Made up his mind-kill

The purple mist at the valley entrance flowed slowly, and the last bit of the illusory halo was shattered and dissipated by the cold wind from the cliff.

The low hum of the metal parts lingered in the empty air, refusing to dissipate.

Lu Heng on the high slope, his figure as still as a stone sculpture, without making any unnecessary movements from beginning to end.

The gravel beach at the valley entrance was a scene of utter devastation. The invading team of twenty-three had completely collapsed in a single exchange. Three corpses lay scattered between the rocks, their dark red blood slowly seeping into the veins of the gray-white gravel, a stark and unsettling sight. Two severely wounded survivors lay curled up on the ground, their limbs twisted and dislocated, only able to groan intermittently with their weak breaths, utterly exhausted even to lift their hands to support themselves or move their bodies.

The remaining dozen or so people, taking advantage of the brief gap created by the illusion, mustered all their strength to plunge into the dark, dense forest, stepping on Withered Branch and fallen leaves, and fled in panic toward the desolate and lifeless depths of the wilderness.

At the edge of the cliff, both the Heavy Anvil Assault Mech and the Inkstone Guard were parked.

The machine remained frozen in place, adhering strictly to its initial guarding procedures, not deviating even slightly, quietly awaiting its master's final command.

Lu Heng's gaze fell on the entrance to the dense forest and lingered for a moment.

The wind blew through the valley, carrying the smell of blood and the dampness of the earth.

His eyes flickered slightly.

The fingertip landed, and the command was given silently.

The protective locks binding the machine were instantly abolished.

The next second, the deep mechanical roar suddenly surged, causing rocks to fall from the entire cliff face. Fine sand and gravel slid down the rock face and landed on the pebble beach with a soft rustling sound.

The Heavy Anvil slammed into the ground, sending shards of stone flying. No longer constrained by the valley's edge, the machine, carrying an overwhelming pressure, turned and charged into the dark forest. Thick branches, dense bushes, and tangled thorns were brutally smashed, crisp cracking sounds echoing as a cold, deadly path was forcibly pushed into the deep woods.

The Inkstone Guard hovered low above the ground, its body flashing with faint light, precisely locking onto every fleeing figure in the forest, following Lu Heng's expanded senses.

Inside the dense forest, the night wind howled, the grass and trees swayed wildly, and the dim light and shadows flickered constantly. A thick layer of fallen leaves covered the ground, each step producing a dull, crunching sound.

Chen Yan sprinted forward with all his might, his chest heaving violently. The biting cold wind constantly filled his lungs, bringing sharp, piercing pain. In his frantic escape, rough branches constantly scraped against his skin, leaving fine, bloody streaks, but he felt no pain whatsoever. He clutched the Bronze dagger he had taken from the treasure chest, the hilt slippery from his cold sweat, almost too slippery to hold.

The ground beneath his feet was uneven. Tangled tree roots bulged out from under the fallen leaves. He lost his footing and fell forward, his palm slamming heavily onto the gravel and Withered Branch. His palm was cut open, and blood mixed with dirt seeped into the lines of his hand. He gritted his teeth, got up, and without bothering to wipe it away, continued rushing forward.

The valley entrance behind him was already obscured by layers of trees, and he couldn't see anything at all. He just kept his head down and ran wildly, his heart filled with nothing but the relief of surviving a disaster.

They survived.

Using the illusion created by the Illusory Moon Talisman as cover, they won their gamble and successfully escaped.

But just seconds later, a tremor that grew closer and deeper came from the ground beneath my feet.

It wasn't the light vibration of a human running, but the heavy, muffled sound of heavy machinery crushing the earth and crushing the grass and trees.

The sound relentlessly pursued from behind, drawing ever closer, like the inescapable breath of death clinging to my back.

Chen Yan's scalp suddenly throbbed, his frantic running steps abruptly stopped, and every hair on his body stood on end.

He turned around abruptly.

At the end of the deep, dark forest path, two cold, mechanical silhouettes pierced through the layers of darkness, brazenly crossing the boundary and pursuing them at full speed.

The alloy shell of the Heavy Anvil was covered with grass clippings and mud spots, Inkstone Guard hung low in the air, its faint light flickering among the shadows of the trees.

Chen Yan's breathing suddenly stopped.

I didn't chase after them just now—not because I couldn't.

That person simply didn't want to pursue her.

Now I've thought about it.

"Scatter! Everyone scatter and run!!"

Chen Yan roared, his voice trembling, as if his throat was filled with grit.

The crowd that had been fleeing in a huddle instantly panicked, and everyone scattered and ran blindly in different directions, just wanting to create distance and survive for one more second.

But it was all too late.

The Inkstone Guard ' lock-on had no blind spots; the entire dense forest had become a closed hunting ground.

