Cyber ​​Heroes

Chapter 1210 Embrace
The moment it landed, the electromagnetic devices on Shuoqidi's feet activated, securing it in place. Simultaneously, its long tail swept across, destroying two close-in weapon systems within ten meters. During this process, the long tail collided with the warship's outer armor in multiple places, and several hidden phonon blades, carrying vibrations of different frequencies, struck the surface of the warship's armor with the same force.

He then stomped his feet and leaped off the armor. Due to the deformation of the armor, he could more clearly observe the length of the cracks caused by the several slashes, in order to determine the vibration frequency of the phonon blade most effective against the warship's outer armor.

Then, six first-level martial artists gathered on the flagship came forward to greet them.

"These beasts..." A surge of rage erupted in the mind of a first-level martial arts expert.

These lackeys actually fixed the heads of many Black Ships mercenary soldiers to their bodies as shields. Some heads even had certain pieces of armor peeled off to expose the locations of malfunction indicator lights.

These heads are still alive.

Only Shuoqidi did not carry this extra burden. He seemed to value the fluidity of his movements more.

These high-ranking military officers didn't expect these "hostages" to play a decisive role. However, if the Black Ship Righteous Army's warriors experienced any additional emotional fluctuations because of these heads—even if it was just a slight lapse in judgment before taking action—it would be an unexpected benefit for them.

In battles between first-level martial artists, every bit of mental processing power is precious.

Xiang Shan advised: "Calm down."

In terms of sheer numbers, the Black Ship Righteous Army undoubtedly has the advantage. However, the prosthetic bodies of the Protectors are far too oversized, especially Shuo Qidi. The combined cost of all the prosthetic bodies of the first-level warriors of the Black Ship Righteous Army is less than that of just one of them.

Xiang Shan took over these first-level martial artists, some completely, others assisting the original owner. The six martial artists moved in a crisscrossing pattern, using electromagnetic devices to adhere to their armor and speeding along it.

A portion of the flagship's fuel reserves is earmarked to support the decapitation squadron in its pursuit of the Celestial Star Fleet. To achieve synchronized deceleration with other warships, the fleet's fuel reserves need to be evenly distributed. For these warriors of the First Heaven, fuel must also be reserved for crucial moments.

Four volleys of bullets blocked Shuoqidi's movements from four directions. Shuoqidi's feet left the armor, and he had to use a small amount of thrusters in mid-air to adjust his posture. The bullets were at too large an angle of incidence, so they all slid off and bounced away, leaving only a line of sparks.

The magnetic chain weapon spun in a spiral. Using the force of the bullet, Shuoqidi spun three times, its tail-mounted magnetic chain weapon charging forward in all directions.

Just as his long tail was about to unleash its power, a first-level martial artist raised his staff to meet it, delivering a blow at the very moment his electromagnetic force was about to be unleashed.

The long rod immediately emitted an electromagnetic pulse.

The electromagnetic pulse disrupted the power accumulated in the long tail and caused the commands to become disordered. The originally overwhelming attack immediately scattered into a chaotic and disorderly lashing.

A first-level martial artist, whose physical form was smaller, lowered his body and passed through the blockade, thrusting a palm at Shuo Qidi's shoulder, seemingly intending to use a grappling technique to lock him down. Shuo Qidi responded with a punch.

In that instant, Xiang Shan took control of the battle. Under Xiang Shan's control, the swordsman's palm strikes avoided the enemy's strength and struck their weaknesses, shifting and turning in an instant, silently layering more than ten powerful blows. Shuo Qidi met the attack with a punch, and the two heavy blows exploded silently in space.

The knight's elbow immediately issued a pressure warning, but Shuoqidi easily neutralized the attack. The lackey was about to use his strength to cripple the opponent's arm, but he felt that his force had not landed properly. The opponent seemed to have foreseen this and retreated slightly, avoiding the moment when Shuoqidi's punch was at its strongest, and then countered with pressure in that instant.

In that instant, two other first-level martial arts masters charged at him. Shuoqi pushed one away with a palm strike and flicked the other away with his tail. Then, the first martial arts master controlled by Xiangshan was also struck in the side by the magnetic chain weapon.

The reactive armor exploded in that instant, shoving the knight away. Xiang Shan activated his thrusters to evade the pursuit of Shuo Qidi's tail.

At this moment, a message appeared in the minds of several heroes.

