New Armor Acquired

The sudden burst of power startled Li Ming. He looked at the girl, her Valkyrie armor fitting snugly, her gear more form-fitting than the standard armor worn by Li Ming and the other team members, which was just simple tight leather pants and a few pieces of exoskeleton armor. Wang Jing's Valkyrie armor, however, was much more distinctive.

The crimson leg armor, with its fine texture, looked quite alluring. Both her feet and back were equipped with auxiliary thruster systems. Her upper body was encased in crimson and white armor, and she wore a serpentine hairpin on her head, likely serving the same purpose as Li Ming's helmet. Based on Li Ming's observation, this armor seemed to be designed for defense, with an excellent impact system.

But why did the way she used her skills look so much like White Comet?

Someone actually upgraded White Comet. Could an SSS-rank White Comet automatically evolve into White Knight: Moonlight?

Li Ming shook his head, dismissing the absurd thought. He'd been tricked into playing this game in the first place, told that Dimensional was incredibly strong and that SSS-rank Dimensional Boundary Break would evolve into Herrscher of Reason. When he foolishly tried to boost Dimensional's strength, Li Ming finally understood what "trash" meant.

It was completely useless, except for charging!

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. As he mused, the power of the energy sphere Li Ming was forming grew stronger. However, after firing five Inch Strength Extreme: Thunderbolts, his SP was completely depleted. Now, Li Ming could only form an Inch Strength: Thunderbolt about thirty centimeters in diameter.

But fueled by anger, his charge-up was much faster. The scene unfolded as Wang Jing unleashed her skill: Valkyrie Burst. Energy tendrils raged around her. Protected by an energy shield, she went head-to-head with the enemy. Her body moved as flexibly as a snake, her movements generating immense power, forcing three Zhu Yan mechs into an overload state.

Seeing Wang Jing's burst, the other Valkyries stopped holding back on their energy. The two Valkyries beside her moved to restrict the Zhu Yan mechs' performance. Their method of suppression was subtle, such as using cannons to limit the firing of projectiles and the release of flames. They launched a surprise attack before the Zhu Yan mechs could transform, playing their support roles perfectly.

Li Ming, meanwhile, was continuously unleashing "Ora Ora Ora," his hands never stopping the energy blasts he formed. They didn't consume energy and even helped recharge it. When the two Zhu Yan mechs approached, the three Valkyries, one wielding a heavy cannon and the other two large swords, quickly repelled them with a couple of strikes. Although they didn't deal damage, they successfully halted the Zhu Yan mechs' advance.

It was just that compared to Wang Jing's resilience mixed with a gentle beauty, the three Valkyries beside her were clearly developing into true Valkyries, with highly developed biceps capable of easily wielding a person-sized heavy cannon with great agility.

The two wielding greatswords were even more impressive. Their bodies were like galloping horses. While they couldn't break through the energy shields, they could force the two Zhu Yan mechs back. Although it seemed to consume a lot of energy and their strength was relatively lower, they were still terrifyingly powerful.

Li Ming really wanted to ask if their idol was their true Valkyrie—the great Ms. Lewis!

No, this is really going to ruin my impression of Valkyries!

After Wang Jing blew up another Zhu Yan mech, her energy was clearly depleted. She had spent a lot protecting her teammates earlier, and the Valkyrie Burst skill itself placed a heavy burden on the Valkyrie. Wang Jing managing to last for a full minute was already quite remarkable.

Seven Zhu Yan mechs remained, but only five were left, all in overload state.

Wang Jing took a breath and looked at Li Ming, asking, "There are five left. Can you handle one?"

"I can manage. But don't you need to rest? You've been fighting for nearly an hour, and your energy must be almost depleted," Li Ming said, waving his hand. He had already completed the mission assigned by his superior, so there was no one to criticize him now.

"As Changming City's only A-rank Valkyrie, how could I be defeated here?"

Wang Jing switched to gun-fu, landing two shots on a weak point in the energy shield that her teammate had already struck. She then leaped into the air and shattered the overloaded shield of the Zhu Yan mech with a whip kick.

(⊙﹏⊙)

So fierce?

After its defense was broken, the Zhu Yan mech was met with the combined assault of five Valkyries until its demise.

Meanwhile, after Li Ming barely managed to help a Valkyrie stall one Zhu Yan mech, the remaining three were being ganged up on by several Valkyries. Even in overload state, what did it matter with an A-rank Valkyrie present? They just had to take the beating and nothing else.

Actually, if Li Ming hadn't held back the young lady next to him, she would have already charged in with her greatsword and landed a couple of hits on the Zhu Yan mech in front of them.

Hold back, hold back. You can't beat it. You're not even a B-rank Valkyrie. We just need to stall.

Thinking it was less than a B-rank, Li Ming almost couldn't hold her back.

There was no other way. Li Ming's armor only had 30 points of shield left, practically nonexistent. His HP was at 200, but his SP recovered quite quickly. The previous five Inch Strength Extreme: Thunderbolts had depleted his SP, but shortly after, Li Ming's continuous use of Inch Strength: Thunderbolt had replenished it. He now had 75 SP, just enough to casually unleash two Inch Strength Extreme: Thunderbolts, maintaining a balance.

