This assassin is upright

Chapter 448 Treasure in the Ruins
"You little bastard, die!"

With a low shout, a muscular figure suddenly rushed towards Yu Zhun, his eyes filled with ruthlessness and bloodlust.

When he closed the distance to Yu Zhun to about three meters, his raised prosthetic right arm made a "crack" sound, and then quickly deformed, eventually forming a cannon muzzle the size of a head.

The moment it was formed, the muzzle lit up rapidly, as if some terrifying attack was brewing, giving Yu Zhun a chilling feeling.

At this moment, he was not the near-third-tier [King of Assassins], but merely a first-tier evolver in this chaotic apocalypse.

Yu Zhun had no doubt that the power emanating from the cannon's muzzle could instantly pierce a hole the size of a head in him.

On the other side, the rat was activating its modified prosthetic body and fighting fiercely with another evolved being. When it caught a glimpse of this scene out of the corner of its eye, it couldn't help but widen its eyes.

"I go!"

As a cybernetic modifier, he understood the ins and outs of cybernetic modification better than the others in the squad. When he saw the cannon pointing at Yu Zhun, Rat immediately became anxious, "Is this guy crazy? He puts everything on his body?"

"Boss, quick, save it! That's a lightweight tactical ion cannon!"

The lightweight tactical ion cannon is a lightweight individual combat weapon that existed in the old era. Although it sacrificed some power due to its lightweight design, it is still powerful enough to blast away a small hill with one shot.

After the catastrophe, some survivors dug out old weapons from the ruins and modified them to some extent.

Combining weapons with cybernetic bodies is one such modification method.

Undoubtedly, in order to reduce the burden on the prosthetic body, the power of the lightweight tactical ion cannon modified from the prosthetic body has been further reduced, making it much weaker than the original version from the old era.

Even after being weakened, this weapon is still powerful enough to easily blast low-level evolved beings into ashes!
Black Hawk's pupils suddenly contracted.

He had naturally heard of the reputation of this weapon, and without hesitation, he abandoned his opponent and lunged towards Yu Zhun.

"Don't even think about running!" The opposing team leader, who was locked in a stalemate with Black Hawk, shouted and was about to give chase when he was blocked by a strong and powerful figure.

"boom--"

With a muffled thud, the leader, a second-tier evolved being, was knocked back several steps. Looking at the iron tower whose skin shimmered with an unusual metallic sheen, he sneered, "If you block my way, your teammates will die too!"

"With the captain here, no one in Black Hawk Squad will die," Iron Tower said in a deep voice, his eyes full of trust and certainty in Black Hawk.

On the other side, the ion cannon's energy gathering was nearing its end. Watching the dazzling blue-purple light, a bead of cold sweat quietly slid down Yu Zhun's forehead.

As the opponent gathered energy, Yu Zhun kept dodging and weaving, but he could never escape the opponent's lock-on.

After all, he could move a great distance while his opponent only needed to slightly adjust the angle of his arm. The combination of the prosthetic body and the ranged weapon, although sacrificing power, greatly increased flexibility.

He was also unable to take the initiative to attack, and he did not know the enemy's weapons. If he rashly destroyed them, it would likely cause the weapons to explode, and he would ultimately be unable to escape death.

Just as the energy was about to be unleashed, a dark shadow appeared.

The exploding blade light drew a silver arc in the void, and with Black Hawk's slash, the lightweight tactical ion cannon was instantly sliced ​​apart.

The blue-purple light dimmed at an extremely rapid pace.

Without pausing, Black Hawk struck again, instantly beheading his opponent.

As the head was tossed high into the air, Yu Zhun's heart, which had been pounding, slowly settled.

"Thank you Captain."

Black Hawk nodded slightly, but didn't have time to reply.

Those pupils, now shrunken to the size of pinpoints, swiftly shifted to the next opponent. Holding the long sword in his hand, Black Hawk unleashed the full power of a second-tier evolved being.

Soon, the fierce battle ended with the complete annihilation of the opposing force.

Yu Zhun killed two people with his own hands, which was quite an impressive achievement for a newcomer to the excavation team. The others were also mostly unharmed thanks to Black Hawk's protection, with Wolf Fang being the only one with serious injuries.

His abdomen was cut open with a large gash, and his internal organs were even visible. However, after the bleeding stopped, he devoured two or three pieces of beast meat. Thanks to the special self-healing ability of an evolved being, the injury was effectively controlled.

