This was something no one had anticipated.
The scene fell silent all at once.
For a moment, it felt as if the drop of a pin could be heard.
Even Wang Panpan, who was a sea monster inhabiting a borrowed skin, hadn't expected such an event.
She looked down at her hands, wondering if she had simply lost her grip, leading to her cutting off Xier's head.
Even Duan Chen felt his heart skip a beat.
He couldn't fathom why his teammate would commit suicide right in front of him.
His gaze shifted instantly.
His entire demeanor turned sharp and fierce.
Wang Panpan stammered, "It wasn't me, I swear it wasn't me!"
But Duan Chen had no intention of listening.
All that remained in his mind was the sight of Xier's severed body spewing blood.
Zhang Zhuoyu and Meng Yanran were too stunned to react.
While they had experienced the loss of friends and companions before, they had never witnessed such a horrifying scene of suicide.
Duan Chen lunged forward, his movements swift and decisive, leaving no room for error.
As he dodged and weaved, Wang Panpan found herself increasingly unable to keep up.
She had sustained multiple shots to her body, head, and chest, and her recovery was slowing down.
Where was the fabled immortality?
It was merely a matter of a different threshold for damage.
After more than an hour, Duan Chen was slightly breathless. He fired the final shot, and Wang Panpan's pupils dimmed.
The sea monster inhabiting the skin was officially declared dead.
The hollowed-out puppets collapsed to the ground simultaneously, their bodies emitting a rotten stench.
The next instant, they all dissolved into black liquid, some flowing into the sewers, others pooling on the ground.
The scene became incredibly revolting.
Even Xier's hand twitched.
Wait.
Duan Chen rubbed his eyes, an unbelievable thought dawning in his mind.
He then saw Xier's headless body sway and stand up, rushing towards where her head had fallen.
With two delicate hands, she scooped up her head and placed it back onto her body.
Her head turned slightly.
She knelt on the ground, retrieved her portable medical kit, and took out a thick needle and a roll of black thread.
Threading the needle.
Her eyes were closed, but it didn't impede her movements.
Holding the needle and thread, she stitched the skin of her neck and head together, completing a circle around her severed neck.
Then, she opened her eyes.
Zhang Zhuoyu and Meng Yanran clung to each other, watching the reanimated scene with terror.
They dared not utter a word.
Duan Chen, less hesitant, opened his mouth and asked with uncertainty, "Xier? Are you alright? Are you alive?"
Xier nodded, stood up unsteadily, separated the needle and thread she held, and returned them to the medical kit.
Her gaze found Duan Chen. She blinked gently and tilted her head.
She spoke, a mix of complaint and calm narration, "It's been a long time since I lost my head. I feel blood sloshing around in my brain, it's quite uncomfortable."
"After we return, I'll need to readjust the position of my head."
It had to be said...
Duan Chen was momentarily speechless.
Zhang Zhuoyu pointed at Xier, his voice trembling with a mixture of fear and desperation, "Brother Duan Chen, can you explain what's going on?"
"Otherwise, I really can't shake this feeling."
Meng Yanran nodded vigorously, her head bobbing frantically.
Duan Chen hesitated, then said with a hint of helplessness, "Just consider it a special ability."
"Is that so?"
Zhang Zhuoyu's teeth chattered as he nodded erratically, "Okay, okay, we understand."
Even Duan Chen hadn't expected that with over ninety percent of one's body mechanized, one wouldn't die from losing their head.
He had to admit, he was a little tempted.
However, he dismissed the thought the next minute.
He knew Xier possessed no inherent abilities and couldn't use any enchanted weapons.
She couldn't even use an S-grade weapon like the Thousand Illusions Pandora.
Even ordinary devices, like scanners, were unusable by her, as she had no spiritual energy.
Yes, Xier had no spiritual energy.
Whether it was the cost of her modifications or her transformation into a high-level agent as a regular human, Duan Chen didn't want to find out.
Glancing at Zhang Zhuoyu and Meng Yanran, still huddled together, he said to Xier with a touch of resignation, "I could have saved you, you know. There's no need for this method next time."
Xier blinked, indifferent, "It's fine. It doesn't hurt anyway."
No pain, no fear of death.
She was no longer quite human, nor quite a monster.
For some reason, Duan Chen's heart sank.
He subconsciously shifted his focus, "Since the mission here is complete, let's move on to the next one."
Xier nodded indifferently, having not spared a glance at Zhang Zhuoyu and Meng Yanran throughout the ordeal.
Perhaps, to her, the gazes of onlookers were irrelevant.
Perhaps that was a good thing.
Duan Chen could only console himself with that thought.
He then looked apologetically at Zhang Zhuoyu and Meng Yanran, "We need to head to another location. As for you two..."
Zhang Zhuoyu and Meng Yanran eagerly interjected, "We'll head back to the guild to report the mission. Do you need us to help clear out the sea monster corpses here?"
"That would be greatly appreciated," Duan Chen replied, not refusing.
He was driving a combat vehicle that could only accommodate two people, with the rest of the space filled with weapons and defensive equipment, leaving no room for corpses.
Upon receiving his assent, Zhang Zhuoyu acted as if released from a great burden. He rushed over, using special containment equipment to collect Wang Panpan's corpse and the remaining black fluid, placing them into the vehicle.
He then sped off with Meng Yanran.
"They were terrified..."
Duan Chen felt a wry smile tugging at his lips.
But this was not the most pressing matter. He only hoped the two youngsters wouldn't embellish the story when they returned.
With that thought, he glanced at Xier and hesitantly asked, "Are you okay with this... this kind of thing being revealed to others?"
Xier pondered for a moment, then shook her head.
"It's fine."
She said meaningfully, "I'm not stupid. No one wants to offend me, you can rest assured."