Thank you for the ko-fi CoOkieand Kamichamakarin !!
Rewinding to half an hour ago——
A weapons storage exploding was no joke. After the first loud bang, the explosions didn’t stop. At this moment, the northern part of the outer city was bathed in red, lighting up half the sky, and even the previously quiet inner city began to descend into chaos.
“Quick, quick, quick! City defense forces, control the explosions and the fire! Establish a quarantine zone!!!”
“Activate city-wide radar, immediately locate that guy’s coordinates!”
“Completely seal off inner city passages, we’re now in a state of martial law!”
“Is the combat analysis report out? Upload it to the central system immediately!”
“………”
The entire Bright City plunged into chaos, with the third-level alert directly raised to the first level. All armed forces were mobilized, conducting a thorough search for the culprit.
However, after Huo Xianfeng blew up the weapons storage, he disappeared from all surveillance footage in Bright City, vanishing into the night like a ghost, leaving everyone unable to find him.
This made all the detection departments feel like they’d seen a ghost.
“Who the hell is that guy?”
“Was the radar system hacked? Why can’t we find him?”
“We just conducted a check, all surveillance is confirmed to be functioning properly.”
“Damn it! Where is that person——?!”
“…….”
Meanwhile, Huo Xianfeng, wearing a guard’s mechanical exoskeleton, was riding an air bike. He appeared anxious on the surface but was in fact actually leisurely following the large army around, helping them hunt him down.
A mechanical exoskeleton was like a metallic external skeleton about 1.3 times larger than the human body, capable of enhancing human strength, speed, jumping ability, and defense. It was also equipped with a simple radar system, a scanning device, and a medical system.
Compared to giant mechas tens or hundreds of meters tall, mechanical exoskeletons were very convenient and significantly boosted a soldier’s combat capabilities. As for the air bike, similar to a magnetic levitation flying motorcycle, it was small, fast, agile, and flexible, but had slightly lower defense.
In reality——
Bright City’s factories weren’t like White Solitude City’s. You couldn’t just blend in by changing clothes, because each mechanical exoskeleton was DNA-matched to its user. Unauthorized users couldn’t operate it, so no one expected anyone would disguise themselves and sneak in.
Of course, Huo Xianfeng couldn’t use it either. He just violently dismantled the exoskeleton and carried it on his back as a prop. In such extreme chaos, it served well enough as a disguise.
After all, in the dark night, everyone was fully armed and very few recognizable faces were exposed. Soldiers and mechanical guards were swarming everywhere and no one had the time to meticulously check everyone’s identity.
Although disguising oneself and infiltrating the enemy was an old-fashioned trick, it was still extremely effective.
However, the northern outer city didn’t have anything of significant value left. Huo Xianfeng rode his air bike around a couple of times, taking advantage of the chaos to mislead some of the search directions, guiding the majority of the search forces toward the inner city while also roughly mapping out some of the terrain.
As he sped along, the young man glanced southward. Compared to the noise and chaos around him, with continuous explosions, the southern outer city looked quite peaceful.
According to the plan, Jiang Ci should have already reached the energy reactor in the southern city to recharge Bai Ze. That’s right, because the energy reactor was in the southern city, he specifically chose to enter from the north.
This plan seemed risky, but Huo Xianfeng had enough confidence in Jiang Ci’s abilities. Sneaking in to recharge was no big deal for him, not to mention that Nora was also there.
Even if something unexpected happened, the spiritual network among the Zergs would allow Huo Xianfeng to rush over immediately.
So he had no worries at all.
Blowing up the weapons storage was just the first small step of the plan.
Recharging Bai Ze was merely to provide the weakened Jiang Ci a relatively safe haven.
Huo Xianfeng’s real target was the inner city.
“Do not advance!”
“Do not advance——!”
At this moment, the guard units responsible for the search had already approached the edge of the inner and outer city junction. Dense barricades were set up, and numerous thick metal defense walls rose from the ground.
The inner city had already issued a travel ban.
Huo Xianfeng deliberately slowed down, falling to the back of the group.
“Hey, you——”
Someone suddenly seemed to notice something strange about Huo Xianfeng. But before they could finish their sentence, they saw him raise a gun with one hand and pull the trigger.
Click!
A small bullet flew straight at them.
Bang!
The bullet hit the energy tank of the air bike.
The sound of the gunshot and the bullet piercing the tank were not loud, but the explosion of the air bike in the next second was.
Boom——!!!
But that wasn’t the end. Within ten seconds, Huo Xianfeng emptied his clip, each beautiful bullet kissing an energy tank. Most of the air bikes in front hadn’t stopped, with many still speeding forward.
The explosions didn’t affect the inertia of the speeding air bikes; instead, they injected them with enormous energy.
