The first bullet struck the energy core in the bird's beak just as it was about to unleash its attack.
"Clang—crack!"
A shrill metallic explosion rang out.
It was as if an invisible giant fist had smashed into the Vermilion Bird's beak. The concentrated energy instantly went out of control, triggering a small explosion that charred its head black. Parts flew everywhere, and the glow in its spirit-stone eyes dimmed.
The second bullet arrived almost at the same time, aimed straight at the core drive joint at the base of one wing.
"Crack—boom!"
The complex transmission mechanism proved no match for the specially designed armor-piercing round.
Bronze gears shattered, and the wooden axle snapped.
The Vermilion Bird let out a warped metallic wail that set the teeth on edge. Its massive body instantly lost balance, belching black smoke and spraying sparks as it spun crookedly through the air like a real giant bird shot from the sky, then plunged toward a cluster of abandoned houses in the distance.
"Rumble!"
The other Vermilion Birds circling overhead seemed shaken by their companion's sudden takedown. Their assault faltered briefly, and they quietly climbed a little higher.
Heavy footsteps sounded from every direction.
More Xuanhu-type Mechanical Garrison Warriors smashed through walls at the alley entrances and knocked down half-collapsed houses, steadily shrinking the space Chen Jin had to move.
Chen Jin grabbed Nuonuo from behind the broken wall and carried her on his back.
The Xuanhu warriors' arms extended into massive shields that slammed against each other with a dull roar. Long spears and battle axes thrust through the gaps, forming a wall of death that kept closing in.
"Tch." Chen Jin clicked his tongue, his gaze sharp as a blade as he quickly scanned the surroundings, which were almost completely sealed off.
Nuonuo seemed to feel the suffocating pressure too. Her small hands clutched his clothes tightly.
The initial probing exchange was over. Their opponents had clearly changed tactics.
An Xuanhu warrior suddenly stepped forward, its enormous bronze foot crushing the stone slabs beneath it.
It slammed its shield down with a resounding boom. Then the armor plates on its shoulder slid open, revealing a honeycomb of holes inside—
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"
Countless crossbow bolts shot out like a swarm of venomous bees, saturating the area in a barrage.
Chen Jin's pupils contracted. He rolled sideways again and again.
With Nuonuo on his back, his body moved like an agile wildcat as he rolled close to the ground in the extremely limited space, narrowly avoiding the densest part of the storm of arrows.
At the same time, the Vermilion Birds in the air launched a coordinated attack.
They no longer dived down to charge up their attacks. Instead, they kept to a safe altitude, beating their wings rapidly and intermittently raining down feather blades like a torrential downpour. They forced Chen Jin to keep moving, wearing down his strength and limiting the space in which he could dodge.
"Bang! Bang!"
Chen Jin struggled to find his balance for an instant as he rolled, then fired both guns. His bullets struck the shoulder launchers of an Xuanhu warrior that was firing crossbow bolts.
"Clang! Boom!"
A small explosion went off inside the launcher, spewing black smoke and temporarily silencing it. But another Xuanhu warrior immediately took its place, advancing behind its shield.
Chen Jin realized that destroying one or two enemies was no longer enough to turn the tide.
There were far more of them than he had expected, and they were using the simplest tactics: advancing in formation and saturating the area with firepower, step by step driving him into a dead end.
He tried to close in and attack, exploiting the difficulty these hulking machines had turning around.
But after only two steps, feather blades from two Vermilion Birds crossed in the air and sealed off his path. At the same time, a huge battle spear swung in from an Xuanhu warrior at his flank, tearing through the air with a fierce howl.
Chen Jin had no choice but to stop short and retreat. He arched his body sharply backward, bending at the waist as the spear's blade skimmed past the tip of his nose.
"Crack!"
The spear slammed into the ground where he had just been, leaving a deep trench.
An opening! The instant the Xuanhu warrior's weapon became lodged in the ground, a cold glint flashed in Chen Jin's eyes. He raised Symphony of Myriad Phenomena again, aiming straight for the unshielded joint beneath its armpit.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
He fired three shots in rapid succession, the bullets striking the same spot almost one after another.
The first bullet ricocheted off the heavy armor in a shower of sparks.
The second finally punched through, leaving a deep dent.
The third drilled through the breach!
"Creeeak—boom!"
A metal groan that set the teeth on edge came from inside the Xuanhu warrior. Its entire right arm suddenly seized up, then fell limply to its side. The battle spear in its hand clanged to the ground.
Success—but that was all.
The Xuanhu warrior had only lost part of its combat ability. It still held its shield up with its remaining left arm and slowly retreated, while another undamaged Xuanhu warrior immediately moved into its place.
Chen Jin's breathing grew ragged.
Fine beads of sweat formed on his temples, only to be quickly washed away by the cold rain.
It wasn't just physical exhaustion. The drain on his mental strength was even more pronounced.
Every shot from Symphony of Myriad Phenomena cost him mental energy.
The repeated precision shots and evasions had begun to make his temples throb faintly.
Nuonuo seemed to sense his exhaustion. She asked softly, "...Uncle, are you tired?"
Chen Jin didn't answer.
At this rate, he really would be worn to death here.
He reached into his Personal Mark with his mind, and a gray stone fragment about the size of a fingernail appeared in his hand.
[Five Yin Lost-Track Mist Barrier] Category: Consumable An Alchemist mixed the baleful energy from a tomb with a particular mineral powder, sealed it in a talisman, and refined it. When crushed, it rapidly releases a large cloud of highly concealing gray-black smoke. The smoke contains a faint trace of baleful energy, which can interfere with most detection spells based on "spiritual energy" or "yang energy," as well as the sensory cores of mechanical creations. Lasts about ten breaths. Note: A trick for obscuring the eyes and making an escape; a ghostly ruse. Still, one can never be too prepared when traveling the world.
Without hesitation, Chen Jin crushed the stone fragment in his hand.
"Pff—"
The fragment burst with a faint pop, instantly turning into roiling gray-black smoke that expanded at astonishing speed, swallowing everything within several dozen paces of Chen Jin in the blink of an eye.
The effect was immediate.
The Vermilion Bird-Type Mechanical Annihilation Wings, which had locked onto Chen Jin, seemed to lose track of him. The scarlet spirit-stone eyes in their compound vision could no longer find a target. Most of their feather blades went astray, disappearing into the thick fog or striking nearby buildings.
The Xuanhu-type Mechanical Garrison Warriors on the ground were thrown into brief confusion as well.
Their heavy footsteps grew hesitant, and their advancing formation came to a noticeable halt.
The baleful mist had significantly interfered with their sensing systems.