More than twenty mechs, their tail flames a riot of colors, shot up from outside the town, in hot pursuit.
It seemed they were here for Gu Ya’s bounty.
Gu Ya let out a cold laugh and turned his mech to face them head-on.
Beneath the pale, cold disc of the moon,
You Yin, transformed into a god of slaughter, its blue wave-patterned beam sword mercilessly slicing through the attackers' armor.
A flash of electric wind, and a burst of orange-red flames erupted.
Mech wreckage, larger than houses, burning and trailing black smoke, crashed into the town like a meteor shower, turning the once peaceful settlement into an inferno.
Gu Ya watched coldly, snorted, and turned his mech towards the dusky blue sky.
"Jiluo Ji organization, welcome death."
...
In less than two hours, Gu Ya had flown over the Jiluo Ji organization’s camp southwest of Yadaya.
Dozens of mechs flew up to meet him.
It appeared the old man had already relayed the intelligence about Gu Ya’s impending revenge.
They were well-prepared.
Each mech was fitted with heavy defensive metal armor.
Mechs specialized in close-range defense formed the perimeter of their formation, with close-range combat mechs flanking them.
Further in, mechs equipped with massive cannons, designed for ranged attacks, were scattered.
Their formation was incredibly tight, seemingly a tailored strategy developed after understanding Gu Ya’s mech-killing techniques.
"I heard your bounty has been raised to 300,000, hahahaha! Truly a walking money bag, hahahaha!" a man's playful voice came from one of the mechs.
Gu Ya had no time for their banter.
If you want to fight, then shut your trap!
[Overclock Drive] [Flash Burst]
In an instant, Gu Ya’s mech had smashed through the enemy formation and plunged directly into its center.
"Holy crap! How did he do that!"
"Impossible, I saw him hundreds of meters away just now!"
Gu Ya’s face contorted with cold killing intent as he manipulated the holographic panel, his hands gripping the control stick.
"Taste this, you scum."
[Death Blade Lightning Spiral]!!!
You Yin spun with unbelievable speed and force, gradually forming a powerful vortex.
Dozens of thick, bright blue lightning bolts enveloped the vortex.
Simultaneously, two beam swords, their edges facing outwards, blazed.
The blue blades, the lightning, the vortex – it was like a mech-reaping machine!
"Retreat! Retreat! Scatter!!!"
The enemies roared, but before they could implement any counter-measures, they were caught by the vortex's immense suction power.
The mechs at the innermost part of the formation were directly pulled into the vortex, transforming into massive fireballs. Countless fragments and wreckage shot out like missiles towards the other enemy mechs.
Mechs slightly further out, even with their thrusters at full power, couldn't escape. They were hit by the flying debris.
Some lost balance, their propellant flames sputtering wildly, and were immediately drawn into the vortex.
Others were directly destroyed by the debris, only to be drawn into the vortex as well.
Gu Ya's gaze was intensely cold, his hands remarkably steady.
The holographic panel flashed rapidly with the explosions and wreckage of enemy mechs.
Mechs at the outermost edge, at full throttle, barely managed to escape the onslaught of the vortex and debris.
They sped to a safe distance, turned their mechs around, and faced You Yin.
"Concentrate fire!!! Fire!!!"
Several white energy cannons roared, firing towards the blue vortex.
A millisecond later, as the white energy cannons were about to hit You Yin,
The vortex vanished into thin air.
The energy cannon shots missed, crossing each other as they soared into the sky.
"What!?" The enemies were shocked.
Just moments before,
As You Yin spun wildly, Gu Ya had found the perfect angle, using [Overclock Drive] and [Flash Burst] to instantly dart dozens of meters away.
However, the rotation speed had surpassed the speed of sound. The sudden [Flash Burst] had severely damaged various parts of the mech. Even the world's most advanced materials and components couldn't withstand such abuse.
"Warning: Mech armor integrity reduced by 8%, joint function reduced by 3%, mech operational efficiency decreased by 8%," the system announced.
Gu Ya’s face remained cold. He couldn't stop. He had to kill all the guards here and find those three beasts.
The remaining mechs now spotted You Yin and hurriedly turned, preparing for a second wave of attack.
Gu Ya calmly and rapidly tapped the holographic control panel, while his fingers lightly maneuvered the mech.
Just then, a mech with dark green coating, trailing green tail flames, flew from the sky.
A man's steady voice came through, "Stand aside, you are not his match."
The enemy mechs all looked up.
"Whoa, could this be—!"
"It's really him! How did he show up here? Is he here to kill the Deep Blue Mech or us? If he's here for the Deep Blue Mech, then we're saved, hahahaha!"
"That Deep Blue Mech's bounty has reached 300,000 now! He's definitely here for him!"
"Deep Blue Mech is finished!!"
Gu Ya's system chimed:
[Ding, Main Mission Activated: Deal with the Green Mech]
[Mission Reward: 70,000 System Credits]
[48% Discount on Advanced System Store Items]
[Rare Item Acquisition Rate in System Store Increased to 39%]
[Items below 700 System Credits are Free]
"A 70,000 system credit reward," Gu Ya murmured, raising his head to look at the sky.
