The night before the promotion

Chapter 25 Thousand Blows
First, Zhou Si felt a high temperature in his heart, as if a ball of fire was burning his heart. It was beating violently, like a drum before a battle, roaring.

Then, Zhou Si's muscles all over his body began to tense up in the boiling blood. The prosthesis in his left arm started to work at full power, and the mechanized muscle fibers charged and condensed, like a taut bowstring, accumulating tremendous power and ready to be released at any time.

"come!"

Zhou Si leaped up, the deadly narrow blade flashed with a cold light, cutting through the air with a sharp and piercing sound.

The two humanoid incarnations, one in front and one behind, strode towards Zhou Si without any retreat.

With his mind extremely focused, the world in Zhou Si's eyes seemed to slow down. The flying insects that repeatedly hit the street lamps, the rapidly approaching humanoid avatars... everything became clearly visible. He could even barely recognize the model of the opponent and speculate on its potential weapons and equipment.

In the dead silence after the shout, electric arcs roared.

Dazzling lightning flashed from the hands of the humanoid incarnation, and its entire palm turned into an electric shock device. The broken light illuminated its mask, on which was painted the word "Number One".

Zhou Si was not surprised by this scene. The other party's purpose was not to kill him, but to capture him, so they would not carry lethal weapons, at least they would not use lethal weapons directly against him.

Zhou Si murmured, "The odds are against us."

A crackling sound of electric current came from the other side, and another arc of light lit up. Another humanoid incarnation approached Zhou Si from the side. Under the light of the fire, the pale mask was painted with the logo of number two.

Zhou Si suddenly stopped walking, his bloodshot eyes like a devil.

In an instant, the surrounding noise quickly faded away, and the only sound echoing in Zhou Si's ears was the sound of his strong heartbeat, clear and firm.

Beneath the shocking beat, there is a low humming sound. That is the artificial organs in Zhou Si's body working at full capacity. They are filtering the blood, secreting hormones, and doing their utmost to push Zhou Si's body to its peak state.

All the pain disappeared, leaving only excitement and pleasure.

"Ha ha!"

Zhou Si laughed wildly and turned around. The narrow blade that was supposed to chop towards Incarnation No. 1 changed direction strangely and struck Incarnation No. 2 like a zigzag lightning.

The metals intertwined with each other, bursting out with fleeting sparks.

With the full output of his muscle fiber bundles, Zhou Si relied on the hardness of the special alloy to tear a hideous scar on the body of the second incarnation.

The outer shell was twisted and broken, and the internal circuits were flying around like broken blood vessels.

Zhou Si liked the feeling now. The manic joy was about to overwhelm his mind. There was no pain or fear, only infinite rage burning.

The second incarnation staggered, and the consciousness that controlled it could never have imagined that Zhou Si could still remain so clear-headed and strong after suffering a series of car crashes.

It raised the stun gun in its right hand and blocked it in front of its body like a shield to prevent Zhou Si from making subsequent attacks. Its other hidden left arm revealed a gun muzzle loaded with anesthetic bullets.

Before the second incarnation could aim the gun at Zhou Si, its body suddenly leaned forward strangely.

The sharp sound of slashing came late.

The optical sensor of the second incarnation captured the image. A fatal scar had appeared on its knee at some point, piercing the outer shell and internal mechanical components.

"you are too slow."

The evil voice came with the wind, transmitted into the consciousness network, and after a delay of milliseconds, rang in the ear of the incarnated killer.

Unregistered avatar bodies are connected to the consciousness network through illegal ports. Under this rough connection method, the consciousness connection, which already has a certain delay, will be further aggravated.

This is Zhou Si’s second chance of winning.

Continuous flashes of light erupted from the eyes of the second incarnation. They intertwined together, like a school of sequined fish tumbling in the water. Every flap of the wings left a scar of varying depths on the solid body of the incarnation.

The sparks flickered with new light before they died down, interweaving into gorgeous silk, lightly covering the cold metal body.

The second incarnation did not think that Zhou Si's attacks could completely destroy it, but soon it discovered that its sensors were being damaged one by one.

The scene in the field of vision gradually darkened, and Zhou Si's figure became fragmented.

"You know what? A good surgeon can stab someone dozens of times and only cause minor injuries. This also means that if he wants, he can kill with every stab."

Zhou Si remembered the model of this humanoid incarnation, as well as the distribution of its various sensors, and the location of the driving battery and thought storage core.

He is that excellent surgeon—the deadly Dr. Avatar.

A cold light burst out, and the narrow blade broke through layers of metal, accurately piercing the driving battery under the torso.

Zhou Si struggled to pull his arm out, but the narrow blade was like a giant claw that pierced into his internal organs, pulling out countless organs and blood vessels. Countless broken electronic components flew everywhere, and the mechanical structure collapsed.

Incarnation No. 2 knelt heavily on the ground, his body leaning back, the huge wound on his abdomen opened wide, and dense electric sparks crackled.

