Chapter 153: Against the Mechanical Race, Battlefield Dominance! Qin Lan!

Chapter 153: Against the Mechanical Race, Dominance on the Battlefield! Qin Lan!

“So you’re Qin Feng?”

One of them, a young man of medium build with a square face and the sharpest eyes, spoke first.

His voice was hoarse and low.

“I am.”

Qin Feng’s gaze met his calmly.

“Zou Yun, you have good taste.”

Another young man, slightly more robust with a neat short haircut, nodded at Zou Yun, a hint of approval in his tone.

A look of justified pride spread across Zou Yun’s face. He stepped forward and introduced them: “Qin Feng, let me introduce you. This is Shan Yang, and this is Pang Chen. Shan Yang, Pang Chen, this is the last member of our team I told you about, Qin Feng.”

Shan Yang was the sharp-eyed young man who had spoken first.

He extended his hand to Qin Feng and introduced himself succinctly: “Shan Yang, life force index 102, skilled in blade techniques.”

“Pang Chen.”

The robust young man also reached out and shook Qin Feng’s hand. His palm was rough and powerful, covered in thick calluses. “Life force index 104, skilled in throwing knives.”

Their introductions were devoid of any unnecessary words.

“Qin Feng.”

Qin Feng was equally concise. “Life force index 110, skilled in marksmanship.”

At these words, even Shan Yang and Pang Chen, who had already mentally prepared themselves, couldn’t hide a flicker of astonishment in their eyes.

One hundred and ten points!

That number firmly surpassed theirs.

What was even more startling was that the person who uttered this number was merely a freshman who had been enrolled for only three years.

“Alright, everyone’s here. Let’s get down to business.”

Zou Yun eagerly gathered them together. He knew Qin Feng’s personality—he disliked wasting time on meaningless pleasantries.

Shan Yang nodded. He looked around and said in a grave tone, “This mission is special.”

“It comes from a senior in the battle group. That senior used his high-level clearance to snatch a large-scale clearance mission with a cap of twenty members from the mission hall. But he has more important matters to attend to, so to nurture the younger generation, he assigned this mission to members of our battle group in the form of an ‘internal assignment.’”

“The mission requires participation in teams of four, with a total of five teams. Moreover, each team must consist of two seniors who have been enrolled for over ten years and two juniors who have been enrolled for less than ten years.”

Shan Yang’s gaze swept over Qin Feng and Zou Yun.

“Pang Chen and I are the seniors. And you two fit the junior criteria perfectly. Zou Yun has been enrolled for nine years, and you’ve only been here for three.”

Qin Feng listened quietly, understanding instantly.

This was indeed a rare golden opportunity.

Missions like this, “fed” to them by seniors, were usually carefully selected. Their purpose was to allow promising newcomers to quickly earn contribution points and gain practical experience in a relatively safe environment—a hidden benefit exclusive to top-tier battle groups.

“According to the information provided by the senior, the mortality rate for this mission is extremely low, but the failure rate is high.”

Shan Yang’s tone turned serious. “However, if we succeed, the rewards will be exceptionally generous.”

“The mission is simple,”

he continued. “It’s a clearance mission. On the empire’s Y12393-a12 mining planet, a massive psychic ore vein has been discovered. But that area is currently occupied by a branch fleet of the Mechanical Race. According to the latest intelligence from the empire’s reconnaissance ships, the strongest individual among the Mechanical Race stationed there does not exceed a life force index of 110.”

“Our task is to operate in five teams, simultaneously advancing from five different directions into the ore vein area, clearing out the Mechanical Race entrenched there. The total mission reward is 1,000 contribution points.”

“As for the distribution of rewards…”

A gleam of shrewdness flashed in Shan Yang’s eyes. “It will be calculated based on the area of the ore vein each team ultimately clears and controls. If our team ends up controlling one-fifth of the entire ore vein area, we’ll receive one-fifth of the total reward, which is 200 contribution points. The reputation points are calculated the same way, also totaling 1,000 points, distributed according to contribution. So this is definitely a great chance to make a fortune.”

Qin Feng nodded slightly upon hearing this, indicating his understanding.

He quickly calculated the numbers in his head.

If everything went smoothly and their team secured one-fifth of the share, then 200 contribution points divided equally among the four of them would mean 50 points each. As for reputation points, that would be 200 per person.

It was indeed a substantial sum that would make any fourth-level warrior envious.

