Chapter 39: Shaken Sonic
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
The crazed Monster mercilessly destroyed everything in its path—houses, people, cars... anything that appeared before it was annihilated without exception.
"Taste my energy blasts!"
Seeing that the Monster was already thirty meters away, king raised his palms, conjuring two 'light bulb' energy blasts, and hurled them fiercely towards the Monster. The energy blasts traced a perfect arc through the air, then... went astray!
His first attempt at throwing and firing the energy blasts deviated greatly from his imagined trajectory; the blasts landed more than ten meters away from the Monster.
Boom!
An explosion rang out, and a large cloud of dust billowed up from the dim street.
"Cough, cough!"
Sonic coughed dryly several times, spitting out bits of dust, and quickly shifted his hiding spot from the dim alleyway. Simultaneously, he felt a jolt of inner terror: "King has such a keen sense of smell! Even when confronting a Demon Level Monster, he still managed to detect me in hiding. I merely wanted to get a little closer to deliver a fatal blow, but I never expected that moving just slightly would immediately expose my presence. It's terrifying! I've never encountered anyone with such acute senses. The Strongest Man truly lives up to his reputation, but..."
He revealed a 'naive (eerie)' smile: "I won't give up. A ninja himself is a tenacious warrior. How could I abandon my goal because of such a small setback? King, your life is mine!"
He spun around, once again slipping into the dark corner, doing his best to slow his breathing, concealing his presence and form.
"Is this King's strength? Horrifyingly immense. Perhaps such immense power instilled fear in some ill-intentioned individuals, prompting them to send assassins after you. However, rest assured, as long as I live, I will protect you. Heh, whether you need it or not, I will fulfill my mission, just as you tirelessly complete your heroic duties."
Hill sat in his private car, lit a cigarette, took a puff, then slowly exhaled a smoke ring, letting the white smoke blur his resolute face, making it hard to discern.
"Boss, what is King doing? The Monster is directly in front of him, so why is he attacking other places? And King's power... *hiss*, with a single strike, several tall buildings were completely gone."
The assassin commander didn't immediately answer his subordinate's question. Instead, he scanned the surroundings with his binoculars. After a while, he said with a grave expression, "Besides us, there's still someone else trying to take King's life." Although he hadn't clearly seen Sonic's appearance, he had faintly caught a glimpse of a shadow. "That person is a master. King probably attacked other places because he detected that person's presence."
"Boss, did the client hire other assassins?"
"Hmph, we don't need to worry about him. As long as King dies by our hands, the five hundred million will still be ours."
The assassin commander let out a cold snort, his face grim. They had failed twice, so it was perfectly reasonable for the client to hire other assassins out of distrust. Beyond his displeasure, he could only speed up his efforts to wipe King from the face of the Earth.
"Heh heh..."
king watched his energy blasts go so wildly off target, a corner of his mouth twitching. *Damn it all*, oh, thankfully, there was no one around, otherwise, how embarrassing would it be if people saw how terrible his aim was!
Little did he know, over a dozen pairs of eyes were fixed on him!
Of course, after king used the Vaccine Man Card, the reason he didn't go on a rampage like Vaccine Man was that what attached to him were Vaccine Man's attributes and Skills, but not his combat experience or techniques.
His current situation was like a novice shooting a basketball for the first time: eyes fixed on the hoop, yet when he actually shot, the ball's trajectory was vastly different from what he imagined.
However, with something like basketball, the more you practice, the more your accuracy naturally improves.
He took a deep breath. Several small 'light bulb' energy blasts spontaneously floated around his body. His gaze swept over the Monster, which had ignored his previous attack. He tried to adjust the direction of the energy blasts and continued firing!
Boom! Boom!
After adjusting the firing direction this time, the deviation was even greater.
"Could King have locked onto my presence?" From the spot where the energy blast struck, a shadow abruptly darted out—it was Sonic, who had just hidden himself. His expression was one of shock and doubt: "Is there really someone in this world who can lock onto another's presence? Why do I feel like a pair of eyes is constantly watching me, leaving me nowhere to hide, no place to conceal myself? It's terrifying! Is this the mysterious and powerful strength of the Strongest Man? Heh, if I weren't an assassin, if my combat style wasn't sneak attacks, I probably wouldn't have the courage to fight King face-to-face. Just thinking about such a scene is suffocating. Fortunately, I am a messenger of death hidden in the shadows. King, no matter how strong you become, you will eventually reveal a weakness. When that happens... I will take your life!"
Hmm, this time wasn't bad; it was already close to the Monster.
king's eyes lit up. Greatly encouraged, he raised his palm, and several small experimental energy blasts appeared. He pointed his finger towards the Monster.
Boom boom!
