FREE on Kindle Unlimited now
Available on Amazon shop
https://www.amazon.com.au/City-Shadows-Pubang/dp/B0DTYBH95G
--------------------------
Dr. Chan saw this and felt a sudden, crushing despair, as if an invisible hand had gripped his heart. His eyes locked onto the syringe, his face turning pale. He recognized it instantly—it was the lab's latest biochemical agent, an unfinished and extremely dangerous experimental injection originally designed to create super mutants.
He never imagined Gin would bring such a forbidden weapon to the battlefield.
Dr. Chan knew the terror of this agent. Even the strongest soldiers might not withstand its effect, with a death rate as high as 50%, proving it was far from a successful formula. Clearly, Gin intended to use it on his soldiers, without considering the risks to others. Perhaps such concerns never crossed the minds of warlords.
He knew that once injected, the super spores would rapidly spread through the bloodstream, causing intense physiological reactions. In just a few seconds, the subject would endure unimaginable pain, muscles stiffening as if engulfed in invisible flames. These symptoms could last for hours or even days. Those who survived would pay a price—but in return, they would gain extraordinary strength.
He smiled bitterly, cold sweat dripping down his forehead."In just one minute, Gin could kill us both twice."
Death's shadow silently descended.
Gin, more sensitive to Earnest's condition, swiftly broke free from the cable around his neck and kicked Dr. Chan unconscious.
In just a few seconds, Earnest's body stiffened, his face flushed, his body like a boiling cauldron, with only his lips weakly moving.
The intense movements caused Gin great pain, slowing him down, like a cat cornering a mouse, no longer in a hurry.
Gin's face twisted into a grin, curious about Earnest's muttering. He leaned in, unguarded, to hear the faint words:
"Dad, I'm so scared..."
For a second, Gin froze— then he burst out laughing. It was a harsh, ugly sound, echoing through the cold room. He laughed until he wheezed, wiping tears from his eyes.
"Oh, this is priceless! The son of that man— trembling, begging like a child! I expected more fight, but you're just a scared little boy. Maybe your old man's legend was nothing but hot air." He kicked Earnest's side lazily."C'mon, kid. You're embarrassing yourself."
But Gin didn't notice the change— the way Earnest's breathing steadied, the sudden stillness settling over him like the calm before a storm.
Earnest's mind flashed back— his father's voice, steady and patient, guiding him through morning exercises. The snap of his body in motion. The flow of power from the ground up.
Bow your body. Coil the strength.
His body moved before his mind finished the thought.
He stomped his left foot, power surging from his heel, through his waist, to his upper body. In an instant, his shoulder tensed, his body like a taut bowstring, focusing all his strength in his right elbow.
The top elbow strike—fierce as thunder, the king of close combat.
Earnest's eyes were blood-red, sharp as a knife, targeting Gin's chest. In the next moment, he shot forward like a cannonball, his right elbow striking upward, a thunderous blow aimed at Gin's heart!
"Bang!"
The strike was simple, direct, and explosive. The elbow, cutting through the air, slammed into Gin's chest. The sound was deep and heavy, like a boulder hitting an iron plate.
Caught off guard, Gin's body stiffened, as if hit by a speeding train. The immense force penetrated muscle and bone, shattering his ribs into fragments. His heart, violently compressed, caved in, blood seemingly reversed by the blow.
Breathing stopped instantly.
Gin's pupils contracted, his face turning pale, a low groan escaping his lips. His body flew backward, feet off the ground, crashing into the metal cabinet.
"Boom!"
The cabinet shook violently, denting deeply. Gin's back embedded in it, pain spreading from his chest, his bones feeling shattered.
He tried to breathe but found his lungs crushed, unable to draw air. His heartbeat erratic, his chest felt like a burning fire, accompanied by bone-crushing pain.
This was the power of the top elbow strike.
Short, swift, explosive as thunder, one strike to decide the outcome.
Earnest withdrew his elbow, his posture still taut, coldly watching Gin.
Gin struggled to lift his head, blood trickling from his mouth, his eyes still fierce. But his body betrayed him—his legs trembled, unable to support him.
Earnest gave him no respite. His muscle memory drove him to press forward, relentless and fierce. One strike followed by another, never giving the opponent a chance to breathe.
The next move was already on its way.
Earnest didn't hesitate.
With the top elbow strike landing, his body moved seamlessly, like a bloodthirsty beast, locking onto Gin's weakness.
Relentless force, never allowing the opponent to recover.
"Hey!" Earnest shouted, his voice like thunder.
He stomped his left foot forward, his heel grinding into the cold floor with a dull thud. In that moment, his strength gathered again, from his feet, waist, shoulders, surging into his right arm.
Close-range collision!
Earnest's body crashed forward like an avalanche, his right shoulder thrusting like a thrown boulder, slamming into Gin!
"Bang!"
Gin's body crumpled— his ribs shattered, the air driven from his lungs in a ragged, wheezing gasp. He flew backward, slamming into the metal cabinet with a bone-rattling crash.
For the first time, fear flickered in his eyes.
But Earnest wasn't done.
He stalked forward, relentless, his body moving with perfect, deadly precision. Gin coughed, blood flecking his lips, but still he tried to sneer.
"H-Heh… you think… this changes anything?" Gin spat, his voice shaking."You're just a freak now… like the rest of them."
Earnest didn't answer. He didn't have to. His right shoulder drove forward like a sledgehammer.
"Bang!"
The impact sent Gin crashing into the cabinet again, the steel warping under the force. Gin's vision swam, pain radiating from every broken bone— but still, his mouth twisted into a bloodied smirk.
This time, Gin couldn't withstand it. The immense force pierced his chest, his body like a cannonball, crashing to the ground.
The ice cracked, blood splattered.
The cold room finally fell silent.
Earnest, unmoving as a mountain, striking like thunder.
His mind cleared, his boiling blood calming. Standing still, he realized that the exercises he practiced daily were deadly moves! Each action seemed born for this battle.
He wanted to laugh at himself. For over twenty years, he never doubted it was just a fitness routine.
"Dad, who are you really?"
Gin's bones shattered, he lay limp, blood gushing from his mouth, his face filled with uncontrollable shock.
Suddenly, he seemed to understand, a twisted smile forming, laughing silently.
"I get it! You've been exposed to the spores! You're already infected! That's why you recovered so quickly!"
He finally realized that the injection didn't kill Earnest but activated the dormant black spores in his body, resonating with the agent. The agent, meant to cause deadly stiffness, became a catalyst for Earnest's explosive strength!
In the next moment, Earnest's body seemed ignited, his strength fully unleashed!
Only then did Gin truly understand that this young man was far stronger than he imagined. And he himself had likely been outsmarted by that gentle"old friend."
Before darkness swallowed his consciousness, Gin screamed his final curse:"I'm... just a tool! Kill me, it doesn't matter... I'm even glad! But you and your father, you're on the wrong side! You've angered the wrong people... Even mayor trembles before my boss! And you... every moment from now on, don't even think..."
His voice cut off.
The battlefield returned to a brief, deathly silence.