“So, we and the other four teams are both collaborators and competitors.”

Shan Yang remarked with emotion. “Whoever clears faster, whoever executes tactics better, will get a larger slice of the pie in the final settlement. That’s precisely why we need strong junior teammates, especially those with exceptional command abilities.”

His gaze finally settled on Qin Feng.

“Zou Yun strongly recommended you. Honestly, I had some doubts at first, but now…”

Shan Yang’s tone carried a hint of admiration. “I never imagined that a freshman enrolled for only three years could not only push his life force index to such an astonishing height of 110 but also master two ‘Realm of Mastery’ killing techniques.”

“My suggestion is to hand over command of this mission directly to Qin Feng.”

Zou Yun, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up with the proposal.

He looked at Shan Yang and Pang Chen, his eyes utterly serious: “I’ve carried out missions with Qin Feng before. I can vouch with my own battle merits that his battlefield command ability far surpasses mine—even stronger than most seniors I’ve seen.”

Hearing this proposal, Shan Yang and Pang Chen exchanged glances but showed no surprise or objection.

For veterans like them, who had crawled through life and death for over a decade, face and seniority meant nothing in the face of tangible benefits and survival rates.

The strength and potential Qin Feng had displayed, along with Zou Yun’s unwavering guarantee, were enough for them to make the most rational judgment.

“I have no objections.”

Pang Chen was the first to express his stance, his voice still steady.

“I agree too.”

Shan Yang nodded. “On the battlefield, the capable lead. Since Junior Qin Feng is the strongest, we willingly accept your command.”

“Good.”

Qin Feng didn’t decline. He accepted straightforwardly.

This was the respect and trust earned through strength, and also the responsibility he, as the team’s strongest member, had to bear.

Soon, under Zou Yun’s operation, Qin Feng was officially added to this temporarily formed team.

His personal terminal simultaneously received the encrypted mission information officially released by the empire.

A light screen unfolded, displaying cold lines of text and data clearly.

[Mission Number: C-7709-Elite]

[Mission Type: Area Clearance (Battle Group Assignment)]

[Mission Location: Y12393-a12 Mining Planet, Third Continent, “Silent Deep Valley” Ore Vein Area]

[Mission Objective: Eliminate all Mechanical Race units in the target area and seize control of the ore vein.]

[Enemy Intelligence: Confirmed presence of a branch of the “Nekras” Mechanical Cosmic Empire. Highest combat unit model unknown, energy fluctuation peak assessment not exceeding 110 life force index standard. Expected large numbers of “Specter”-class stealth units, “Scarab”-class swarm units, and “Immortal”-class heavy units.]

[Departure Time: Imperial Standard Time, 1 month later.]

After reading all the mission information, Qin Feng closed the light screen and began issuing his first order as commander.

“Before departure, there are several preparations that all of us must strictly follow.”

The gazes of the three instantly converged upon him.

"First, and most importantly."

Qin Feng's tone brooked no dissent, "Once we enter the mission zone, facing the Machine Clan, none of us may summon or use any subspace intelligent assistant."

"Agreed."

The three nodded at once, their faces showing no surprise.

This was an ironclad rule when fighting the Machine Clan.

Everyone knew that while the Empire's subspace network was formidable, the Machine Clan's eerie technology, rooted in cold logic and infinite algorithms, was precisely its bane.

Within the Machine Clan's domain, any attempt to connect to the subspace network was akin to lighting a bonfire in a dark forest.

The Machine Clan could not only easily jam and disrupt signals, turning the intelligent assistant's geographic data and enemy distribution into useless gibberish, but could even, through more sophisticated means, reverse-infiltrate and hijack your assistant.

Countless overconfident warrior squads, refusing to believe this, had their subspace storage units locked or even remotely detonated, or their tactical channels monitored throughout, ultimately meeting a grim end with total annihilation.

Facing the Machine Clan, the only things you could trust were your own eyes, your own judgment, and the weapon in your hand.

"Second."

Qin Feng continued, "Mission intel shows the enemy's strongest has a vitality index no higher than 110 points. That threat we can handle. But the real trouble lies in the Machine Clan's numbers and their endless mechanical creations."

His gaze swept over them, "The 'Scarab' swarms and 'Immortal' heavy units mentioned in the intel all point to one thing—we'll be facing a torrent of cold steel and lethal energy. This will be a war of attrition, a protracted battle."

