Chapter Six: Sever! The Flashing Sword! (Part Two)

"Send me the files," Reiko Tomokawa demanded, staring at the person on the other side of her computer screen. The other end showed a young man, dressed carelessly. Hearing her, he grinned. "Hey, hey, these documents are encrypted. Your clearance doesn’t cover them, you know."

"Cut the nonsense! Vladimir, I know you have high-level access. This is nothing for you," Reiko’s tone was grave. "My patient is in a critical situation—I don’t have time to argue. And besides, aren’t these guys your responsibility? If something goes wrong, it’s on you." She berated him through the computer.

"Alright, alright," the young man sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I’ll send the files now." As soon as he finished, Reiko’s computer chimed with a new message.

...

A thunderous explosion erupted. Lin Yang dodged another attack, pressing his back against a stone wall, panting heavily. Not far off, the man in black advanced, a miniature rocket launcher emerging from his back, aiming at Lin Yang’s hiding spot. "What’s wrong, tired already? Humans are such fragile creatures. So what if you have abilities? You still get exhausted, you still feel pain."

"Damn it. I don’t stand a chance at this rate; he’s got me completely pinned down," Lin Yang gritted his teeth. At that moment, Reiko’s voice echoed in his mind.

"Flashsaber, Flashsaber, can you hear me?"

"Reiko?" Lin Yang was startled. "How are you connected to me mentally?"

"I’m not. If I really was, that walking hunk of metal would have noticed," Reiko replied, sitting in front of her computer and watching the feed. "You’ve come to me for treatment so many times—I left some of my special devices on you while you were unconscious."

"You—" Lin Yang felt a wave of dizziness.

"Relax," Reiko laughed. "I just implanted a nano-sensor in your eardrum. I’m monitoring everything on your end and I’ve dug up that guy’s data too."

"What did you find?" Lin Yang asked urgently. "I can’t do anything to him right now."

"Naturally," Reiko tapped away. "That guy has killed Hunter Squad members before—he’s known as the ‘Blood Butcher.’ He’s one of the Special Alliance’s main weapons against the Hunter Squad. His gear alone is worth tens of millions of merit points. Your ten-thousand merit-point lightsaber can’t even scratch him."

"Tens of millions?" Lin Yang’s eyes lit up. "If I take him apart and sell the parts… One million for an arm, two million for a leg…"

"Is this really the time for that?" Reiko almost laughed, then grew serious. "Listen carefully. His ‘skin’ is made from a special urban dark-alloy—much harder than your lightsaber. Just a thin layer makes him immune to your attacks."

"So what should I do?" Lin Yang asked, anxious.

"This material, while tough, has one flaw: a low melting point."

"Its melting point is just over three hundred degrees. If you lure him somewhere hot enough, his alloy will melt and shed. Then your lightsaber can cut him down."

"Three hundred degrees… Where am I supposed to find that kind of heat?" Lin Yang was about to shout.

"Calm down," Reiko said with a smile. "Not far to your left is the storage room—one of them holds medical alcohol. Need I say more?"

"Got it." Lin Yang nodded, gritted his teeth, and said, "Alright, let’s do this." He leapt up and shouted at the Blood Butcher, "Hey, idiot! Come and get me! Come on, hit me if you can!" Then he turned and bolted.

The Blood Butcher hesitated a moment before his rocket locked onto Lin Yang.

Explosions chased Lin Yang all the way to the warehouse. Blown about and battered, he finally reached the door, slashed a Z-shaped mark with his lightsaber, and slipped inside.

"Straight ahead, left turn, second door on the left!" Reiko’s voice directed him. Lin Yang dashed over and kicked the door open, revealing a deep corridor.

Another explosion thundered behind him. Lin Yang knew the Blood Butcher was right on his heels and didn’t hesitate—he sprinted through, his lightsaber flashing, smashing every bottle of medical alcohol along the way.

But just as Lin Yang was two-thirds through the corridor, the Blood Butcher appeared at the entrance, his left arm now a machine gun.

"Not good!" Lin Yang’s heart leapt. The Blood Butcher fired! Flames spat forth, and Lin Yang’s face went pale as he parried the bullets with his lightsaber, sparks flying everywhere.

In an instant, the whole room was ablaze. Blue flames, writhing like twisted serpents, surged forward. Lin Yang panicked, but it was too late—only two steps left, but at the end of the corridor was a wall.