[Shuoqidi is carrying a nuclear bomb.]

In the instant of their exchange, Xiang Shan used his listening skills to probe Shuo Qidi's center of gravity. Although the combined attack of the two swordsmen was interrupted, the kinetic energy was transferred to Shuo Qidi. Xiang Shan, with his overall understanding, knew the data from both instances of force exertion.

Combining these factors, he immediately sensed that Shuoqidi's center of mass was off, significantly to the left than expected. Besides the reactor, there was an extremely dense external object on his left side, far from the prosthetic body's original center of mass, almost superficial, just beneath the armor.

A huge mass of heavy elements—what other possibilities are there besides nuclear bombs?

The reason Xiang Shan was willing to risk the injury of these first-level martial artists right from the start was to confirm this information.

This will determine the subsequent tactics.

He intervened in the consciousness of another knight, moving sideways behind Shuoqidi and leaving a trail of magnetized metallic dust in his wake.

Gangqi martial arts, nebula airflow.

He wanted to sever the laser communication between Shuoqidi and the other protectors of the Heavenly Realm.

The tail of the scorpion retracts, the end coils up, and the tip straightens, sweeping horizontally like a spear. However, in space, there is no air as a medium for transferring kinetic energy, and magnetized metal dust is not so easy to clean up.
Xiang Shan's figure flickered like a ghost, instantly dividing the battlefield.

On the other side, Jeanne and two other first-level warriors detached from the flagship on the other side of the warship and approached the cone-shaped aircraft.

This cone-shaped aircraft operates on a similar principle to the Godspeed King's war gun. It consists of only an outer shell, an external fuel tank, and a thruster. Every gram of it has been calculated, and almost all unnecessary functions have been removed.

Most of the Black Ships' strategic reserves were of uniform specifications and compatible with each other. This rudimentary vehicle was hastily constructed solely to catch up with the Celestial Star Fleet.

Shuoqidi was carrying at least one nuclear bomb, and Xiangshan wasn't entirely confident he could stop the enemy's self-destruction. Therefore, the decapitation team had to act ahead of schedule.

Aside from necessary supplies, the interior space of this cone-shaped structure was just enough to fit the three of them.

Jeanne then received a communication from Acting Commander Li Wenyang. The communication contained coordinates not far from the Tianxing Fleet's route. Li Wenyang also attached a brief text message.

"If you run out of fuel on your return trip, you can try sending a request to this location. However, if it's not necessary, please don't disturb the hermits here. This is our agreement."

"Are you trying to protect yourself from me?" Jeanne's mind, now seemingly enlightened, scoffed. "You're afraid I'll become curious, so you're saying this now? What do you take me for...?"

The senses picked up fragmented information, which was processed instantly in the background. Jeanne seemed to sense something and looked in one direction.

Encircled by four first-level experts, Shuoqidi darted and weaved atop the warship, its long tail sweeping and thrusting, its matte blades flashing with streaks of light that scattered like stars within the massive shadow. From a distance, it even created an illusion, making one mistakenly believe that Shuoqidi was displaying a 3D star map.

"Let's go," Xiang Shan said.

Jeanne nodded and silently entered the simple flying machine.
—It's practically like using people as the warhead of a missile...

She couldn't help but think that.

In the darkness, only Xiang Shan nodded: "To be honest, I think so too."

With a thought, Xiang Shan ignited the cone-shaped rocket.

Jeanne felt the world shaking.

In that instant, the lives of the three first-level martial artists were entirely dependent on the protection of their comrades.

Shuoqidi naturally noticed this as well. The launch ports on his shoulders and legs opened, and dozens of swarm missiles were launched.

The thrusters of any aircraft are relatively vulnerable. A knight retreated, ejecting all the magazines in his body and firing all the miniature missiles he was carrying.

This wave completely compensated for the lack of interception rate with sheer numbers. Xiang Shan was distracted by controlling the laser guidance device, and Shuo Qidi, noticing the busy situation, immediately closed in and knocked the swordsman away. The swordsman's outer armor cracked, and a gap immediately appeared in the suppression circle formed by the four.

Shuoqi raised his gun!
But in that instant, a bullet struck his gun as if it had been predicted!
"Tch." Xiang Shan, the Ascended One controlling the drone, scoffed inwardly. He had originally intended to fire this bullet at Shuo Qidi's wrist.

