256: Chapter 256 Monsters Surge Out, Everyone Fights to the End

Dust still drifted in the air; several figures had just found their footing on the scree slope when the wind blew, sending grey dust choking into their throats.

Chen Wuwang raised a hand to wipe his face, the red light of his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye flashing deep within his pupil as over a dozen dynamic heat source signals immediately popped up in his vision, rapidly surging up from underground.

"Something's wrong!" He suddenly looked up, his voice exploding, "Be on guard—!"

Before his voice could fade, the ground violently exploded.

Three cracks suddenly tore open beneath everyone's feet, and black smoke wrapped in gravel shot into the sky.

Dozens of Yao Beasts broke out from the ground, claws tearing at the air and fangs bared, their bodies covered in purple-grey slime as if they had just crawled out of rotting meat.

A Yao Beast the size of a bull lunged straight at Chen Wuwang's face, its claws bringing a foul wind.

He didn't retreat; raising his left hand, the Nano Spirit-Silk Combat Suit instantly activated, and a hemispherical energy field "hummed" as it expanded, forcefully knocking the Yao Beast flying and slamming it into the rock pile behind with a dull thud.

"Fight!" Chen Wuwang stepped forward with his right foot, his Titanium Alloy Dagger unsheathed as the runic grooves lit up with blue light.

He flicked his wrist and embedded the dagger into the launcher slot on his left shoulder mech, locking it with a click and transforming it into a Vibrating Short Blade.

The sound of metal clashing rang out, sparks flying everywhere.

Chen Xiaodao had already moved.

The thruster on his right arm roared, and the Laser Sword "swished" out, its blade humming and glowing with a faint cyan light.

He let out a low growl, his Sword Intent condensing as the Meteor Sword Intent transformed into a silver line, slashing horizontally.

"Squelch—!"

The heads of three lunging Yao Beasts flew off together, black blood spraying everywhere and sizzling on the scorched earth.

"Right wing cleared!" he shouted, flicking his sword tip to force back another monster attacking from the side; the cracks on his mech's right arm casing widened, and the runic circuits flickered unstable.

"Leave the left to me!" Chen Tiezhu dragged his left arm prosthetic, stumbling a few steps to roll behind a giant rock. He unloaded a portable Psionic Cannon Turret from his back, and with a few clicks, it was assembled, its muzzle aimed diagonally upward at a Bone-Spined Rock-Armor Yao Beast.

"Charging—sixty percent... seventy... damn it, faster!" He gritted his teeth and slapped the control panel, green smoke rising from the prosthetic interface.

The turret's hum grew stronger until finally, with a "boom," a beam of psionic energy blasted out, accurately hitting the weak spot on the Rock-Armor Yao Beast's belly.

The monster let out a miserable scream, its belly exploding and its internal organs spilling all over the ground.

"Blow you to hell!" Chen Tiezhu grinned, then coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face turning pale, but his hand didn't loosen, continuing to press the trigger to strafe the approaching pack of monsters.

Bai Ling stood at the back of the team, hands raised, a milky white halo appearing in her palms.

She was breathing heavily, and crystallization patterns had already spread to her neck, cold to the touch.

"Thorns—Rise!" she shouted low, her fingertips slicing through the air. Several thick vines instantly drilled out of the ground, coiling like snakes around three Yao Beasts trying to flank them, tightening ruthlessly.

The sound of bones breaking followed; the Yao Beasts struggled a few times and then stopped moving.

"I can't hold on..." she panted, her knees going weak as she was caught by the shoulders by two clansmen who rushed over, barely managing to stand firm.

"Don't fall!" Chen Wuwang's peripheral vision swept over, his heart tightening.

A crack suddenly burst open on his right arm armor, and a metal fragment grazed his cheek, leaving a line of blood.

A Yao Beast took the opportunity to leap up, its claws aiming straight for his heart.

"Get lost!" he roared, his Vibrating Dagger slashing horizontally. A psionic shockwave exploded, directly severing the Yao Beast's spine.

The corpse twitched twice as it hit the ground, turning into a puddle of black water.

"Xiao Dao! The path ahead is yours!"

"Understood!"

Chen Xiaodao stepped forward, Laser Sword held high, Sword Intent condensing once more.

His feet were nailed to the ground, sword tip pointing diagonally, Spiritual Qi surging around him to form a small cyclone.

"Meteor—Falling Beads!"

Sword light fell like rain as nine Sword Qi slashes were struck in succession, each hit accurately striking the Yao Beasts' vitals.

Dark shadows fell in swaths, and a mountain of corpses piled up on the ground.

But before they could catch their breath, a dull vibration came from deeper within the burrow.

"They're coming!" Chen Tiezhu stared at the turret radar, his voice trembling, "The second wave! Larger than before! Their aura is even more ferocious!"

The ground cracked again; this time, the fissures were more numerous and deeper.

