65: Bahrain's tragedy! This is the price of mechanical advancement!

"Hostile target... detected."

A cold, emotionless synthesized voice rang out from that familiar yet strange figure.

"Executing... purge command."

Li Qiang (Also a Ruthless Person) was struck as if by lightning, his entire body freezing in place.

That face, with only half remaining, was covered in lines of agony.

That hideous right arm, which had been modified into a Gatling gun.

That Dwarf Captain of the Guard who had once somewhat timidly led them through the underground tunnels.

Ba Lin.

"Old Ba?!"

Li Qiang's voice was trembling, filled with unbelievable horror.

Answering him were six gun barrels that suddenly began to spin!

"Da da da da da da—!!!"

Tongues of fire spat out, and a dense rain of bullets instantly swept toward Li Qiang's direction!

But then, a bizarre scene unfolded.

At the very moment the muzzle spat fire, Ba Lin's only remaining human left hand, made of flesh and blood, suddenly grabbed his mechanical right arm with a death grip!

Veins bulged on his left hand as he used every ounce of his strength, attempting to lift the muzzle toward the sky!

"Roar—!!!"

Two completely different sounds emitted from Ba Lin's throat simultaneously.

One was a mechanical, cold roar.

The other was a human howl of extreme agony!

The out-of-control rain of bullets swept across the sky, striking a series of sparks against the dome of the cavern.

"Run... quickly..."

Turbid tears flowed from Ba Lin's one intact eye, which was bloodshot; his voice was broken.

"Kill... kill me!"

The players' battle line instantly fell into chaos.

"What's going on? Is this NPC bugged? He's fighting himself?"

"This firepower is too intense! I almost got one-shotted! Ignore him for now, that big drill monster is charging over!"

The massive "Executioner" moved. The giant drill in its hand began to rotate at high speed, emitting a piercing roar as it charged toward the players' line like a chariot. The players along the path were unable to resist at all and were knocked flying one after another.

"Tanks, hold the line! Ice Mages, crowd control! Don't panic!" Zhao Jian-guo's calm voice rang out in the channel.

But everyone's gaze couldn't help but be drawn to the agonizing struggle of Ba Lin.

His body seemed to have become a battlefield.

The mechanical part, representing the King's will, wanted to slaughter every living thing in sight.

While his remaining Soul, which belonged to him, was using its last strength to put up a futile resistance.

"Obey... command... purge... intruders..." the mechanical synthesized voice rang out coldly.

"No... they... are... friends..." a human wail was mixed within.

Ba Lin's Gatling right arm suddenly jerked, breaking free from the restraint of his left hand and aiming at the players once again!

"Watch out!" Lin Xiaowan screamed.

But this time, Ba Lin's left hand actually reached directly into the rapidly spinning gun barrels!

"Creeeeak—!!!"

Flesh and steel collided, producing a tooth-grinding sound of crushing.

Blood splattered everywhere!

Ba Lin's left hand was instantly mangled into a bloody mess, with several fingers directly snapped and crushed!

The intense pain made him let out a scream that didn't sound human, but because of it, he successfully jammed the barrels!

"Go quickly! The King... is watching..."

"He wants to... turn all... rebels... into... this..."

The broken words, like the sharpest of knives, stabbed into the hearts of every player present.

The players who had previously held a hint of curiosity and longing for "Mechanical Ascension" now felt only a bone-chilling cold.

Is this the price?

To discard flesh and blood in exchange for power, only to eventually lose control of even one's own will, becoming a controlled, weeping killing machine?

"That son of a bitch Dwarf King!"

Li Qiang's eyes were blood-red. Looking at Ba Lin, who had mutilated himself to protect them, an unprecedented rage exploded from his chest!

This rage even surpassed his greed for treasure and his mockery of death.

This was no longer a game.

This wasn't just a string of data.

This was a living person being tortured beyond recognition right before their eyes!

"Brother Qiang..." Wang Wei's voice was also somewhat dry. "His life signs are rapidly fading. That Gatling gun is connected to his heart; every attack consumes his life."

"We..."

Li Qiang didn't let Wang Wei finish.

He suddenly looked up. On that face that usually wore a cynical smile, there was now only cold killing intent.

In the guild channel, he issued an order with a voice that was almost a roar.

"All ranged units! All mages!"

"Listen to my command!"

"Don't fucking hold back! Blast him with everything you've got!"

"Send Old Ba... on his final journey!"

The channel was silent.

A few seconds later, there was a unified response.

"Copy that!"

"Copy that!"

The players no longer hesitated.

The excitement and greed in their eyes vanished, replaced by a rare, solemn respect.

Lin Xiaowan took a deep breath, her staff pointing at the figure still struggling in agony.

"All Ice Mages! Target Ba Lin's mechanical leg joints! Freeze his movement!"

Hundreds of ice spikes, like arrows of vengeance, accurately struck Ba Lin's legs.

"Crack!"

The sturdy alloy joints, under the assault of extreme cold, let out a sound of buckling and cracking. Ba Lin's struggling body finally froze in place.

He looked up, using his one intact eye to look at Li Qiang.

In that gaze, there was no fear, no resentment.

Only relief and gratitude.

"Thank... you..."

Using his last ounce of strength, he squeezed out those two words.

Li Qiang gritted his teeth and raised the power hammer in his hand.

"Brothers!"

"Fire!!!"

Countless fireballs, lightning bolts, and explosive arrows, like brilliant funeral fireworks, all rained down upon Ba Lin at that moment.

There was no scream.

The Soul imprisoned within the steel cage seemed to have been waiting for this moment for a long time.

"Boom—!!!"

A violent explosion swallowed Ba Lin's figure.

When the flames dissipated, the mangled mechanical body slowly knelt down and finally slumped powerlessly onto the ground.

The health bar above his head was completely empty.

[System Notification: You have slain "Enslaved Captain of the Guard · Ba Lin," gaining 5,000 experience points.]

[System Notification: Your actions have earned the supreme respect of the "Dwarf Resistance."]

Li Qiang's chest heaved violently as he held his hammer, silently staring at the spot where Ba Lin had fallen.

Just then, an item flew out from Ba Lin's body as it gradually turned into data light-points.

It was a piece of yellowed parchment soaked in blood.

Li Qiang stepped forward and bent down to pick it up.

[Item: Black Iron City Sewer Secret Passage Map (Unique)]

[Description: Drawn by the former Captain of the Guard Ba Lin, it records a secret passage that bypasses the Inner City Barrier and leads directly beneath the Royal Palace. On it is his unfinished last words: "For... the final... glo-ry... of... Black-Iron-City..."]

The final character, "Glory," was covered by a large patch of dried blood.

Li Qiang's hands were trembling slightly.

He tucked away the map and slowly looked up, his gaze passing over the chaotic battlefield and the mechanical guards still crawling out of the magma, staring fixedly at the indestructible energy barrier in the distance and the towering palace behind it that symbolized royal power.

That towering rage burned to the extreme in his heart, ultimately transforming into absolute calmness and cold killing intent.

He opened the command channel.

"Wang Wei, Old Brother Zhao."

His voice was low, yet carried an unquestionable resolve.

"The plan has changed."

"Filling the river is too slow."

"I'm going in... right now."

Li Qiang spoke word by word; his voice wasn't loud, but it struck everyone's heart like a heavy hammer.

"I'm going to personally... twist off that dog King's head.