This assassin is upright

Chapter 445 The Cyberpunk World

"I never intended to leave." Yu Zhun narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched the four people striding towards him.

He had noticed from a distance that there were four people approaching the settlement, and given their fierce aura, it was clear that this was the excavation team his neighbor had mentioned.

Under Yu Zhun's gaze, one of the short men, who looked somewhat shifty-eyed, strode to the very center of the settlement and raised a weapon that looked like a pistol above his head.

"boom--"

With a loud, muffled explosion, everyone in the settlement looked in the direction from which the sound came.

"Hehe, this blasting grenade is really powerful." The short man rubbed his ringing ears and grinned.

"Listen up, everyone, we're here to make a deal."

“We’ve found a lot of good stuff from the old days, and I’m sure you’ll find something you need.” He pointed to a backpack that was bigger than his body that another person was carrying. “Look, it’s all over there.”

“We need food, drinking water, and some cloth,” the short man said, his gaze fixed on the person. “Don’t bring anything highly polluting.”

"Don't worry, we're law-abiding citizens." He casually twirled his gun. "As long as you follow the rules, it's good for everyone."

"Phew!" Hearing this, Yu Zhun's neighbor breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Yu Zhun with a smile in his eyes. "You're pretty lucky this time. It's a well-behaved excavation team that came."

"Even so, you'd better not go around too much."

"After all, it wouldn't be good to bump into these guys." With that, the neighbor got up, dusted himself off, picked up the already woven animal hair cloth, and walked towards the excavation team.

"You want to trade these cloths for something?" Yu Zhun asked casually. "What can you get in return?"

"This is the fur of a polluting animal called a hairy ape that I bought at a high price," the neighbor explained with a smile. "Clothing woven from this fur is not only durable and scratch-resistant, but it can also block radiation."

"Dila had been clamoring for a radio, but those things aren't easy to get. Some of the components inside can only be found in remnants of the old era. Maybe those excavation teams have them."

Speaking of his daughter, the neighbor's eyes were full of affection. He ignored the thoughtful Yu Zhun and strode towards the excavation team.

Old times... cybernetics... pollution... genetic evolution...

By digesting the key information he had gleaned from his neighbor, Yu Zhun had gained a certain understanding of the world before him.

This is a world that once possessed advanced technology, but ultimately destroyed itself by technology, leaving behind only a group of backwards who are trying to rise again by digging up the remnants of the previous era.

"A cyberpunk world, huh..." Yu Zhun murmured to himself, "That's interesting."

He casually leaned against a stone by his door, holding the only food left in his house—a piece of dried meat made from the flesh of a polluted beast.

The jerky had a distinct odor and was very hard, but Yu Zhun knew that this body needed energy, so he ate it without any resistance.

With the dried meat finished, the excavation team's trade with the settlement was about to end.

Watching the excavation team pack up and prepare to leave, Yu Zhun wiped himself off haphazardly a couple of times, then quickly walked towards them.

Sensing someone approaching, the excavation team stopped. All four men simultaneously looked at Yu Zhun with scrutinizing eyes, their fierce demeanor creating a palpable sense of oppression.

But Yu Zhun showed no panic whatsoever; he simply grinned.

"How can I join you?"

The atmosphere suddenly froze for a moment.

The next second, a sneer rang out.

"Join?" A man who was at least two meters tall but as thin as a bamboo pole, whose exposed body revealed the outline of his skeleton, looked at Yu Zhun with deep-set eyes full of disdain.

"We've already shown mercy by not capturing you and sending you to the black market for organs, you frail fellow." The man shook his head. "Want to join us? You're dreaming."

"Wolf Fang, stop talking." Another burly man with a simple and honest expression shook his head, then looked at Yu Zhun, "Kid, don't even think about it."

"You and we are probably not on the same side."

Yu Zhun did not respond to the other party, but instead looked at the last member of the excavation team.

Unlike the short man who had previously negotiated the deal with others, and the tall, thin man and the burly man who had spoken earlier, this man hadn't uttered a single word from beginning to end. During the transaction, he simply sat to the side and drank water.

However, Yu Zhun could clearly sense the unusual aura emanating from the other party. If he wasn't mistaken, this was the leader among the four.

One second... two seconds.

Under Yu Zhun's gaze, the silent man finally reacted. He raised his head and glanced at Yu Zhun indifferently.

