Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

At this moment, Tao, quite unusually, smiled, his pupils dilated, his lips curled up, and he suddenly slammed his fist hard on the table.

It seemed that years of pent-up repression and pain were being released on this rainy night. Given his two sleepless nights, this sudden emotional fluctuation made Tito fear he might faint at any moment, so he quickly advised, "Take it easy..."

"See that, Tito? I did it! It's alive, my Icarus, finally... finally alive, ha... ha ha...!" He grabbed a pile of discarded manuscripts and scattered them into the air like flower petals, spreading his arms wide to enjoy the fireworks that were his alone.

“Okay, okay, I understand. Go hide inside for a bit. And you, Reed, don’t stay here. That guy could come back at any moment, and it’s not safe here anymore. While the tin can buys you some time, everyone hide in the basement, Mrs. Tuden…”

Tito turned his head and saw that Mrs. Tuden was completely dumbfounded. People in myths whose souls were swallowed by Dementors were generally like this: their eyes were blank, their mouths were slightly open, and their expressions were wooden.

“That’s normal. It’s like this when you first come into contact with a world outside your knowledge.” Reed spoke with an air of experience. He glanced at Tao—thin arms and legs, and hadn’t slept for so long—and finally sighed, “I’ll carry her.”

"And what about you, Tito? Aren't you coming with us?" Tao seemed to have just remembered this and hurriedly asked.

“There are still weapons in the rooms upstairs, right? Someone has to have something on them. Otherwise, if that monster manages to sneak into the cellar, we'll all be meat in a can,” Tito said, making up a reason. “I’ll go for a bit and be right back. You guys go hide!”

----

"Oh my God……"

Zhang Renfeng himself never expected that one day he would be able to utter such a sigh.

Over the past few years, he has traveled extensively and seen a lot. While he wouldn't presume to call himself knowledgeable, he has certainly witnessed the diverse and complex world, and very few things can elicit a look of surprise from him anymore.

However, tonight and tomorrow, this moment will likely occupy an unforgettable place in his life.

All the laboratory lights were off. On the dark hillside, only two beams of light shot into the sky, swaying in the heavy rain, accompanied by the occasional clanging of metal and the roars of wild beasts. Following the sound and light, Zhang Renfeng was naturally led to the battlefield. What kind of scene would he see?

To be honest, it reminded him of the game he played with his peers when he was a child, fighting crickets on tree stumps.

This time, however, the venue was larger and more open, and the crickets...

They've also replaced it with a completely new variety that we've never seen before!

A monster of flesh and blood.

A metallic monster.

They collided and struggled with each other, producing a dull thud.

"This world is so crazy."

Seeing the scene before him, Ren lowered his head slightly, looked at the rather powerless samurai sword in his hand, and sighed from the bottom of his heart.

Chapter 457: You four even triggered a combo attack?

"What is this thing again?!" Silver Frost, who finally arrived on horseback, was so shocked that she forgot to dismount. Her astonishment and disbelief were written all over her face.

After the initial shock came an indescribable heartache.

Because she knew that in some parts of the High Trees, Native Americans still lived in primitive tribal societies. They made a living by hunting on horseback, leading a nomadic lifestyle. They also had guns, but they either bought them or stole them. It was hard to imagine that they would live in the same world as these people in front of her.

The disparities in the world are widening at an alarming rate.

"That's Icarus! It actually moved, and of all times, tonight..." Wolf's tone was more of a sigh, because she had witnessed all 7198 previous failures. From her perspective, this was not some miracle that happened overnight.

"Tao always wanted to create a machine that is very similar to humans, that can help people do things they are unwilling or unable to do. Life should not only have one form—that's what he told me."

"And this is the culmination of his hard work during this period."

……

Zhang Renfeng watched Icarus from afar, and only at this moment did he truly understand what Igor meant by "the ticket to the next era."

Judging by this momentum, it's probably not just going to be the next era. No wonder his research is struggling to secure funding in the secular world. You're working on something that's already going to be the next era. Most people probably have no idea what you're researching. Why would anyone throw away real money for a vague concept?

This stormy night shattered all his expectations.

"What should we say?" Ren had already drawn his katana. "Go help that tin can guy?"

“…No, let’s not do anything for now.” Zhang Renfeng rationally stopped him from trying to fight against multiple enemies. “Although it is Tao’s creation, we have no idea what logic it follows.”

