188: Imitation Silver Skeleton

The gunfire had not yet ceased when two more "Sentry Dogs" had holes blown through their heads by precise semi-automatic fire, collapsing to the ground. Two more twisted black corpses were added to the pile at Shen Mingyuan's feet. The remaining few "Sentry Dogs" seemed intimidated by this efficient slaughter, hesitating for a moment with low growls as they paced back and forth.

In that brief interval, a sudden mutation occurred!

Several eerie tentacles, pale as bone and lined with sharp barbs, shot out from the depths of the room without warning! They moved so fast they left blurry afterimages in the air, precisely bypassing Shen Mingyuan and stabbing violently into the bodies of the lingering "Sentry Dogs"!

"Puchi!"

The dull thuds of Sharp Weapons entering flesh rang out in succession. Those "Sentry Dogs" didn't even have time to howl before they were violently dragged back by the immense force from the tentacles, leaving messy trails across the floor.

Shen Mingyuan snapped his head up, his red goggles instantly locking onto the source of the anomaly—the woman sitting in the main control chair.

At this moment, she had completely transformed!

The injection tubes connected to the back of her neck had been brutally torn off, with drops of dark red slime dripping from the severed ends.

Behind her originally well-fitting dark casual clothes, the fabric at her shoulder blades bulged and tore eerily. Four bone-white, shield-like objects with cold metallic luster at the edges extended outward, shielding her left and right like four twisted wings.

Even more heart-stoppingly, those barbed, pale bone-spur tentacles from before extended from below her lower back, writhing as they dragged the last impaled "Sentry Dog" close.

Those four bone shields moved rapidly like living panels, quickly surrounding and enveloping the woman along with the twitching "Sentry Dogs" brought back by the tentacles! The edges of the bone plates interlocked and extended, and amidst tooth-grinding creaks, they formed a seamless, pale white giant cocoon about two meters in diameter within just two or three seconds!

"This is...!" Shen Mingyuan's eyes sharpened as he immediately realized what the opponent was doing—devouring their own kind to force evolution or replenish energy!

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

He didn't hesitate, raising his gun and firing! Black-red plasma beams slammed into the surface of the pale bone shields, exploding into halos of energy light.

However, the defensive power of the bone shields far exceeded expectations. The spots hit by the beams only left charred scorch marks; they failed to penetrate, and not even a crack appeared! The surface of the bone shields seemed to have a property of absorbing or deflecting energy.

From inside the giant cocoon came hair-raising, viscous sounds of bones being crushed and flesh being torn and churned, mixed with faint but sharp whimpers—like the most primitive form of chewing and devouring.

I can't let it finish!

Shen Mingyuan instantly judged that ordinary shooting would be ineffective. He pressed his hands together, and the two twin stars pistols, under the combined action of mechanical structure and bio-energy, made a slight clicking sound as they rapidly combined and transformed. In the blink of an eye, they turned into a sniper rifle form with sleeker lines, a heavy barrel, and complex biological patterns.

He knelt on one knee, propping up the long gun in a standard sniper stance. His red goggles synchronized with the simple optical sight on the gun, firmly locking onto the pale giant cocoon ahead that was continuously emitting terrifying sounds.

Inside the gun's body, biological energy began to emit a low hum, frantically converging and compressing toward the muzzle. The front of the barrel faintly glowed with a black-red light that was deeper and more concentrated than before, like a volcano about to erupt.

Suddenly, the chewing and writhing sounds inside the cocoon stopped abruptly, replaced by an unsettling dead silence, as if something was condensing and undergoing a qualitative change within.

In Shen Mingyuan's hands, the energy accumulation of the twin stars in sniper rifle form had reached its peak. The gun hummed, and the black-red energy condensed into a point of extreme brilliance at the muzzle.

No need for hesitation. The moment the charge was complete, he aimed at the estimated center of the giant cocoon and pulled the trigger!

BOOM—!!!

The fully charged energy turned into a solid, black-red blazing stream, roaring out at an incredible speed!

The recoil was so massive that even with his steady center of gravity while kneeling, Shen Mingyuan slid back half a step, and fine cracks appeared on the ground beneath him. Meanwhile, that blazing stream slammed into the pale bone shield cocoon without any flourishes!

