Future troubles

The wind at the valley entrance blew along the cliff face, its biting chill clinging tightly to the skin.

Chen Yan's palms were covered in a layer of sticky, cold sweat as he stared intently at the empty air in front of him.

An invisible barrier stood before him. When his fingertips touched it, a strong, elastic force suddenly rebounded, making his finger bones go numb.

Two days ago, in the same spot, he watched as his two companions collapsed without warning at the valley entrance, without even a chance to struggle.

Even though he had witnessed death firsthand, the agony of struggling to survive these past two days still drove him to take the risk.

The resources of the entire wilderness have been completely depleted.

The areas surrounding everyone's Shelter, the supplies to be scavenged, and the small, weak beasts to be hunted, have all been looted by wave after wave of survivors. Every day, battles, plundering, and ambushes rage outside; banding together to seize resources and killing for loot boxes has become the norm. Survival has become an increasingly strenuous task.

Only this Moonview Valley, protected by the barrier, is quiet, clean, and free from the threat of strange beasts, like the only pure land in a chaotic world.

It was precisely because he had witnessed it with his own eyes that he couldn't let it go. The scattered survivors he had encountered along the way over the past two days were all on the verge of despair, with nowhere to turn. He didn't exaggerate; he simply said, "The valley is safe," and easily gathered twenty-three people together.

Everyone is willing to take a gamble.

On this trip, he gathered scattered people along the way, eventually assembling a group of twenty-three.

The weapons in everyone's hands were all things they had taken out of chests, mostly worn-out black Iron Axe and Black Iron. The only two Bronze longbows in the group were held by the two most steady archers, and they were the toughest fighting force in the group's hands.

"Move forward and charge in with concentrated force."

Suppressing the turmoil surging within him, Chen Yan gave the order in a low voice.

He knew better than anyone that this was the only chance. Once they successfully broke in, everyone could finally escape the precarious existence outside.

More than a dozen people stepped forward at once, their bodies crashing into the invisible barrier one after another.

Dull, resounding impacts rang out one after another.

Everyone was thrown back, some landing directly on the gravel, their palms cut and bleeding from the shards. The barrier remained completely still, without even a ripple.

A flurry of panicked whispers rose from the crowd, and morale plummeted instantly.

At that very moment, a deep, heavy metallic scraping sound came from the deep crevices on both sides of the cliff.

Buzz...

A cold, mechanical hum reverberated back and forth along the cliff face.

Chen Yan's muscles tensed suddenly, and his pupils contracted sharply.

He will never forget that sound. Two days ago, the same mechanical noise took two lives.

Two gray-white alloy machines slowly emerged from the dark crevice in the rock.

The machine at the front was massive and heavy, its one-piece cast alloy body devoid of any superfluous decorations. Its fists were large and solid, and with each step it took on the gravel, the ground trembled slightly. It stood firmly in the center of the valley entrance, sealing off all entrances.

The following machine was slender, its outer shell covered with densely packed sensor modules, spreading out a faint light that instantly enveloped the entire open space below the cliff.

No warning, no pause.

The heavy machine took a sudden step, tearing through the air with a whooshing sound.

The alloy fist slammed straight into the man holding the spear in the front row.

The man had barely regained his footing when all he saw in his pupils was a suddenly enlarged black shadow. The Black Iron in his hand was bent by a heavy punch as soon as it was raised into the air.

The dull thud of bones breaking was short and piercing.

The man's chest caved in suddenly, and his body flew backward like a kite with a broken string. After landing, his limbs twitched twice and then remained motionless.

The smell of blood spread rapidly with the cold wind.

"Scatter! Scatter now!"

Terrified screams erupted, and the crowd instantly descended into chaos.

The slender machine's faint light field locked down this narrow space, and an invisible force hindered everyone's steps. To the left and right were steep cliffs, in front was an impenetrable barrier, and behind them was only a path leading to the dense forest. More than twenty people were trapped in this small area, with no way to escape.

Two Bronze arrows shot through the air and struck the heavy body of the machine.

Sparks flew, and several scalding fragments hit the faces of nearby survivors, burning them so much that they instinctively turned their heads to dodge.

