Jiang Xiao smiled and slightly increased his Source Energy Intensity to replenish his energy. The interwoven blue and yellow radiance of the Thunder Cannon Floating Cannon gradually turned red!
High above, the aircraft of the Central TV Tower dutifully broadcast the scene live.
Kliffen's bizarre, shrill voice echoed throughout Sin Capital as usual.
"Eh? Everyone, has anyone seen the Sin City Council's Electromagnetic Tank? Or am I blind?"
"Aw~~, so it isn't me who's blind. It's the Sin City Council's Electromagnetic Tank that's blind! You scared me, hahaha!"
Jiang Xiao: "I Missed You, Lao Duo"
Kliffen mocked them sarcastically, without the slightest attempt to hide it. His sharp, gleeful laughter spread across the entire Sin Capital.
The criminals in most of Sin Capital's bars and gang settlements acted as though they hadn't heard him, staring blankly at the scenes on the Holographic Screens and televisions.
Two figures cloaked in nearly tangible Source Energy Auras charged into the flock like a pair of giant beasts, slaughtering without the slightest restraint!
Countless rifle muzzles spat fire, while grenades roared and machine guns and sniper cannons unleashed a storm of bombardment!
Most of the alien races in Sin Capital had never seen such terrifying firepower. Dense flames and plasma waves obscured most of the screen.
Yet even so, nothing could stop the two monsters in the slightest!
Even the upper and middle ranks of the major gangs were filled with terror.
They knew very well that unless sniper cannons and machine guns struck a Tier 2 Elite head-on, their fragments and shock waves alone could not inflict any damage!
The problem was that more than ten thousand fully armed gang members had gathered in Kasar Street Block. Even if most of them weren't martial artists, with such dense and overwhelming firepower, even a Tier 2 Peak couldn't guarantee coming out unscathed.
One had to know that Source Energy was consumed.
So what was going on with these two monsters before their eyes? They had withstood dense firepower and slaughtered without pause for nearly ten minutes, almost completely crushing the council's army.
Infinite Source Energy?
At the Blade Armor Gang headquarters, a creature resembling a mantis, with two blade arms and two sharp claws, silently watched the scene.
"...Why isn't the Sin City Council's Electromagnetic Tank firing?" it asked hoarsely.
"Boss, the council says that the humans are carrying signal interference equipment. They suspect the Black Mech Gang is supporting them from behind, because only a few of the Black Mech Gang's masters possess equipment capable of interfering with Electromagnetic Tanks over a small area." The Blade Armor Gang elite's voice was low.
"..."
The wall displaying the Holographic Screen shattered with a crash. The Blade Armor Gang leader said furiously, "Damn that old octopus! How many times has it bragged about its Electromagnetic Tanks? At the critical moment, they turn out to be useless!
"Four thousand gang members who underwent legion-style training are going to be wasted there for nothing?!
"Get them out!"
"Yes!"
It wasn't just the Blade Armor Gang. The other three major gangs were even more furious and helpless. The loss of several thousand elite gang members might not mean much to the Viper Gang and the Blade Armor Gang, but to the other two, it was a devastating blow!
Countless messages demanding a retreat were sent one after another, yet every one of them sank without a trace.
Only then did they remember that, aside from a few wired communication devices, the communications signals throughout Kasar Street Block had long since been blocked and destroyed by them personally.
Sin City Council Tower.
The chairman floated above the ground, gazing toward Kasar Street Block.
His four pure-blue eyes showed not the slightest ripple.
"Chairman, revealing yourself for fifteen tanks isn't worth it. I can't guarantee that I'll completely conceal your aura when you make your move. The last time you attacked the Hunter from afar, you almost alerted Star Harbor."
A thin, elongated figure hovering in midair drifted to the chairman's side.
"I know. Have you found the real reason the Electromagnetic Tanks can't lock on to their targets?"
"No. The most likely possibility is the Black Mech Gang's involvement. There's another possibility... The Hunter's Esper ability may have grown stronger. The ability she displayed should be capable of doing something similar."
The chairman paused. "Unless her psychic power has reached Tier 2 Peak, her ability cannot possibly reach targets more than a kilometer away."
"Chairman, look on the bright side. Perhaps that god of slaughter possesses a Tier 2 Peak Esper ability?"
"..."
The Octopus Chairman wasn't angered by the elongated figure's jest. He silently watched in the direction of Old Capital.
"It doesn't matter. Even without the Bug Eggs, the plan will merely be delayed by a year. How is the Induced Wave Oscillation Device progressing?"
"Taking seven more Black Mech Gang markets should be enough."
"Too troublesome. Find the nearest opportunity and start a war with the Black Mech Gang directly. In the end, only two hundred people will be able to leave anyway."
"Yes."
Kasar Street Block.
The frenzied slaughter ended after more than twenty minutes. Jiang Xiao shook his Source Energy, clearing away the bloodstains as though nothing had happened.
For more than a thousand meters around them, the streets were filled with craters and rubble from explosions. Countless alien corpses were scattered across the streets and buildings, densely packed beyond count!
