Chapter 229 A Rough Stitching Together of Mechanics and Cultivation
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Ten raging pillars of fire, compressed from pure spiritual energy, intertwined in the plaza of Ruins 043, forming a deadly fire net with no blind spots.
It was an extremely brutal barrage of firepower, devoid of any aesthetic appeal, yet pushing the limits of modern military "saturation strikes."
The mutated Ironmane Wolves, which could withstand even large-caliber armor-piercing shells from the old era, were utterly vulnerable to these psionic cannons enhanced by the array's power. If they were even slightly grazed by the beams of light, their fur, harder than steel wire, would instantly burst into flames, and the temperatures of thousands of degrees Celsius would completely carbonize their flesh and bones within fractions of a second.
"Awooo—"
The mournful howls of wolves rose and fell, and in less than half a minute, the forty or fifty Ironmane wolves at the forefront had been reduced to charred remains and pieces, and the air was filled with the nauseating smell of burnt meat.
The remaining wolves finally felt fear. They were predators who preyed on the weak and feared the strong. Seeing how ferocious these ten steel lumps were, they tucked their tails between their legs and whimpered as they retreated into the depths of the ruins.
"Trying to run? A bunch of cowardly bullies!"
From the lead exoskeleton armor, came the extremely cold voice of Zhang Rui, the captain of the first-generation combat testing team.
Zhang Rui is an ordinary man, but also a battle-hardened veteran handpicked by the Chinese military. In the three years following the cataclysm, he witnessed countless comrades without spiritual roots being torn apart by demonic beasts. Today, this "God-Making Task Force," composed entirely of ordinary mortal soldiers, has finally acquired extraordinary weaponry belonging to mortals themselves!
"Attention all units! Maintain standard power output and pursue the remaining enemy! Not a single breathing monster will be left alive in these ruins of Unit 043 today!"
"Yes, Captain!"
The nine mortal soldiers roared in unison, their voices filled with the pent-up pleasure of revenge that they had suppressed for three years.
"Activate the [Swift Movement Array]! Chase!"
"Buzz—!"
The hydraulic devices on the legs of the ten runic exoskeletons emitted a muffled hiss, and the array patterns embedded in the calf armor burst forth with a dazzling blue light.
"Bang!"
The solid concrete plaza was stomped on by their feet, creating ten enormous spiderweb-like cracks. Powered by the pseudo-spiritual roots and the external array, these ten steel behemoths unleashed an incredibly terrifying agility, like ten black cannonballs, chasing after the fleeing wolf pack!
……
Meanwhile, Wang Mingyuan, the chief expert of the Alliance Academy of Sciences, and the major general adjutant were sitting in front of the holographic monitoring console, staring intently at the combat data constantly being transmitted back on the screen.
"Unbelievable... Absolutely unbelievable!"
The major general's adjutant, watching the ten exoskeleton warriors on the screen reaping the lives of low-level demonic beasts like grim reapers in the ruins, trembled with excitement. "Professor Wang, is this the 'standard power' you were talking about?"
"Yes, General."
Wang Mingyuan pushed up his glasses, looked at the rows of steadily moving green data on the screen, and a proud smile appeared on his lips.
"At 80% of the standard power output, the pseudo-spiritual root engine and the exoskeleton's [biological buffer] achieve a perfect balance. The raging spiritual energy is firmly locked within the external demonic beast meridian circuits, and will not backfire on the pilot's physical meridians."
"Look at their physiological monitoring charts," Wang Mingyuan pointed to the screen. "Their heart rate is normal, their body temperature is normal, and there are no signs of any capillary rupture. Under standard conditions, aside from feeling physically exhausted, like after a high-intensity cross-country run, their bodies will not suffer any irreversible damage!"
"Great! Excellent!" The major general's adjutant slapped his thigh. "Low cost, and can hunt first-tier demonic beasts without taking damage! Once this force is fully formed, we can completely wipe out the low-tier demonic beasts on Earth's surface!"
But Wang Mingyuan's eyes retained the absolute rationality of a scientist. He shook his head, his voice becoming serious:
"General, don't be too happy yet. While standard power is safe, its upper limit is only enough to crush a first-tier demonic beast."
