The Legendary Mechanic, page 15
“Enough! I have no time for jokes. Stand up, or I’ll fill you up with holes!”
Han Xiao shrugged his shoulders, sighing, “Can’t we talk things through? Fine, I’ll give-”
Suddenly, as the last rays of sunlight dissipated, darkness descended.
Han Xiao had been waiting for this!
Vroom!
The mechanical arm roared to life, shredding the backpack apart! Han Xiao flipped the dining table, sending pots and plates smashing into Raccoon and the four thugs.
Talk things through? Ha! As if!
There were four thugs in front of him, and two behind. Han Xiao knew exactly what he had to do. He picked the table up to use as a screen and charged forward like an unstoppable juggernaut, holding the mechanical arm up in front of him.
Crash!
The four thugs were knocked aside like flies.
“Fire!” screamed an enraged, bloody-faced Raccoon.
The two remaining guards began to fire.
Chapter 30. The Mighty Rover |
Bullets clinked and clanked onto the mechanical arm, causing its durability to plummet. A bullet found its mark, hitting Han Xiao in his shoulder and doing 16 damage, dying his shirt with blood. However, all it did was give Han Xiao an itch. Han Xiao’s pain tolerance was extremely high, and his solid muscles halted the bullet.
Han Xiao smashed the mechanical arm into one of the thugs’ chest. One loud thud, and he exploded on the spot. He then proceeded to yank the other poor thug up to use as a meat shield against the four thugs who had gotten back up and were firing at him.
Gathering all his strength, Han Xiao ripped out the door from its bolts and threw it at them before running out.
“Chase!” barked Raccoon.
Dozens of thugs throughout the entire Junkyard were alerted by the gunshots and they were rushing over to help.
Kero Junkyard was Raccoon’s main base, and Han Xiao had to tread carefully to avoid being surrounded. He looted a gun from one of the thugs he encountered which made things easier for him.
With his fast reflexes, as well as [Basic Shooting] and [Precise Aim] to help auto-correct his shots, Han Xiao was able to always have the edge against the thugs in the battle of guns. If he encountered a group of them, he would tumble and duck and fire lethal shots as he evaded. The only limitation that he faced was ammo, so he would loot their magazines after each wave. The trail that Han Xiao left behind was bloody and littered with corpses, and Raccoon could hardly believe what he was seeing. Han Xiao had effortlessly taken out over 20 of his men single-handedly!
However, there were indeed way too many thugs converging on Han Xiao, making it hard for him to take the initiative.
Han Xiao hid behind the vehicle frame of a scrapped sedan as dozens of guns were fired in his direction, their muzzle flashes lighting up the night. The bullet storm was deafening, making it hard for Han Xiao to even hear his own breath, and it was extremely difficult to return fire.
“Good thing that this is my territory. No matter what, he can’t possibly make it out of this alone!”
Raccoon was seething with rage.
“I will make him regret ever being born!”
Suddenly, something unexpected occurred.
Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang!
A submachine gun was being fired from the side of the battlefield! The thugs began dropping in numbers as their screams filled the air.
Bee Sting Squad was entering the fray! Under the guise of nightfall, they instantly overwhelmed Raccoon’s inexperienced thugs.
“Where did these mercenaries come from‽”
Raccoon was scared shitless. Are they after me‽
However, the mercenaries suddenly changed direction and advanced towards Han Xiao instead, ignoring him.
These mercenaries are after him‽
Raccoon stared at the unfolding events in disbelief.
As a villain himself, he understood the simple fact that the stronger a person was, the stronger his enemies. The fact that these mercenaries were willing to risk exposing themselves in the capital to go after Han Xiao meant that Han Xiao must not have been an ordinary person!
He thought back to Han Xiao’s words. “Why don’t you try checking the underworld network to see the latest bounties?”
He wasn’t just talking big‽
Who exactly is he?
…
“That’s the sound of submachine guns.”
