285: Wei Ziqing's arrival was perfectly timed.

Lu Jianchuan and Cynthia’s battle had entered a white-hot stage. Fists intertwined, leg winds howled, and every collision erupted in a dull thud.

Cynthia’s high kick swept fiercely towards Lu Jianchuan’s head. The instant Lu Jianchuan blocked with his silver armor-clad left arm, his right fist shot out like a venomous Dragon emerging from its lair, striking directly at her slightly exposed abdomen.

Cynthia reacted extremely quickly, crossing her fists and pressing down, barely blocking this fierce blow.

The two immediately fell into an even more intense close-quarters exchange, their fists clashing continuously with astonishing frequency and power, like two tireless pile drivers colliding madly, stirring up gusts of vortexes in the air.

However, after another straightforward exchange of blows, Cynthia keenly felt that the sensation from her Mechanical Gauntlets was somewhat unusual—not the shock of impact, but an abnormal, rapidly rising heat!

Her eyes shifted slightly, and her peripheral vision swept over her fists. The surface of the mechanical exoskeleton gauntlets, which had originally glowed with a cold, dark blue light, now showed an abnormal dark red color. The structural seams even began to soften and deform, emitting wisps of smoke! A scorching heat was spreading through the gauntlets to her palms.

It was Lu Jianchuan’s ability! With every fist-to-fist contact, he converted violent bio-currents into instantaneous high temperatures, continuously conducting and permeating them into the metal gauntlets!

Cynthia looked at Lu Jianchuan’s hands, and saw that a layer of flowing, dark red light was faintly attached to the silver armor-covered knuckles of his fists; it was the melted and adsorbed metal solution!

“Hmph.” Cynthia let out a cold snort, making a decisive move. She suddenly shook her arms, and with a few crisp “crack” sounds, the severely deformed mechanical exoskeleton gauntlets, which had even partially melted and stuck to her combat suit, were forcibly detached from their connections and thrown to the ground, kicking up two puffs of dust. The scorching sensation receded, but her hands also lost their most important weapons and protection.

Lu Jianchuan gave her no chance to breathe. The moment the gauntlets fell off, he had already rushed forward again, taking advantage of her empty hands, and punched directly at her center!

Cynthia immediately crossed her arms to block.

“Bang!”

This time, the result of the collision was completely different.

Without the support and cushioning of the mechanical exoskeleton, purely enduring Lu Jianchuan's charged blow with her flesh and blood and internal evolved energy, Cynthia's body shook violently, losing her footing. She stumbled back several steps before barely stabilizing herself, her arms aching and numb.

Lu Jianchuan took the opportunity to lean down, deftly using his foot to pick up the two masses of metal debris on the ground, which were still faintly red, steaming, and in a semi-solid, semi-liquid state, catching them in mid-air with his left and right hands.

The muscles and energy circuits beneath his silver armor adjusted slightly, precisely controlling the output of bio-currents.

Amidst sizzling electrical sounds, the two masses of metal, already softened by high temperature, were further molded, not fully solidifying, but maintaining a viscous, high-temperature malleable state. They enveloped and adsorbed onto his fists like living fluids,

The parts in contact with the silver armor's surface subtly fused under current control, forming a thick, slowly flowing, dark red metallic overlay. Excess molten metal extended along his finger gaps and wrists, forming a constantly subtly deforming protective structure.

Lu Jianchuan’s fists were covered with that slowly flowing dark red metal, and he stood ready. However, he immediately sensed that something was wrong.

Ahead, Cynthia’s gaze, after a few seconds of seemingly detached emptiness, suddenly changed.

The fury, pain, and impulse to destroy everything that had almost overflowed earlier, receded like a tide, vanishing without a trace.

In its place was a pure, chilling indifference.

There was no emotion in those eyes, no hesitation, not even targeted hatred for the enemy before her, only an absolute calm, like looking at an object or an obstacle, and beneath that calm, a more direct intention to deal with it.

She tilted her head slightly, her cold gaze first sweeping over Dr. Chen Ruian, who was curled on the ground, trembling from blood loss and fear. There was not even disgust in that gaze, more like confirming a coordinate or a discarded item.

Then, her gaze fell on Lu Jianchuan, passed over the newly formed metal gauntlets on his hands, and finally glanced at Shen Mingyuan, who was standing guard with a gun behind him.

