Her heartbeats resumed.
[Seems like I was dead for a while… But how did I survive?]
There was no time for Sun Jiao to think, however. In her murky vision, she saw the mutated human walking towards Jiang Chen.
Her vision was covered by dark blood, the entire front of her armor had caved in tight against her chest, and her left arm was out of commission from the broken plastic steel armor lacerating her flesh. The exposed wiring flashed with unsettling sparks, and on her pupils was a daunting list of red alerts . She would most likely have to cut off the entire left arm of the suit to extricate her broken left hand, but the ability should be able to heal it.
Sun Jiao panted, her clouded eyes half-open as she tried to lock her aim onto the head of the mutated human.
Its heart and head were the only weaknesses.
Boom!
The 72mm anti-tank cannon in her right hand fired, the cannon whipping upwards. The trail of orange flame directly homed in on the mutated human that was about to execute Jiang Chen.
[Made it?]
[…Seems to be off.]
Seeing it miss the weak spots, Sun Jiao raised her already straining right hand and aimed the cannon at the mutated human struggling to stand.
She pulled the trigger.
Clank—
A bitter smile appeared on her face.
The clip was empty.
She glanced at her trapped left hand. A liquid, perhaps cold sweat, rolled down her blood-covered face.
It was pointless if it didn’t hit the head or the heart. Even with a broken left hand and half a stomach, it wouldn’t die. It was not an average mutated human; it was a variant with lead skin. These mutated humans received special modifications that made their skin into lead. Not only did it make their defense far superior to the average mutated human’s, but their strength and life force also far exceeded normal limits.
Their only weakness was the lead-addled brain. They would kill instinctively, and so they were often used like dogs by the same species.
The clip was at her waist, but how could she change it out with one hand?
“Dammit! Jiang Chen…” Sun Jiao anxiously stared at Jiang Chen, her lips turning pale from biting it so harshly.
At that moment, she could see the faint Jiang Chen looking in her direction.
–
[She is still alive. Terrific…]
Jiang Chen’s lips slightly trembled, feeling emotional.
It was as if his heart was full again.
[Fury deactivated? No, it’s not fury. Whatever, who cares?]
Jiang Chen turned his head to look at the mutated human struggling to stand. He met the ferocious stare.
The flesh was healing at an unimaginable rate. The lead skin covering the head and chest had already grown back.
Its threatening smiled seemed to mock Jiang Chen. The mutated human could already sense that the man in front of him had no more tricks to play.
Jiang Chen looked down at the pistol in his hand.
Even the tactical rifle on the power armor could not penetrate its skin. The 11 tactical pistol would be futile as well.
Out of tricks? No… There was still a lethal trick he hadn’t used yet.
“Roar!” The mutated human growled as he watched Jiang Chen approach.
For no reason at all, he felt anxious.
The head and heart were already covered by the newly grown lead skin, but when he saw the man walking towards him, he felt an instinctive fear.
Jiang Chen drew closer to the mutated human and cracked a smile. Placing the gun in his pocket, he retrieved a crystal from the storage dimension. After the interdimensional bracelet’s energy was charged to full, he flung the now-lusterless crystal away.
He leisurely squatted down, staring into the bell-sized eyeballs, then took a deep breath and smiled lightheartedly. “Should I take you to play in another world?”
He slapped his hand on the mutated human’s shoulder.
Upon finishing his sentence, both of them disappeared from Sun Jiao’s sight.
“…Interdimensional travel?” Sun Jiao stared blankly at the place Jiang Chen and the mutated human had disappeared from.
She remembered the dead hamster; living creatures were unable to travel with him.
But she also faintly remembered that he mentioned it took 40% energy to travel once.
What would happen now that he brought along the mutated human?
She felt unsettled.
The homing engine turbine began to ring from afar. Power-armored soldiers were rushing to the scene. They’d been caught in a crossfire with the remaining mutated humans. As soon as they solved the problem, they quickly rushed over.
“Where did the light infantry go?” Sun Jiao asked in the communication channel.
“Still at the gate.”
“Good… Get me out first.” If someone saw this scene, she would have to shut them up, eternally.
She was different from Jiang Chen; she didn’t feel much guilt when killing.
The power-armored soldiers walked forward, took out a welding gun, and cut through the caved-in metal on her left arm.
Sun Jiao gritted her teeth as she crawled out from the back of the power armor, then looked at where Jiang Chen had disappeared.
She began to feel more and more anxious, her uncertainty creeping into her face.
[Why is he still not back?]
“Captain, what do we do now?”
“Stay put and set up camp. 01, go take a tent from the armored truck and cover that area.” Sun Jiao pointed at where Jiang Chen had last been seen.
“Understood.” The power-armored soldier with the 01 symbol on his left arm received the order and left.
“The rest of you establish the temporary camp in the main building…. We might need to stay here for a few days,” she added after a pause.
“Understood.”
She stared at the empty spot again as she bit her lips and clenched her fists.
–
It was already the third day.
Seeing that they were victorious, the surrounding team headed back, but some still remained; for example, Zhao Gang.
“No, my wife is still underground.” Zhao Gang could not wait any longer as he slapped his leg and stood facing the direction of the main building.
The scared Ma Zhongchen immediately grabbed on to him.
“Are you crazy! Do you not see how she looks right now…”
Ma Zhongchen discreetly pointed at the figure sitting in front of the tent.
The lifeless eyes were covered with permafrost. The lonely figure sat there quietly wiping the gun.
It was not the look of someone who was open to conversation.
Zhao Gang clenched his teeth but finally sat down hesitantly.
“But…”
“Just wait for a bit longer, brother, I’ll be with you. Don’t worry, as long as the people are here, she’ll release them. They have some small internal situation,” Ma Zhongchen desperately tried to tell his outspoken comrade. Instinct told him that if they were to anger her now, something bad would happen.
It was not a small situation.
Three days already passed.
For three days now, Sun Jiao sat in front of the tent. She silent wiped the SK10 laser rifle in her hand. She hadn’t used it in a long time, but she always kept it with her. She opened the EP, looking perplexedly at the <Hidden Genetic Code>.
<Revive: Repair critical organs, leave death state. Ability requirement: triggers when the heart stops beating, and organ damage is below 50%.>
This God-sent ability saved her, probably reviving her when she died.
But at this moment, she did not feel the slightest happiness.
She sighed and closed the EP.
The temperature difference on the wasteland was quite drastic. There was already a hint of chill in the wind. But even with only a light combat suit on her, she did not have any sense of temperature.
How was Jiang Chen doing?
She didn’t know.
What she did know was that if he were okay, he would come back immediately.
But now…
She uncontrollably clenched her fist, feeling the sudden moisture in her eyes.
“Dammit.”
That fist feebly smashed onto the cold, hard concrete road.