Chapter 619 - 389: Fourth Gear Overload (Part 2)
Finally, after a long silence, a response came from the computer speakers.
Qi Ling’s voice emerged, cold, emotionless, only two bloody words:
"Go die."
As the words fell, Zhao Yiming suddenly felt a chilling sensation, as though needles were pricking his arms and legs. He jumped up from his seat, instinctively looking back, and the scene before him froze his limbs.
He saw several spider-like small robots climbing on the window, their presence unknown. These were specialized assassins’ weapons, capable of traversing almost all complex terrains and using mechanical suction cups to climb vertically.
The robots were equipped with laser emitters fitted with silencing modules, using energy bullets that leave no bodies behind after killing, making them the weapon of choice for many special operations units.
With the electronic defense measures of the Heaven-Reaching Tower, these things should have never come close, but before a top-tier hacker, the invisible barriers protecting Zhao Yiming had long disappeared.
Seeing the weapon pods of the spider robots start to glow with light marks, Zhao Yiming shuddered as if electrocuted, using both hands and feet to dodge behind the table, grimly shouting, "Wait!"
"If you kill me, you’ll never see your childhood partner again!"
...
...
...
"Ah!!!"
Zhou Hanyan let out a blood-curdling roar, his large hand suddenly breaking through Dongdong’s chest, grabbing that energy core.
For a Prosthetic Implanter, the energy core is akin to a human "heart."
The implanter’s bionic heart can burst without consequence because once the entire body has been replaced with prosthetics, the bionic organs compensate for each other, so a burst heart doesn’t necessarily mean death.
But no matter how powerful a prosthesis is, it needs energy supply to function. If the energy core bursts, it basically equals a death sentence.
Su Mo and Nuobai charged forward from left and right, aiming to chop off Zhou Hanyan’s hand to relieve Dongdong.
But Zhou Hanyan had been prepared, the "Vanguard Level 1" energy core within him explosively operating, the tangible plasma energy flowing around and wildly dispersing, creating a storm that directly flung the two away.
Then, gathering strength again, he prepared to crush and remove Dongdong’s energy core, settling on killing one first!
However, just as he was about to deliver the fatal blow, something unexpected occurred.
The battered Dongdong suddenly lifted that small scarred hand, grabbing Zhou Hanyan’s wrist.
Zhou Hanyan thought this was just the dying person’s last struggle, ready to apply force, but suddenly realized his hand wouldn’t move.
The small hand gripping him, with an indescribable force, squeezed so hard that his internal microcircuits were damaged, causing his hand to lose control, unable to complete the crushing motion and just hanging there, unable to retract.
The following scene utterly shocked this King of Mercenaries.
Zhou Hanyan felt an extremely terrifying super high-temperature emanating from his palm, melting his prosthetic armor coating, the built-in interface giving high temperature warnings.
"Boom—" Instantly, accompanied by the roaring energy unleashing, azure plasma explosively surged from Dongdong’s energy core, blazing across her body like flames, unprecedentedly vast.
Behind those blazing flames, Zhou Hanyan saw Dongdong’s eyes, burning with boiling battle intent.
"Enough with the nonsense?"
Zhou Hanyan could hardly believe what he saw in front of him: "Triple Overload..."
In the realm of prosthetics, to see if someone is a genius, it often doesn’t involve their prosthetic level.
Because the mere prosthetic level doesn’t indicate much. Nowadays, immunosuppressants are advanced, people with average talent can install high-level prosthetics by recklessly taking meds.
But prosthetic overload is different. It has nothing to do with medication, relying purely on raw talent.
If you can use it, you can use it.
If you can’t, no amount of practice or medication will help.
And the prosthetic field has a famous "Minus Three Law," a golden indicator of an implanter’s talent.
The "Minus Three Law" refers to whether the implanter can achieve a prosthetic level minus three overload state.
For example, if an implanter fully replaces their body with the fourth-grade "Fearless Level" prosthetic, whether they can achieve "Level One Overload" becomes the benchmark for talent.
If someone can perform the "Minus Three," they are generally considered a prosthetic genius.
Those with extreme talent can turn "Minus Three" into "Minus Two."
For instance, harnessing a third-grade "Military Level" prosthetic using Level One Overload, or a fourth-grade "Fearless Level" using Level Two Overload, both fall into this category.
Earlier this year, why did Dongdong make her mark in the Hellhound Mercenary Corps, drawing attention from all city factions and the Iron Blood Alliance?
It wasn’t just because she single-handedly defeated the Seven-Star leader Lucifer, but because she accomplished an astonishing "Minus One" operation—exploding a Level Two Overload with a third-grade "Military Level" prosthetic.
Zhou Hanyan himself achieved such a feat in his youth, understanding its challenging nature.
Those capable of "Minus One" operations cannot merely be described as geniuses, each destined to write legends.
What’s more, as the prosthetic level continues to rise, the difficulty of "Minus One" operations increases exponentially.
Zhou Hanyan knew this all too well; he could unleash "Level Two Overload" with his "Military Grade," but after ascending to "Fearless Level," he couldn’t successfully use "Level Three Overload" until reaching the current "Vanguard Level."
Yet here and now, Dongdong utilized "Fearless Level," even the less optimal "Fearless Level 3" prosthetic for a Minus One operation, exploding into the terrifying "Level Three Overload," utterly shocking Zhou Hanyan.
In that moment, he realized that this still underage kid before him was a prodigy far surpassing himself in talent.
Dongdong shoved away Zhou Hanyan’s hand intruding her body, crashing fiercely into him, sending his tall form flying backward like a snapped kite, staggering several steps before steadying himself.
Subsequently, Dongdong grabbed the rock wall’s edge, pulling her embedded body free.
This time she’d truly taken a severe beating, her entire appearance ruined, fault sparks erupting from her whole body, the gaping wound through her chest glaringly grotesque.
Standing was difficult with such injuries.
Being able to explode into Level Three Overload in such desperation was a miracle.
Zhou Hanyan furrowed his brow, earnestly saying, "Kid, being able to use Level Three Overload with Fearless Level already surpasses me at your age."
"But I can also use Level Three Overload, my prosthetic level is higher, and I’m in much better condition than you, you can’t deal with me. You have great talent, don’t die in vain here, withdraw from the battlefield yourself."
Zhou Hanyan thought the previous explosion had already shocked him.
But he never realized, it was merely the beginning of the impact.
The plasma burning around Dongdong was azure, a typical sign of Level Three Overload.
"Boom—"
However, with the energy core’s dragon-like roar, the plasma flames on Dongdong erupted into incandescent brilliance, the destructive force surging out.
The terrifying heat current turned surrounding rocks into lava, altering the local climate of the mountain area, the clustered clouds above vaporizing, creating a clear zone.
Even as the heat currents surged in, so hot as to make breathing difficult, Zhou Hanyan felt a chill spreading from his spine, eyes unfocused, watching this scene.
"... Level Four Overload?"
Level Four Overload!
Exploding Level Four Overload with "Fearless Level" prosthetic!
Since the advent of prosthetic technology, this is unprecedented worldwide!
Incandescent plasma surged like a frenzy around Dongdong, the heat difference forming airwaves whipping the surroundings into a storm, her eyes filled with maniacal battle intent seemingly crushing Zhou Hanyan.
"You bastard, did you damn think I was the breakthrough point?!"