"Given its size, if it moves around too much, it could easily injure us. Let's wait and see who wins. If this big tin can wins, everyone will be happy. If the monster wins... let's see if we can find a weakness in it. If we do, it will be credited with one-third of the victory."

With the same patience one would have for watching crickets fight, Zhang Renfeng stood still and observed the battle between the two monsters.

Icarus was about five meters tall, slightly shorter than Frankenstein. His entire body was made of metal, and although his punches and kicks were slow, they were quite heavy.

Unfortunately, no matter how strong Tao's technical capabilities were, he was ultimately limited by the materials available in that era.

Although it was already far ahead, it was still slightly inferior to the Ruofu strain. The strain could provide the body with powerful regenerative abilities, but Icarus could not; the more it was attacked, the fewer parts it had. As it was attacked, screws, gears, and other parts would splatter from its body, which Zhang Renfeng regarded as Icarus's blood.

……

"Boom————!!!"

The bear paw struck Icarus hard on the head, shattering one of the light tubes in his eye.

It merely swayed twice; the heavy blow to its head had no effect on its movements. With a metallic creak, it used its gleaming hands to seize Frankenstein's wings—the raw material for both pairs of wings was vultures, so naturally they weren't very sturdy. With a sudden pull, it ripped them off Frankenstein's back.

"Stab!"

No blood.

Dark purple mycelium sprayed out from the broken ends of the wings, its roots waving wildly.

"Good!!" Ren shouted.

“It’s different again…” Wolf squinted at the fungal remnants on the ground and muttered, “The fungus inside this monster is not the same species as the one on Newman just now.”

Only Zhang Renfeng noticed that the dashboard on the large iron can was stretched to its limit. With a "crack," the glass lid shattered, and the pointer became scrap metal.

broken.

"Roar----!!"

Sure enough, Frankenstein seized the opportunity, biting down on one of the large tin can's arms and slamming it to the ground. Like a grizzly bear hunting its prey, it tore at its torso with its massive claws, then struck its head with its hard ram horns, smashing the remaining light bulb to pieces as well.

The lights dimmed.

The hum of electricity gradually turned into static. The newborn, less than 25 minutes old, glanced at the world briefly before disappearing into the night rain.

Frankenstein's growl subsided. He glanced at the torn wing and was about to reach out to pick it up when he saw a blonde girl standing in front of the broken wing, staring at him expressionlessly.

"Woo..."

"Roar----!!"

Standing on two legs, it changed to crawling on eight legs. The stitched monster opened its crocodile-like jaws and lunged at the girl.

----

"call……"

The wolf took another deep breath. In her eyes, size, weight, and even sharp teeth were nothing, because she had already mastered the strongest weapon.

Sonic speed!

Her emerald eyes opened in the rain, clear and bright!

The right arm, lashed out like a soft whip, was pulled back with incredible speed and force at the last moment, along with all five fingers. Just like all whips in the world, the moment it was pulled back before touching the ground could unleash the strongest, most powerful, and most penetrating sonic boom!

"boom------!!!!"

The wall of sound was pushed aside, transforming into layers of giant waves that struck Frankenstein's abdomen, sending his enormous body flying through the air.

……

"Whoosh!"

The grappling hook caught its forelimb. Ren leaped forward, executing a classic roll to dodge the crocodile's bite. A long sword and a wakizashi, without reservation... plunged into the wolf's eyes! Then, the samurai stepped onto the hard wolf's head, spun around in mid-air, and swung the grappling hook, landing like a nimble swift on another tree.

"Roar----!!!"

Frankenstein howled in agony as his eyes vanished. The hyphae within his body went into disarray, attempting to recreate an eye-like structure to observe his surroundings.

But the chaotic yet resolute sound of horses' hooves reached its ears.

"drink--!!"

With one hand holding the reins and the other wielding a burning iron sword, Silverfrost, like a medieval knight, used the momentum of her horse to launch a surprise attack on the behemoth! She made no attempt to conceal her intentions; the instant Frankenstein landed heavily and crashed into a large tree, her iron sword followed immediately, piercing his body with a single strike.

laugh!

The burning iron sword cleaved the beating heart in two, pinning him firmly to the tree trunk, rendering him immobile.

……

"ah------!!!"