There is no air in space, so conventional rotary-wing drones cannot be used on the outer surface. To conserve propellant, defensive drones are designed to resemble spiders and can propel themselves along the hull of warships using electromagnetic force.

Subsequently, the drone, which was 30 meters away, was swept by the tail prosthetic and rendered unusable.

Shuoqidi wanted to attack again. But the rocket had already completed its initial acceleration, reaching a kilometer away in just a few seconds. Small missiles couldn't catch up with the accelerating rocket. Magnetic chain weapons could also form the acceleration structure of an electromagnetic gun, but that required no interference in the surrounding area.

The enemy now possesses an electrical weapon capable of strongly interfering with magnetic flux weapons.

Shuoqidi was furious. Failing to seize the fuel stored in this aircraft meant they would have to fight to the death here.

He fired continuously, forcing back the other three swordsmen, and then charged straight at the wounded one, intending to cut off one of the swordsmen's fingers first.

The injured swordsman suddenly displayed a level of agility completely different from before. The propulsion system and footwork intertwined, and in a magical sway, he collapsed sideways onto the outer armor.

Shuoqidi's arm narrowly missed his torso.

"Let's see just how reliable Earth's heroes really are."

................................................

Fifteen minutes ago, Hiroshi Matsushima floated wearily in the virtual space, feeling drowsiness engulfing him.

The ascendant called out to the mountain, "Hey, hey, don't fall asleep, young man."

It's a bit noisy. That's what Matsushima Hiroshi thought.

Iron Heart Dharma King said, "It is indeed very difficult to directly engage in such high-frequency thinking without undergoing adaptive training."

"Just one more step and the analysis will be completely finished," Xiang Shan said. "Keep going, I believe in you!"

"Take a short break." The Iron Heart Dharma King accessed a file. "This electrical signal can quickly put most people into a deep sleep. Five minutes can slightly alleviate the side effects of overclocking."

Matsushima Hiroshi nodded, sat cross-legged in the empty virtual space, and ran the program given to him by the Iron Heart Dharma King.

The Iron-Hearted Dharma King paused his overclocked thinking, returned to a normal state, and asked, "So what analysis did you do based on my work?"

It's no exaggeration to say that he was an expert in studying the special case of Sogiti. After all, King Agni occasionally scrutinized the superficial thinking of his subordinates (this was the limit of his knowledge, not his bottom line). There weren't many things that would allow the Iron-Hearted Dharma King to openly ponder.

"We adopted your conclusions, but conducted a deeper analysis, incorporating the memory backups of the Tenth Martial God and Tuoba Xuanyuan XIV," Xiang Shan said.

Before the battle in the Carmen route, Matsushima Hiro kept a document containing the tactics developed by the Tenth Martial God against the Speed ​​King, as well as much of the Tenth Martial God's research process. From that time on, Matsushima Hiro began studying it. Even the Speed ​​King's defeat in the Carmen route battle did not make Matsushima Hiro complacent. The Tenth Martial God's approach didn't directly improve his skills, but it broadened his thinking.

On the eve of leaving Earth, Xiang Shan worried that the memory files entrusted to him by Tuoba Xuanyuan XIV would be lost due to his death, so he left a backup on Earth. While summoning Matsushima Hiroshi and Fihert, he also set aside a thread to go to Earth to retrieve the backup.

The turning point for Matsushima's research was exactly thirty years ago.

"He participated in the battle to suppress the Tenth Martial God lineage, especially the battle against Yuwen Bisu Wu." Xiang Shan said this with a strange sense of frustration. This record came from the battle records that Iron Heart Dharma King had legally accessed and managed. As King Agni's adjutant and the head of the anti-Martial God forces, he had the authority to access all records related to the Martial God.

Yuwen Bisuwu was highly skilled in martial arts, and thus fought to the very end. When he died, he was left without any companions. This scene would not appear in the memories of Tuoba Xuanyuan Shisi or Dugu Beiluo Shimen.

Matsushima Hiroshi uses the martial arts of the Tenth Martial God to understand the Tenth Martial God lineage, and the memories of Tuoba Xuanyuan XIV to understand the martial arts of Yuwen Bisu Wu. Then, by comparing the subtle differences in Shuoqidi's behavior before and after the battle with Yuwen Bisu Wu, he deduces what Shuoqidi felt and learned in that battle.

In response, the Iron Heart Dharma King commented: "I don't understand why people think this way at all."

