Chapter 167: Chapter 167: Turning the Tide (Please Subscribe for Full Access)
In Ganmu’s garden, Zuo Mingliang’s Mecha had been completely destroyed, and the Fourth Tier expert Zhou Qingyu had fled; the entire team had fallen into despair.
But the newcomer Liu Yu hadn’t lost hope. The only operational Mecha was in her hands, and she knew that only she could save everyone now.
Whether it was for the remaining members of Grand Martial Armament or for herself, she had to pull herself together.
Stay calm, Liu Yu. You need to stay calm. Think about what the Boss usually does.
Liu Yu quickly cleared her thoughts. She pushed the Mecha’s power to maximum and blasted in reverse toward Ganmu.
Ganmu clashed with Liu Yu’s headless Mecha a few times. The collision of machinery and flesh was thunderous, scattering a large amount of gore on the ground. Liu Yu’s Mecha also lost an arm.
Liu Yu had bet correctly: the greatest difference between humans and Exotic Species lay in will and intelligence.
After losing its human form, Ganmu’s brain seemed to have lost its previous sharpness as well.
Already severely injured, it began to hesitate in its attacks on Liu Yu.
As an Exotic Species, it thought that releasing deadly poison had been sufficient to kill these humans. Now that it was seriously injured, there was no need to press further; it could just slowly poison them to death.
Liu Yu opened her Mecha’s missile bay, releasing twelve payload missiles at once.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The Exotically-transformed Ganmu was too massive; it had no idea how to avoid human weapons and no longer possessed the combat will it had shown as a human.
Pain forced it to gradually retreat, significantly easing the pressure on Grand Martial Armament.
It also gave Liu Yu an opportunity to turn the tables!
"Everyone, heed my command! Spread out to the left and right!"
The strength and will Liu Yu displayed at that moment gave everyone a sense of hope.
At this time, Liu Yu perfectly stepped into Zuo Mingliang’s role, doing what a mercenary captain should do.
Once more operating at full power, she charged at high speed and slammed directly into the rocks blocking the path.
BOOM!
The rocks collapsed under the Mecha’s impact, and the poisonous gas began to spread outward.
In an instant, everyone saw a glimmer of hope, but immediately after, they were filled with despair and helplessness.
Five or six Human-Faced Spiders lunged at them, the leader clenching Zhou Qingyu’s corpse in its mouth!
"Zhou Qingyu is dead? What about Lin Zhiming?"
No one responded to Li Tanya’s words, but everyone shared the same thought.
If Zhou Qingyu had been eaten by an Exotic Species, how could Lin Zhiming still be alive? It was impossible.
Perhaps Lin Zhiming’s body was already beginning to transform into Exotic Species excrement.
The five or six Human-Faced Spider gluttons facing them had been summoned by Ganmu. Though the Exotically-transformed Ganmu had lost the wisdom and will of its human form, its innate Exotic Species instincts had returned. A Lord was a Lord, after all; summoning its minions was what a Lord-tier Exotic Species was meant to do.
If it had been before, these five or six Human-Faced Spiders would not have posed a significant threat to the team.
But now, Zhou Qingyu and Zuo Mingliang were dead, and another Third Tier had perished.
They had also been struggling in the poisonous gas for a long time. Their true combat strength was less than a third of what it had been, and dealing with five or six Human-Faced Spiders was not going to be easy.
SPURT! SPURT! SPURT!
The acidic spit of the Human-Faced Spiders shot out once again; this time, there was no one to block it for them.
Those who could dodge did so; those who couldn’t were dissolved by the acid.
"Don’t panic! Charge with me!"
The one-armed Liu Yu drew her Mecha’s last weapon, a large Alloy Sword, and with the energy engine at full blast, she rushed straight toward the group of Human-Faced Spiders.
She dodged several spit attacks and, with one sword stroke, cleaved a Human-Faced Spider in two, letting out a roar.
"Kill them all!"
Some people are born heroes.
Third Tier Liu Yu was like a War God. When Grand Martial Armament faced its most perilous moment, she unleashed astonishing leadership.
She turned the tide, leading the remaining comrades in a bloody escape.
Liu Yu grabbed a rock and threw it at Ganmu, then reached out to pull Li Tanya.
"Don’t worry, Doctor Li! I’m still here!"
Li Tanya looked at Liu Yu before her, also somewhat shocked.
The Liu Yu from before had still seemed like a novice—talkative, proud, always a little immature.
But no one had thought that she would be the one to save everyone.
"Thank you, Captain Liu Yu!"
"We can talk about the captaincy once we get back!"
Although Liu Yu’s face was dirty, it brimmed with confidence.
She had won the praise of Dr. Li Tanya, a senior biologist and leading technology specialist at the company.
