Night Journey

Chapter 140 Killing Machine

"Darren Zaka, from the Mechanical Destiny, Rank 2, has been working for the Watergate system since he joined more than ten years ago."

As the elevator descended, Dai Lin recounted the target's information.

"His parents died several years ago, he never married, and he has no close friends. You could say he's a reclusive guy with almost no social connections."

Anya commented, "It sounds like an extreme version of Elton."

“He’s not as good as Elton.” Cillian shook his head. “At least Elton has his own hobbies and ideals, and beneath his aloof exterior lies a passionate heart.”

He didn't mention Elton's love story; such private matters didn't need to be brought up in public.

"For many years, he has remained deep within the fortress, as stereotypically portrayed, passionate about technology, and has made numerous optimizations to the water gate system."

Dai Lin continued, "He wasn't very famous, but he had a significant impact on the Watergate system."

Some even believe that if Darren were willing to cultivate his network and expand his influence, he would be a strong contender for the next Chief of Technology.

Cillian frowned and said in a low voice, "That sounds like a big problem."

"We're just unlucky," Dalin said helplessly. "We're the ones who have to deal with this troublesome guy."

"What bad luck..."

Cillian felt that this was too much of a coincidence.

"It's truly baffling how he was corrupted by chaos and ended up on the purge list."

Anya raised some questions.

She couldn't understand under what circumstances Darren, a man who lived a secluded life, would come into contact with Chaos, even come to believe in the evils of Chaos, and choose to be an enemy of Hel City.

"Don't overthink it, you'll know when you see him."

Dai Lin interrupted Anya's thoughts. The elevator had stopped, and with a creaking metallic scraping sound, the iron door slowly opened.

Beneath the arch, the three walked onto a suspended steel grating platform, through which they could see the flowing underground river below.

Deep within the fortress lies the observation area, where the river is forcibly choked and constricted, its turbid and rapid flow carrying foam and unidentified debris, crashing violently against the reinforced alloy walls on both sides.

Water splashed and mingled with a strong fishy smell, hitting the cold steel structure, condensing into beads, then flowing into thin streams that dripped continuously along the rivets and welds.

Without needing to search further, the three of them found Darren.

To be precise, Darren was the only person on duty in this vast observation area.

Rather than a coincidence, Cillian believed that the water gate system had received advance warning and cleared the area.

At the edge of the platform, thick pillars pierce deep into the turbulent water, with huge searchlight bases fixed on them, as well as bulky observation equipment such as menacing water pressure sensors and flow meters.

“Da…da…”

Darren seemed to be in a good mood; you could hear him humming a tune from afar.

The three exchanged glances. Daelin took the lead, hands in his pockets, fingers gripping his brass knuckles. Ciri followed closely behind, perfectly concealing the Boiling Sword in Daelin's shadow.

Anya walked at the very back, ready to support the two at any moment.

"Darren Zhaka."

Dailin called out the man's name, and the little tune she was humming abruptly stopped.

Darren slowly turned his head, the shadow cast by his loose hood obscuring his face.

"City Guard Bureau..."

He recognized the three men's uniforms and murmured, "You shouldn't be here."

Before Dalin could say anything more, Darren suddenly laughed, completely ignoring the three of them, and turned back to recording those complicated readings.

"Wait a moment, everyone. We only need a few more sets of data before tonight's observations end."

Darren turned the heavy manual brake wheel, the brass surface condensing with moisture.

The sound of the water flowing below suddenly became more intense. The air was cold and thick, filled with the earthy, rusty smell of the river and an indescribable sense of oppression from the deep water.

Darren hurriedly jotted down lines of numbers, analyzing the complex data to understand what was happening in the river and to foresee his own fate.

"So that's how it is. I'm no longer of any value, so I should be discarded?"

Darren muttered to himself, "Indeed, you are the light of the city, how could you tolerate such a stain on me..."

"what are you saying?"

Dalyn became alert, and the atmosphere subtly shifted from the moment Darren began recording the data.

Oppressive and somber.

"It's nothing, I'm just a little unwilling to die tonight."

Darren said, puzzled, "But to be honest, I'm really curious and want to see for myself what the city of Hull he described looks like."

Dalyn couldn't understand Darren's words, nor did she have a chance to ask him any further questions.

In the shadow of Darren's hood, his scarlet prosthetic eye suddenly lit up, like a blood-red pupil from the abyss.

Without any warning or preparation, Darren suddenly tore off his disguise and unleashed his source energy without restraint.

At the same time, the power of chaos erupted.

The bulky robe shattered into countless pieces, and the exposed torso had long since transformed into a bloated metal tomb.

The rough armor plates twisted and grew at the joints, the welding scars were as tangled as centipedes, and countless thick black cables, like living parasites, pierced through the flesh and came out from the spine, abdominal cavity and even the neck, with dark red blood mixed with engine oil dripping from the ends.