“As your research report says, Shuoqidi’s behavior pattern is completely unlike that of a human.” Xiang Shan shook his head. “Humans are premature creatures; infants develop their behavioral abilities outside the womb. This process should normally be a gentle exploration, like picking something up and throwing it on the ground. But the prosthetic body and martial arts algorithms gave him an inappropriate ability to act at that age, interacting with the world in an abnormal way. His brain was distorted from the beginning; a certain part of it is completely different from normal humans. It’s meaningless to speculate about Shuoqidi according to conventional habits.”

“No, I understand that, but…” Fihert fell into deep thought, “Why go through all this trouble to come to this understanding?”

“The preference parameters in a person’s martial arts convolution are always closely related to their personality and experiences. And trained individuals will have a stronger perception of this factor,” Xiang Shan explained. “Up to this point, it’s quite easy to understand, right?”

The Iron-Hearted Dharma King nodded.

Abstract elements with personal characteristics are selected from continuous actions and highly complex strategy sets, and then deduced in reverse within the framework of martial arts.

It's difficult to describe it as a parsing process for a single object.

“However, martial arts itself, compared to a complete mind, seems like a process of strictly controlling variables. All martial arts, including internal energy cultivation, external energy cultivation, and even military martial arts, are all about enabling an individual to control more powerful technological forces to defeat another individual,” the Ascended One said. “Matsushima cannot fully understand Shuoqidi, but he can glimpse Shuoqidi’s thought process from the battle between Shuoqidi and Yuwen Bisuwu. That is what he is best at grasping.”

Just as repeatedly tasting a series of similar dishes makes one more sensitive to that type of flavor, the brain develops the ability to filter specific elements through long-term training.

"Because of Tuoba's backup files, Yuwen Bisuwu's martial arts are known to Matsushima. This battle serves as a limiting condition, keeping the variables within an acceptable range."

Fihert couldn't help but applaud: "Absolutely amazing. Incredible skill."

"Unfortunately, I still couldn't fully understand it..."

Matsushima Hiroshi opened his eyes: "Perhaps there's more..."

This space has re-entered overclocking mode.

Xiang Shan couldn't help but applaud: "More than expected when we started the thesis proposal? Is this even possible?"

“I think…I’ve seen guys like that before,” Matsushima Hiroshi said. “The kids who come to the dojo to make a living usually don’t have prosthetics, so they can’t express themselves properly…”

“That’s different, isn’t it?” Fiehert said. “The groups that Shuoqidi mentioned to you when he entered the martial arts school were clearly at different stages of mental development.”

“I can imagine how he was treated at first…” Matsushima Hiroshi looked up. “I’ve also seen… even younger children…”

.........................................................

Signals from Earth were continuously received by the Black Ship Legion.

In Xiang Shan's understanding, Shuo Qidi's martial arts became clearer.

Xiang Shan really wanted to say, "I was afraid he would use a nuclear bomb to blow everyone up right away, so I held back," but in reality, he fought in grave danger. All four first-level martial artists made contact and then retreated, always hovering around Shuo Qidi within ten meters of him.

Shuoqidi's prosthetic body was simply too strong; in that brief contact, the Listening Force had almost crippled an arm of a first-level martial artist. Another person was also left with shattered armor and greatly reduced defense, unable to withstand any further attacks.

More drones moved along the warship's hull, providing support fire from dozens of meters away. Although Xiang Shan wasn't particularly skilled with drone arrays, that was only relative to the likes of Hartmann. The Black Ship Righteous Army possessed data on the skills of the Sixth and Seventh War Gods locally, so Xiang Shan had already made up for his shortcomings in this area.

Bullets weave a killing formation, guiding the warriors' steps and controlling the battlefield.

Gangqi martial arts tried their best to cut off Shuoqidi's communication with other first-level heavenly martial officials and limit their observation ability.

Shuoqi wrapped the middle section of the magnetic chain weapon around his right hand, sacrificing the weapon's attack range for increased agility. This Qi-based martial art was truly irritating, making it difficult for him to grasp his surroundings; gaps would appear when the long tail swept across the distant drone.

The tail, which is tens of meters long, is divided into two parts. The part near the root coils behind it like a dragon or a treasure wheel, closely protecting the propulsion assembly, while the tail end transforms into a spear more than ten meters long, propelling Shuoqidi's right hand to dance, and even occasionally turning and deforming in mid-air.

