Yanfu

Mecha?

They had built mechas?

When he heard the broadcast, Luo Yan thought he had misheard.

After all, he had only ever seen things like this in movies.

Just then, the roof above the truck compartment where he was sitting began to hum, and the top panel actually split apart from the middle!

Through the opening compartment, Luo Yan saw the sky at a glance.

High above, at an immeasurable distance, a black outline drifted across the sky.

It looked like a tree branch.

It suddenly spread open, tearing apart a "crack."

Looking through the "crack," he saw an indescribable, difficult-to-describe abstract world.

In a dimension higher than reality, countless black shadows drifted about. Soon, a flat, ever-changing shadow reached the vicinity of the "crack."

It seemed to be pulled out by some invisible force, gradually seeping through the "branch"-like crack.

Luo Yan was no stranger to this phenomenon.

On the day the Giant Beast Calamity erupted, there had been even more cracks resembling "branches" in the firmament, packed even more densely together.

They had covered the sky.

They had intertwined into a massive, despair-inducing "canopy."

One giant beast after another had been cast down from those canopy-like shadows, from that unknown space.

Because the other space had taken the shape of a towering tree that blocked out the sky and sun, it had been officially named Jambu Realm Space.

The Dirgha Agama Sutra said: "In Jambudvipa, there is a great tree king named Jambu. Its circumference is seven yojanas, and its height is a hundred yojanas."

It was quite fitting.

By then, the compartment where Luo Yan was had completely opened.

He hurriedly crawled beneath the waterproof canvas.

Then he heard the broadcast in the compartment continue.

"The spatial boundary has been breached."

"The giant beast is about to complete its three-dimensional manifestation!"

"Blue energy spectrum detected. Beginning archive matching."

"...Matching complete. The deployed giant beast has been confirmed as 'Lili.'"

"Level: Lower Tier 2."

"Type: Shedded Worm."

"Traits: Immense Strength, skilled at charging!"

As the broadcast sounded, the ropes securing the waterproof canvas in the compartment sprang loose one after another.

As the floor panel at the front of the compartment rose, the enormous waterproof canvas fell down.

Luo Yan hurriedly crawled out. Otherwise, he would have been pinned beneath it and might even have suffocated.

When he crawled free of the canvas, he suddenly realized that a gigantic shadow was hanging over him.

Luo Yan abruptly turned around.

The raised floor panel of the compartment was serving as a fixed support.

It was holding up a "giant"!

A silver-white coating covered in scratches, an engine humming to life in its chest and radiating a faint blue glow...

Broad shoulders and thick arms—all of them were forged from some alloy unknown to Luo Yan.

A mecha!

There really were mechas!

Just then, Luo Yan's view suddenly rose.

The world spun.

When he crashed back onto the floor of the compartment, he realized that he had been blasted into the air.

In the distant streets, he saw several buildings throw up clouds of dust before slowly yet firmly tilting and collapsing!

The broadcast in the compartment continued: "The giant beast has landed. Repeat, the giant beast has landed."

"'Lili' is beginning to move."

"Based on its trajectory, it is predicted to enter Galaxy Stadium in two minutes!"

An uproar erupted outside the truck.

Luo Yan realized that he could not stay here any longer.

He was about to leave.

Suddenly, someone shouted, "A civilian! A civilian has been found in Cargo Pod No. 3!"

Luo Yan immediately lunged out of the compartment.

"Stop!"

"Don't move!"

"Otherwise, we'll open fire!"

The voices came from behind him.

Luo Yan had no choice but to stop.

These people were different from scavengers.

They were professionally trained soldiers.

Luo Yan was certain they wouldn't use warning shots.

They would simply blow his head off with one shot.

He quickly raised both hands.

"Get down! Put your hands where I can see them!"

Luo Yan complied.

Soon, his arms were twisted behind his back, and then he was hauled upright.

Only then did he see that two fully armed soldiers wearing Dark Battle Armor had appeared beside him.

"What are you doing?"

One voice was filled with displeasure.

"How did you let a civilian get onto the transport vehicle?"

"Get him off immediately. I'm starting up the mecha."