Zhang Renfeng was the last to take the stage. This time, he didn't pull up any trees because the rain was too heavy and the trunks were slippery, making it difficult to exert force. Besides, there were more suitable and handy new tools nearby.

He roared, his eyes blazing with fury, and grabbed Icarus's leg, swinging the five-meter-tall metal construct around like a club.

It came crashing down on Frankenstein!

Chapter 458: The Silver Ocean

"Thump—!!"

"Thump—!!"

"Thump—!!"

……

Zhang Renfeng showed no mercy, swinging Icarus's body and slamming it hard against Frankenstein again and again.

Tao probably never imagined that the robot he designed would have such a wonderful use; in a sense, it really did "help humanity".

With the first swing, Frankenstein's body was already smashed to pieces, along with the tree behind him. But to ensure he wouldn't revive, Zhang Renfeng had to continue increasing his strength until his bones, flesh, and everything that could be parasitized were completely crushed.

In the end, Icarus in his hand was reduced to half a piece.

Broken wood, soil, stones, cracked bones, and various misshapen animal limbs... were all mixed together. The purplish-red mycelium, after being repeatedly pounded, lost its activity and simply wriggled irregularly on the ground.

They pieced together the shape of a head and managed to make some sounds, as if trying to open their mouths to speak.

But in the end, it was just a tiny remnant of Newman's consciousness, and consciousness is determined by matter. After this battle, the matter that once constituted Newman Rudinburgh's existence had completely dissipated, and his consciousness naturally couldn't last long.

His facial features kept changing, and he was almost forgetting what he looked like.

"Why are you targeting Tao?" The wolf looked down at the strange head, its emerald eyes narrowed, showing no fear, but instead questioning sharply, "What did he do to offend you?"

“…Ugh…ah…kill, kill him, Tao A. Reiss…you, you must kill him. Not for me, but for…humanity! [Golden Crown City]…”

He mumbled incoherent sentences, just like his face, now composed of mycelium. This was his last message to the world as his consciousness faded. Newman's voice suddenly rose, forcing out a sharp, chilling tone.

"You must kill him—!!"

The mycelium completely collapsed, and his head disappeared, returning to dust, leaving only the crowd staring at each other in bewilderment.

The laboratory lights came on again.

It was as if, on a pitch-black sea, a lighthouse had suddenly appeared, providing illumination.

“Burn this place down,” Zhang Renfeng sighed, pretending he hadn’t heard anything, and continued, “I have to go back to their lair.”

"If there are still these fungi left and they haven't been destroyed, then we'll be in trouble."

"I'll go with you!" the wolf immediately declared.

"This is bad, it's only been a short while..." Yinshuang squatted on the ground, observing carefully by the light from a nearby lamp. These mycelia seemed to understand their predicament; perhaps out of a survival instinct, they began to search for their own way out, burrowing into the bodies of some passing ants. Using them as host organisms, they tried to escape right under their noses.

The four quickly reached a consensus: this strange strain of bacteria must not be allowed to remain in the world.

----

After destroying all the bacteria colonies in the vicinity and burning the surrounding grass, the group returned to the Newman Inn.

Before nightfall, this place was a magnificent palace, but in just a short time, it has become a leaky ruin, which is truly lamentable.

The furnishings on the ground floor, reflecting Newman's personal aesthetic, had a luxurious and opulent feel, but contained little of real value. Just like the image he presented to his followers, always flawless.

The real secrets are all piled up underground, hidden from view. Following the large hole Frankenstein created, the underground laboratory was easily found. The layout and furnishings here were much more compact. Although the space was not so spacious, all kinds of equipment were arranged in an orderly manner, reminiscent of Tao's laboratory.

A dark passageway seemed to be extending an invitation to everyone.

"..." Yinshuang stared intently at the wall, stroking the gaps between the bricks one by one, then pressed the back of her hand against the metal bracket fixed to the wall to hold the torch, and said in a deep voice, "At most thirty minutes ago, there were people here."

“It’s Immensa.” Zhang Renfeng recalled the old man with thinning hair who was not particularly noticeable in a crowd.

When they first met, he was standing behind Newman, leaning on a cane, quietly watching everything unfold. He seemed to have a keen sense of danger; realizing something was wrong, he didn't hesitate for a second before fleeing.

In retrospect, his approach was the wisest.