Chapter 85: Snake Catching
"ROAR!"
A bellowing roar erupted as a massive figure burst from the distant woods—the Neo-Viper, the same one Ana had just blasted away.
His tactical suit was torn to shreds, and a deep crater, exposing bone, gaped open in his chest. As he charged forward, he pulled a vial from his gear and plunged it into the wound!
By the time he reached Mason, the wound on his chest was sealed by a metallic-like substance. The Neo-Viper leaped up, his thighs—as thick as an average person's waist—sweeping toward Mason.
Mason was now extremely grateful that he hadn't rashly attacked Rex at the Arctic base. Otherwise, facing such a monster, coupled with the base's armed forces, he would likely have been in serious trouble.
He ducked, evading the Neo-Viper's attack, and rolled across the ground to appear behind him.
He spread his arms, the razor-sharp blades at his fingertips gleaming coldly in the sunlight.
Slash, slash, slash!
Mason tore over a dozen gruesome wounds across the Neo-Viper's back with three consecutive strikes. "Let's see if you regenerate faster than I can damage you!"
The Neo-Viper swung a massive fist, but Mason nimbly dodged it, then smoothly carved several long gashes along his side.
Although this Neo-Viper possessed extraordinary strength, speed and reaction time were his weaknesses. He could overwhelm ordinary opponents with sheer brute force, but against a well-rounded enhanced combatant like Mason, he couldn't keep pace.
In just a few exchanges, Mason had slashed countless wounds across his body. Even with the powerful regenerative abilities of the nanomites within him, he was powerless against such sustained damage.
THUD!
The Neo-Viper's massive body collapsed to its knees. Mason stood behind him, looking at Rex in the distance, then slowly plunged the blade in his hand into the Neo-Viper's neck.
Blood gushed from the wound, and the Neo-Viper's body convulsed violently before gradually falling still.
"How did you do that?" Rex's eyes held a mixture of fascination and curiosity. "How could an ordinary human possess physical abilities comparable to a Neo-Viper?"
"Don't worry, I won't kill you. I'll turn you into my most prized specimen, making you the most terrifying war machine in the world!" Rex laughed maniacally, lightly pressing his forehead.
A faint glow appeared where his fingertip met the helmet, as if it had passed some kind of biometric verification. Then, a mechanical whirring sound came from inside the helmet.
With a hiss, another unknown substance was injected into Rex's body.
At a visible rate, Rex's exposed skin was covered with a lead-gray material, which appeared to be a layer of metal, or perhaps a protective coating forming on his epidermis.
"Nanotechnology is intoxicating. Given time, I'm certain I can develop nanotech armor suitable for mass combat deployment!" Rex tore off his tattered clothing, exposing his metallic-looking body to the sunlight.
By any measure, Rex's nanotechnology was the cutting edge of this era's science.
Mason lunged forward, darting past Rex like a phantom, his fingertips flashing with deadly blades. Yet, amidst piercing screeching and cascading sparks, his attack failed to penetrate Rex's defenses, merely leaving superficial scratches on his skin.
Rex swung a counterattack, but Mason rolled away, evading the strike. He stood up, his expression grave and defensive.
Mason didn't recall Rex possessing this technology in the movie. Was it due to some butterfly effect from his actions, or had Rex simply not had the opportunity to deploy it in the film?
Whoosh!
Mason moved rapidly around Rex, launching continuous attacks. But aside from a series of metallic impacts, he only fueled Rex's anger and discomfort, failing to cause any real damage.
"His defenses are too strong. Unless I increase my power output, I can't break through. But if I use maximum force, my speed will definitely suffer, and once he finds an opening..."
After several unsuccessful attacks, Mason gritted his teeth and finally made his decision.
"Is all you can do is run away?"
Mason's attacks landed on Rex. Although they didn't breach his outer defenses, Rex still felt humiliated by Mason's relentless harassment. He flew into a rage, and his counterattacks became even more frenzied.
"You really think I'm afraid of you?"
Mason retracted the blades at his fingertips, accelerated several times, and charged directly at Rex. He stepped forward, pivoted his hips, and threw a punch!
All the movements flowed seamlessly. His muscles rippled violently, extracting every ounce of strength. His body propelled him forward, and his arm shot out like a missile!
"Try taking THIS!"
"DIE!" Rex's eyes flashed with savage intent. The muscles in his arm coiled together, each one taut like steel cables. His massive fist hammered toward Mason's chest.
Affected by the impact, Mason's aim shifted, landing only on Rex's shoulder.
"Again!"
A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of Mason's mouth, but he seemed oblivious, roaring and throwing another punch with fierce determination in his eyes.
Although Rex felt a dull ache where Mason had struck him, his reinforced physiology made him willing to meet Mason head-on, exchanging blows without hesitation.
This time, however, his target was Mason's head.
Perhaps influenced by the nanomites, the transformed Rex had become even more savage, throwing this punch with everything he had, seemingly intending to crush Mason's skull.
But just as Rex grinned maliciously, anticipating Mason's imminent demise, he noticed that Mason's eyes were clear, a mocking smile playing on his lips.
"Idiot!"
"Looks like your brain got replaced with muscle tissue during that transformation!"
Mason's seemingly devastating punch suddenly became light and deceptive, landing on Rex's wrist instead. He grabbed Rex's wrist and yanked him forward forcefully, simultaneously retreating rapidly.
Rex missed his strike, his body lurching forward uncontrollably, and then, with Mason's full-force pull, he crashed face-first into the ground.
The forest floor was soft, and with his excessive momentum, Rex landed hard, even creating a shallow crater in the earth.
He felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, followed by searing pain in his shoulder.
Mason, gripping Rex's wrist, took advantage of the moment he fell, stepping on the back of his neck and wrenching his arm in a reverse joint lock, twisting it all the way down!
Rex's position was compromised, making it difficult to generate force, and with his shoulder already injured by Mason's earlier strike, a series of sounds like snapping steel cables echoed from his shoulder joint.
A wave of excruciating agony washed over Rex, making his head spin and nearly causing him to black out.
But Mason wasn't finished. He extended a sharp blade from his fingertip and drove it deep into Rex's shoulder socket!
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