Luo Yan looked over and saw a man wearing something resembling a diving suit, its surface covered in numerous circular sensors, glaring at him darkly.

His brown eyes swept over Luo Yan with disdain, even disgust.

"Yes, Pilot Yang Rong. We'll take him away immediately." One of the soldiers responded, then roughly shoved Luo Yan out of the compartment.

Luo Yan fell from the two-meter-high compartment.

The impact was severe.

Just then, the roar of machinery turning over echoed from inside the compartment.

Then darkness fell overhead.

An enormous "foot" appeared above Luo Yan's head.

He could see the precision framework and complex machinery beneath it.

Luo Yan hurriedly rolled aside.

But the foot shifted slightly to the side and slammed down onto the ground, making even the heavy truck shudder.

Then the "giant" inside the compartment stood up.

Because of the backlight, Luo Yan could not make out the mecha's full form.

But the engine's roar and the weight of its metal body brought him an unprecedented sense of oppression.

The broadcast continued.

"Captain Di Zheng and Pilot Cai Hua have already headed to the stadium."

"Pilot Yang Rong, please stand by at your current position."

At that moment, two soldiers hauled Luo Yan up.

They brought him to an SUV.

The soldiers did not make things difficult for him—or rather, this convoy had no time to bicker with a civilian like Luo Yan.

But with several gleaming gun barrels right beside him, Luo Yan did not dare escape.

Suddenly.

From the distant reaches of the city.

A muffled howl came from the direction of the stadium.

Luo Yan looked over.

He saw Galaxy Stadium collapse like a pile of toppled blocks.

It disintegrated!

The earth shook violently.

The faint roar of a beast could be heard.

Then the convoy's broadcast sounded.

"Attention!"

"The giant beast 'Lili' is approaching the convoy!"

Hearing the broadcast, the silver-white mecha driven by Pilot Yang Rong took several steps forward, then drew a heavy, highly advanced-looking rifle from its back. It had the same silver-white coating.

Luo Yan heard a soldier beside him mutter, "It's only a Lower Tier 2 giant beast. Pilot Yang Rong can handle it alone."

At the same time.

Luo Yan saw smoke billowing in rolling clouds.

Through the thick smoke, a giant beast resembling a wild boar came charging over. It had a single eye and thick, coarse skin.

Suddenly.

Luo Yan's eyes felt faintly hot.

Within his field of vision.

Apart from the gray light cluster representing "Lili,"

there was another gray light cluster behind the giant beast!

Luo Yan understood instantly. Lili was not approaching the convoy.

Rather,

something was chasing it!

"There's another one!"

Luo Yan shouted, "There's another giant beast!"

No one paid him any attention.

Or rather, everyone's attention had been drawn to the giant beast called "Lili."

They had overlooked Luo Yan.

At that moment.

From the thick smoke behind Lili, a similarly massive yet more slender shadow suddenly pounced out.

It had a head resembling a goat's, with two curved black horns covered in mysterious patterns.

It had a body like a human's, but its skin was blue-black, while its hide was thick, coarse, and covered in wrinkles.

It spread its arms wide. Each hand resembled a human hand, but was covered in claw-like talons that gleamed with a metallic luster under the sunlight.

It wrapped its arms around Lili in one swift motion.

After the charging giant beast carried the Sheep-faced Humanoid for a distance, it seemed to run out of strength.

Its forelegs gave way, and it rolled to the ground.

The monster on its back nimbly flipped several times before landing, then quickly turned around and pounced again.

Its mouth suddenly widened, revealing a bloody maw packed with canine teeth.

It sank its jaws into Lili's neck.

It tore and chewed savagely.

Lili was brutally devoured, its blood and marrow sucked dry. The scene was gruesome.

Luo Yan's mind went blank at the sight.

Only when the convoy's broadcast suddenly sounded did Luo Yan return to his senses.

"Orange spectrum! It's an Orange spectrum!"

"Immediately begin conditional matching with the archive!"

"...Matching complete!"

"Attention, this is Taotie!"

"Level: Mid Tier 3."

"Type: Shedded Worm."

