Infinity, The Arcade Age

As the thugs emerged from the bushes, Rambo's face twisted into a scowl, his grip on the rope so tight that it creaked.

"Is it you two who ruined my plans?" he growled.

The two thugs glanced at each other and, without hesitation, opened fire. The gunshots rang out, but due to the close distance, the bullets barely had an effect on Rambo. He only staggered slightly as the bullets embedded themselves into his flesh.

Looking down at the bullets lodged in his body, Rambo took a deep breath, his face twisting in fury. With a roar, he exploded into action.

His flail swung with lightning speed, the head-sized stone flying toward one of the thugs and smashing into his chest. With a sickening thud, the thug was sent flying several meters, crashing into a tree with a deafening crack, dead on impact.

After taking down one thug with a single blow, Rambo turned to the second one who had already closed in. With another roar, he swung his fist.

The thug raised his rifle to block the blow, but with a loud crack, the gun broke in half. Before the thug could react, Rambo's fist smashed into his face, sending him spinning through the air and crashing to the ground.

Before the thug could even attempt to stand, Rambo's hulking figure loomed over him. His face twisted with rage, Rambo stomped on the thug's chest and raised his flail above his head. With both hands gripping the stone, he began hammering down on the thug's head.

"You little—!"

Bang!

"—ruined my plan!"

Bang!

"I'll teach you to ruin my plan!"

Bang!

"Ruined! Ruined! Ruined!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sound of bones shattering filled the air as the thug's head was pounded into a bloody pulp. But even after the thug was dead, Rambo continued his relentless assault. Already a violent man, the injection of dinosaur genes had only worsened his bloodlust.

Now that his plan had been ruined by these worthless lackeys, there was no stopping his fury.

As he continued smashing the thug's corpse, sending blood splattering everywhere, a figure dressed in camouflage rose silently from the bushes behind him.

Taking advantage of the loud noise to mask his approach, Qin Ming crept up behind Rambo. His revolver, fully loaded, was already aimed at the back of Rambo's head.

Bang!

The gunshot echoed through the forest, and Rambo was sent flying from the impact.

Before the hulking figure could even hit the ground, Qin Ming had already moved forward, coldly firing five more shots into his body.

Each bullet hit its mark, but even after emptying his revolver, Qin Ming didn't immediately approach. Instead, he stepped back cautiously and began reloading, preparing to fire another round just in case.

But as he finished reloading, a sharp whistling filled the air.

Suddenly, Rambo's flail shot through the air like lightning, striking Qin Ming square in the chest and sending him flying backward!

Groaning in pain as his vision darkened, Qin Ming struggled to stay conscious. He could hear the sound of heavy footsteps approaching, followed by the unmistakable roar of fury.

Despite having half his head blown off, Rambo was still alive! His face covered in blood, his single remaining eye locked onto Qin Ming with murderous rage. The crazed boss swung his flail wildly as he charged.

Qin Ming had anticipated that six shots might not be enough to kill a boss, but he hadn't expected that even a surprise attack would fail to stop Rambo from fighting back. The fact that Rambo was still capable of such brutal strength caught him completely off guard.

As Rambo hurled his flail at Qin Ming once more, he barely managed to roll out of the way. The flail struck a tree behind him, shattering half the trunk in a single hit.

Rambo let out another furious roar and swung his flail in a wild arc, but with only one working eye and his body racked with pain, his aim was off.

The flail missed Qin Ming completely and lodged itself in a nearby boulder. No matter how much Rambo yanked on the rope, he couldn't pull the stone free.

At that moment, Qin Ming scrambled to his feet. Without hesitation, he grabbed the rope and aimed his revolver at it.

Bang!

The bullet severed the rope, rendering the flail useless. Rambo's weapon was gone.

Relieved, Qin Ming immediately turned his gun on Rambo and fired, but the crazed boss refused to give up. Even without his weapon, Rambo hurled himself at Qin Ming in a blind rage.

The first shot struck Rambo's shoulder, making him stumble but failing to stop him.

The second shot punched through his torso, spraying blood into the air, but still, Rambo charged forward.

Just as Qin Ming was about to fire the third shot, Rambo crashed into him, forcing the revolver's barrel down. The bullet that was meant to hit Rambo's head instead tore through his thigh.

Using his brute strength, Rambo pinned Qin Ming to the ground, holding his gun hand firmly against the dirt. With his other hand, Rambo clamped down on Qin Ming's throat, his bloodied face contorting into a savage grin.

Qin Ming's face turned purple as he struggled to breathe, his free hand flailing in an attempt to strike Rambo. But no matter how hard he hit the boss, it was like punching a brick wall. Rambo's grip didn't loosen in the slightest.

As strong as his weapons were, Qin Ming's base stats were still those of a rookie. Even with the doubled stats from the beginner's bonus, he could only barely compete with elite enemies like the knife-throwers or the fat bruisers. Against this second-stage boss, who was even more powerful than the first-stage boss, Qin Ming was completely outmatched.

His vision began to blur as Rambo's hand squeezed tighter around his throat. Desperate, Qin Ming let go of his revolver, and the gun vanished into his inventory. Using his free hand, he quickly pulled the revolver back out and pressed the barrel against Rambo's temple.

Rambo's eye widened in horror as he realized what was happening.

Bang!

The gunshot echoed through the forest.

(End of Chapter)