204: Chapter 204 The bomb exploded with a roar, and the drill pierced the puppet.

Boom—!

The entire Collapse Valley felt as if it were being gripped and squeezed hard by an invisible giant hand.

The moment the rock layers shattered, three hundred and twenty-seven miniature Spirit Array nodes ignited simultaneously, and spiritual energy erupted from underground like lava, forming a circular shockwave along a preset trajectory that expanded with a roar.

Flames soared into the sky, causing the one-way crystal membrane of the underground bunker to tremble violently.

Rubble fell like rain, and amidst the rolling smoke and dust, three Puppets were sent flying by the air blast, their metal casings letting out ear-piercing tearing sounds as the runic chains on their backs snapped inch by inch.

The left arm of one drill-type Puppet was blown directly into fragments, sending sparks flying everywhere.

Chen Wuwang stood before the observation port, the blue light from his right Mechanical Prosthetic Eye surging as the red dots in his field of vision shook violently but did not disappear.

"Not completely dead," he whispered, his fingers sliding quickly across the tactical tablet to pull up a thermal map. "The core temperature is still fluctuating; its resistance is twenty percent higher than estimated."

Before he could finish, heavy metallic footsteps echoed from beneath the western cliff.

A heavy mecha, pitch-black all over with the inscription "Earth Dragon Modified" engraved on its shoulder, broke through the smoke, its tracks grinding over the rubble as it rumbled forward.

Inside the cockpit, Chen Tiezhu stared intently at the screen in front of him, the veins on his temples throbbing slightly.

He gripped the control sticks with both hands, his knuckles turning white, as he muttered, "Old partner, don't let me down this time... You're the treasure I modified after staying awake for three months."

The high-speed rotating drill on the mecha's right arm slowly started up, runic electric arcs dancing at the tip, the humming sound growing increasingly shrill, like a beast about to pounce.

"Patriarch, I'm going in!" He pressed the communication button, his voice hoarse yet firm.

"Entry permitted," Chen Wuwang replied, his gaze locked on the screen. "Primary target: the drill-type Puppet. It's the most damaged and its movements are sluggish; it's the Breakthrough point."

"Understood!" Chen Tiezhu grinned and slammed the throttle forward.

The "Earth Dragon Modified" accelerated suddenly, its tracks kicking up rubble and dust as it charged straight into the center of the battlefield.

The smoke and dust hadn't yet cleared, and the thermal signals were chaotic; a normal operator wouldn't have been able to lock onto a target accurately, but Chen Tiezhu was different—

He was an Artifact Refiner who had personally built over a hundred mechas; his instinctive judgment of mechanical structures was already ingrained in his very bones.

Without even looking at the screen, relying solely on the vibration frequency and the direction of the center of gravity shift, he locked onto the drill-type Puppet with the severed left arm.

"You're the one!"

The drill on the mecha's right arm spun at full speed, runic electric arcs tearing through the air, carrying an Aura that could melt gold and iron as it stabbed fiercely into the crack in the Puppet's chest.

Chi—!

The sound of metal grinding was so shrill it almost pierced the eardrums.

The drill pierced through the outer armor, tore through the internal structural supports, and went all the way to the central energy core.

The red light in the Puppet's eyes flashed frantically, and its limbs twitched violently as it tried to struggle and retreat, only to be pinned down firmly by the "Earth Dragon Modified."

"Still trying to run?" Chen Tiezhu growled, exerting force with both arms and slamming the control sticks down.

Crack!

The drill penetrated completely, and the energy core exploded with a burst of purple-black electricity before going dark.

The red light in the Puppet's eyes vanished instantly, its body stiffened, and it crashed to the ground.

"First one destroyed!" Chen Tiezhu panted, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "This thing's skin is really thick."

"Well done," Chen Wuwang nodded, his expression still cold. "Don't slack off; the remaining two aren't out of commission yet."

In the smoke and dust, the other two Puppets had already begun to struggle to their feet.

The blades on the right arm of the high-frequency vibrating blade-type Puppet deployed, glinting with a cold light; the wings of the Propulsion Wing-type Puppet slowly unfolded, clearly intending to take off and escape.