He detonated them several times in succession.
"Huh? Why didn't those blasts hit me this time?" Sonic, hidden in the darkness, was utterly perplexed. "Was King just firing randomly before, and I coincidentally got hit?"
"No, there are other assassins?"
Sonic darted forward, quickly arriving at one of the spots king had just blasted. He found a figure pinned under the rubble, and beside it, a special rifle resembling a sniper rifle. His pupils constricted. So King hadn't been firing randomly after all! There were other assassins in the vicinity, and King had simultaneously locked onto several of them. He... was just one of them. It was terrifying! Locking onto one person's presence was already a divine Skill, yet King had effortlessly locked onto the presences of several people simultaneously and launched attacks based on their positions. Strong, too strong! So strong that a bead of cold sweat involuntarily trickled down his forehead.
On a rooftop over thirty meters away.
"Boss, Poison Needle and Slingshot have been sacrificed." A subordinate held his binoculars, watching the positions where Poison Needle and Slingshot had been ambushed. He found that their figures had vanished, and there was no response to his calls on the communicator. He knew that Poison Needle and Slingshot were most likely finished.
"Damn it! King's senses are too sharp. The slightest trace around him, and he'll immediately detect it." The assassin commander slammed his hand onto the rooftop railing and ordered, "Everyone retreat ten meters. You absolutely cannot expose your positions without cause again."
"Understood."
"Received."
"Leng Feng understood."
A few deliberately lowered responses came through the assassin commander's comms. Evidently, Leng Feng and the others were equally intimidated by King's acute senses, not daring to make too much noise, and quietly retreating to avoid King detecting their presence.
Hmm, all of them landed around the Monster, with an occasional one or two still landing more than ten meters away. As expected, he was still unskilled. But it didn't matter; with more practice, he would become a sharpshooter one day. However, this Monster was actually indifferent to his experimental energy blasts, truly having lost its mind, relying only on instinct to wreak havoc. Heh, such an unresisting Monster suited him perfectly; it was just right to use as a live target to practice his energy blast marksmanship.
king made up his mind. Raising his palm, he once again conjured several small energy blasts. With a wave of his hand, the energy blasts shot out in several different directions.
Bang! Boom!
"Damn it, King really has locked onto my presence." Sonic, who had been inexplicably blasted out again, swayed a few times in the darkness before immediately darting towards the Monster. "Hmph, since I've already been locked on, hiding anywhere else would be pointless. Better to hide beside the Monster. As long as you, King, continue to attack me, you're bound to draw the Monster's aggro. Then, heh, after you start fighting the Monster, will you be able to maintain one hundred percent vigilance against me? I'm very curious, extremely curious, King!"
Bang!
Just as Sonic was about to give his 'deceptively innocent' smile, an energy blast shot towards him. He sneered, "Indeed, my guess was right. King has already locked onto me. As long as I don't leave, no matter where I hide, I absolutely cannot avoid your attacks. But next time, will you still continue to attack me?"
He immediately revealed his eerie signature smile, his figure flickering away from in front of the energy blast. When he reappeared, he was already behind the Monster; his speed was truly astonishing.
Hmm, that feels about right.
On the other side, after adjusting his firing direction several times, king gradually grasped some tricks. He narrowed his eyes, staring at the Monster. Around him, several small 'light bulb' energy blasts, meant for practice, once again floated. Once the energy blasts had formed, he waved his hand, pointing directly at the Monster, and lightly commanded, "Go!"
Several energy blasts swiftly flew towards the Monster.
Boom, boom, boom!
"Roar~"
However, the Monster was not annihilated as he wished. Furthermore, the Monster seemed enraged, letting out a thunderous roar. Even though it had lost its mind, it still possessed the instinct to eliminate dangerous factors and threats.
"Heh, King, you've fallen right into my trap." Sonic smiled his 'deceptively innocent' smile. "Next, while you're fighting the Monster, let me finish you off!"
The assassin commander of the Wang Wang Assassin Group also perked up, saying in a deep voice, "Everyone get ready. The optimal time for shooting is about to arrive. Do not miss this opportunity that we have painstakingly created."
"Understood!"
The assassins responded in unison through their communicators! Then, the clatter and rustle of weapons being readied subtly came through.
"Hmph, King, you won't escape this time!"
A glint of ruthlessness flashed in the assassin commander's eyes!
Many thanks to Yijian Demon Spirit, God of Eternal Primordial Chaos, and Smiling Yang Weili for their tips. I had originally planned to limit myself to one update today, but I didn't expect you to tip, so I'll probably have to do two updates honestly. Hmm, this counts as an alternative bonus chapter, yes, it's a bonus chapter, I'm just that shameless →→
(end of chapter)