all his strength to lift Hei Fa onto his back.

“Ugh!” Suddenly, intense pain swept through Xue Tong’s body. He realized he was covered in wounds, his entire body bruised and red. His already injured right shoulder was bleeding profusely, sticking his clothes to it.

What vicious punches and kicks… Xue Tong shook his head helplessly and sighed deeply.

In fact, from the moment he was swallowed by the white warship, he had given up any illusions. Unexpectedly, after all these twists and turns, not only had he survived, but he also gained incredible strength for some reason. If it weren’t for Hei Fa’s uncertain condition, he might even have laughed out loud.

Those who survive great disasters will surely enjoy good fortune later. Xue Qi Tong no longer cared about such things. He only wished to leave this hellish place immediately. Now that Hei Fa had been found, he had no more worries.

But where exactly was the exit?

“Boom!!”

A sudden loud noise startled Xue Qi Tong, who had been lost in thought. He turned around quickly and saw that a huge wall on the side of the passage had collapsed, revealing a dark cave behind it.

It was a cave of unknown depth. Completely different from the alloy structure of the passage, it was made of muscular tissue. At first glance, everything was a shocking dark red, with veins subtly writhing. The ground was sticky, seemingly covered in strange bodily fluids.

But for Xue Qi Tong, none of this mattered. Because through this mysteriously appeared cave, he saw something—a huge steel humanoid, also dark red in color…

A demon mech!

God, this can’t be real! His mouth opened involuntarily as Xue Qi Tong could hardly believe his eyes.

As if his wishes came true, just as he was worried about how to escape this hellish place, a demon appeared before him. With such powerful firepower, would escaping still be a problem? Although the demon mech was heavily damaged from previous battles and its armor was corroded to the point of near-breaking, it could still travel through space. Plus, with the built-in emergency signal, it wasn’t impossible to call for rescue.

Taking two steps at a time, Xue Qi Tong rushed over to the demon mech almost in a run. Without even using the control ladder, he climbed up using his hands and feet. After training, such physical labor was as easy as playing for him.

He placed Hei Fa in place, connected to the mental control center, activated the elemental core, opened the engine hatch, and turned on all the mech’s sensing systems. Only then did Xue Qi Tong realize the condition of the demon mech. He was so surprised that his eyes widened.

It wasn’t that it was bad—it was simply too good. He never expected that after such intense battles, the demon showed no signs of damage and was instead full of energy. Its power was at peak levels, and its energy pathways were unobstructed. Even the corroded armor had been filled in with some unknown substance. Aside from running out of ammunition, it was practically like new.

What was going on? Even Xue Qi Tong, whose mind was as firm as iron, was stunned by this strange phenomenon. Recalling that he had inexplicably gained immense strength, he became even more puzzled.

However, in such a perilous situation, even the Blood Pupils likely couldn’t predict much. Immediately, its mind focused. The demon mech’s eyes suddenly glowed brightly—it had come back to life!!