Twin Cities: Who says scientists can't be conquerors?

Chapter 40 [Pilot Jinx is in position]

When Aaron watched movies and read novels, he often saw that the protagonists would enter a special state called "bullet time" when faced with a sudden crisis.

The so-called "bullet time" is to provide the protagonist with ample tactical decision-making power through slow motion or even time stop.

Often during "bullet time," the protagonist experiences an adrenaline rush, narrowly escaping danger and even launching a counterattack.

When he first transmigrated, Aaron, who considered himself to be a "protagonist," did fantasize that, in addition to the black box system that had no real combat power, he would awaken some other superpowers.

"Bullet time" sounds pretty good.

But as he went around in circles, taking nearly nine years of detours on the road to completing the order, Aaron gradually extinguished those unfounded fantasies.

Until this very moment—a gunshot rang out, the muzzle spitting fire as the bullet was driven straight into Aaron's left collarbone.

"Bang!"

Aaron felt a piercing pain, as if half of his body was being torn apart.

He finally understood:

My own fantasies about "bullet time"...

That's pure nonsense!

What kind of "outbreak during a crisis" is this?

He hesitated for a moment, was a step too slow, and did not promptly heed the advice of the black box in his mind to submit the not-yet-perfect mecha modification plan.

In the blink of an eye, they tasted the bitter fruit of hesitation—

The bullets whistled through the air without mercy, and Aaron fell backward, half of his body seemingly losing all feeling!

He felt as if his brain and heart had stopped for a moment, and a strong sense of dizziness enveloped him instantly.

Even the words he silently uttered in his last moments of lucidity seemed unreal—"Black box, deliver the order."

……

"No! Aaron!!"

Jinx's screams echoed throughout the entire fifth-floor cell block.

In the blink of an eye, Jinx witnessed Aaron being shot and falling to the ground. She felt as if something had completely exploded in her head.

The fear in the blue-haired girl's eyes was like a raging torrent that had lost its dam, instantly overwhelming all her reason.

Nine years ago, those scorching nightmares reappeared in an even more cruel way, tightening their grip on Jinx's throat!

"No! No! Don't die!!"

Jinx collapsed to the ground, crawling on all fours to Aaron's side, crying and tugging at his clothes and...

"Bang!"

Another shot rang out!

Jinx, terrified, tried to shield Aaron with her body, but then heard a voice behind her:

"Take him away quickly."

Caitlin held up her Hextech rifle, her voice trembling slightly, but her hands were very steady.

The second shot just now came from Caitlin, who was still firing from a standard crouching position!

boom--!

Bang bang—!

Another burst of gunfire rang out, sounding particularly jarring in the quiet fifth-floor prison area.

Caitlin didn't have time to explain more to Jinx. She shifted her position rapidly, frequently returning fire with her rifle.

She was now incredibly grateful that she hadn't let her guard down and had habitually brought along her coming-of-age birthday present—this reliable Hextech rifle.

Otherwise, the three of them wouldn't even have the ability to fight back and would have no choice but to surrender!

"Bang!"

Another steady shot.

Due to the structure of Stillwater Prison, there are basically no areas that can be used as cover. Caitlin vaguely felt that she had hit something, but the dim light in the cell corridor made it impossible for her to make out what it was.

And she noticed that despite the constant gunfire, the group of people hiding in the shadows were behaving very strangely—

They were able to hit Aaron accurately at the beginning, so why can't they hit themselves at all now?

"Take Aaron and leave quickly, I'll follow later!"

Caitlin snapped out of her daze and yelled at Jinx again.

She couldn't understand why the other side was being so "soft-hearted," but the fact that Aaron had been shot was undeniable.

Whether out of duty as a police officer or out of friendship, she had to ensure that Aaron and the other person could leave safely!

"well!"

Jinx finally came to her senses and readily agreed.

She is in a very bad state right now. Fragmented and oppressive hallucinations keep flashing before her eyes, making it difficult for her to even walk.

But for Aaron's sake, she gritted her teeth, mustered her courage, and, scrambling and crawling, forcefully pulled Aaron's arm, slowly backing away.

Unintentionally, this worsened the tearing of Aaron's wound, causing the bleeding to increase.

"hiss……!"

Aaron gasped in pain, his mind clearing considerably.

This was his first time being shot, and he had no experience with it.

Although he managed to retain basic consciousness after being shot in the collarbone, Aaron inevitably fell into a state of delirium, unwilling to utter a single word.

If he hadn't known he still had a lifeline and hadn't held his breath, he probably would have actually "fallen asleep"...

"Aaron! You're awake?! Don't close your eyes!"

Jinx, who had been observing Aaron, immediately noticed his change and exclaimed in surprise.

Aaron simply couldn't spare the energy to respond to Jinx.

He futilely covered the wound on his left shoulder with his right hand, signaled to Jinx with his eyes to stop dragging him, and then sat up against the iron gate.

"You guys should leave now!"

Caitlin was overjoyed to see Aaron regain his mobility.

But then she noticed that Aaron didn't seem to be planning to leave the fifth-floor cell block; instead, he sat down on the floor.

She immediately panicked: "Hurry! Don't delay any longer..."

"Caitlyn".

Aaron suddenly interrupted him.

After calling out Caitlin's name, he had to stop and catch his breath due to excessive blood loss.

After regaining some of his strength, Aaron said something that no one expected:

"You don't need to worry too much, our rescue team will be here soon, cough cough."

"What? Rescue!"

Caitlin's eyes lit up, and she immediately seized on the key point, asking, "Who are the rescuers? Are they Zaunites or enforcers? How long will it take them to arrive? Is it...?"

Aaron simply didn't have the strength to answer Caitlin.

He forced his eyelids open and held up three fingers to Caitlin.

"3?"

Caitlin was puzzled.

She was about to ask when she noticed that one of Aaron's fingers had curled back in.

It became "2".

"Instructions: Assign pilot privileges to the blue-haired guy next to me. Treat protecting friendly forces as the highest priority. As for other targets, let the pilot fire freely."

Aaron offered no explanation, instead using his last bit of energy to utter a long string of words that Caitlin and Jinx couldn't understand.

After saying that, he tilted his head back and lost consciousness.

A second after she finished speaking, Jinx, who was about to cry out to Aaron not to fall into a coma, and before she could even touch him, heard an unusual sound—

The Stillwater Prison, known as an "isolated island fortress," had a huge hole punched in it from the outside right in front of her!

A huge figure flashed over and stopped abruptly in front of Jinx and her two companions.

Jinx didn't even have time to observe closely, only vaguely guessing that this guy might be the "rescuer" Aaron had just mentioned, before she was lifted up the next second.

"Hey! The enemy is over there! Why are you arresting me?!"

Jinx reacted strongly.

She saw Aaron still lying on the ground and struggled even more fiercely.

But the next moment, she found that this huge "strange man" seemed to understand her meaning and actually placed her on a slightly flatter platform.

Jinx felt that this platform was somewhat familiar, as if she had sat on it not long ago.

Upon closer inspection, in the dim light, she noticed a graffiti that hadn't been wiped clean and had a distinct "Jinx-esque" style.

The graffiti was drawn on a white suit of armor, completely ruining the armor's serious and sharp appearance.

"Top Order: Protect friendly units."

"Current status: Free fire mode activated, driver in position."

A cold, electromagnetic sound rang out at the opportune moment, echoing throughout the fifth-floor cell block.

"The Cheng Ying tactical mech is ready. Pilot, please proceed with the operation!"