316: Chapter 316 Counterattack from Desperate Circumstances: First Signs of Hope

Yellow sand filled the sky as Lei Sha's roar echoed across the battlefield like a thunderclap. Immediately following, a rain of fire-enchanted crossbow bolts descended like a plague of locusts, clattering against the armored plating of the dawn, sending sparks flying in every direction.

The spear formation pressed closer step by step, and the shield wall closed in. The members of the Chen Family were pinned down behind the transport vehicles, finding it difficult even to lift their heads.

Chen Xiaodao knelt on one knee, his right mechanical arm still leaking electricity, his fingers twitching so much he couldn't grip the sword hilt.

Gritting his teeth, he used his left hand to prop himself up and looked toward the dawn, his voice raspy. "Family Head... how much longer can we hold out?"

No one answered.

The wind swirled the scent of scorched earth into the cockpit. Inside the dawn, Chen Wuwang sat motionless, his right hand hovering over the main cannon button, his fingertips white from tension.

The red light of his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye flashed rapidly as data streams scrolled frantically, but the screen still displayed that glaring red text: [Energy Interrupted, Charging Failed].

Tap, tap, tap...

He unconsciously tapped the console, the rhythm getting faster and faster, like a machine on the verge of overloading.

It had been seventeen minutes.

From the start of the battle until now, every move they made had been countered. Spiritual energy interference, formations to trap mechs, poison mist to break defenses, ground-fire countermeasures... their opponent wasn't a brute; they were a group of veteran hunters who had planned this long ago.

"The cooling System is going to blow!" a technician shouted, his voice trembling.

"Shut up," Chen Wuwang said softly, his tone terrifyingly calm. "Manually switch to the third circuit. Now."

"The interface is rusted shut... it won't connect..."

He said nothing more, his fist slowly clenching; the blood on his knuckles hadn't even dried yet.

Is it over?

No, it wasn't over.

He squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. His brain worked at high speed, just like when he used to debug code back on Earth, rearranging all the variables.

Technology Workshop... mechs... backup plans...

Suddenly, an image flashed through his mind—

Three years ago, during the first-generation psionic core experiment at the Technology Workshop, there had been an explosion. He had personally sealed an overloaded, unexploded prototype into a hidden compartment of the earth dragon type-i, attaching a label: 'C-001, Emergency Backup, Do Not Open Except in Desperation'.

Since then, they had upgraded the power System three times. This 'bomb' had long been obsolete, and no records of it even remained.

But it was still there.

Right under the third section of armor on the earth dragon type-i's left shoulder.

"Tiezhu!" He snapped his eyes open and switched communication channels, his voice booming. "Initiate the unlock sequence for the left arm's third section of armor! Enter code 'C-001'! Fast!"

"Huh?!" Chen Tiezhu was stunned in his cockpit, his face full of confusion. "What code? Where did it come from? Have you gone crazy? I'm tied up like a stuffed dumpling right now, and you want me to do some mysterious operation?!"

"No time to explain!" Chen Wuwang roared. "Trust me! Enter the code! Otherwise, we're all going to die here!"

Chen Tiezhu's breath hitched.

He knew Chen Wuwang wouldn't give reckless orders, especially at a time like this.

He gritted his teeth, one hand death-gripping the control lever to steady the mech, while the other flew across the control panel, pulling up the low-level menu of the old System.

"C-001... C-001... found it!"

*Click—*

With a soft click, the armor on the earth dragon type-i's left shoulder slowly slid open, revealing a dark red metal box. Its surface was covered in scratches, and a yellowed slip of paper was stuck to the corner, reading: 'Don't touch, will explode.'

"Crap... this thing actually exists?" Chen Tiezhu's eyes widened. "You hid a bomb in here back then?!"

"Now it's our lifeline!" Chen Wuwang roared. "Take it! Throw it into the center of the enemy formation! Fast!"

Chen Tiezhu didn't waste any more words and yanked it out. The metal box popped open, revealing a fist-sized energy orb inside. Its surface was riddled with cracks, and a ghostly blue light pulsed within the fissures like a beast about to wake up.

