Translator: CinderTL
Vroom!!
The roar of the engine echoed through the wilderness as the black SUV leaped into the air, clearing a low hill.
The sky seemed to dip closer, just a few meters above, with the treetops visible on either side.
Then—
Boom!!
The black SUV slammed back onto the ground, tearing across the dilapidated asphalt at breakneck speed.
Joey, behind the wheel, had somehow donned a baseball cap and sunglasses. Gripping the steering wheel tightly, she kept glancing sideways at the passenger seat.
The young man, his face wrapped in a sand-proof scarf, remained silent throughout the journey, idly toying with a silver identity card in his hands.
Despite her subtle warning that the card might contain a Pangu Technology tracking chip, he had ignored her.
The only syllable he had uttered was a single command:
"Drive to Cloud City as fast as possible."
"Are they insane?" Joey muttered, her mind still reeling. She couldn't fathom what they were trying to achieve.
At a time like this, shouldn't they be fleeing for their lives?
Why were they charging headfirst into Cloud City?
"Forget it," Joey muttered to herself, "he did save us, after all."
"Even if something goes wrong, at least Da Wu and the others survived."
The thought flashed through her mind as she drove, trying to reassure herself. She had already instructed her teammates to leave and wait at a prearranged location. If she didn't show up in two days, they were to forget about her.
"Just focus on driving," a low voice suddenly cut through the air.
As if sensing her inner turmoil, Chen Feng's silver card in his palm stopped spinning.
"Take me to Cloud City, and you can leave," he said calmly, gazing out the windshield at the desolate road ahead. Trees stretched endlessly on both sides, their withered branches and vines occasionally visible on the cracked asphalt.
Joey, behind the wheel, opened her mouth but quickly nodded, too afraid to ask any questions. She found the man increasingly familiar. In fact, he reminded her of the stranger who had knocked her and her teammates unconscious, leading to their interrogation by a Legion Warship.
"Could it be him?"
Doubt flickered in Joey's mind, but she didn't have time to dwell on it.
Boom!!
Suddenly, several missiles streaked toward them from the road ahead. White shockwaves tore through the azure sky, sending shivers down her spine.
Joey's eyelids twitched. Her instinct was to slam the steering wheel and swerve to avoid them.
But—
"Straight ahead."
A calm voice cut through the chaos, momentarily freezing her in place.
The next instant, Chen Feng, sitting in the passenger seat, flicked his finger. A crimson streak vanished in a flash.
Boom!!
The missiles detonated mid-air, but the roaring shockwaves never even came close. It was as if an invisible barrier stood before them.
"This..."
Joey was stunned, but then a hail of bullets and even a fleeting energy beam erupted from the ambush.
Just as the vehicle was about to be hit, a crimson streak flashed through the air once more, accompanied by a piercing sonic boom.
Boom boom boom!!
All the attacks were detonated mid-air, as if pre-planted explosive barrels had been ignited, clearing their path.
The black SUV, hurtling forward in a straight line, effortlessly plowed through the lingering smoke.
In that instant, Joey glanced up.
Ahead on the potholed asphalt road, she saw over a dozen jeeps and flying cars parked.
A heavily armed squad of over twenty people crouched in front, coordinating with several mechanical soldiers.
Some carried large-caliber submachine guns and machine guns, while others shouldered high-powered missile launchers and various power units.
A wall of blue energy shield blocked their path, and special road barrier devices on the ground automatically extended, sprouting spikes and emitting high-temperature rays.
"Damn! It's Pangu Technology!"
As the jeep burst through the smoke, Joey's face paled.
She clearly saw a distinctive figure standing in the center of the roadblock.
Clad in a complete silver mecha, only his head was exposed—a stern, Caucasian face.
"Lightdust-grade mecha!"
Her pupils constricted, and she instinctively reached for the brakes.
That was a third-generation mecha capable of killing B-Rank awakened individuals, equipped with various high-energy weapons. A single shot could turn them to ash.
Yet...
"Accelerate."
A calm voice came from the passenger seat, making Joey's heart tighten. She glanced sideways.
Chen Feng, in the passenger seat, remained perfectly still, his gaze unwavering.
For some inexplicable reason, looking at his profile and recalling the increasingly familiar feeling, Joey gritted her teeth. Ultimately, she chose to trust her instincts and pressed the accelerator again, accelerating.
Whoosh!!
Instantly, the black SUV shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, not only refusing to slow down but actually accelerating into a frenzied sprint!
"Trying to die?"
The crowd blocking their path snorted coldly, the silver mecha man at their head glaring icily.
Silver nanometal flowed like liquid, covering his face. At the same time, a blazing light rapidly gathered at his chest, revealing a massive cannon muzzle.
Buzz!!
The incandescent red glow grew brighter and brighter, like a miniature sun.
The high-powered energy surge caused the air to vibrate, and dust on the asphalt road trembled.
The Security Personnel behind him all wore mocking and expectant expressions, as if watching the black SUV and its occupants be reduced to ashes.
"It's over," the silver mecha man declared coldly, the data on his intelligent light screen freezing.
Boom!!
A beam of light erupted, searing his chest!