"So, I suggest everyone equip power armor and carry as many [Superior Stamina Recovery Potions] and [Superior Healing Potions] as possible. Better to overstock than to lack."

"Good! Absolutely right!"

Shan Yang nodded emphatically.

Qin Feng's two suggestions were clear and hit the core.

"Then it's settled."

Pang Chen concluded, "We'll assemble in one month. Go back and prepare well."

The others nodded again. This ad hoc squad, having reached a preliminary consensus, dispersed cleanly.

Qin Feng didn't linger in the "Fearless" district; he swiftly returned to his dorm.

In the quiet room, he sat cross-legged and began to plan his next moves.

His contribution points currently stood at 41.

That sum was clearly insufficient to buy enough recovery potions to sustain a high-intensity protracted battle.

He pondered for a moment, but didn't immediately open the trading market to purchase those expensive potions.

Instead, he turned to the "Daily Missions" section on his personal terminal, which he hadn't touched in a long time.

After over a year in seclusion, a new set of daily missions had refreshed.

"With my current strength, completing these basic daily missions shouldn't take more than a month."

"That'll net me at least 30 more contribution points. With that, I can buy more ample pre-battle supplies."

He knew well that in this mission where "cooperation and competition" coexisted, the more thorough the preparation, the farther their squad could push, the higher their clearance efficiency, and the larger the share of the spoils.

He had calculated this clearly.

Without hesitation, Qin Feng accepted all available daily missions.

---

Over the next month, Qin Feng's pace of life was compressed to the extreme, pouring all his energy into the seemingly trivial daily missions scattered across every corner of Canaan Star Martial University.

Ecological Zone, Sector B-7, Amethyst Crystal Flower Cultivation Greenhouse.

Qin Feng's figure moved like a swift phantom, weaving among giant vines dozens of meters high.

His toes lightly touched the supple branches, using the momentum to leap upward, precisely dodging the carnivorous flower buds hidden beneath leaves that sprayed paralytic toxins.

His target was the "Amethyst Crystal Stamen" growing atop the vines, absorbing the simulated stellar light.

This psychic herb had a mild nourishing effect on mental strength; harvesting it required not only superb agility but also precise timing.

Now, with his vitality index of 110, he possessed far superior physical coordination and explosive power.

What used to be a task requiring careful planning of multiple routes could now be accomplished as a casual "vertical parkour."

He didn't even need to think; his body's instincts made the optimal decisions.

In just half a day, he completed a harvest that previously took two days.

Canaan First Martial High School, Ninth Simulation Combat Room.

Qin Feng, clad in light training gear, held an ordinary alloy spear without any energy enhancement, standing before a group of nervous, still-immature first-year high school students.

"The spear is the king of a hundred weapons; its essence lies in 'thrust' and 'block.' What you need to learn now isn't flashy killing moves, but the most basic techniques of power generation."

His voice was calm and steady, each word clearly reaching the students' ears.

"You, demonstrate. Attack me."

A tall student, mustering all his strength, delivered a powerful overhead chop at Qin Feng.

Qin Feng didn't dodge or evade; he merely flicked his wrist, and the spear shaft, at an almost imperceptible angle, precisely met the blade.

"Clang!"

A soft sound.

The freshman felt an inexplicable rotational force transmitted through his blade; his full-powered chop was effortlessly deflected, and he stumbled forward from the momentum.

Qin Feng's spear was already coldly pressed against his throat.

"Strength isn't brute force. Learn to use your waist and hips to drive your whole body, twisting power into a single rope, and release it from the spear tip."

With his current martial insight and control over power, instructing these high schoolers who hadn't even begun to grasp killing techniques was like a master teaching novices.

He could always pinpoint each person's problem and let them feel the correct power generation in the most intuitive way.

He completed the "Excellent" rated guidance mission in less than three days.

...

Harvesting, escorting, sparring, data sorting...

Throughout this month, Qin Feng was like a tireless perpetual motion machine, his figure appearing in every corner of Canaan, frantically reaping contribution points from daily missions.

His surging strength allowed him to complete tasks that once demanded great mental effort at higher speed and lower cost.

What used to take two full months to clear the daily mission list now took him only one month.

When the "Complete" prompt for the last mission rang in his mind, Qin Feng checked his contribution point balance.

[Contribution Points: 70]

Adding the previous 40, his month of hard work netted him a clean 30 points.

Without delay, Qin Feng returned to his dorm and opened the Imperial Trading Market.