"Traits: Energy Absorption, Gluttony, Swift Movement, Invisibility!"

"Its weakness is between its legs!"

Perhaps attracted by the broadcast's voice, the giant beast known as "Taotie" stopped in the distance, turned around, and looked toward the convoy.

The four tiny eyes on either side of the goat's head narrowed into slits.

Then it came charging over.

It was incredibly fast!

The convoy's only silver mecha strode forward, its high-tech rifle aimed at the giant beast.

Open fire!

Bang bang bang bang!

The deafening gunshots were like thunder.

One by one, yellow brass casings engraved with special patterns across their clothlike surfaces clattered to the ground.

Each casing was as large as an oil drum!

Though hollow, they were still shockingly heavy when they hit the ground.

One of the casings even rolled beside Luo Yan's SUV.

As the casings were ejected, streaks of orange-red fire blasted from the silver-white rifle. They were the "trails" left behind by bullets scraping through the air.

They shot straight toward the giant beast.

Taotie suddenly stopped.

Its huge mouth opened.

It sucked in hard!

The fire streaks rushing toward it suddenly twisted, all of them sucked into the giant beast's mouth.

In the blink of an eye, the rifle's magazine was empty.

The rifle stopped firing.

Taotie closed its mouth and "graciously accepted" all the bullets.

This was Gluttony!

Bang!

A magazine nearly as large as an SUV crashed to the ground, and the mecha swiftly replaced it with a fresh one.

But by the time the magazine had been replaced, Taotie was nowhere to be seen.

It had turned invisible!

Luo Yan's eyes burned.

The world grew dim in his vision.

To the left of the humanoid machine, Luo Yan saw a slender mass of gray light stirring restlessly.

"It's on your left!"

Luo Yan pointed toward the mecha's left side.

Unfortunately,

the pilot inside the mecha could not hear him at all.

Boom!

All of a sudden, the silver-white mecha was struck by a savage blow and staggered backward.

With every step it took, earth and stones burst into the air!

A huge shadow engulfed Luo Yan and the SUV.

He had no time to think. He shouted and threw himself to the ground.

Behind him, the SUV was trampled and crushed by the mecha like a toy!

The mecha continued sliding backward.

By the time it stopped, Taotie had silently appeared on its right side.

The mouth on the goat's head suddenly opened wide. From that pitch-black maw, the fire streaks it had swallowed earlier flew out again.

They swept densely across the ground, across the mecha's left knee joint, and across several SUVs.

Rumble!

The mecha's knee exploded at once. Orange-yellow flames burst from within, and huge chunks of armor flew in every direction.

The Silver Giant dropped to one knee.

Taotie seized the opportunity to pounce. It nimbly landed on the mecha, spun around, and kicked viciously.

Bang!

Amid a dull impact, the outer armor over the mecha's chest engine caved inward. Electricity sprayed across its upper body as the giant groaned and toppled over.

The ground shook violently, and no one knew how many buildings had been crushed.

The convoy's broadcast sounded again.

"The pilot has lost consciousness!"

"The Empathy System has been disconnected!"

"The ejection hatch is malfunctioning. The escape pod cannot be launched!"

"Captain Di Zheng is on his way back."

Amid the string of announcements, Luo Yan's ears rang.

He shook his head and got to his feet.

Suddenly, a chill crept over his back.

Luo Yan slowly turned around.

Taotie was crouched on the ground, slowly rising to its feet like a human.

Throughout the entire process, all four tiny eyes on the goat's head remained fixed on Luo Yan.

An intense fear and despair surged through Luo Yan's heart.

Am I going to die here?

Just then,

he seemed to hear a powerful heartbeat.

Thump.

His vision was suddenly replaced by a blur of light and shadow.

Within that blur, Luo Yan vaguely saw a burning landscape.

He saw the silhouettes of countless beasts.

He saw figures wielding weapons and unleashing lightning and thunder.

They were fighting those beasts.

Then he heard some voices.

They spoke a language he did not recognize.

Yet Luo Yan somehow understood some of the words.

"...Get up... fight..."

He seemed to see a blood-soaked figure struggle to rise again.

