144: Chapter 144 Chen Xiaodao Test-Drives the New Mecha, Its Power is Astounding

The welding torch had just stopped, and the smell of burning still hung in the air.

Chen Wuwang stood outside the training ground, his right hand wrapped in a bandage that had already turned black; he hadn't changed it.

His left eye was mechanical and felt a bit hot; the System said it was normal, but he knew the trouble had only just begun.

Five mechas stood to the side, their blue lights glowing, and the green lines on their armor pulsed.

No one dared to approach.

Someone had wanted to speak a moment ago, but opened their mouth and then closed it again.

A few teenagers stood on tiptoes, gripping the edges of their pants, eyes fixed on the first mecha.

"Who is going in first?" Chen Wuwang asked.

His voice wasn't loud, but everyone heard it.

The crowd shifted. Some people stepped back.

An old craftsman shook his head: "Can this hunk of iron withstand the Spiritual Pressure of the Foundation Establishment Stage? If it explodes, it's all over."

Another old man leaning on a cane whispered: "In the past, Golden Core Old Ancestors relied on their cultivation to split mountains, not these iron shells."

As soon as he finished speaking, someone rushed out.

Their shoes made a sound as they struck the ground.

Chen Xiaodao stood in front of the first mecha, looked up at the blue eyes of the cockpit, and smiled: "I want to try it out and see how strong this mecha is!"

He raised a hand to wipe his face, his fingers grazing the scar on his left cheek.

Before, he only had half a wooden sword; now, five mechas made by the Chen family themselves stood before him.

He turned his head to look at Chen Wuwang: "Brother, let me go."

Chen Wuwang looked at him for two seconds, saying nothing and not nodding.

He raised his right hand and pressed it onto the energy core on the mecha's chest.

"Beep—"

The iris recognition activated, and blue light shone across Chen Xiaodao's face.

The green lines suddenly lit up, crawling along the seams of the armor to cover the entire body.

"Heartbeat synchronization in progress... Matching complete."

A mechanical female voice sounded, and the cockpit slowly opened, revealing the seat and control panel.

Chen Xiaodao leaped up, his movements clean, landing without a sound.

The hatch closed, and the blue light brightened again.

Everyone fell silent.

The mecha moved.

The hydraulics in the legs made a soft sound, the shoulder thrusters adjusted their position, and the entire mecha slowly rose three feet high and stopped.

"A bit slow," Chen Xiaodao's voice came from the loudspeaker, carrying a smile. "Half a beat slower than me drawing my sword."

He gripped the control levers with both hands and closed his eyes for a moment.

When he opened them again, there was Killing Intent in his eyes.

"Then—faster!"

Boom!

The thrusters behind him spewed fire, and the mecha shot into the sky like an arrow!

It was so fast that it tore through the air, leaving a white streak behind.

The dust on the ground was blown away, and the onlookers raised their hands to shield their faces.

"My god! It flew?!" a young technician jumped up.

"It's not flying, it's a high-speed dash!" another apprentice shouted. "He adjusted his direction three times in mid-air!"

One thousand meters in the air.

Chen Xiaodao steadied the mecha, looked down at the people below, and smiled.

"Po Xu Type-1... The name is nice, but it has to live up to it."

He pushed the control levers down with both hands, and the mecha turned and dove vertically!

The wind battered the mecha, and an alarm sounded: "Warning! Speed limit exceeded! Less than three hundred zhang from the ground!"

He ignored it, instead increasing the power.

One hundred zhang! Fifty zhang!

Just as it was about to hit the ground, he yanked the lever, the thrusters flared, and the mecha moved ten meters sideways, flying past a stone monument.

The next second, he threw both fists!

"Boom—!!!"

The fists smashed into the monument, a shockwave exploded, rubble flew ten meters away, and dust billowed into the sky.

When the smoke cleared a little, everyone opened their eyes wide—

That stone monument, three people tall and weighing a thousand catties, was gone. Only a pile of steaming powder remained.

"This isn't ordinary vibration force..." the old craftsman whispered, "This is driving the force inside and exploding it from within!"

"It's just like Xiao Dao's Meteor Sword Intent!" someone shouted. "He put his sword technique into the mecha!"

Before the words had faded, the mecha in the sky rose again. It stopped at five hundred zhang, spread its arms, and aimed its shoulder cannons at another stone monument.

"Next, let's test the firepower."

As soon as he finished speaking, the shoulder cannons began to charge, and two beams of red light shot out!

"Sshh—Boom!"

The red light pierced through the monument, melting it directly in half with smooth cuts.

"Holy crap! Laser cannons?!" a teenager jumped up. "It can even fight from a distance?"

"That's not all," Chen Xiaodao's voice came. "You haven't seen the most ruthless part yet."

He maneuvered the mecha to land, its feet touching the ground as lightly as falling leaves, the green patterns on the armor still flashing.

The cockpit opened. He jumped down, his shoes hitting the scorched earth, and turned to slap the emblem on the mecha's chest.

"It recognizes me," he said loudly. "It knows who I am, and it knows what I want to do!"

Everyone was stunned for a moment. Then the crowd exploded.

"Holy shit! It really moved! It listens to Xiao Dao!"

"That punch! That blast! It's more fierce than a Nascent Soul talisman treasure!"

"We... can also use this kind of thing?!"

"That's awesome!" "It's too powerful!"

The young people rushed up, circling the mecha, reaching out to touch the armor, with some even trying to climb up.

An old man pulled his grandson back: "Don't touch it! We don't know if it's stable yet!"

"Dad, didn't you see?" the teenager said, face red and neck thick. "It repairs itself! The patterns inscribed by Miss Bai Ling are flashing! It clearly shook when it landed just now, but the cracks sealed themselves!"

The old man squinted to look—sure enough, a small crack on the mecha's leg was slowly disappearing, the green patterns flowing as if alive.

"It's alive... it's actually alive..." he muttered.

Chen Wuwang finally moved. He walked to the center of the field and looked at everyone. There were those who were shocked, those who were excited, and those who were skeptical.

He didn't smile, nor did he applaud. He raised his hand and pointed to the white streak in the sky that hadn't yet dissipated.

"Today, it was Xiao Dao who tested it first," he said. "Tomorrow, it will be the turn of every one of you."

The whole place went quiet. Then, cheers surged like a tide.

"I want to train! I want to achieve a Breakthrough!"

"Once I reach Foundation Establishment, I'll be the first to sign up!"

"Can our Chen family... really stand tall now?"

Chen Xiaodao stood beside the mecha, listening to these words, the smile still on his face.

He looked down at his hands, as if he could still feel the vibration of the control levers.

This didn't feel like operating a machine. It felt more like becoming partners with a new sword.

He looked up at Chen Wuwang's back. That man was still standing there, as if nailed to the ground, his gaze fixed far away.

He knew this was just the beginning. But they had taken this step firmly.

In the distance, the open space by the edge of the training ground had already been cleared, the sand smoothed out, and traces of a track could be vaguely seen.

Chen Xiaodao lifted his foot and walked toward it. His shoes crunched slightly as they stepped on the scorched earth.

He stopped and looked back at the five mechas. The blue eyes of the first mecha seemed to be watching him too.