"What if they encounter second- or even third-tier demonic beasts?" Wang Mingyuan pulled up a data model with a red warning. "If they want to cross the gap in cultivation levels and obtain destructive power comparable to the Great Perfection of Qi Refining or even the Foundation Establishment stage, they must unlock the safety lock and put their pseudo-spiritual root into overclocking mode!"
"Once overclocked, the exoskeleton's cushioning system will fail. The violent spiritual pressure will directly overwhelm the fragile body of a mortal."
Wang Mingyuan's tone carried a cruel chill: "Back then, every spell cast and every movement burned away the driver's life essence. Coupled with the pressure of bearing the pseudo-spiritual root, their lifespan would be evaporated at a visible rate, and their meridians would be torn apart in extreme pain."
The major general's adjutant's smile slowly faded. He looked down at the ruins shrouded in mist, remained silent for a moment, and then his eyes turned as cold as an iceberg.
"War is never without bloodshed. Human life is as worthless as grass. If they can unleash a burst of light to kill a high-level demon beast before they die, that is their greatest glory."
The major general's adjutant pressed the communication button, directly issuing the highest-level order, bypassing his superiors:
"Test team, take note. Test data for the Tier 1 demonic beasts has been collected. Now, all proceed to the large spiritual energy gathering point in the center of the ruins!"
"According to satellite scans, a second-tier mutated monster is lurking there."
"Go test your limits. Authorization to unlock the security lock has been delegated. Encountering a dire situation... Overclocking is permitted!"
……
Beneath the ruins.
"Order received."
Zhang Rui stopped his pursuit. He glanced at the red overclocking option that had just been unlocked on the retina screen, his eyes showing no emotion.
As soldiers, obeying orders is their duty; as ordinary people, they have long been prepared to burn everything for power.
"Team One, halt pursuit. Advance towards the center of the ruins and prepare to engage the Tier 2 target!"
Ten rune exoskeletons quickly assembled, like ten fearless steel war gods, and headed towards the spiritual energy gathering point deep within the ruins, which exuded a terrifying pressure.
The further you go in, the more horrifying the surrounding scenery becomes.
The collapsed skyscraper was covered in thick, python-like mutated vines, and the air was filled with a hallucinogenic pink miasma. If it weren't for the exoskeleton armor's internal life support system and array filtering, a single breath would have killed an ordinary person instantly.
"roar!!!"
Suddenly, an extremely violent and shrill roar came from the entrance of an underground shopping mall ahead.
The sound carried a mental shock that could pierce eardrums, causing Zhang Rui and the others to experience a brief period of dizziness.
"Warning! High concentration of wind-type spiritual energy fluctuations detected! Target level: early stage of Tier 2!" The tactical system inside the armor went into overdrive with alarms.
Immediately afterwards, a hurricane rose from the ground, sweeping up countless pieces of rock.
A terrifying giant lizard, over eight meters long, covered in fine blue scales, and with a pair of membranous wings on its back, suddenly burst out of the underground shopping mall like a bolt of blue lightning!
"A second-tier mutated wind-walking lizard!" Zhang Rui's pupils suddenly contracted.
This thing not only has amazing defensive capabilities, but its speed is also ridiculously fast, and it can also spew out extremely powerful wind blades!
"Spread out! Form tactical formation! Standard power, focus fire on its eyes!"
The ten exoskeletons quickly dispersed.
"Whoosh whoosh!"
However, before they could even fire and lock on, the Windwalker Lizard had already launched its attack. Its speed was simply too fast, completely exceeding the lock-on limits of the exoskeleton at standard power!
With a sudden flick of its massive tail, three cyan wind blades, each several meters long, slashed towards the three exoskeletons with a piercing whistling sound, like extremely sharp, invisible chainsaws!
"Activate the defensive array!"
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The wind blade slammed into the armor's pale blue light screen, unleashing extremely dazzling sparks and terrifying energy ripples.
"Click..."
The defensive array, operating at standard power, appeared to be on the verge of collapse under the attack of the second-tier demonic beast. The enormous impact sent the three exoskeletons sliding backward for more than ten meters, carving deep trenches in the ground.
"Normal attacks are ineffective! Its scales can deflect psionic cannons!" a team member shouted.
"hiss--"
A cruel glint flashed in the Windwalker Lizard's vertical pupils. Its massive body suddenly and strangely turned back in mid-air, appearing in front of the exoskeleton codenamed "Old Six" as if by teleportation!
