End of the hive

Liushi witnessed the exchange while being extermely uncomfortable. The possibility of a hybrid between an evolved human and a mutant beasts had never crossed his mind. His current problem was that he had decided to attack the hive to take the mutant beast core. Now, it meant he would have to kill a man, even if this one was no longer completly human. It was differents from the mindless zombies or beasts, it could think and communicate.

Killing. He had been vaguely aware of the possibility ever since he started to prepare for the outbreak, but he hadn't though he would have to do the deed so soon. He was also greatly disturbed by the man's change of mentality, and it's absolute pragmatism and ruthlessness in securing its survival. He was wondering if other people would change like that, or if it was due to the merging.

He put his worries aside, as he noticed that Lu was reaching her breaking point, so he took over the conversation.

"Why did you stop the attack?"

"Curiosity. You struck my children with a ranged weapon, but it didn't sound like any type of gun I might know, nor a crossbow. I needed to see what it was. I also needed to make sure there were only 2 of you, and if the woman had remained somewhat unharmed. You also killed a lot of my children, and I should eliminate you, but it would cost me even more of them. It would be too much of a threat to our survival, especially with the fire raging outside. Leave the woman, and you may leave in peace. We both get to survive."

Lu shivered when she heard the proposition of the hybrid. For a second, she saw herself in the same position as the unfortunate women, and backed a step. She turned a pleading face toward Liushi, but he had kept his eyes on the hybrid. She saw the bleeding wounds he got holding the line for her, and though of her sister, whom he had rescued. She had volunteered to come and fight, she told him she wouldn't be a bother, she couldn't back down. He was also her sister's best chance of survival with his ability, and had his own sister to rescue as well.

Despair and resignation started to crawl in her heart, as she owed him and didn't want to betray him. She was worried he would put his life on the line once more for both of them. She lowered the needlers, waiting for Liushi's decision. Said man had no intention of abandonning Lu. However, he was stumped about how to get out of this situation.

He realised that the hybrid had tricked them. A quick check of the room revealed that some of the remaining mutant bees were missing, having left the room without him noticing. He was sure they were going to attack from the tunnel he and Lu used to get down there.

Liushi sighted. They had already spent a lot of time at the bottom of the smoke filled hive, and there was only so much their current mask could do. It had become harder to breath, something he realised only then. His bleeding was slowly weakening him, and they didn't have any trump card with them. They had no choice but to whistand the following assault.

"Thanks for the offer, but we will respectfully decline. You will die here today with the rest of your children."

"So be it. Schriiii."

As the hybrid answered, Liushi whispered to a bittersweet Lu. "They are going for a pincer attack, keep an eye on the tunnel behind us. Grab the axe."

He snatched one of the needler from her hand with his injured limb. He couldn't use that arm to strike, but aiming and shooting was possible. Lu turned and ripped the veil away. She put the flashlight at the corner of the tunnel, pointing toward the room. She would have some light to support Liushi, and if a beast came from the tunnel, it would momentary block the light, warning her.

His attention turned to the beasts rushing to him, and the machete in his other hand. It had suffered from all fighting, and had dulled. The edge was chipped at some points. Liushi used the Starseed to correct that. The familiar blue lines appeared again, and spread to the machete. The blade lenghtened, the width reduced, and the sharpness of the edge was raised to the highest degree. In one horizontal swing, Liushi sliced the faces of 3 beasts deep enough to reach their brains and kill them.

In the same movement, his other arm was raised in the direction of the nearby beasts. He shot once, twice, and the launching gears lost power with the third shot. Liushi froze for a split second as the humming noise of the needler dimmed. After a few seconds, the electric motor sputtered and went silent.

"Fuck!! The guns are running out of energy."

"Shit!"

