by N. Heller
"These are the raw materials that constitute your maglev pod." The man kicked a metal piece on the ground and laughed. "Never seen them before, right?"
The man then slowly lifted his head up. His eyes glowed menacingly in the dark. "When I touch you, you will become a pile of raw materials as well. Do you know that 70% of the human body is made up of water?"
Woyu wanted to scream, he wanted to spit at the man, but he knew he could not do that right now.
The maglev pod tilted even further and Woyu almost slipped out of his seat. He yanked the steering wheel hard. He looked over at the man and then, an idea took shape in his head.
'Raw material? I guess I have an idea…'
He forced himself not to look at the door towards the hangar bay and not to think of the consequences should his plan fail. The feeling of fear twined and twisted his heart like the tentacles of an octopus. Just when the man threw himself at him again, Woyu let out a loud cry. The maglev pod soared high into the air and he knew the man had touched some part of the pod. Before he hit the ceiling, he saw there was white smoke billowing underneath the pod.
Without wasting a second, Woyu yanked the steering wheel hard towards the right. Since the pod had lost part of itself, it couldn't maintain its balance and skidded out as if it was riding on top of a wave. However, Woyu successfully worked his way out of the corridor to the bridge and arrived in front of the door to the hangar bay.
The man quickly followed after Woyu, his steps heavy like thunder on a rainy day. Woyu pulled the pod up again. The pod screamed and m.o.a.n.e.d like it was being torn apart. Woyu's c.h.e.s.t tightened. Seeing the man had stopped with his hand raised high in the air, Woyu quickly glided to the back and lowered the pod back on the floor.
"You little rat…" The man couldn't finish his sentence as he saw the pod was coming straight at him. Woyu stamped on the accelerator and rammed himself into the man like a runaway bull crashing into a red cloth. The man's reaction speed was fast, but it was not enough to steer himself entirely out of the way of the maglev pod at full speed.
Chapter 807 - Open The Door As If Your Life Depends On It (2)
The man's face slowly turned crimson red. His bulging vein looked as if it was an earthworm squirming under his forehead.
Woyu did not release the accelerator. Even though the man managed to avoid most of the impact in the nick of time, half of his body was still stuck in between the maglev pod and the door. A guttural rasp slid out of his throat. Panting like a cow on its death throes, he wiggled his arm free and slapped his hand onto the maglev pod.
Like ice cream melting under the heat, the maglev pod began to sizzle away. Chunks of raw materials dropped to the floor, m.o.a.ns and groans of metal filled the air, and wisps of smoke fluttered out of the bottom of the pod where the engine resided. The maglev pod got shorter and shorter with each passing second.
The salt from Woyu's sweat stung his eyes, but what made his vision blurry was his own trepidation and fear. Initially, he planned to ram the pod into the man's back so that his hand would fall on the door. However, his plan failed, and right now, the hand, which should have been on the door, was chipping his pod away.
He couldn't back down now, but he knew he couldn't keep going on like this either. The melting was getting faster, and rattling suggested that the pod couldn't hold for long. The man's face had become so red, it looked as if it would explode at any moment. A crooked smile broke across his face as he hissed, "What will you do when, when your pod is—is gone?"
It was apparent. There was only one consequence awaiting him—death.
Perhaps the realization caused his mind to snap, for Woyu did not realize what he was doing until he heard his own shout. Driven by the paroxysm of anger and fear, he had stretched his arm to reach out for the remote operating station.
The black lever was barely holding on to the station that had been cleaved into half, and fire sparks were leaping into the air fitfully from the severed electric wires. Woyu daren't let go of the accelerator but continued to use the maglev pod to pin and restrain the man against the door, even though the increase in the rattling frequency suggested otherwise. Although Woyu had already stretched his body to the limit, he still couldn't grasp hold of the lever.
Suddenly, the maglev pod shuddered and a sense of weightlessness caught hold of Woyu's heart. However, the pod regained its balance soon after and Woyu finally grabbed the lever. Seizing his chance, he yanked the lever out of the station in one clean swipe.
