Might of the Steel Beast

Blue Star, Dragon Kingdom, Imperial Capital Academy of Sciences, Underground Level 3, High-Level Military Security Lab.

The air was suffocatingly still.

In the room, Ban Jianguo sat upright, while Lei Zhen stood nearby with a solemn expression. Over a dozen of Dragon Kingdom's top experts in Materials Science, Bioengineering, and Mechanical Dynamics formed a circle, staring intently at the holographic projection of the [Titan's Fist] bio-mecha disassembly blueprint.

Two elders sat at the head, exuding an unspoken authority.

Every citizen of Dragon Kingdom could recognize them at a glance.

"Academician Li, what's the consensus from the experts?"

The elder at the head spoke in a steady voice, but the knuckles gripping his teacup were faintly white.

The summoned Academician Li, a titan of Dragon Kingdom's Neuroengineering, took off his glasses and gazed at the core "Neural Translator" structure in the blueprint with near-reverent focus.

"Reporting to the chief, we can preliminarily confirm this isn't just a game mechanic," Academician Li's voice trembled slightly. "This logic for converting neural signals to electronic signals with zero latency perfectly solves the bottleneck that's stumped our brain-computer interface for a decade. Though we can't synthesize the biological materials involved yet, if we downgrade with graphene and memory alloy... theoretically, it's entirely feasible."

Another dynamics expert added, "And this Bionic Muscle Bundle Drive System—it ditches clunky hydraulic rods. If we master this tech, our Individual Exoskeleton's load capacity could conservatively increase fivefold, with flexibility rivaling the human body itself."

Ban Jianguo stood to the side, taking a deep breath, disbelief still lingering in his eyes.

The elder at the head was silent for a moment, then slowly rose.

"We need to invest more resources into this game."

"Pass the order: elevate the 'Wall Breaker' group's clearance, and establish the 'Titan Engineering Bureau.' Mobilize experts from all relevant fields nationwide, spare no expense to decode the technology in these blueprints."

Lei Zhen listened quietly, not daring to interject. He attended as a bridge between players and the authorities. Among top players, there was an early consensus—everyone in the game had an equal chance to grow stronger, and using temporary power advantages to disrupt real-world order or oppose the collective was pure suicide.

Data Maniac, Tian Ce: "Those who think being strong entitles them to privileges don't seem too bright. Especially the fools jumping around lately. With so many strong people around, they still act up—a bunch of dropouts."

The elder's gaze was piercing.

"From what we see, the player base keeps growing, and it'll eventually reach everyone. Our law enforcement needs to cooperate with top players to tighten control over power. Hmph, lucky for us, they're smart enough to see the situation clearly, not deluding themselves into thinking they're unique and need to carve up territory."

"In the game, let them fight freely. In reality, we'll turn these technologies into swords to protect our homeland."

"Mm... with our current edge, we might not need to limit ourselves to defense..."

In-game, Liver - H-124 Joint Camp - Special Workshop 01.

Compared to the grand narratives of reality, the air here reeked of financial pain.

"Easy! That's five million Bio-Energy!"

Dragon Fighting in the Wild pressed his face against the observation window, watching the [Flesh Artisan] inside embed a crimson crystal into the mold, his heart bleeding.

"To scrape that together, I liquidated the guild warehouse's equipment and resource stock!"

[Casting: Titan's Fist]

Feng Xing Tian Xia stood at the workshop entrance, his expression grim.

Even with the three major guilds and Great Wall Watch emptying their coffers, current resources only sufficed to build four units.

"This thing's too expensive." Data Maniac shook his head, staring at the backend data. "Good thing the energy system doesn't burn Bio-Energy—it uses the [High-Energy Fire Core] we farmed from the Lung. One core sustains high-intensity combat for 30 minutes."

"Tch, that's not cheap either!"

"The allocation plan's finalized." Data Maniac pulled up the list:

Feng Xing Tian Xia: LV.26. Mecha specialization: [Chainsaw Thermal Blade] + [Back Thruster].

Dragon Fighting in the Wild: LV.26. Mecha specialization: [Dual Tower Shields] + [Thickened Composite Armor].

Dali Chu Qiji: LV.25. Mecha specialization: [Heat-Resistant Coating] + [Heavy Power Hammer].

Thunder King: LV.25. Mecha specialization: [Beyond-Visual-Range Fire Control Radar] + [Thunder-Magnetic Sniper Cannon].

These four were the current ceiling for individual combat power. Data Maniac and Tian Ce, as Mind Hackers, couldn't match output roles in raw damage, and Yun Zhong You, the healer, was even less relevant.

Tian Ce adjusted his glasses. "Maniac and I will handle crowd control and command from the rear."

Yun Zhong You nodded. "I'll lead the Life Sage Group behind you for heals."

"Then it's settled."

Chen Feng looked at the four black giants gleaming with cold metallic luster.

