Chapter 508 - 349: Abandoned Station, Monster Wave (Part 2)

Chapter 508: Chapter 349: Abandoned Station, Monster Wave (Part 2)

Their numbers were immense, and they seemed to be under the unified command of some will, launching a siege against Wu Liangchen from all directions!

This was the true test of the mission!

At the forefront were several "Stitched Monstrosities." They had partially rotted flesh-and-blood bodies, yet were forcibly embedded with rusted metal skeletons and exposed hydraulic lines. Sparks flew from their joints with the SIZZLE of shorting electricity. They swung thick mechanical arms, stirring up a whistling wind, their power palpable.

Following close behind were the extremely fast "Flayers." They were humanoid in shape, but their entire bodies were covered in a layer of ghastly white skin with a metallic sheen, as if their epidermis had been peeled away to reveal some kind of tough, inner tissue.

They ran on all fours, silent and swift, their gleaming, cold claws the only thing kicking up a trail of sparks as they scraped across the ground.

Even stranger were the "Phantoms" floating in mid-air.

Their forms were blurry, seemingly composed of some dark energy. The air temperature plummeted wherever they passed, emanating a chill that could freeze the soul. They were silent and could pass through physical obstacles, their angles of attack incredibly cunning.

’Interesting. It’s like some kind of... mixed testing ground for biological weapons and energy beings?’ Wu Liangchen’s thoughts raced. Faced with this tide of monsters, he felt no fear; instead, a flicker of excitement flashed in his eyes.

He didn’t retreat. Instead, he advanced, weaving through the gaps between the monsters like a phantom.

His powerful Qi and Blood erupted, and an invisible layer of Gang Qi seemed to envelop him, insulating him from the bone-piercing chill.

A Stitched Monstrosity roared and swung a mechanical arm down at him with enough force to flatten an alloy steel plate. Wu Liangchen sidestepped, smoothly ramming his elbow into the joint at the monster’s waist—the weakest point where machine and flesh met.

CRACK! With a sharp snap and a burst of sparks, one half of the Stitched Monstrosity’s body was instantly paralyzed. Its massive frame crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

At the same time, two Flayers attacked from the left and right, their claws whistling through the air as they aimed for his neck and heart. Wu Liangchen snorted, lashing out with both fists. His attack, though launched later, landed first, striking their jaws with pinpoint accuracy.

The power of Qi and Blood contained in his fists exploded like thunder. The two Flayers’ heads burst instantly, sending a spray of ghastly white tissue and dark, unknown fluids flying everywhere.

But there were simply too many monsters! For every three he took down, more immediately filled the gaps. The energy Phantoms were even more troublesome. Their attacks ignored physical defenses, directly eroding one’s spirit and Qi and Blood.

Wu Liangchen felt a faint chill trying to seep into his body. His mind was also lightly assaulted, and for a moment, his vision blurred.

’A spiritual attack?’ His eyes narrowed. He accelerated the circulation of his Qi and Blood, and a searing heat radiated from within him, instantly dispelling the invading chill. At the same time, he stopped relying solely on physical strength and began to channel his Magic.

He was seen forming quick hand seals, words tumbling from his lips as an invisible ripple spread out from his position.

"Suppress!"

A low shout, as if imbued with a power that made his words law. The energy Phantoms trying to get closer suddenly froze. Their blurry forms became even more unstable, seemingly suppressed by some force, and the frequency and intensity of their attacks dropped significantly.

Seizing the opportunity, Wu Liangchen’s figure flashed like lightning as he charged into the monster horde. He no longer aimed for one-hit kills, instead using his superior speed and reflexes to systematically cripple them.

He would kick and break the mechanical legs of the Stitched Monstrosities, throwing them off balance; then he would use precise force to shatter the joints of the Flayers, greatly reducing their speed. As for the Phantoms temporarily held in check by his "Suppress" art, he blasted them apart from a distance with gusts of wind from his Qi and Blood-infused fists.

The entire subway platform had become his stage. He moved through the horde like a flitting butterfly, each strike precise and efficient.

The roars of monsters, the clang of metal, and the crackle of exploding energy were incessant, but he remained calm throughout, like a precision killing machine.

The battle lasted for nearly ten minutes. The ground was now piled high with the remains of various monsters, and the air was thick with the stench of blood, machine oil, and the scorched smell of burnt energy.

Few monsters remained. They seemed to have realized how terrifying this human was. Their assault weakened noticeably, and they even began to show signs of cowering.

’It seems the so-called "unified command" is just some low-level hive mind,’ Wu Liangchen concluded inwardly.

He held back no longer. His Qi and Blood flared once more, his speed increasing, his power surging. With a flurry of fists, a whistling gale of Gang Qi completely obliterated the last few Stitched Monstrosities and Flayers that tried to escape.

As for the energy Phantoms, having lost a sufficient number of their "companions," they seemed to lose their foundation for existence and dissipated into the air like wisps of smoke.

Huuu...

Wu Liangchen let out a slow breath. His body was stained with filth, but his breathing was steady. He scanned his surroundings, and after confirming there were no other threats, he walked toward the far end of the platform.

According to the directions from Old K’s terminal, the last "relic" was in a relatively well-preserved, abandoned train car up ahead.

The car’s door was twisted and deformed, but he could just barely squeeze through. The inside was a complete mess, with torn seats and the ground littered with unknown skeletal remains and debris. In a metal locker at the very back of the car, Wu Liangchen found his target.

It was a black cube, about the size of his palm. The material was unknown, and it was cool to the touch. Its surface had no ports or buttons, only a few extremely complex silver lines that vaguely formed a strange pattern.

Wu Liangchen tried to probe it with his Perception Power, but it was like a stone sinking into the ocean; he couldn’t perceive anything within it.

’There’s more to this than meets the eye.’ He put the black cube away and, without lingering, turned and left the death-filled central hub station.

The return trip was much smoother. When Wu Liangchen, covered in dust and carrying the faint scent of blood, knocked on Old K’s door again, the sky was already beginning to lighten.

The door slid open silently. Old K was still half-reclined in that special chair, countless cables connecting to his body, the data streams in his electronic eyes flashing steadily.

"You’re back?" A cold, synthesized voice spoke, devoid of any emotion.

Wu Liangchen placed the silver chip, the metal fragment, the petri dish with the blue liquid, and the black cube he had just obtained onto the tray of a mechanical arm that Old K extended.

The light in Old K’s electronic eyes flickered slightly, and the speed of the data streams seemed to quicken. He didn’t touch the items, merely sweeping over them quickly with some kind of built-in scanner.

"The ’Purifier’ from the water treatment plant, the carapace shard from the mutant insect queen in the underground warehouse, the ’Illusion Heart Mushroom Mother Liquid’ from the shelter, and... the ’Unit Zero’ from the central hub station."

Old K’s voice was still flat, but the names he spoke made Wu Liangchen’s heart stir. ’Looks like these things really are special after all.’

"You’re three hours faster than I estimated." Old K’s electronic eyes turned to Wu Liangchen, the data streams flickering wildly. "It seems the Sun family’s loss to you was well-deserved."

Wu Liangchen wasn’t surprised that Old K knew about him. He just said calmly, "My payment."

"Of course." Old K wasted no words. A small port ejected from his control console and hovered in front of Wu Liangchen. "Connect your terminal. I’ll give you access."

Wu Liangchen took out his portable terminal and connected it to the port.

Instantly, an unimaginably massive flood of data poured in. The terminal’s screen flickered wildly before stabilizing on an extremely simple, even crude, black interface, with only a single, blinking cursor.

"This is temporary, maximum-level access. It’s valid for four hours," Old K’s voice announced.