This scene was spectacular——
Dozens of air bikes moving at high speed exploded and those who reacted quickly jumped off immediately. At this time, even escaping had become a luxury, and there was no time to brake, so all the air bikes instantly turned into burning fireballs, crashing through the inner city’s barricades.
Boom boom boom——!!!
Explosions continued to go off one after another, with very short intervals in-between, like a string of firecrackers set off in rapid succession.
It looked like a terrorist attack launched by extremists!!!
And an unprecedented one at that!!!
No one could have expected that while the explosions at the weapons storage were still ongoing, the sealed entrance to the inner city would be struck by another horrific attack.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
For a moment, people were terrified and confused about the situation. The inner city’s defense officials immediately called to demand an explanation, and the moment the call connected, they unleashed a barrage of furious curses——
“Qtja atf tfii lr ublcu bc?!”
“Pr sbeg rfjgmt afjw oliifv klat lvlbar?!”
“You just blew up the blockade Laozi just built!!!”
“……..”
Lbkfnfg, atf uejgvr lc atf beafg mlas mbeiv cba ecvfgrajcv la flatfg, rb atfs mbeiv bcis cbv jcv jqbibulhf, jcv lwwfvljafis rfca wbgf qfbqif bnfg.
“Gjwc la!!! Qts jgf atfgf fzqibrlbcr fnfgsktfgf?! Lbk wjcs lcagevfgr jgf atfgf?!”
“One… one, so far we’ve only found one…”
“……”
The guard grabbed his military cap and smashed it to the ground, practically losing his mind.
“Just one damn intruder!!!”
On the other hand, Huo Xianfeng felt no psychological burden at all. He swiftly took off the mechanical exoskeleton from his body and slipped into the inner city amidst the chaos.
The inner city’s layout was even more complex than the outer city’s, like a giant maze. Huo Xianfeng had no map, and this time he didn’t have Xiao X to provide convenient scanning functions. Fortunately, since this entire city was a military factory, most of the buildings were made of metal.
So, Huo Xianfeng closed his eyes, and by sensing the different metal energy reactions, he could roughly sketch a map in his mind.
“Who goes there——?!”
Huo Xianfeng opened his eyes to find a group of people wearing the Church’s military uniforms.
In the next instant, the young man turned left without hesitation.
This movement was like pulling a trigger, and instantly, both sides began a frantic chase!
Buzzzzzzz——!
The sound of numerous drones filled the air.
“Intruder spotted! Intruder found at the explosion site near the north gate!!!”
“Stop! Someone! Requesting reinforcements to intercept ahead!!!”
“……”
In the dark night, Huo Xianfeng ran like a sprinting cheetah. Even if the people behind him were wearing fast prosthetic limbs, they could only watch as the intruder pulled farther and farther away, with even the drones barely able to keep up.
——So fast!
This is way too fast!!!
If Huo Xianfeng didn’t need to climb walls, take turns, or occasionally climb buildings, his speed would be comparable to that of an air bike at full throttle on a straight road.
The pursuers increasingly felt something was wrong, and even their expressions gradually twisted in fear and astonishment.
Can a human really run this fast?!!
Just then, Huo Xianfeng noticed something out of the corner of his eye: a hidden fire escape.
He picked up a few stones and continued running, knocking out all the nearby surveillance cameras along the way.
Soon, chaotic footsteps followed closely past the door,
“He just ran this way, hurry up!!!”
“Damn it, how can anyone run that fast?!”
“…….”
Huo Xianfeng looped around several times and a few minutes later, he returned to the same spot. He slipped into the fire escape door and locked it from the inside. As he crouched down, he felt an old, rusty metal floor.
Click!
Just by pressing down, the floor gave way.
Lifting the metal surface, a slightly damp breeze blew in, and the air was surprisingly fresh.
Huo Xianfeng detected a familiar, distinctive metallic scent.
To the Zergs, each type of metal had a different smell.
Huo Xianfeng thought for a moment, then pushed it off with one hand and jumped down. He fell about a hundred meters underground before landing on top of an elevator shaft.
——It seemed this was a secret emergency escape route.
Huo Xianfeng crouched down, tore open the top with one hand, then jumped inside and pried open the doors with both hands.
The view ahead was suddenly clear——
At the end of a silent corridor was an arching dark gold metal door.
“Gold plating……”
Huo Xianfeng walked up, pried off a piece, and sniffed it.
It had a fragrant smell.
The kind of fragrance that reminded him of food.
It was somewhat like the smell of wholesale chocolate.
In that instant, his left eye uncontrollably filled with gold and his pupil elongated and narrowed.
In his mind, a disdainful voice seemed to say, this is just so-so.
Get inside!
Get inside!
The real feast is inside!!!
“………”
Even though he knew he was likely no longer fully human, Huo Xianfeng still found it hard to accept that he might live a life of gnawing metal from now on. Since his Zerg transformation on Winter Day Planet, human nutritional fluids felt like heavily diluted glucose to him, offering minimal energy replenishment.