"This battle was indeed quite dangerous." The rat who helped Wolf Fang Blood straightened his back, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and sighed.

"That lunatic with the lightweight tactical ion cannon mounted on his arm could have taken out all four of us if the boss hadn't intervened."

"You handled it very well just now." Black Hawk looked at Yu Zhun and nodded in satisfaction. "However, next time you encounter a similar opponent, don't just keep the distance. It's easier to dodge these ranged attacks when you're close."

“Of course, don’t try to destroy a weapon that is charging.” Black Hawk added, “The reason I was able to destroy it with one strike is because my eyesight allows me to see through the internal structure of the ion cannon.”

"Only by hitting the most important spot can you achieve victory in one strike."

"Otherwise, a weapon exploding could cause enormous damage."

"Understood." Yu Zhun nodded.

"Hehe, actually I can do it too." The mouse next to him said with a smile, "Although I don't have the same eyesight as the boss, I know a lot about modifications, so I can know where the core is even with my eyes closed."

"Then why didn't you go up earlier?" Wolf Fang, whose face had regained color after his wounds healed, suddenly spoke up upon hearing this.

"Uh..." The mouse was speechless for a moment, "The situation is urgent, there's no time."

"Besides, didn't I alert the boss as soon as I noticed it?"

"This is yours." Iron Tower walked over at the right time and placed a bag in Yu Zhun's arms. "Whoever killed them keeps them. These are the valuable items from the two people you killed. Don't forget to take inventory and leave them with you later."

"Thanks." Yu Zhun smiled as he accepted the package and began to read it.

The first person he killed was a cybernetic engineer, whose two hands and one leg had been modified. So, inside the large bag were his cybernetic body, which had been removed after his death, still covered in blood, making it look cruel and direct.

As for the other person killed, it was a first-tier evolved being.

The other person didn't have many things, but one item stood out.

It was a glass bottle that looked very similar to the gene therapy drug he had used.

Besides that, there was a small amount of loose currency and some miscellaneous items.

"Wow!" Mouse exclaimed, glancing at Yu Zhun's haul. "Are newbies this lucky?"

"Those two they killed were both big shots! They even had gene-enhancing drugs!"

“I’ve checked it; it’s a Tier 1 gene drug,” Iron Tower casually remarked. “Unfortunately, none of us can use it.”

The only mouse that is not yet an evolved being has been implanted with a modified prosthetic body, and its body has already been affected to some extent. Using gene therapy in this state would pose a huge risk to its body, and it could die at any time.

"What harm will there be if gene therapy is used repeatedly?" Yu Zhun suddenly asked.

“Repeated use of gene-enhancing drugs of the same level can make you stronger to some extent, but it will prevent you from using higher-level gene-enhancing drugs,” Iron Tower explained. “This is equivalent to cutting off your future path of evolution.”

"Although the gene therapy you used before was different from the one we use, I still don't recommend that you try it."

"Later we may go to some black markets, where you can try to sell the gene drugs or exchange them for second-tier gene drugs."

"The same applies to prosthetic bodies."

"No, no, no, you can give me the prosthetic body!" The rat chuckled and quickly said, "I happen to be missing some key parts to upgrade my prosthetic body. Maybe these prosthetic bodies have what I need."

“We can dismantle and modify them later, which will save a lot of money.” Saying this, he patted his chest to Yu Zhun, “Don’t worry, I’ll exchange them for something of equal value.” “Okay.” Yu Zhun nodded and took all the prosthetics out of the bag and handed them to the other party, “Take a look and see which ones are useful.”

"As for the price, I don't know much about it, but I trust you."

"Then I won't stand on ceremony." The rat chuckled, skillfully disassembling the prosthetic body into pieces. After studying it for a while, it picked out some parts. "I want these. They're worth about 10,000 Tulas in total."

What do you need to exchange?

Yu Zhun thought for a moment, "Dried meat, then."

"The kind of second-tier mutated beast."

For him now, it seems that he has no needs other than food.

Moreover, for evolved beings, high-energy food can be considered a fast-acting medicine in critical moments.

"Then I'll have to give you all my stock to make it enough." The mouse shrugged, took out a large piece of jerky from his backpack, and handed it to Yu Zhun.

"Second-tier mutated beast meat is still quite expensive; this is about ten thousand."

Yu Zhun took it and casually weighed it in his hand.