Ten moves... twenty moves... thirty moves...

Flashes of light from the explosions continued to appear. Xiang Shan had to deliberately detonate his reactive armor to deflect the attacks that were about to hit his vitals. A first-level martial arts expert was caught in the arm by the strangely deformed spear and lost an arm.

The situation was extremely precarious. The Black Ship's frontline commanders, monitoring the battle via drones, couldn't help but focus their attention. If the First Heaven Warriors were defeated, they would have to act as the last line of defense, protecting the safety of the fleet's leadership.

Everyone felt that their side was in dire straits.

The reactive armor would be constantly depleted, ammunition would dwindle, and the metal dust would eventually run out. And now, these four first-level warriors could only maintain a fragile balance against Shuo Qidi. They didn't even have time to receive supplies from the drones; if even one person were to fall, this fragile balance would collapse instantly.

In the other two battles between first-level martial artists, although the swordsmen had the upper hand, there was no sign of a quick victory.

at last……

The swordsman using the Qi-based martial arts had no way to dodge—all strategies were compressed to the limit, with no unnecessary movements; it was already the upper limit of the game.

If this chivalrous hero weren't here right now, the situation would have already collapsed.

But now, he has lost his arm and his vital magnetic field generator.

—It's a desperate situation.

The Black Ship Righteous Men behind the anti-warrior barricades gripped their weapons tightly.

Several highly skilled martial artists could even predict Shuo Qidi's next move. He would undoubtedly take the swordsman's life with a single punch. And having lost his Qi-based martial arts, Shuo Qidi's vision would no longer be restricted.

The swordsman who used the Qi-based martial arts technique only managed to "splash" metal dust onto Shuoqidi with his last move.

but……

A miracle happened silently. Even most bystanders didn't realize it until the next second.

Shuoqidi suddenly retreated. The fighting styles of both sides changed drastically. Just moments ago, Shuoqidi was desperately trying to break free from the Qi's restrictive circle. But now, his steps suddenly clung to the Qi.

The remaining few heroes, however, rushed over the protective barrier and headed towards Shuoqidi.

--what happens?

--why?
Even the two protectors who were watching this place, the first-level martial officers, couldn't understand it.

Intermittent laser signals continuously transmitted parameters back to their teammates. Shuoqidi rarely sent text messages to arrange tactics, but the two of them knew roughly what the battle situation was like over there.

But just a moment ago, the signal was lost.

Shuoqidi fell into complete silence.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could only see him executing strange tactical maneuvers.

why?
Only the warring Shuoqidi and Xiangshan truly knew the answer.

Perhaps there are also the Black Ship Righteous Army's internal martial arts troops that have been conscripted.

Magnetized metal dust has another, less-mentioned, function. It clumps together and adheres to the enemy's body. In space, where there is no air, even if the outer armor itself has weak ferromagnetism, the warrior can only shake off this dust by inertia.

Generally speaking, getting the enemy covered in dust would render the expensive absorbent coating useless. However, since Qi-based martial arts themselves cause significant interference with radar, this is largely irrelevant.

The magnetized dust from Xiangshan stuck to Shuoqidi's body without initially attracting his attention.

Xiang Shan had been observing Shuo Qidi's movements, watching which part of his body he would forcefully shake off the dust, in order to pinpoint the signal receiver he was hiding. Now, Shuo Qidi had shut down all radars, only receiving laser signals. He must be equipped with sensors.

That's the only remaining window for internal attack.

Then, Xiang Shan noticed that the magnetic chain weapon wrapped around Shuo Qidi's arm would occasionally wriggle, slightly scrape against the outer armor, and actively attract dust.

Just like a lizard licking its eyeballs to keep them clean.

Signal receivers hidden in the gaps between the arm armor plates...

Then comes the internal energy attack.

Xiang Shan cannot directly obtain the output information of the computing components within the prosthetic body, and therefore cannot know whether his curse attack chain is valid—perhaps the first step has failed. Therefore, he must repeatedly execute the attack, attempting to write into or invoke the vulnerability.

This will take some time.

Shuoqidi realized this, which is why he dodged.

The scene of the accompanying martial arts masters being killed instantly is still vivid in my mind.

Only by disrupting the opponent's progress through mobile warfare can one potentially kill them while delaying their advance.

Shuoqi even tried taking turns using offline signal receivers. However, he couldn't possibly rely entirely on blind shooting without any external information.