The next moment, she moved again like a ghost, rushing directly at Lu Jianchuan! But this time, her offensive had a completely different temperament.

Lu Jianchuan roared, his metal-covered right fist powerfully striking back. However, at the instant their fists were about to connect, Cynthia’s body abruptly stopped and sidestepped with a small movement that almost defied physics, evading the heavy blow. At the same time, her left hand, fingers together like a blade, silently but viciously and precisely stabbed towards Lu Jianchuan’s exposed ribs, a weak point in his armor due to his punch.

Lu Jianchuan’s internal alarm bells rang loudly, and he quickly bent his arm to block.

But Cynthia’s seemingly fierce jab was a feint! Her real killing move was below—her right leg, like a long-coiled switchblade, unexpectedly swept upwards from below, her toes kicking directly at Lu Jianchuan’s undefended jaw! If this kick landed, it would be enough to cause a severe concussion.

Just at this critical moment—

“Bang!”

A bullet flew past Cynthia’s raised right calf, almost grazing it. The scorching airflow and sharp whistle made her leg muscles instinctively contract, causing a subtle deviation in the trajectory and force of her kick.

It was Shen Mingyuan! He had been fully focused on the battle, his muzzle subtly adjusting with Cynthia’s movements.

He chose not to directly shoot Cynthia’s body—that was too risky—but instead precisely predicted her attack route, using this almost “grazing” deterrent shot to forcibly interfere with her movements, buying Lu Jianchuan those few tenths of a second of reaction time.

Lu Jianchuan seized this hard-won interval, sharply leaning back, while simultaneously raising his knee upwards.

“Sizzle—”

Cynthia’s kick grazed his chest armor, sending off a shower of sparks.

She retracted her leg and landed expressionlessly, completely unconcerned by the bullet that had nearly hit her. Her cold eyes didn't even look in Shen Mingyuan's direction, still locked on Lu Jianchuan, as if the interference just now was merely irrelevant background noise.

She subtly adjusted her stance, pressing her body lower, like a predator poised to strike, searching for the next more efficient, harder-to-predict offensive opportunity.

The hairs on the back of Shen Mingyuan’s neck stood slightly on end. He felt it; the current Cynthia was more dangerous than her enraged self from moments ago.

“This is bad...” Shen Mingyuan thought anxiously, “How can I end this battle without seriously injuring her? Why hasn’t that kid Wei Ziqing finished up and come to help?!”

On the other side, Lu Jianchuan’s eyes narrowed, and he took a deep breath, saying in a low voice, “It seems... I’ll have to use a bit more force. Although it might make her suffer a bit...” Before he finished speaking, he had already charged forward again like an arrow from a bow, his right fist, covered in viscous metal, striking directly at Cynthia’s face with a dull whoosh!

Cynthia coldly sidestepped, evading the fist by a hair’s breadth. But Lu Jianchuan’s move was intended for suppression, not necessarily a direct hit. The instant his punch’s momentum waned, beneath the silver armor of his arms, surging bio-currents wildly surged and converged on his fists with unprecedented intensity!

He couldn't fire the current like energy projectiles, but he could extremely concentrate it on the surface of his gauntlets, forming two violently leaping, crackling high-voltage electric fields! Accompanied by his wide, yet extremely fast, continuous punches, dazzling arcs of electricity shot out and elongated with the wind of his fists, as if he were wielding two constantly tearing electric nets, enveloping Cynthia!

“Sizzle—!”

Cynthia's figure flickered, dodging continuously in the confined space with astonishing reactions and speed. Those deadly electric arcs grazed her body multiple times, leaving a scorched scent in the air. But the coverage of the electric field continuously expanded with Lu Jianchuan's punches, making it ultimately difficult to completely avoid.

“Ugh!” After an extreme dodge, an exceptionally thick electric arc finally swept across her left shoulder. Even with her evolved Physique and the insulation of her combat suit, the momentary paralysis and intense pain from the high-voltage current piercing through caused her body to stiffen and tremble uncontrollably, and her movements experienced an extremely brief pause.

Now!

Lu Jianchuan seized this fleeting opportunity, and a powerful, heavy low sweep kick had already arrived! The leg wind was sharp, aiming directly at Cynthia’s ankle, which was supporting her center of gravity!