"Facing the Machine Clan, a protracted battle is inevitable."

His thinking was crystal clear; he locked onto his target in the resource list.

【Item: Special Physical Recovery Potion】

【Type: Consumable】

【Effect: Rapidly replenishes stamina consumed in high-intensity combat and relieves muscle fatigue, far more efficient than ordinary recovery potions.】

【Price: 10 Contribution Points per vial】

“Four vials.”

Qin Feng exchanged for four without hesitation—enough to grant him four extra chances to catch his breath and strike back in battle.

【Item: Potent Healing Spray】

【Type: Consumable】

【Effect: Contains highly active growth factors that quickly stop bleeding and promote wound healing, especially effective against burns from energy weapons.】

【Price: 10 Contribution Points per vial】

“One vial.”

This was a trump card for survival, a lifeline in critical moments.

【Item: Special Mental Recovery Potion】

【Type: Consumable】

【Effect: Slowly but steadily restores expended mental energy, maintaining focus and calm.】

【Price: 10 Contribution Points per vial】

“Two vials.”

In prolonged battles, mental fatigue often proves deadlier than physical exhaustion.

After this flurry of transactions, the 70 Contribution Points he had just received and barely warmed in his hands were instantly wiped clean.

Gazing at the few vials glowing with different auras in his subspace storage unit, Qin Feng felt no sting of loss, only a solid sense of security.

All was ready.

With a thought, he selected the [Fearless Zone] as his teleportation target.

Light and shadow shifted, and the next second, he was once again standing in the familiar, murderous atmosphere of Examination Area No. 7.

Zou Yun, Shan Yanghe, and Pang Chen were already waiting there, all clad in form-fitting black combat suits, murmuring among themselves.

Not far from their squad, four other teams, each also composed of four members, had assembled.

Twenty elites of the Fearless War Legion stood or sat, some with eyes closed in meditation, others polishing their weapons.

Though they belonged to different squads, each exuded a fierce and confident aura.

The air in the entire examination area seemed to thicken under the pressure of these twenty powerful presences.

Clearly, all the squads that had received the mission had arrived.

Just as Qin Feng’s gaze swept over the other teams, a familiar look of surprise landed on him from another direction.

In another squad, a tall, cool-faced woman, upon seeing Qin Feng, let a flicker of disbelief cross her beautiful eyes.

“It’s him!”

She almost gasped under her breath.

This woman was none other than Yin Jing, a teammate from the “Stellar Wanderer-7” purification mission he had undertaken with her before.

Qin Feng recognized her too. Slightly surprised, he offered a polite smile in her direction as a greeting.

“What’s wrong, Xiao Jing? You know that guy?”

Beside Yin Jing, a tall, strikingly beautiful senior with an air of mature confidence followed her gaze to Qin Feng’s squad.

The senior’s eyes briefly lingered on Shan Yanghe and Pang Chen, easily identifying them as veteran students, then moved to Zou Yun, and finally settled on Qin Feng.

“Two veterans, Zou Yun who’s been here nine years… that last one must be a freshman too.”

The senior’s tone was casual.

“Senior Qin Lan, he… he’s the one I mentioned last time—the ‘monster’ squad leader I encountered during that emergency rescue mission last year.”

Yin Jing’s voice carried a hint of emotion and gravity she herself didn’t fully notice.

“Oh?”

The senior called Qin Lan raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. “The freshman you described—with that terrifying battlefield dominance, uncanny precision in command, and unmatched personal strength?”

“Yes.”

Yin Jing nodded. She glanced at her senior and warned earnestly, “His strength is unfathomable. Senior, during this mission, we need to be careful of that squad—don’t let them seize too many control zones.”

Hearing such a solemn assessment, Qin Lan let out a light laugh.

She patted Yin Jing’s shoulder, her tone laced with a lazy, self-assured indifference.

“Alright, alright, I get it. According to you, a ‘Control Realm’ killing style, plus a physique comparable to a young star beast—that does make him a bit of a little monster.”

She shifted her tone, a gleam of top-tier pride flashing in her eyes. “But, Xiao Jing, you have to understand that in this mission’s reward ratio competition, the real say lies with us—those with a Life Force Index over 100 points. He’s only been here three years; no matter how talented, his Life Force Index probably hasn’t hit 100 yet, right?”

“…Fine.”

Seeing her senior’s dismissive attitude, Yin Jing opened her mouth but ultimately said nothing more.

