219: Chapter 219 Iron Pillar Pilots Mech, Drill Whirlwind Destroys Enemy

The insect swarm pressed upon the border, dark clouds roiling.

The five-mile distance was covered in an instant. The compound eyes of the Flying Locusts could already lock onto the energy nodes on the Main Peak's shield. The frequency of the ground's tremors increased as the Soldier Bugs advanced in formation, their mouthparts agape and glistening with a ghostly green poisonous light.

Chen Wuwang stood before the control console, both hands pressed onto the dual-core crystal pillars. His Mechanical Prosthetic Eye flashed with rapid blue light, and data streams cascaded across his vision like a waterfall.

He did not blink, nor did he move, only squeezing two words through his teeth: "Uncle Tiezhu."

Once the order was issued, a roar erupted from beneath the East Ridge cliff.

The thick rock layer shattered, rubble flew everywhere, and a colossal entity burst from the ground—

The pitch-black heavy assault mecha, "earth dragon," leaped into the air. Its back thrusters spewed scorching blue flames, instantly tearing through the airflow as it dove straight into the densest part of the swarm.

Inside the cockpit, Chen Tiezhu stared fixedly at the projection ahead, his ten fingers gripped onto the control levers, his knuckles turning white.

He took a deep breath and let out a low roar: "Activate!"

The engine roared, and the main drill on its chest suddenly activated. The spiritual energy conduits supplied power at full capacity, and the metal spiral blade began to spin at a speed indistinguishable to the naked eye. The humming sound shifted from low to high, finally turning into a shriek that pierced the eardrums.

The next second, the mecha crashed into the swarm.

The Flying Locusts hadn't even reacted before the first one was sucked into the drill storm. Its carapace disintegrated instantly, and its flesh and blood were ground into a mist and sprayed outward.

The second one tried to flap its wings to dodge, but was pulled by the airflow and forcibly dragged into the rotating core, unable to even let out a scream.

Chen Tiezhu's mouth widened, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth: "Come on! I've been waiting for you bastards for a long time!"

He shoved the control lever forward, the mecha's body tilted, and the drill swept across like a plow.

Over a hundred Flying Locusts were pulverized on the spot, their severed limbs and broken wings falling like rain.

The Soldier Bugs on the ground had just crawled up when they were knocked over by the shockwave generated by the high-speed rotation, smashing into the pile of their companions behind them and being trampled into mud.

The vanguard formation of the swarm was in chaos.

The originally orderly fan-shaped offensive developed a huge gap, and the elite individuals in the rear let out high-frequency hisses, attempting to reorganize.

But before the order could be passed down, the earth dragon had already changed direction. The hydraulic device in its right leg erupted with terrifying power, kicking off the rock wall and using the recoil to flip into the air.

The mecha's body spun at high speed, and the secondary drill on its back unfolded into a circular saw blade, descending from the sky like a wheel of death.

"Boom—!"

A circular area was cleared.

The Earth-walking Scorpions were cut in half at the waist, venom spraying; the Soldier Bugs fell in swathes, their entrails spilling out; even the commander-type insect hiding in the rear had half its head shaved off, its brains splattered.

Before the dust had settled, Chen Tiezhu had already piloted the mecha to land, its feet slamming heavily into the ground and cracking it into a spiderweb pattern.

He didn't stop, immediately activating the sprint program, advancing in a circuitous arc, carving three scorching trails across the battlefield.

Every cut was a precise strike at the enemy's reorganization nodes, leaving the insect race overwhelmed and their formation completely shattered.

Above on the Main Peak, the clansmen widened their eyes.

A young Cultivator forgot to tighten his grip on the spear in his hand: "Is... is that Uncle Tiezhu?"

"It's not a dream!" The man beside him slapped him on the shoulder, "Did you see that? Once the drill starts, the bugs all turn to slag!"

The crowd began to stir.

Some tightened their grip on their weapons, some straightened their backs, and an old craftsman even took off his hat and threw it on the ground: "The mecha we built can really fight our way out!"

Morale was returning, bit by bit.

Chen Tiezhu heard the commotion on the communication channel, grinned, and slammed the button on his shoulder.

The mecha's amplification System activated, and a sound wave resembling a simulated war roar spread across the battlefield—deep, wild, and full of oppression, like an ancient giant beast awakening.

This sound reached the Main Peak, and the clansmen all looked up in unison.

"Did you hear that?" A woman murmured while holding her child.

"I heard it." The youth gripped his short sword tight, his voice trembling, "We... we can win."

Chen Wuwang stood on the high platform, still not moving.

But the corner of his eye twitched imperceptibly, and the data refresh rate of his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye became even faster.

He stared at that black figure in the center of the battlefield, watching it charge back and forth through the sea of insects like a red-hot knife slicing into grease, unimpeded.