Zhou Si predicted the location of the opponent's thought storage core and prepared to deliver the final blow, but this time a dazzling arc of electricity lit up from one side, before he could make a move.

"Spiritual training will certainly strengthen your will and increase your concentration on things, but remember, when you only have one thing in your eyes, you will no longer be able to see other things."

Chen Wen Ge's voice once again rang in Zhou Si's mind. He didn't know whether it was a timely memory or an unstoppable auditory hallucination.

Zhou Si was knocked down by the huge force and fell heavily to the ground, rolling several times. The strong electric current drilled in his body, and the muscles all over his body spasmed and twitched uncontrollably.

Driven by physiological instinct, tears overflowed from the corners of Zhou Si's eyes. In his blurred vision, Avatar No. 1 appeared not far away, and the electric shock device in his hand made a dangerous crackling sound.

"That's tough, Dr. Zhou."

A cold electronic sound came from under the mask of Avatar No. 1, and it walked towards the fallen Zhou Si. Its other arm flipped and deformed, just like Avatar No. 2. A tranquilizer gun stretched out, with neatly-packed needles in the magazine.

Zhou Si's consciousness was a little dazed. The spasms caused by the electric current had stopped, but the tingling and numbness all over his body had not yet dissipated.

The shock of the electric current also affected Zhou Si's control over the prosthesis. After a brief tremor, the narrow blade retracted into his arm, and the cracked left palm closed again. Most of the bionic paint on the surface was scratched off, revealing the color of the metal underneath.

Zhou Si's breathing gradually slowed down, and his eyes narrowed slightly, as if he had fallen into a coma.

The familiar voice lingered in my ears like a ghost.

"The sad thing is that no matter how we hammer our consciousness, we still exist in the real world constructed by matter, not the illusory spiritual world."

Chen Wen Ge said sadly, "No matter how strong the will is, it cannot affect objective reality."

Zhou Si had long been accustomed to living in harmony with hallucinations. His voice was unclear as he responded to the long-lost hallucinations, "Therefore, no matter how strong your consciousness is, it cannot stop the paralysis of the nerves by the sedatives and the spasms of the muscles by the electric current."

Matter is the basis of everything. The so-called spirit, consciousness, and even soul are nothing more than derivatives of matter.

Zhou Si had known about this kind of thing for a long time. He had known it since the first day he joined the Ascension Project.

"but……"

Incarnation No. 1 stopped two or three meters away from Zhou Si. It raised the tranquilizer gun and aimed at Zhou Si's body.

"but……"

Zhou Si opened his eyes again, muttering to himself, "However, a strong enough consciousness can still almost close the gap between spirit and matter."

It's like the program has broken through the preset limitations.

At the moment when Avatar No. 1 opened fire, Zhou Si's body bounced up from the ground in an almost counterintuitive way. The tranquilizer bullet missed, and Zhou Si attacked like a mad wolf in a crawling posture. Zhou Si's body was still in a numb state, and he could not feel much, but his consciousness remained clear. With absolute willpower, he forced his body forward, even though his movements were clumsy and embarrassing.

The moment the distance was shortened, Zhou Si swung his left fist heavily, knocking the muzzle of the gun off balance, and bursts of shattering sounds were heard.

The light of the electric arc approached, and the No. 1 incarnation danced with the stun gun. Just by listening to the whistling wind, Zhou Si could feel the power coming from it.

Incarnation No. 1 was tired of fighting with Zhou Si. This attack would not only completely knock Zhou Si out, but the huge force it carried would also shatter Zhou Si's ribs.

But before incarnation No. 1 hit Zhou Si, Zhou Si opened his clenched left fist, and with a melodious hum, the narrow blade popped out again, emitting a cold light and fighting with the lightning.

A strong impact came from Zhou Si's left arm. Fortunately, it was a prosthesis. If it was a flesh and blood body, it would probably have been completely broken.

Like a swordsman in close combat, the electric shock device and the narrow blade of the No. 1 incarnation were in a stalemate. Under the high output of the mechanical body, Zhou Si soon couldn't hold on. He was forced to his knees little by little, as if he was carrying a mountain and struggling to support himself.

Avatar No. 1 warned, "Doctor Zhou, stop struggling."

"And then? Will I be sent to the electric chair by you lunatics and continue that shitty metamorphosis test?" Zhou Si gritted his teeth and was furious. "Fuck, who do you think you are!"

Along with Zhou Si's angry rebuke, the muscle fiber bundles were fully activated, almost draining out all the electricity, causing the violent narrow blade to fully awaken.

The sharp, high-frequency, piercing sound echoed in the night.

Avatar No. 1 discovered with horror that the narrow blade, which was supposed to be in a stalemate with the stun gun, was now cutting through the stun gun bit by bit, like a sword of broken steel, vowing to cut through all matter it touched.