To the left and right, he blasted the cannon muzzles on the Zhu Yan mech's arms. Even in overload, the Zhu Yan mech was modified from a Titan. The core system of a Titan—the overload system—was something the Chiyou Organization and HK Organization simply didn't have the capability to modify. Therefore, the cannon ports became the weakest point of the Zhu Yan armor when it was overloaded.

With Li Ming's help, the Valkyries found it much easier to deal with the Zhu Yan mechs. However, after helping the Valkyries, Li Ming was completely exhausted and could only lie on the ground, gasping for air.

"Little brother, you're already worn out? I thought you were quite good and healthy just now," Wang Jing teased Li Ming, who was lying on the ground like a dead dog. The other Valkyries also joined in the teasing. Despite their words, everyone's stamina was nearly depleted after the battle, with only Wang Jing having slightly more energy. Still, the biggest relief was that there were no casualties in this operation.

In past large-scale operations, Destiny usually suffered casualties. Now, transferred to Schicksal, they had developed these unconventional armors with exoskeleton and cooperative combat suits. Otherwise, the team would likely have suffered heavy losses this time.

After a brief rest, Wang Jing and the others prepared to move on to provide support. Li Ming, however, found a good spot for cover. After all, Li Ming wasn't part of their official roster. His contribution so far was already quite significant.

Unexpectedly, the four Titans from the Titan squad and the Zhu Yan mechs only showed a clear difference in their confrontation now. The result was that once they entered overload state, the Titan mechs completely crushed the Zhu Yan mechs. Once the Zhu Yan mechs' cannon ports were dismantled, they essentially became lambs to the slaughter. And when the Valkyrie combat units joined the fray, they were dealt with with relative ease.

Facing this situation, Li Ming could only say that the Zhu Yan mechs were truly pathetic. He couldn't fathom what the HK Organization was thinking, modifying the perfectly good Titans into this state.

However, Li Ming forgot that if they hadn't encountered targets like Li Ming and Wang Jing, the Zhu Yan mechs would have had too many advantages over the Titans.

But now, it was a case of the victor taking all. The defeat of the two major organizations was a foregone conclusion. Li Ming's main task now was to lie on the ground and collect loot.

"Detected a large amount of materials. Do you wish to pick them up?"

When this prompt appeared in his mind, Li Ming couldn't stop grinning. He chuckled foolishly with each type of material he obtained.

Obtained Primary Equipment Enhancement Crystal * 246

Obtained Primary Learning Chip * 123

Obtained Advanced Learning Chip * 80

Obtained Soul Fragment * 493

Obtained Gemini Soul Fragment * 230

Obtained Phase Transfer Mirror * 12

Obtained Micro Reactor * 6

This was Li Ming's entire haul from this operation. He could say he struck it rich this time, far better than his last haul, though he was missing some high-level materials.

But Li Ming wasn't complaining. In fact, he was only missing Fluid Alloy and Fluid Alloy Block to craft his own armor.

He also knew the recipe for Fluid Alloy. As long as he had the right conditions and materials, his armor would be within reach. Therefore, even though Li Ming was utterly exhausted and his body ached all over, he lay on the ground with a foolish smile. Even several sudden explosions nearby didn't wake him up.

"What's wrong?"

"Did you hit your head?"

"Could the aftershocks from that explosion have reached here?"

"Maybe he just overexerted himself!"

Just now, when the Chiyou Organization tried to threaten them with the self-destruction of their five Bixi, they had directly cooperated with the overloaded Titan units. With a death charge, they had smashed those Bixi Mechs into pieces. Oh, right, the Bixi Mechs were those five Spider King Mechs.

When Wang Jing and the others finished cleaning up the battlefield, they casually carried the grinning Li Ming towards the warship.

If they didn't check Li Ming quickly, they were genuinely afraid his brain would be damaged.

However, after coming out of the infirmary, they learned that Li Ming's condition was due to overstimulation and excessive mental exhaustion, which caused a disorder. He just needed some rest to recover, but his burns were quite severe and required immediate treatment.

So, Li Ming spent the next half month recovering at the Changming branch.

Normally, he was fine, but Wang Jing would always come to spar with him. Since he was tanky and dealt good damage, he was the natural choice for practice, and Li Ming was forced into extra training.

The Elysian Realm is closed, Hua isn't even here, why do I still have to endure extra training?

However, thanks to his contributions this time, Li Ming managed to acquire enough Fluid Alloy at the branch. He then used twelve Phase Transfer Mirrors, six Micro Reactors, Reconstruction Mold: Ability Specialization, and ten Anti-Entropy Imaginary Cores. The design process, in fact, was not completed entirely at the Changming branch; the main body of the armor was forged within the system using materials and blueprints.

Some of the finer details were designed at the branch. The overall armor resembled a martial arts uniform, with loose-fitting pants. The silver-white fabric was made of Fluid Alloy, giving it extreme toughness. Along the sides and cuffs of the pants were small, scale-like armor pieces. The pockets and belt were a mix of blue and red. A holster was designed on the back of the waist, conveniently for Li Ming to store the Moon God's Protection.

The upper body was a light blue short jacket, with grayish-purple ornaments hanging on the shoulders. A large character "明" (Ming) was emblazoned on the back, which Li Ming added himself. Four jet ports were installed on the shoulder blades, making a total of six with the ones on his feet. Originally, Li Ming wanted to add a helmet, but he reconsidered. However, he left ample space in many areas for future improvements.

As for the name of Li Ming's first armor, he finally decided on: Candlelight Armor: First Light!