"Then let's give it a try!"
Zhou Luo snorted coldly as his hands moved swiftly across the controls. Eight buttons suddenly lit up with a radiant glow.
Fire Thunder sensed the change, a flash of lightning sparking at the corner of his eyes.
"Crescent Moon as Cold as Frost! Thunder with the Force of a Thousand Weights!"
Fire Thunder unleashed his ultimate technique, releasing his full combat energy without restraint. The surrounding magnetic field distorted under the force.
Behind him, a bright full moon materialized in the sky.
Raising the Frost Moon Blade high, he absorbed the lunar energy until his entire mecha became enveloped in terrifying combat energy.
In an instant, the moonlight energy reached saturation. Both Fire Thunder and Zhou Luo could feel the terrifying power coalescing in the Frost Moon Blade - if not released upon a target, it would backlash upon them!
"Thunder!"
"Crescent Slash!"
Fire Thunder flipped through the air, leaping a full seven meters high as his back thrusters ignited, providing tremendous propulsion. The Frost Moon Blade descended like a mountain-splitting force, carrying unstoppable momentum and devastating power from the heavens.
The Bloodthirsty Tiger actually trembled under this overwhelming pressure.
As the apex predator of this territory, it wanted to resist but found itself powerless!
Only death awaited it now.
The crimson mecha's blade flashed. With a wet "shlick," the Bloodthirsty Tiger's body was cleaved in two. Fire Thunder sheathed his blade with effortless grace as the scarlet combat energy gradually dissipated into the surroundings.
Then a dense mass of combat energy surged into Fire Thunder's frame.
Zhou Luo felt as if he'd been submerged in warm milk - an indescribable comfort spread through his entire body as if wrapped in tropical waters!
Fire Thunder's combat energy surged dramatically once more, breaking through level four to reach level five, then continuing its rapid ascent.
Finally, it stabilized just shy of level six.
A single level seven Bloodthirsty Tiger had granted Fire Thunder nearly one and a half levels of growth.
"I didn't even need to gather terrestrial energy - just the lunar power was enough for this wounded Bloodthirsty Tiger," Zhou Luo chuckled.
A proper Thunder Crescent Slash required not only lunar energy but also channeling the Frost Moon Blade into the earth to absorb telluric forces.
Only then could one reach peak momentum and unleash that peerless strike!
"Let's not waste good materials."
Zhou Luo collected both the Bloodthirsty Tiger's claws and the Tank Warhog's tusks. His spacious backpack accommodated most items, and whatever didn't fit got stashed in Fire Thunder's cockpit seating.
These materials would fetch a good price at market.
"We can't stay here. The exotic beasts in this area are becoming agitated again - something more dangerous might appear soon."
Checking Fire Thunder's scanning radar, Zhou Luo noted numerous red dots appearing nearby, some particularly intense.
Besides exotic beasts, other mechas were also engaged in combat with the creatures. Some Mecha Masters weren't bothering to conceal their positions.
Though the actual numbers were likely higher.
Given the county's limited size, encountering other Mecha Masters wasn't unusual.
Suddenly, the ground trembled violently. Fire Thunder bounded up to the hotel rooftop in several leaps. Several blocks away, a monstrous creature had appeared!
The origin of this beast remained unknown.
Even several streets away, the nauseating stench could still be detected.
The overwhelming aura made Zhou Luo's chest tighten, his heart pounding uncontrollably as if gripped by an invisible hand.
"Dammit, how could a monster appear in County 0321?!" Zhou Luo couldn't help but curse.
At that moment, two dazzling beams of light erupted from the monster's location.
Two massive mechas appeared before the creature.
The three colossal figures nearly occupied an entire corner of County 0321.
Within moments, an intense battle erupted between them, leaving Zhou Luo trembling with fear.
Unexpectedly, despite its enormous size, the monster moved with terrifying speed.
The mechas' energy attacks slammed into the beast, producing dull thuds, while the monster's claws struck the mechas, sending blinding sparks flying.
Only mechas capable of gigantification were at least third-tier or higher. Whether it was the monster or those two Mecha Masters, they were all existences Zhou Luo couldn't afford to provoke.
"Better stay out of this. Time to go."
After confirming his direction, Zhou Luo mounted Fire Thunder and vanished down the street like a streak of light.
The two behemoths collided, their battle energy spreading like a tidal wave. The already dilapidated surrounding buildings couldn't withstand the force and began collapsing one after another.
"Young Miss, run! We'll hold off this Earth King!"
A man's voice echoed from within the massive mecha.
"Uncle Zhao, Uncle Li, hold on! I've already sent word back to the family. Reinforcements will arrive soon!" Liu Qingxue was at a loss. No one could understand why an Earth King would appear in County 0321.
This Earth King had reached fourth-tier strength. Although both uncles were peak third-tier Mecha Masters, they stood no chance against a fourth-tier monster.
Moreover, the surrounding Exotic Beasts had gone berserk. Any human appearing here would be torn apart instantly.
"Get the Young Miss out of here, now!"
The two men already knew their fate. All they could do now was buy time for Liu Qingxue to escape.
"Yes!" The remaining second-tier Mecha Masters were powerless to intervene.
Liu Qingxue understood the gravity of the situation. This was no time for sentimentality.
The remaining seven or eight people regrouped, with the second-tier Mecha Masters clearing a path as they fled toward the outskirts of the county.
Half an hour later.
Liu Qingxue and three others arrived at the county's edge in disarray, taking cover behind the ruins of a building.
Zhou Luo and Fire Thunder, resting nearby, concealed their presence and observed from the shadows.
"Isn't that Liu Qingxue? Was it their team fighting that Earth King?"
Seeing Liu Qingxue's group, Zhou Luo silently analyzed the situation.
"Ugh..." A figure separated from a second-tier mecha, weakly kneeling on the ground, his mouth stained with blood.
The mecha behind him also lost power, kneeling as the light in its eyes gradually dimmed.
The mecha was already in tatters, its body covered in scars, with a deep fissure across its chest.
All the second-tier Mecha Masters had been overwhelmed by the Exotic Beast horde. Only Uncle Fu had managed to bring the three of them out alive.
"Uncle Fu, are you alright?" Liu Qingxue also separated from Ice Empress, her beautiful eyes trembling with unshed tears.
Only now did she realize how terrifying the wilderness truly was—nothing like simulated battles.
Even if it's a ninth-tier potential Mecha, without growth, it's still nothing more than an ant.
"My combat energy is almost depleted. I'm beyond saving," Uncle Fu spoke with great difficulty.
"Old man, you're finally about to die. But thanks for covering us—otherwise, we might not have escaped," Ji Lin's sinister voice came from the Mecha standing nearby.
"And to show our gratitude, we'll mercifully put you out of your misery!" Wang Yan let outa strange laugh.
The two Mecha began to activate, their serrated greatswords already deployed.
"You... you two!!"
"It was you all along!"
Liu Qingxue instantly realized what had happened.
(End of Chapter)