403: Chapter 403 The remnants resisted stubbornly, and Chen Wuwang ordered them all to be wiped out.

The morning wind swept away the gunpowder smoke; on the scorched earth, broken mecha parts were still emitting wisps of dark smoke.

Chen Wuwang sat upright on his Black-Armored Warhorse, his left hand rhythmically tapping the hilt of his dagger, his gaze already cast toward the distant valley entrance.

The Lieutenant walked over quickly, blood spots staining his armor, the blade at his waist not yet sheathed.

"Patriarch, the Thermal Scanner has a response."

"Speak."

"There are still dense signals deep in the valley, at least two hundred people, hidden behind the rocky ridge, with a defensive line built along the ravines. They've used several damaged mechas as cover, and aerial reconnaissance captured images of people carrying Thunderstones to high ground."

Chen Wuwang didn't respond. His right eye narrowed slightly, while his left Mechanical Prosthetic Eye slowly rotated, a blue light scanning the distant mountains.

"Prepare three smoke grenades. The vanguard squad will circle around from the west to cut off the retreat. Leave a gap on the east side to let them shrink inward."

"Yes! But... do you want survivors?"

"None."

The Lieutenant's Adam's apple bobbed. He cupped his fists and turned to leave.

In less than fifteen minutes, three plumes of grey-white smoke rose, drifting toward the valley with the wind. The Chen Family warriors advanced in two groups, their footsteps light and steady, the sound of weapons charging so low it was almost inaudible.

Shouts soon echoed from the valley.

"Smoke! It's smoke! They're coming!"

"Hold your ground! Push the Thunderstones up! Blast the ramp!"

"One mecha can still move! Connect the power, quick!"

Several flashes of fire suddenly erupted from behind the rocks, and a few scattered airburst shells exploded in succession, sending mud and gravel flying. But the smoke was too thick; the rebels couldn't see outside and could only fire blindly ahead.

Using the smoke screen, the Chen Family vanguard reached the flanks and quickly set up electromagnetic shield stakes, stretching three alloy cables into a blockade line, completely sealing off the rear.

"We can't retreat!" a voice roared. "They've blocked us in!"

"Then we fight! I'd rather die than kneel!"

"Right! Killing one breaks even; killing two makes a profit!"

Several figures rushed out from behind the cover, clutching short blades and damaged talismans, lunging forward like madmen. But as soon as they showed their heads, they were picked off by snipers lying in wait on the slope.

"Don't rush blindly!" someone shouted. "Hold the high ground! Wait for them to come in!"

Just as the order was given, three Psionic Thunderstones rolled down from the mountaintop, crashing into the valley mouth and exploding into three crimson fireballs. The shockwave overturned two small drones, creating a brief gap in the aerial surveillance net.

"Strike!" a roar sounded.

Four rebel warriors suddenly leaped from their hiding places, their bodies covered in Self-Destruction Talisman Arrays, charging straight toward the center of the Chen Family's advance line.

"Electromagnetic shield, full-spectrum activation!" the Commander shouted.

Hum—

A layer of pale blue force field instantly expanded, covering the entire vanguard squad.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Four loud explosions merged into one; the talisman arrays detonated, and waves of fire rolled, but the shockwaves hit the shield and were forcefully blocked. Only the two people in the front row were shaken back a few steps, black smoke rising from their armor, but they were uninjured.

"Drone swarm, lock onto the high cliffs," Chen Wuwang's voice came from behind, cold as iron.

A buzzing sound rose as over a dozen Bee-type Drones took to the sky, infrared locking on and lasers charging.

Three red lights flashed.

"Ah—!"

Screams erupted from the high cliffs as three stone-throwers who had just peeked out were accurately picked off, their bodies slumping as they rolled down the rocks.

"They have guided weapons!" someone panicked. "We can't hide at all!"

"Shut up!" a burly man who seemed to be a leader roared. "We have no retreat! The Chen Family never leaves survivors! Surrender is also death! Better to die in battle!"

"Right! Dying in battle is better than kneeling!"

"Kill—!"

The remaining people's eyes turned red; some rushed down with blades, others fired frantically from behind cover, and the last remaining mecha was forcibly started, its tracks creaking as it wobbled outward.