'Please,' Woyu thought inwardly, 'Hear me out, God. Please make the pod last a little longer.'
As the thought echoed in his mind, Woyu jabbed the lever in his hand onto the man's face in one mighty downward swipe.
In a moment that seemed like an eternity, Woyu clearly saw the man's eyes popping out of his head. Woyu never knew a person's eyes could widen to such an extent. He also saw the man's falcate nose twist to one side when the lever made contact. Then, the man snapped his eyes shut as his face contorted into a grimace of pain. A spray of blood and several broken teeth flew out of his mouth along with a long howl of pain.
Within the blink of an eye, the man's face was thoroughly smeared in blood. He held his arm up instinctively as he tried to halt the blow. At that moment, Woyu no longer felt any pain, nor could he hear anything, other than the rush of his own blood. Seeing his chance, he blocked the man's arm with the black lever. Then, with a quick motion, he pressed forward and pinned the man's gloved palm against the door. Everything happened so quickly and so smoothly that he couldn't come around even after he had succeeded.
He remained blank for a moment until he saw the glove begin to turn into the greyish color of the door.
It wasn't until this moment that he realized how strong the man was. Despite Woyu's best effort to constrain him, the man's hand gradually began lifting off the door.
"Do you really think that you can overwhelm me with your petty tricks?" The man let out a hardy laugh, though the smile did not reach his eyes. "I didn't move away because I think this is the best chance for me to destroy your maglev pod."
Woyu could feel tears welling up in his eyes. Refusing to give a response, he bit the inner side of his cheeks and mustered up all his strength to push the hand back against the door. Within the few seconds the hand made contact with the door, the glove had already begun to do its magic. Right now, there was a head-sized hole on the door, and Woyu could feel wisps of cold air through it.
It took Woyu nearly two seconds to realize that this was an impossible task.
Hence, without any hesitation, he jerked the lever up from the hand and backed away. The rattling from the maglev pod had become even stronger, and more smoke was fluttering out of the engine. Truth to be told, Woyu was surprised to see that the pod was still operable even though it had lost one-third of its body.
'It's now or never, buddy,' Woyu thought inwardly. 'Let's make a big one!'
Woyu turned the pod and sped away in the other direction. Behind him, the man roared angrily and immediately followed after him, his steps heavy like an elephant stomping on the ground.
'Just hold on for one minute, buddy. One minute will do!' Woyu implored in his heart as he pulled the pod up and flew over the man's head. As the man's curse slid into his ears, he stamped hard on the accelerator and double back towards the hole in the hangar bay.
When he got near enough to the door, he braced himself and curled up on the driver's seat, awaiting the impact.
The impact far exceeded his expectations.
In that second, Woyu couldn't hear anything aside from the cracking of his bones and the slushing of his blood. His brain was a shambolic mess, and there were no thoughts in his head. All he could do right now was clutch tightly to the seat as the world in his vision turned upside down. There were shrapnels of metal pieces flying about in the air, and the maglev pod was shaking so vigorously, it looked as if it was going to fall apart. Woyu shut his eyes close and hoped for the best.
&
nbsp; When he realized he was inside the hangar bay, the maglev pod was no longer hovering anymore. Together, he and the pod had fallen hard on the floor. Without wasting a second, he quickly raised his head and got out of the pod. He pulled himself across the hangar bay and saw a massive circular door ahead of him.
He wobbled to the door and stopped at the operating station next to the door. The operating station was even more complicated, but the silver lining was that all of the buttons were nicely labeled. Woyu hastily scanned the panel. Then, he pulled down a lever and pressed several buttons. He did not know whether or not he did it correctly.
Woyu had done everything he could, but the circular door remained unmoving. The wind outside was strong. Woyu could see that the door in front of him was much sturdier than the other doors in Exodus, and he was afraid that even a rocket may not be able to open a hole in it.
Lassitude began to set in as he let out a long sigh and slid down the operating station. From the wreckage behind, a series of heavy footsteps rang out.
