Capítulo 25: Stepping Out
After grabbing their weapons, Zhenin and Ninzhe stepped out of the mansion.
Mengsk had informed them that there was not a single head in the near 500 meters from the mansion's gate; thus, they kept their chill momentum.
After a night's rest, they were finally able to feel the difference in obtaining the first stage. The first step they took out of bed felt controlled. Once they were standing on their two feet, they could feel their balance becoming more perfect. Due to some parts of their body having uneven weights, like the antlers in their heads, balancing was a problem for the part-seahorse twin.
But now, even if they didn't mind their steps, they felt stable and sturdy. Usually, if a person decides to walk straight forward, some deviation occurs. It may be a small shift to the left, it may be a little wobble, or it could be a difference in the distance of the steps.
While the effects are negligible, such unevenness can cause tripping and loss of balance during highly precise fights.
For a gunner, run and gun is a practice where one needs to maintain their stability while focusing on aiming. Zhenin was never able to this due to his weight imbalance. Human standard training had long been disregarded as most half-lings have a completely different physiology from a pure human.
No matter how similar their silhouettes are, once light shines upon them, the difference becomes apparent. Different organs, muscle groups, bone structure, and more made it so that a pull-up exercise has a subtle difference in the active muscles during the workout.
This also applies to combat techniques. Martial arts and the like were suddenly turned on its head. Hand to hand techniques that hit the vital points became impractical due to the surging number of hybrids. Still, martial arts had a comeback once the people invented the new strengthening method as their current weapons became ineffective.
For someone like Nenzhi, who uses a dagger, balance becomes all the more critical. Every swing of the wrist, hands, or arms and cause one's center to shift. Due to this, he wasn't able to apply his full strength whenever he slashes.
Things like this could be overcome with practice and exercise, but what could a teenager who hasn't even completed their puberty yet do? Just like pure humans, their physique enters its golden period at the age of 25, where the body's development finally stops.
Knowing that there are no dangers for the next 500 meters, the twins brought out their weapons and began to test their movements.
Without actually firing, Zhinen tried to shoot while running. While the natural recoil of running didn't disappear completely, he was able to look at the sights clearer with less bouncing at a speed considered as running.
For Ninzhe, he began to twist and turn, as if dodging air bullets. In an actual battle, these movements can only be considered extra and a hazard. Even so, Ninzhe thinks he looks cool. Still, he could feel the massive difference between having to consciously balance oneself while running and not having to think about it.
"No wonder the books mention breaking through as shattering one's chain. It really does feel like that!" Ninzhe thought.
Whether someone was going to mess with them once they step out or not, the twins decided.
It's a must to try their newfound strength.
——
After exiting the mansion's gate, the twins slowed down. Their excitement did not drown their heads from becoming too excited. Will Ninzhe did, but Zhenin was there to calm him.
Looking around the streets, there are three paths they could take, the left one that leads to the mansions further, the right one that leads to a commercial area for the rich, and the middle one, which was the path they took to get here.
Hulien city is considered as a neo-suburban city, its charm lies in its distinct lack of buildings over five stories tall. Even so, the underlying level of technology is consistent across the capabilities of the planet.
For the first time in their lives, the twins looked at the streets differently. The lack of maintenance had made the roads very uneven, dirty, and unstable. Trash is everywhere, be it material waste or corpses, nobody bothers to clean it. If it weren't for the consistent radiation levels, it wouldn't be surprising for contamination or a plague to appear.
After finding the light at the end of the tunnel while everyone else is somewhere deep, a childish thought soon appeared in their minds.
"Heroes? We could be."
450 meters away from the gate
While the twins are feeling hot-blooded, ready to fight. They only have one life. Now that they found their drive to keep going. Safety comes first. With how desperate the people get every day, a large-scale battle is just right around the corner.
After a few moments, the chilling feeling disappeared. For some reason, Zhenin's heart felt colder instead. "What is happening?��� he thought.
Glancing to his brother, he could see how tense Ninzhe is. Gripping the handle of his dagger, no matter how calm his face claims to be, his trembling hands reveals it all. Every single ounce of confidence he had was gone. This was how their parents died, after all.
"Let's move a little faster," Zhenin said as he increased his pace.
Ninzhe nodded and followed suit.
After passing through an entire block, the twins finally met the first group of people. Equipped with tattered leather armor, the group of four were bruised black and blue. One of the men that has a mane of a lion had his left arm cut off. The three women, who were also lions, had cuts on their faces, and one of them has a missing ear. It was a group of hu-lions (half-human, half-lion).
Seeing how fresh the dripping blood is, Zhenin and Ninzhe turned battle-ready.
The group of four noticed the twins and immediately went alert. Stopping in their tracks, the lady with the missing ear spoke first. "What do you want?" her small vertical eyes were as sharp as a dagger when she spoke.
Hearing what the woman's words, Zhenin's brain immediately turned. Strong survival instinct, intelligence dwindling, a little hopeful, a little stupid.
While Zhenin lacks the experience of dealing with peace, conflict is something he's very familiar with. Thinking about it, he'd rather just get a quest to eliminate the entire planet than to save it.
Ninzhe already knew that his brother has begun his scheming. Knowing the drill, he remained silent.
After scrutinizing the group completely, the first to break the silence was not Zhenin but the male lion.
*ROAR*
With all his remaining strength, the man let out a thunderous roar across the suburban street. After looking at the twins in front of him, he deduced that they're still young. After his thunderous roar, he could feel blood building upon his throat, yet he remained steadfast as he clenched his fist equipped with a claw.
The two did not react on the taunt, Ninzhe isn't one to fear anyone as his will was tempered when he vowed to save his parents. Zhenin was the same but for a different reason. Instead, he smiled.
"Playing mind games with me? Jump off a cliff instead, why don't you. You'll suffer less that way," he spoke. This was Zhenin's basic response to anyone who dares underestimate his willpower due to his age.
Being two of the youngest survivors, it was difficult not to underestimate them this way. For the older ones, sixteen years of surviving is only a percent in their lives, sometimes lesser.
The four hu-lions gritted their teeth and brought out their weapons.
Just as he was about to act, a sound that he actually fears beamed in his head.
*DING*
[Urgent Chain Mission - New People 1]
[Beat the group of four into submission. Do not kill or let them die.]
[Chain Mission Rewards: Entry to a training ground in my kingdom.]
[Mission Failure: Death]
Ninzhe also received the mission. The twins looked at each other, nodded, and moved.
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