The assassins rushed from every side, but they didn't face a human—they faced hell! The car door burst open, sending a nearby rock flying, and Lu Ming emerged, his features already shifting. His torn shirt revealed broad shoulders covered in solid golden scales, and his eyes glowed with a light that struck terror into hearts.
In a flash, Lu Ming clamped his claws around the throat of the first assassin and lifted him into the air like a feather, while bullets sparked against his transformed hide and shattered without leaving a scratch.
(Ari Internally: My God! The full transformation is close.. look at this power! He looks like a god from ancient Chinese myths, but with the flavor of a furious T-Rex! Get a grip, Ari, no time to To admire and contemplate it .. there's a sniper behind that tree!)
Ari didn't just watch; she leaped over the car's roof with a graceful move and used her advanced weapon to fire freezing rounds that paralyzed the assassins trying to ambush Lu Ming from behind.
(Ari Internally as she fires: Did you think I'd just stand and watch the "President" fight alone? You're deluded! No one touches this hunk while I'm alive. Take this.. and this too!)
Lu Ming turned in the heat of battle and saw Ari fighting fiercely by his side. Her movements were strangely synchronized with his, as if there were an ancient bond between them. Lu Ming let out a roar that shook the mountains, then charged toward the assassins' leader and tore his weapon apart with his bare hands.
Suddenly, Ari felt a chill down her neck; a hidden sniper had aimed his laser at her chest. Before he could pull the trigger, Lu Ming charged with lightning speed and wrapped his massive body around her, embracing her to protect her with his scaled back.
The bullet struck his back with a terrifying metallic sound. Lu Ming groaned deeply, but he didn't let go.
(Ari Internally, in his transformed arms: He.. he shielded me with his body? The scent of the forest and rain grew stronger, and his body heat is nearly burning me.. but I don't want to pull away! Lu Ming, you truly are my favorite monster.. I'll rip the heart out of that sniper for daring to scratch your back!)
The remaining assassins retreated in terror after seeing their combined power. Silence slowly returned, and Lu Ming began to breathe heavily, still encircling Ari in his arms. The scales began to recede slowly, and his eyes returned to deep black, but they were filled with sadness and pain.
He looked at her and said in a broken voice: "Ari.. I told you your life is tied to my blood. Why do you risk yourself for a monster like me?"
Ari smiled as she wiped a drop of blood from his forehead: "Because this monster.. possesses the most human heart I've ever seen."
(Ari Internally: And because you're so handsome that I'm ready to fight World War III for you! Damn, Fang is watching us again.. Are you going to cough now, Fang? I will actually kill you!)