445: Chapter 442 Auditory Hallucinations

That thought flashed through Shen Mingyuan's mind. It didn't matter anymore; regardless of the truth, it was no longer important.

He raised his dual pistols, and black-red plasma bullets poured out.

Xiao Hui's figure dodged left and right amidst the rain of bullets. Those bullets grazed his body, exploding into scorched black pits on the walls and ground. He didn't retreat; instead, he ascended against the hail of bullets—stepping on the wall, leaping off it, and pouncing toward Shen Mingyuan from above.

Shen Mingyuan holstered his guns and swung the butt of one directly at him.

Xiao Hui raised his hand to block, and the dull thud of metal clashing exploded in the night air. Shen Mingyuan took the opportunity to kick out, but Xiao Hui dodged to the side and threw a backhand punch at his ribs. Shen Mingyuan blocked it with the body of his gun. The force of the punch jolted him back half a step, but he didn't stop. Using the momentum of his retreat, he spun around and slammed his elbow hard into Xiao Hui's chest.

Bang—!

Xiao Hui was sent flying, flipping twice in the air before landing on the ground.

Shen Mingyuan didn't pursue. He brought his hands together, and the dual pistols disassembled, restructured, and embedded themselves into his forearm armor.

Falcon Dive Form.

Two slender Arm Blades slid out from the outer sides of his forearms. A bright red energy core ran through the center of the blades, and dark red Bioelectricity leaped across the edges. A pair of powerful Bionic Wings unfurled behind him. The five-colored black feathers were almost invisible in the night; only when the moonlight occasionally hit them did they shimmer with faint glints of deep blue-black, purple-black, and dark green.

Xiao Hui steadied himself and looked at Shen Mingyuan, who had transformed in an instant. The corners of his mouth curled up again.

"Interesting."

Shen Mingyuan didn't waste any words. He exerted force through his feet, flapped his wings, and charged forward like a blur.

An Arm Blade slashed down, and Xiao Hui dodged to the side. Shen Mingyuan flicked his wrist, and the other Arm Blade swept across. Xiao Hui raised his hand to block, the piercing sound of metal grinding echoing through the night. Shen Mingyuan retracted the blade, his wings suddenly snapping open as he used the hard wing bones to lash out violently at Xiao Hui's cheek.

Xiao Hui's head was knocked to the side, but he immediately turned back and threw a punch at Shen Mingyuan's chest. Shen Mingyuan blocked it with an Arm Blade, then folded his wings, the wingtips piercing toward Xiao Hui's abdomen like sharp blades.

The two engaged in close-quarters combat, moving so fast their actions were nearly a blur. Arm Blade strikes, wing blocks, a flurry of punches and kicks—every collision erupted with a dull boom.

Shen Mingyuan slid left and right. In Falcon Dive Form, his mobility relied entirely on his wings and dashes; ground combat was indeed somewhat inconvenient for flexible changes in direction. However, those five-colored black wings became the best shields at this moment. Every time Xiao Hui tried to circle around him, he would spread his wings and use the hard wing bones to block the path.

After several failed attempts at a Breakthrough, Xiao Hui began to pull back. He retreated two steps, charged up briefly, and threw a punch.

Shen Mingyuan raised his wings to block.

Bang—!

A massive force pushed him backward. His feet plowed two deep furrows into the ground, sliding three or four meters before stopping. He shook his wings, which were covered in dust.

"Such incredible strength."

Just as he spread his wings, he saw that a stone had appeared in Xiao Hui's hand at some point. The stone wasn't thrown at him—with a flick of Xiao Hui's wrist, the stone flew toward the upper side wall, bounced off, hit a billboard on the other side, and in a chain reaction, a huge shop sign crashed down from above.

Shen Mingyuan slashed upward with both blades. A flash of sword light later, the sign was sliced in two, falling on either side of him.

In that split second, Xiao Hui's face was already right in front of him.

A punch came—but it missed.

That punch grazed Shen Mingyuan's ear and hit the air behind him. Shen Mingyuan reacted instantly, kicking Xiao Hui in the abdomen and sending him flying back.

Shen Mingyuan steadied himself, his brow furrowed.

"He missed?"

Xiao Hui landed on the ground but didn't attack again immediately. He stood there, his gaze somewhat vacant, as if he were looking at Shen Mingyuan, yet also at something else.

What's going on?

Chaotic images flashed through his mind—not the current street, but somewhere from many years ago. The boy's face, sunlight, laughter. Those images didn't belong to him, yet they surfaced so clearly before his eyes.

(Nowadays, listening to songs alone always feels lonely, hearing hallucinations of you whispering softly in my ear, how gentle the night is, how much you love me.)

Is it because the body isn't mine? He suppressed the surging memories with all his might. Is it caused by my forced dominance over the evo factor? But the real Xiao Hui should be dead. This body is a Fusion of multiple people; why is it that only his memories are surfacing?

No.

He looked up, his gaze sweeping over Shen Mingyuan, then over Zero One and the old man behind him.

Must retreat.

He turned and punched the side of the building. Concrete shattered, and an entire wall collapsed, kicking up a cloud of dust. He dashed into the smoke and disappeared behind the ruins.

Shen Mingyuan wanted to give chase, but the debris and dust blocked his vision. By the time he circled around the collapsed wall, the alley was empty.

Shen Mingyuan glanced back to ensure Xiao Hui wouldn't return, then turned back to the pair—or rather, the old man and the machine.

"Alright." He retracted the Arm Blades, deactivated Falcon Dive Form, and reverted to his ordinary armor. "Doctor, and you, your name is Zero One, right? I heard him call you that just now. Do you have anything to say?"

Zero One nodded, took a step forward, and spoke in a flat voice.

"Hello. I am Zero One, an Artificial Intelligence Lifeform created by Dr. Alfred Heinrich, currently hosted in a semi-mechanical, semi-biological body. The doctor's research field is the intersection of artificial intelligence and biotechnology; he has spent decades—"

"Enough, enough, enough." The old man quickly interrupted him, looking speechless. "You're too honest. Why are you telling them everything?"

Zero One tilted its head.

"He asked, so I answered. This is the normal flow of communication."

Shen Mingyuan couldn't help but chuckle at the scene.

"Triggered a keyword, didn't you?" He shook his head. "This AI is quite something."

The old man sighed and rubbed his hands together.

"That's the situation." He looked at Shen Mingyuan. "So, what do we do now?"

Shen Mingyuan thought for a moment.

"If all else fails, I'll find a suitable place for you to stay. We have an The Authorities over there; you might want to consider it."

The old man fell silent for a moment.

"Actually, I don't really trust the The Authorities," he said slowly. "But since you've put it that way, I don't seem to have much of a choice now. Could you introduce us?"

Shen Mingyuan nodded.

"Of course."

Just as he finished speaking, a figure walked quickly from the other end of the alley. Lu Jianchuan was in casual clothes, a bit out of breath from running.

"Gosh, I put in so much effort to rush over here." He glanced around but didn't find the target. "Where's the guy?"

Shen Mingyuan gestured with his chin toward the direction Xiao Hui had disappeared.

"Ran off long ago."

Lu Jianchuan sighed.

"Well, that's a shame."

Shen Mingyuan briefly explained what had happened and then took out his phone to send a message to the group.

"I'll tell the other two to stop and have them head straight back to the base." He put away his phone. "The matter is temporarily resolved, though it's a pity we didn't catch Xiao Hui. Catching him again might be a bit troublesome. Let's take the old man and his Zero One back first."