Very good.

He had only one thought in his heart: The deadlock is broken.

In the rear of the insect race, giant individuals began to move. Their outlines gradually became clear; they were three commander-level insect generals with bone wings on their backs, slowly advancing forward.

They were massive in size, their carapaces shimmering with purple, and every step made the ground tremble. Clearly, the real tough battle had only just begun.

There wasn't much time.

He had to win quickly to establish dominance.

Chen Tiezhu also noticed this. He glanced at the radar projection and snorted coldly: "Want to make a grand finale appearance? I won't let you get your way!"

He yanked the control lever, and the earth dragon accelerated sharply, heading straight for the insect general on the left.

On the way, he casually swung his drill arm, grinding two ambushing Flying Locusts into dust.

As the distance closed, the insect general opened its mouth and sprayed corrosive mucus.

Chen Tiezhu did not dodge; instead, he accelerated, and the drill collided head-on with the mass of mucus.

The high-speed rotation directly dispersed it, and some of the liquid splashed onto the armor, making a "sizzling" sound, but the surface coating remained intact.

"Is that it?" He sneered, "That kid Xiao Dao was right, the anti-acid coating really works."

Before the words had even faded, the mecha had already rushed to the front of the insect general.

He raised his left hand, and the chain claw shot out, precisely nailing into the joint gap of the insect general's neck.

Immediately after, his right drill arm operated at full capacity, and the spiral blade, carrying the weight of ten thousand tons, stabbed fiercely into the connection point of the carapace.

"Open—for me!"

The hydraulic System erupted with extreme power, and the drill arm forcibly tore open a gap.

Green body fluid gushed out, and the insect general struggled frantically, but the chain held it firmly, and it could not break free.

Chen Tiezhu grinned viciously, controlling the drill to cut horizontally.

"Snap!"

The neck bone snapped.

The massive head rolled to the ground, its compound eyes still blinking.

The second insect general roared and pounced, attacking with its pincers.

Chen Tiezhu released the claw, and the earth dragon slid backward, narrowly avoiding the attack, then immediately turned, the secondary drill on its back unfolding, and swept across at point-blank range.

"Clang!"

Metal collided with carapace, and sparks flew everywhere.

The secondary drill stuck for a moment, but he immediately switched power modes, the main drill activated simultaneously, and both spins ran in parallel, forming a double vortex.

"Boom!"

The shockwave exploded, the insect general was knocked to the ground, its chest caved in, spitting out black blood.

The third one saw that the situation was bad and actually wanted to retreat.

"Want to run?" Chen Tiezhu roared, "No chance!"

He activated the thrusters, the mecha shot out like a cannonball, the drill arm held high, and he chopped down directly onto the fleeing target.

"Thud—!"

The earth trembled.

The drill pierced through the back of the insect general, driving three feet into the ground.

Three corpses lay across the battlefield, and the vanguard of the insect race completely collapsed.

The Flying Locusts began to scatter and flee, the Soldier Bugs trampled each other, and the Earth-walking Scorpions burrowed underground to escape.

The entire battlefield fell into chaos, as if that invincible army from just a moment ago had never existed.

Above on the Main Peak, cheers exploded.

"We won!"

"Uncle Tiezhu killed three big bugs!"

"We can hold!"

People embraced and wept, some knelt and kowtowed, some raised their weapons and roared wildly.

Fear was crushed, replaced by boiling hot blood.

Chen Wuwang finally moved.

He slowly raised his hand, not to issue an order, nor to wave, but simply pressed the red button on the edge of the control console.

The next second, all defensive mechas lit up with red lights in synchronization, their cannon barrels slightly adjusting their angles to lock onto the insect race's retreat route.

It was not a pursuit.

It was a warning.

Telling the enemy: We can not only defend, but also fight our way out.

Chen Tiezhu sat in the cockpit, panting heavily, his forehead covered in sweat.

He wiped his face and looked around.

The battlefield quieted down, leaving only the crackling sound of burning wreckage.

He grinned and reached out to pat the dashboard: "Old buddy, well done."

Then he gripped the control lever again, the mecha slowly stood up, the drill arm still spinning at high speed, surrounded by insect residue and blood mist.

He did not retreat.

He did not shut down.

Instead, he turned, facing the direction where the main force of the insect race had retreated, and slowly began to advance.

One step, two steps, three steps...

The heavy footsteps echoed across the battlefield like a drum beat.

Before the control console on the Main Peak, Chen Wuwang remained standing.

His hands rested on the crystal pillars, his gaze cold, his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye continuously scanning the battlefield data stream.

He did not speak.

He merely stared at that black figure moving forward through the ruins, until it disappeared once again into the depths of the smoke and dust.