The mechanical roar from the direction of the Iron City gradually faded, replaced by the whistling of the desert wind carrying sharp grains of sand. Under a sky no longer restricted by corporate energy domes, Kenzo stepped forward with a load that felt lighter yet a responsibility that grew heavier. Meixing remained asleep in his arms, her breathing stabilizing thanks to the steady flow of Qi Kenzo subtly circulated into her meridians.
However, the tranquility was a mere mirage. Behind them, the footprints in the sands of the Silicon Desert did not belong only to them.
"Kenzo, stop!" Ling Er whispered sharply, pulling at his sleeve. The hacker's eyes were fixed on the red-flickering holographic screen of her Black-Market Deck. "Infrared signals behind us... they aren't Sentinel pursuers. The frequency is too chaotic. It's a rogue hunting unit."
Kenzo didn't turn around. He simply tightened his grip on Meixing's carrier. "The Steel Axe Gang," he muttered briefly. "The remnants of those who survived when I destroyed their slum headquarters actually have the nerve to chase us this far."
"They aren't alone, Kenzo!" Ling Er panicked. "My sensors are picking up heavy vibrations. They've brought industrial-grade Exoskeletons. If we fight in the open like this, we'll be sitting ducks for their tracking cannons."
From behind a sand dune containing metallic waste, three All-Terrain vehicles emerged, their exhaust roars shattering the silence of the night. The vehicles looked like heaps of scrap metal forced into motion, but the weapons mounted atop them were stolen military tech.
In the center of the convoy stood a massive man whose body had been totally modified. His right arm had been replaced by a giant mechanical axe that spun continuously, throwing sparks as it ground against the wind. This was The Butcher, the vice-chairman of the Steel Axe Gang who had escaped Kenzo's previous rampage.
"Zero!" The Butcher roared through his internal speakers. "You destroyed our home! You killed our brothers with your cursed techniques! Today, I'll mince your body and sell your organs to the Alchemist Union to pay for the damages!"
Kenzo slowly lowered Meixing beside the wreckage of a giant robot half-buried in the sand. He turned to Ling Er. "Watch her. Don't let a single grain of sand touch her face."
"But Kenzo—"
"Trust me," Kenzo interrupted. His eyes now flashed with a dense, ink-black light.
The Butcher wasted no time. He pressed a button on his left wrist, and two unmanned Exoskeleton units instantly leaped from the vehicles, charging at Kenzo. These bots used Tier 2 (Frame Rank) Heart Chips, granting them incredible speed. They moved in a zig-zag pattern, attempting to disorient Kenzo's vision.
"Boy, they underestimate you with these tin toys," Long Wei's voice sounded lazy within Kenzo's mind. "Show them that your Unshackling Realm isn't just physical strength, but control over the laws of space around you."
Kenzo took a deep breath. He used no weapon. To him, every inch of his body was a weapon forged by pain and ancient Qi. As the first robot leaped with a laser blade drawn, Kenzo shifted only half a step.
His movement was minimalist yet devastatingly effective. With a hand gesture like parting water, he caught the robot's knee joint. Using the principle of the Void, Kenzo did not fight the robot's power—he redirected it.
KRAK!
The solid metal twisted like a dry twig. Kenzo didn't stop there. He used the robot's own momentum to hurl it toward the second unit. A small explosion occurred as the two machines collided, creating a crater of fire in the sand.
"Dammit! Fire! Kill him!" The Butcher screamed in a rage.
A barrage of large-caliber bullets rained down on Kenzo's position. The desert sand exploded into the air, creating a dense curtain of dust. Ling Er closed her eyes, hugging Meixing tight. She couldn't imagine how a human, no matter how skilled, could survive that much lead without a digital energy shield.
However, within that dust, Kenzo performed something that defied modern technological logic.
He activated his Lower Dantian to its maximum. Black Qi began to pour from his pores, forming a small vortex around him. Every bullet that entered the vortex suddenly slowed down, lost its momentum, and fell into the sand as if pulled by an immense gravity.