No one would doubt that if Liu Yu really led them out of this encirclement and back to Grand Martial Armament, she would immediately become the new team leader.
And many here would be placed under Liu Yu’s command, a truly meteoric rise.
But all these aspirations would only become reality if they could safely return behind the walls!
"Go, everyone, go! Take turns covering our retreat!"
The Grand Martial Armament members retreated while fighting, a symphony of gunfire echoing through the valley.
Ganmu pursued them relentlessly but was always suppressed by Grand Martial Armament’s powerful firepower.
The chase continued this way for nearly two hours.
Outside the valley, Lu Luo sat on the neck of an Exotic Species—which was, well, alive!
But Lu Luo had broken all its limbs.
He had left it alive because having such an Exotic Species nearby provided a ready excuse. If the people from Grand Martial Armament actually made it out alive, Lu Luo would have a legitimate reason to be at the valley entrance: he was hunting Exotic Species and had just happened to pass by Rotten Valley. Perfectly plausible.
At that moment, Lu Luo was toying with a pin, an object Gu Fangyi had obtained from Lin Zhiming.
It was undeniably a treasure.
[Comet]
Grade: Rare
Effect 1 - Resolve: Reduces the impact of mental abilities on you, strengthening your resolve.
Effect 2 - Shield: Actively or passively deploys an energy-chargeable shield with a 3-day cooldown; the shield’s strength can withstand one Third Tier full-force attack.
Description: This is an exceedingly rare defensive alchemical item. Although it looks like a mere pin, it is worth a fortune.
Lu Luo directly charged the pin with Qi He energy. Through this process, he realized the item was extraordinarily powerful.
The shield’s recharge cooldown began after charging, not after the shield was consumed.
If Lin Zhiming had possessed Dark Energy before, he could have depleted one shield and then immediately recharged a second.
A double shield, allowing for two chances at survival—that was what made this equipment so formidable.
Such a fine piece of equipment was quite wasted in the hands of an ordinary person like Lin Zhiming.
Perhaps Grand Martial Armament was simply too wealthy; such an exquisite life-saving item might have been just an ordinary object in their eyes.
"Is there a synthesis path?"
[This item has no further advancement or synthesis possibilities.]
Lu Luo nodded; he had just asked casually, as he hadn’t been encountering many high-quality materials lately.
The Ghost Crab eyeballs were actually considered excellent materials, but those were all for Bai Yuetong; he couldn’t use them himself.
Weighing the pin in his hand, Lu Luo tossed it directly to Gu Fangyi.
"Gu Fangyi, this is for you. Its effect is to form a Third Tier defensive shield, which you’ll need to activate with your energy. Once depleted, it can immediately recharge to release a second shield; the defensive effect is excellent. It should be very useful for you."
"Huh? You don’t want it?"
"Nope."
Gu Fangyi was somewhat astonished. Lu Luo didn’t know about Alchemists, nor had he encountered this equipment before. How did he instantly know how to use it?
And if this thing was so good, why didn’t Lu Luo keep it for himself?
"Why don’t you keep it for yourself?"
Lu Luo almost snorted aloud.
How should I put it? This thing might seem powerful, but in my hands, its effect is just too average.
Lu Luo’s own Constitution was exceptionally high. Combined with his toughness, he could withstand ordinary attacks from Fourth Tier Transcendents, let alone attacks from Third Tier Transcendents.
This thing was a pure energy defensive shield, and its energy consumption wasn’t small. For him, using it was like using a cannon to shoot a mosquito—truly unnecessary.
He could withstand attacks from Third Tier Transcendents just fine. Unless an attack had special properties, he could take it head-on without issue.
"I’m too strong. This thing is a burden to me."
[Listen to him! Is that something a human would say?]
Qi Xinzhu covered her mouth, giggling, and Gu Fangyi nodded thoughtfully.
"So, it’s because I’m too weak. I’ll work harder to get stronger!"
"Don’t rush. Practice well. Bread will come, and so will the... milk."
Gu Fangyi nodded, his expression suddenly becoming conflicted—a look Lu Luo hated to see.
"Speak your mind. Out with it! What could you possibly need to hide from me? Don’t you remember? We’ve bled together."
"Luo bro, I want to ask you something. Why is it that training in your presence speeds up my progress so much compared to when I train alone? I can’t exactly calculate the difference, but I always feel like it’s more than tenfold. So, Luo bro, can I train near you often in the future? If I can, I should be able to reach Second Tier pretty soon."
What?!
Lu Luo was shocked. How could this be possible?
He could understand Qi Xinzhu gaining an extraordinary cultivation speed boost when training near him. She was a Believer of Light, and the Doomsday Disc likely had effects similar to the Dawn Disc. Therefore, Believers of Light like her would cultivate faster in his presence.
