361: Chapter 361 Mechs Sweep Across the Land, Unstoppable Force

Boom—!

Caterpillar tracks rolled over scorched earth, crushing a broken blade and a corpse that hadn't even cooled yet. A ten-zhang-tall steel giant slowly drove down the gentle slope of the city wall, the ground shaking with every step it took.

Chen Tiezhu sat in the cockpit, his hands gripping the control levers so tightly his knuckles were white. His right eye stared at the data streams flickering on the main display, while his left eye scanned the heat source distribution map on the side screen. A half-unlit Spiritual Plant cigarette dangled from his mouth.

"Damn, that kid Xiao Dao is really ruthless," he cursed under his breath, looking at the severed limbs and broken arms scattered across the battlefield ahead. "This isn't a war; this is a meat grinder."

Before he finished speaking, an alarm flashed on the secondary screen: "Central Ridge area, three high-energy reactions detected. Suspected Golden Core Cultivators regrouping a defensive line!"

"Oh? Still trying to turn things around?" Chen Tiezhu grinned, his yellow teeth looking particularly eerie under the red light. "I just installed these Rune Cannons and was worried I'd have nowhere to test them."

He slammed the console: "Activate shoulder main cannons! Charge for three seconds, lock onto the three o'clock direction of the ridge platform!"

"Vrrr—" The armor on the mecha's shoulders slid open, and two short-barreled cannons covered in runes slowly emerged. The spiritual energy circuits lit up instantly, and a faint crackling sound filled the air.

"Charging complete," the System prompt sounded.

"Fire!" Chen Tiezhu slammed the fire button.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three Explosive Shells fired in rapid succession, trailing crimson exhaust as they pierced the night sky and accurately hit the stone platform atop the ridge.

The blast wave sent rocks and gravel flying, and the entire small hill collapsed on the spot. Three figures screamed as they were buried under the rubble, never to crawl out again.

"Ha!" Chen Tiezhu punched the console. "What bullshit Golden Core? They aren't even enough to fill the gaps between my teeth!"

He turned the mecha, the engine roaring as the tracks kicked up clouds of dust, heading straight for the heart of the battlefield.

In the distance, several enemy sorcerers hiding in a sandy trench poked their heads out. Seeing this behemoth charging toward them, their Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering in terror.

"Run! It's that old madman from the Artifact Refining Workshop! He's come out in the 'Iron Bull'!"

"Stop shouting! It can hear you!"

"Quickly, form a defensive array! We still have—"

Before the sentence could be finished, the mecha's right leg slammed into the ground.

THOOM!!!

A muffled boom like a clap of thunder rang out. The ground shook violently, and spiderweb-like cracks spread outward from the mecha. The enemies hiding in the gullies were all jolted out of their cover, popping up like toads from a sand pit.

"Heh heh, Shock Device online," Chen Tiezhu grinned. "Mark them for me!"

The radar on its back deployed, sending ripples across the battlefield. Every living heat source was instantly marked as a red dot, densely populating the tactical map.

"Twenty zhang southeast, seven; northwest depression, nine; directly ahead at the bottom of the trench, a bunch of cowards... Excellent." He sneered. "Don't even think about hiding."

The mecha stopped, and the weapon Systems on its arms began to transform.

The right arm armor folded and reorganized layer by layer, metal chains clattering, finally turning into a giant five-zhang-long Chainsaw Blade. The teeth spun, emitting a piercing hum.

From the left arm, an Electromagnetic Capture Net glowing with blue light popped out, suspended in the air, ready to be cast at any moment.

"Clearing mode, activate." Chen Tiezhu took a deep breath, his eyes fixed forward. "Today, I'll teach you the rules of what's called technological cultivation."

He pushed the control lever forward.

The mecha thundered forward, tracks kicking up yellow sand like waves. The Chainsaw Blade spun at high speed, shrieking as it tore through the air.

At the bottom of the trench ahead, a dozen remnants were huddling with their heads in their hands. Hearing the commotion, they looked up and turned pale with fright.

"It's coming! Scatter!"

"It's too late! Cast your spells! Quick—"

A blue light arrived first as the Electromagnetic Capture Net fell like a heavenly shroud, instantly wrapping seven or eight people into a bundle. They struggled and roared, but even their bursting spiritual power could not break free from the net's constraints.

In the next second, the Chainsaw Blade swept across.

Squelch—!

Blood mist sprayed, and severed limbs mixed with internal organs flew into the air. The bottom of the trench instantly turned into a slaughterhouse.

"Blegh—!" A survivor knelt on the ground, retching. "This isn't something a human should build! This is a demonic tool!"

"Demonic tool?" Chen Tiezhu spat inside the cockpit. "What the Hell do you know! This is the 'Bone-Breaking Flesh-Tearer King' that I spent three months on, went through seventeen revisions, and tested repeatedly using my own prosthetic parts! Call it by its name!"

He controlled the mecha to turn. The Chainsaw Blade, dripping with blood, slowly pointed toward another group of fleeing enemies.

"Now, it's your turn."

The mecha charged again, the ground shaking incessantly. Every step sounded like the God of Death knocking on the door.

The remaining enemies fled in all directions. Some tried to leap onto sand dunes, some crawled into rock crevices, and some simply lay on the ground pretending to be dead.

But it was useless.

The Shock Steps continued to release, exposing the hiders every time the mecha landed. Once the radar locked onto a target, the Electromagnetic Capture Net blocked their retreat first, followed by the Chainsaw Blade harvesting their lives.

In a short while, a circular clearing of severed limbs and scorched earth had formed in the center of the battlefield, like an altar opened by Hell.

"Report! The last batch of targets in the southwest has been surrounded!" the voice of a mecha squad member came through the communication channel. "Requesting orders!"

"Don't be in a hurry." Chen Tiezhu stared at the main screen, his lips curling up. "Let them gather a bit more. When it's full, I'll pull the net all at once."

He pulled up the local terrain map, his gaze falling on a U-shaped valley.

"That place is good. High cliffs on both sides and only one path in the middle—it's a perfect slaughter trough," he whispered to himself. "Just right to leave for the next batch of brothers to practice on."

He raised his right hand and slowly gripped the red button at the front of the control lever.

"Once the Spirit Array team is in place, I'll lock all these bastards inside and catch them like rats in a trap."

The mecha stood steadily in the heart of the battlefield. Its arm weapon Systems continued to charge, the Chainsaw Blade spinning slowly with a heart-palpitating hum. The Electromagnetic Capture Net was retracted and on standby, its blue light flickering slightly in the night.

Ahead, the surviving enemies huddled in the blind spots of the valley, shivering, none daring to move.

Chen Tiezhu leaned back in his seat, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and bit down on that piece of Spiritual Plant cigarette again.

"Xiao Dao, oh Xiao Dao, you do your hacking, and I'll do my crushing," he murmured. "Neither of us will fight over the credit; we'll just see who stomps on more ants."

He suddenly looked up, glancing toward the silhouette of a silver-white mecha standing still on the city wall, his eyes flashing.

"Family Head... this battle is just getting warmed up."

Inside the mecha cockpit, the indicator lights on the control levers flashed steadily. The energy readings were stable, and the scanning System continued to track every movement within the valley ahead.

Chen Tiezhu exhaled a breath of turbid air and gripped the control levers once more.

"Prepare for the next round of clearing," he said in a low voice. "Not a single one gets away."