novelhk Chapter 142, Section 39: Claws
Chapter 142, Section 39: Claws
Chapter 142, Section 39: Claws
The hem of the trench coat swept across the snow with a graceful arc.
Having anticipated his opponent's move, Jason followed up with a twisting side kick without hesitation.
After several attempts, the wild dog finally bared its teeth and bit down on its prey's neck.
By the time the shadowy figure reacted, the thick sole of its military boot was already touching its face.
The force originated from the base of his thighs, and was fully transmitted to his face through the rotation of his joints and the extension of his lower legs. In that instant, the shadowy figure felt as if he had been struck on the head by a sledgehammer swinging down at a ninety-degree angle; not only was his brain matter shaken evenly, but his skull and cervical vertebrae were also shattered into dust.
Bang!
With a powerful kick, the dark figure flew backward at 80 miles per hour, leaving a long trail of blood on the snow before crashing headfirst into the wreckage of the bus, blasting a horrifying dent into the metal.
Jason, who rose from the bloody streets, possesses terrifying explosive power. He doesn't need many fancy moves; simple punches and kicks suffice.
Anything that lands on the opponent can be transformed into devastating damage.
But that's also his biggest problem.
His all-out attack pattern results in extremely long wind-up animations for each move. Against weaker opponents, he can wipe out large groups of enemies with overwhelming force. However, against strong opponents like Deathstroke and Thomas, once his moves are anticipated, his damage output becomes almost zero.
Thomas Jr. did not rush to change Jason's fighting style; during sparring sessions, he focused more on cultivating the latter's fighting mindset.
"Think more, learn to insert thought between punches."
"A heavy punch is a good option, but it's not necessary to go all out with every punch."
"You can make your leg movements smaller, giving you more time to react and making it easier to change your moves."
"How about trying a feint? Your moves are incredibly powerful; no one wants to take a direct hit from your punches and kicks. Just bait your opponent into dodging."
Now it's your turn to perform.
Jason thought about it carefully and put what he learned into practice.
The dark figure was completely embedded in the bus shell, his shattered face hidden under a black headscarf, dripping blood like an orange being squeezed and filtered through gauze.
The cautious Jason fired two more shots into the man's head before stepping forward.
He finally had a chance to get a good look at this guy.
The figure was dressed in a black leather bodysuit, with brass-like metal plates covering important areas such as the joints and waist.
What is most striking is his face, with a black hood tightly covering his face, and an outer layer resembling the headbands of Middle Eastern nobles.
He wore an old-fashioned mechanic-style pair of glasses, with the bridge of his nose protruding like a bird's beak.
These little decorations make this guy's face look like an owl.
Jason wanted to take off the glasses to play with them, but when he tugged at them, he realized that they were integrated with the headgear.
Gotham has no shortage of cross-dressers, and even Will is one of them, so Jason didn't think much of it and just assumed that the other person was a gang member with a weird fetish.
Jason removes the other person's hood.
What appeared before me was a deathly pale face.
But unlike a clown with makeup, this face looked as if it had just been dragged out of a freezer in a parking lot, with bluish-purple lips and bloodless cheeks.
He tried to touch the other person's skin, but his fingers were immediately frozen by the coldness emanating from the skin, causing him to pull his hand back.
Not only did his complexion resemble that of a corpse in a freezer, but his temperature was also exactly the same.
Logically speaking, since the other party had only recently died, they shouldn't be so cold.
The eerie feeling sent chills down Jason's spine.
He instinctively took a step back, only to be startled by the vibrating phone in his pocket.
I glanced at the caller ID; it was Qin Wei.
You'd never guess what bizarre thing I encountered—
"Get out of there, the sooner the better!"
Qin Wei's tone on the other end of the phone was harsh and arrogant. Without Jason needing to report, Mr. Hacker had already told him everything that had happened.
He was currently riding in Oswald's car towards the municipal district.
The footage from the surveillance camera made Qin Wei uneasy. The mysterious figure was incredibly skilled, and if a few more reinforcements arrived, Jason would be in serious trouble.
If possible, Qin Wei really wanted to find a chain to keep Jason by his side. Although it might seem like he was restricting Jason's freedom, it would at least ensure his safety.
Yes, he was already starting to regret including Jason in the squad.
Initially, Qin Wei did approach the other party with the intention of taking advantage of him, but after all, the feelings were not deep at that time. He thought that Jason in this world was an adult and that he could take responsibility for his own actions and choices at this age.
However, as their relationship deepened through repeated exchanges and trials, Qin Wei began to worry more and more.
It wasn't just Jason's reckless personality that made him prone to trouble, but also that prophetic comic book.
Jason was beaten to death by the Joker at the end of the comics—and so far, every ending predicted in the comics has come true.
Like Johnny Frost, who in the comics jumped off a bridge, but in reality, he was driven insane by the Joker and smashed his own head open.
Oswald noticed the anxiety on Qin Wei's face and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel.
"You can't control how things develop. Sometimes letting things take their natural course can have unexpected results."
Qin Wei glanced at Oswald from afar, and in the other man's deep eyes, he seemed to see again the older brother who had straightened his collar, patted his shoulder, and told him to hold his head high and walk with big strides.
"What's wrong? Do you think what I said is wrong?"
Sensing Qin Wei's gaze, the little penguin turned its head to meet his gaze.
Qin Wei bit his fingernails and nodded earnestly; Oswald's words effectively eased his anxiety.
"No, it makes a lot of sense, I'm just feeling a bit sentimental."
"What are you lamenting about?"
"My son has grown up."
"FUC Q!"
Jason didn't understand Qin Wei's meaning, but he did as he was told.
Just as he was about to turn and leave, a crackling sound came from behind him, as if a complete human skeleton was being crushed in a huge stone.
An unsettling noise was interspersed among the howling wind, inserting a dissonant note into this otherwise bland opera.
Jason turned around and saw the shadowy figure using its right hand to pull his left shoulder, slowly prying his mangled body out of the bus.
How come this guy is still alive!
Impossible. Jason had clearly confirmed the other person's death. Rather than saying he wasn't dead, it would be more accurate to say he had come back to life.
"Hmph—that kick just now—was quite powerful—"
The resurrected shadowy figure uttered broken, intermittent murmurs, but before he could finish his victory speech in the resurrection match, Jason emptied his magazine at the dead man's face.
Bang bang bang!
The Magnum Eagle ripped horrifying holes into the opponent's face, practically splitting his entire skull open.
He didn't want to waste words with the other party, nor did he want to listen to that boring chatter. After knocking the shadowy figure out of its fighting ability, he turned and ran, leaping into the cockpit of the Batmobile.
Just as the hatch was lowered and about to close, a bloody hand suddenly reached into the gap and gripped the cabin wall firmly.
"I never said you could leave now!"
A blood-smeared, mangled face was pressed against the glass, the exposed flesh seemingly brought to life by necromancy, resembling octopus tentacles.
They intertwine and weave, eventually returning to their original position to repair the wound.