Boom!
At the moment the hammer swung down, the middle-aged man successfully threw himself in front of the pink-haired girl, closing his eyes and bracing for the impact.
But the sensation of being crushed never came. Instead, there was only a dull, heavy thud.
Confused by the lack of pain, the man opened his eyes to see exactly what had happened. A translucent pink protective barrier had manifested before him, encircled by swirling rainbows and drifting soap-bubble-like spheres.
These elements made the shield look like an oversized soap bubble that would pop at a single touch, yet this seemingly fragile barrier had effortlessly intercepted a full-force strike from the Armored Freak.
"This is... a barrier?" the man muttered to himself.
"That's right, it's a barrier."
Hyacine, who had been praying with her eyes closed, opened them. She looked at the Armored Freak and said, "I am a doctor. Originally, I didn't want to get involved, but as a doctor, my instincts wouldn't let me ignore so many critically injured people."
"However, since you launched an attack on me, I can't ignore you either. After all, I have to exercise my right to self-defense~"
With that, Hyacine pointed directly at the Armored Freak and shouted, "Little Ica! Flatten him!"
"Doo-doo!"
As soon as the command fell, the crowd saw the mysterious white creature floating beside the girl let out a couple of cries and suddenly rocket into the sky.
A Pegasus-shaped pattern burst across the air. The white beast then dove from the heavens at incredible speed, charging straight for the Armored Freak.
Seeing the sheer momentum of the attack, the armored man immediately dropped his heavy hammer and crossed his arms in front of him. The gauntlets shifted to form a small buckler, attempting to withstand the impact.
Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!
The moment they collided, a massive crater webbed with cracks formed in the ground from the sheer shockwave, sending up a colossal cloud of dust.
The Armored Freak didn't just stand his ground; he was sent flying by Little Ica. He smashed through two entire buildings before finally coming to a halt.
[Commanded Little Ica to flatten xxx. Stellar Jade +30]
After finishing its charge, Little Ica flew out from the dust cloud. Thanks to its unique nature, not a speck of dirt clung to its body. Its eyes shifted into "> <" shapes as it dove into Hyacine's arms, nuzzling her.
(I suspect some of you, after reading the previous part, might have expected Little Ica to accidentally trigger its 'Hundred-Ton King' form while jumping into her arms and sending Hyacine flying. Rest assured, that didn't happen. Give it up.)
"This..." The middle-aged man's pupils shook. He looked at the tiny white creature in the girl's arms with utter disbelief, then turned back toward the Armored Freak, which looked like it had been hit by a freight train.
Just how much power did that little thing have? One hit was enough to launch a heavy armored man that far??
"Good job, Little Ica!"
After praising her companion, Hyacine let Little Ica float back to her side and went to check on the Armored Freak. Since the system had explicitly stated he was "flattened," she wasn't worried about him suddenly pulling a "corpse-revival" jump scare.
She stepped through the two buildings that had been punched clean through and stood before the freak. After a quick observation, she reached the same conclusion as the system.
Carry him away; there's no saving him.
The freak's chest plate had been crushed inward—quite literally pinned to his back. Whether this was a robot or a human-operated suit, a collision like that would have shredded every internal component. If there was a pilot inside, it went without saying.
He had likely become a [Human.zip].
"Young lady... benefactor, my name is Song Lin. Thank you for helping us," the middle-aged man said, walking over and bowing in gratitude.
Hyacine waved it off with a smile. "No need to thank me, it was just a small favor."
"By the way, is this really the City of Chaos? Which country is this?"
Song Lin froze, clearly not expecting such a basic question. He quickly replied, "Yes, this is the City of Chaos. As for the country... I think it's called Sop."
"Sop? Never heard of it..." Hyacine murmured to herself. Then she looked up at him. "I've just arrived and I'm unfamiliar with the area. Is there a place I can stay?"
Song Lin looked troubled. Seeing his expression, Hyacine tilted her head. "Is something wrong? Is it difficult?"
"It's not that," Song Lin shook his head. "The problem is that this is the City of Chaos. Law doesn't exist here. The city is carved up by various powerful gangs."
"This is your first time here, right? You're a fresh face. If you stay in another gang's territory, they'll treat you like a fat sheep to be slaughtered. Moreover... you're very beautiful... so... you'll definitely run into a lot of trouble..."
He quickly realized his words might be misconstrued and waved his hands to clarify. "I'm not saying you aren't strong enough. You clearly are. But plenty of idiots without eyes will come looking for trouble. Even if you kill one, more will come."
"Gangs are extremely protective of their own. You might beat one, and then others will keep coming just to 'save face.' It'll be annoying enough to drive you crazy."
He stopped and waited to see the girl's reaction. However, to his surprise, instead of asking for a solution, her eyes grew brighter and brighter.
"That's fantastic! Please, tell me where these places are! The more chaotic, the better!"
These were all living, breathing sources of Stellar Jade!
Killing one Armored Freak gave her thirty Stellar Jade. How much would she get for taking down these thugs or even wiping out an entire gang?
She felt that before long, she'd be able to pull another Gold!
"This..."
Song Lin was speechless. He admitted he had miscalculated. Who could have guessed that this gentle, kind-looking girl was actually a master of causing trouble!