She knew that her senior, Qin Lan, had a Life Force Index as high as a terrifying 120 points, with strength far surpassing others.

Looking at the other four squads present, the veteran seniors all had Life Force Indexes barely over 100 points—none could match Qin Lan.

She had reason to be confident.

Just then, an overwhelming, suffocating aura, far surpassing everyone present, descended without warning, enveloping the entire Examination Area No. 7!

Everyone’s expressions shifted as they looked up sharply.

A young man in a silver standard war legion uniform, with black hair flowing over his shoulders, hovered in midair with his hands behind his back, his gaze coldly surveying the twenty below.

He stood without any flight equipment, as if treading on invisible steps.

“Level Six… Soaring Martial Artist!”

Qin Feng’s pupils contracted.

From this senior, he felt a vast and majestic pressure, different from and greater than that of the elite disciple Baze.

“It’s Senior Gan He!”

Zou Yun lowered his voice, quickly briefing Qin Feng. “He’s the one who snatched this mission from the task hall and then assigned it as a benefit to us juniors in the legion. It’s an unwritten tradition of our Fearless War Legion to nurture newcomers.”

“I see.”

Qin Feng nodded slightly.

In midair, the senior named Gan He slowly began to speak.

His voice was not loud, yet it reached every ear clearly.

“Looks like everyone’s here. To have grabbed these twenty spots from over ten thousand applicants means your luck isn’t bad.”

His gaze swept over the five distinct squads below.

"I am entrusting this mission to you, and the final reward distribution will be determined through internal competition. But remember, the prerequisite for all competition is that you complete the mission flawlessly."

Qian He's gaze suddenly turned sharp.

"If the mission fails due to infighting over control of the area, not only will there be no rewards, but I'm sorry—from now on, for the next five years, all of you will be blacklisted and barred from accepting any internal missions assigned by the war group."

"Understood?!"

"Understood!"

The twenty voices answered in unison.

"Good."

Qian He nodded with satisfaction. "Understood, then set off!"

The moment his words fell, the twenty men present moved in perfect unison, almost simultaneously activating their power armor with a thought.

"Clank! Clank! Clang!—"

Amid a series of teeth-grinding hisses of air valves and the roaring clash of metal components locking together, twenty sets of heavy power armor, brimming with Gothic aesthetics and brutal force, materialized out of thin air, fully encasing their bodies.

Their forms were ferocious and massive, with towering shoulder guards, back-mounted power packs resembling miniature cathedral domes, and armor surfaces engraved with war group insignias and purity marks symbolizing honor and merit.

As the faceplates closed and the blue HUD interfaces flickered to life, the twenty members of the Fearless War Group had transformed into twenty cold, steel killing machines.

They wielded various cold weapons, and some carried psionic bolt rifles exchanged for contribution points.

"Teleportation begins!"

With Qian He's command, five massive teleportation arrays glowing with a faint blue light simultaneously lit up on the ground beneath the five squads.

The next second, space was torn apart.

Twenty figures, along with their steel power armor, vanished into the distorted light and shadow.

—

The dizziness of warp teleportation, like an invisible giant hand, roughly seized each soul and dragged it into a chaotic sea of iridescent colors.

This nauseating sensation lasted less than a second.

Then, the solid feeling of standing on firm ground pulled their souls back into their steel bodies.

"Hum—"

The power armor's systems completed self-checks and environmental adaptation in 0.01 seconds, and the scene before their eyes instantly shifted from distorted light and shadow back to clear reality.

The four found themselves standing on a dead, oppressive, barren land.

The sky was a despairing leaden gray, with thick, seemingly frozen clouds completely blocking the starlight.

There was no wind, no sound, and even the air's flow was nearly stagnant.

The ground was exposed, dark red rock with a metallic texture, and countless oddly shaped, sharp crystal clusters jutted out from beneath like ferocious bone spurs, pointing toward the eternally gray sky.

A faint, metallic dust-like smell of rust hung in the air.

This was Y12393-a12, a mining planet that had long been drained of all surface value by the Empire, leaving only the newly discovered psionic vein deep underground—a sleeping death world.

And directly ahead, several kilometers away, the earth seemed to have been split open by a divine axe, creating a bottomless chasm.

That was their destination—the "Silent Deep Valley" mining zone.

The chasm's edge had been transformed with the cold, cruel geometric aesthetics of the Machine Race.

