Synchronization Disconnected

"Neural synchronization protection automatically activated. Head link disconnected. Synchronization rate dropped to 72%."

"Warning: head armor destroyed. Thermal vision offline. Energy radar offline. Backup vision module initializing..."

Xingtian, as its name suggests, was the only exception among the first-generation mechs that did not place its cockpit in the head—its cockpit was located below the chest and above the abdomen.

The reason was simple: a mech's head could not be too heavy or too bulky, which meant the head's defensive rating was far inferior to the mech's torso.

So why not just stuff the cockpit into the more heavily armored body?

Facts proved that humans had underestimated the intelligence of the monsters. After several skirmishes, the monsters learned to target the mech's power core and cockpit, which directly led to half of the first-generation mechs becoming "flat-topped marquises."

Yet, this advanced design of the Xingtian mech made it the only first-generation mech to retire with honors.

"Machine cannons locked. Aim for the eyes!"

Bai Ying could not let the opportunity created by Xingtian losing its head go to waste.

Due to its outdated model, combined with the fact that both Xingtian and the monster were constantly moving, Xingtian's heavy machine cannons could only aim roughly at medium-to-long range; precise strikes were impossible.

Now, the chance had arrived!

The chains beneath Xingtian's spinal armor rotated at full speed, and the two heavy machine cannons aligned their muzzles with the Aggregate Beast's three glowing green eyes!

"Fire!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Scorching flames and thick smoke erupted from the muzzles, propelling the heavy shells out of the barrels and slamming them directly into the Aggregate Beast's eyes!

The Aggregate Beast let out a miserable shriek, and the stalemate where it had been locked in a four-armed struggle with Xingtian was instantly broken.

"Go to hell!"

Bai Ying shouted, and Xingtian's hands exerted force, driving its wrist blades directly into the Aggregate Beast's chest and slicing upward through its shoulders!

Two thick forelimbs were severed by Xingtian just like that, falling into the shallow sea and kicking up massive waves!

Before the Aggregate Beast could collapse, Xingtian took a step back, hunched its body, and swung its wrist blades to decapitate the beast!

The battle was not over yet; another Aggregate Beast charged at Xingtian at this very moment.

The two were now at close quarters, leaving Xingtian no room to maneuver, forcing it to raise its dual blades in defense.

The charging Aggregate Beast slammed its hammer-shaped head directly into the abdomen of the Xingtian mech!

Boom!

"Neural synchronization protection automatically activated. Abdominal link disconnected. Synchronization rate dropped to 59%."

Even without the sensation of pain, Bai Ying still felt as if her own body had been struck by a speeding car; the violent impact nearly threw her out of the pilot's seat!

A string of dazzling sparks erupted from Xingtian's waist, and the sound of mechanical parts snapping was as chaotic and fragmented as a bucket of thumbtacks hitting the floor!

"Warning: arm armor 47% damaged, waist armor 83% damaged, rocket thrusters offline!"

Even Yu Xiao had not expected that his eight-thousand-ton weight could be knocked away like a flimsy scarecrow, sent flying through the air!

If he hadn't lowered his arms the moment they made contact, he would likely have been snapped in half at the waist.

"Severe structural damage detected. Please use the escape pod to evacuate the mech immediately!"

"Don't even think about it!"

Bai Ying braced her hands against the pilot's base, using all her strength to stand back up.

She would never allow herself to flee from the battlefield; even if she died, she would die inside the mech!

The Xingtian mech was now riddled with holes, every inch of its armor scarred by battle, and the damage to its back and waist had reduced Xingtian's mobility to rock bottom.

Not far away, the Aggregate Beast roared at Yu Xiao, preparing for a second charge!

It had succeeded once already, so naturally, it wanted to finish Xingtian off in one go!

This was the exact scenario Yu Xiao wanted to avoid.

If they could close the distance for melee combat, the Xingtian mech still had a chance to kill the Aggregate Beast.