His mission target had appeared! Han Xiao was able to sniff out the Bee Sting Squad’s location from their muzzle flashes.
“300m to the west: six people, six submachine guns.”
Han Xiao rapidly performed calculations in his head. The enemy’s firepower was overwhelming. It would be unwise to meet them head on.
Lucky, I came prepared with my trusty Rover. Han Xiao sighed in relief. He whipped out the touchscreen remote control that he had created for Rover 1.
When activated, the rover’s visual feed would appear on the screen. However, the display was currently reading “Out of Range”. Han Xiao had to get to within 50m of the rover to activate it!
Steeling himself, Han Xiao stood up and began to run back along his original path. He was instantly assaulted by submachine gun fire.
Han Xiao made use of the heaps of scrap and junk to duck and take cover, advancing through the rain of bullets.
“Damn it! There’s so much cover for him here,” cursed a long-haired Bee Sting Squad member as he reloaded. “He’s faster than a bloody rabbit!”
Although their original plan had been to assassinate Han Xiao, they had decided to take advantage of the ongoing fight between him and Raccoon to mask their intentions.
“He’s already exhausted! Go in for the kill!” Kelly shouted out.
After the earlier bloodbath, all of Raccoon’s men were either dead or had lost all morale and were unable to fight. Seeing Han Xiao running so desperately emboldened the Bee Sting Squad, and they gave chase.
While he ran, Han Xiao suddenly sensed danger and ducked down. A bullet narrowly missed him, severing a strand of his hair.
After sliding under two more scrap cars, he finally came in range with the rover!
Connection successful!
“Activate!”
In the resting area, amidst debris and dust, the cloth cover on the push trolley suddenly began to vibrate, and two red lights appeared from beneath it!
The rover’s eyes!
The rover’s engine started to whirl, and its wheels began to rotate as Han Xiao piloted it out of the resting area.
At this point of time, the Bee Sting Squad had come extremely close to Han Xiao. Rover 1’s defenses were not strong enough to take on the collective fire of six submachine guns, so it would be too risky to send him in head-on. The sole edge that Han Xiao had over them was the element of surprise, as they would never imagine him to have a robot as a reinforcement.
Han Xiao surveyed his surroundings to find a suitable spot for an ambush.
He found two scrap cars along the Bee Sting Squad’s path that were angled in a such a way that the bend they formed provided a spot of concealment! Han Xiao piloted the rover to hide inside the bend.
The noise from Rover 1’s engine was masked by the ongoing chaos, and only Kelly suspected that something was off. The instinct that he had acquired from surviving through numerous life-and-death encounters told him so. Pausing, he said to his team, “Something doesn’t feel right here.”
“What did you find?” asked the long-haired man.
“That’s the thing; I don’t see anything.”
“Well, it can’t be. The target is already cornered. He’s dead meat.”
At this exact moment, his squad entered Rover 1’s shooting range, and Han Xiao was quick with the command.
Du-du-du-du-du-du…!
Hell rained upon them from Rover 1’s fingers!
The entire squad was wiped out on the spot.
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Your machine, Rover 1 (Tank-style) has killed a mercenary! You have gained 800 exp!
Your machine, Rover 1 (Tank-style) has killed a mercenary! You have gained 800 exp!
Your machine, Rover 1 (Tank-style) has killed a mercenary! You have gained 800 exp!
Chapter 31. Silenced |
Kai Li had managed to take cover in time, but he did not escape unscathed. A few bullets had grazed past his face, leaving him all bloody.
He had been so close to perishing with his squad mates.
“What the hell was that monster‽”
The long-haired man had also survived, but his condition was far worse. He had been shot in the abdomen and was bleeding profusely. Kai Li could hear him groaning in pain.
Suddenly, two red lights began to glimmer in the darkness, terrifying the duo who thought that some kind of savage beast was approaching. Paralyzed with fear, they could only watch on as… Rover 1 appeared!
