Chapter 121 The Remaining Grudges
1,700 meters north, at the top of the Iron Tower. Chu Hengkong instantly determined the enemy's position and used his Qi Armor to deflect the bullet in return. He knew his attack would be ineffective; Shax must have already begun to move, but the enemy's response was no better. Using such inferior ammunition indicated this was a skirmish, and neither side was fully prepared.
In this line of work, you're never fully prepared for a battle.
"The pagan gunman won't touch you. He's coming for me." He casually threw Fander into the light shield. The latter was as confused as Ji Huaisu. "Do you know him?"
There was no response, the Eye Demon's question drowned out by the sonic boom. The instant he spoke, a fluttering green coat appeared in the distance. Ji Huaisu looked in the direction his partner was heading, his figure seeming unfamiliar.
When he first arrived in Huilong City, he seemed a cynical young man. Once on the right track, he became a responsible and diligent detective. But the moment he caught the bullet, his demeanor was completely different. His lips curled in a smile, and his sharp eyes took on a murderous, savage look. It was the aura of a killer, but it was more than that.
At that moment, he was like a poisonous snake that was delighted to see its prey. He couldn't wait to pounce and bare his fangs at the prey in the distance!
"Brown gunpowder, fine iron beads, owl wolf bone fragments, a quarter of mania—"
Shax leaped from the tower and slid down the building's surface. The materials he'd chosen flowed out of his belt pouch, rapidly blending and melding. His index finger dug into his temple, drawing a whirlwind of white energy from his brain like a soul-sucking force. "Mania" fell into the vortex of materials, and the blending was complete as the bullet landed. Shax loaded his bullet and fired into the distance. The specially designed bullet landed above the hill, exploding like a firework.
"Black Pill, self-proliferating rain of bullets!"
Another ability of the second-level relic, the Black Pill, is to consume mental energy to multiply bullets. Originally designed simply to increase ammunition, it becomes a deadly weapon when combined with Shax's Harmony Bullet. The multiplied white bullets rain down like rain, shattering the leaves they touch. These bullets imbue the power of the Owl Wolf, a beast whose impact shatters flesh from within.
Chu Hengkong focused his energy solely on his left arm, encasing his tentacles in crimson Qi armor. This light armor, composed of layers of rings, resembled the flexible, retractable outer armor of an insect, perfectly suited to the tentacles' agile tactics. He swung his tentacles to shield his sides, deflecting the incoming hail of projectiles. Each one, aided by the Immortal Machine's calculations, returned fire, hurling its own volleys. Within two seconds, his vision cleared, allowing the tentacles to retract and unleash their Sky Spear!
The projectile suspended high above was shattered, sending plumes of white smoke cascading down, blanketing the hillside with a pungent, sour smell. This must be Shax's next move, but Chu Hengkong didn't bother clearing the smokescreen. He exploited the situation, sneaking through the fog and using his Qi to sense the surroundings.
Shax's main body was far outside the mountain. If he knew the sniper's location, it meant there must be another observation point within the mountain. Find it, destroy it, and close the distance while the sniper was making his move.
Relying on the initial shot and the preceding hail of bullets, it was easy to determine the approximate range of the observation point. Chu Hengkong closed his eyes as he ran, then opened them again, blood-red slash marks covering his pupils. He actively invoked the power of the Immortal Machine, leveraging the computing power of the True Machine to analyze the environment and search for the observer. This action carried a great risk, and murderous intent surged in his mind, as if the Iron Bug were crawling on his back. But it didn't matter; fighting a different gunslinger didn't require any hesitation.
A speck of white light shone through the blood-red horizon. Shax's scope was a technological artifact, a stunt for real equipment. Chu Hengkong stepped into a pile of withered leaves and snatched a humble scope from the flying flakes. At that moment, a new attack arrived, a brass-colored projectile blasting from behind him.
Several wires sprouted from beneath the scope, forming a makeshift trigger trap. The firearms used in the trap were ordinary, but the projectiles were top-notch quality. These were the "bitter bullets" of the Shura Island Wormheart Sect, with enhanced penetration and the ability to infuse biological toxins in the form of elemental infection.
Shax had used this bullet to kill more than one Particle 3 and was well aware of its insidiousness and power. Through the trap's vision, he watched as the bullet struck the snake's head on the green coat and pierced Chu Hengkong's back...
No, not penetrated, but swallowed! The moment the bullet struck the back, it froze, drawn into the flesh like a stream of brass-colored water, weaving beneath the skin before plunging into the pale bone in the center of the back. The metal skeleton was nearly perfectly constructed, its pure inorganic white piercing the eyes.
The top-level third-level relic was actually swallowed up!
Shakes remembered the ballad he had heard on the boat, the fantastic tale of skillful hands and genuine weapons. He suddenly understood.
"You're still a monster as always. Silver Arm is actually you! The venomous snake finally grew arms and learned to climb? Did you report to your boss before evolving? Hahahaha!!"
Indifferent, cold, and stern—there was no trace of any of these words. From the trap emanated a roaring laughter reminiscent of the desert. Chu Hengkong casually tossed the scope aside, channeling his strength into his back to facilitate decomposition. Normally, assassins wouldn't and shouldn't talk nonsense during a fight, but this was different than usual. Not only the exceptionally excited Shax, but even he wanted to exchange a few words.
"Strange Gunner" Shax Ibn Ould, a freelance mercenary from the Middle East, ranks third on a list often discussed by some in his hometown. He excels at long-range sniping, and also excels in urban combat, trap-based warfare, and close-quarters combat, making him a versatile fighter with a few specialized abilities.