That would undoubtedly be courting death.

But after the tide turned and the balance of power shifted, Shuoqidi finally felt despair.

The opponent's predictions were incredibly accurate.

This advantage wasn't immediately apparent when Shuoqidi had the upper hand. However, the advantage of anticipation became apparent when Shuoqidi needed to dodge. The knight only needed to maintain the signal output without actually touching Shuoqidi. Shuoqidi, on the other hand, was forced to interrupt the opponent's actions while moving, and simultaneously look for opportunities.

Often, before Shuoqidi could even raise his hand, Xiangshan had already seen the next two moves.

He was just a pathetic creature somewhere between a child and an animal.

Xiang Shan had already understood Shuo Qidi.

Matsushima Hiroshi's direction, the information on the Iron-Hearted Dharma King, and the more than one hundred moves exchanged...

He had come to understand this creature that had never formed an emotional connection with others.

For Sochi, "beating with martial arts" was his earliest way of interacting with the world. Every time he hit someone as a child, he was encouraged. No one expected him to respond, so he didn't need to learn to speak.

"Beating with martial arts more efficiently" replaced his learning to walk—as for walking itself, it had been implemented by the system's built-in program. He himself had hardly ever actually walked.

Before Fihert intervened, no one had the patience to wait for his reply. He may not have spoken at all before that.

The functions of "language" and "action" are heterogeneous in his brain. Every component of his mind is different from that of ordinary people.

Although he is over a hundred years old, apart from his progress in martial arts, he has never actually grown up.

Aside from Fiehert and Hartmann, the only "communication" he ever took seriously in his life was perhaps the battle against Yuwen Bisuwu.

Ordinary enemies and sparring partners could be easily defeated by him. Only Yuwen Bisuwu made him feel the exchange of strategic games.

Within the game of strategy lies human preference and purpose. Martial artists can understand this; the process of learning martial arts includes this ability to read. Shuoqidi discerned Yuwen Bisuwu's final will to survive, his resentment, and his persistence, as well as the countless calculations he devised to break through the encirclement. Shuoqidi was thus influenced, and this was recorded by Fiehert and ultimately analyzed by Matsushima Hiroshi.

And then this time.

—What did you see, you poor thing…

In the instant their eyes met, Shuoqi's hand trembled involuntarily.

Is the curse in effect, or is this Vulcan's lackey in fear?

Shuoqidi seemed shocked by himself. Then, he read the intention to attack from the mountain.

The magnetic chain weapon expands in all directions, and as it exerts force, it suddenly shakes off the adhering metallic dust. The shaken-off magnetized alloy dust continues to expand due to inertia, appearing like "afterimages" or even "clones".

The more skilled the user, the deeper their perception is integrated with electromagnetic wave radar, and the easier it is for them to perceive the afterimage as incredibly "real" and possessing "texture."

A first-level martial arts expert was sent flying by a single blow, detached from the warship and falling into space. He ignited his thrusters mid-air, intending to return before his opponent could make any further moves. However, a violent explosion occurred above his head.

The warship's armor actually exploded!
As Shuoqidi's magnetic chain weaponry forced the swordsman back, the phonon blades embedded within it also secretly collided with the outer armor, cutting a gap. The external weaponry on his feet was quickly filled with fluid explosives and detonated, tearing apart the warship's outer armor.

Xiang Shan tried to stop him, but Shuo Qidi's prosthetic body was of a higher standard and moved faster.

Xiang Shan could only watch as he squeezed in like a gecko.

The long tail, like a chain pulled by the anchor, disappeared in an instant on the outside.

"Damn it, we were so close..." Xiang Shan immediately sent a message to Li Wenyang, "Acting Commander, be careful, there's still the anti-militia barricades on the left side of the passage to be dismantled!"

Xiang Shan controlled a first-level martial artist to follow Shuo Qidi inside. Shuo Qidi completely avoided combat, braving bullets as he continuously dismantled defensive fortifications. Violent explosions propagated along the flagship's hull.

On the flagship's bridge, several soldiers had already taken out curved planks and were constructing a spherical protective structure around Li Wenyang. The baseline human's abilities were strong enough. If the nuclear explosion wasn't too close, Li Wenyang might still survive. Several martial artists nervously watched the tunnel, sensing the approaching, thunderous roar.

And there was that unfamiliar, storm-like shriek.