Its gaping maw opened wide, revealing a mouthful of fangs as sharp as daggers, and it viciously bit down on the cockpit of the steel behemoth!
The bite force of a second-tier demon beast is extremely terrifying. Even black steel armor cannot withstand such direct physical tearing for long!
"Sixth Brother! Take cover!" Zhang Rui roared.
But the Windwalker was too fast. Lao Liu didn't have time to react at all. His left shoulder and half of his body were bitten by the giant lizard, making a tooth-grinding metallic twisting sound!
It looked like the exoskeleton was about to be bitten to pieces by the Windwalker Lizard.
At this critical moment!
The driver, nicknamed "Old Six," suddenly displayed an unprecedented frenzy in his eyes.
Instead of retreating, he advanced and actually released the control panel, but he did not pull the ejection seat.
"Fuck you, you beast! I'll risk my life today to clear a path for everyone!"
The sixth brother let out a maniacal laugh like a vengeful ghost, and his finger pressed the red skull button above the lever, which represented the "final means," with extreme decisiveness!
"Command confirmed: Pseudo-spiritual root reverse overload detonation program... Initiated!"
That was a self-destruct array set up by the Academy of Sciences to prevent the exoskeleton from falling into enemy hands, or to be used for mutual destruction in desperate situations!
"Buzz—!!!!"
In an instant, all the runes on the entire machine lit up in reverse, and the violent spiritual power went out of control inside the armor.
The wind-walking lizard sensed the danger and tried to shake it off, but it was too late.
"boom--!!!"
With a loud bang, the exoskeleton exploded at close range inside its mouth!
A burst of blazing white flames mixed with turbulent spiritual energy exploded, tearing apart the scales on the Windwalker Lizard's head, neck, and chest, sending it flying backward with a miserable howl.
"Sixth Brother!!!"
Zhang Rui's eyes instantly turned red.
But he didn't pause at all.
Because the chance that Lao Liu risked his life for was only for this one moment!
"Unlock all safety locks! Overclock! Let's smash it to pieces!"
"yes!!!"
The remaining nine exoskeletons pressed the overclocking permission almost simultaneously.
"Buzz—!"
In an instant, the array patterns on the surface of the nine machines turned from dark blue to scarlet, and the previously stable psionic circuits instantly went into a berserk state. Inside the cockpit, the nine soldiers groaned in unison, large areas of their capillaries ruptured, and blood gushed from their mouths and noses.
They knew very well that from this moment on, it wasn't just spiritual energy that was burning.
And their own lives.
But no one backed down.
Nine exoskeletons simultaneously raised their arms, locking onto the colossal creature struggling to its feet amidst the ruins.
At this moment, the Windwalker Lizard had been severely injured by the attack from the sixth brother. Its protective aura was disordered, and large areas of its chest and neck were charred and damaged. Even its ghostly movements were noticeably slowed down for a moment.
For a soldier, that moment is deadly enough.
"Fire!!!"
Nine blood-red beams of psionic energy burst forth!
There were no fancy moves, no unexpected techniques, and none of the so-called elegance and mystery of cultivators.
All that exists is the purest, coldest, and most efficient firepower coverage.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!!!"
The violent spiritual energy raged wildly within the Windwalker Lizard's body, and its already severely injured demonic form could no longer withstand the layered, devastating blows.
The next moment, its massive body suddenly stiffened.
Then, it exploded from the chest cavity to the neck bone!
Blue demon blood mixed with shattered scales and charred flesh splattered all around like a torrential rain. The hideous head tumbled several times in mid-air before crashing heavily into the center of the ruins, falling silent once more.
The entire battlefield fell into a deathly silence in an instant.
Only nine overclocked exoskeletons were still emitting a heavy hum, like the panting of wild beasts.
Standing at the very front, Zhang Rui stared at the machine that had been completely reduced to charred wreckage, feeling as if something was blocking his chest.
The sixth brother is dead.
But he really did blast a path for everyone.
There was no intricate array formation, nor the graceful, agile movements of a cultivator.
Yes, it is the crudest stitching of machinery and cultivation, the most primitive and tragic violent aesthetic that bursts forth when mortals stuff flesh, lifespan and steel into war machines.