Chapter 223: One Man Guards the Pass
The old-fashioned locomotive, spewing thick smoke, roared out of the station at full speed.
Soldiers were locked in fierce combat atop the train.
Grabbing hold of one enemy repeatedly stabbing at him with a knife, Qin Ming swung the man hard against the train's smokestack, leaving him dazed before tossing him off the train.
The unfortunate soldier let out a classic Wilhelm scream as his body rolled across the ground and was flung far into the distance.
Kicking another enemy off the train with one swift motion, Qin Ming observed the battlefield, his expression calm despite the chaos.
The rebel soldiers fought valiantly, seemingly unafraid of death.
Unfortunately, no amount of courage could bridge the absolute gap in strength.
Within moments, Qin Ming and his team had cleared the train of enemies.
Looking back at the flaming, smoke-filled station, they finally let out a collective sigh of relief.
But their reprieve was short-lived.
The rebels, incensed by such blatant provocation, wasted no time retaliating.
The sound of engines roared as numerous vehicles crashed through walls and closed in from all directions.
Armored cars, troop transports, and even the classic three-wheeled motorcycles used by enemy forces—complete with side-mounted machine guns—raced alongside the train.
The motorcycles were piloted by one driver while another soldier manned the machine gun, pouring suppressive fire onto the locomotive.
Qin Ming and his team were forced into cover by the relentless barrage, grabbing their weapons and engaging in a fierce shootout with the attackers.
Explosions and screams filled the air.
Motorcycles were shot down one after another, their drivers killed or their vehicles flipping over and colliding with others.
Troop transports and armored vehicles fared no better, with some being destroyed or tipping over in fiery crashes.
However, these victories were short-lived, as more vehicles closed the distance.
Rebel soldiers, clutching their weapons, leaped from the vehicles onto the locomotive, rifles equipped with bayonets gleaming as they prepared for close combat.
The outcome of such a fight, however, was never in doubt.
Qin Ming, now towering over two meters tall after activating his abilities, grabbed one unfortunate soldier by the leg with one hand and another by the arm with the other.
Swinging the two like makeshift weapons, he smashed through the wave of attackers with sheer brute force.
Rebels who tried to board the locomotive were sent flying one after another, their screams trailing off as they tumbled to the ground, far behind the speeding train.
Some were even caught under the locomotive itself, their bodies crushed into unrecognizable pulp beneath its wheels.
Using his human weapons, Qin Ming cleared the train of all enemies, finishing by tossing both soldiers into a nearby troop transport.
The force of the impact caused the vehicle to flip onto its side, scattering the soldiers onboard like ragdolls.
Just as Qin Ming thought the worst was over, a deafening roar came from above.
The wind howled as two armed helicopters descended rapidly, one on each side of the train.
Gunmen aboard the helicopters opened fire on the locomotive, and within moments, several figures leaped from the aircraft.
These were not ordinary rebel soldiers.
With eyes filled with determination and malice, these were members of the King of Fighters squad—adventurers posing as elite rebel commandos.
The adventurers, leaping from the helicopters, landed directly atop the train.
Their enhanced attributes and combat prowess far exceeded that of regular soldiers, marking them as no ordinary enemies.
Their leader, brandishing a blade, locked eyes with Qin Ming.
He sneered before barking out an order:
"Attack! Kill him!"
With a collective roar, the adventurers charged at Qin Ming, weapons raised.
The first adventurer lunged forward, delivering a leaping slash with his oversized blade.
However, the blade was stopped cold by the golden bracers on Qin Ming's forearm, the weapon unable to leave so much as a scratch.
The adventurer stared in shock as a piece of his blade broke off.
Before he could react, Qin Ming's right arm swung upward in a powerful punch, connecting with the man's neck.
The adventurer was flung several meters into the air, screaming as his body crashed to the ground and tumbled away, disappearing behind the train.
Without pausing, Qin Ming spun around, deflecting a spear thrust from another adventurer with his left arm.
His right fist came crashing down like a hammer, smashing directly onto the attacker's head.
With a deafening crash, the adventurer's head was forcibly punched halfway into their chest cavity, their body instantly shortening by a full head's height.
Blood gushed from the adventurer's neck as they collapsed and tumbled off the train.
In the blink of an eye, Qin Ming had already killed two. His eyes glinted fiercely as he lashed out with a backward kick, sending a sneaky attacker flying. At the same time, he caught the descending blade of another enemy. With a fierce twist, his hand, engulfed in blazing white flames, snapped the weapon in half.
Gripping the broken blade, he hurled it like a dagger, impaling the neck of another adventurer and piercing their throat.
With eyes ablaze and surrounded by fallen bodies, Qin Ming stood like an unstoppable beast.
In the narrow confines of the train, close-quarters combat was nothing short of Qin Ming's perfect hunting ground.
His mastery of combat, enhanced to an A-grade level, had turned him into a melee specialist. Coupled with his monstrous dual attributes of 45 strength and constitution, and the absurd white flame that ignored 25 points of enemy defense, he was a one-man wrecking crew.
Against opponents of equal strength, anyone foolish enough to engage Qin Ming in close combat was practically inviting death.
And these adventurers, who had jumped down from above, were nowhere near his level. They were completely outclassed.
Letting out a furious roar, Qin Ming thrust his fist forward. With the help of the high-speed spinning airflow encasing his hand, his punch pierced straight through an adventurer's chest.
Swinging the corpse now impaled on his arm, he used it as a bludgeon to send several other enemies flying off the train.
As they watched the bloody spectacle unfold—fresh blood spraying as their comrades' corpses were flung into the distance—those remaining adventurers turned pale.
Seeing the hulking figure before them, a beast that killed anyone he touched within three moves, they hesitated. Weapons gripped tightly, they dared not approach.
Noticing their hesitation, Qin Ming's fiery eyes gleamed, and he decided to take the initiative.
With his arms spread wide, whirling torrents of energy began to gather around him.
Extreme Mode: Charged Sonic Hand Blade! Seven consecutive strikes!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
A series of blazing arcs lit up the train car as the sound of cutting wind filled the air.
The adventurers, frozen in fear and unable to react, could only let out panicked screams before their bodies were sliced into pieces.
Severed limbs and mangled torsos fell to the ground, staining the train car in a gruesome shade of red.
Those unfortunate enough to take the brunt of the charged Sonic Hand Blade were instantly reduced to fragments, offering no resistance whatsoever.
Even if they tried to avoid melee combat, Qin Ming's ranged capabilities were equally devastating.
One decisive strike was all it took to wipe out the remaining adventurers.
Just as Qin Ming prepared to turn his attention to the armed helicopters still circling above, firing relentlessly, a sudden loud crash drew his attention.
Frowning, Qin Ming quickly looked toward the source of the noise.
What he saw was a massive figure leaping down from a newly arrived helicopter.
The man hit the ground with a roll, immediately springing to his feet and charging straight toward Qin Ming.
This towering brute, clad in a karate gi and with a bizarre red headband wrapped around his forehead, immediately caught Qin Ming's eye.
Flames flared in Qin Ming's gaze as he raised his hand and unleashed a Sonic Hand Blade without a second thought.
However, to his surprise, the burly man didn't even attempt to dodge. Instead, he raised both arms and blocked the attack head-on.
Though the blade left a bleeding gash on his forearm, the man used the opportunity to close the distance and rush right up to Qin Ming.
Letting out a furious bellow, the man grabbed Qin Ming with both hands.
Special Move: Heaven and Earth Throw!
(End of Chapter)