Zhang Wei ignored what those people wanted to do and jogged directly towards the New Wind Mountain.
Glancing at the still-transforming rats, Zhang Wei once again sat down on the mountaintop.
"Change equipment."
Zhang Wei took out the Dual-Cycle Nuclear Engine from his mech's inventory space and selected to swap it.
The replacement process didn't require Zhang Wei's intervention; the mech could handle it itself.
The mech's abdominal armor opened, and the Super Matrix Engine floated out from its interior.
Then, the Dual-Cycle Nuclear Engine Zhang Wei had acquired entered the mech's interior.
The process only took a dozen seconds.
"Ding, Dual-Cycle Nuclear Engine replaced, Combat Power +5."
"Not bad," Zhang Wei patted his mech's abdominal armor with satisfaction, putting his replaced Super Matrix Engine back into the mech's inventory space.
The new engine added 5 more combat power than the mech's original engine. While the combat power bonus wasn't huge, it definitely provided significantly more sustained flight power.
Zhang Wei stood up, getting used to his mech's current propulsion.
Just as Zhang Wei was adjusting to the power, the entire mountain began to shake.
Zhang Wei didn't find it strange; instead, he was very calm.
Turning his head, he saw that the rats seemed to have been infused with some mysterious energy. Their mechanization speed shot up like lightning, and their bodies swelled at an alarming rate.
The rats Zhang Wei had trapped were mechanizing, and those he hadn't caught, still hidden in their burrows, were also mechanizing.
The mountain shook as if the entire earth trembled from the sudden changes. The rats hidden in their burrows rapidly grew in size like expanding balloons, indiscriminately pressing against the surrounding mountain, causing this shaking phenomenon.
However, this wasn't just a phenomenon on one mountaintop.
Across the entire world, the land was trembling, the oceans roaring. All living creatures were undergoing tremendous changes due to the sudden catastrophe.
"It's beginning."
Zhang Wei stood steadily in place, waiting for the mountain's tremors to subside.
Then, the rats, having undergone mechanized transformation, seemed to awaken from slumber, each opening its eyes.
Their mechanized bodies were completely covered by a layer of indestructible steel armor. They looked like countless enlarged robot dogs, full of mechanical aesthetics and cold aura.
But unlike Zhang Wei's mech, whose eyes glowed with a deep blue light, these mechanized rats' eyes were crimson, like burning flames.
This circle of crimson was not just the color of their pupils; it was also the manifestation of their instincts: bloodthirsty and lacking intelligence.
"Things with only bloodthirsty instincts dare to bare their fangs at me?" A trace of disdain flashed in Zhang Wei's eyes, gripping the battle saber that gleamed with chilling cold light.
Facing the closest mechanized rat, Zhang Wei moved like lightning. The blade flashed, and the clang of blade against steel echoed on the silent mountaintop.
As sparks dissipated, the mechanized rat, before it could even appreciate this greatly changed world, silently fell to the ground.
Another mechanized rat, connected to it, seemed to sense its companion's demise. The red light in its eyes flickered, letting out a sharp shriek, and suddenly lunged, pouncing towards Zhang Wei like lightning.
Zhang Wei sneered. The shield arced gracefully through the night sky, carrying an irresistible force, and heavily slammed into the mechanized rat's skull.
Accompanied by a grating sound of steel being crushed, the mechanized rat's head was smashed into its body cavity.
Among the two piles of scrap metal left by the slaughtered mechanized rats, two ordinary Core Crystals appeared.
"Collect."
The Core Crystals entered Zhang Wei's mech's inventory space.
Zhang Wei didn't stop, moving directly to the next location, as many more mechanized rats awaited his slaughter.
One, two, three... The light of the saber in his hand flashed incessantly, and the carcasses of mechanized rats were scattered everywhere.
Bound by chains, the mechanized rats stumbled forward in pairs, one falling, another advancing.
However, they faced merciless slaughter.
Half an hour later, only a few of the densely packed mechanized rats remained.
When Zhang Wei swung his weapon and killed the last mechanized rat, he finally had time to collect the Core Crystals from the mechanized carcasses one by one.
"Open panel."
"Absorb Core Crystals."
The Core Crystals stored in Zhang Wei's mech's inventory space disappeared one after another.
On the panel, his body experience points rapidly increased. After consuming twenty Core Crystals: "Ding, Body Leveled Up, Combat Power +2."
"20 Core Crystals," Zhang Wei secretly nodded. This was roughly what he had calculated.
"Continue!"
This time, when the body level increased from Level 2 to Level 3, it consumed fifty Core Crystals. This consumption was also within Zhang Wei's expectations.
However, when Zhang Wei found that upgrading the body from Level 3 to Level 4 consumed an astonishing 100 Core Crystals, Zhang Wei was surprised.
"This isn't right."
"Could it be that because these mechanized rats just finished transforming, the energy in their Core Crystals is insufficient?"
According to Zhang Wei's calculations, the Core Crystal consumption for level-ups should have increased by twenty or thirty.
But now the increase was fifty.
"This isn't enough."
Zhang Wei was a little troubled.
Originally, Zhang Wei thought that over a thousand Core Crystals would be enough to upgrade his body to Level 10, allowing for the first body evolution, but now it was clearly not enough.
Sure enough, all the Core Crystals were consumed. Zhang Wei's body level stopped at Level 8, with a total combat power increase of 16 points. Each level increased combat power by 2 points, much stronger than light mechs which only increased by 1 point per level.
"Still short about seven hundred."
Just as Zhang Wei was considering where he could quickly get more Core Crystals, the ground rumbled, and countless red eyes surrounded Zhang Wei's position from all directions.
Seeing these red glows, Zhang Wei was stunned.
What is this?
"Those mechanized rats in the mountain body."
"No, these guys, are they already that intelligent just after mechanizing?"
He had been too engrossed in the killing before, causing Zhang Wei to temporarily forget about the mechanized rats hidden within the mountain.
Actually, according to the normal process, these guys should have either joined the rats he caught to attack him, or fled New Wind Mountain out of fear.
But the behavior of these mechanized rats clearly exceeded Zhang Wei's expectations.
They didn't blindly attack him, nor did they flee. Instead, they organized and gathered together, and now they appeared simultaneously.
"Among these guys, did a variant appear?"
When creatures mechanize, it's possible for variants to appear. Variant individuals are more powerful and also possess the ability to command their kin.
"It must be! Come on," Zhang Wei was extremely excited.
Surrounded by countless mechanized rats, Zhang Wei not only didn't retreat but actively charged towards the surging tide of rats.
Zhang Wei's actions completely ignited the rats' fury.
They're surrounded, and they still dare to resist?
The rat horde rioted.
Countless rats charged simultaneously, a magnificent sight.
Facing such a situation, Zhang Wei was unusually calm.
With over a hundred combat power, would he fear these dregs?
The unexpectedly acquired Legendary-grade skill had caused Zhang Wei's combat power to skyrocket. Under such overwhelming combat power, Zhang Wei only hoped that these rats would run a little slower later.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to catch them.
The next moment, the battle saber and shield in Zhang Wei's hands both became weapons. He abandoned defense.
At this moment, Zhang Wei only wanted to unleash his wild and uninhibited side. However, Zhang Wei didn't know that not all mechanized rats were surrounding him; some mechanized rats were doing other things.