The arrow only left two shallow white marks, unable to penetrate the hard outer shell at all.

The heavy machine continued forward, its horizontal arm sweeping out.

The two survivors wielding axes were caught off guard and were violently thrown into the air, crashing heavily into the stone wall. One of them had his arm twisted at an odd angle, curled up on the ground and groaning in pain, unable to lift his weapon any longer, and could only curl up in agony among the rubble.

In just a few breaths, three lives were lost.

The remaining people had long forgotten about seizing the valley; their only thought was to escape. They swarmed towards the dense forest behind them, pushing and trampling each other, completely blocking their escape route. Some were pushed to the ground and nearly trampled to death by the panicked crowd.

Chen Yan's heart was as cold as ice.

He could see it perfectly clearly: the two machines would only guard the area at the valley entrance and wouldn't chase him into the woods. As long as they rushed into the woods, they would have a chance to survive.

But the crowd was in complete chaos, morale was shattered, and if they continued to push like this, their own people would be the first to get hurt, even without the machines.

Chen Yan revealed a strange object— the Illusory Moon Talisman.

This was the trump card he obtained from the box in a special place, which he kept hidden and never easily revealed.

Now we have to fight with all our might. A pale purple mist surged forth instantly, engulfing the entire open space below the cliff in the blink of an eye.

A dreamlike world unfolds.

In the vision of the Heavy Anvil Assault Mech and the Inkstone Guard, countless afterimages emerged layer upon layer, real and fake figures mixed together, interfering with their scanning and judgment.

To the survivors, the cold, imposing machine that had blocked their path had vanished. The booming metallic sounds faded away, and the damp scent of grass and trees wafted through the forest. A wide gap appeared between the cliffs, revealing a smooth and open path leading to the dense forest, devoid of any hidden danger.

They were still terrified, but they no longer frantically trampled and fought for what they had. Their gazes were drawn to the illusion, and they instinctively moved toward the false passage.

"Retreat! Everyone, run into the woods!"

Chen Yan shouted at the top of his lungs, and taking advantage of a gap in the illusion, he reached out and grabbed the person next to him who was so panicked that his legs went weak, and pushed him forcefully towards the forest.

The survivors, who were originally stuck in a tangled mess, were guided by the illusion and stopped rushing around. They turned around one after another and fled into the dense forest. Although their formation was scattered, they no longer hindered each other.

As Chen Yan pushed the people around him backward, he kept a close eye on the two machines out of the corner of his eye.

Purple mist filled the surroundings, and the companions used the illusion to escape forward, but the two alloy machines continued to move steadily forward, unaffected by the surrounding phantoms.

A chill ran down his spine.

These mechanical creations have no mind and are not susceptible to illusions.

Illusions can blind people and confuse their senses, but they are ineffective against inanimate objects. They can only slightly slow down time, but they cannot stop them at all.

High slopes within the valley.

Lu Heng stood there, and the alarm on his Wristband had already sounded the moment this group of people touched the barrier and insisted on forcing their way in.

He looked down from his vantage point at the chaotic scene below the cliff.

Let them go; this matter will not end here.

The unique and peaceful nature of Moonview Valley will be widely known among these survivors. The next group to return will not be a scattered group of twenty-three, but a complete team of dozens, fully armed and with a plundering mentality.

One problem after another will keep troubling this valley.

Below, purple mist surged, and the survivors, using the illusion as cover, desperately fled into the dense forest, wanting nothing more than to escape this deadly place.

The Heavy Anvil Assault Mech continued to advance, each step steadily shattering the surrounding afterimages. The scanning dots of the Inkstone Guard accurately marked the fleeing figures, hovering quietly at the valley entrance, awaiting only their master's final command.

Take action now, eradicate the problem completely, and eliminate any future troubles.

Letting them go unchecked is to sow the seeds of endless hidden dangers.

Lu Heng watched the fleeing figures silently, his fingertips pausing slightly, and he remained silent for a long time.

Outside the valley entrance, the purple mist continued to flow slowly. The low rumble of metal reverberated between the cliffs.