Void Technique: Black Gravity Prison.
Kenzo walked out of the dust with steady steps. His clothes were slightly torn, but his skin was unmarred.
"How is this possible?!" The Butcher trembled. His Heart Chip flashed a red warning: Unknown Energy Detected. Risk of System Crash. "You aren't a Zero! You aren't human! What kind of chip did you plant in your body?!"
"I don't need a chip to crush trash like you," Kenzo's voice was cold, as if echoing from the depths of an abyss.
The Butcher lost his mind. He leaped from his vehicle, his mechanical axe spinning at thousands of RPMs, creating a deafening drone. He used the entire Liquid Qi reserve in his back tank to fuel the strike.
"Die!"
The giant axe swung, cleaving the air with enough force to bring down a small building.
Kenzo did not dodge. He moved forward to meet the attack. He raised his right hand, letting the high-speed spinning axe slam into his palm.
Cringggggg!
The sound of metal grinding against flesh was horrific. But the outcome was the opposite of what was expected. Kenzo's palm was not severed. Instead, the mechanical axe began to throw massive sparks, its engine groaning as if hitting an unbreakable diamond wall.
"Unshackling Realm: Bone Refinement Stage," Kenzo whispered.
With one powerful squeeze, Kenzo crushed the axe's rotating axle. Shards of steel flew in every direction. The Butcher stared in horror as his prized weapon disintegrated in a mere grip.
Before the modified giant could pull away, Kenzo landed a punch in the center of his chest—exactly where The Butcher's Heart Chip was embedded.
The strike wasn't loud, but it carried a specific wave of Qi vibration. This vibration bypassed the steel plating, seeped into the digital circuits, and created a resonance that shattered the chip's frequency.
BZZZZT... BOOM!
An internal explosion occurred. The Butcher's eyes went wide, emitting blue smoke. His massive body slumped onto the sand, his life cut short instantly as his mechanical heart exploded.
The remaining members of the Steel Axe Gang sat in their vehicles, stunned into silence. They watched their leader defeated like a broken toy. Without needing an order, they floored their accelerators, fleeing deep into the desert, leaving behind only dust and shame.
Kenzo stood still in the silence of the desert. His black aura gradually receded, flowing back into his meridians. He felt an immense exhaustion wash over him; using the Void technique to repel bullets required extreme mental concentration.
Ling Er approached with hesitant steps. "Kenzo... are you okay?"
Kenzo nodded slowly, though his face was pale. He walked back to Meixing, who was starting to wake up from the sound of the explosion.
"Brother...?" Meixing's voice was raspy.
"I'm here, Meixing. We're safe," Kenzo stroked her hair gently. The hand that had just crushed steel now felt warm and full of affection.
"Kenzo, we can't stay here long," Ling Er warned, checking the coordinates on her deck. "That chip explosion will definitely be picked up by Neo-Heaven monitoring satellites. They'll send Sentinel units within minutes. We need to reach the hideout at these coordinates."
Kenzo looked toward the horizon. "How much further?"
"About ten kilometers through the Radiation Valley. The satellite signals are disrupted by magnetic storms there. It's our only hiding spot."
Kenzo hoisted Meixing back onto his shoulders. He glanced at the abandoned Steel Axe Gang vehicles. "Ling Er, take all the Qi-Essence Beads and medicine they were carrying. We'll need them."
As Ling Er busied herself looting the enemy's logistics, Xiao Hei slithered out from the shadow of Kenzo's feet. The black snake now looked slightly larger, its scales shimmering like obsidian. It approached the shattered remains of The Butcher's Heart Chip and began to swallow them greedily.
"The little one has potential," Long Wei commented briefly. "He knows that in this mad world, to protect the light, you must become the darker shadow."
Kenzo didn't answer. He simply kept walking. Ahead, the Silicon Desert stretched out, full of uncharted dangers. But for the "Zero" who had awakened the dragon, this was only the beginning of the journey to reclaim the lost sky.