Stolen Laser Gun

Tu Ran closed in, planting a foot on one of its legs to launch herself upward. With both hands gripping the blade, she drove it into the center of its brow, straight through the skull.

The creature's shriek cut off abruptly.

The long blade slid out slowly, its surface already pitted with corrosion.

Tu Ran shoved it back in with a look of disgust, then kicked the gene monster out of sheer irritation before hopping off its body.

The force of that kick sent the creature toppling backward onto the ground.

Shen Yunhe stared at the scene, forgetting to blink.

"What are you standing there for? Fall back—get out of here and don't come back in," Tu Ran said.

He was in terrible shape. His eyes were bloodshot and rimmed with red, and the moss coating his combat suit was still seeping downward. He needed to strip off this gear immediately.

"Okay." Shen Yunhe nodded dazedly, twice, and turned toward the exit.

But all around them, humans and gene monsters were locked in fierce combat, blocking every path. He couldn't find a way out.

One gene monster noticed him. Its eight legs clattered rapidly as it charged, disgusting drool dripping from the corner of its mouth.

Behind him, Tu Ran hefted the machine gun, aimed at the creature's face, and squeezed the trigger.

Two shots, both striking between its eyes.

Even with a moving target, there was zero deviation.

Shen Yunhe: Didn't they say the top scorer of the previous Pioneer class had terrible aim?

This counted as terrible?!

Who the hell started that rumor?!

The monster's charge slowed. The bullets had hit its nerves—its steps faltered, each of its eight legs moving on its own, making it look even more grotesque.

Tu Ran held the machine gun steady, one eye closed as she aimed, firing off a rapid succession of rounds.

The human skin covering the creature's face was blown beyond recognition.

Its body reeled backward from the impact of the bullets.

If she could just stick an explosive round in it now, that would be perfect.

But she couldn't do that.

There were still plenty of Pioneers and guards here—using explosives risked injuring innocent people.

Its vitality was too tenacious. Blind and unable to see anything, it lashed out wildly, clawing and biting, attacking even its own kind. The already chaotic scene grew even more disordered.

Tu Ran took the opportunity to grab Shen Yunhe's arm and drag him through the chaos, weaving through the gaps.

She moved with agility and speed, her running pace so fast that Shen Yunhe nearly stumbled and fell as she yanked him along.

Fortunately, the killing ground wasn't all that large, and by the time he was about to collapse, they'd already made it out.

The West Gate was right ahead.

Tu Ran released his arm, tossed out a single instruction—"You're on your own from here"—and sprinted back into the fray.

Her figure vanished from sight in no time. Shen Yunhe withdrew his gaze and dragged his weary legs onward.

Tu Ran returned to the battlefield and made her way to Xie Xu, whom she'd noticed earlier.

He was performing steadily.

Dealing with these gene monsters was child's play for him given his abilities.

But the sonic attacks had taken a toll—his expression was grim, and he seemed to be enduring it with great effort.

Tu Ran sidled up to him and sighed. "You're not doing so hot, are you? I've already finished supporting the East Zone, and you're still not done here."

Xie Xu shot her a sidelong glance but said nothing. He swung his blade through the air with a whistle, severing a gene monster's neck. Its head rolled to a stop at Tu Ran's feet.

Tu Ran kicked it away in disgust, sending it flying onto Ding Naiqing's back, catching him completely off guard.

Just then, Ding Naiqing turned around, and their eyes met.

"Ah!!!"

Ding Naiqing's mind went blank, but years of ingrained habit took over. His reflexes kicked in, and he slashed wildly several times, chopping the head into pieces.

"Who? Who's so lacking in decency? Why would anyone throw something this disgusting over here?" Ding Naiqing glared at his surroundings.

Tu Ran shrank back, silently turning around to face the other way, acting as if nothing had happened while continuing to spar with other gene monsters.

Xie Xu cast an expressionless glance at her.

Finding no suspect, Ding Naiqing had to set the matter aside for now.

But when he got back, he was definitely checking the surveillance footage to find out who was so devoid of public decency.

Tu Ran glared at the culprit, Xie Xu.

He'd done it on purpose.

He'd deliberately dropped that head at her feet.

Xie Xu chose to ignore her, focusing intently on killing the gene monsters around him.

Tu Ran noticed that he'd been using only his right hand the whole time, his left arm hanging slack at his side, barely moving—only occasionally lending a bit of support to his right.

"You're injured?"

"Mm." Xie Xu's tone was flat.

"What about your laser gun? Didn't I see you carrying it earlier?"

Xie Xu stabbed his blade into a monster's eye socket and pulled it out, trailing blood. The blade itself was slightly damaged. "Destroyed," he said.

"Destroyed? Where did you drop it?"

That was a laser gun—best weapon for dealing with these gene monsters that couldn't be killed by bullets and whose blood was corrosive.

Xie Xu pointed his blade at a corner.

There, atop a pile of gene monster corpses, lay the laser gun, carelessly discarded. Its surface was covered in a thick layer of dark green moss, barely revealing its sleek silhouette.

A thought formed in Tu Ran's mind.

Her "Wheel of Time" could restore the laser gun to pristine condition.

All she had to do was rewind time just a few hours, and she'd have a brand-new laser gun without expending much energy.

But she didn't act on it.

The West Zone had suffered no explosions, so the cameras were all intact.

Any move she made would be caught by Zero.

Noticing Tu Ran's sudden silence, Xie Xu gave her a puzzled look.

He had no telepathy, and though he sensed something off about her, he couldn't guess what it was.

Tu Ran helped him kill another two or three gene monsters, then gradually drifted away from him.

With the added support, the number of gene monsters in the West Zone dwindled rapidly.

In the blink of an eye, only a few remained.

Xie Xu, having endured too much sonic assault, stepped out of the factory to rest for a while.

Tu Ran seized the moment he left. Moving without a sound, she sidled over to the corner where the laser gun lay.

Hidden behind the gene monsters' bodies, she touched the uneven surface of the laser gun, enduring the corrosive moss biting into her fingers, and activated "Wheel of Time."

Tu Ran rewound time to five years ago.

The laser gun with its devastating firepower had been manufactured ten years prior.

Five years ago, the Research Institute had improved it, enhancing its performance across the board.

Xie Xu's laser gun was the improved model, likely manufactured less than five years ago. But to be safe, Tu Ran rewound to the furthest possible limit.

The intact firearm instantly shattered into a pile of parts.

Tu Ran gathered up the components and stuffed them into various pockets across her combat suit—her ammo pouch, her ration pack—wherever she could squeeze them in, managing to hide every last piece.

Then she feigned dizziness, pressed a hand to her forehead, and slipped out through the West Gate without a second glance.

Outside the Sankar Arsenal, members of the Medical Department were on standby. A fleet of medevac helicopters sat parked, along with temporary rest areas set up for Pioneers and guards.