"So you were telling the truth all this time?" The man, whose face was caked with blood, strode into the hall. He gazed at the circular door and sighed deeply. "Is the woman that bought my house following Exodus right now? The reason you were so hell-bent on coming to the hangar bay was to open the door to let her in?"
Woyu did not give any response. He was too exhausted to even flip his eyelids open.
He stared as the boots got closer and closer to him. Eventually, the pair of boots stopped in front of him.
"Everything is for naught if you can't open the door," he said. Then he spat bloody phlegm on the floor and continued. "There is no way she could catch up to me after I get rid of you. I have already used the emergency recovery code and set a new course for Exodus."
Woyu was not interested in knowing which course the man had set Exodus to. He was about to die. He wanted to leave everything to Lin Sanjiu. Even though he had tried to steal from her, he had already made up for it.
He could feel the man's hand grabbing his hair and lifting him up from the floor.
Apparently, for the man, he was dead meat. The man frowned as he swung his right hand. He mumbled, "I have to double the price to cover the expenses to repair the house. It's all thanks to you."
His glove appeared again. This time, it became the material of the circular door.
"Goodbye," the man chuckled. "Happy dying!"
Just when the glove almost touched Woyu's face, a sharp shrill rang out of nowhere, making both of them jump. The shrill was getting closer and closer, and as the floor trembled, their ears filled with the roar of an engine.
"Where is it?" The man's expression changed. He looked around. "Where did that sound come from?"
A smile crawled upon Woyu's pallid face.
The man grabbed Woyu's neck and pulled him up from the floor.
"I suggest you let him go," a clear voice rang out as a tall figure hopped down from the aircraft. Her steps were light, and she exuded a strong aura. Her amber eyes held no emotion, only coldness. "Just letting you know, no good end comes to whoever hurts my friends."
Chapter 808 - Woyu’s Target All Along
Woyu only hoped that he would pass out now so that by the time he woke up, everything would be settled and he would be waiting for Silas in the infirmary to fetch him a glass of whiskey.
Unfortunately, he did not pass out as he had hoped to be. Every muscle in his body was screaming and aching as if he had been run over by a truck. He could feel the fingers around his neck tightening. Less and less air flew into his windpipe, and he felt suffocated.
The man pressed his face closer to Woyu. His breathing was heavy and hot, tickling the fine hairs on the nape of Woyu's neck.
The woman in front of them was not holding any weapons nor bringing out any of her Special Items. She was wide open, and she looked like an easy target. She promenaded towards them like she was strolling in a garden to meet an old friend. Only when the woman stopped and stood in front of him did Woyu realize how wrong he was.
The woman was entirely out of their league.
Imagine that you are in the savanna right now and there is a cheetah right in front of you. The first thing on your mind is hope that the cheetah will ignore you and walk away.
That was what the man and Woyu were thinking right now.
"Stay where you are, or I will kill him," the man hissed menacingly.
"Believe me, you won't," she spoke nonchalantly.
Seeing her indifferent attitude, Woyu chided inwardly, 'Can't she be more serious about saving me?'
Then, Lin Sanjiu continued, "He is your only bargaining chip, so I am certain that the last thing you want is to lose your catbird seat. I seriously hope that you can let him go, step up, and have a square fight with me."
With those words, Lin Sanjiu resumed walking forward. The man behind him was obviously fl.u.s.tered, as Woyu could feel the grip on his neck tighten again. As his heart made a somersault, a streak of silver light zoomed out of the corner of his eyes and grazed past his skin, causing all his hairs to stand on their ends.
Unlike Woyu, who was clearly startled, Lin Sanjiu was unfazed. She merely leaped to one side and avoided the attack. She took a few steps sideways, which was followed by the man. He grabbed Woyu and turned him around to face Lin Sanjiu.
"I noticed a few bruises on his face," Lin Sanjiu tried to go around the man as she examined Woyu's face, "Did you hit him? Then, why don't you come forward and hit me too? Are you scared?"