Against the dark blue curtain of the camp’s lights,
The green mech reflected the flames, emitting an unbelievable golden-green glow.
Its appearance was also peculiar.
With bulbous chest, shoulder, and leg armor, the entire mech was round.
It held two slender rods in its hands, their special nature not yet discernible.
"What’s so special about this mech that it’s worth 70,000?" Gu Ya was somewhat confused.
The dark green mech slowly flew a few hundred meters in front of You Yin. Its pilot activated the public address system and said, "I am Shoko Shudi, the 19th ranked mech pilot in the Yadaya region. This is my warhorse, the 'Green Hawk.' May I ask your esteemed name."
Gu Ya’s lips curled into a cold smile. "Finally, someone with a bit of a name. I thought Yadaya was full of mediocrity."
"Since we're fighting, it's life or death. What's the point of introductions when you're about to die?"
"Do you just feel like mocking me occasionally?"
The other party seemed not to understand Gu Ya's meaning. "Please do not belittle yourself, sir. Your strength is immense; you are easily within Yadaya's top 30."
Gu Ya said exasperatedly, "I mean, you, are, going, to, die."
"Since you have no intention of introducing yourself, I shall eliminate you as one would a common beast!"
As soon as Shoko finished speaking, the green mech activated its propellant.
To Gu Ya's confusion, it didn't charge forward aggressively but instead floated forward slowly.
"Seeking death..." Gu Ya's heart grew agitated. Was this guy looking down on him?
You Yin swiftly launched an attack [Flash Burst]. A gust of wind flashed, and it instantly appeared behind the Green Hawk.
"This feel..." Gu Ya was puzzled. Something was wrong!
The Green Hawk slowly turned and floated towards Gu Ya.
The string of caution in Gu Ya's mind immediately surfaced.
This guy's armor is definitely suspicious.
Normally, when a mech is hit by [Flash Burst], the control stick would have some recoil, requiring a strong push to maintain position.
But his beam sword had indeed pierced its armor just now, yet there was no reverse force on the control stick.
This meant the blade had sunk into its armor but caused no substantial damage.
"This person's personality is very slow," Gu Ya murmured. Based on the charge just now, Gu Ya had used his instant appraisal skill to judge the man's personality.
Shoko calmly asked, "I must say, sir, your speed is astonishing."
"But there is a proverb in Yadaya: The Tortoise and the Hare."
"My armor material is extremely special. I have immense confidence in my armor."
"When your beam sword strikes me, the intense heat will instantly melt a layer of the outer film, dissipating some of the beam sword's heat. By the time the beam sword contacts the inner armor, it will cause no substantial damage."
"And once it cools, the armor's outer film will automatically repair itself."
"So..."
Gu Ya's eyelids twitched. He was suddenly filled with immense annoyance.
If you want to fight, then fight. Why all this rambling and babbling?
"Green Tortoise, stop your monologuing. I'll send you to hell shortly."
"A one-hit kill! All my skills have just cooled down."
Gu Ya closed his eyes and silently commanded, "All skills activated!"
He immediately opened his eyes.
The expected dark blue starry sky was replaced by a blinding white light, a flawless expanse of white before him.
Far in his front, there was a small, glowing red dot.
The red dot indicated Gu Ya's target.
Gu Ya's jaw clenched, his eyes turned cold, and he rapidly pushed the controls.
While [Flash Burst] and [Blue Electric Wind] were fast, both skills generated fierce rear exhaust.
[All Skills Activated] was different – truly invisible, a flash of death.
The afterimage of You Yin's original position had not yet faded when its physical form appeared behind the Green Hawk.
"Whoa!" Shoko exclaimed.
"This... This... Such speed!"
"But, I am unharmed, heh heh heh, sir..."
Before he could finish speaking,
The dark green mech suddenly let out a crisp, short "Boom!!!" sound!
Its outer shell, like suddenly shattered tempered glass,
Countless lightning-shaped fine cracks appeared on its armor.
Then, with a "clatter," the green armor fragmented into countless tiny pieces. Illuminated by the firelight, they rained down like tiny diamonds, forming a dazzling diamond shower.
It was extremely beautiful.
Gu Ya shook his head slightly, admiringly saying, "Green Tortoise, your shell is gone."
Shoko froze. His most prized armor had been instantly shattered!
"Ranked 19th in the Yadaya region, was it? No more than that."
[Blue Electric Wind] flashed.
The Green Hawk was sliced in two,
Its waist was even completely melted away by the beam sword, leaving only the upper torso and the lower limbs.
With a "boom—!", the Green Hawk exploded in mid-air, dead.
[Ding, System Mission Complete, Reward Received]
Gu Ya took a deep breath and looked at the camp on the ground.
"It's been a while since I arrived in Yadaya, and finally, there's some progress."
"Ye Ying, I will avenge your first grievance."
With that, You Yin descended towards the camp.