"Firepower coverage! Don't let them get close!" Chen Wuwang ordered sharply.

From the bunkers on both sides, the Shadow Guard teams reacted quickly, and several spiritual energy chain grenades whistled out, accurately entangling the Puppets' limbs and pinning them firmly in place.

The metal chains were pulled taut, creaking as they barely suppressed the Puppets' counter-force.

But the Puppets were not completely out of control.

The right arm of the high-frequency vibrating blade-type Puppet vibrated violently, the blades cutting at a high frequency, and fine cracks had already appeared on the chains.

The eye lights of the Propulsion Wing-type Puppet flickered, its wings half-open, as it clearly attempted to restart its flight System.

"Interference pulse, activate." Chen Wuwang lightly swiped his finger across the tablet, entering a string of code.

Buzz—

secondary interference waves were emitted from the bottom of the bunker, spreading out in a fan shape.

The movements of the two Puppets became visibly sluggish, the frequency of their eye lights flickering decreased, and the propulsion wings jammed in mid-air, unable to unfold further.

"It's effective," Chen Wuwang narrowed his eyes. "Continue suppression; wait for my next command."

He didn't order their annihilation. Now was not the time.

Who was behind these Puppets? Why did they infiltrate? What was their purpose?

There were still no answers to these questions.

Destroying them completely and recklessly would only sever the clues.

He wanted them alive—or at least intact wreckage.

The "Earth Dragon Modified" slowly retreated, its tracks grinding over the Puppet remains, and stopped beneath the western cliff of the Collapse Valley.

Chen Tiezhu leaned back in the pilot's seat, let out a long breath, and looked up toward the observation port, where he could vaguely see Chen Wuwang's figure.

"Patriarch... did we catch a big fish this time?" he muttered. "The construction of this Puppet doesn't look like the style of any family in the Eastern Wasteland."

No one answered.

Chen Wuwang was staring at the battlefield with full concentration.

His fingers rested on the edge of the tactical tablet, ready to respond to any sudden situation at any time.

Although the situation was under control, he didn't dare to relax in the slightest.

He knew that true danger often lurked in the moments that "seemed like the end."

Just then, the high-frequency vibrating blade-type Puppet suddenly twisted violently, its right-arm blade erupting with a dark red light, actually severing a spiritual energy chain on the spot!

"Watch out!" Chen Wuwang shouted.

The remaining chains tightened quickly, and the Shadow Guards immediately fired follow-up shots, with new restraint shells whistling out.

But that moment of loosening was enough—the Puppet lifted its left leg and stomped heavily on the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust, clearly intending to create cover.

"Don't let it hide!" Chen Wuwang ordered coldly. "Concentrate fire on the left knee joint!"

The long-range firepower adjusted immediately, and three spiritual energy beams accurately hit its left knee.

The metal casing cracked, the joint structure was damaged, and the Puppet's movement faltered as it fell to one knee.

"Great chance!" Chen Tiezhu wanted to strike again, but he was stopped by Chen Wuwang.

"Enough," he said over the communication channel. "Your mission is complete; return to the standby area."

"But..."

"This is an order," Chen Wuwang's tone left no room for doubt. "We're not here to fight to the death; we're here to get evidence. Don't let your emotions ruin the plan."

Chen Tiezhu was silent for a moment before finally nodding. "...Understood."

The "Earth Dragon Modified" slowly retreated, its surface covered in high-temperature scorch marks and metal fragments, looking like a steel beast that had just crawled out of a furnace.

It stopped at the designated position, the cockpit door remained closed, and the mecha stayed in standby mode.

On the battlefield, although the two Puppets were not completely paralyzed, they were firmly suppressed.

Spiritual energy chains were wrapped around their bodies, and the interference pulses continued to act; their movements grew slower and slower, and their eye lights flickered like candles in the wind.

Chen Wuwang stood before the observation port, his right hand resting on the tactical tablet, eyes fixed on the screen.

His cold expression, showing none of the relaxation that follows a victory.

This battle was not yet over; it had merely entered a new phase.

He knew the next chapter would be the key.

Only by dissecting the wreckage could the truth be uncovered.

And now, he only had to wait.