From the Abyss of Stars

065. Temporary Agreement

 

Boom!

 

Gunpowder gas erupted from under her feet, propelling her body ten meters back in an instant. She narrowly avoided the Cannibal's second claw strike.

 

"That kind of power—just three hits, and I'm done for."

 

Nimotin was startled. The firearms she carried, the rifle prosthetic on her left arm, and the cannon implanted in her leg, all fired at the Cannibal's weak points with the aid of plugins.

 

Ping ping pong bang—Boom!

 

The bullets shattered hopelessly against the combat armor of the riot soldier, even the cannon that could destroy a small car had no effect.

 

"You should be grateful to your country."

 

The Cannibal said nonchalantly:

 

"Without the plugins it provided, you'd be dead already."

 

Nimotin landed on the ground, dodging three consecutive shots from Zhu Baiya. Taking advantage of his reloading, she suddenly burst with energy, kicking him away.

 

As she regained her stance, the Cannibal's words reached her ears. Nimotin shrugged and sneered:

 

"Heh, a strong person like you couldn't have been nurtured in the Outer Territories."

 

Bang!

 

The Cannibal, devoid of any etiquette or majesty of the strong, launched a sneak attack as she spoke, his hands crackling with bioelectric arcs.

 

"Zhu Baiya, what are you standing there for?" The Cannibal glanced at Zhu Baiya: "Get the stuff on the car, only the babies are needed."

 

"Yes!" Zhu Baiya, almost half-dead from Nimotin's kick, was also an Alpha rank superhuman but was no match for an elite warrior like Nimotin. With the Cannibal's command, he immediately fled the battlefield.

 

Faced with the Cannibal's bioelectric arcs, Nimotin's face changed.

 

This high-voltage shock was the nemesis of 【Assassins】 like her.

 

The human body's signals are transmitted electrically, so a shock causes spasms, paralysis, and muscle weakness.

 

Although the special properties of energy can resist and reduce damage, preventing instant death from electric shock, assassins are not like warriors. A warrior might just get a scratch and continue fighting, possibly even fighting harder after being stimulated by the shock.

 

Assassins, who rely on agility and strength, would lose their agility and mobility if touched even once, making them easy prey.

 

Moreover, she was facing a Beta rank 【Biochemist】, the Cannibal, capable of crippling with one hit, paralyzing with two, and sending to hell with three.

 

"He hasn't even used other means, just his physical strength is already this formidable..."

 

Nimotin grew wary.

 

【Biochemists】 and 【Mechanics】, though focusing on intelligence and mental strength, could transform themselves into biochemical monsters or cyborgs, a practical approach.

 

However, practitioners of these two demanding professions rarely heard of self-transformation.

 

Let alone... to this extent.

 

Beep—!

 

The Cannibal injected himself with some unknown substance, his robe bulging with swollen muscles. He tilted his head and suddenly punched out.

 

The greater the strength, the faster the explosive speed!

 

Must not be grazed!

 

[Nomad Military—Overclocking]

 

Nimotin's neck and temples split, rapidly expelling blue coolant. The Cannibal's movements were pre-emptively tracked by her intelligent chip, predicting all paths and impact points.

 

"Your biochemical drug-fueled body can't compare to my refined physique!"

 

She deftly slashed, wedging the blade between the Cannibal's neck and shoulder, then exploded with energy, leaping into the air, stepping on his knee, spinning mid-air, and driving the other curved blade into the shoulder armor gap.

 

Splat!

 

Blood spurted!

 

The Cannibal's scapula was pierced by the blade, causing him to sink and kneel.

 

Nimotin landed, her half-buried blade already twisted and bent.

 

"Huh?"

 

Nimotin was surprised.

 

No matter how perfect the strike, relying solely on gravity couldn't penetrate the armor and hit the flesh.

 

Moreover, her body seemed inexplicably ten times heavier at that moment.

 

"... Oh?"

 

The Cannibal glanced at the figure slowly emerging from the darkness, speaking in an androgynous voice:

 

"Little squirrel not hiding anymore? A wise weak animal should know to reap the benefits without effort."

 

The yellow-black trench coat flapped in the wind, the lowered hood and breathing mask hiding his face, but Nimotin immediately recognized him after scanning his physique:

 

"Scavenger? No—Li Aozi?"

 

She was confused, looking at the amused Cannibal, then at Li Aozi.

 

"You two—aren't together?"

 

"Li Aozi?"

 

The Cannibal tilted his head slightly, thoughtfully touching his chin:

 

"An unpleasant name, but your maneuver just now was impressive—you increased her gravitational acceleration at the moment she fell and withdrew it just in time, otherwise, she would have been killed by my claw before landing."

 

Nimotin's brain struggled to process. The continuous use of military-grade plugins burdened her neural system, reducing her ability to think:

 

"You..."

 

What's going on?

 

Isn't he from the Red Arrow Empire?

 

Isn't this Beta rank Biochemist his ally?

 

Why is he helping me?

 

Overclocking had physically overloaded Nimotin's brain, making her thoughts rigid. At this moment, Li Aozi suddenly removed his mask, revealing his handsome face:

 

"I have dirt on Frost-Plated that I don't want to fall into the Empire's hands. Help me stall him for 10 minutes."

 

"Dirt—why should I believe you?"

 

Nimotin instinctively refuted, then paused.

 

Haven't I been chasing him because he's an Empire spy with Frost-Plated's secrets?

 

Now, for some reason, Li Aozi wants to deal with the Cannibal and proposes a cooperation—information for combat power. She thought it over and realized it didn't really matter.

 

The Four Nations have always restricted high-level combat power in the Outer Territories, especially individual strongmen who could form uncontrollable forces.

 

Moreover, a Beta rank 【Biochemist】 could not have originated in the Outer Territories, and the superhuman knowledge in his mind might benefit the Republic greatly...

 

Just 10 minutes, as an Alpha rank 【Assassin】, Nimotin had already marked Li Aozi's aura.

 

This way, he would never escape her tracking range.

 

"Run, go ahead and run."

 

Nimotin sneered.

 

Li Aozi tossed her a 'Zunisidin' capsule. She glanced at it. This drug was a special medicine for 【Destruction】 energy practitioners, life-saving in critical moments, and tightly controlled by the Four Nations.

 

"I'll support you in 10 minutes," Li Aozi said, turning to run. "Don't die before then."

 

He seemed sincere—Nimotin decided.

 

It was a win-win; the Zunisidin wasn't cheap and could be a lifesaver.

 

As for the Cannibal—deal with him first.

 

Bang!

 

Nimotin suddenly sprang forward, raising her blades to attack the Cannibal.

 

"Foolish."

 

The Cannibal spat out contemptuously:

 

"Relying on external objects only makes you dull and weak."

 

Crackle—

 

Blue bioelectric arcs erupted from the Cannibal's palm, forcing Nimotin to retreat instantly.

 

His faceplate opened, revealing a forked tongue like a reptile's.

 

"You've lost, agent. Not because you're weaker, but because..."

 

The Cannibal said calmly as two cylindrical canisters popped out from his back.

 

"... I'm a scientist."

 

Hiss—

 

The canisters fell to the ground, instantly bursting open. The dark green gas spread rapidly in the wind, corroding metal and shrinking flesh.