"Puchi—Kacha!"

First came the dull sound of violent erosion between energy and matter, followed immediately by the crisp snap of a hard structure shattering!

The energy beam, which condensed Shen Mingyuan's strongest strike at this moment, actually managed to tear a charred hole the size of a washbasin into that incredibly defensive bone shield, and with its momentum undiminished, it plunged into the cocoon and pierced straight through!

"Ah—!!!"

A sharp hiss of pain and anger erupted from the hole, filled with shock and fury. Clearly, the being inside the cocoon never expected its defense to be pierced head-on so violently.

"Huala—!"

The damaged giant cocoon could no longer maintain stability. The pale bone shields snapped open and scattered like wilting flower petals, revealing the figure within.

Shen Mingyuan's pupils behind the red goggles shrank slightly.

Standing up from the cocoon was a figure covered in silver-white biomass exoskeleton. The lines had distinct feminine characteristics, sharing a fifty to sixty percent resemblance to the powerful "silver skeleton" armor from Lu Jianchuan's memories and images, yet it was also entirely different.

It didn't have a fully enclosed helmet like the "silver skeleton"; its face was covered by a silver mask with cold lines that only exposed the eyes, with two points of crimson light glowing behind the eye slits.

The exoskeleton on its body looked uneven—thick in some parts, while thin or even slightly twisted in others, as if evolution had been forcibly interrupted halfway and rushed to completion, emitting an unstable aura.

The four giant bone shields on its back hadn't disappeared; instead, they had become more solid, their edges glinting with a cold light, now slightly spread out like four massive carapace leaves.

The hideous bone-spur tentacles from before were nowhere to be seen, seemingly fused into this new form.

"Evolving toward the 'silver skeleton'... but more... deformed and unstable," Shen Mingyuan judged instantly.

The opponent had clearly studied the data of the "silver skeleton" and tried to imitate or even surpass it, but evolution forcibly catalyzed by devouring and drugs obviously could not compare to orthodox guidance.

"You... how dare you...!" the silver-white figure emitted a distorted female voice, saturated with pain and killing intent.

The backlash from the interrupted evolution and the wound from that shot just now were clearly making her extremely miserable, which also explained the incompleteness of her armor.

She moved! The four giant bone shields on her back weren't decorations—they flipped downward violently, their sharp edges stabbing into the ground like four extra mechanical legs!

Immediately after, her entire body charged toward Shen Mingyuan with a bizarre, multi-legged arthropod-like swiftness!

She was incredibly fast, and her movement trajectory was erratic. The support of the four bone shields allowed her to make sudden stops and changes in direction that were unimaginable for a normal person.

Shen Mingyuan responded the moment the opponent charged. The sniper rifle mode had a slow rate of fire and wasn't suitable for this kind of high-speed close-quarters combat.

He crossed his hands, and the slender sniper rifle separated and reorganized again amidst the soft clicks of bio-mechanics, instantly reverting to the dual-gun form.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

He retreated rapidly to create distance while firing rapidly, black-red beams shooting toward the rapidly approaching figure.

However, those four bone shields weren't just for movement; they were excellent defensive weapons!

"Ding! Ding! Dang!"

(Ding ding dang, jingle bells. Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas in advance! Ehe!)

The silver-white figure only slightly adjusted her charge. Two bone shields rose and crossed as swiftly as living armor, precisely blocking the beams aimed at her torso and head!

The energy beams exploded into small ripples and scorch marks on the surface of the bone shields but failed to penetrate. The other two bone shields acting as support legs maintained high-speed movement, bringing her within a few meters of Shen Mingyuan in an instant!

At close range, Shen Mingyuan could see the madness and pain in those crimson eyes behind the mask.

He also saw a clear, charred, broken area on the silver-white exoskeleton in the center of her abdomen, where the edge tissue was still slightly writhing to repair itself—it was the wound left by the sniper rifle earlier. Although it was healing quickly, it clearly affected her overall state.

Close combat was unavoidable!

Shen Mingyuan made an instant decision—the dual-gun mode was no longer applicable!