"Good grief... if this thing blows, I won't just lose a layer of skin, I'll be the one taking the blame!" He cursed, but he had already grabbed the bomb with one hand. Using the mech's residual power, he forced his upper body to break free from the chains.

"Take a taste of my Eastern Wasteland Thunderbolt!" he roared. His muscles tensed as he threw the bomb with all his strength!

The energy orb arced through the air, trailing a ghostly blue flame as it fell straight into the densest part of the enemy army.

Time seemed to slow down for a moment.

Everyone looked up at the flying orb of light, unsure of what it was.

"What is that?" someone asked.

"I don't know, but it looks... not good." The person next to him instinctively backed away.

BOOM—!!!

There was no warning, no delay.

A blinding blue-white fireball erupted, the shockwave spreading in a ring. The ground instantly collapsed by three feet, and sand and stone mixed with severed limbs and broken armor soared into the sky.

Over twenty enemies were sent flying by the air pressure like scarecrows hit by a giant hammer; they were no longer recognizable as human when they hit the ground.

The fire crossbow squad's formation was instantly torn apart, and a huge hole was blasted into the spear formation. Even Lei Sha was shaken, staggering back as his axe nearly slipped from his hand.

"What—what the hell was that!" he roared, his face full of horror.

The battlefield fell into a momentary silence, save for the crackling of the burning flames.

"Now's our chance!" Chen Wuwang's eyes sharpened as he immediately ordered, "Everyone! Counterattack! Press forward!"

"Understood!" Chen Xiaodao stood up abruptly, his left-hand longsword unsheathed, the blade pointing directly at the gap in the enemy formation. "Meteor Sword Intent—Star-Piercing Form!"

His figure blurred, charging into the enemy crowd like an arrow released from a bow. Wherever his sword light reached, the throats of three men were severed simultaneously, blood spraying forth.

"Xiao Dao has broken in!" a clansman shouted excitedly.

"Don't just stand there!" Chen Tiezhu bellowed from inside his mech. "I'm not out of this mess yet! While they're dazed, clear the field for me!"

He pulled the levers desperately, trying to use the vibration from the explosion to break free from the chains. The mech's armor let out a piercing screech of metal on metal as the chains snapped one by one. Although he wasn't completely free, he could already move some of his joints.

"Family Head! The cooling System pressure has dropped!" the technician suddenly shouted. "The third circuit... it's connected!"

"Switch over immediately!" Chen Wuwang's finger finally pressed the main cannon button. "Lock onto the enemy fire crossbow squad! Full power charging! Prepare for a volley!"

The dawn's back armor slowly opened, and the main cannon muzzle glowed with a ghostly blue light as energy rapidly converged.

On Bai Ling's side, she was also jolted awake by the explosion. Leaning against a clansman's shoulder, her fingertips trembled slightly, yet she struggled to condense frost.

"One... one more time." She gritted her teeth, her hands laboriously forming seals. "Ice Domain Barrier... Re-condense!"

This time, the frost was weak, only forming a thin layer of ice at her feet, but she didn't stop, continuing to output her power.

"Miss Bai, don't push yourself!" the clansman supporting her said anxiously.

"No... it's not time to fall yet." She panted, her eyes stubborn. "I can... hold them back... even for just a second..."

The enemy formation was in chaos, and seeing this, the Chen Family members' morale soared.

"Kill!"

"Avenge our fallen brothers!"

"Hold the position!"

Several guards grabbed short swords and rushed forward, filling the gap behind Chen Xiaodao.

A young Sword Cultivator leaped onto a high slope and cut down the flag-bearer with a single strike, raising the Chen Family war flag once more.

Lei Sha's face turned ashen as he roared, "Steady! Don't panic! They only have this one trick! Press forward again! Crush them for me!"

But as soon as the order was given, screams came from the rear.

"The fire crossbow squad has been wiped out!"