Screams echoed through the woods.

The last runner is the first to be overtaken, with no room for struggle or humbly begging for mercy. The heavy mechanical force crashes down, silencing all sound in an instant.

Screams echoed through the dark forest, sometimes near, sometimes far, and sometimes near again.

Chen Yan used his last bit of strength to weave through the trees, his ears filled with the cries of his companions, the snapping of branches, and the dull thud of machinery crushing the ground.

He watched helplessly as his companions, who had escaped with him, disappeared one by one.

Someone slipped and fell, crashing heavily into a pile of fallen leaves, instantly swallowed by the darkness behind them, and never moved again.

Some people panicked and ran into the dense bushes, only to have the entire thicket violently smashed apart the next second, with branches and leaves flying everywhere, and the forest instantly falling silent.

Someone tried to climb the tree trunk, but as soon as their fingers dug into the bark, Inkstone Guard's faint light was already behind them. Before they could even groan, they fell from the tree and were never heard again.

The entire dense forest is being thoroughly cleaned up bit by bit by two machines.

There was no favoritism, no room for luck, and no possibility of escape.

He ran the fastest and lasted the longest, but the chilling aura of death behind him never left him for even a moment.

The branch struck his face, cutting a gash. Blood streamed down his cheek, trickling into the corner of his mouth, tasting salty and metallic. He didn't bother to wipe it away, nor did he care about the pain. His lungs felt like they were on fire, each breath a searing agony. His legs were already weak and aching, each step feeling like walking on cotton, but he dared not stop.

He heard a short cry for help coming from behind him. It was from his companion who had escaped from the valley entrance with him. The sound lasted only half a second before it stopped.

Another sound came from another direction, and then it stopped abruptly as well.

Then, all that remained were the muffled sounds of machinery crushing fallen leaves and broken branches, and his own heavy, almost suffocating breathing.

With a final, short scream, the noisy forest fell into utter silence.

The dozen or so people who had just fled were all wiped out without exception.

The two seriously injured men in Taniguchi who were unable to move were also dealt with decisively.

From beginning to end, all twenty-three invaders were wiped out.

The wind in the forest gradually subsided, leaving only the soft sound of falling leaves. The heavy smell of blood carried by the evening breeze from the dense forest, spreading across the open wilderness, mingling with the scent of withered grass and earth, lingering in the air for a long time.

The Heavy Anvil's alloy feet slowly emerged from the depths of the dense forest, its fuselage stained with dark red blood and fallen leaves. The Inkstone Guard hovered low behind it, its faint light gradually fading as it returned to a silent standby state. The two machines, one in front of the other, retreated back to the valley entrance along the path they had come from, stopping beside Lu Heng as if they had never moved.

Lu Heng didn't look at them.

The invisible spiritual perception spread silently, over the cliffs, over the dense forests, and into the distant wilderness.

Sensing the edge, he detected several hidden presences.

The closest one lay prone in the tall grass of a distant, overgrown slope, his palms pressed firmly to the ground, his muscles stiff and tense, afraid to make even the slightest movement. The edges of the grass blades cut his forearm, and tiny beads of blood seeped out, but he dared not raise his hand to wipe them away.

This was a lone survivor exploring resources. He was just passing through the area when he noticed something unusual happening in the valley. He cautiously and curiously approached, hiding in the shadows to observe from afar.

He was too far away to see the invasion and standoff at the valley entrance, the group's initial greed for the valley, or all the previous stalemates and probing.

From beginning to end, he only saw the coldest and most tragic ending.

Deep within the dense forest, two cold, mechanical figures slowly withdrew, their metal bodies stained with mottled dark red blood. The scene of carnage and corpses on the ground was stark and jarring; an entire squad of fully armed survivors had been unilaterally slaughtered.

A cool evening breeze blew from the valley, carrying the pungent smell of blood that filled his nostrils and made his stomach churn. His body trembled uncontrollably, and he covered his mouth tightly, his teeth chattering on his knuckles, afraid to make a sound.

Further away, several other equally breathless and concealed presences were scattered among the grass and rock crevices in different directions, equally motionless and equally afraid to breathe.

On the high slope, Lu Heng stood quietly.

His gaze swept indifferently across the dense forest and the distant barren slopes, without any movement or response.

A moment later, Lu Heng turned around and slowly walked down the slope.

The barrier at the valley entrance behind them glowed faintly and slowly closed, completely shutting out all the bloodshed and prying eyes from the outside world.

The survivors in the distant bushes only dared to slowly exhale a trembling breath after the figure had completely disappeared and the barrier at the valley entrance had fully closed. They braced themselves on their elbows and staggered backward, not daring to linger for even a moment longer.