The sky momentarily dimmed as an Energy Cannon, several meters thick, slammed into the black SUV, threatening to obliterate it.
Joey, watching from behind the windshield, widened her eyes, sweat beading on her palms. Then she caught a flash of Scarlet Gold in the passenger seat, gone in an instant.
Boom!!
The energy beam vanished instantly, and the darkened sky returned to its azure hue.
Focusing ahead, Joey saw that the Jeep blocking their path, the twenty-odd Security Personnel and mechanical soldiers, and even the so-called powerful lightdust-grade mecha had all vanished without a trace.
In their place was a massive, charred crater.
Wisps of white steam curled from its depths, drifting and dissipating into the air.
Tiny pebbles were stained crimson, as if melted earth and flesh had mingled together.
Her pupils constricted, and Joey could hardly believe her eyes.
The black SUV surged forward, its powerful engine leaping over the crater.
Thump!!
The vehicle landed, the seats jolting.
Joey swayed, glancing sideways.
A wisp of Scarlet Gold flame flickered in Chen Feng's palm, then gradually faded.
His gaze remained deep and unwavering, fixed on the road ahead.
Beep!
Beep beep!!
Inside the main city circle, atop Pangu Technology's towering headquarters...
A series of alarms blared from the female assistant's communicator.
The massive Warship remained docked, with aircraft constantly taking off and landing, unloading supplies that continued to be transported into its interior.
Mechanical soldiers moved back and forth nearby, while the Warship's elite commanders still gathered around Manager Lake and Major General Menghe, laughing and chatting.
The atmosphere should have been as relaxed as usual, and the sky was clear and blue.
But then...
"How could this be possible?"
Her face pale, the female assistant stood at the edge of the rooftop terrace, activating her communicator's light screen.
The dozen or so light dots surrounding the target were rapidly extinguishing, including those representing the special team in organic Mecha.
"Could it be an A-Rank awakened?"
She stood alone in the corner, her voice a pale whisper.
High above, floating orbital tracks crisscrossed the sky, with aircraft flashing past one after another.
In the distance, a vast expanse of white cloud layers stretched across the horizon. Below, the towering skyscrapers appeared hundreds of meters shorter, their neon-lit streets faintly visible beneath the misty clouds.
Beep! Beep!
Soon, the last light dot appeared on the light screen.
The target had been intercepted. A flicker of hope ignited in the female assistant's eyes.
"Lan Wan's star core-grade mecha, with maximum authority granted."
"Even an A-Rank awakened... couldn't possibly..."
Buzz!
The light dot vanished, and the fleeting thought plummeted into oblivion.
Diane Lee stood frozen, her pupils contracting as the world around her fell into a sudden, eerie silence.
A chilling dread crept into her heart, enveloping her mind. The light screen before her now displayed only a single red dot, still moving relentlessly closer to Cloud City.
Five kilometers... four kilometers... three kilometers...
"Diane Lee!"
A stern voice cut through the stillness.
Diane Lee instinctively turned to see Manager Lake, surrounded by Security Personnel and elite members of the battleship legions, glaring at her.
His brow furrowed slightly, clearly displeased by her momentary lapse.
Forcing herself to snap out of her daze, she hurried over.
"How's the situation?" Manager Lake asked casually.
Diane Lee opened her mouth, finally regaining her composure. She reported the truth.
The light screen flickered back to life, but now it displayed only the single, remaining red dot, still moving closer.
The atmosphere in the room abruptly shifted. Manager Lake, who had been relaxed moments before, now frowned deeply.
Even as a senior executive at Cloud City's branch, his authority only extended to star core-grade mecha and security protocols. Unless he notified the supreme director, no one could access the core reserves.
And now...
"Lake, it seems you've run into a bit of trouble?" Major General Menghe, wearing a military greatcoat, said with a smile. He clearly understood the situation and recognized the predicament Lake was in.
"Perfect timing. We're almost done loading supplies, and our fleet is about to deploy to the battlefield anyway."
"A warm-up exercise will help us adapt to the tactics," he said calmly, as if it were a minor matter.
Manager Lake, whose brow had been furrowed, relaxed and quickly offered a grateful smile.
"Then I'll trouble Major General Menghe."
As the two men chatted amiably, the elite commanders of the surrounding warships quickly dispersed, halting the loading and transfer of military supplies.
Military aircraft slowly ascended into the sky, landing on the deck in front of the warships. Hundreds of mechanical soldiers, fully armed, entered the aircraft, ready for immediate deployment.
Witnessing this scene, the female assistant, who had been gripped by fear and worry, suddenly snapped back to reality. The chill that had settled in her heart began to dissipate.
That's right, Manager Lake was still here.
So was the Ninth Legion's Seventh Main Fleet, and Major General Menghe, a high-ranking military officer with the authority to deploy domain-class mecha.
This was the true might of the Tedo Kingdom's military—a force so formidable that even the few colossal mercenary corps in the wilderness, boasting S-Rank awakened individuals, wouldn't dare to openly challenge it.
So...
Diane Lee, the female assistant, clenched her fists and stared at the red dot on her communicator. A flicker of hope and anticipation suddenly ignited in her eyes.
With such a powerful legion stationed here, do you really dare to come?
(End of the Chapter)
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