Cynthia's eyes flickered, instinctively about to leap back to avoid this strike capable of snapping an iron pillar.

However—

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Three bullets, almost in a single line, accurately struck the ground half a step behind her, the flying debris and scorching air current sealing off her optimal retreat route! It was Shen Mingyuan, once again using precise suppressive fire to compress her evasion space!

With no way to retreat and an extremely high risk of taking the blow head-on, Cynthia, in the nick of time, forcefully twisted her body, shifting the impact-bearing area from her vulnerable ankle to the more muscular outer calf.

"Thud!"

Amidst a heavy thud, Lu Jianchuan's sweeping kick landed squarely! Cynthia was sent stumbling backward and flying sideways by the immense force!

"She's coming this way!" Shen Mingyuan's eyes sharpened. No longer content with long-range suppression, he spun his twin pistols in his hands, gripping the barrels and using the stocks as blunt melee weapons. He charged forward like a leopard, directly meeting Cynthia's airborne trajectory!

He timed it perfectly, delivering a swift, airborne knee strike that heavily impacted Cynthia's abdomen and waist, where she hadn't fully adjusted her posture!

"Ugh!" Cynthia grunted. Her balance, already disrupted by the sweeping kick, was completely lost. The momentum of her forward tumble was abruptly halted and broken by the knee strike, plunging her into a brief state of hit-stun!

How could Lu Jianchuan miss this perfect opportunity for a combined attack? Almost simultaneously with Shen Mingyuan's knee strike, he had already pounced from the other side, his metal-covered fist mercilessly smashing down towards Cynthia's exposed back! Shen Mingyuan also swung his gun stock, striking towards her shoulder and neck from the other side!

Above, below, left, and right, all escape routes were sealed. Struck mid-air and stunned, she seemed to be in a desperate situation.

However, there was still no trace of panic in her cold eyes. In the last instant before their attacks landed, Cynthia forcefully took a breath, her body twisting strangely as if boneless. Against all odds, she shot up almost half a meter in height within a small space!

"Bang! Clang!"

Lu Jianchuan's fist and Shen Mingyuan's gun stock struck almost simultaneously, but only hit the edges of each other's weapons and the residual air, most of the force landing on empty space, emitting a grating collision sound.

Cynthia narrowly avoided the fatal combined attack, but forcefully exerting herself mid-air left her with no room to maneuver.

She crossed her arms in front of her, forcefully blocking the subsequent secondary attacks from both of them, which naturally followed their missed strikes as they swung upwards.

"Clang! Snap!"

Cynthia landed somewhat steadily, her cold eyes instantly locking onto Shen Mingyuan. Without warning, she initiated another charge, her target clear—directly at Shen Mingyuan, who had been providing long-range suppression!

Lu Jianchuan let out a low growl, stepping sideways. His tall, silver-armored body stood like a shield in front of Shen Mingyuan, his fists poised to strike.

However, the moment Cynthia charged in front of Lu Jianchuan, she didn't engage directly. Instead, she lowered her stance, her right hand shooting out like lightning. It wasn't an attack, but a sudden grab of Lu Jianchuan's slightly raised left shoulder armor, a result of his defensive posture!

Using his strength to generate her own, she was like a nimble ape, using Lu Jianchuan's shoulder as a pivot point for a light but incredibly swift sideways roll, directly flipping over Lu Jianchuan's head. She landed behind him, her momentum undiminished, still rushing straight for Shen Mingyuan!

"Tsk!" Shen Mingyuan hadn't expected her to break through Lu Jianchuan's interception in such a way, and quickly raised his guns. But he was hesitant, his muzzles pointing only at Cynthia's non-vital limbs or the empty space in front of her, bullets forming a line, attempting to block her path forward. "Left! Stop! Right!"

But Cynthia's cold eyes seemed to see through his concerns. She astonishingly didn't dodge the bullets blocking her movement, merely slightly adjusting her body to avoid the most direct trajectories, her speed almost undiminished, charging straight at him with a chilling resolve!

"Hey! That's cheating!" Shen Mingyuan couldn't help but shout, forced to retreat repeatedly, the deterrent power of his twin pistols greatly diminished by his own scruples.

Just as Cynthia was about to break through the last line of fire, her fingertips almost touching Shen Mingyuan's collar—

"Whoosh!"