“A robot‽”
Kai Li stared at Rover 1 in disbelief. He regretted not trusting his instinct.
What should I do now? Kai Li’s immediate thought was to retreat, but the long-haired man suddenly went berserk and opened fire on the rover.
” Die! Die! Die! ”
Clink! Clink! Clank! Clank!
Rover 1’s thin armor was slowly dented by the barrage. Seeing that his attacks were effective, Kai Li and his other remaining teammate began to join the counterattack.
_____________
[Rover One (Tank-style)] has lost 14 points of armor…
[Rover One (Tank-style)] has lost 17 points of armor…
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As Rover One’s armor was made with inferior materials, it was not tanky at all, and its armor integrity plummeted under the trio’s assault. In just a few seconds of barrage, the poor rover was reduced to a useless hunk of metal.
It couldn’t be helped! As Han Xiao had to work with limited funds, all he had equipped the rover with were the finger guns.
“Damn it! Where is Division 13?”
Suddenly, as if in answer to his prayers, the sound of a marching troop began to fill up the night.
“Disarm yourselves!” someone roared out.
“Quickly retreat!” ordered Kai Li immediately.
The long-haired man emptied a final magazine onto the rover furiously before he relented.
“Okay. Let’s go.”
However, right as they were about to flee, the rover suddenly started to charge towards them as it began to glow!
Self-destruction!
The deafening explosion set the night ablaze, engulfing the trio.
About 50 meters away, Li Hui and his agents were shocked by the massive explosion.
“Damn it,” cursed Feng Jun, “this was supposed to be a covert operation!”
He could already imagine tomorrow’s headlines.
From the moment that the battle between Han Xiao and Raccoon had begun, the situation had already gone out of control; the gunshots alone had already caught the attention of many civilians. However, as they were ordered to act only after the Bee Sting Squad appeared, they could only continue waiting in anguish, and it was now too late.
Han Xiao got to his feet and brushed the sand off his hair. Things were not over yet.
Although the other two mercenaries were not as fortunate, Kai Li had managed to escape the blast in time. He hastily scrambled to his feet to make a run for it when, suddenly, someone other than Han Xiao begun to open fire on him! The shooter was none other than Li Hui!
“Want to steal my kill?” Han Xiao frowned. He had to be the one to finish Kai Li off for the bonus reward!
Han Xiao began to give chase, and he managed to intercept him effortlessly from the side.
Kai Li looked at the man who appeared before him with trepidation. The current Han Xiao felt like a completely different person than before.
“Die!”
Kai Li gritted his teeth and raised his gun to fire. However, before he could pull the trigger, Han Xiao suddenly began to sway from side to side as he closed in on him like a veteran boxer!
Flustered, Kai Li fired multiple shots, but they were all either evaded or blocked by the mechanical arm.
“Not even a single one hit‽”
Kai Li was completely overwhelmed. By his estimations, no matter how strong Han Xiao was, he would at best be at the level of an elite mercenary. Only a superhuman could possibly move faster than a bullet! However, what Han Xiao was doing was equally frightening and hard to believe; he was predicting the trajectory of his shots from just the angle of the gun! It was a feat that only the most experienced of veterans could perform, and even throughout the entire mercenary world, there were only two he knew of that were capable of it.
The look of disbelief on Kai Li’s face amused Han Xiao. Compared to that time he piloted a mobile suit through the crossfire of entire fleets, this was just a piece of cake.
Click!
Kai Li inevitably ran out of bullets and he fumbled to reload. However, it was too late as Han Xiao had closed the gap, suddenly appearing in front of him.
Paralyzed with fear, Kai Li could only watch on in horror. He could hear Han Xiao’s muscles bulge as he stretched his left arm back to prepare for a mighty swing.
Han Xiao twisted powerfully, transferring all the force and momentum in his body into his left arm as he unleashed a devastating hook, simultaneously shouting, “Overload!”