But if it charged again, with the mech's performance severely compromised and the rocket thrusters offline, Xingtian would likely be smashed to pieces before it could even cut off the beast's head!

Furthermore, Xingtian's cannons could not inflict effective damage on the Aggregate Beast, as it hid its eyes beneath its hammer-head during a charge, leaving Yu Xiao no opportunity to shoot.

The most promising method was to take out the Aggregate Beast at medium range, but the Xingtian mech had no means of striking at that distance.

As the green-glowing waves lapped against Xingtian's shins submerged in the water, Yu Xiao used the mech's backup vision to look at the monster carcass beside him.

"Roar!"

The Aggregate Beast let out a heaven-shaking howl. It retreated a few steps, then lowered its body and lunged toward Xingtian with a fierce charge!

Bai Ying took a deep breath, her red pupils showing not a hint of wavering or fear.

She wanted to gamble, to see if she could dodge this charge and use her wrist blades to sever the beast's head as she sidestepped!

But she knew the success rate of this idea was infinitely close to zero!

Xingtian's current state made it difficult even to evade this swerving charge in advance, let alone dodge the beast while in close proximity!

Even so, as long as there was a glimmer of hope, she would gamble!

The distance between the two sides was closing at high speed, and the charge of the Aggregate Beast showed no signs of slowing!

Just then, the sound she dreaded most suddenly echoed through the cockpit!

"Warning, synchronization rate has dropped to 27%, falling below the minimum piloting threshold. The mech is at risk of losing control. Please eject from the mech immediately!"

Bai Ying had heard similar warnings over ten times during training. Whenever this happened, Xingtian would immediately force all functions to shut down and enter safety mode; no matter how much Bai Ying commanded it, Xingtian would refuse to move.

And this was precisely the reason why Bai Ying could not be deployed to the battlefield.

"Move, you old piece of junk! Move!"

Fury completely consumed Bai Ying's mind. She never expected that the accident which plagued her training would repeat itself at a moment like this.

Bai Ying frantically pounded the control panel in front of her, pressing the restart button dozens of times in just a few seconds!

"Move! For! Me!"

Xingtian moved.

It just didn't move in the way Bai Ying had expected.

The power core spun at overspeed, the high heat nearly turning the entire cockpit into an oven.

An invisible force grabbed hold of Bai Ying's body—she had been hijacked by the mech once again!

Xingtian pivoted its body, rushing toward the corpse of the Aggregate Beast that had fallen beside it, grabbing one of its sharp tails and slicing it off with a blade.

If there was any part of an Aggregate Beast as hard as its head, it was its sharp tail!

Xingtian gripped the tail tightly with its right hand, pushed all power to its arm, and swung it with force at the charging Aggregate Beast!

The thick, powerful tail acted like a sturdy long whip, slicing through the screeching air and lashing directly into the back of the Aggregate Beast's head!

Crack!

The Aggregate Beast, its charge thwarted, plunged headfirst into the nearby sea, splashing up a massive wave!

Xingtian took advantage of the momentum to catch the rebounding tail, discovering that its tip was already coated in green fluid—that lash had whipped deep into the flesh of the Aggregate Beast!

Having succeeded once, Yu Xiao naturally wouldn't stop there. He swung the tail again, continuously whipping the Aggregate Beast's head while moving toward it.

By the time Yu Xiao reached the front of the Aggregate Beast, this sub-giant monster was already on the verge of death, its flesh a mangled mess!

Yu Xiao did not hesitate to plunge his wrist blade into the Aggregate Beast's head, ending its life!

"Severe damage to the mech body detected. Please use the escape pod to exit the mech immediately!"

The rain of fire continued to fall from the sky; looking around, both inside and outside the high walls were filled with monsters and artillery fire.

In the distance, the barrier of Zhenhai City was still struggling to hold on, fine cracks already appearing on the blue energy shield.

Yu Xiao dragged his broken body, walking toward the hangar step by step.