But Gu Fangyi? He wasn’t a Believer of Light. How could he experience such an acceleration?
[According to the Observer’s analysis, Little Gu bro experiences this effect for a reason similar to Qi Xinzhu’s. As a Believer of Light, Qi Xinzhu has made pursuing Li Ming her life’s mission. They believe you hold the Dawn Disc, so to them, you *are* Li Ming. Therefore, Believers of Light like Qi Xinzhu receive a hidden Dark Energy bonus from the Doomsday Disc when training around you. As for Little Gu bro, his genuine, wholehearted trust in you and his desire to follow you have become a kind of alternative faith. Thus, he too has received the Doomsday Disc’s hidden Dark Energy blessing, significantly boosting his training efficiency. To sum it up in one sentence: Gu bro’s devotion to you is true love!]
Ah? This...
Lu Luo was stunned by the Observer’s explanation. Looking at the puzzled Gu Fangyi, he couldn’t find the words to say no.
"After we return this time, we’ll sort out the contract matter, and I’ll arrange for you and Qi Xinzhu to have a proper long-term training session."
"Yes!" Gu Fangyi was invigorated. With Lu Luo’s agreement, he was confident he could break through to Second Tier in one go.
Qi Xinzhu, however, was quite calm. Isn’t staying by Lu Luo’s side standard procedure?
"Alright. It just so happens that I’ve also reached a bottleneck recently. Maybe I can advance to Third Tier before Lu Luo."
As the three chatted and laughed, Lu Luo’s expression suddenly became serious. Both Gu Fangyi and Qi Xinzhu immediately stood up and assumed combat stances.
Just as the last of the Grand Martial Armament personnel burst out from Rotten Valley, they stumbled upon the scene of three heroes battling an Exotic Species.
"Halt! You fiend, where do you think you’re running!"
[This creature isn’t even trying to run, okay? You’re abusing animals!]
With a swift motion, Lu Luo decapitated the Exotic Species, its blood splattering him.
This Exotic Species, which had suffered so much humiliation, finally died.
The expressions on the faces of the Grand Martial Armament members were oddly peculiar as they looked at Lu Luo and his companions.
It made sense for these three to be wandering and hunting in the Silent Swamp; their appearance here wasn’t problematic. Yet, when the Grand Martial Armament members saw Lu Luo, they felt something was strange about the trio.
"Dr. Li, you all... what happened?"
Lu Luo looked at Li Tanya, who was sitting atop the Mecha, his face a mask of shock.
Actually, he wasn’t just looking at Li Tanya; his gaze was fixed on Liu Yu’s Mecha!
Energy-powered individual mobility armor—Mecha, as many called them—was undeniably a man’s romance.
Moreover, Mecha technology represented the pinnacle of Wasteland individual combat equipment.
Despite the Wasteland Alliance possessing a large arsenal of firearms, including heavy long-range weapons like sniper cannons and matériel rifles, close-combat Transcendents remained the most popular. Why were they so favored?
Mainly because only close-combat Transcendents possessed the physical strength to pilot Mecha; their skills were also better suited for it.
Piloting a Mecha and engaging in direct physical confrontations with Exotic Species placed extremely strict demands on the pilot’s physique.
If a mage-type Transcendent with only two or three points in Constitution piloted one, just a few physical collisions could cause internal organ displacement, internal bleeding, or brain stem damage.
Only a sufficiently robust constitution could pilot an equally formidable Mecha.
This was the ultimate reason why close-combat Transcendents were so prevalent in the Wasteland.
Li Tanya looked at Lu Luo, her eyes filled with complex emotions. The most logical action right now would be to trick Lu Luo’s group into facing Ganmu’s fury.
But after much consideration, she ultimately didn’t do so.
"We were defeated. Ganmu is right behind us. Run!"
"You’re all so strong! How could you...?"
The shock on Lu Luo’s face became even more pronounced. To be honest, his acting was a bit over the top.
"What Dr. Li said is true. Our captain, Zuo Mingliang, has already fallen in battle."
"Is that so? That’s truly a pity."
ROAR!
As they spoke, Ganmu appeared, dragging its heavily wounded body.
It was unwilling to let these humans escape. After more than two hours of pursuit, it had concluded that they must have nearly depleted their Dark Energy.
Upon hearing Ganmu’s roar, everyone’s face changed instantly.
But Lu Luo’s face lit up—this creature was gravely injured!
[Ganmu, Fifth Tier Aberrant Species, Poison Seed, King of Rotten Valley, Flower of the Plague.
Attributes: Strength 155, Agility 35, Constitution 200.
Its condition is very weak. Perhaps you have a tiny chance.]
Looking at the wounds on Ganmu’s body and the large hole in its abdomen, the corners of Lu Luo’s mouth started to inadvertently curl upward.