Right on Target (TARGET)
A fine drizzle drifted through the streets like mist, dulling the glow of neon signs. A soda can rolled into a murky puddle, perfectly obscuring the blurred reflection of Viper.
Viper still wanted to give a speech, but time wasn’t on his side. A ticking second hand echoed in his mind—his boss’s countdown.
What’s so special about a damn cat?
Viper twisted the throttle, and the motorcycle roared to life, its headlight blazing as it charged straight at Su Heting. The bike tore through the streets like lightning and smashing through roadside billboards before hurtling toward Su Heting in the blink of an eye.
The drizzle dampened Su Heting’s hood. Just as Viper closed in, he exploded into motion like a coiled spring, leaping half a man’s height into the air.
Viper’s eyes locked onto Su Heting’s movement, but—
Too fast!
Su Heting’s kick landed with full force against Viper’s neck. Viper didn’t even have time to grip the handlebars before his head snapped sideways with a sharp crack. His body flew backward, crashing hard into a nearby billboard.
BOOM!
The riderless bike skidded across the pavement for several meters.
For a moment, the air seemed to freeze—though the rain still fell.
Something’s off.
Su Heting narrowed one eye as he suddenly felt a surge of heat.
This heat was a side effect of the Colosseum matches, always flaring up in moments of danger, like a powerful stimulant coursing through his veins. His senses sharpened beyond conscious control, as if his bloodlust were boiling over, leaving him in a state of hyperarousal.
CRACK.
A crisp sound.
Viper wrenched his head back into place with one hand, then tilted it left and right, testing the alignment.
A brown serpentine tail slithered out from behind Viper, stretching along the ground. Its surface was coated in chain-like oval patterns, mimicking the appearance of a real viper. The tail scraped against the pavement with an unsettling metallic rasp, revealing its steel-plated underside.
Viper’s upper body was changing too.
Steel-brown scales crawled up his neck like swarming ants, covering his face in an instant. His skull expanded and reshaped by implants into a triangular, serpentine form.
"Damn cat," Viper sneered. "Think you’re hot shit?"
Viper lunged—suddenly right in front of Su Heting. Su Heting dodged backward, only to feel a chill at his spine. He instantly dropped low. Viper’s tail lashed like a steel whip, carving a sinister arc through the air and slicing through the rain before slamming into the spot where Su Heting had just stood!
The ground fractured under the impact. The tail’s underside gleamed black—clearly a meticulously crafted implant.
"Tsk tsk," Viper taunted, his reflexes now unnaturally fast as he circled behind Su Heting. "Keep running!"
Using his tail for support, he mimicked Su Heting’s earlier move, launching himself into a kick aimed at Su Heting’s neck.
Su Heting dodged again—Viper’s strike met empty air.
Now’s the opening!
Su Heting seized Viper’s calf, yanking him forward and slamming him from behind onto the ground.
Viper was airborne for a split second before bracing his arms mid-fall. Sure enough, the moment he hit the pavement, Su Heting’s fists rained down on his head.
Shit!
Viper hadn’t expected Su Heting’s punches to be this brutal—his arms went numb from the impact. Suddenly, his tail whipped up, coiling around Su Heting’s throat and yanking him backward.
THUD—
Su Heting’s hood fell back as he was flung away, but he kicked off the wall mid-flight and launched himself forward again.
CRACK!
His fist struck blood.
Viper expected him to pause—but the punches kept coming, relentless.
The drizzle intensified into heavy rain as Su Heting's relentless "thud-thud-thud" strikes reached a nerve-wracking crescendo.
Viper blocked repeatedly with his tail, but the bloodstains from the punches kept multiplying—even he was feeling the pain now!
A sudden, inexplicable frenzy seized Su Heting.
In the rain, it was as if he had stepped into some divine rhythm, as his fists kept lashing out uncontrollably.
[Kill him! Kill him!]
A voice seemed to scream inside his head, growing louder and louder, drowning out even the sound of the rain.
Viper coiled around Su Heting's wrist and, with a sharp "whoosh", yanked him into the air before slamming him sideways.
Su Heting crashed into a cluster of advertisements, the sudden barrage of promotional jingles flooding his ears and cutting off the eerie voice in his skull. The surrounding neon signs collapsed with a thunderous crash, burying him beneath them.
But the exhilaration didn’t fade.
"Soft, silky stockings, just for you—"
Su Heting tore off the shrieking ad panel beside him.
Viper sensed danger. "You can't be serious—"
Su Heting moved so fast it was like teleportation. Swinging the ad panel, he smashed Viper to the ground before the man could even finish his sentence.
The panel shattered instantly, electronic debris scattering everywhere.
Viper had taken the hit head-on—literally. Several of the scales covering his face were knocked clean off. His throat tightened as the back of his skull slammed hard against the pavement. Before he could even process the pain, Su Heting’s hand suddenly loomed large in his vision—then everything turned crimson.
"F*cking hell!"
Pain spiked instantly, and Viper roared. He grabbed Su Heting’s wrist with one hand—his left eye was already useless.
Rip!
Su Heting tore out the cybernetic eye without hesitation.