"The main cannon is about to fire! Retreat!"

It turned out that Chen Wuwang's main cannon had finished charging. A thick blue beam of light shot out, accurately hitting the location of the fire crossbow squad.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In a series of explosions, eight fire crossbows were instantly turned into scrap metal, and more than ten people around them were sent flying by the airwaves, their fates unknown.

"Nice!" Chen Tiezhu laughed wildly in his mech. "Family Head! One more shot! Blast that dog-head Lei's brains out for me too!"

"Charging takes time." Chen Wuwang stared at the screen, his tone calm. "But we have a three-minute window. Everyone, use the chaos to expand our gains, but don't be greedy. Our goal is to survive, not to throw our lives away."

"Xiao Dao!" He switched channels. "The right wing is yours. Clean up the remnants and don't let the enemy regroup."

"Received." Chen Xiaodao flicked a sword away from an enemy's faceplate and said coldly, "Just in time to try out my new Sword Intent."

"Tiezhu, how much can you move?"

"Half my body is still tangled, but I can fight." Chen Tiezhu grinned savagely. "How about I use the drill to give them a heart-piercing strike from underground?"

"Don't take risks," Chen Wuwang said. "Wait for my signal before you move. For now, conserve your strength."

"Tsk, since when did you become so cautious?" Chen Tiezhu spat. "Wasn't it always 'kill them all' before?"

"We weren't being held by the throat before." Chen Wuwang's gaze swept across the battlefield, and he whispered, "This time is different. They know our weaknesses. Their next move... will definitely be even more ruthless."

As he spoke, Bai Ling suddenly let out a muffled groan and collapsed to her knees.

"Bai Ling!" The clansmen hurriedly supported her.

Her face was pale, her lips purple, and the frost at her fingertips had completely extinguished.

"Mana... exhausted." She said weakly. "I'm sorry... I... I can't hold on..."

"Don't talk," the clansman said urgently. "Rest first!"

Chen Wuwang glanced at the monitor and frowned slightly, but said nothing more.

He knew that the strike just now had been her limit.

On the battlefield, the dust had not yet settled, and residual fires were still burning. Although the enemy's formation was in chaos, they had not been defeated. Lei Sha had retreated to the rear and was rallying the remaining troops, clearly preparing for the next wave of attack.

"Family Head." Chen Xiaodao's voice came through, carrying a hint of exhaustion. "They haven't collapsed; they were just caught off guard."

"I know," Chen Wuwang nodded. "But we have three minutes now."

"What's three minutes enough for?"

"Enough for me to replan our defense." His fingers slid quickly across the console, pulling up a topographical map. "Enough for you to catch your breath. Enough for Tiezhu to break free from the chains. Enough for Bai Ling to recover a breath of True Qi."

"And then?"

"And then." The corners of Chen Wuwang's mouth curled up slightly, a blood-colored spiritual rune flashing in his eyes. "Let them know what a technological counterattack looks like."

He looked down at the console and whispered to himself, "System... any instructions today?"

Deep in his consciousness, there was only silence.

No whispers of heavenly secrets.

He smiled. "Fine, for things like this, I have to rely on myself."

In the distance, Lei Sha raised his giant axe and pointed it at the dawn, his voice like thunder: "Listen up! They only have one breath left! Charge once more! Whoever captures Chen Wuwang alive will be rewarded with a million Spirit Stones! The mech blueprints will be theirs!"

The enemy formation stirred again, killing intent boiling over.

Chen Wuwang slowly raised his hand, hovering it over the main cannon button once more.

This time, his hand was very steady.

"Xiao Dao, prepare for the second wave."

"Tiezhu, wait for my signal."

"Bai Ling... can you stand up?"

Bai Ling gritted her teeth and, supported by a clansman, slowly rose to her feet. Her fingertips trembled slightly, and a very faint trace of frost reappeared.

"I can..." she whispered. "One... one more time."

Chen Wuwang nodded, his gaze like a blade.

"Then—"

"Let's show them what a desperate counterattack looks like."