423: Chapter 423 Ambush Encounters, Battle Erupts Instantly

The friction sounds deep within the gray fog echoed once more, at least fifty paces closer than before.

Chen Wuwang's fingers pressed down hard on the control panel, and his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye instantly switched to heat-source tracking mode.

In his field of vision, thirty-seven dark red light spots were sliding down from the crevices high up on the rock walls, moving extremely fast and arcing to surround the center of the squad.

"All units, initiate Level One combat readiness!" His voice was not loud, but it grated like iron scraping over gravel, exploding directly into everyone's eardrums. "Shield formation to the front, cannons at a sixty-degree elevation! Don't wait for them to land!"

The moment the command dropped, three hundred mechs reacted in unison.

The ten heavy defensive mechs in the front row immediately crouched, and with a "click," the hydraulic devices on their shoulders deployed semi-circular spiritual energy shields, their surfaces rippling with pale blue waves;

The six long-range artillery mechs in the rear quickly unfolded their back-mounted folding wings, their engines roaring as they slowly ascended.

"Family Head! Movement at three o'clock on the left flank!" A scout roared out half the sentence; before the words faded, a black shadow leaped out from the fog, a short blade in its hand shimmering with a ghostly green, cold light, lunging straight for the cockpit of a lightly damaged mech.

"Fire!" The mech pilot roared. The micro-rune crossbow on the side of the shoulder automatically locked on, and three electromagnetic darts pierced through the air.

Pfft!

The black shadow was pinned to the rock wall, twitched twice, and fell into the fine sand.

But immediately after, seven or eight more figures leaped down from different angles. Their movements were eerie, and they landed without a sound. What they threw were not swords or blades, but chains wrapped in talisman paper.

"Damn! The treads are tangled!"

"Number Two can't pull away! Help quickly!"

"Number Three mech's right leg is jammed—!"

Several mechs instantly fell into a passive state, their treads twisted tight by the chains, unable to move.

The enemy seized the opportunity to throw explosive talismans, sticking them onto the mech joints, and with a "bang," a burst of crimson fire exploded.

"Steady, don't panic!" Chen Wuwang's pupils contracted sharply. He shoved the control stick with his right hand, and the eye of wuwang's feet spewed spiritual flames. The machine body surged three zhang high, like a silver wolf tearing through the night, charging straight into the gray fog ahead.

The laser sword popped out from its sheath with a hum, its blade lighting up with blinding white light.

"Get—out of my way!"

He swept his sword horizontally, and the weapons of the five enemies who had just landed snapped in unison, sparks flying everywhere.

The sword momentum didn't diminish; he followed through with a downward slash. The armor of two black-robed ambushers split open, blood spraying out and splashing onto the mech's visor, leaving two red streaks.

"Kill!"

"Kill them!"

"Avenge our fallen brothers!"

The Chen family warriors completely exploded into action.

Some jumped out of their cockpits, wielding dual blades as they charged into the enemy ranks; others frantically pressed buttons inside their cockpits, firing shoulder cannons in rapid succession, blasting the enemies climbing onto their mech's backs into fragments.

"Number Three, Seven, Nine, move in! Triangular shield formation!" A captain roared. "Drag the wounded back!"

The three rear-guard mechs quickly moved side-by-side, forming an iron triangle and forcibly withstanding a wave of dart fire.

Two warriors threw out electromagnetic grappling hooks, latching onto the entangled comrade mechs. With engines at full throttle, their treads crushed through the bone-dust sand, forcibly dragging the people back to the defensive line.

"Long-range team! Clear the high ground for me!"

"Lock onto the rock crevices! Volley fire!"

The six aerial artillery mechs fired micro-rune missiles simultaneously, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish—

Six consecutive shrieks followed, and explosions blossomed one after another high up on the rock wall. Debris and severed limbs flew everywhere, forcing the remaining ambushers to retreat into the crevices temporarily.

"Good! They're suppressed!"

"Hold the line! Don't let them get close again!"

But before everyone could catch their breath, a deep chanting sound suddenly came from deep within the gray fog. Seven figures stepped out onto the fine sand, their black robes covered in twisted runes. The weapons in their hands were no longer short blades, but heavy rune-engraved great axes and long spears.

"Not good! It's an elite team!"

"They're trying to surround the Family Head!"