The natural rock walls had been cut into perfect ninety-degree angles, and massive black metal obelisks of unknown purpose stood like silent sentinels on either side of the chasm's entrance.

"According to the map data stored before departure, we are now at the southeastern entrance of the mining zone."

Qin Feng's steady voice came clearly through the encrypted squad communication channel to everyone's ears.

"Facing the Machine Race, keep all subspace AI assistants in sleep mode. We can only trust our own eyes and these basic offline maps on the HUD."

"Understood."

Shan Yanghe, Pang Chen, and Zou Yun answered in unison, their tones without any objection.

On their power armor HUDs, a static, simplified topographic map drawn by an Imperial reconnaissance ship was displayed simultaneously.

Though it couldn't update in real time, it was the only reliable navigation tool they had on this land contaminated by the Machine Race.

Without hesitation, the four formed a tight diamond combat formation. Their heavy "Bulwark"-class power armor boots stomped on the dark red rock, producing a dull, rhythmic "thump-thump" like war drums, as they steadily advanced toward the deep chasm's entrance.

Zou Yun's hands were already equipped with a pair of ferocious power claws that flickered with faint arcs of electricity, their joints opening and closing with a teeth-grinding "clack-clack," exuding an aura of violence and destruction.

Shan Yanghe held a heavy long blade taller than himself, its surface reflecting a cold, deathly gleam under the gray sky.

Pang Chen, seemingly unarmed, but everyone knew that hidden within his armor's arm guards and leg plates were at least a hundred deadly throwing knives capable of piercing alloy armor.

Four steel gods of slaughter thus stepped into the death zone named "Silent Deep Valley."

The mining zone's entrance was an enormous, downward-sloping ramp.

The walls were smooth as mirrors, engraved with countless complex patterns glowing with a faint green light, incomprehensible to mortals, like some giant circuit board.

The metallic dust smell in the air grew stronger, mixed with a unique scent of ozone and energy.

The four maintained the highest level of alert, step by step advancing into the abyss.

They had pushed forward about five hundred meters when the passage began to widen.

Just then!

Qin Feng's steps suddenly halted.

His gaze locked onto a spot a hundred meters ahead—the tip of a stalactite hanging from the cave ceiling, seemingly ordinary rock.

There, a faint red light, dimmer than a star and not of this world, flickered and vanished.

It was a Machine Race detection sentry!

"Enemy attack!"

Qin Feng's warning exploded like thunder in the communication channel.

But it was too late.

The moment that red light flickered, the entire mining zone seemed to awaken like an ancient beast from slumber, baring its most ferocious fangs!

"Buzzzz—"

A hair-raising, high-frequency energy hum erupted from the shadows on all sides simultaneously!

Then, seven or eight ghost-like, translucent, distorted figures "seeped" out of the hard rock walls and ceiling without warning!

They looked like specters draped in tattered metal cloaks, without solid bodies, only a pair of electronic eyes glowing with a sickly green light and a pair of razor-sharp claws made of pure energy.

'Phantom'-class stealth units!

The moment they appeared, they raised their energy claws and launched the first wave of bombardment at the squad below!

Several energy spheres, flickering with unstable arcs of electricity, descended with sharp whistles!

"Scatter! Find cover!"

Qin Feng's command roared out as the energy spheres appeared.

The four, almost by combat instinct, dove in different directions.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A violent explosion erupted at the very spot where they had just stood, the terrifying energy shockwave blasting several massive craters into the hard ground, sending countless fragments of stone and arcs of electricity spraying wildly in all directions.

Yet this was only the beginning.

“Rustle… rustle, rustle…”

A dense, hair-raising sound of crawling, like a surging tide, came from the deeper darkness ahead.

Then, a “river” composed of countless palm-sized metal beetles, each with a flickering green single eye, poured forth from the darkness!

They were ‘Scarab’-class swarm units!

Tens of thousands of Scarabs, like a living plague of metal and circuitry, covered the ground, climbed the walls, dense and endless. Their single eyes simultaneously lit up with a deadly green glow!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!

In the next instant, countless fine but dense energy rays, like a rainstorm, poured down upon the four who had just dodged the first wave of bombardment!

This was the Machine Race’s most classic and most inescapable tactical combination—Specter harassment, Scarab suppression!

“Pang Chen, suppress those Scarabs with your throwing knives!”

“Shan Yang, Zou Yun, form a defensive line at the front!”

