192: 5.2 Superhuman Senses

5.2 Superhuman Senses

When the familiar vertigo drilled into Lu Yizhou's brain, he was replaying each scene of his first few minutes in every world. Subconsciously, his body didn't let him relax anymore and grew tense in vigilance, in case he would open his eyes to another enormous monster, or worse a horde of infectious zombies.  2

However, nothing could prepare him for the onslaught of sensations that overwhelmed his senses. It felt like waking up as Raphael again, if not worse, because this time it was not hunger he felt but the entire world seemed to be intent on making him deaf. 

Damn it, did everyone decide to yell into his ear today?! The thought popped into Lu Yizhou's mind first before he dismissed it. No, that's not right. It was stranger than that.

Not only was his surroundings awfully loud with people shouting one atop of the other, sirens blaring noisily and car tires skidding against solid asphalt, he could even hear every little things such as the heartbeat of the person closest to him, the whisper of the man he knew was a hundred meters away, tens of different footsteps, the meow of a stray cat nearby, the grating sound of metal scraping against metal, the whirr of air conditioner, some muted whimpers, a crying child and finally the familiar sound of a gun trigger being released, followed by an annoying bellow of, "Put your hands above your heads and don't move if you don't want to be shot!"

That sentence finally drove Lu Yizhou to snap his eyes open and he almost swayed from the sensory overload that stabbed right into his retinas. The open sky above him was blue, the clearest and bluest he had ever seen to the point where Lu Yizhou could clearly trace the shape of every soft floating cloud. Around two hundred meters in front of him was a seven story shopping mall. Without even squinting his eyes, Lu Yizhou could clearly see the brownish rust stain on the edge of the billboard, the chink on the head of N of 'Noir's Boutique' and a single cockroach that crawl in between the dent of windowsill on the third floor, its antenna moving around. Dropping his eyes, his eyes instantly zoomed in on every dent and crack on the asphalt road and the microscopic dirt that stuck on it.

As if the superhuman sight and hearing wasn't enough, Lu Yizhou sucked in a breath only to choke in the next second. Too much. Scents of different shampoos, natural odour mixed with sweat, the sugary air freshener, the wisp of dew hanging on leaves, the acrid smell of tires against asphalt, exhaust gas, rich metallic rust, and the smell of growing tension and fear. He promptly pressed his lips tight and stopped breathing altogether.

A dull ache throbbed behind his eyelids and he couldn't resist squeezing his eyes shut and pinching his brows. 

What. The. Fuck.

This was worse than being Raphael and Altair combined. He should have known that there's no way the simulator would make it easy. It was through years of living as inhuman beings that Lu Yizhou could sense the flow of energy inside his body and subconsciously guide it to block his ears and nose. In an instant, the scents subdued and the sounds grew muted, louder than the normal amount of noise he was used to, but so much better than before. 

[What am I this time?] Lu Yizhou asked with not so little irritation. Don't tell him he had become Superman.

Unfortunately, before he could get an answer from 666, someone rushed to him. "General Kai!"

Lu Yizhou winced at the sound that almost punctured his eardrums. He scowled and opened his eyes, finding a man of high stature — only an inch shorter than himself — wearing a black combat suit with a gun holder belt around his chest. One glance below told Lu Yizhou that he was wearing the same thing. Alright, it seemed like whoever this 'General Kai' was, that was Lu Yizhou's current identity. He only had a split second to be relieved in the presence of guns instead of swords when a single gunshot rang out through the distance, followed by a cacophony of terrified shrieks.

"General!" The man saluted with a solemn look. "Everyone has already gathered. We are ready whenever you are!"

Lu Yizhou took a discreet glance around and made out a group of men with the same combat uniform. Fifteen, himself included, his super sight counted. All with varying degrees of guns, protective gears and steel shields. It was only him and the other man that were bare except for the gun and combat suit. Alright, Lu Yizhou nodded, a rescue mission it was.

Fortunately, the man seemed to be his direct subordinate because he stood straighter as soon as Lu Yizhou nodded and faced the group of men. "Attention!"

The other thirteen men behind them instantly lined up with their backs like a stick and sharp gaze straight ahead. "Reporting to General Kai and Lieutenant Yves, Unit Oakenwind at your service!" Then they started to do a head count and Lu Yizhou was attacked by an onslaught of names and rank As and Bs. None of which registered into his mind.

Lieutenant Yves nodded after the count ended. "This operation will be led by General Kai, rank A dark sentinel and myself, Yves, rank A sentinel. Please take care of us."

Senti… what?

"As you have known, this operation will be very crucial and dangerous. A rank B sentinel with two senses, Edin, has taken 30 people hostage on the sixth floor of Wria Plaza. It is suspected that he has been infected by the parasite. Keep a close look on his eyes and skin, if his pupils show signs of dilating and his skin has a slimy layer to it, directly execute him on the spot. If there's no such signs, we will proceed as planned; the safety of the civilians will be your priority whereas General Kai and myself will focus on taking Edin down. We have confirmed that Edin has in his possession two sets of assault rifles with fully loaded bullets. Be careful not to use your spiritual element carelessly lest you get infected by the parasite too. Is that clear?!"

Nothing was clear at all. Lu Yizhou had a bunch of questions regarding sentinel and fucking parasite but he guessed he could find out about it from 666 later on. Lu Yizhou gave Lieutenant Yves a mental pat on his shoulder for taking over such an annoying task such as briefing the soldiers. Fortunately, General Kai of this world seemed to be a grumpy man and certainly not a man of words, alleviating Lu Yizhou's burden greatly. 

"Everything's clear, Lieutenant!"

"Good." Lieutenant Yves turned to him, his deep gray eyes inquiring. "Is there anything you want to add, General?"

"No." Lu Yizhou grunted and rechecked the ammo in his gun with dexterous familiarity. "Let's go and finish this as soon as possible."

The corner of Lieutenant Yves' lips twitched as if he wanted to laugh, but in the end, he managed to hold it back and maintained a stern appearance. As Lu Yizhou and the others dashed into Wria Plaze, an important question popped up in his mind. He had no doubt that he would recognize his lover without 666's help but as for the male protagonist…

[666: Hehehe.]

Lu Yizhou's heart abruptly sank. Whenever 666 gave that kind of evil and gleeful laugh, nothing ever went right for him.

[666: Ehem! 666 shall be the one to break the good news to Host that yes, Yves is one of the male protagonists in this world. Congratulations for guessing it right! Host is mighty and powerful!]

pqdm.com