"Want to join the excavation team?"

"You need to have the ability."

"Let's deal with the rats first."

"Boss, why me?" The short man's expression turned strange, then he looked at Yu Zhun and chuckled.

"Kid, you don't really want to... with me..."

Before he could finish speaking, the rat's expression suddenly changed, and he abruptly retreated, narrowly avoiding the sharp blade aimed at his neck.

Seeing Yu Zhun act without saying a word, the expressions of the others also changed slightly.

"Damn it, we almost capsized!" Rat cursed angrily, and a short blade suddenly popped out from his right prosthetic arm, blocking Yu Zhun's second thrust.

"clang--"

A resounding clang of metal rang out, and Yu Zhun felt as if his attack had struck an indestructible rock, the force of the recoil causing his hand to go slightly numb.

Such incredible power! Is this what a modified prosthetic body looks like?

Yu Zhun had already figured out the background of this guy called Rat. What the other party relied on was that seemingly extraordinary right-hand prosthetic body.

"Since you made the first move, then I, Rat Lord, will not hold back." With a light snort, the rat, whose prosthetic body had been activated, took the initiative to attack Yu Zhun.

That modified prosthetic body gave him strength far exceeding that of ordinary people, and Yu Zhun, having already suffered a loss once, naturally wouldn't confront it head-on.

Although the perfect close-quarters combat skills brought by the [Sword Dance] series of skills are no longer available, some things have long since become Yu Zhun's own instincts through so many years of fighting.

The dark blue blades slashed through the void repeatedly, each precise attack bypassing the rat's assault and heading straight for his vulnerable left side.

The other three couldn't help but look at him with a strange expression.

This kid's close-combat skills...

"Chong-"

With a sharp clang, Yu Zhun's dagger stopped just inches from the rat's neck, and the life-or-death crisis froze the rat in place.

Without taking any further action, Yu Zhun's gaze once again fell on the leader of the four-person excavation team. "Is it alright now?"

The leader was silent for a moment, then took something out of his backpack and threw it in Yu Zhun's direction.

Yu Zhun reached out and took it, discovering it was a cylindrical glass vessel with a delicate structure, and inside was a small amount of flowing azure liquid.

"What is this?" Yu Zhun asked casually.

“Gene therapy,” the leader said calmly, “but not the kind of gene therapy that allows people to evolve steadily.” “Is it a low-quality gene therapy?” Yu Zhun frowned.

He had heard from his neighbor that some inferior gene-editing drugs could turn people into cyborgs who could go insane at any time. Although they could gain power, the side effects were too great.

“No, that doesn’t count.” The leader shook his head. “These are things that a few of us found in the ruins of an old era.”

"Because the effect was uncertain, we kept it."

"It may have the same evolutionary effects as gene therapy drugs, or it may have similar effects as inferior gene therapy drugs, with very strong side effects."

"Of course, it may have been obsolete for a long time."

"You beat the rat, so here's a chance for you." The leader pointed to the bottle of unknown potion. "Use it, and you'll be one of us."

Yu Zhun looked down at the liquid medicine in his hand. "How do I use it?"

"Press the button at the end, and the injection needle will pop out," the tall, thin man with wolf fangs said quietly. "Just find a spot and stick it in."

"Click——"

Almost the instant Langya finished speaking, Yu Zhun pressed the button and then directly injected the needle into his own arm.

The pain from the gene therapy was minimal, like being bitten by a mosquito. Once the blue liquid in the bottle was fully injected into his body, Yu Zhun tossed the bottle aside and glanced at the small needle marks on his arm.

Immediately afterwards, he checked his physical condition.

"Is that all?" Yu Zhun asked, somewhat disappointed. "It seems no different from before."

“The gene therapy is a continuous process.” The leader strode towards Yu Zhun. “For the next three days, your body will continue to experience abnormal conditions. The modification will not end until three days later.”

"Let me introduce myself, I'm Black Hawk." The leader tapped his chest and then pointed to the other three.

“Rat, you’ve already fought one.” Black Hawk paused slightly. “Cybernetic engineer.”

“Wolf Fang, although he said that before, you don’t need to worry that he will secretly send you to the organ black market.” Black Hawk pointed to the tall, thin man. “He is a first-level evolver and can be trusted most of the time.”