The moment his combat intent was triggered, a completely different pulse came from the core of his left armband. The matte black biological armor structure covering his entire body underwent a violent and rapid reorganization!

bionic wings burst out from his back and a stabilizing tail wing from his lower back. The feathers displayed a "five-colored black" layering of deep blue-black, purple-black, and ink-green-black, with dark purple energy patterns flowing on the armor's surface. The biggest change was in his arms—the twin stars pistol System disassembled, reorganized, and embedded itself, ejecting straight, slender biomass bone blades from the outer forearms. A high-brightness red energy core ran through the center of the blades, and violent dark red biological electricity coiled and leaped like snakes!

Shadow · Falcon Drop Form, initiate!

Although the underground space completely stifled the core tactic of "high-altitude diving," the enhancement in close-quarters grappling brought by this extreme specialization was exactly what was needed now!

"Clang—!!!"

The Red Lightning Arm Blades and the pale bone shields clashed violently, erupting in a piercing metallic screech and splashing energy sparks! The imitation "silver skeleton" entity clearly hadn't expected the opponent's form to mutate. Its four bone shield legs swung rapidly to adjust its center of gravity; two main shields parried the Arm Blade slashes, while the other two swept toward Shen Mingyuan's lower body like giant scythes from a bizarre angle.

Shen Mingyuan's footwork was agile, dodging and weaving between the pincer attacks of the bone shields. The Falcon Drop form brought a significant boost to his body coordination and explosive power. He no longer tried to pull away, but instead actively closed in, his dual Red Lightning Arm Blades turning into two streaks of dark red lightning, continuously slashing at the joints of the same bone shield from different angles!

"Qiang! Qiang! Qiang!"

The slashes were swift and heavy, and the dark red electricity exploded on the surface of the bone shield, leaving trails of scorch marks. The imitation "silver skeleton" hissed in anger, and the bone shield being focused on jerked outward violently, trying to bounce the Arm Blades away, while another bone shield smashed down from above like a heavy hammer!

In the nick of time, the powerful wings on Shen Mingyuan's back slammed forward to close!

"Bang!!!"

The heavy bone shield smashed into the closed wings with a dull thud. The feather layers and aerodynamic structure of the bionic wings provided incredible cushioning and defense. Although it caused Shen Mingyuan's body to sink slightly, it successfully blocked the lethal strike. Immediately after, he exerted force from his core, and the closed wings, like arms possessing immense strength, swept outward with all his might!

"Get off me!"

The massive force pushed the falling bone shield and the imitation "silver skeleton" behind it stumbling to one side, leaving its center wide open! That charred wound on the abdomen that was writhing in repair was instantly exposed under Shen Mingyuan's enhanced long-range visual lock.

Without the slightest hesitation, Shen Mingyuan struck with both blades! The Red Lightning Arm Blades, like a hunting falcon's beak, precisely and ruthlessly stabbed into that charred, damaged spot!

"Puchi! Puchi!"

The blade tips pierced through the incomplete exoskeleton, stabbing deep into the internal tissues, and violent biological electricity was frantically injected through the blades!

"Ugh, ah—!!!" The imitation "silver skeleton" let out an agonizingly shrill scream, its body convulsing violently from the intense pain and electricity.

The attack did not stop. Shen Mingyuan used the momentum to turn sideways, one wing on his back swinging out horizontally like a giant blade. The hard Elementary flight feathers at the edge acted as blades, slashing violently into the side of another bone shield the opponent had raised in pain to try and block, knocking it aside. Simultaneously, he withdrew his arms and stabbed in again!

Continuous, precise, and lethal stabs and slashes were all concentrated on one point. Every time the Red Lightning Arm Blades entered and exited, they brought out the stench of burning and eerie tissue fluid. The dark red electricity continued to destroy from within the wound, severely hindering its self-healing process.

The movements of the imitation "silver skeleton" began to become chaotic and sluggish, and the madness in its crimson eyes was replaced by immense pain and fear.

She tried to use the bone shields for defense and her remaining strength to counterattack, but in the face of Shen Mingyuan's Falcon Drop form—which combined speed, power, and precision in a series of strikes—it appeared fragmented and futile.

The scales of victory were rapidly tilting.