Driven into a desperate situation once again.
Before his eyes was that massive beast, comparable to a mountain of flesh, charging straight toward him with even greater ferocity than the goblin last time.
That thick, hard bone club... there was no doubt a single blow would bury him into the ground, turning his flesh and blood into an inseparable mess with the bricks and stone.
Yet for some reason, Wu Shuang no longer felt the fear he had experienced when facing a goblin for the first time. Perhaps it was because he had been through more since then, or perhaps because he had someone else with him. Whatever the case, he was very calm right now. Dropping his sword with his right hand, he tightly gripped "Argus," while the long, silver-white hair helped stabilize the firearm's barrel and assist his aim.
There was only one chance—only this single shot!
Wu Shuang's breathing grew steady, and the aura he exuded underwent a shift.
【Your Humanity has changed... Current Color: Red!】
In the face of danger, Wu Shuang suddenly pivoted the barrel. Instead of shooting at the shark monster's head, he aimed for another spot and decisively pulled the trigger.
BANG!
A deafening gunshot resounded through Gulf Town once more, blowing out a massive cloud of white smoke.
Next came the heavy thud of something landing on the ground, causing even the shark-headed goblin to freeze mid-stride. A humanlike expression of shock and bewilderment appeared on its half-mutilated face.
It looked down at its outstretched right arm, only to discover that its forearm had been torn apart by that unknown black tube. Tendons were exposed, nearly a third of its flesh had been shaved off to reveal the hard bone beneath, one of which was even fractured, leaving its hand dangling limply.
The object that had just hit the ground was the large bone club it had been holding. That was why it was stunned—the weapon it was preparing to attack with had dropped to the ground, leaving a trail of filthy blood and shredded flesh dripping with a soft pattering sound.
...
On the other side.
Wu Shuang turned and ran the moment he fired. The recoil slamming into his chest and left arm nearly knocked the wind out of him completely.
Fortunately, as Red Humanity took effect, he felt no pain—only that his left arm seemed to have vanished, with even his fingers refusing to obey his commands.
He quickly retreated into an alleyway, taking a couple of turns, but stopped after running just a short distance and looked back in the shark-headed goblin's direction.
"Wu Shuang, you're badly hurt! If you don't treat the wound on your left arm, you'll be permanently disabled. You can't stop now!"
Mia said urgently. Her chin and face were also scratched and bleeding, having taken part of that shower of flying debris. She had nearly been hit herself—the stone fragment lodged in Wu Shuang's left shoulder had missed her by only a few centimeters at the time.
"No, we have to finish it here!
This guy is smart as hell. Letting it escape would be a huge problem!"
Wu Shuang replied, showing no intention of retreating whatsoever.
"But..."
"I brought medicine. It's in my left pants pocket—grab it for me."
Wu Shuang swallowed the "Holy Blessed Pill" Mia handed him. His injuries healed rapidly, and the stone fragment embedded in his left shoulder fell right out. As expected of a magical medicine, its effects never disappointed.
As for the side effects, he chugged down half a canteen of water to force it through, then listened closely to the sounds coming from the direction he had come from before taking a detour back.
Along the way, Mia grew quiet, looking as if she wanted to say something but hesitated. She seemed to realize just how dangerous the "fathead" she kept calling it really was, gradually becoming more cautious and even opposing the idea of Wu Shuang risking his life again.
However, Wu Shuang mistook her silence for fear, so he spoke up.
"Mia, if I lose later, absorb all my Humanity and run. You're a small target; it won't be able to catch you."
"Huh? Who are you looking down on?"
Mia said angrily, glaring fiercely at him, leaving Wu Shuang momentarily stunned.
"Uh..."
"Forget it, whatever! If we fight, we fight. Either way, you can't lose, hear me?!"
Mia spoke as if putting everything on the line, leaving Wu Shuang strangely touched and filling him with renewed strength.
"I'll do my best."
"Not your best—you have to win."
"Alright, I'll definitely crush that ugly thing."
...
On the other side.
The shark-headed goblin had already lost sight of Wu Shuang and was roaring repeatedly, infuriated that the tiny bug had managed to escape!
It had no intention of letting Wu Shuang off, given how severely he had injured it. What it didn't know, however... was that Wu Shuang felt the exact same way.
Unable to find its target, the shark-head vented its rage on the surrounding buildings. Switching the bone club to its left hand, it demolished the narrow alley Wu Shuang had ducked into, flattening it into rubble—unaware that the latter had taken a long detour and looped around from the other side.
