Chapter 266: Battle of Martial Order (Part 1)

Chapter 266: The Battle of the Mò Order (Part One)

"Oh dear, how can this be called betrayal? You, the Míng Guǐ, were only able to be downloaded and return to this reality world by relying on the Mò Xù. By your human ethics and morals, the Mò Xù are your resurrection parents."

Huāng Shì Yuán waved a finger with a smile: "So this can't be called betrayal—it's at most trafficking. It's the same as cutting off an organ from your body to sell for money."

"This is Líng Shān Wèi, our Mò Xù territory, not your Japanese district. I advise you to keep your mouth shut."

Mò Jìn furrowed his brows, his face showing no disguise of disgust.

"Fine, fine, this time you're the boss, you decide."

Huāng Shì Yuán raised both hands, his face full of glee as he stepped back two paces. "But I still have to remind you, young master—we had a prior agreement with Mò Zhí. If we don't get the goods, I won't work."

"You don't need to remind me!"

Mò Jìn barked, a blue vein bulging on his temple.

As his clenched fists slowly relaxed at his sides, Hǔ Qū—or rather, Sūn Rǎn—froze in place.

The exoskeleton armor hidden beneath his clothes trembled incessantly with the flickering light of the mechanical eye, as if two consciousnesses were locked in a tug-of-war.

Mechanical components whirred at high speed, then abruptly halted, their harsh friction sounds rising and falling like the ceaseless tides not far away.

"Mò Jìn, I may have been a traitor before, but that was before I became a Míng Guǐ!" Sūn Rǎn roared in anger, the blue light in his mechanical eye gradually dimming.

Within the Mò Xù, the host holds absolute control over the Míng Guǐ. His ability to resist until now was already remarkable.

Mò Jìn's lips pressed into a thin line, silent.

"The Míng Guǐ is the guide of the Mò Xù, a companion!" Sūn Rǎn's voice boomed. "Have you ever thought—if you abandon me, your sequence will suffer too!"

Mò Jìn ignored the roar, pressing his hand against the eye socket embedded in Hǔ Qū's chest.

That was also the control core of the Mò Armor, which he had personally installed here.

"Don't blame me. I cannot defy my father's orders."

"You trash, coward—have you ever wondered why Zhào Qīng Xiá managed to fool you? Why would Mò Zhí let you trade me away? Because you're a useless traitor, a betrayer of the Mò family's beliefs!"

The vile words echoed through the damp sea breeze.

"A slave daring to curse their master—how refreshing."

Huāng Shì Yuán, holding a long blade, clicked his tongue.

"You're a traitor, and so am I. In the end, we're the same kind of people, which is why you became my Mò Armor."

Click, click, click.

Accompanied by electric arcs and flames, the mechanical eye, along with splattering black oily liquid, was slowly pulled out from Hǔ Qū's chest.

At the same time, Mò Jìn's face turned as pale as paper, crimson blood seeping from his facial features, his breath weakening visibly.

"The Mò Attack forces cannot change hands, so Lǐ Jùn must die. Selling you, I can still live. But if I die, you won't survive either."

Mò Jìn pressed his forehead against the Mò Armor's helmet, blood-stained lips uttering cold, indifferent words: "So, Sūn Rǎn, don't blame me."

Sssk!

As the core was completely extracted, Mò Jìn vomited a mouthful of fresh blood.

Clang.

He propped up his weakened body and hurled Hǔ Qū's control core at Huāng Shì Yuán's feet.

"You've got what you wanted. Now it's time for you to do your part."

Outside the Áng Shāo District, a fast cargo ship of the Huāng Shì Group floated on the sea.

Huāng Shì Yuán grabbed the three Mò Armors that had lost their cores and threw them into the sea. Immediately, crew members dove into the icy waters, dragging them back aboard.

"Rest assured, Young Master Jìn—the Huāng Shì Group has always treated friends with sincerity and never lets them down."

Huāng Shì Yuán carefully stored the three palm-sized control cores in his arms, laughing aloud.

"These Mò Armors..."

Mò Jìn wiped the blood from his face and asked coldly, "What will you do with them?"

"How else? We'll dismantle them piece by piece, slice the Míng Guǐ into threads."

The Japanese man ignored Mò Jìn's grim expression and laughed, "After all this trouble to get them, we have to thoroughly study them, right?"

"Master Li, where is the person you're going to kill? I can't wait to hunt this wild Wǔ Xù."

Lǐ Jùn pondered for a while, roughly understanding what this so-called "Míng Guǐ Zhi" truly was.

In short, it strengthens and enhances the communication and collaboration between the Mò Armor and its host, comprehensively boosting the physical prowess after donning the armor.

If a more direct analogy is needed, it's the "overclocking" state of the Bīng Xù, allowing him and Mǎ Wáng Lā to become "inseparable."

Before this skill, Lǐ Jùn could wear the armor, but he and Mǎ Wáng Lā were still fighting separately—you with your blade, me with my cannon.

That's why, when facing Dīng Hán, Mǎ Wáng Lā was so easily "reversed," turning from a helper into a burden.

With the Mò Xù's "Míng Guǐ Zhi," true "human-armor unity" could be achieved.

Of course, this requires Zhào Qīng Xiá and Mǎ Wáng Lā to cooperate with Lǐ Jùn without reservation.

As for side effects, there were some.

At least now, Lǐ Jùn always felt that when looking at Mǎ Wáng Lā, he could see a hint of refined elegance from this old lecher.

"Normal, what's that? It's called 'love makes the object of affection beautiful.' Without such emotional foundation, how can we achieve human-armor unity? Speaking of which, there have been many love stories between hosts and Míng Guǐ in the Mò Xù. The Mò Armors are relatively good—they at least have a human form. Unlike those lathes, bellows, or screwdrivers..."

Mǎ Wáng Lā laughed, "But don't worry—I'm old and thick, and I won't be interested in you."

"You'd better not!"

Lǐ Jùn shivered and snarled, "Otherwise, I'll tear out your core and hang you outside a brothel. You'll spend your life seeing but never touching, blocking wind for the madam, keeping company with the goblins!"

"That vicious?"

"It has to be vicious."

Suddenly, the one lying in the rocking chair and the armor exchanged a smile.

"A guest has arrived."

"Then let's go!"

Lǐ Jùn sat up, grabbing the black umbrella leaning against the chair.

One step forward, the silver light of his flying fish suit flashed, and the scales and claws danced along the sea patterns on his body.

Another step down, the ferocious Mò Armor rapidly spread across his form, a crimson single eye glowing on his forehead.

The final step—his black umbrella had already transformed into the chilling, radiant Cùn Chūn Blade.

He plunged the blade into the rickety door!

At the same time, a dark blade also broke through the door, aiming straight for Lǐ Jùn's head!

Clang!

Lǐ Jùn's armored palm gripped the blade's edge, halting its sharpness an inch from his brow!

Through the splintered door's fissure, he beheld a pair of eyes blazing with the fury of flames, untamed and wild!

"Wu Xu, the Source of the Chaotic Age."

The man grinned, "The one who slays you!"