BOOM!!!!!
A thunderous gunshot detonated, exploding into a massive cloud of smoke.
Right after came the monster's roar of pain.
Dark purple filth-blood and shredded flesh sloughed onto the ground, some of it even splattering onto Wu Shuang.
The shot hit home—at such close range, it directly blasted apart the goblin's reaching left hand. Blood and flesh exploded as the webbing between its fingers and its palm were torn to shreds, leaving only two severed fingers dangling.
The firearm was undeniably powerful, but unfortunately it was not fatal. Instead of striking a vital spot, it hit the goblin's reaching hand, doing nothing more than infuriating the creature...
"I have to run! Move!"
Wu Shuang urged himself forward, wanting to flee during the brief moment the goblin recoiled from the gunshot.
But as he tried to push himself up, his body collapsed uncontrollably to the right. Looking down, he realized his right arm—the one holding the gun—was bent at an unnatural angle, entirely devoid of support.
A tearing, agonizing pain washed over him two seconds later. The back of his right hand throbbed with a burning heat, scorched black by what seemed to be a backfire jet of burning powder.
Damn it, my right arm is broken!
Wu Shuang realized in horror, but he had no time to curse the terrible gun. His eyes shifted uncontrollably toward the goblin, toward the giant ship anchor raised high above its head, blocking out the sky and sunlight.
That thing must weigh hundreds of kilograms... Raising it that high, are you kidding me...?
Wu Shuang's brain felt frozen, immediately followed by uncontrollable terror.
I'm going to die... I need to run!
I don't want to die.
Run!
Hurry!
Move, damn it!!!
Wu Shuang screamed in his heart, yet his body remained frozen in place.
In that instant, he felt as if the entire world had fallen silent. His field of vision was dyed a light blue, and an ethereal voice whispered near his ears—unclear to hear, yet completely understandable in meaning.
【Your Humanity has undergone a transformation. Current color... Blue!】
Time seemed to hit a pause button. Everything slowed down except Wu Shuang himself... or more accurately, his thoughts.
Everything was moving agonizingly slow, including the descending ship anchor, but Wu Shuang simply could not move or dodge—or rather, he moved far too slowly.
It was like a life-flashing-before-one's-eyes moment before death. Though time had stretched out, it merely prolonged the process of dying. In reality, he could do nothing but watch death approach, experiencing it in painstaking detail—feeling every inch of his bones crushed, his flesh torn, and his organs and blood splattering across the ground.
Is this the end?
I really... don't want to die...
Squelch!!
Wu Shuang's eyes widened as a conical lance over fifty centimeters in diameter slammed down obliquely from above his head, striking the goblin squarely and impaling it on the spot.
Driven by overwhelming kinetic momentum, the lance carried the goblin through the air, pinning it to the street outside the estate. The tip drove deep into the earth, spraying up a cloud of debris and dust.
As for the ship anchor, it flew past Wu Shuang's head at an angle and crashed into the dirt, missing him by mere centimeters.
In just a single instant, the situation was completely rewritten, even though to Wu Shuang, it felt like several hours had passed.
Killed in a single strike, the goblin didn't even manage a scream before its internal organs and bones were utterly shattered. At the same same, two glowing spheres slid out beside it.
From one side of the estate came the heavy, harsh scraping of iron chains—it was the silver-armored knight.
He had walked over at some unknown moment. A chain was hidden inside his gauntlet, attached to the lance at the other end. He was reeling it back, sparks flying with each violent jerk as though the mechanism wasn't running smoothly.
Ultimately, he picked up the heavy lance and looked down at the beyond-dead goblin, its torso practically ripped apart, bones crushed, with organs and foul blood strewn everywhere.
The knight felt nothing toward this scene, merely confirming the kill before turning his head toward where Wu Shuang had been lying. But by then, the man had long since vanished, leaving behind only a messy trail of footprints heading straight for the mansion, along with the gun left on the ground that he hadn't had time to retrieve...
Meanwhile...
Wu Shuang had already slipped into the mansion through a broken ground-floor window and was dragging his leaden legs toward the second floor.
Though saved by the silver-armored knight, he didn't dare stay. In his eyes, this knight was a boss far more terrifying than the goblin. He had to bolt immediately, or he too might end up pinned to that lance.
Yes, impaled on that lance!
So the moment he got up, he ran for his life. His steps were erratic and his body throbbed with intense pain, but his speed wasn't slow at all. In no time, he escaped to the second floor.
As long as he made it back to the attic, given the silver-armored knight's massive build, it was unlikely he could give chase into the attic.
If the knight really did pursue him and jabbed at him through the wall with that lance, there would be nothing he could do anyway. This was his only hiding spot, so all he could do was leave it to fate.
Just like that, after about three minutes, Wu Shuang finally climbed back into the attic.
That final stretch climbing the attic ladder one-handed nearly took the life out of him—he almost tumbled off—but he managed to make it back regardless.
Wu Shuang collapsed onto his butt, gasping violently. His right arm was practically ruined, incapable of even being lifted. Pain radiated across his entire body, particularly his back and right elbow joint, which were already badly swollen.
That gun was beyond ridiculous. It hadn't taken recoil into account at all; a single shot had fractured his right arm directly, and the backfiring sparks had scorched the back of his hand. It was literally just a high-powered club—devoid of any design sensibility!
What a rip-off!
Wu Shuang cursed the gun's creator—Old Henry—at least a hundred times. Only when his breathing finally evened out did he pull out his handbook to check his status.
----------------
Name: Wu Shuang
Hero ID: 42782408421 | Class: Apprentice Hero
Health: 58% | Stamina: 4% | Humanity: 148 | Color: Blue
(Blue Humanity: Represents fear, remorse, and regret. When over 100, every 10 points of Blue Humanity grants Agility +1. Upon receiving intense sensory stimulation, severe pain, or other negative sensations, there is a chance to enter Near-Death Time, dramatically accelerating thoughts and allowing for more precise actions, while simultaneously magnifying pain and other negative feelings.
When Stamina falls below 10%, Health will be consumed to maintain activity until death.
Hero's Insights ①: No matter when, staying alive is your top priority. Even if your actions are disgraceful or unsightly, please strive to survive.)
Mana: 1
Talent: Extra
Ability: None
Spell: Appraisal Spell
Strength: 4 (31/100)
Agility: 5 +4 (24/200)
Constitution: 5 (27/200)
Willpower: 5 (42/200)
Magic: 5 (11/200)
Overall Combat Rating: 3 (Overall Combat Rating is the sum of all attributes - 25)
----------------
"Still at 58%... and here I felt like I was dying."
Wu Shuang said, gasping for air. The calm composure he had possessed back in Paul's house had long vanished from his face, his confidence severely shaken—perhaps influenced by his Humanity.
Had his Humanity not shifted to blue in the nick of time, he likely wouldn't even have had the energy to crawl back, ending up a corpse instead.
Although Blue Humanity wasn't particularly suited for combat, it was almost a perfect choice for escaping—practically a specialty for cowards.
But what now?
Wu Shuang looked at his swollen, aching arm throbbing with dull pain, feeling utterly miserable.
Although he wouldn't die immediately, his right arm risked permanent disability or even severe infection if not treated properly...
He needed a doctor—a living doctor who could help him—or to purchase medicine capable of healing broken bones.
Rate on N.U.