It wasn't that everyone had been killed. Jiang Xiao simply couldn't be bothered to chase after the aliens who had escaped.
With all the Tier 2 aliens and most of the Tier 1 aliens slain, combined with the several times he and Twilight Sparkle had charged through the ranks, the fact that this group of criminals with only some training hadn't scattered immediately already meant they were well trained.
They were going to die sooner or later. There was no need to rush. Compared to them, the Electromagnetic Tanks and certain weapon components were more important.
The frontal assault on Kasar Street Block served one purpose as a show of force, and another as a means of acquiring resources.
There were enough weapons here for Jiang Xiao to dismantle and modify them into weapons that could greatly raise the Spark Gang's basic combat strength. Most important of all was the Electromagnetic Tank!
With no Tier 3 beings appearing, it was the most powerful offensive unit in Sin Capital!
Combined with his Origin Data, its performance and combat effectiveness could be raised another level.
The dozens of fixed Laser Beams were also quite good. Even a Tier 2 Regular Martial Artist would feel intimidated when facing them.
"How is it?" Jiang Xiao walked to the side and asked Twilight Sparkle with a smile.
"I'm fine."
The mental erosion brought on by prolonged slaughter had been dissolved by her powerful psychic power. Even so, she would need two or three days to recover.
Among the stars, the core that restrained powerful Individual Might was not the law or the deterrence of Advanced Civilizations, but some kind of special influence. After all, if someone with powerful Individual Might truly wanted to hide, ordinary low- and Intermediate Civilizations really had no way to find them unless an Advanced Civilization personally intervened.
The source of this influence was large-scale slaughter!
If the desire to kill grew too strong, one's consciousness would inevitably suffer a certain form of contamination. This was true for both Source Energy martial artists and Espers, though the contamination's effects were even more severe on the former.
Many scholars in the starry river believed that the source of this influence was the resentment of the intelligent beings who had been slaughtered.
Jiang Xiao had read information about this aboard the Doran, which was why he had specifically asked about Twilight Sparkle.
Seeing that Twilight Sparkle was fine, he stopped worrying.
No matter what, she had lived on Prison Star for many years. Now that her injuries had mostly recovered, she didn't need him to babysit her.
As Jiang Xiao messaged Qian Ling to bring people over and clean up the spoils of war, he casually asked, "Now that Xiao Guang's injuries have recovered, what are you planning to do next?"
Twilight Sparkle froze and hesitated for a moment. "Mr. Jiang said earlier that you needed relatively intact Rampaging Mech Soldier remains?"
"That's right, but I probably won't have much time lately."
"I'll go alone. I happen to be heading back to the camp." Twilight Sparkle's face remained expressionless, but he could tell that she was feeling somewhat nostalgic.
Jiang Xiao pondered for a moment. It seemed that there really wasn't anyone in the wilderness who could threaten Twilight Sparkle.
"All right. Do you need Plasma Bombs? They're very effective against mech soldiers."
"No. My ability counters mech soldiers very effectively."
Jiang Xiao immediately recalled that during the slaughter just now, solid projectiles and cannon shells had immediately disintegrated and collapsed as soon as they came within ten meters of Twilight Sparkle.
Her Esper ability even had a certain effect of decomposing and deflecting Laser Beams.
Clearly, the Particle Theory lessons he had supplemented Twilight Sparkle with over the past few days had been useful.
Particle Theory hadn't been deciphered by X-21. It was knowledge he had memorized after attending a week of lectures when he had applied to become a repairman apprentice aboard the Doran.
Unfortunately, he hadn't had the talent back then, and no amount of desperate studying had helped.
Multiphase Particle Beam weapons were equipment from an Intermediate Civilization. Expecting him to learn them from scratch had been pure fantasy. Even now, there were many related theorems he didn't understand; he could only grasp their general concepts.
"If I had awakened the Mechanist profession aboard the Doran, I might already be able to punch a Tier 3 into the ground and kick a Tier 4 into the sky." Jiang Xiao sighed.
The data on the various Intermediate Civilizations aboard the Doran was remarkably complete.
I missed you, my dear Doran!
Noticing that Twilight Sparkle was about to start spacing out again, Jiang Xiao helplessly took the initiative to start a conversation. "Xiao Guang, what hobbies do you have?"
Twilight Sparkle was silent, then spoke softly:
"...Reading in the Elifilia Flower Sea. They're a kind of flower from my hometown."
"Oh? What's the meaning of the flower?"
"A Free Life."
Hearing the complexity in Twilight Sparkle's voice, Jiang Xiao laughed. "Hahaha, how elegant. I'm sure it's a beautiful place."
"What about you, Mr. Jiang?"
Twilight Sparkle raised her head. Her red eyes, which gleamed like rubies through their reflections, gazed at Jiang Xiao.
Jiang Xiao froze as memories surged through him. Then he smiled. "Exploring the universe and... watching Twilight Sparkle in my free time!"
"Hmm?"
"Just a bit of childish fun."
"Oh."
The two chatted back and forth. Before long, Qian Ling arrived at the outskirts of Kasar Street Block with more than a hundred people.
Section 50: Day Eleven, Fusion Countdown
Before you continue