"Hmph..." Wolf Fang crossed his arms and snorted lightly, "Being able to beat a rat is barely enough to qualify for our team."

"Hey! I was careless just now." The mouse muttered under its breath, somewhat annoyed. "We can have another match another time."

“Iron Tower, a first-tier evolver.” Black Hawk pointed at the grinning burly man, his gaze finally settling on Yu Zhun.

"tell me your name."

"Yu Zhun," Yu Zhun said slowly.

“Very good.” Black Hawk nodded slightly. “From today onwards, you are a member of our Black Hawk Team.”

"Now, let's go."

After saying that, Black Hawk turned and walked towards the outside of the settlement.

Seeing the other three follow, Yu Zhun quickly sheathed his dagger and then hurried after them.

A dark shadow came toward him. Yu Zhun casually took it, opened it, and found it was a piece of dried meat.

Unlike the mutated beast jerky he had eaten before, this jerky had a dark red color and a faint meaty aroma, without any strange smell.

He couldn't help but look up at the iron tower from which the food had been thrown.

"Evolution requires a lot of energy, eat up." Eiffel Tower chuckled and patted the large bag on his back. "There's more if you need more."

“…Thank you.” Yu Zhun thanked him softly. Seeing that the other four, including Black Hawk, were carrying heavy packs while he was empty-handed, he couldn’t help but say, “Could you share some of my luggage?”

"Don't worry, newbie," the mouse chuckled. "When we're distributing your luggage later, we won't be lenient at all."

"But for now... you should focus on the upcoming evolution."

As he spoke, the rat clicked its tongue, "After taking the gene drug, every inch of your body will be modified by it, which is extremely painful."

“It’s not impossible that I might not be able to withstand the process and die suddenly. That’s why I chose to undergo prosthetic body modification.”

"Kid, cherish this peaceful period!"

Upon hearing what the mouse said, Yu Zhun was startled.

"Don't be scared by the rat, this guy is a coward." Wolf Fang curled his lip. "With normal use of gene drugs, the mortality rate is less than one in a thousand, although the process is indeed very painful."

"That's normal gene therapy!" the mouse rolled its eyes.

So Wolf Fang also fell silent.

Indeed, none of them could determine what exactly Yu Zhun had injected. They could only deduce from other information found in the ruins that it was a gene drug left over from the old era.

Who knows if this gene therapy drug will still be effective after all this time?

“Yu Zhun has responded,” Iron Tower suddenly said.

The others stopped and looked at Yu Zhun. Even Black Eagle, who had been walking at the front, stopped and turned to look.

Yu Zhun's skin was turning red at a visible rate.

"I feel my body getting hotter and hotter," Yu Zhun said in a deep voice.

“Fever is the first step for the gene therapy to take effect.” Black Hawk looked around. “Wolf Fang, find a place to settle down up ahead and set up camp temporarily.”

"Okay." Wolf Fang nodded and quickly headed away into the distance. With each touch of his toes, his entire body shot out like an arrow, his speed three to five times faster than that of an ordinary person.

“We’ll follow,” Black Hawk said calmly. “The first day the gene drug takes effect is the hardest. Let’s wait a day before we act.”

The mouse and the iron tower nodded at the same time.

Seeing how seriously the group took his condition, Yu Zhun couldn't help but smile, but the smile quickly faded.

He felt his body getting hotter and hotter, as if a flame was burning inside him, and his head was spinning in waves, like a high fever causing intermittent fragmentation of consciousness.

The speed at which his body deteriorated was faster than he had anticipated.

He had to stay alert before setting up camp.

Biting his tongue, Yu Zhun asked, trying to make conversation, "What did you mean by 'first-tier evolver' just now?"

“It’s an evolved being who has used a Tier 1 gene drug,” Iron Tower explained. “Gene drugs are classified into levels. Each use will greatly enhance the evolved being’s strength, but they must be used step by step, starting from Tier 1. Skipping levels will lead to serious consequences.”

"The highest I've seen is the fourth tier. It's said there are even higher-tier gene drugs, but that's beyond our understanding."

"Among us, only Boss Black Hawk is a second-tier evolver."

Yu Zhun nodded slightly, his spirits lifting somewhat.

The group quickly arrived at the encampment chosen by the Wolf Fang. Yu Zhun could no longer hold on and fainted.

(End of this chapter)