Because of its high energy content, the meat of the mutated beast is also denser. This large piece of meat probably weighs close to 100 pounds, enough for him to eat for a long time.

Yu Zhun tore off a strip, popped it into his mouth, tasted it, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Although I don't need the remaining parts, you can still trade them on the black market for a few thousand Tulas." The rat picked through the remaining prosthetic parts, selecting the valuable ones and handing them to Yu Zhun.

"Hey~ I even sorted it for you for free!"

"Remember to contact me next time you need prosthetic parts."

"Do you want the one I cut down?" Black Hawk suddenly asked.

He was referring, of course, to the guy who mounted a lightweight tactical ion cannon on his cybernetic body.

Upon hearing this, the mouse shook its head frantically, "Forget it, forget it."

"I wouldn't dare get involved in such crazy modifications, and the most valuable thing on that prosthetic arm is probably the cannon."

"You've completely destroyed it; it's beyond repair."

“Alright.” Black Hawk nodded with a hint of regret, his gaze falling on the entrance to the ruins beside him.

“When I killed that leader just now, I extracted some information from him, and Yu Zhun’s speculation was correct.”

"They're in cahoots with the people inside."

"To be precise, these people are from the same excavation team."

"They are the ones who stay outside to keep watch."

At this point, Black Hawk's expression became slightly more serious. "If nothing unexpected happens, the people inside should have already received the message."

Do you think we should go in now?

The three rats exchanged glances, and finally all looked at Yu Zhun.

They had already seen from what had just happened that this newcomer was quite intelligent, at least more so than the three of them.

Yu Zhun's lips twitched slightly. "Going down has its advantages, of course. At least we're taking the initiative, and we can see what's down there. But the other side entered earlier and is more familiar with the terrain."

"But if we wait for them up there, we're at a disadvantage because we don't know exactly when they'll come up. Also, what if they've obtained something down there that can enhance their strength…?"

“I understand what you mean.” Black Hawk nodded slightly.

When faced with two evils, choose the lesser one; taking the initiative is clearly better.

"Wolf Fang, how are your injuries?"

Wolf Fang didn't speak, but instead gnawed on the jerky while opening his belly to reveal his thin abdominal muscles. The huge gash in his abdomen had now been reduced to just some faint white marks.

“Very good.” Black Hawk’s gaze returned to the entrance.

"Let's go in and take a look."
-
Meanwhile, inside the ruins of the shopping mall.

A group of seven people, holding searchlights, were carefully searching the dark commercial building, whose main structure was almost entirely buried underground.

Before being buried by sandstorms, this commercial building had already collapsed, so the interior was not as regular as a typical building. Most areas were tilted at a large angle, and some were even completely collapsed, requiring people to walk on the walls.

The long-term darkness and dampness have also allowed a large amount of mold and some moss plants that cannot be exposed to light to grow in the shopping mall, making many areas extremely slippery.

"Be careful, everyone." The leader said in a deep voice, "This shopping mall must have been exposed to sandstorms recently due to changes in the terrain."

"We are very likely to be among the first people to come in."

"This means a huge opportunity, but also many unknown dangers because no one has explored the path."

"Mark all the places where there are good things, and we'll come back to collect them slowly when we explore deeper." The leader paused slightly. "The other excavation teams are probably already on their way."

"Wa and the others should be able to hold out for a while."

As soon as he finished speaking, one of the men in the group suddenly changed his expression and said with a grim look, "Captain, Wape is dead."

"Before he died, he sent me his last message."

"They were killed by the Black Hawk team."

As soon as the words were spoken, the whole team instantly became excited.

Those were their companions, and they were killed?
"Boss, let's go out and take them out!"

"Exactly, I've never even heard of the Black Hawk Team!"

"Quiet!" the leader hissed, his eyes threatening the disgruntled crowd. "The Black Hawk Squad must be from somewhere else."

"We've explored half of it, so we can't go out yet."

"Since their target is the ruins, they can't possibly leave."

"Don't forget the news we heard!" A fanatical glint appeared in the leader's eyes. "Before the cataclysm, this was no ordinary shopping mall. Deep within this mall lay an important treasure."

"We must make sure we get it!"

"As for the revenge against Vape and the others, we will take it when everything is over."

Upon hearing the leader's words, the others remained silent for a moment, then nodded helplessly in agreement.

"Let's delve deeper."

The leader, carrying a searchlight, stepped deeper into the area.

(End of this chapter)