"Four mechas, seven top-tier server-wide combatants."

"Remember, this shell only gives us a chance not to get one-shot by that Flame Demon. Mecha durability and repair costs are still unknown, but they'll be astronomical. Anyone who gets reckless pays for repairs out of pocket."

Zhao Kuo grinned, patting the three-and-a-half-meter-tall behemoth. "Relax, Brother Feng. It's like driving a limited-edition supercar—I'll be steady as a rock!"

After several hours of rest, the Duan Bronchus entrance.

The wind howled like blades, heat waves rolling in.

This was no longer the narrow Bronchiole but a vast space over a hundred thousand kilometers in diameter.

"ROAR--!!!"

A single roar whipped up a Gale Force Eight.

In the heart of the sea of fire stood a terrifying colossus over three hundred meters tall—the Flame Demon Lord (LV.35 Lord).

Its body was made of flowing lava and obsidian; every step it took turned the ground beneath into a pool of magma.

"All units, attention."

Feng Xing Tian Xia's voice rang out through the mech's loudspeaker, carrying a cold, metallic edge.

"Mech Squad, hold the front line."

"Tian Ce, take the Mage Corps and clear out the Flame Demon Larvae swarming around us. Don't let them interfere."

"Youzi, keep the heals coming! Healer Team, rotate when you're out of mana!"

"Move out!"

Boom!

Four mechs simultaneously ignited blue tail flames, carving trails of fire across the ground as they charged into the sea of flames that had once sent them retreating in defeat.

Bam—

Divine Soldiers Descend!

Engage!

The Flame Demon Lord stared at these slightly larger "bugs," its eyes brimming with savagery.

It raised its hundred-meter-long Lava Whip and lashed down viciously at the black mech leading the charge.

Last week, Dragon Fighting in the Wild had been instantly killed by that very whip strike.

"Bring it on!"

Inside the cockpit, Zhao Kuo's eyes burned red. His LV.26 strength surged through the mech's conduits, perfectly syncing with its power system.

Indomitable Skeleton!

Life Furnace!

He maneuvered the reinforced Heavy Assault Mech, slammed two Tower Shields together, and drove them deep into the ground. The rear thrusters fired at full reverse power, locking the mech in place.

He held!

Crack!!!

An earth-shattering crash.

The Lava Whip struck the Tower Shields with brutal force, sending sparks exploding like a waterfall. Zhao Kuo's mech skidded backward dozens of meters, gouging two deep trenches into the ground. The mech's armor value instantly dropped by 15%, and alarms blared inside the cockpit.

But...

It didn't shatter!

Zhao Kuo was still alive!

"He... he blocked it!!"

Behind him, Tian Ce's eyes flashed with a torrent of data. "Damage reduced by 80%! The remaining heat was absorbed by the Heat-Resistant Coating!"

"Hahaha! That's the stuff!"

Dragon Fighting in the Wild roared with laughter. "Brothers, no more chipping at its feet! We can stand our ground and go toe-to-toe this time!"

"Move!"

Feng Xing Tian Xia's calm command cut through the noise.

Seizing the moment of the Flame Demon's attack recovery, two black silhouettes darted in from the left and right.

Dali Chu Qiji's mech leaped high into the air, the Heavy Power Hammer in its hands spewing flames. Using the momentum of its descent, it slammed down hard on the Flame Demon's toe joint.

Boom!

Rubble flew. The Flame Demon's massive body lurched sideways.

At the same time, Chen Feng activated Bullet Time.

Hum—

The mech's rotation hit peak speed!

In a world of slow motion, he pulled off a physics-defying midair redirect, dodging the Flame Demon's protective ring of fire. The Chainsaw Thermal Blade on his right arm screamed with a piercing whine.

Zzzzz—!

The hard obsidian shell was torn open by the chainsaw, spewing scorching magma blood.

Armor break!!!

That single slash only shaved off a tiny sliver of the boss's enormous health bar, but it was enough to lift everyone's spirits!

In the distance, Lei Zhen set up his sniper cannon.

A blue beam pierced clean through one of the Flame Demon's eyes.

[Bio-Electromagnetic Field]

[Cerebral Overclocking]

[Energy Resonance]

The 6 potential points all-in on the Psionic Sequence talent's Explosive Jet erupted forth!

"ROAR!!!"

The Flame Demon Lord let out a pained roar. It never expected that these insignificant insects, once clad in iron shells, could actually wound it.

"We can fight! We broke through its defense!"

The player army behind erupted in cheers.

Though there were only four Mecha, with the coordination of seven top-tier players, they had forcibly torn open a gap in this hellish landscape.

"Don't celebrate too soon."

Chen Feng stared at the Flame Demon Lord's health bar—so long it was despair-inducing.

"This is just the warm-up."

"Keep the rhythm! We have to kill it before the backup energy of a thousand Fire Cores burns out!"