Xingtian's frame was nearing its limit, and the damage to the power core had reached an irreversible point; if it didn't receive repairs immediately, it would turn into a pile of scrap metal within two hours.

"Severe damage to the mech body detected. Please use the escape pod to exit the mech immediately!"

The alarm echoed through the cockpit repeatedly. Bai Ying looked at the crimson status of the mech on the control panel and suddenly felt a lump in her throat.

However, just as the pilot and the machine reached the hangar entrance, a disturbance came from the ocean behind them once again.

"Unknown energy fluctuation detected. Energy level: 4." The system voice came from Bai Ying's communication device; Xingtian's energy radar had long since been destroyed.

"Bai Ying! I order you to withdraw from the mech right now! A Level 4 monster we have never seen before is currently undergoing fusion!" General Chen's voice was so loud it nearly gave Bai Ying tinnitus.

"Not a chance." After a long silence, Bai Ying squeezed these three words through her teeth.

If anyone else had said this, perhaps Bai Ying wouldn't have been so resistant.

But General Chen's command sounded particularly grating; anger and defiance instantly occupied Bai Ying's mind.

This intense hatred was something even Yu Xiao, with his lowered synchronization rate, could clearly feel!

"That is an order!"

Bai Ying cut off her communication with the command center directly—she knew that the only ones who could stop this monster now were herself and Xingtian.

She and Xingtian were the final line of defense. If she withdrew now, everyone in the base would be mercilessly slaughtered by the monsters!

Bai Ying could not accept such an ending. Her original intention for becoming a Tieyu was to protect those who were powerless against the monsters!

Even if she were to die for it.

Over a dozen Type II monsters glowing with green light were fusing near the coast, but this process was not as quick as that of a normal Aggregate Beast, which could finish in seconds.

As if to protect itself from being disturbed, several new Aggregate Beasts crawled out around the Fusion Entity!

"Three minutes left..." Yu Xiao looked at his delivery countdown and gave a bitter smile.

He didn't know if he was truly smiling, as he had no physical body and Xingtian no longer had a head, but in his own imagination, he was smiling.

"Warning, neural synchronization link disconnected!"

Bang!

Xingtian tore open the armor outside its cockpit and pulled Bai Ying directly out of the pilot seat!

Bai Ying didn't even react to what was happening; unspeakable shock left her mind completely blank!

"How is this possible..."

By the time she regained her senses, she had already been placed inside the empty hangar by Xingtian!

"How is this possible..."

The command staff, having descended to the safety level, also witnessed this incredible scene, and General Chen stared at Xingtian's massive silhouette against the setting sun, remaining silent for a long time.

Yu Xiao walked step by step toward the coast, while the memories etched deep within the Xingtian mecha continuously surfaced before his eyes.

He saw cities trampled flat by monsters, with millions perishing overnight;

He saw flames erupting in the sky, people and the earth sinking into the seabed;

He saw mechas clashing with monsters, with pilots remaining in their cockpits forever;

He saw himself lying in the hangar, alone and hailed as a legend.

"What is the meaning of a mecha's creation?"

In a trance, Yu Xiao seemed to hear a question coming from Xingtian.

"Power core limit unlocked, cooling system shutting down...

Clang!

Several massive cooling tanks fell from Xingtian's frame; the once-transparent glass was already blurred by steam, and the ice-blue liquid inside was boiling!

"Warning, power core has exceeded maximum rated output, frame is melting!"

Yu Xiao could feel his alloy armor twisting and deforming from the intense heat; the unrestricted power core was now like a sun on the verge of exploding, frantically pouring overflowing energy into the frame!

The lava-like heat dyed Xingtian's twin blades red, and billowing smoke rose from the entire body—it was a blaze that even steel could not withstand!

Behind him lay the crumbling city, the precarious defensive line, and millions of people who needed to be protected.

"Fight, until the very last moment."

He did not know if this was Xingtian's thought or his own, but at this moment, they had become one.