Qin Feng’s commands were issued calmly amidst the hail of bullets.

“Understood!”

Pang Chen let out a low shout. With a flick of his arms, dozens of gleaming throwing knives sprang from his arm guards like a peacock’s tail, and he hurled them all at a speed almost imperceptible to the naked eye!

The knives carved deadly arcs through the air, striking with pinpoint accuracy into the densest clusters of Scarabs.

Each knife carried terrifying kinetic energy, easily skewering several or even a dozen Scarabs in a row, pinning them firmly to the walls.

His knives temporarily cleared a relatively safe zone within the Scarabs’ fire net.

Meanwhile, Shan Yang and Zou Yun roared as they charged to meet the true main force pressing from the front!

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Heavy, synchronized footsteps echoed from the darkness.

Over a dozen heavy robots, each over three meters tall, built entirely of pitch-black metal and resembling skeletal frames, emerged from the darkness with steady, unstoppable strides.

In their hands, they held massive energy rifles, their muzzles glowing with an ominous green light.

‘Immortal’-class heavy units!

They were the most solid battle line and the most reliable firepower output points in the Machine Race legions.

Ignoring Pang Chen’s knives, they aimed their energy rifles at Qin Feng and the other three, pulling the triggers without hesitation.

“Hold the line!”

Shan Yang bellowed, swinging his heavy longsword like a mountain. A dazzling curtain of blade light formed an impenetrable steel wall before him, deflecting all the energy rays that could melt alloy.

Zou Yun, like an enraged tiger, instead of retreating, charged forward against the hail of bullets, lunging at the nearest Immortal.

His ferocious power claws crackled with electricity, and a heavy punch, imbued with terrifying force, slammed into the Immortal’s chest!

“Bang!”

With a thunderous crash, the alloy armor on the Immortal’s chest was dented inward by his fist, staggering backward several steps.

Yet these Immortals felt no pain, nor fear.

The moment it was pushed back, it steadied itself, and its energy rifle once again aimed at Zou Yun, who was now right in front of it.

The battle had reached a fever pitch the moment they stepped into the mining area!

“This won’t work! We’ll be worn down to death!”

Zou Yun roared over the channel. “These damn things are endless!”

“Something behind them is controlling them!”

Qin Feng’s voice was as cold as ice. “Shan Yang, Zou Yun, hold the front line! Pang Chen, keep suppressing the Scarabs’ ranged fire! Give me a three-second opening to break through! I’m going for the head!”

“Understood!”

The three replied in unison, without a shred of doubt in Qin Feng’s judgment.

“Hah!”

Shan Yang and Zou Yun erupted simultaneously, one with a sword, the other with a fist, like two guardian deities, firmly holding the Immortal battle line at bay ten meters away.

Pang Chen also pushed to his limit, more knives flying from his body like a storm of death, temporarily suppressing the green energy barrage.

Now!

Qin Feng moved.

He didn’t choose to charge head-on from the front. Instead, he pushed off the ground, his entire body shooting like a cannonball along the smooth wall, sprinting at high speed!

The power armor’s formidable performance boosted his physical strength by at least forty percent, allowing him to easily perform such anti-physical maneuvers.

His figure left a black afterimage on the wall, instantly bypassing the Immortals’ frontal defense.

At that moment, he finally saw, behind the group of Immortals, a figure completely different from the other mechanical units, hovering silently in midair.

It was a taller, more magnificent mechanical lifeform.

Its body was composed of silvery-white living metal, with smooth and elegant lines. Several pairs of auxiliary arms, like arthropod limbs, extended from its back, and in its hand, it held a scepter radiating terrifying energy fluctuations.

In its eye sockets burned flames of intelligence and coldness.

This was the true Machine Race lifeform!

A Machine Lord!

Those Immortals, Scarabs, and Specters were nothing but pieces on its chessboard.

Countless invisible data streams emanated from its scepter, precisely controlling every unit on the battlefield.

Qin Feng’s target was it!

【Shadow Strike of the Laughing Kite!】

Running along the wall, Qin Feng twisted his body abruptly. The Thousand-Army Spear in his hand, like a raptor striking its prey, with unparalleled resolve and ruthlessness, turned into a black lightning bolt, shooting straight at the Machine Lord!

The Machine Lord clearly noticed this intruder. The scepter in its hand blazed with light, and a resilient psionic shield instantly unfolded before it.

But Qin Feng’s spear had transcended the realm of mere “technique.”