A plain white cold light pierced the air, shooting straight for Cynthia's back! It was Wei Ziqing's unique poisoned bone sword!

Cynthia seemed to have eyes in the back of her head, flashing to the left at the last moment. The bone sword grazed her right arm, tearing away a small piece of cloth.

But the attack wasn't over. At the end of the bone sword's trajectory, Lu Jianchuan had already firmly caught the flying hilt! Without hesitation, he used the momentum of catching the sword to deliver a fierce horizontal slash, sweeping towards Cynthia, whose body was slightly off-balance from dodging the Flying Sword!

"Screech!"

Though the sword's edge didn't fully cut in, it sliced a long gash across Cynthia's battle suit and skin at her waist, and blood immediately seeped out.

"Wei Ziqing!" Shen Mingyuan's spirits lifted as he looked in the direction the bone sword had come from.

Wei Ziqing was striding out of the shadows near the laboratory. His plain white armor was indeed no longer pristine, stained and scratched in several places, with a noticeable crack on his left shoulder plate. His breathing was also somewhat ragged, clearly having endured a tough battle. "I'm fine," Wei Ziqing quickly responded, his voice tired but steady, "I'll explain later. That silver-white behemoth... it was very troublesome. But now it's poisoned by me and immobilized in the lab." His gaze swept over Cynthia, who was slowly turning, her waist wounded but still staring coldly at them, his brows furrowed. "What... what happened? Why are you fighting Cynthia?"

"I'm fine," Wei Ziqing quickly responded, his voice tired but steady, "I'll explain later. That silver-white behemoth... it was very troublesome. But now it's poisoned by me and immobilized in the lab." His gaze swept over Cynthia, who was slowly turning, her waist wounded but still staring coldly at them, his brows furrowed. "What... what happened? Why are you fighting Cynthia?"

"Ah, it's a long story, all Prometheus's doing!" Shen Mingyuan spoke rapidly. "Anyway, let's figure out how to calm her down first!"

Just then, Cynthia's body suddenly swayed imperceptibly. She looked down at the wound on her waist, cut by the bone sword. The blood around the wound seemed to be darkening at an unnatural speed, and a numbing sensation was rapidly spreading outwards from the wound—the potent neuro-paralytic toxin attached to Wei Ziqing's bone sword had begun to take effect!

She immediately realized something was wrong, and for the first time, a clear, instinctual biological warning flashed in her cold eyes—retreat!

Without hesitation, she abandoned her attack, turned, and tried to dart into the deeper shadows of the building!

"Stop her!" Lu Jianchuan roared, pouncing alongside Shen Mingyuan, no longer aiming for subduing her, but fully engaging to entangle and delay.

The toxin spread faster than expected. Cynthia's speed visibly decreased, her evasions became sluggish, and her blocking strength weakened. Under Lu Jianchuan's next powerful punch and Shen Mingyuan's precise gunshots sealing her retreat, she finally stumbled, kneeling on one knee, trying to struggle up, but found the strength in her limbs rapidly draining away.

Soon, she couldn't even maintain a kneeling posture, softly falling forward. Before she completely lost consciousness, her cold, empty eyes seemed to briefly unfocus, a faint glimmer of the confusion and pain belonging to "Cynthia" flashing through them, before they completely closed, and she collapsed to the ground.

Almost simultaneously, a "thud" came from the other side. Everyone turned to look, only to see Dr. Chen Ruian, pale as gold paper from excessive blood loss, had already fallen unconscious unnoticed, a small puddle of dark red blood accumulated beneath him.

"Tsk, he passed out from blood loss!" Shen Mingyuan finally noticed the doctor's grim state.

"Perimeter personnel!" Lu Jianchuan immediately called through the comms channel. "Target one unconscious, target two severely wounded and unconscious from blood loss, urgent medical attention needed! Repeat, urgent medical attention needed!"

The waiting perimeter GUPA members quickly rushed into the scene, expertly beginning to process: two carefully placed the unconscious Cynthia onto a stretcher, their movements gentle;

Several others immediately provided hemostasis and basic life support to the unconscious doctor, then swiftly transferred him. Only the panting Lu Jianchuan, Shen Mingyuan, and the wounded Wei Ziqing remained at the scene, along with the chaotic traces of battle scattered everywhere.