Viper let out a hiss—but not from his mouth. The triangular snake-like implant on his head deflated like a punctured tire. A streak of venom, shimmering with iridescent colors, slithered down his spine, past his tailbone, and into his tail.
Su Heting’s grip tightened as if he meant to strangle Viper to death.
Viper’s head tilted back unnaturally. His remaining eye widened under the rain’s assault, and amidst his screams, he felt the venom coursing through him like a living serpent.
Su Heting pressed his thumb forward, forcing Viper’s scaled neck into full view.
"Call your boss," he said, his hair drenched. "Now."
"Like… hell…" Viper gasped for air like a beached fish. His remaining eye rolled back as he panted, then suddenly, he clenched Su Heting’s wrist and bellowed upward, "D*mn it, move!"
A figure leaped down from the rooftop above, black short hair fanning out mid-air. One of their sleeves hung empty—no arm inside. But as they descended, they activated a hidden mechanism, and a gleaming steel blade shinged out from the cuff.
The blade’s edge glinted coldly while being aimed straight for Su Heting’s neck.
At the same time, Viper’s brown tail glowed faintly as the tip sharpened into a needle-like point as it stabbed toward the back of Su Heting’s neck.
The situation flipped in an instant!
Before Su Heting could retreat, a spark flashed behind him—a bullet shot past, grazing his skin, and blew Viper’s tail clean off.
Hot!
The bullet had nearly skimmed him. Su Heting absently touched his neck, then kicked off the ground and flipping away with agile precision.
BANG!
The steel blade crashed down right where he had been standing a second ago.
Su Heting greeted the newcomer with the steel blade, then spun around and kicked toward the man's chest. However, the other reacted just as swiftly, leaping backward to evade the strike before swinging his blade again. Su Heting dodged once more, stepping onto the flat of the blade and forcing the man to bend forward. He then raised his knee sharply, aiming a clean strike at the man's head.
Yet the steel-blade man dodged again.
The tip of Viper’s tail had completely exploded, venom splattering across the ground. Dragging his mangled body up, he clutched his tailbone, and while enduring the pain, he barked orders at the steel-blade man: “Chop him to pieces!”
This cat was exceptional in every way—tomorrow’s match would be tough for King Shen to win.
“We have to take him out tonight,” Viper spat before muttering under his breath, “or the boss will skin us alive—”
Before he could finish, a sudden force slammed into him from the side. Viper had no strength left to dodge—half his body was sent rolling across the ground.
This damn cat even had backup!
Viper pushed himself up after the tumble, trying to spring back to his feet, but the moment he lifted his torso, another kick landed square on his chest.
This one was far more brutal than the last!
His body skidded across the pavement for several meters before his back collided violently with a trash can, forcing a mouthful of blood from his lips.
The trash can toppled over with a crash, dumping cans, scrap, and other debris onto him.
Tonight was not his lucky night—he’d suffered a crushing loss.
Covering his eye, Viper found the blood from his left still hadn’t stopped, and now more welled up in his mouth, filling it with the metallic taste of rust. He couldn’t see the figure approaching, but the silence unnerved him and his instincts screamed danger.
Run.
Or he’d die here.
Viper let out a pained cry before lifting his head to shout at the steel-blade man: “Go, go!”
The steel-blade man obeyed like a trained dog, immediately sheathing his weapon. Su Heting tried to stop him, but the man didn’t even glance back—with a nimble sidestep, he dodged past, sprinted over, and hauled Viper up with one arm before bolting, the entire escape executed seamlessly without a hint of hesitation.
The old buildings were all concrete walls. The steel-blade man flicked his empty sleeve, switching modes again. Steel spikes shot out from his sleeve and embedded into the walls with spider-silk-thin wires attached. Hoisting Viper onto his shoulder, he leaped up, scaling the walls with parkour-like agility and vanishing into the night within moments.
The rain continued to fall in a fine drizzle.
Su Heting didn’t give chase.
Viper was his greeting gift to Wei Zhixin.
He flicked the water off his tail and turned his head—only to see Xie Zhenshu.
“…Th-Thanks,” Su Heting stammered, his voice catching. He’d said “thank you” too many times today, and verbal gratitude wasn’t his strong suit.
Xie Zhenshu opened his umbrella and tilted his head slightly to glance at the sky before looking back at him. “Not going home?”
“Just about to.” Su Heting stuffed his hands into his pockets, saying one thing while his body remained unmoved.
The atmosphere was oddly charged. Rain trickled down his cheeks, and Su Heting shook it off. His gaze suddenly landed on Xie Zhenshu’s equally damp hair, and a brilliant idea “dinged” in his head—his tail perked up in excitement.
Though the Black Market wasn’t kind to Hybrids, Hybrids had their own entertainment venues, and Su Heting was particularly fond of one activity.
Lightly hopping over a puddle, he closed the distance in a few strides and pressed close to Xie Zhenshu with a serious, straightforward question: “Wanna take a bath together?”
Xie Zhenshu leaned back slightly, unused to the proximity. The cat ears twitched under his gaze, shaking off a few raindrops.
"There's a great place not far from here," Su Heting said eagerly with his eyes sparkling. "It's my must-do ritual before a match."
Who could say no to a hot bath?
Plus, they have free hairdryers.
He absolutely loved it!
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