Black smoked billowed out as the engine of the Lightweight Mechanical Arm blared loudly, sending its gears and piston into overdrive. Its power was boosted by 30%.
And Han Xiao smashed it directly into Kai Li’s face.
Critical Hit!
Crushing Blow!
Blood splattered everywhere.
Kai Li may have survived a number of close calls, but he never stood a chance against this one.
When Li Hui and his team arrived, they were greeted by a blood-curdling scene.
Kai Li’s corpse lay limp on the ground beside a blood-soaked, expressionless Han Xiao, whose mechanical arm was covered in pieces of flesh. Half of his face was illuminated by the fire while the other half was grimly enshrouded in darkness.
As experienced as these agents were, they were unable to remain calm.
_____________
You have completed the E-Class Quest [Hunted!], gaining 10,000 experience.
You have completed the bonus condition: Kill all 6 Assailants.
You have gained a Skill Level-up Card (Basic). Accept Reward: Y/N
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No, selected Han Xiao. He could accept it later on.
“Don’t move!” shouted Li Hui after taking a moment to regain his senses from the initial shock. He raised his gun and pointed it at Han Xiao.
Han Xiao calmly took off the Lightweight Mechanical Arm before raising his arms in the air. Two agents slung a black bag over his head to block his vision before leading him away, presumably to bring him to Division 13.
About time! thought Han Xiao to himself.
Feng Jun gasped when he looked around to see aftermath of the battle.
“6 mercenaries taken out so easily. Is that the power of his machines?”
“Go gather whatever parts he’s left behind and notify the police to follow up,” ordered Li Hui sternly, after which they escorted Han Xiao to a car.
Han Xiao sat in the backseat sandwiched by two agents. Although he couldn’t see, he could sense that they were on their toes.
Although one or two things didn’t go exactly as planned, everything was still within Han Xiao’s expectations.
It was a quiet ride. The atmosphere amongst the agents was extremely tense, and only the sound of driving could be heard. They had been ordered not to converse with Han Xiao. On the contrary, Han Xiao had looked calm from the very moment that they appeared, which bewildered them. It almost seemed like he had expected them.
…
Raccoon’s face darkened as he looked at the aftermath of the battle.
“Bring me a laptop!” he barked.
As soon as he logged in to the underground network and clicked on bounties, he was greeted by Han Xiao’s face.
“Zero, 1 million bounty. He’s wanted by the Germinal Organization‽”
Raccoon’s face instantly paled and he slammed the laptop onto the ground in frustration.
Damn it, he really did have a bounty on him! And it was issued by the king of the underworld no less, the Germinal Organization!
Sometimes, ignorance isn’t bliss.
Now that the dust had cleared, Ma Jie and Huang Mao finally emerged too. Just the sight of the aftermath alone caused them to shake uncontrollably.
Raccoon erupted with anger when they came to him. He kicked Ma Jie to the ground, screaming, “Damn you! It’s all your fault! I will make you pay for this!”
Ma Jie clutched his stomach in pain as he shivered helplessly on the ground.What did I do now?
Suddenly, Raccoon heard the blaring of sirens and he turned to see seven or eight police cars arriving at the entrance.
“Hmph, the ever late police.”
Raccoon tidied himself a little bit before going up to receive them. He was not the least bit flustered by their appearance as, from his perspective, he was a victim and he also had connections with them.
But before he could say a word, the fully-armed officer pressed him to the ground to handcuff him.
Raccoon panicked, and as he struggled to break free he shouted, “What are you guys doing to me! I am the victim here, okay? I know your commander’s secretary…”
“Stop wasting your strength,” replied the officer plainly. “This is Division 13’s order.”
Hearing ‘Division 13’ caused Raccoon’s eyes to widen with disbelief.
Division 13 was involved with important matters relating to the country’s security, why would they come after me? It must have something to do with that damned Han Xiao!
