Infinity, The Arcade Age-Chapter 495: The Origin of the Genie

Vrrrmmmm!

As a violent wind howled, a swarm of fighter jets burst from the clouds, launching a sudden strike on the target below!

Just as Qin Ming had finished taking out the pyramid’s defenders and claimed the treasures they had unearthed for himself, the Hound Corps had also been busy. They were currently hunting down rebel forces across the globe—while conveniently using their operations to build up their own reputation.

Thanks to their "PR campaign," the Federation military had no choice but to admit the obvious: the world was even more chaotic now!

After all, they weren’t just handing out food. They were handing out guns too!

And with food and guns—guns that were even better than what the regular army had—how could citizens already harboring rebellious thoughts stay obedient?

The moment the Hound Corps moved on from a city, those "liberated" citizens started gathering to riot, plunging the regular army into complete disarray.

And that was exactly what Qin Ming wanted to see.

He didn’t believe for a second that the high command of the regular military would actually honor their promise—granting him the rank of general and a private domain after he took care of the rebels.

All they wanted was to pit him against the rebels in a mutually destructive fight.

So Qin Ming had to make sure they had problems of their own. Only if they were bogged down with trouble would his side remain safe.

At the moment, Qin Ming and the others were seated inside one of the aircraft, en route with the fleet to launch an assault on a key rebel stronghold.

And not just any stronghold—rumor had it the rebels were conducting some sort of secret experiment there!

Sitting in his seat, Qin Ming was looking down at his hand—or more precisely, at the glowing orb of energy floating in his palm. His expression was full of wonder.

Because this glowing energy orb could move entirely at his command—zipping through the air like it was alive!

This was the brand-new ability he had just acquired: Tracking Hadouken, an A-rank skill!

It had been taught to him by a special prisoner of war—Ichimonji Hyakutarō—and Qin Ming had forcibly fused it, replacing his Heavenly Glide skill and upgrading it straight to A-rank.

The ability was simple and brutal: it allowed him to freely control the movement of energy, directing it wherever he pleased.

It may have sounded simple—but it was terrifying. Especially once its level was raised!

After all, how would you feel about a homing Hadouken that could turn corners?

The reason Ichimonji Hyakutarō possessed this special ability was because he had been part of a classified program—the Federation’s infamous Demon Project.

It was an experimental initiative aimed at modifying soldiers’ bodies to grant them special powers. Ichimonji was one of its few successful test subjects.

The fact that the rebels also understood how to perform body modifications likely meant someone involved in that original government project had defected and taught them the techniques.

With a flick of his finger, the Hadouken shot out, weaving through cover with precision before slamming directly into the target dummy.

Watching the attack move exactly as intended, Qin Ming nodded in satisfaction. Just then, a voice suddenly echoed in his ear—the voice of the genie.

"Hey, kid."

Startled by the unexpected voice, Qin Ming glanced around. Seeing that no one else reacted, it was clear they hadn’t heard anything. His brows twitched slightly.

"I’m not ’kid.’ I have a name."

"Ugh. Whatever. I’m asking how you managed to upgrade that Tracking Hadouken to such a high level. The original version wasn’t nearly this strong."

"I’m not obligated to answer your question."

"You—!"

"If you want me to answer, fine. But we ask questions in turn—fair and square."

Qin Ming’s words made the genie pause briefly before finally replying.

"Fine. I’ll go first. How did you increase the skill’s level?"

"Using my innate skill. Now you answer—what exactly are you? Some kind of mythical being?"

"Nope. Wait, are you only able to fuse skills? Can you fuse anything else?"

"I can fuse anything. Now be specific—what exactly are you?"

"......I am Nightmare Space."

"Huh?!"

"I’m the same type of existence as Nightmare Space. One of its kind. But I wasn’t as lucky—I was defeated and sealed inside it, sealed inside this world."

"Same kind... So it keeps creating soldiers just to defeat all of you?"

"Exactly. Just like you adventurers, we each have our own powers. I wasn’t a match for it, so I lost. It couldn’t kill me, and it couldn’t let me go, so it sealed me inside an item. That’s all there is to it. I may not be able to leave this place—but within any Metal Slug world, I can appear anywhere I want! The number of adventurers I’ve taken out is far from small! Not everyone reacts as fast as you, after all!"

The genie’s words made Qin Ming’s expression turn contemplative.

No wonder she knows about Nightmare Space but is still restricted by its rules... So she’s just a war criminal doing life behind bars...

A kin of Nightmare Space... another version of it that never got to grow. So that’s what this is...

While Qin Ming was deep in thought, the plane suddenly jolted—it had taken multiple hits from anti-air fire and was showing signs of damage.

Seeing this, Qin Ming shook his head helplessly, opened the hatch, and jumped out.

His body went into free fall, but before he could hit the ground, he burst into blood mist.

He swept through the crowd below and infiltrated the underground base. No sooner had he entered than he was greeted by a barrage of gunfire.

But the bullets clinked harmlessly off his golden body—they couldn’t even scratch him.

Now that his Golden Arhat Form had become an active skill, its defensive power was at least five times stronger than before! At this point, even Qin Ming himself probably couldn’t break through it!

Smashing his way through, he quickly stormed deep into the facility. After forcing open a large door, a piercing alarm suddenly blared in his ears.

Looking ahead at the hallway bathed in flashing red light, Qin Ming paused for a moment—but before he could react, rustling noises came from ahead.

A second later, a swarm of blood-red monsters with hairless bodies began crawling out of the ceiling and walls!

They immediately lunged at Qin Ming the moment they got close!

Seeing this, Qin Ming instinctively raised a hand to forcibly extract the blood from their bodies.

But just as his ability activated—BOOM!—the creature exploded on the spot!

The massive shockwave from the blast sent Qin Ming skidding back half a step.

They self-destruct?!

[Name: Failed Test Subject]

[Strength: 2]

[Constitution: 2]

[Agility: 10]

[Spirit: 1]

[Skill: Self-Destruct (B-rank)]

[Description: Volunteers from the Modern Army who took part in body modification experiments and became failed products.]

Their stats were pitifully low—but they had a B-rank skill! And worse—it was a kamikaze-type skill meant to take enemies down with them!

Watching the swarm of red experimental monsters rapidly approaching, Qin Ming’s pupils contracted sharply. A wave of blood-colored energy erupted from his body.

He raised his hand and charged up energy—then fired a shot!

Skill: Killing Intent Tracking Hadouken!

(End of Chapter) freёweɓnovel_com

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