Infinity, The Arcade Age

Facing the thick-skinned behemoth across from him, Qin Ming knew that mere hand-to-hand combat wouldn't be enough to take down O'Neill.

As O'Neill, armed with a knife, prepared to charge again, Qin Ming suddenly spread his legs, planted his feet firmly on the ground, and stretched his arms out to the sides.

Air currents! Spinning!

Buzz!

Violent gusts of wind, laced with pristine white flames, roared forth with lethal precision.

Seeing this, O'Neill's face turned pale. He immediately rolled to the side, barely escaping his original position.

When he got back on his feet and turned to look, his eyes widened in shock as he saw the enormous air blade carve straight through a tank, slicing it cleanly in half.

Before his gasp of disbelief could fade, five more spinning air blades followed in quick succession.

In mid-air, the blades traced intricate arcs, resembling massive, high-speed circular saws.

Fortunately for O'Neill, the distance between the two was significant, giving him enough time to react. Otherwise, such a dense barrage of attacks would have left him either maimed or dead upon contact.

Dodging nimbly, O'Neill narrowly avoided the five spinning air blades, their edges whizzing past him.

Even so, he felt sharp stinging pain on his skin from the air pressure alone, as if it had been grazed by invisible knives.

Breaking into a cold sweat, O'Neill barely had time to recover his composure before he saw Qin Ming, still standing in place, raise his arms once more.

Now fully transformed into a living artillery turret, Qin Ming unleashed a second barrage of air blades.

Seeing the oncoming onslaught of colossal blades, which now formed an unbroken wall of death, O'Neill's face went ashen. This time, he didn't dare even attempt to close the distance.

Turning on his heels, he sprinted as fast as he could, scrambling desperately to escape the pursuing blades.

Behind him, the spinning air blades bombarded the ground, tearing apart stones and sending dust and debris flying everywhere.

Anything or anyone caught in their path was instantly shredded to pieces—nothing could withstand a single hit.

Despite his best efforts to evade, O'Neill's vision was suddenly obscured by a cloud of dust. Before he could react, an air blade sliced into his back.

Even his genetically enhanced, superhuman body couldn't absorb the attack unscathed this time.

Blood sprayed into the air as O'Neill was sent spinning mid-air before crashing heavily to the ground.

As he knelt on one knee, clutching the deep, bleeding gash that ran almost the entire length of his back, O'Neill's face twisted in pain and rage. He glared up at Qin Ming, eyes blazing with fury.

Meanwhile, Qin Ming stood still, arms outstretched, his hands blazing with flames as he prepared to launch yet another attack.

Charging... Sonic Air Blades! Six consecutive strikes!

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

Six massive air blades shot out again in rapid succession, streaking toward the heavily injured O'Neill with terrifying speed.

But just as the blades were about to reach their target, a barrage of shells suddenly rained down from above, detonating directly in their path.

Fire and explosions filled the air as the incoming Sonic Air Blades were forcibly neutralized.

Furious, Qin Ming raised his head to glare at the sky. What he saw made his expression darken even further.

Dozens of fighter jets circled overhead, interspersed with several attack helicopters.

The bombs that had intercepted his attack had been dropped by these helicopters.

"Open fire!"

At the command, the fighter jets dived toward Qin Ming's position, opening fire before even getting close. Machine guns roared, and a few heavy bombers began dropping explosives in waves.

The thunderous explosions enveloped Qin Ming's position in an inferno of flames and smoke. The entire area was consumed in chaos.

However, before the echoes of the explosions faded, streaks of blade light suddenly erupted from within the flames.

The blades tore through the smoke and cut through the fire, six Sonic Air Blades rocketing toward the sky.

The fighter pilots, who had been diving in for bombing runs, were caught completely off guard.

They barely had time to cry out in alarm before the air blades struck.

The air blades sliced off wings, severed propellers, and even cleaved pilots in half in an instant.

Thick smoke billowed as several fighter jets lost control, trailing black smoke as they streaked past Qin Ming before crashing violently into the ground, erupting into massive fireballs.

Seeing this, the remaining pilots, though pale with fear, gritted their teeth and continued their dive attacks, engaging in a fierce shootout with Qin Ming.

Meanwhile, Qin Ming kept swinging his arms, launching one Sonic Air Blade after another, steadily taking down the incoming fighter jets.

As the aerial battle raged on, General O'Neill seized the opportunity. Grabbing onto a dangling rope ladder, he was swiftly pulled away by a retreating fighter jet, fleeing the battlefield at high speed.

Having failed to win the direct confrontation—and nearly losing his life in the process—O'Neill chose to escape.

Noticing O'Neill's retreat from the corner of his eye, Qin Ming roared in fury and flung a Sonic Air Blade toward the airborne general.

But before the attack could reach its target, a fighter jet intercepted it, shielding O'Neill at the cost of its own destruction.

The sliced jet spiraled out of control and crashed to the ground.

Qin Ming attempted to pursue, but before he could make a move, a barrage of bombs from above rained down on him, dropped by the circling helicopters.

The explosions engulfed Qin Ming in a fiery blaze.

When Qin Ming emerged from the flames, arms waving to clear the smoke, he realized that O'Neill had vanished. The fighter jets and helicopters that had been battling him moments ago were now retreating, disappearing into the distance.

Standing amidst the ruins, surrounded by the wreckage of downed aircraft, Qin Ming watched as the rebel forces began a full retreat, their remaining vehicles and troops pulling out.

At that moment, the roar of an engine reached his ears. Adjutant Beta, driving a Metal Slug Tank, finally arrived after routing the remaining enemy forces.

"Commander, are you alright?"

"Not dead yet."

"What are your orders now…?"

"Tell the soldiers not to pursue. We're pulling back to regroup with the main army!"

"Yes, sir!"

With the order given, Qin Ming's Hound Legion began a swift retreat.

The encounter with O'Neill's elite forces had clearly been a tough battle, resulting in significant casualties.

Out of their 500 soldiers, nearly 100 had perished.

However, O'Neill's losses were even greater.

Qin Ming alone had taken down nearly ten fighter jets, while his Hound Legion had obliterated countless tanks and soldiers during the direct confrontation.

If Qin Ming's forces had been bloodied, O'Neill's forces had been outright crippled.

If not for their numerical advantage and quick retreat, O'Neill's troops might have been completely annihilated.

After loading their fallen comrades' bodies onto the vehicles, the Hound Legion left the battlefield at full speed.

The soldiers' gear was carefully recovered. After all, crafting high-quality equipment wasn't easy, and letting it fall into enemy hands would be disastrous.

Their comrades' bodies were also taken back for cremation. Leaving them to rot on the battlefield was not an option.

These men had followed Qin Ming, fought under his command, and he refused to let them rest uneasily even in death. He would ensure they received proper burials.

(End of Chapter)