No strange things are allowed to evolve!

And this punch landed heavily and steadily on the face of the android standing at the very front, the one who had injured Tadokoro.

"You...you hit him!"

Everyone exclaimed in surprise.

However, the scene they imagined, where the android's head was blown off, did not occur.

The other person merely turned their head slightly, their body swayed from the impact, they took a small step back, and then regained their balance.

Then, to Xiong Tank's astonishment, he forcibly twisted his head back against Xiong Tank's fist, revealing a smile that was even uglier than a grimace.

next moment.

Bang!

His fist struck Xiong Tank's chest with incredible speed, like a bolt of lightning.

"cough!"

Xiong Tank felt a stinging sensation in his nose and a churning in his stomach. The next moment, he uncontrollably spat out a mouthful of saliva, followed by a sharp pain in his chest.

He instinctively reached out to cover his chest, but the pain spread in all directions with just a light touch, like a drop of black ink spreading across clear water.

Bear Tank realized that his ribs might be cracked.

He was startled by the discovery.

It should be noted that he is not only strong, but also has top-notch defense. Since adulthood, he has never suffered any superficial injuries, let alone broken bones.

As he aged, his physique reached its peak. Before he was brainwashed, researchers even tried to run him over with a car, but the car was totaled and all the airbags deployed, while he himself was unharmed.

But this is only one punch...

So it seems... Tadokoro really did save me just now?

"Bear Tank" thought to himself.

"Hey! Are you alright?" Jiang Shu asked from afar.

Others also wanted to step forward and help.

But the bear tank reached out and stopped them.

"He has strength no less than mine," Xiong Tank reminded the others, forcing himself to stay strong.

"How is this possible?!"

Everyone present was stunned.

Bear Tank's superpowers are simple and unpretentious: absolute strength and defense, which not only surpasses that of humans but also that of all superpowered individuals.

But now he's saying that the other party's strength is no less than his own?

call!

While everyone was still in shock, the android was already preparing its next attack.

Suddenly, his right hand flashed with an orange-yellow light. Before anyone could see what he was doing, a ball of scorching flame roared toward them.

The blazing fireball, like a compressed sun, was so intensely hot that even light seemed to tremble in fear, distorting everything in everyone's sight.

The fireball exploded the moment it hit the foremost bear tank, and the flames instantly engulfed everything.

As the golden flames swept past, a layer of the concrete ground around where everyone was standing was burned away, leaving only charred black marks.

When the flames subsided, everyone was unharmed, except that their hair was a little curly, and some of those who were closest to the impact of the flames had minor burn marks on their bodies.

It turned out that at the critical moment, Jiang Shu used [Numbness], which applied a group buff to all the resistance fighters, covering them with an invisible iron curtain that could isolate them from all harm.

Everyone who had survived the ordeal looked at Jiang Shu with gratitude.

However, Jiang Shu's expression was very unpleasant, showing no sign of happiness.

Previously, the "numbness" ability allowed the resistance fighters to withstand bullets and explosions without being affected in the slightest, but now, the flames were actually burning everyone.

This means that, perhaps from now on, those covered by "numbness" will no longer be invincible.

Upon seeing the android use its fire fist, some of the researchers recalled something.

"It's number 57! It's number 57's Flame Fist!"

"What?! It's Agni who's here?!" Jiang Shu exclaimed in surprise.

"What is Agni? No, it's not Agni." The researchers didn't have time to ask and anxiously explained, "It's Subject 57, who is already dead. His ability was fire control!"

"Then why do you call him Flame Fist?"

"Because he just fired it with his fist!"

The researchers answered instinctively, but then, as if remembering something, they began to contradict themselves again.

"No, no, No. 57 doesn't have the strength to rival the Bear Tank, and the flames he can control aren't nearly that powerful."

Jiang Shu instantly understood something: "Could it be... that the androids are not just reviving the corpse of a certain superpowered person, but rather using many different superpowered people to piece together a completely new individual with many different kinds of superpowers?"

It was as if this was a special response to Jiang Shu.

The android who had just used the Flame Fist on the rebels vanished into thin air before everyone's eyes.

When he reappeared, he had already dodged and weaved in front of the bear tank.

The two were face to face, less than a hand's width apart.

His burning fingers were already plunging straight into Xiong Tank's throat.

If one's fingers can be inserted smoothly, then the other person's head should melt away like ice cream being cut by a red-hot knife.

The androids were absolutely certain of this.

However, the indifference in his eyes was quickly replaced by a hint of confusion.

"I was wondering earlier, how could that punch that hit my chest be so fast? It turns out it really is like what the mentor said, you androids are hybrids."

The bear tank looked down at him with a terrifying smile:

"You still have the speed of number 39... It's just a pity that your intentions are too obvious."

Sizzle—Sizzle—

Bear Tank's right hand, facing outwards, firmly protected his throat at the critical moment, and he also grasped the android's fingers in the process. At this moment, black smoke was emanating from his palm—

Even with the amplification from [Numbness], the bear tank's palm still felt like it was being burned by a branding iron at such close range.