"Patriarch, the enemy is in disarray, but they are still counterattacking," the Lieutenant reported in a low voice. "Should we deploy the heavy units?"

Chen Wuwang sat on his horse, motionless.

He slowly raised his right hand, pointing his fingertips toward the valley.

The wind lifted the stray hairs on his forehead, revealing his intact right eye, his gaze sharp as a blade.

"Exterminate."

As those two words fell, his palm suddenly swept down.

"Charge!"

Once the command was given, the Chen Family warriors no longer held back.

Weapons fired in unison, lasers sliced through the air, Sword Cultivators drew their swords to break the formations, and heavy mecha tracks ground over the gravel, rumbling as they pressed into the valley.

"Block them! Block them!" The rebels fought back desperately, but the firepower gap was too great. A mecha had just rushed ten paces before its cockpit was pierced by three lasers, exploding and flipping over.

"Shield formation! Form the shield formation!" someone shouted.

Seven or eight people huddled together, raising broken Spiritual Shields in an attempt to form a defensive circle.

A second later, three Bipedal Mechas leaped onto the high slope, their shoulder cannons fully charged, and a red light flashed—

Boom!

A wave of fire exploded, and the shield formation instantly disintegrated, severed limbs flying everywhere.

"Run! Run into the ravine!"

But the ravines had already been sealed by electromagnetic cables; as soon as they crawled in, they were forced out by miniature shock bombs dropped by drones. A rebel had just climbed out of the ravine when he was instantly locked onto by a sniper rifle; a red dot appeared on his brow, and he fell backward.

The battle turned into a one-sided slaughter.

Someone knelt and raised their hands, but before they could speak, they were knocked down by a warrior's rifle butt and finished off with a shot.

Someone tried to play dead by crawling into a pile of corpses, but the Thermal Scanner immediately marked them red, and two lasers pierced their chest.

"Don't kill me! I didn't do anything! I just followed them!"

"I've never touched a single person from the Chen Family! My mother is still farming in the Eastern Desolation!"

"Please... my child is only three years old..."

Wails rose one after another, but no one stopped.

The Chen Family warriors' eyes were cold and hard, their movements efficient; they struck whoever they saw and extinguished every spark of resistance.

In the center of the valley, the last dozen or so people backed against the rock wall, their weapons already empty, leaving only a few short knives and their fists.

"You... don't you cultivators say that you talk about Karma?" one person screamed hoarsely. "We are just vassals of a minor clan! It was the higher-ups who gave the order! We had no choice but to follow!"

No one responded.

"Doesn't your Chen Family talk about rules? 'No killing those who surrender,' that was set by you!"

Still, no one answered.

"Say something! You have parents too! You have brothers! Aren't you afraid of retribution!"

Chen Wuwang sat on his horse, watching from a distance.

He didn't move, nor did he give an order.

But he knew there was no need to say anything more.

The Lieutenant raised his hand, his fingers clenching and then opening.

This was the extermination signal.

Gunfire merged into a single sheet again.

As the last row of people fell, a youth tried to crawl back up, but his legs had been blown off, so he could only drag his body forward.

"I don't want to die... I really don't want to die..."

A Chen Family warrior walked over, looked down at him, and raised his gun.

"Bang."

The youth's head slumped; he stopped moving.

The valley went silent.

The wind scraped against the rock walls, swirling with ash and the scent of blood.

The ground was covered in corpses, piled layer upon layer, blood flowing like a canal, even pooling into small puddles in some places. Broken banners lay in the mud, stained with brain matter.

The Lieutenant walked over, blood spots covering his armor, his voice low: "The entire force has been wiped out; none escaped the net."

Chen Wuwang nodded.

He turned his horse around, no longer looking at that place of death.

In the distance, the sky was turning white; a new day had arrived.

"Withdraw."

His voice was very soft, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears.

The troops began to retreat, their footsteps orderly, without any clamor.

Chen Wuwang rode his horse, bringing up the rear.

His back was bolt upright, his face showing not a single ripple of emotion, as if the one who had just ordered the slaughter of two hundred people wasn't him.

The wind brushed through the valley, bringing a thick, inescapable stench of blood.

The hand of a corpse still gripped the ground, its fingertips dug into the soil.