So much so that the first time he overexerted himself, he fainted. When he woke up, he had finished off Jiang Ci’s emergency rations.
“Tsk……”
Huo Xianfeng pried open the door with his bare hands and walked inside amidst the sharp, piercing alarms.
The walls and floor were pure white, and the space was so vast it stretched beyond sight.
There were massive metal racks around and various giant mechas, mostly humanoid and some beast-shaped, were quietly arranged on the racks.
There were also some mechas that used Zerg corpses as their exoskeletons, similar to what Huo Xianfeng had seen on Winter Day Planet. The red alert lights shone on their lacquered surfaces yet did nothing to warm these killing machines, making them appear even more menacing.
There were thousands of such mechas in sight.
Two-thirds of them were S-class mechas.
Huo Xianfeng lightly clicked his tongue. He remembered sneaking into the auction house on Winter Day Planet, intending to steal an S-class mecha. In the end, he didn’t manage to steal one but ended up picking up an omega instead.
Ahem, regardless of the outcome, it at least indicated that S-class mechas were extremely rare military resources in the Empire.
It is said that there was a huge technological gap between the Empire and the Church. Huo Xianfeng first truly understood this when the Church opened the wormhole shuttle channel.
The second time was now.
However, Huo Xianfeng’s goal this time wasn’t to steal a mecha. He was looking for something else. This was related to whether the reinforcements he promised to Jiang Ci could arrive in time.
After all, how can you not keep your promise to an omega?
Huo Xianfeng wove his way through the dense array of giant mechas and quickly found what he was looking for.
——A few black machines with strange shapes.
He opened his space bag, packed them inside, and took them away. However, he suddenly paused, as if sensing something, and coldly turned around.
Swish——
Swish——
The sound of a heavy axe dragging across the metal floor echoed in the room, capable of sending shivers down people’s spine.
Amidst the flickering red warning lights, a giant mechanical warrior over two meters tall approached him. Huo Xianfeng turned to face him, frowning slightly as he scrutinized this newcomer.
His specific height was something between two and a half meters tall, and he was wearing a black mask like an alpha’s muzzle guard on his face that had no pupils and just white eyes.
The figure was massive and he was clad in black mechanical armor reminiscent of medieval knight armor. Every muscle bulged exaggeratedly, and his fists were almost as large as a woman’s head.
Looks like a monster.
“Intruder…….target confirmed…….”
The voice was human, but the tone reminded people of AI.
“Eliminate…….threat…….”
In the next second, the black mechanical warrior charged at Huo Xianfeng. Despite its enormous size and as each step shook the ground, its speed was astonishing, almost instantly closing the distance.
The giant axe was swung horizontally, leaving a fan-shaped afterimage and generating a terrifying airflow that made the surrounding metal racks hum with a chilling resonance.
Bang——!
Huo Xianfeng raised a hand, stopping the axe blade, and his black hair fluttered in the wind.
Then, he frowned furrowed slightly, as if he had discovered something unexpected. He glanced sideways, seeing a bit of blood seeping from his palm and staining the blade’s edge.
Huh? It can cut me?
Huo Xianfeng raised an eyebrow.
——Interesting.
In the next moment, he abruptly pressed down, causing the giant axe to slam into the ground and carving a nearly ten-centimeter-deep crack.
Bang!
The nearly three-ton warrior was kicked in the chest and sent flying, crashing into a metal rack and knocking it over with a loud rumble. Countless mechas toppled and collided, pinning the man underneath.
Huo Xianfeng nonchalantly wiped the blood from his palm. By the time the blood was gone, the wound had already healed.
Tsk, I’m feeling a bit hungry.
He looked around, jumped onto the chest of an S-class mecha, dug out its core, smashed it to the size of a thumb, and tossed it into his mouth.
Just like eating a chocolate ball, he gobbled it up.
“Ding! Level 1 alert!”
A piercing electronic voice instantly echoed throughout the hall——
“The suspected lost SSS-level asset has been detected, please immediately carry out the recovery mission!”
“The suspected lost SSS-level asset has been detected, please immediately carry out the recovery mission!”
The ceiling suddenly opened up numerous circular holes, each about a meter in diameter, and countless light spheres poured out.
The dense red lines instantly focused on Huo Xianfeng.
“……?”
The next second, countless electromagnetic rays carpet-bombed the area from above——
Huo Xianfeng’s eyes narrowed, and the next moment he vanished from where he stood.
The lost SSS-level asset?
Huo Chao?
Or the Zerg King Cub in that incubation chamber?
No, no, Huo Chao is dead; it must be the latter.
Boom——!
