Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 143
“J-Joshua…” Alois muttered incoherently, “You…”
“Don’t worry, just rest on the side,” Joshua said casually, as if discussing something trivial. “Last time, it was my carelessness that let this guy live until today. I won’t make the same mistake again.”
Before he even finished speaking, his figure blurred like a wisp of moving mist. Alois only managed to catch a fleeting afterimage, and then laser beams rained down on the cyborg like meteors, all targeting his most vulnerable spot: his head.
Leslie Faraday opened his mouth, emitting a sound similar to nails scraping across a chalkboard, and raised his steel arm to shield himself. The laser beams struck his arm and were deflected; the cyborg remained unscathed.
Joshua didn’t lose heart. He widened the distance between himself and the cyborg, continuously firing. To protect his weak point, the cyborg had to keep one arm raised, which made him unbalanced when he used the other to attack Joshua.
The laser beams flowed like a relentless stream, never ceasing. Joshua’s speed in changing power cells was astonishing. He would hook a power cell from his pocket, toss it high into the air, and as he adjusted his shooting angle while retreating, the power cell would fall in a perfect arc, landing squarely into the pistol’s slot. A faint “click” would be heard, and the deadly beam would once again pour out of the gun barrel.
Joshua’s figure moved near and far, using his firepower to lure the cyborg to the other end of the room, away from Alois, to avoid any accidental injury to him. But this tactic also restricted Joshua’s movements, making it difficult to maneuver.
The cyborg seemed to grow tired of this cat-and-mouse “game”. He covered his face with one hand, bent his legs, and then leaped high into the air. The other hand transformed into a lethal weapon, the claws extending like blades, slicing through the air with the force of a falling sword aimed directly at Joshua’s position!
The assassin rolled to the front-left, dodging the powerful strike. He knelt on one knee on the floor and continued firing. The intense vibration of the floor, transmitted through his knee, told him just how terrifying the force of that blow was. The spot where he had been standing was now a pile of shattered rubble. If he hadn’t dodged in time, his body would have been in pieces.
“What a monster,” Joshua spat in disgust. He had absolute confidence when fighting humans, but when facing cyborgs, he wasn’t entirely sure of victory. Back on Green Star Diamond Island, he had to flee from an incomplete cyborg. Now, he was confronting a highly refined cyborg—a creature that was part human, yet no longer human. The hope of winning was slim.
As the assassin circled the cyborg, his gaze flicked towards Alois. Alois was slumped against the computer screen, his expression rigid, lips pale, and cold sweat matting his black hair, which clung to his forehead as if he had just been pulled from the water. The sight of Alois, who had been tortured by this cyborg, ignited a burning rage within Joshua. Even if it was just for Alois, he had to take this monster down!
Joshua regretted not bringing his heavy shotgun. But no matter. As long as he kept his aim steady, even the toughest armor would eventually give way. The silver shell of the cyborg was already dotted with dents and scorch marks. Joshua was confident that he could pierce through its body before exhausting all his power cells.
The cyborg seemed to realize this as well. Apparently, his body modifications hadn’t stripped him of human intelligence. His attacks on Joshua grew faster, likely aiming for a quick resolution, while Joshua found it increasingly difficult to evade.
Joshua swapped out another power cell, aiming for the damaged area on the cyborg’s body. But before he could pull the trigger, the cyborg suddenly vanished!
“Optical camouflage!” Joshua cursed, firing a few shots at where the cyborg had last been, but the laser beams flew straight through, hitting nothing. Where the hell did that damn monster go? A body so massive, moving so silently—what kind of nightmare is this?
Joshua felt like an idiot, expecting to duel this creature fairly! Just as he was consumed with regret, a tremendous force struck his chest. He instinctively twisted his body, avoiding a fatal injury, but the blow still landed hard, sending him flying backward into the wall.
The cyborg had to deactivate the optical camouflage to attack, appearing only for that brief instant before disappearing again.
Joshua clutched his chest, struggling to stand. He might have broken a rib or two, and even breathing was painful, but his instincts remained sharp. The wound was a lesson. He glared ahead, alert, knowing that if the cyborg dared to attack again, he would kill it the moment it reappeared.
But he waited, and the second attack never came. The control room was eerily quiet, with only his labored breathing and the faint hum of the computer breaking the silence. He glanced across the room to see Alois still slumped in shock.
Joshua’s heart skipped a beat.
“Alois, watch out!”
Just as he shouted, the cyborg appeared right in front of Alois! It reached out with its deadly claws toward the unsuspecting young man, and Joshua could only watch helplessly, unable to intervene in time—
In a flash, Alois instinctively grabbed the alloy dagger, blocking the cyborg’s attack! His face was pale, and the arm holding the dagger trembled violently—human strength was no match for a monster like this. If not for his prosthetic limb, which exceeded the limits of human physical strength, his arms would have been crushed under the pressure. But even the metal prosthetic was no match for the cyborg. The creature swiped forcefully, knocking the dagger aside. Alois was now defenseless, and before he could draw another knife from his boot, the cyborg grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the ground.
The cyborg’s expression twisted into a crazed grin as he looked at the helpless young man struggling in his grasp. Then he spoke, his first clear word since appearing—”Die!”
Joshua rushed across the control room, abandoning his right-hand gun, and picked up the fallen dagger. Using the momentum of his charge, he drove it deep into a wound on the cyborg’s back.
No matter how tough the armor, it couldn’t withstand the combined assault of laser beams and an alloy dagger. The cyborg roared, dropping Alois as it twisted in pain, trying to dislodge the blade. Joshua aimed his left-hand gun at the wound and fired, again and again, without mercy.
The cyborg’s wound gushed blood like a shattered water jar. Enraged further, it ignored the wound—it would heal soon enough—but killing its enemies couldn’t wait. With a powerful swipe, it sent Joshua crashing to the side. The assassin hit the ground, struggling to rise, pain searing through his ribs like fire. Alois lay nearby, clutching his throat and coughing, looking utterly wretched.
Joshua turned, shielding Alois behind him, and faced the cyborg with his gun raised.
The cyborg, as if eager to deliver the final blow, approached solemnly.
For a moment, time seemed to freeze.
When it resumed, Joshua realized the cyborg had stopped. A hand, covered in spikes but with a graceful curve, protruded from its chest as if its once-impenetrable shell was mere paper. Bright red blood flowed down the arm like a complex, twisted pattern.
The owner of that arm…
Joshua found it hard to breathe. Looking past the cyborg’s body, he saw the one who had pierced through.
It was the Yasha.
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