A deafening explosion ripped through the air. The entire warehouse was blown to pieces, a shockwave sweeping everything in its path. Columns of fire toppled the walls and engulfed the ruins in seconds.

Lin Yang crashed to the ground, struggling for a long time before he could get up. Just before the explosion, he’d used his spatial movement ability to slip through the wall, but the blast still hurled him five or six meters away. His body’s "extreme development" training was the only reason he survived; any normal person would have been killed instantly.

"Lin Yang, are you alright?" Reiko’s voice came through. Lin Yang staggered to his feet, watching the warehouse burn. "Not dead yet. With an explosion like that, could he really have survived?"

"Hard to say," Reiko muttered, eyes glued to her screen. "Flashsaber’s stamina is almost gone. If that thing survived, it’s going to be trouble." But suddenly, her eyes widened in shock. She stared at the man emerging from the flames and cried out, "We’re finished!"

Lin Yang swayed as he stood, gripping his lightsaber. He was exhausted, but couldn’t back down. Behind him was the clinic’s inpatient wing—Xie Liu, Ye Ling, and Reiko were all inside.

"The blast was at least four or five hundred degrees. His ‘skin’ must have melted. As long as I land a hit, that’s it," Lin Yang thought grimly.

He readied himself for battle. The Blood Butcher extended his left arm, but the gun only sputtered uselessly. He glanced at it. "Burnt out? Fine, I’ll kill you with swordsmanship."

"Flashsaber, it’s obvious—your stamina’s spent. Meanwhile, I’m a cyborg. As long as I have energy, I can fight forever—no fatigue, no pain."

Lin Yang clenched his teeth, trying to use his spatial movement again, but his body only flickered, then returned to place.

"What’s wrong? Too tired to focus, can’t calculate the coordinates for the ability?" The Blood Butcher sneered. "Things aren’t looking good for you."

Lin Yang remained silent, only snorting coldly. In the next instant, he attacked, lightsaber thrusting at the Blood Butcher. But the opponent was a master swordsman too, easily blocking his strike.

"I have all the time in the world. Let me savor the moment you struggle in vain!"

...

"What do we do? At this rate, Lin Yang’s going to die!" Reiko was losing her composure. Just then, Ye Ling burst in, looking haggard. Hearing Reiko’s words, her face went pale. Reiko was about to say something, but Ye Ling turned and ran.

"I have to think of something," Ye Ling muttered anxiously as she sprinted up to the third floor, where Xie Liu’s room was.

She slammed open the door and shouted, "Xie Liu, wake—" She stopped short.

In the darkened room, someone was already sitting on the bed, leaning on a long cane. Seeing Ye Ling, he looked up and smiled. "Well, what brings the young miss here?"

...

Lin Yang’s vision began to blur. His swings slowed, his stamina depleted—it was all he could do to defend against the Blood Butcher’s relentless assault.

"I can’t hold on." Suddenly, his legs gave way and he half-knelt, exposing a fatal opening.

"Die!" the Blood Butcher roared, bringing his sword down in a deadly arc. Blood was about to fly!

Bang! A gunshot rang out in the dark, a bullet slicing through the air—the Blood Butcher’s sword shattered into fragments.

"Now’s my chance!" The thought flashed through Lin Yang’s mind. In a surge of energy, he sprang up.

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!" With a scream that vented all his remaining strength, Lin Yang spun through the air, his blade moving in a perfect, fluid arc. In the blink of an eye, the Blood Butcher’s arms were severed completely.

"Impossible!" the Blood Butcher cried out, but Lin Yang was already airborne, lightsaber slashing down without hesitation, striking the Blood Butcher’s shoulder.

"Die! Slash!" Lin Yang roared, his saber cutting through everything, cleaving the Blood Butcher from shoulder to waist.

Slash!

...

Clink… clink… clink… An empty shell casing tumbled to the floor, bounced several times, and finally came to rest, still smoking faintly. Xie Liu leaned against the window, a lollipop stick in his mouth, and smiled. "Done. So tired…"

...

Lin Yang stood over the Blood Butcher’s bisected body, sword in hand. He said quietly, "You lost."

"Heh… heh…" The Blood Butcher, being a machine, did not bleed or die instantly—just a pile of ruined metal. He sneered, "Impressive, Flashsaber. But do you think this is over? One day, all you superhumans will be replaced by us. Just wait for your extinction! Hahaha…"

Lin Yang looked down at him, then finally said, "Shut up."

The lightsaber fell, piercing the Blood Butcher’s head.