Chapter 10: First Blood


    Whatever was being experimented upon in that sealed chamber in the past, was now loose  right here in this building.


    "IN TRUDER ELIMINATE FOOD"


    As if on cue, Cyanide heard the deep, raspy, and mechanical voice of some mysterious creatureing from behind him. He immediately spun around and widened his eyes as he saw a zombie-like monster standing there, silver ws stained with blood and circr eyes shining a bright, robotic red like electronic lights.


    ''Shit I couldn''t sense it since my ears are not what they used to be!''


    The zombie-like creature slowly began walking towards Cyanide, leaning on its right leg more than its left. Its body, made of unknown material, was stained with dried crimson blood that gave off the scent of copper.


    "GRRR" The creature made a low growling sound, like that of a beast. From its mouth, drool dripped out, eager to consume human flesh.


    "Tch" Cyanide narrowed his eyes, analyzing the new enemy. It appeared to be quite slow, given how it was not attacking immediately. Either that, or it was just intelligent enough to employ trickery, making Cyanide think it was weak. If thetter was the case, things did not look good.


    To test this theory, Cyanide dashed forward and pulled out the pen in his cloak''s breast pocket in one smooth motion, taking the creature by surprise with his sudden spur of movement speed, then plunged the writing utensil into the creature''s neck  right where the carotid artery was.


    But the creature did not fall.


    "What the"


    No blood spilled out of his wound, even after Cyanide dislodged the pen. It was then that he saw  beneath the creature''s inhuman flesh, therey machinery. This thing it was a robot. Wires were its veins, electricity its blood.


    Suddenly, while Cyanide was shocked in thought, the creature whipped his head around and grabbed his wrist with its sharp ws. Cyanide''s attempted to dodge, but his new body''s movements were slow and sluggish.


    "Shit-!"


    "GRAHHH!"


    SMASH!


    The creature locked its hand around Cyanide''s wrist and threw him painfully into a wall with such force that Cyanide felt his bones shatter, but he didn''t cry out. Pain was nothing but a superficial feeling that induced fear and weakness, two things an assassin did not need.


    "" Slowly and silently, Cyanide got back up, now unarmed. The pen had been knocked out of his hands from that impact, and there was nothing else he could use as a viable weapon nearby


    He looked up.


    Well not a handheld one, anyway.


    Escape was not an option anymore, now that his body had been damaged this much. He needed to find a way to defeat this thing  and he had just the n in mind to do that.


    As the zombie lurked closer, Cyanide suddenly kicked up some of the umted dust from the floor, blinding it momentarily, then performed a low leap to get behind cover vanish out of the creature''s line of sight,pletely ignoring the pain that reverberated through his every bone.


    Once the dust settled, the zombie stopped, rotating its head around in confusion as it wondered where its prey went. Cyanide, hiding beneath a table and noticing this, furrowed his brows a little.


    ''As I thought it''s not very smart. It seems its eyes can only see what is directly in front of it, and it doesn''t know how to look up or down perfect.''


    Next to Cyanide, a long rectangr nk of wood that had originally been part of the ceiling abovey on the floor. Next to it, a stic water bottle that possibly used to belong to one of the workers here rolled on the ground. After some thought, he discretely slipped the water bottle underneath the nk of wood, directly in the middle of it.


    That was the fulcrum. Now, only the load remained.


    Cyanide stoodpletely up on purpose, attracting the attention of the creature, then ran by the simple lever he had made and ducked down once more on the other end of the aisle.


    "GRRR." The monster slowly rotated its body and began tracking Cyanide down, heading for the spot where itst spotted him. But of course, since it was incapable of looking up or down


    Normally, the creature''s feet ttered loud and crisp on the marble floor. But its next step was muffled, producing a different noise  and that would be what spelled its death. Cyanide, hearing this change, knew it was time.


    ''Now!''


    He suddenly dashed out from behind cover and leaped up into the air as high as this new body would enable him, pulling along aputer that had been on the desk in the process. Then, as the creature looked on, ck-jawed, he came crashing down on the other end of the lever. Thebined weight of Cyanide and the machinery tied to theputer was enough to send the zombie shooting up into the air  directly into the patch of destroyed ceiling where broken wires of electricityy.


    "GRAGHH!" The monster roared in pain and fury as the wound Cyanide made on its neck earlier connected with the electric flow of the wires above, electrocuting it instantly.


    Cyanide gritted his teeth, arms dislodged from his shoulders from carrying the weight of theputer after the injury earlier, as he waited to see if this was enough to kill the zombie. After several seconds, he received his answer.


    The corpse of the creature fell from the ceiling and copsed onto the floor, charred ck beyond recognition. The faint red light in its eyes grew dimmer and dimmer, until atst it died out.


    "Hah" Cyanide fell backwards onto the floor after confirming the zombie was dead. His entire body felt like it waspletely drained of energy and on fire with pain. Thest time he felt something like this was the duel to the death he and his teacher had.


    Despite all the physical pain and agony in his body, however, in his mind, Cyanide actually felt a pang of emotion. He felt excited. Excited at the notion of having such a close fight, edging so close to death  something he had not experienced in so many years.


    "Teacher I see now. Is this why you wanted to fight me to the death?"


    Cyanide felt his eyelids get heavy and mind go nk. He was losing consciousness.


    But then, a mysterious  or rather, several  messages appeared in front of his face, causing his eyes to widen.


    [Level Up.]


    [Level 1 -> 2.]


    [You gained 10 CP and 1 SP.]