This was actually the result of Wu Shuang's very first shot. Although it hadn't blinded the creature completely, it had impaired the shark-headed goblin's hearing and sense of smell.
Combined with the persistent stench of rot and briny air misting the town, it had no idea Wu Shuang had returned. In fact, he was right behind it, standing on its blind left side, watching it vent its anger on the buildings while aiming his gun barrel straight at its ankle.
BANG!
Another gunshot echoed.
By the time the shark-headed goblin heard it, it was already too late. A searing pain exploded in its left ankle as shredded flesh and bone fragments sprayed through the air. Losing its balance, it collapsed to the side, propping itself up with its left arm.
This was the exact opportunity Wu Shuang had been waiting for.
Firing for the third time, his coordination with Mia had become even more seamless. After this shot, he wasn't even knocked backward by the recoil. They swiftly exchanged weapons, and he took "Blood Rose" from Mia before performing a bizarre, almost self-harming action.
Holding the sword in his right hand, Wu Shuang gripped the base of the blade with his left hand. As if stroking the sword, he yanked his right hand back sharply, coating the entire blade in shredded flesh and blood. Instantly, the whole sword began to quiver and emit a red glow, as if coming to life.
At that moment, the goblin, which had its back to Wu Shuang, finally turned around. Its remaining intact half-face registered surprise and terror before turning into sheer rage.
Its pride refused to let it show weakness to a bug. It swung its mangled right arm straight at him, but Wu Shuang didn't even bother to dodge, simply stopping in place.
A distance of over three meters still separated the two of them, so the sweep couldn't reach Wu Shuang at all. Instead, the filthy blood spattering from the broken arm slapped across Wu Shuang's face, yet he didn't even blink. Stepping forward, he whipped the flexible, snake-like blade outward, striking the shark-headed goblin's chest and abdomen, slashing open a deep gash that spilled its intestines outward.
This weapon was formidable and extraordinarily violent. Beyond its lethal output, it brought Wu Shuang a strange sense of pleasure, making him feel as though the whip-blade had become an extension of his body, effortlessly under his control.
Striking once, Wu Shuang immediately retreated and began running around the shark-headed goblin. Taking advantage of the creature's crippled leg, limited vision, and severed hand, he played a game of running circles around it like a child, intending to wear it down to death.
Even the collapsed rubble behind the shark-head couldn't stop Wu Shuang. Every time he darted into the debris, the goblin would lose sight of him entirely, only to suddenly feel a sharp pain as Wu Shuang ambushed it from the opposite direction or another flank.
Although the goblin possessed immense strength and could hurl objects, it couldn't match Wu Shuang's speed.
Red Humanity significantly boosted Wu Shuang's attributes, leaving him feeling no fatigue whatsoever.
The momentum had fallen entirely into Wu Shuang's hands. Flayed alive by the whips, the goblin flailed its arms blindly. Its large bone club had long been thrown away without hitting anything, leaving it flailing in wild desperation.
Soon, its right eye was blinded as well when Mia caught it off guard with a thrown axe straight into the eye. Having completely lost its vision, it survived solely on its thick hide and raw durability.
The crafty Wu Shuang and Mia would even toss trash onto the ground from time to time, using the sound to disorient the goblin's judgment.
As time passed, more and more wounds accumulated on the goblin's body.
The sword in Wu Shuang's hand was not only sharp but also extraordinarily flexible, capable of extending over two meters in length. Killing this creature was now merely a matter of time.
Yet amidst the goblin's wild thrashing, it actually landed a lucky hit—not on Wu Shuang, but on the flexible sword in his hand. Its right hand caught the blade, which then wrapped around its wrist like a snake, coiling around it multiple times and biting deep into its flesh.
Feeling that it had grabbed something, the goblin yanked violently and snapped its jaws forward, intending to bite to death the Wu Shuang it pulled in—only to bite empty air.
But that strike had been dangerously close, less than half a meter from Wu Shuang. Had he been caught, he truly would have been torn apart by the creature's multiple rows of razor-sharp teeth.
"Wu Shuang, let go! This guy is as good as dead anyway, give it the sword!"
Mia warned, breaking into a cold sweat as she too had nearly been eaten just now.
But was Wu Shuang not thinking the exact same thing?
In fact, that strike just now hadn't even been his doing; the sword itself had coiled around the creature.
Moreover, he had already let go, but the sword's openwork guard had somehow wrapped itself around Wu Shuang's forearm in reverse. Thorns had sprouted from it, extending upward and grinding his forearm into a bloody mess.
Rate on N.U.