With a roar, it charged at a beast.

Tragic, desolate, unyielding.

Hot blood surged through his heart.

In that instant, Luo Yan could no longer tell whether it was him or someone else.

His vision returned to normal.

He saw Taotie standing upright, one foot already raised as if it were about to crush an ant.

It brought that foot down.

I am not an ant!

I will not die here!

Absolutely not!

Luo Yan roared and thrust his hands toward the enormous foot descending from above.

It was as if he intended to brace against Taotie's attack.

Anyone who saw the scene would feel that he was wildly overestimating himself.

Just as Taotie was about to crush Luo Yan beneath its foot,

suddenly,

bang!

Taotie was knocked away!

A huge silver figure forced its way into everyone's field of vision.

A mecha!

The silver-white giant that had fallen moments ago now had blue light blazing in its eyes as it charged forward.

It slammed into the giant beast.

The convoy's broadcast immediately rang out again.

"The Empathy System is online!"

"Huh... this signal—this signal isn't from Pilot Yang Rong."

"What's going on with this external signal?"

"How did it connect to the system?"

For Luo Yan at that moment,

the broadcast, Taotie's roar, and even the people's cries of alarm

all faded into the background.

He was looking at Taotie from below, his angle of view tilted upward.

But another perspective existed in his mind.

That perspective was level with the ground!

Taotie rolled over, vanished, and pounced at the mecha.

Luo Yan's eyes burned. In his Mystic Vision, he saw the gray light representing the giant beast.

He shouted and turned, thrusting out his arm.

The mecha beside Luo Yan made the exact same motion in sync!

The mecha reached out and abruptly clenched its hand.

It had seized something.

The next second, Taotie's form appeared in the air.

The mecha had Taotie by the throat!

Luo Yan raised his right hand. He felt as if he were holding a rifle.

It was as though he had merged into one with the mecha.

He was the mecha!

Thus, the nearby soldiers saw the silver-white mecha press its rifle between Taotie's legs.

That was its weak point.

Open fire!

Bang bang bang bang bang!

Huge shell casings kept crashing to the ground.

This time, the orange-red fire streaks struck Taotie the instant they blasted from the muzzle, battering its body.

The humanoid giant beast, held by the throat in the mecha's grip, kept bouncing wildly.

One pouchlike lump after another swelled across the skin of its hindquarters.

Several seconds later, a fire streak shot out from Taotie's rear.

Then more fire streaks followed!

One streak after another blasted Taotie's body into two pieces!

The lower half, still attached to its legs, slid to the ground.

A dark-gray spine hung down from the severed torso.

The mecha raised its rifle again and fired against Taotie's chest.

Unfortunately, after only a few shots, the magazine ran empty.

Luo Yan slammed his left hand toward the ground.

The mecha made the same motion, smashing Taotie's remaining half heavily into the ground.

Then it reversed its grip on the rifle, clasped the heated barrel with both hands, and brought the stock down hard against Taotie's goatlike face.

Again and again.

The soldiers' faces went pale.

They watched the berserk mecha use savage, brutal movements to slowly pound Taotie's head out of shape.

Blood kept splashing into the air. Fang after fang fell loose. Finally, one of the four tiny eyes on Taotie's face was squeezed out and dangled beside its sunken, deformed head.

At that moment, the convoy's broadcast sounded again.

"It's gone..."

"Taotie's energy spectrum has disappeared."

"It's dead!"

Under normal circumstances, the soldiers would have cheered.

But now, they slowly backed away instead.

The Silver Giant still did not stop.

Only after it had smashed Taotie's head into pieces did the mecha finally come to a halt.

At that moment, the blue light in the mecha's eyes finally dimmed and faded away.

At the same time, Luo Yan felt as if all the strength had left his body.

His legs went weak.

He collapsed onto the ground.

The deformed rifle was still embedded diagonally in Taotie's head.

Like an unfallen Battle Flag.

The scene was witnessed by a mech that had just arrived, its agile design clad in armor centered around red and blue.

The luo insect was one of the "five insects" known in ancient times.

It was a general term for animals whose bodies were not covered by feathers, scales, or shells.