Chapter 6: When Disaster Strikes, Each Flees for Themselves
Inside the abandoned factory, blood dripped from the tips of hair. A young man with short hair was suspended upside down from a steel beam in the factory, the surrounding steel machinery covered in dust.
Thump, thump...
Several dull sounds rang out as a bare-chested burly man, as if punching a sandbag, delivered several blows to the young man's back. The young man's back was densely covered with fist marks, his bones already twisted and deformed.
"Not enough... force. Are you... scratching... an itch for me?"
The young man was clearly on the verge of death, yet he still taunted the burly man.
"Such a tough nut."
The bare-chested burly man took off his blood-dripping brass knuckles and wiped the blood on a scrawny man beside him.
"What the hell..."
The scrawny man glared, and the burly man shrugged, grinning roguishly.
"Dispose of him. I really miss those Apocalypse guys from the war world."
A woman lying on some abandoned machinery spoke up, her legs crossed, two rows of metal studs piercing her ears.
"I told you it was useless. Now it stinks of blood in here. Get rid of him quickly."
The dissatisfaction of the others made the burly man grin. Just as he was about to finish off the suspended Contractor, the woman with ear studs suddenly sat up, pulling out a micro-computer from her bosom to check the situation.
"Something biological is approaching."
The ear-stud woman's words made everyone in the factory alert. They all looked at a young man wearing sunglasses.
"It's just a cat. But it's best to get rid of it. That cat is very interested in the alarm devices and has already jumped onto them."
The young man with sunglasses seemed to be blind. Blind people were rare in Reincarnation Paradise, unless it was due to some ability; most could find a way to recover.
"I'll go. I'll take care of this tough nut too."
The burly man hoisted the severely injured Contractor onto his shoulder, one hand gripping the back of his neck.
"Three per group."
A slightly hoarse voice came through.
"Boss Iron Rat, no need, right? It's just a cat."
The burly man started to walk out of the factory, but a pair of icy eyes stared at him.
"Three per group. This is a derived world."
Iron Rat, clad in full armor, was somewhat gloomy. As one of Stan's trusted aides, he naturally had a high say in the group.
"I'll go with this brute."
The ear-stud woman jumped down from the abandoned machinery. She didn't want to anger Iron Rat; that would be very bad.
"Count me in."
A middle-aged man also stood up. Seeing this, the burly man carrying the enemy snorted lightly.
The three walked out of the factory. The burly man gradually tightened his grip, and the Contractor on his shoulder let out painful gasps, which eased the burly man's gloomy mood. Life was slowly fading in his hands.
"Where's that cat?"
"Over there. I can see it."
The three quickly walked towards the edge of the factory area. Of course, they weren't just going to kill or drive away a cat; they needed to check the surrounding alarm devices.
In the night, Su Xiao suppressed his aura to the limit. Hearing footsteps from behind, he controlled the Apostle's Eye to slowly rise.
Through the Apostle's Eye, the three approaching Contractors came into Su Xiao's view. D·Assassination's "Grim Mark" ability activated, and skull-shaped patterns appeared above the heads of the three Contractors.
The gray skull patterns gradually turned red. Su Xiao, hidden behind a low wall, suddenly leaned out.
Pfft, pfft, pfft...
Six bullets instantly left the chamber, hurtling towards the heads of the three Contractors.
"En..."
The burly man among the three was the strongest. He barely shouted out the word "enemy," but before the sound could spread, two bullets hit his head.
Two of the three fell straight back. D·Assassination's attack power was already terrifying, coupled with the 45% lethality boost from Skull Crushing (Passive). One of the two was instantly killed, while the other entered a severe, near-death state.
The burly man was clearly the toughest. He staggered back two steps, his head buzzing. He subconsciously touched his head, feeling a warm, wet sensation in his hand.
The burly man let out a roar, but unfortunately, his mouth only opened and closed wide without making any sound. This was the most terrifying aspect of D·Assassination: the Silent Domain.
Pfft, pfft.
Su Xiao fired two more shots. The two bullets left the chamber one after another, rippling through the air. One hit the burly man's throat, the other his head.
The burly man fell silently, grass clippings flying. With blood filling his mouth, he roared loudly, but still, no sound came out.
The burly man's resilience genuinely surprised Su Xiao. After all, he was a Fourth Rank Contractor, and likely an elite among them.
Su Xiao leaped out from behind the low wall and fired two more shots at the burly man. This time, the burly man died instantly. Even though he was one of Blood Gate's sub-tanks, taking six shots from a Legendary quality D·Assassination, all to vital points, meant death was inevitable.
Su Xiao walked slowly towards the factory. Taking out three by ambush was already a good deal. The next fight wouldn't be so easy.
A blood-soaked hand pressed onto the grass. The ear-stud woman struggled to lift her head, her skull shattered.
The ear-stud woman seemed to say something, but Su Xiao, walking past her, didn't even look. He pointed D·Assassination diagonally at the ground and fired two shots, pfft, pfft.
Blood burst from the ear-stud woman's back and chest. The bullets pierced through her body and into the grass, splattering mud.
Inside the factory, almost all the Contractors were rushing out. This was definitely not a good place to fight.
Just then, Amu, behind the factory, raised his arms and slammed them onto the ground with a bang.
Crack, crack, crack...
A large expanse of ice rapidly spread towards the factory. The nearly thousand-square-meter factory was instantly frozen solid, with thick ice sealing all windows and doors.
Inside the factory, the Contractors who had just rushed to the windows or doors all stopped in their tracks. Some who couldn't retreat in time were even frozen in place by the spreading ice.
"Ice Age?"
A young man wearing a robe identical to Minato Namikaze's exclaimed in surprise. If someone had really summoned Aokiji, then few here would survive.
"Ice my ass."
With a deafening crash, Iron Rat slammed into the ice wall, causing large cracks to appear. Not just Iron Rat, other Contractors also began bombarding the ice wall in front of them.
With a sharp crack, a large section of the ice wall shattered. The moment it broke, a yellow beam of light shot in from outside the factory.
Boom!
Like a warhammer striking the earth, the yellow beam of light came with unstoppable force. Of the five Contractors hit by the yellow beam, two died and three were crippled. Fourth Rank Contractors, instantly killed.
In truth, their deaths weren't unjust. Getting hit at close range by a shot from the Duke of Annihilation, especially the most powerful earth-attribute bullet at close range, would be disastrous even for Su Xiao if he were caught off guard.
"Sniper!"
Iron Rat roared as he dove to the side. The other Contractors were also quick, hiding behind the ice wall for cover.
"Pull me up, dammit!"
A Contractor whose lower body had been blown apart cursed. The next moment, a bullet came straight for his head.
With a splat, flesh and blood flew. The Contractor was blown to pieces. A nearby Contractor with a broken leg gasped, cursed "Holy shit," and was instantly enveloped in a milky white light, disappearing from the spot and being pulled to a safe location.
The one who acted was a Healer. Her face was still stained with blood, and she was somewhat shaken. The first shot had been aimed at her, but luckily, she was quick-witted and had swapped positions with a teammate.