When Liushi made the needlers, he didn't have any prolonged battle in mind. So he didn't think of replacement batteries. Liushi had to rely on his altered machete, and the modification barely made up for the loss of needler. Then the other part of the beasts force came from the tunnel, and Lu had to focus on them. With the needler no longer being a threat to it, the hybrid suddenly charged, taking a curved path to try and get Liushi from the side.

Liushi saw it coming and barely had the time to dispatch the nearby beasts, before readying himself. He had expected the hybrid to climb the small mound of bodies, instead it lowered itself at the last moment and barelled through the bodies, sending several of them to him. His vision and balance were disturbed, and his blade was knocked aside by one of the bodies. As the former human was about to punch him, he aimed for the only visible weakness he could reach with his injured arm. The punch connected to his chest at the same moment he grabbed at the thing forehead, his finger digging into its insect eyes.

"KRIAAAAARKKKKKK"

The hybrid shierked in pain. Because Liushi staggered back with his finger still digging in the eye, it worsened the wound and the pain. It also kept Liushi from falling on his back or to his knees. He felt that punch, but couldn't even scream in pain due to his breath being cut. He retaliated with a vicious kick between the legs, right on its enlarged ball sac. The hybrid backed several steps in silent agony, and Liushi was able to slice the beasts that had come to support their leader. Then his concentration was broken.

"HAAAAA!!"

The mutant bees coming from the tunnel had managed to overwhelm Lu. The axe got stuck in the body of a beast, and she was delayed in regaining her stance. The following beast jumped on the arm holding the needler, bringing her to her knees, and a third charged right at her chest, bringing her down. As she struggled to free herself, 2 more came, they grabbed her and started to drag her toward the recovering hybrid. That was when she panicked and screamed.

When he heard her, time seemed to slow down for Liushi. In a second, he took in everything that was happening around him. There were a little less than 20 beasts left: 5 that were dragging Lu away, the last 3 that came from the tunnel behind them, and the remaining ones in an uneven arc near him and rushing toward him.

He had concentrated too much on what was going on in front of him to notice the shift behind him. He could retreat to the tunnel and kill the 3 beasts that were there. But it would also mean sacrificing Lu.

He liked Xiaotian, and didn't want her to lose her sister right after reuniting with her. He had appreciated Lu's willingness to follow him and support him in a dangerous situation. And finally, he didn't want to see a little sister end up as a disposable breeding stock. He could all to easily see his sister in the same position had circumstances been differents.

'No.'

It was a simple thought, but a powerful one. It drove him to use his body to its very limits. He lowered himself and charged at the mutant bees holding Lu.

Someone else might have tried to finish the hybrid, but its death could have led to the rest of the beasts to no longer caring about the well being of their captive. He had to take advantage of the fact that the hybrid didn't want her damaged. He was going to free her and make sure she could deal a maximum of damages to the rest of the beasts before the beasts decided she was no longer worth it. It meant that he would have to prevent the hybrid from giving the counter order, but also prevent her from attacking him. The minions would surely kill her to protect their boss.

He stomped on the closest beast to him, which was holding her leg, killing it. He grabbed the nearby one holding her other leg by its hind leg. As he moved forward, his machete slashed the beast holding her arm, freeing it. Lu was absent-mindedly seeing it, and only reacted with Liushi's following move. After freeing her arm, he dropped the machete next to it while punching the beast holding her head with the one whose hind leg he was holding on.

Lu was released from 4 of the 5 beasts that held her, and instantly grabbed on the altered machete. She cut the last beast holding her other arm, which was still holding the needler. Liushi, in his charge, had come face-to-face with the hybrid, ready to do anything to bring it down personnaly.

"Kill the workers" he said to Lu as he engaged it.

Lu, who was finishing the beast that held her head, followed his command. And fired at the other ones while she was regaining her footing. She had to move back to the tunnel, where the flashlight was, and fought along the way. She was partially aware of how much more effective the former machete had become.