Under the flickering electric arc, dazzling sparks splashed like rain.

Zhou Si released all of his electricity, driving the narrow blade to vibrate at a high frequency. This time, its power as an armed incarnation was fully released. The deadly blade was like a chainsaw, cutting off the metal it touched bit by bit.

No... that's not cutting, but slashing a thousand times per second!

A slashing attack that hits one spot repeatedly!

The remnant sound of the explosion resounded, and the cold light of the narrow blade disappeared in an instant, turning into a flash of lightning.

Zhou Si kept swinging the blade, and the electric shock device that was hindering him had already been cut off along with the entire arm of Incarnation No. 1.

The edge of the metal section glowed a faint red, a sign that the metal was heated and melted under high-frequency vibration.

Zhou Si shouted, "How is it!"

This is a gift from Chen Wen Ge, the cutting-edge armed incarnation of Shenwei Technology. Although it has only one arm, its weapon design is enough to destroy too many unarmed incarnations.

Advanced muscle fiber bundles explode the power of the blade, the special alloy gives it absolute strength, and the high-frequency vibration of the narrow blade is enough to make all metals collapse in front of it.

Zhou Si's eyes were red, and the narrow blade turned back again, tearing a rough and disintegrating scar on the chest of Incarnation No. 1.

Countless metal fragments flew under the high-frequency vibrations. Some of them pierced into the body of Incarnation No. 1, piercing through the circuit boards and cutting the wiring harnesses, while others pierced into Zhou Si's body, leaving his skin and flesh riddled with holes.

Amidst the complex pain, a sharp touch came from Zhou Si's back. He moved his eyes and saw the second incarnation kneeling on the ground not far away.

With the previous few sword strikes, Zhou Si destroyed the joints and optical sensors of the second incarnation. It crawled on the ground with difficulty like a disabled person with broken legs.

While Zhou Si was fighting with incarnation No. 1, the incarnation killer in incarnation No. 2, who was far away in the horizon, successfully aimed at Zhou Si with his incomplete visual system.

A tranquilizer bullet hit Zhou Si's back.

When Zhou Si realized something was wrong, the second anesthetic bullet hit his body again, this time hitting his thigh.

There was no hesitation, nor any panic.

Based on the metabolic rate of his artificial organs and his own mentally trained strong consciousness, Zhou Si estimated that it would take him thirty seconds to fall.

"Twenty-nine."

As Zhou Si whispered the timing, the narrow blade pierced the chest of Incarnation No. 1, crushing its driving battery.

Incarnation No. 1 still tried to resist and slow down Zhou Si's attack, but with the sound of chewing steel, the narrow blade ripped it open from bottom to top.

Amidst the flying iron filings, the thought storage core that stored consciousness was shattered, and the incomplete incarnation No. 1 fell heavily to the ground as if it had lost its soul.

Zhou Si turned his head to look at the second incarnation, mumbling something.

"twenty one."

Zhou Si took a step forward with his right foot, but it seemed as if he missed a step and he stumbled to the ground. He could no longer feel the existence of his right foot.

"twenty."

Zhou Si propped up his body with his right hand, trying to concentrate and stare at the second incarnation, but by now the effect of the anesthetic had already spread to his nerves, and the scene in front of him began to become blurry and double.

The world began to spin and become chaotic.

"Ten...fifteen."

Zhou Si growled and swung the narrow blade with all his might.

The second incarnation laughed at Zhou Si loudly. There was at least several meters between it and Zhou Si. By the time Zhou Si crawled over, the anesthetic had already paralyzed him.

hum-

With just a crisp sound, the narrow blade was swung out from the broken palm, drawing a huge arc.

The second incarnation stared at the scene dully. After repeated analysis by the visual system, it saw the silk thread extending from the palm of its hand and connected to the narrow blade.

It was a polymer nanotube wire, so thin that it was like a transparent optical fiber. It easily withstood the tremendous force and swung out a deadly gust of wind.

A clanging sound echoed on the empty viaduct and rolled into the boundless night sky.

The narrow blade accurately hit the chest of the second incarnation, piercing through the thought storage core behind the layers of metal. Its body leaned back helplessly, like a sinner nailed to the ground by a spear.

"ten……"

Zhou Si blinked tiredly. He could no longer see clearly. The world in his eyes turned into blurred blocks of color.

The cracked palm twitched a few times, trying to retract the narrow blade, but the continuous high-frequency vibrations had exhausted the power of the prosthesis, and the left arm fell down heavily, as if petrified by a banshee.

Zhou Si guessed that he should have won. Now he was not only a boxer but also a referee who presided over the rules. He defeated his opponent and also counted down for himself.

"six……"

"five……"

"Four……"

Zhou Si fell down, and with the last bit of consciousness left, he couldn't tell whether it was an illusion or the reality that was about to come.

——The shrill sound of sirens came from far away.

(End of this chapter)