The two men had three confrontations in total. The first one was at the Paris Fashion Week show. Shakes was hired to assassinate the boss, and Chu Hengkong happened to be accompanying the boss to the show.
The second confrontation took place on the Shinkansen bound for Kyoto. A killer skilled in electronic warfare hid on the train and launched a long-range attack on the family. Shakes, who happened to be on his way to see the cherry blossoms, discovered a monster chasing the Shinkansen.
The last encounter took place two years ago, at the family's headquarters in New York. Gunfire roared on that rain-drenched night. The Serpent of Sacrifice's grave injury marked the beginning of a series of tragedies that followed, and the man who pulled the trigger died at the hands of the sword.
"I killed you two years ago." Chu Hengkong said.
"Time in hell doesn't pass so quickly!" Shaxx laughed wildly. "It makes me want to vomit. It turns out monsters can die too. Who killed you, No. 0?"
"White Wolf" is still a breath away... Is it really the "royal power"? Or has the Velus family become your enemy?"
"You are still so obsessed with boring rankings." Chu Hengkong crushed the scope.
The greetings between the visitors from another world ended there; the option of communication had been nonexistent from the beginning. The man who had met his death was determined to seek revenge, and the man who had killed him would not shy away from the past. Thus, there was only a confrontation, a fight to the death. They were all killers, and the only means to resolve their grudges and hatred was the sword.
"Exploding Locust's hind legs, Burning Withered Grass, Ghost Eagle Claw Powder..."
Materials were summoned one by one, and new bullets began to be blended. This was an ability Shax greatly appreciated, a facet of his "weaponry" gained only after reaching level 3 in the Path of Floating Light. By preparing sufficient materials beforehand and infusing them with a certain amount of self-element, he could create bullets with varying effects on the spot.
Chu Hengkong now had a real weapon implanted in his body. While he didn't know the extent of his transformation, he should be immune to any gunfire from behind. Before considering the power of a bullet, he prioritized the direction of the sniper's attack. He had already decided on the purpose of his next bullet.
"...Demon slime disguised as a third of agitation." Shaxx climbed onto a scaffolding and leaped onto a construction site. He fired into the smoke. "Bouncing bullet!"
The translucent bullet sank into the smoke. Losing sight, it missed Chu Hengkong's edge and struck a maple tree several dozen meters away. However, the bullet didn't penetrate the trunk, instead bouncing off like a rubber bullet. As it struck the smoke, a white pellet of similar texture shot out from the smoke.
Sensing the unusual situation, Chu Hengkong flung out his tentacles, attempting to halt the proliferation mid-flight. However, this time, the bullets failed to shatter. Instead, they bounced back, leveraging the properties of the Qi Armor, accelerating the process. White ricocheting bullets continuously shuttled, ricocheting, crashing into the smoke screen, and new ricocheting bullets were generated. After a moment, a web of bullets formed within the smoke screen, and even a single step forward would trigger countless counterattacks.
A microscopic variable metal curtain, reading the material of a projectile to create a bullet with the same properties. This relic, also used with special bullets, is commonly used when hunting large exotic beasts. Shax was not stingy with his materials, throwing his cards around like they were free at the start of the battle.
Chu Hengkong protected himself while observing the situation. The dense barrage network turned every inch of space into a trigger trap. At the current rate of proliferation, he would be unable to keep up with the frequency of attacks before he could break through the smokescreen defense. The key to breaking this move was the bullet. Its translucent texture looked somewhat familiar...
The phantom image of a fantasy demon. The initial physical attack was ineffective. Chu Hengkong drew on his extensive combat experience to find a clue. With a flick of his wrist, the demonic remnant fire, which had been upgraded with the transformation, fell into his palm. The remnant fire brushed against his tentacles, and the green fire rose with scorching heat. He swung out his green whip, using the fire of ambition to burn away the untouchable bullets.
The bullets dispersed with the flickering fireworks, and the smoke screen was consumed by the flames. At this moment, the original bullet, a bouncing bullet, came hurtling towards them at a strange angle. This bullet held Shax's spiritual power, waiting for the very moment Chu Hengkong would strike. He intended to launch a surprise attack from the front!
Bounce, reflect, accelerate, the projectile shuttles rapidly, its trajectory like white lightning. Chu Hengkong concentrates his attention to the extreme, and before the bullet hits, he punches with all his strength, and the iron fist hits the bullet head -
But the punch hit nothing, because the bullet suddenly became nothing. The moment it was hit, it literally became non-existent. After penetrating the fist, it solidified and hit the right chest.
Bullet conversion, ghost shooting!
Large flowers of blood bloomed on the suicide's chest, and Chu Hengkong fell backwards from the impact. He had no time to gather his Qi armor, and his constant immobility made it impossible to fully defend himself. The bullet that pierced his lungs undoubtedly caused extremely severe injuries.
But the next moment, the bullet was ejected by muscle pressure, and blood flowed back into the body, rapidly healing the damaged organs. The blood flower that heralded death closed and returned, the death of life being severed by will!
The secret of Yueque Palace, the power of immortality.
"You've become stronger than before." Chu Hengkong moved his shoulders.
He gathered all his strength and shouted, his voice shaking the mountains and forests and startling everyone in the city.
"How do you want to die this time?"
Shax roared back, "I'll never be content to lie down in my grave again until I blow your head off!"
(End of this chapter)
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