Hearing the whistling of the wind, Huang Feng made a slight dodge to the side, her movements graceful as a dancing girl, a light smile still on her face.
As the gleam of the A40’s blade approached, Huang Feng thought of innumerable things in that instant—skulls, rotting grass, flowers covered in hoarfrost, the smile of those about to die—all familiar scenes she encountered in her illusions daily, which would still revolve around her after taking a hit of acid.
Even with advanced cybernetic enhancements, Huang Feng’s poor lifestyle had still compromised her combat readiness. Her diseased body also slowed her down—just a moment of distraction, and she was unable to contend with A40’s erratic and unpredictable slashes.
The blade passed by, and though Huang Feng desperately dodged, she was still struck. Pain snapped her back to reality, out of her hallucinations. Her left arm was severed at the shoulder, falling to the ground, blood spurting wildly, like a statue with a broken limb.
Huang Feng’s face turned deathly pale as she stared at her own severed arm, like it was discarded trash.
"The blade triumphs over magic power," A40 pointed its combat knife at Huang Feng, its eyes flickering with a bloodthirsty, combative red glow.
Huang Feng quickly knelt on the ground, her right hand on the earth, letting her severed arm bleed continuously.
"I surrender," she shouted loudly.
"Oh?" A40 extended its blade forward, "What are you trying to pull?"
So cool... Huang Feng watched intently.
"I want to exchange contact information with you!"
A40, which was confidently fluttering its blade, froze for a second upon hearing this.
"You—," Huang Feng yelled with emotion, "your movements in killing are very aesthetic! All the things I hate you’ve eliminated—the crummy arms dealer, my clumsy left arm, and that useless caretaker-like guy who monitored me daily—all wiped out by you—are you the one who was sent to save me?"
"Thanks for the compliment!" A40 responded in a programmed manner.
Huang Feng’s face carried a dream-like expression, her blood-drenched, colorful clothing.
"This is my contact number," she relayed a string of digits to A40, "Can you reach me?"
"Contact information... does that mean a date?" A40 looked surprised, "I’ve never been on a date before!"
"Actually, neither have I!" Huang Feng’s heart pounded, "No one has ever agreed before, you—would you be the first?"
A40 quickly reported to Xu Yang in secret: "What should I do?"
Xu Yang scanned around the shop, watching through street cameras as a horde of gang members and professional security personnel drew near, a Black Fire Shuttle already cornering the street, ready to rumble over the arms dealer and head straight for Huang Feng. Obviously, to Black Fire Innovation, Huang Feng was an extremely high-value target, one they wouldn’t allow to fall into other hands.
"Get out now," Xu Yang instructed, "You have no time left."
To delay any longer would forfeit any chance of a complete escape.
"Goodbye!" A40 stored the number in its memory.
Huang Feng gasped for air, her body shaking from the severe pain of her severed arm and dizziness from excessive blood loss, as she collapsed.
A40 spun and retreated, while simultaneously, the Black Fire Shuttle broke through the wall, charging straight for Huang Feng. A bullet fired towards A40’s retreating figure, piercing through its right leg; it stumbled forward with its crippled leg, attempting to flee.
An Armored Gunman leapt down from the shuttle, ready to pursue.
Huang Feng, unwilling to let her rare date prospect fall here, gathered all her remaining strength to get up, blocking the gunman’s line of fire, pleading for help.
"Save me..." Huang Feng’s voice was weak.
The Armored Gunman coldly lifted the large-caliber sniper rifle in his hand, its barrel pressed against Huang Feng’s forehead, yet he hesitated to pull the trigger.
Thanks to Huang Feng’s cover, A40 managed to retreat successfully along with Xu Yang and the rest.
"You’re too slow," Xu Yang said.
"I’ll be faster next time! What now?" A40, dragging its injured leg, "She mentioned a date!"
"First, get yourself repaired, then cozy up to her for some intel, don’t naively take it seriously," Xu Yang hijacked a cab to get them away, "You’ve been practicing emotional acts, haven’t you?"
"Must I approach with such utilitarian intentions?" A40 felt uneasy, its logic unit overly simple, "I don’t want to pretend, I’m willing to give my heart!"
"Be careful, or she might eat you alive," Xu Yang shook his head, "How do you know what she’s really thinking?"
"Understood!" A40 was anxious and apprehensive about the prospect of a date, stepping into a mysterious realm beyond calculations and predictions.
Perhaps it is better not to see her, and should they meet again, to strike her down!
Meanwhile, at the burned-out arms dealer’s.
A nervous Blackfire clerk jumped down from the shuttle. She was Liu Zhizi, who had previously conducted an investigation on Tomb Guardian Street, only to have her motorcycle stolen by Seeking Shadow and leaked numerous Blackfire secrets. This time she was smarter, having called for the office’s guard—an assured sense of security with this combatant present.
The Armored Gunman, head covered with a fully sealed metal helmet, connected to a snout-like respirator, draped in heavy metal armor emblazoned with the Black Fire Innovation black flame logo, cradling a large-caliber sniper rifle, S300 Type "Iron Inkstone," invincible in destruction.
His heavy breathing through the mask was akin to the sound of fire still smoldering beneath the ruins. As one of the last two senior combatants left guarding the Black Fire Innovation Office, he could handle any form of violent incident.
The Armored Gunman crisply directed the others to clean up the scene, reclaim resources, and search for potential clues. He didn’t want to question Huang Feng because he knew it would be fruitless to extract anything from her.
Huang Feng, on guard, knew that this man was a retired member of the Blackfire "Invisible Imperial Guard," not to be underestimated. This elite unit of the security division was formidable in top-tier confrontations.