122: Prometheus

Just as Lu Jianchuan and the motorcycle were coordinating perfectly, forming a crossfire with the stabilized GUPA defensive line in the rear, holding back the charging tide of Fissure Beasts and gradually pushing them back—the front line was steadily advancing in an excellent situation—

"Buzz————!!!"

An incredibly sharp and highly penetrating invisible sound wave, like a precise sniper shot, suddenly struck from the top of a high-rise ruin in the distance on the flank of the battlefield! This sound wave was not a wide-area attack but was highly concentrated, aimed directly at Lu Jianchuan!

Although the distance was far, the impact of the sound wave was still not to be underestimated. Lu Jianchuan felt as if his helmet had been struck hard from the side by a heavy hammer; a strong sense of vibration, accompanied by piercing tinnitus, instantly seized his senses. His vision shook, and his body's balance suffered a brief loss of control.

Amidst this tide of Fissure Beasts, even a momentary dizziness could be fatal! Several of the nearest Fissure Beasts immediately sensed this fleeting opening and pounced from tricky angles with shrieks!

“Boom—!”

The motorcycle, which had been following like a shadow and was full of spirituality, let out a low roar. It suddenly swung its tail and shifted sideways, its heavy body slamming into the two beasts pouncing from the left like a steel shield. Simultaneously, flames spewed from its rear, sending the one in front tumbling away as it burned, protecting its master during this critical moment in a hair's breadth.

Lu Jianchuan forced his mind to steady, and his azure goggles instantly locked onto the direction the sound wave had come from. On top of the ruins, the figure of Bone Chime stood proudly, and there seemed to be another blurry figure beside him.

“You again!” Lu Jianchuan’s voice came through the armor, cold and clear.

“That’s right, me again!” Bone Chime replied with a savage grin. Before his voice had even faded, he raised both arms and threw over a dozen familiar small metal spheres with a special technique. They traced arcs through the air, not aimed directly at Lu Jianchuan, but covering an area in front of and above him!

Immediately afterward, a sound wave pulse of a specific frequency accurately hit the cluster of steel balls scattering in the air!

“Bang bang bang bang bang—!”

A continuous string of explosions instantly merged into one! The fine steel balls and the shockwaves from the secondary detonations created a large cloud of smoke and a storm of metal fragments, which not only obscured vision but also formed a dangerous barrage zone, temporarily blocking Lu Jianchuan’s path forward and the surrounding space.

However, at the very moment when the smoke from the explosion was at its thickest, nearly swallowing the silver figure within—

A searing, bright, orange-red light filled with an explosive aura burst out from the center of the smoke without warning! That light was so intense it seemed to ignite the smoke itself!

Next, a low engine roar, like that of an ancient Vicious Beast awakening, drowned out the echoes of the explosion.

The smoke was crudely torn apart and dispersed by a searing wave of air.

Stepping out from it was no longer the previous silver-white and azure figure.

Dark red energy conduits, resembling blood vessels, coiled menacingly over the even sharper silver armor. The glow of the white goggles had transformed into a more aggressive, sharp form, and the thruster structures all over the body were clearly visible, emitting a red light that was ready to burst.

Second Form · Explosive Combustion Form, amidst the enemy's interference and smoke screen, announced its descent.

Having completed the switch, Lu Jianchuan did not hesitate for a second. Facing the swarm of Fissure Beasts surging forward again, he pushed both arms forward, and the thruster nozzles on the backs of his hands and forearms brightened instantly!

“Boom—!!”

Two incredibly intense orange-red high-temperature jets, like the breath of a Dragon, erupted violently forward in a fan shape! Everywhere they passed, the air distorted, and the Fissure Beasts were incinerated into flying ash and charcoal before they could even scream, carving a wide, scorched path through the surging tide of flesh!

The moment the path was cleared, the main thrusters on his feet and back roared open!

“Bang—!”

The ground cracked, and dust exploded! The orange-red figure, as if breaking free from the shackles of gravity, dragged a dazzling tail flame and skimmed at an incredible speed at low altitude, charging straight toward Bone Chime and his accomplice on top of the distant ruins!

Lu Jianchuan, like an orange-red meteor, skimmed at low altitude and instantly closed in on the top of the ruins!

“Hmph!”

Bone Chime, knowing full well that the impact of this form was staggering, rolled rapidly to the side and rear at the last moment to evade.

Lu Jianchuan's strike missed, but his body twisted forcefully in mid-air, and his stark white goggles instantly locked onto the other standing figure on the ruins.

At the moment his gaze fell, that person moved. An arm covered in a pale exoskeleton rose elegantly, and fingertips nimbly plucked a pale red, translucent biological capsule from the shoulder armor, throwing it smoothly and predicting Lu Jianchuan’s possible evasion route.

The thrusters under Lu Jianchuan’s feet made fine adjustments as he dodged sharply to the side. An invisible wall of sound from Bone Chime happened to block his path of movement, causing his figure to stall.

“Snap.”

The capsule burst in mid-air.

The blood-red liquid inside instantly vaporized, turning into a rapidly spreading cloud of pale red mist. Accompanied by a pungent, sickly sweet smell, it descended over him! Wherever the mist passed, the surfaces of the metal wreckage in the ruins made a terrifying 'sizzling' sound, and wisps of blue smoke rose.

Poison gas!

Lu Jianchuan’s heart tightened. The thrusters on his back fired powerfully, forcing him to pull upward, while his arms guarded his front. Bio-currents flickered on the surface of his armor, attempting to disperse the approaching mist.

Some of the poison gas touched the armor, making a slight corrosive sound, and the sickly sweet smell tried to penetrate the respiratory System, bringing a slight sense of dizziness.

“Impressive reaction, ‘silver skeleton’.” A calm and slightly raspy voice sounded. That executive slowly moved forward, revealing his true face covered by a pale exoskeleton, with the strings of pale red “fruits” on his shoulder armor and spine reflecting light slightly. “You may call me ‘Gardener’.”

Before his voice had even faded, he and Bone Chime formed a pincer attack. “Gardener” moved as if taking a stroll, constantly plucking and throwing “fruits.” After the capsules burst, they turned into clouds of pale red poison mist, large and small, accurately sealing off Lu Jianchuan’s movement space, corroding his armor, and polluting the air.

Bone Chime prowled the periphery, using sound waves to interfere with his balance and forcing him into the denser areas of poison mist.

Lu Jianchuan used his extreme speed and high-temperature flames to dash left and right. The flames could temporarily disperse some of the poison gas, but it was difficult to simultaneously deal with the exquisite blockade and interference of the two men; his movement space was being constantly compressed.

Just then, another change occurred!

Several sharp, pale bone spikes shot out from the shadows below. The timing was ruthless, aimed directly at the openings in Lu Jianchuan’s evasion!

Lu Jianchuan barely managed to twist his body. His searing fist melted most of the bone spikes, but one still grazed the armor on his ribs, leaving a scratch.

He looked down and saw Lin Wan’s figure slowly walking out from the shadows of the ruins. Her face was pale, her eyes cold, and her arms had already mutated into a menacing bone-blade form.

“I'm here too, Senior.” Her voice came over as she joined the fray without hesitation.

The situation instantly escalated from a difficult two-on-one to a perilously dangerous three-on-one.

Bone Chime’s sound wave interference, Gardener’s constantly spreading lethal poison mist, and Lin Wan’s agile and ruthless bone-blade strikes that specialized in exploiting openings... the three Prometheus executives, in their distinct yet complementary ways, had dragged Lu Jianchuan completely into a quagmire of a bitter struggle.

The poison mist continued to accumulate on top of the ruins, becoming increasingly dense.