Seven or eight Yao Beasts nearly three meters tall broke through the earth, their limbs thick and skin as hard as rock, eyes glowing with crimson light as their roars shook the rubble loose.

"They're surrounding us!" Bai Ling forced herself up, her hands glowing again as vines regrew, but this time they only grew halfway before withering and snapping.

"Insufficient energy... Natural Power... almost exhausted..." She gritted her teeth, cold sweat pouring down her forehead.

"Then we'll use the oldest method." Chen Wuwang wiped the blood and dust from his face and looked around at the three of them, "Back to back, form a formation! Don't let anyone break in!"

The four quickly drew together, forming a defensive circle back to back.

Chen Xiaodao stood at the front, Laser Sword held horizontally, the sword tip dripping blood;

Chen Tiezhu crouched at the back-left, the turret mounted on his shoulder, the muzzle trembling slightly;

Bai Ling knelt at the back-right, hands pressed to the ground, doing her best to sprout the last wave of crowd-control vines;

Chen Wuwang was in the center, Vibrating Dagger in hand, his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye constantly scanning the movement rhythms of the surrounding Yao Beasts.

"Here they come!"

The first giant beast roared as it lunged, its palms striking the ground as the shockwave cracked the earth.

Chen Xiaodao was the first to meet it, a flash of sword light slicing off half of its head.

But a second one immediately followed, its claws sweeping across and forcing him back two steps.

On the left, three Yao Beasts leaped simultaneously, lunging straight for Chen Tiezhu.

"Fuck!" He slammed the trigger, the Psionic Cannon Turret firing a triple burst, blowing one over, but the other two dodged the fire net and lunged close.

At the critical moment, Chen Wuwang threw the Vibrating Dagger; it spun through the air, and a psionic shockwave exploded, knocking one of the Yao Beasts to the ground.

His figure flashed as he rushed in front of Chen Tiezhu, kicking the other one away, and with a wave of his right hand, the dagger automatically flew back into his palm.

"Thanks..." Chen Tiezhu panted heavily, re-aiming, "But I can still fight."

"Then fight to the end." Chen Wuwang sneered, his eyes ruthless, "Who told us we're from the Chen Family?"

On the right, Bai Ling finally channeled the last of her Natural Power; the ground split open, and dozens of thorns broke through the earth, trapping three Yao Beasts.

Blood overflowed from the corner of her mouth, her body swaying as she almost collapsed.

"Bai Ling!" Chen Xiaodao turned his head and roared.

"I... can still hold on." She squeezed out a sentence, her fingers digging into the mud, refusing to fall.

The number of Yao Beasts grew larger and larger, corpses piling into mounds, but they seemed oblivious to pain, still charging with roars.

The air was filled with the smell of blood, scorched stench, and the metallic scent of psionic overload.

Mech alarms rang out one after another.

"Warning: Right arm thruster overloaded."

"Warning: Left shoulder armor destroyed."

"Warning: Psionic core temperature exceeding limit."

Chen Xiaodao turned off the prompts and sneered, "My ears are still alive, no need for you to shout."

Chen Tiezhu's turret began to smoke, but he still pressed the trigger firmly, firing one shot after another.

His prosthetic interface was completely burned out, black blood seeping from where metal met flesh, making him grimace in pain, but he didn't make a sound.

"Come again! You bastards!" he roared, the muzzle blasting out a final beam of light, blowing apart a Yao Beast's chest.

Bai Ling's vines snapped one by one; her face turned pale green, crystallization patterns crawled up to her ears, and her breathing grew weaker and weaker.

Chen Wuwang stood in the center, his armor shattered and right arm exposed, muscles twitching slightly from the high-intensity combat.

The red light of his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye surged, constantly analyzing the attack frequency of the Yao Beasts and directing the three to adjust their positions.

"Xiao Dao, three o'clock direction, jumping slash!"

"Tiezhu, cover!"

"Bai Ling, restrain the one on the left!"

Order after order was given, the battlefield clear in his mind like a chessboard.

A Yao Beast launched a surprise attack from behind, its claws aiming straight for the back of Bai Ling's heart.

Chen Wuwang instantly flashed over, his Vibrating Dagger slashing upward with a backhand, directly severing its arm, then an elbow strike shattered its skull.

He stumbled as he landed, kneeling on one knee and coughing up a mouthful of blood.

"Clan Head!"

"Brother!"

"Chen Wuwang!"

The three shouted in unison.

He waved his hand, slowly standing up, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth with a grin, "I won't die. This is nothing."

In the distance, the wind swirled with dust, sweeping across the scorched earth.

The collapsed mountain was still smoking, and the entrance was completely sealed, but the vibrations from underground never stopped.

New cracks were spreading.

Chen Wuwang looked up, his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye locking onto the massive heat source getting closer and closer deep underground.

He gripped his dagger, his voice low but firm, "Come on. Let's see who falls first."