Chapter 464

Chapter 464: Throwing Objects from Heights is a Sign of Bad Civilization

"You said last time that you don’t eat ‘artificial’ food, right?"

"Hey, when you think about it, what’s the big deal? You can’t just believe everything you hear, can you?"

"You’re acting a bit strange today."

"I got promoted. Let’s celebrate; my treat. Are you coming?"

"Count me in; I love chicken."

"By the way, I need to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"Do you live alone?"

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

—

Liu Xiaoheng was observing the earth from a height of one hundred meters.

Everything seemed so wondrous and tiny; even the city walls, towering dozens of meters high, appeared incredibly narrow, as if the entire world had nothing to do with him anymore.

He had never been this high before and only realized his current altitude by checking the altitude display on his visor, courtesy of [Skydome].

However, there was little else he could do at the moment, as he had been seized by the shoulders by a Third Level flying extraordinary beast and hoisted right off the city wall.

At the time, he had been cutting grass on the wall with his sword, and in another setting, he might have already racked up an SSS-level combo score.

Unfortunately, in Hope City, standing out too much not only earned no rewards but also attracted the enemy’s decapitation operation.

With a sudden, intense pain and an immediate sense of overwhelming weight, Liu Xiaoheng momentarily blacked out before realizing he was being lifted off the ground.

This was somewhat akin to the claws of a Giant Eagle-like extraordinary beast; its talons were sharp enough to pierce through metal outer shells. Eight sharp claws had cleverly embedded themselves into Liu Xiaoheng’s shoulders, rendering him unable to wield his long sword.

If he thought this was mere coincidence, he wouldn’t believe it, but he couldn’t quite grasp what was happening.

In any case, he had already reported the incident, so Liu Xiaoheng felt no regret—if he died, so be it.

When battling extraordinary beasts, no one could guarantee survival; death was a natural outcome.

However, dying from a fall was still a bit hard to accept.

Just then, the voice of [Skydome] echoed in his ear once more:

“[Extinction Legion 010101], please maintain stable flight.”

"How am I supposed to maintain stability?"

Liu Xiaoheng blurted out; it wasn’t him doing the flying.

"Just stay still; I’m taking aim."

The voice of [Skydome] sounded slightly frantic:

“Why are you flying higher and higher? You’re going to lose your face.”

At that moment, Liu Xiaoheng suddenly felt a searing pain in his right shoulder, followed by a distinct sensation of weightlessness.

He thought the Giant Bird had dropped him, only to realize it had sharply banked to the lower left, intensifying the tearing sensation in his shoulder.

At the same time, something seemed to streak across the sky above. However, it moved so swiftly that Liu Xiaoheng couldn’t catch a glimpse of it, only faintly hearing a sound.

"Are you out of ammo?"

Liu Xiaoheng asked thoughtfully, then added,

"Why did this beast suddenly change direction?"

"It sensed that I was aiming."

The voice of [Skydome] sounded somewhat resigned.

"It can sense that? Is it by sight or…?"

"[Extinction Legion 010101], I will remind your instructor to reassess your knowledge of radar within three days, so please prepare for a review."

"Three days? What if I don’t survive today; will I still need to take the test?"

"Even if you die, you’ll have to come back and take it."

The tone of [Skydome] became dismissive, while the sounds of bullets whizzing by grew increasingly intense, as if computational power was being concentrated where it was needed.

Liu Xiaoheng finally understood why they had told him not to move; one careless mistake would turn him into a sieve.

Finally, under the barrage of three heavy machine guns, the heads of the extraordinary beasts exploded one after another.

If Liu Xiaoheng hadn’t been clinging to it below, [Skydome] would have already blasted it to smithereens. However, since a comrade was being held, they had to proceed with caution, as if performing a delicate operation.

Liu Xiaoheng began to plummet from the sky, and a line of red and yellow text appeared on the display screen before him:

"[Warning: You are weightless]"

The body of the extraordinary beast, cloaked in feathers and adorned with multiple wings, clearly descended more slowly than the exoskeleton.

Feeling the agony of the claws tearing away from his shoulders, Liu Xiaoheng began to accelerate downward, moving further and further from the beast’s lifeless form.

As he fell, Liu Xiaoheng suddenly found himself reminiscing about the past.

Like the proverbial "revolving lantern."

But the first thing that flooded his mind wasn’t a beast tide or cherished memories among students; instead, it was…

A physics class.

A physics class about free fall, where he found himself transformed into the small ball in the problems, hurtling toward a hard landing.

“Damn, why am I thinking of this?”

Liu Xiaoheng felt a pang of failure in his life; at least in his final moments, he wished he could think of something more beautiful.

At this rate, it seemed he wouldn’t survive the day, and in a few seconds, he would meet his end.

Just because the exoskeleton was sturdy didn’t mean the human body inside was invulnerable; Liu Xiaoheng knew this all too well.

Even if he were fortunate enough to survive the fall, the Giant Bird’s corpse above would finish him off.

But just then, [Skydome]’s voice echoed once more:

"Hold your breath."

"What?"

Liu Xiaoheng didn’t quite catch what [Skydome] was saying, or rather, he heard but struggled to comprehend.

"Hold your breath, no matter what happens, don’t exhale; this is your only chance to survive."

This time, Liu Xiaoheng fully understood. He endured the discomfort of weightlessness, took a deep breath, and sealed his mouth and nose.

He didn’t dare look at the ground rushing up to meet him, fearing he would witness his body shatter upon impact.

Every second before he hit the ground felt like an eternity of torment.

In the next moment, darkness suddenly enveloped him; all light seemed to vanish, blocked by an invisible veil.

Liu Xiaoheng’s first thought was that he had died, but then he remembered the sharp pain in his shoulder, making him feel as though he had gone blind and was on the brink of death.

But then he recalled [Skydome]’s instructions and the warning to hold his breath. Sensing his surroundings, he had a new realization.

Water.

That was the conclusion Liu Xiaoheng reached about his environment.

But that didn’t explain everything.

He felt as though he was sinking deeper into an unfathomable mire, but the speed of his descent was gradually slowing.

At some point, he seemed to begin rising again, and he could feel a force from somewhere in his exoskeleton pushing his entire body upward, aiding his ascent.

After several seconds, Liu Xiaoheng’s head broke through the surface, allowing him to see the light once more.

A boy, appearing no older than twelve, was gripping his exoskeleton arm, pulling him bit by bit from the ground.

The voice of [Skydome] timely sounded:

"You can exhale now."