"Stop hiding it, everyone!" Darren's words distorted into a sharp electronic voice.

"Take whatever you want!"

Accompanied by the piercing metallic friction and hydraulic hiss, the bulky torso suddenly split apart.

The thick cannon barrel pierced through the shoulder blades, back, and sides in an instant, the dark muzzle turning menacingly in the pale light of the searchlight, precisely locking onto the three men.

"What the hell!"

Dai Lin cursed, and the next moment, artillery fire roared.

Metal projectiles trailed crisscrossing fire lines, the condensed and dissipated energy blasts tearing through the air, and the flying debris and rising water vapor turned the entire area into a steaming mess.

"Damn it, what's wrong with this guy?"

Behind a bunker, Dai Lin roared with lingering fear; if he had been a step slower, he would have been riddled with bullets.

"Isn't this obvious!"

Cillian roared as well, trying to drown out the booming gunfire.

"That bastard somehow sensed something was off tonight and knew we were here to kill him!"

Dai Lin cursed, "Shouldn't they have been scheming against us for a while? Why did they just attack us directly!"

"Have you been reading too many novels?!" Cillian had had enough. "If you can go first, you should definitely go first!"

"Can you all be quiet for a second and deal with that lunatic?!"

Anya's voice successfully drowned out the two of them, and they reached a consensus.

Through countless bloody battles, the three had accumulated rich combat experience and were able to evade in time. If it had been a group of interns who had just embarked on their life's journey, they would most likely have been wiped out.

Cillian tensed up and slipped out of cover, followed by a barrage of metal bullets that continued until he broke into another cover, at which point the bullets stopped for a moment.

"This is extremely troublesome..."

Each of the many paths in life can be further subdivided into different categories.

Just as the Destiny of Return to Silence distinguishes between clarity and depravity, the Destiny of Mechanical Corpses, due to the different forging courts and the different focuses of the spirit craftsmen, has also differentiated into many different combat styles.

Some craftsmen are adept at storing a large number of design blueprints in their minds. When faced with battle, they can print them out of thin air at high speed, instantly creating numerous terrifying firepower to tear apart their opponents.

Other spirit craftsmen, like Rolf, created numerous Dominator Armor and Clockwork Servant, forming an army on their own and overwhelming the enemy with sheer numbers.

Finally, there are spirit craftsmen like Darren, who focus on themselves, undergoing extensive mechanization of their bodies in an effort to forge themselves into the most lethal weapons.

"Since you're focusing on long-range firepower, then..."

Cirien heated the boiling sword, its blade glowing red-hot, flames leaping up.

"Dalin!"

He roared as he leaped out of cover.

Daelin understood Cillian's intentions perfectly. He released his own source energy without any concealment, climbed over the cover, and exposed his body to Darren's view.

His scarlet eyes locked onto Dalin.

In an instant, a violent metal storm slammed into Dailin. He roared, and his source energy surged and condensed on his body, his skin gleaming with a cold, hard luster, as if he were wearing an invisible armor.

Deadly bullets crashed into the iron wall, exploding into countless blinding sparks. Each bullet was like a heavy hammer striking a drum, and the dull impact resounded under the arch.

Dai Lin crossed his arms in front of him to protect himself, but under the excessive impact, the iron wall woven from source energy was gradually crumbling.

excruciating pain.

The impact penetrated the source energy's defenses and slammed into Dailin's body. Deep purple bruises spread rapidly and cracked, with fine beads of blood seeping from the cracks.

"Damn it, Cillian! Isn't it ready yet?!"

Amidst Daelin's wailing complaints, Cillian leaped from the shadows.

"coming!"

With Daelin's feigned attack at the cost of his life, Cillian got close to Darren.

Boiling Sword raised high!

The gunfire suddenly stopped, and the crimson eyes turned to Cirion.

"Ha ha!"

A hoarse, shrill laugh rang out, followed by dozens of sharp blades that sprang out from Darren's joints and elbows like a twisted thicket of thorns, their cold light gleaming.

Swords clashed, sparks flew!

Cillian's meticulously planned assassination was so easily thwarted by Darren.

But what chilled him most was not Darren's array of weapons, but the source energy reaction that was now completely unleashed and no longer concealed.

Rank 3 - Mech Soul.

Darren's figure rose from the ground, accompanied by a torrent of sword light and a sudden downpour.

Blinding sparks flew and exploded from the high-frequency slashing!
Despite Ciri's best efforts to counter the attack, his body was still cleaved open by the brutal blade, leaving long, thin streaks of blood that burst open and sprayed blood everywhere.

Immediately afterwards, Darren's wrist shot up sharply, and amidst the sickening sound of metal tearing and joints snapping, a cold, grotesque scimitar shot out.

It's coming down on my head!

(End of this chapter)