But he seemed to be immune to pain.

Click!

With a sharp crack, the android's finger snapped off.

Instinctively, the android quickly pulled away, only to return to its previous position in an instant, before looking at its hands in confusion.

Two fingers are missing there.

It turned out that not only was his finger broken by Xiong Tank, but also, taking advantage of his attempt to pull away, his skin and flesh were ripped off.

It was only then that the others realized what was happening.

"As you said, mentor, they are indeed hybrids, possessing multiple superpowers, and their strength is even greater than that of the original owners."

Bear Tank tossed aside the two fingers, a look of disdain on his face:

"However, their weaknesses are also obvious. They do not have human emotions or the ability to adapt to changing circumstances. They are just machines that have been programmed with code in advance."

Is that really the case?

Jiang Shu nodded slowly.

Even though he has now figured out the weaknesses of the androids, he still feels immense pressure.

Even so... the quantity is still a bit too much...

And it's completely unclear how many different superpowers they actually possess.

And the most important point.

From beginning to end, only one android was active; the other androids were just standing there watching...

It was at this moment.

It seemed that the bear tank's provocative behavior had completely enraged the android, who let out a piercing roar that no human could possibly produce.

The next moment, all the other androids started to move at the same time.

Upon seeing this, everyone instantly tensed up.

Even though Bear Tank made it sound so easy, they all knew they weren't as powerful as Bear Tank.

Let alone the fact that most people are ordinary people now, even elite soldiers are not outside the realm of humanity.

Even among those with superpowers, the number of people who can rival Bear Tank is not only minuscule but practically nonexistent. That's why Bear Tank is the captain of the second level.

Therefore, they really didn't have much confidence in fighting an enemy that even a bear tank with Jiang Shu's amplification could only withstand by sustaining injuries.

If the android who used the Flame Fist on everyone is like Kuma Tank, a top-tier android on the android side, that's fine. But what if he's the average fighter on that side...?

That's just how the world is; what you fear most often comes to pass.

Just when everyone was planning to divide the work and cooperate as before, with superpowered individuals taking the lead, professional soldiers providing cover, and researchers providing support, the terrifying nature of the androids dealt everyone a heavy blow.

It's hard to say whether Flame Fist is a top-tier hero or just average, because the opposing androids each have three to five different superpowers, making it difficult to distinguish who is stronger or weaker in a short time.

However, it is certain that the combat power of each of them is superior to that of any single individual on their side.

In other words, there is absolutely no chance of winning in a 1v1 situation.

So, how about cooperation?

That seems like a complete fantasy.

First of all, each of the opposing team members possesses so many superpowers that one person is equivalent to the combined efforts of three to five people. Moreover, because they can control their own parts with perfect ease, even if our team has a high level of coordination, it is absolutely impossible for us to match their coordination.

What's even more disheartening is that, on this basis, they can still cooperate with each other.

Even if, as Xiong Tank said, they were just machines with pre-programmed codes, the machines were able to perform flawlessly and were completely unaffected by pressure, while Jiang Shu's side often suffered losses due to excessive pressure and coordination errors.

At this point, it's pointless to discuss individual combat strength. The opponent's superior horse can turn a medium horse into a superior horse and a inferior horse into a medium horse. With the help of the medium and inferior horses, the superior horse can break through again.

From individuals to groups, it turns out that the artificial humans have the upper hand.

As a result, everyone discovered that the unity that the group had been so proud of was so vulnerable in the face of cold, hard code.

Almost everyone struggled the moment they realized this.

It's not about struggling with whether or not you're willing to risk your life to fight for it.

If they hesitate because of this, if they lack this awareness, then not so many people would have been willing to sacrifice themselves for righteousness in the past.

What they struggled with was how to sacrifice themselves to give their companions a chance to breathe and a better chance of survival.

Yes, they've stopped thinking about how to win and started thinking about how to lose less decisively.

Seeing this, Jiang Shu was extremely anxious.

At this moment, he was just like Xiang Yu trapped at Gaixia, watching his comrades fall one by one, but he was powerless to do anything about it.

Could it be...?

Do we really need to use that?

Jiang Shu hesitated greatly, wondering whether he should use the new ability he had just acquired from the side quest.

Although the new ability is incredibly powerful, using it might lead to losing the hatchery competition, so he originally planned to save it for last.

Should we... abandon the essential for the trivial?

Just as he was hesitating, Saeko suddenly woke him up.

"Mentor, we've discussed it. We plan to stay and stall them. You should figure out how to get out first."

Jiang Shu was taken aback.

Do you know what this means?

“I understand.” Saeko nodded. “Although it’s a pity that we can’t complete the blueprint we drew together, we have no other choice now. You must leave here and then find a way to continue our great cause.”

After saying that, Saeko called over a few psychics and charged toward the android's flank.

Meanwhile, on the main battlefield where the bear tank was located, everyone tacitly began to hold back and pull, drawing the androids' attention to the other side.