Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

However, the tremors from beneath their feet also began to spread from the distance, becoming more frequent.

"Swoosh!"

The endless gale swept up the hair of those who had closed their eyes to await death, and in the next moment, a series of explosions erupted right in front of everyone.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The flames lit up half the sky like the most scorching sun in summer, glaring so intensely that it was hard for anyone to look directly at it.

Once the light had faded slightly, all those who had their eyes dazzled by the incandescent glow could finally make out the towering blue and white figure stretching up towards the sky.

"Holy...shit!"

"Mecha... mecha mecha mecha!"

A string of players had their eyes glued to the sight, their speech no longer coherent.

What did they see?

Mecha!

"Mecha!"

"Is that a mecha?!"

"There really are mechas in this world!"

Mechas are illogical, they don't make sense in terms of cost-performance in the real world.

But this humanoid mechanical weapon is just cool! So cool it causes tingles on the scalp, so cool that every cell in the body trembles with excitement.

"Step back and protect yourselves," Bai E's voice echoed through the power of Spiritual Energy under this night sky, "Your mission is already complete."

The familiar voice caught the remaining native warriors off guard for a moment.

"Sir!"

"It's the Sir who has come!"

Everyone had hoped the Sir would not abandon them, and everyone had imagined the Sir would surely arrive when they were in despair.

But nobody had expected the Sir to make such an overwhelmingly strong and grand entrance.

Compared to the cold, black-gray war machines of the Smart Machinery, the humanoid machine driven by the Sir was obviously more stylish.

["Lucky Strike" energy charge +50.]

The war machines of the Smart Machinery were not troubled by this sudden external factor.

A string of data streams, recognizable only by the insides of the Smart Machinery, transmitted through mechanical force—this was the biggest communication means between two different Smart Machinery clans.

Under the surveillance of Heavenly Eye's Spiritual Energy, it was of course "seen" by Bai E as the data tentacles extended towards him.

However, at this moment, Bai E had no intention of beating around the bush with the opponent.

Collapsed buildings, corpses everywhere, flames spread all around...

Operating a mecha to come here, he was bound to face a series of questioning from the military upon his return.

Flee?

There was no escape.

To say he could escape with a Titan mecha, would the military of Blackwater City still have a foothold in the future?

No matter where he fled, to the ends of the earth or if he sought refuge in any city with equivalent power, he could not escape the pursuit of Blackwater City.

On the contrary, by returning proactively, there was still a glimmer of hope for the situation.

The counterattack against the Smart Machinery here must be decisive and swift!

If there was going to be a fight, then let it be a satisfying one!

Bai E picked up the alloy blade and with a turn, he struck at the dark war machine of the Smart Machinery.

The blade hummed softly, trembling at a hyper-frequency that was imperceptible to mortals.

Ever since he had established a connection with the mecha, Bai E had been able to use all of his abilities in the form of the mecha. Although the consumption of Spiritual Energy was nearly ten times higher than usual, even the same moves, when executed in mecha form, were much more powerful than in human form.

The quality of the alloy blade was certainly considerable. However, for a mecha over ten meters tall, the blade was simply considered a light weapon.

At this moment, the skill unlocked after specializing in light weapons level four—Magic Blade—augments the weapon, and the same high-frequency cutting on a battle saber enlarged countless times displays even more terrifying power.

"Zing!"

It cuts through iron like mud.

No matter how massive the vanguard war fortress of the smart machines, it's still not on par with the materials and technology used by the first generation of smart machines, and it had virtually no chance to resist the strike delivered by Bai E in his mecha form.

The entire upper third of the war fortress was instantaneously blasted away, and the terrifying existence that filled the town with despair was no match for Bai E piloting the mecha.

Soaring Dragon!

The blue and white mecha, like a streak of white lightning, weaves through the army sent by the smart machines to eradicate them.

Spiritual Energy transformed into mechanical force covers the blade, constantly fortifying the mecha with the power of Spiritual Energy phase one—Spiritual Heart Passage.

Rose's progress is indeed astonishingly rapid, but when working together with Bai E, it always seemed like he was fighting with one arm tied behind his back.

Born with the body of a machine, a mechanical mind, mechanical rhythm, and all the other abilities to enhance him, he had long possessed the true capacity to pilot a mecha alone, and he could bring out even stronger abilities than collaborating with another person whose level didn't match his own.

Handling both the big moves and the subtle nuances, no partnership between two mech pilots could match the understanding one has with oneself.

On this night, devoid of any personnel from Blackwater City mech related staff, the military's highly anticipated mecha exhibited for the first time the full potential these weapons of war were designed to deliver.

The leading massive smart machine fortress was of course not the sole strength of the smart machine army.

To be termed an army, their forces stretched for miles on this operation, with the massive fortress merely the vanguard clearing the way.

However, Bai E's mecha left only remnants of white in its wake, like the most terrifying god of death in this world. Given time to recover and now fully operational once again, the Spiritual Energy drained was almost instantly replenished by the "virtual world" through "rapid recovery," and where the alloy saber passed, only sparks and lightning flew.

The blaze from the exploded smart machines guided the grim reaper's path of action, yet they always fell behind.

The flames, lighting up the night sky.

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"What's happening over there?"

Fire often represents civilization, or rather, technology.

Being so far away, neither the insects nor the beastmen could cause such a commotion.

"There are no cities over there, could it be the smart machines?"

The instructors, who set out in pursuit of Bai the moment they received news of his "desertion" in a military mecha, and the esteemed member of the Mechanical Court beside them communicated succinctly with each other.

"That direction is indeed the one reported by those who saw Captain Bai flee."

"But that's not enough to serve as evidence."

Why would someone intent on desertion reveal their true destination?

In this era, the human surveillance of the wilderness is limited; anyone with a bit of intelligence knows to mislead pursuers with a false direction before truly escaping towards their intended destination after a certain distance from the city.

"Does Captain Bai have any reason to desert?"

The rationale is crucial, as it will determine the direction of their pursuit.

Given that there was a time lag between Captain Bai's desertion and their being informed, and considering the unbelievably fast speed at which Captain Bai fled in the mecha, they lost accurate directional guidance shortly after leaving the city.

Without identifying the real reason behind Captain Bai's desertion, chasing further into the vast night and the wilderness beyond human control would be like blindly flying headlong.

"No..." the instructor squinted, unable to find a single reason.

Captain Bai had considerable autonomy within the military zone. As a rare talent valued nearly simultaneously by the military's three major factions and the Marshal, apart from some occasional mandatory military operations, he was almost entirely free from control.

Not to mention the usual training, even wearing a badge that allowed him to exit the camp at any time, if he was absent from the base for a day and a night, probably no one would notice or care, a privilege not even some junior officers could enjoy.

As for possible personal attacks or grievances...

Rose, who fought her way across the entire camp, made sure anyone who dared speak ill of Captain Bai paid a full toll in the military hospital within the camp.

Even the Gene Optimization Solution, the thing everyone in this era hankered after, Captain Bai had secured for himself through his illustrious military achievements.

Several officers who received the news spent half a day in a meeting analyzing, yet they couldn't fathom what could possibly drive such an exceptional talent to "desert" the camp.

"So... it might not be desertion," surmised the member of the Mechanical Court coldly.

He greatly admired Captain Bai, a unique mech pilot, and did not want—or rather, was reluctant—to see Blackwater City lose such an outstanding pilot.

"Perhaps... he has something he must do."

The fire in the sky shines through the transparent glass portholes, reflecting in the pupils of the two men...