Liushi still had a mutant bee in his grip, and used it as a shield on reflex when a meaty fist rushed to him, killing it. He spun with the blow and landed a viscious elbow strike in the face of the hybrid. He followed it with another kick to its balls. He didn't think he could inflict critical damage to the hybrid, so he intended to cripple it with pain. It went down on a knee, but managed to land a heavy blow to Liushi's belly. Liushi's hand flapped forward as he tried to keep his balance, and landed on the hybrids face. He struke once again at is weak spots, the eyes. The human eyes this time.

"RHAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

The hybrid howled in pain and backed away, but Liushi was following its movement, still using it to keep his balance, and trying to bury his thumb deeper in the eye socket of the hybrid. He used his other hand to attack the other insect eye on its forehead, intensifying its scream. Hearing the bellow of pain from their boss, the beasts rushed to its help, ignoring Lu.

The hybrid lashed out with a uppercut that knocked Liushi on his back, half-stunned, and right on top of one of the beasts that were trying to attack him from behind. It prevented said beast from stabbing him, and received a scratch instead. He rolled away, evading another attack on his face by pure reflex, having caught the blurry movement from the corner of his eye. He kicked them away, and was punched back down again by the hybrid.

Its remaining eye was focused on him. While it was acting emotionlessly before, its bleeding face was contorted in fury. It raised both arms and attempted to give him a hammer blow to the head, but Liushi rolled away. He came face-to-face with a dead beast, his eyes focused on its front legs.

They were tough and sharp, and the beasts used them as weapons.

He grabbed it, and and in the same motion used to turn back toward the hybrid, performed a backward stab. He used all his strenght to make up for the weight of the body attached to the leg, and stabbed the hybrid in the diaphragm. The hybrid backed away, and Liushi's hand flashed to the head of an attacking beasts, keeping its forelegs from reaching his face, and pulling the beast in the path of 2 others. Their forelegs got stuck in their kin, and Liushi got the chance to stand up.

Looking around, he saw that Lu didn't have much trouble with the remaining beasts. She had left the needler to hold the flashlight, and had left the safety of the tunnel to attack them from the side and the rear. Her clothes were torns here and there, but there didn't seem to be much bleeding. The 7 remaining mutant bees had gathered around the boss and refused to leave its side. It was trying to breath, but couldn't, and was slowly suffocating.

Seeing him stand up, Lu rejoiced and rushed to him. She still kept an eye on the enemies.

"Are you alright brother Liushi?"

"No, but it's nothing to be worried about."

[The quality of the air is getting dangerously low] the Starseed informed him.

'Well, shit.' "What about you?"

"I'm fine."

They returned their attention to the hybrid. It had fallen on its knees, and was losing strenght. It was still glaring at Liushi. It knew it was dying, and decided to try and take him out with it. It stood up and charged them, though it was much slower than before. Its minions followed. Not wanting Lu to get in another critical situation, Liushi rushed to meet them halfway. Lu followed him at a short distance.

Just before crashing into each other, Liushi performed a slip tackle, passing below the hybrid graping arms, hitting its ankle and making it crash heavily heavily on the ground. He wanted to kick one of the beasts at the same time, and it worked, but instead got stabbed straight through the foot.

"HAA!"

"ROAAGH! Gggh."

Lu didn't waste her chance when the hybrid fell and stabbed it in the head. After the initial roar of pain, its whole body spasmed like an epileptic in the middle of a fit. Lu visciously pulled back the blade, provoking a stronger spasm, and went to help Liushi, who had managed to keep 2 beasts at bay while the remaining ones separated between going after her and going to their dying boss.

She quickly dispatched the 2 that went after her, while Liushi killed one of his attackers by twisting its neck. The other one was still stuck in his foot, and Liushi used it to keep it pined. Lu quickly killed it, and both turned to the remaining 4 enemies.

The hybrid was twitching while the workers tried to move it. Liushi ripped the insect leg from his foot with a muffled scream of pain, and shakily stood up. At the same time, the hybrid stopped moving completly.