The seven people approached the eye of wuwang from three directions. One held a great axe high, slamming it down toward the mech's left knee joint;

Two others thrust their long spears from the ground, the tips glowing with a corrosive green light, aiming straight for the bottom power conduits;

The other four quickly set up a formation, their fingers pinching seals. A circle of dark red anti-air talisman formation instantly appeared on the ground, its light flowing and sealing off any path to take flight.

"You want to trap me?" Chen Wuwang sneered, his right hand inputting commands at high speed. "Back-mounted jamming drones, deploy!"

"Swish! Swish!" Two thumb-sized flying devices popped out from the mech's back, hovering in mid-air and instantly releasing dense spiritual energy interference.

The anti-air talisman formation's light flickered, experiencing a brief disturbance.

"Now!"

He engaged his leg hydraulic devices to full power, kicked off the ground, and rolled to the side, dodging the great axe slash and the ground spear ambush. His metal feet carved two deep grooves into the fine sand.

The moment he landed, the laser sword switched to high-frequency vibration mode. He touched the tip to the ground and swept it in a circle.

"Clang, clang, clang!" The weapons of three people melted and snapped, sparks raining down. He spun and leaped up, kicking the great axe wielder away. The man flew backward, slammed into the rock wall, and passed out on the spot.

"Whoever dares to step forward dies!" Chen Wuwang shouted coldly, his voice piercing through the fog and making the surrounding rock walls hum.

The four formation setters' expressions changed, and they subconsciously retreated half a step.

"Don't be afraid! He only has one mech!" One of them gritted his teeth and shouted. "Surround him! Kill him! The mission will be complete!"

Before the words faded, another batch of black shadows surged out from the fog—no fewer than fifty of them. They held weapons that were a mix of runes and mechanical construction; some carried small rocket launchers on their backs, others had poison smoke bombs hanging from their waists, clearly prepared for this.

"Family Head! Pressure on the right side is increasing!"

"The left flank is also under attack! They want to split us up!"

"Number Three shield formation can't hold!"

The front line was in urgent distress again.

Two mechs were hit by rockets, their shields shattering, and the pilots coughed blood uncontrollably; one scout mech was enveloped in poison smoke, its System alarms blaring incessantly.

"Ironhead! Take the backup team and reinforce the defense!"

"Old Li! Send out the medical drones!"

"Artillery team, switch to armor-piercing rounds! Aim specifically for joints and heads!"

The frontline commanders roared, and the Chen family warriors showed no fear; even if their mechs were damaged, they held the line to the death.

Some jumped out of their cockpits, using their bodies to block enemies from approaching the core cabin;

Some laughed while coughing blood over the communication channel: "If I die today, remember to use my share of the pension to buy my mother a jar of good wine!"

"Shut up! Everyone, stay alive and go back!" Chen Wuwang roared, bloodshot veins appearing at the corners of his eyes, and faint blood-colored spiritual patterns emerged deep within his pupils.

He piloted the eye of wuwang, surging forward violently. The laser sword slashed three times in succession, carving a bloody path straight toward the enemy's command position.

"See that masked one? The one in the middle!" He pointed toward a tall, thin figure deep in the gray fog holding a scepter. "Capture him alive! I want to interrogate him!"

"Understood!"

"Sniper team, ready!"

"Lock onto the target's head!"

But just at this moment, a patch of red light exploded above the rock wall. Dozens of binding chains descended from the sky, covering the entire Chen family squad like a giant net.

"Watch out!"

"Full shields!"

"Dodge—!"

It was too late.

Over a dozen mechs were entangled by the chains, unable to move. Three more were dragged directly off the ground, dangling and swaying in mid-air.

"Hahaha! Chen Wuwang! You have today too!" A hoarse voice came from the fog. "You thought you could investigate 'Light-Erosion'? You haven't even touched our shadows!"

Chen Wuwang looked up, his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye locking onto the person speaking—dressed in a black robe, wearing a bronze ghost mask on his face, and holding a scepter embedded with a blood-colored crystal in his hand.

"Oh?" He curled his lips, slowly raising his laser sword, the tip pointing directly at the other person. "Then are you... not already right in front of me now?"

Before the words finished, he slammed down on the thrusters. The eye of wuwang shot out like an arrow released from a bow, breaking through the gray fog and lunging straight for the Ghost-Faced Man.

The battle continued.

In the valley, blade light and firelight intertwined, and the sounds of shouting and killing shook the heavens.