At the moment the spear tip was about to touch the shield, it trembled slightly at an impossible angle!

Hum!

The Thousand-Army Spear ignored the energy shield, passing through it like a phantom, and from an impossible angle, pierced directly into the Machine Lord’s core energy nexus!

“Pfft!”

A soft sound, and the entire spear sank in to the hilt!

The violent force exploded within the Machine Lord’s body!

The flame of intelligence in the Machine Lord’s eyes instantly extinguished, replaced by a chaotic mess of data code.

The next second, every mechanical construct on the battlefield that had been attacking furiously froze in unison, as if a pause button had been pressed.

The green light in their eyes flickered violently, then finally went out completely, leaving them as cold, lifeless scrap metal.

The first wave of crisis was over.

"Phew... Nice work!"

Zou Yun gasped for air, staring at the motionless mechanical wreckage scattered around, still shaken.

Yet this was only the beginning.

...

The days that followed turned into a bloody cycle that seemed endless, filled with steel and psychic bombardment.

Their squad, like a sharp blade, pushed forward unwaveringly into the depths of the mineral vein.

Fight, fight, and fight again.

Every day, they faced ambushes and encirclements of this intensity several times, even a dozen times.

The variety of mechanical races grew, becoming more and more troublesome.

They encountered heavy destroyers that could fire psychic singularities, pinning people firmly in place;

They also faced cunning strategists who led fully formed legions of immortals, sneaking up behind them.

The fighting lasted a full thirty-odd days.

In those thirty days, the four of them honed their coordination to perfection.

Often, Qin Feng didn't even need to speak—a glance, a gesture, and Shan Yanghe's blade would seal off the deadliest attack routes, Zou Yun's iron fist would smash into the toughest defensive nodes, and Pang Shen's flying knives, as if guided by eyes, would clear all threats from blind spots.

They operated like a precision war machine, executing the "decapitation" tactic efficiently, coldly, and unwaveringly.

In this silent deep valley, they had advanced over a hundred kilometers, and the mechanical lords they had killed numbered no less than a hundred, if not eighty.

As they pushed deeper, constantly destroying the mechanical race's living forces, logically, the enemy's resistance should have weakened.

But the opposite was true.

The number of mechanical constructs showed no sign of decreasing.

Even if they had just annihilated a mechanical lord along with its hundred-odd combat units in one area, as soon as they advanced a few more kilometers, a larger, more advanced mechanical legion would surge from the darkness to overwhelm them.

These cold killing machines seemed to appear out of thin air, endless and inexhaustible.

Day thirty-two.

After they destroyed another unprecedentedly massive mixed legion commanded by three mechanical lords, the four finally caught a brief respite.

They leaned against a huge cluster of psychic crystals still glowing faintly, panting heavily, seizing every second to recharge their power armor and inject recovery agents into their bodies.

"Something's off..."

Shan Yanghe's voice echoed in the silent channel, laced with undeniable fatigue and gravity.

"Too off. We've been killing for days, and these tin cans just keep multiplying."

"Right,"

Pang Chen said in a low voice. "I did a rough count—the enemy density we're facing now is at least three times what it was when we first entered the mining zone. That doesn't add up. Unless... unless their 'factory' is nearby, and its production rate far exceeds our destruction rate."

Zou Yun's face had lost its usual arrogance, replaced by a somber expression.

"We're like we've poked a hornet's nest, and this nest is far bigger than we imagined."

Qin Feng said nothing, silently pulling up the passive energy sensors on his power armor.

On the screen, red dots representing hostile energy signals densely filled the unexplored darkness ahead.

"Nothing off about it. The mechanical race is like this—a single mechanical lifeform can quickly produce hundreds of thousands of constructs."

"Our tactic is fine: decapitate the mechanical lifeform first, and the other constructs will naturally shut down."

"As for the increasing numbers, it's because we're nearing the core of the mineral vein. By now, we've probably occupied a fifth of the area."

"..."

Qin Feng patted their shoulders. "Keep taking the top-tier stamina recovery agents. Hang in there, push harder. Just one month of high-intensity war, and you're already flagging?"

After a month of fighting, everyone had come to respect Qin Feng wholeheartedly.

"Flagging? No way! Just venting."

Pang Chen chuckled. "These mechanical constructs are just too many, too annoying. But we've found the right approach—our coordination is excellent, and the decapitations are fast."

(The chapter ends)