—Is this guy clinging to life? Or did that old dog Hartman have a plan, intending to explode near the bridge in this situation?

Energy, main guns, and the commander are the most crucial parts of a warship.

Ensuring the destruction of these three regions is of paramount importance.

The physical strength and vitality of a benchmark warrior should not be underestimated.

It makes sense that the explosion occurred near the bridge.

but……

This could also be a choice made by Shuoqidi in order to live a little longer.

Xiang Shan, controlling a first-level martial artist, pursued from behind, constantly seeking angles to unleash spells.

Shuoqidi could feel his defenses crumbling. He felt strange, empty. The many components that usually supported his actions were being uninstalled by external commands. He fled frantically, not knowing why he was fleeing. He was simply fleeing according to plan, towards a place of death he had predetermined.

He constantly expended ammunition, destroyed various defensive fortifications, and occasionally swung his magnetic chain weapon to retaliate against those behind him.

closer, closer...

Shuoqidi didn't know what this emotion was called. The concept of "rhetoric" had never been born in his mind.

He was attacked from the side. Two other first-level warriors controlled by Xiang Shan intercepted him from the flank. The three clashed again. The confined space amplified the advantage of the magnetic chain weapon, but Shuo Qidi's condition seemed far from what it had been before.

Xiang Shan, controlling a body, pointed a finger at Shuo Qidi's forehead. Shuo Qidi dared not be careless and kicked out. This first-level prosthetic body crashed into the wall, causing the solid alloy wall to slightly distort. On the bridge, the soldiers gripped their weapons tightly, while the remaining warship pilots and staff tried their best to curl up to increase their chances of survival in the explosion.

But this was just a feint towards the mountain.

The remaining two first-level martial artists finally closed in on Shuoqidi and locked his limbs. The joints of the two first-level warriors creaked under the strain.

But at that instant, several signal receivers were aimed directly at the first-level martial artist who had been knocked away.

Shuoqidi struggled to raise his hand, attempting to lift his arm, which was attached to a nuclear bomb.

Facing the mountain, I felt neither sorrow nor joy.

[Run the program: Embrace]

For a moment, Shuoqidi froze. He was hallucinating; he saw a figure much taller than himself lift him up from the ground…something that had never happened before…never…

When faced with unknown information, the brain doesn't know how to process it.

He stood there stunned for a few seconds.

Those crucial seconds.

A violent explosion. All the firing ports on his body closed at the same moment, and all the ammunition detonated simultaneously. Explosions covered his entire body. The reactive armor on his flanks also detonated at that moment, but due to his posture, the force was transferred to his arms.

A swordsman was caught in the explosion from the waist down. He was sent flying backward, his left limb, still attached to the nuclear bomb, severed.

A missile, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, pierced through the wreckage of Shuoqidi. Without the protection of outer armor, the miniature missile penetrated directly into the core components.

Amidst the dazzling brilliance of the plasma, the upper half of Shuoqidi's body evaporated.

The runaway fusion reactor eventually turned this guy into light.

“Sometimes I really wish I weren’t an atheist. That way, when I say ‘I hope you’ll be reborn in such and such a good life,’ it will sound more sincere…” Xiang Shan hesitated for a moment, then added the last salutation, “Poor child.”

Xiang Shan, who possesses the memories of the Tenth Martial God, undoubtedly hates Shuo Qidi because he participated in the massacre of the Tenth Martial God's disciples.

However, he did feel sympathy for the poor fellow.

The battle log provided by the Iron Heart Dharma King contained the final scene of Yuwen Bisuwu. With his reactor destroyed, only half of his mind remained. His last act, born of his remaining consciousness, was to embrace the remains of his fellow disciple. At that moment, Shuoqidi watched this scene intently for a long time.

Yuwen Bisuwu himself probably didn't realize that he was one of the few people Shuoqidi interacted with in his life. Shuoqidi unconsciously imitated the Yuwen Bisuwu he had glimpsed. At the end of the chase through the tunnel, Xiangshan confirmed that even Shuoqidi's struggling posture was imitating that of the person who didn't want to die back then.

He had been curious about the act of comforting.

Xiang Shan then poured the virtual hug into his brain. His brain didn't know how to process this unfamiliar information.

That's it.

I originally planned to finish this chapter on the 2nd, but I caught a cold because the air conditioning was on too high. I'm really sorry.