"If you think you can goad me into rash behavior, then I suggest you drop the thought. The reason I could survive for so long in the apocalypse is that I am immune to such mind games. They don't work on me," the man said as he hid his head behind Woyu's shoulders. His hot breath sprayed on Woyu's skin and the air around them was poisoned by the metallic stench of blood from his mouth, causing Woyu to gag and fight back the urge to vomit every breath he took.
The tall woman nodded thoughtfully as the man finished speaking. The confrontation took a sharp turn and became silent. Both parties stared at each other in speechless dismay. Suddenly, before either of them could react, Lin Sanjiu kicked the floor and dashed towards the right rear quarter of the two. A half-suppressed scream slid from Woyu's throat, then the world in his vision blurred as furries of images flashed across his eyes. By the time his sight became clear again, he saw Lin Sanjiu still standing in front of him.
Once again, the man had prevented Lin Sanjiu from going behind them.
'Can't she make it quicker?!' Woyu chided Lin Sanjiu inwardly with teary eyes. He wanted to say something, but no sound came out of his mouth. He had seen how Lin Sanjiu fought, so he was certain she wasn't trying her best now. Anxiety, doubt, and desperation entwined and twisted him like the tentacles of an octopus that was s.u.c.k.i.n.g the reason out of his brain.
After several half-hearted attempts, the three of them made a slow circuit of the hall and traded positions. Right now, Woyu and the man were standing in front of the aircraft while Lin Sanjiu was standing in front of the wasted metal scr.a.p.es. Other than that, nothing had changed.
"Just kill him if you want to," Lin Sanjiu urged. She seemed to have run out of patience as she called out a whip, "If you think holding him as your hostage can stop me from killing you, then you are terribly wrong. Nothing can stop me if I want to kill you. So, prepare yourself."
"Hah! Acting tough won't do you any good, you know, little girl? If you really didn't care about your little pet, you wouldn't be lollygagging with me for so long. Judging from the fact that you gave him permission to enter your house, he must be your favorite, though I don't understand why," the man chuckled. He pulled Woyu, and together, they recoiled a few steps back. "Do you really think I am afraid of you? I am not weak, so don't look down on me too much. It's just that I am wounded and not as strong as I used to be. So, after putting everything together and weighing the situation, I've decided not to face you head-on."
Woyu uttered som
e guttural noises that were swiftly cut off by the man as he squeezed his neck harder.
"Oh my," Lin Sanjiu exclaimed, "Where did you get that idea from? He is not my pet. Your mind is so dirty."
'Hello! Is that really important?' the thought popped up in Woyu's mind. 'If you have the time to explain, why don't you just—'
Before Woyu could finish his internal monologue, he was hit by a strong force from behind. Even though the man behind him had beared the brunt of the impact, the force of the blow still caused Woyu to lose his balance. The man loosened his grip, and he fell to the floor. Then, before he could turn around to look, Lin Sanjiu stepped in.
Like lightning striking upon an unfortunate hollowed tree, Lin Sanjiu jabbed her elbow deeply into the man's stomach. Still in his dumb-struck state, Woyu spun his head around and saw two people were standing in front of him. On the other hand, the man who had been holding him hostage was crumbling to the floor like a rag doll.
However, before the man could make contact with the floor, Lin Sanjiu reached out and grabbed him by the collar.
Woyu's eyes hopped from Lin Sanjiu to the blue-colored man that appeared out of nowhere. He turned to the aircraft, and the realization soon dawned on him. He stammered, "You… have you guys been planning this all along? You purposely switched positions with him so that Yu Yuan could… Watch out!"
Be that as it may, he was a tad bit too late. The man was resilient. After receiving two heavy blows, he still had some strength left to spare. He suddenly peeled his eyes open as Lin Sanjiu was scooping him up. Startled, before Lin Sanjiu could react, the man pressed his glove-clad palm on her shoulder.
Woyu's brain exploded in black mindless horror. He kept shouting and screaming, yet nobody could understand him. It wasn't until Yu Yuan shouted, "Calm down!" that Woyu realized what had happened. Lin Sanjiu's shoulder was still intact. Her shoulder did not get turned into a pile of raw material. Woyu squinted his eyes and saw that there was a faint layer of glow on top of her shoulder.