Several S-class mechas abruptly stood up, deploying energy shields to block the first wave of attacks. Countless electromagnetic rays struck the energy shields, exploding into a myriad of energy ripples that slid over the curved surfaces, turning the surrounding mechas into charred iron lumps.
Boom——!
The mechas with deployed energy shields suddenly froze and collapsed. It seemed as if strange energy waves had appeared in the air, instantly severing Huo Xianfeng’s connection to the mechas.
“Detected mecha obstruction, activating mental shielding device!”
“Detected mecha obstruction, activating mental shielding device!”
Huo Xianfeng’s eyes darkened. This place wasn’t suitable for a fight; it was too cramped. So he turned away and sprinted back without hesitation, quickly rushing out along the elevator shaft.
The densely packed light balls behind were like an enraged swarm of bees, immediately following behind.
The black mechanical warrior finally crawled out from the pile of mechas, and seemingly under some compulsory command, he immediately followed.
“Retrieval mission……execute retrieval mission……”
Huo Xianfeng needed to find an open area, preferably one with no obstructions above. Eventually, he found a training ground, which was as large, empty, and concave as an ancient Roman Colosseum.
However……when he looked up, the entire sky was already swarming with light spheres and not far away the mechanical warrior was closing in.
“Suspected SSS……”
——Boom!!!
A huge explosion erupted from the southern city. Even at this critical moment, Huo Xianfeng took a few seconds to look back at the explosion’s direction and admire in his heart the heroic figure of Major General Jiang Ci flying from the flames. Then he turned back and continued——
“What were you saying just now?”
However, Huo Xianfeng had no time to listen to what the other party said.
Because the dense red lines had already gathered their focus on him. The next second——
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!!!
Several light spheres converged into a cylinder, then repeatedly slammed down around Huo Xianfeng, forming a strange formation.
——A complete lockdown.
Huo Xianfeng felt he had never seen such a bizarre weapon before, yet there was an inexplicable sense of familiarity. But now was not the time to ponder.
Meanwhile, Cecilia stood on a rooftop a hundred meters away, quietly watching this scene unfold. She looked disheveled, half her body bloodstained, and a large part of her face burned, yet she was slowly recovering at a speed visible to the naked eye.
——But she didn’t seem to mind.
“He does look somewhat like Huo Chao.”
She sighed regretfully,
“Too bad, he’s not. It seems he’s the SSS asset the Church lost back then.”
Cecilia didn’t know the specifics of the SSS-level asset either, as her authority wasn’t high enough. But she didn’t care much and just found it a pity——
“I had hoped to see Pei Changyun piloting a mecha and single-handedly charging into battle at least once in this lifetime. I wonder if the Emperor’s mecha control skills have improved over these years~”
Behind her, a man in a bishop’s white robe bowed flatteringly,
“Lady Cecilia, aren’t we going to pursue Jiang Ci?”
The woman paused for a moment, her tone cold,
“No.”
“……?”
Ace showed a slightly puzzled expression. He had always thought Cecilia wanted to capture Jiang Ci to quell the resentment of the Saintess abandoning her and her hatred for Jiang Jinsheng, but now it seemed otherwise.He looked at the silver mecha in the distance and suddenly made a clicking sound——
“An omega can still be so energetic during his heat, it would be better if……”
Cecilia suddenly shot him a cold glare.
Ace immediately fell silent, sweating profusely.
After a long while, the woman slowly spoke,
“Our primary task is to protect the Forbidden Abyss’ Core, and secondly, to retrieve the two lost rare assets. As for Jiang Ci, leave him alone for now. The Security Department will catch him.”
Cecilia turned around, her gaze falling on the towering structure in the center of Bright City that almost reached the clouds.
With an ambiguous tone, she said, “The Forbidden Abyss’ Core is being repaired on the top floor of the Central Temple. With that person there, it’s nearly restored. Moreover, an invisible electromagnetic barrier has been activated around it. If anyone wants to break in, they’d likely have to tunnel up from underground.”
Ace looked confused. “……Lady Cecilia?”
“Ah… It’s nothing.”
Cecilia nonchalantly turned away as if nothing had happened, crushing the eavesdropping device that was stuck to her sleeve.
Sizzle——
“Hiss…….”
Jiang Ci suddenly covered his ears and the sharp pain took a while to subside.
“Central Temple……”
“Top floor……”
Thank you for the chapter 😍 ❤️ ❤️
Cecilia 😍
Which Ace was it again? 😅 I don’t even remember anymorr that there was a canon fodder named Ace…
Huh… Cecilia giving info to Jiang Ci? Or perhaps it’s a trap in the end? 🤔
Thanks for the chapter
Go Jiang Ci! Go steal that orb!
Thank you for the chapter!
Thank you for the chapter! Hummm she decided to help Jiang Ci for some reason…guess we will figure her intentions out in later chapters 🤔
honestly confused asf as to who is who lol