---
Above the Scrap Iron Valley, a red halo spread across the sky—
like a divine seal of execution descending.
The central authority of the Refuge City issued the command to activate the "Severance Protocol":
> "Completely seal off Waste Zones 13 through 16. Cut off communication, energy, logistics, and sky access—
Let them rot in the wastelands."
---
[1]The Scrap Iron Squad · Makeshift Base
The deep crater in the wastelands had been transformed into a temporary base.
Solderburn led scavengers to gather supplies.
Baita built a makeshift repair bay.
Lin Yeheng stood silently with R-01 before the shattered cliffs.
In the center of the ruins, the wreckage of the downed aerial mech "Night Viper" still smoked.
Baita pulled out the intact thruster wing assembly, inspecting it as she cursed:
> "This thing's engine uses dual-burn directional thrust. For your walking fossil? Totally incompatible."
She looked up and saw the shredded spine of R-01, still standing despite its wounds like a beast refusing to fall.
> "You sure it can mount this?"
Lin Yeheng spoke quietly:
> "I'm not sure it can be mounted…"
He paused, running a hand along R-01's scorched steel spine.
> "…But I know—it wants to fly."
---
[2]Fusion · Spine Awakening
As Baita began installing the thruster interface, R-01's back suddenly shuddered violently!
BOOM!
The salvaged thruster wing emitted a sharp tremor—a high-frequency resonance—and actively extended its docking arms!
Baita gasped:
> "I'm not controlling it—it's... it's auto-matching the interface!"
A spark lit in Lin Yeheng's eyes:
> "It's devouring it."
The thruster casing began to melt under intense heat, absorbed into R-01's metallic spinal nerves—
fused, reconstructed, reshaped.
Ten minutes later—behind R-01:
A pair of dark red, foldable glider wings unfolded.
Completely different from Night Viper in structure:
> Heavier bone frame, roaring core energy veins glowing at the propulsion tips—
Like dragon wings slightly spread.
It wasn't installed.
It was consumed.
Baita whispered:
> "...It really is evolving."
---
[3]"Severance" Lockdown Begins
Just as they were about to test the new thruster wings, the comm unit screeched with an alarm.
Solderburn shouted:
> "Bad news! The shield's rising!"
In the distance, a sky-reaching wall thundered upward, covering the entirety of Zone 13's horizon.
> "That's... the Severance Barrier!"
Baita's face went pale:
> "This isn't a lockdown—they're planning to kill all of us in here!"
Lin Yeheng stared at the barrier, speaking slowly:
> "We don't need them to open the way."
He turned to R-01.
> "We'll fly over it ourselves."
---
[4]The Roaring Wings · First Flight
Baita furiously adjusted the output inside the cockpit, drenched in sweat:
> "I can only push output to 60%! Any more and the entire wing assembly could explode!"
Lin Yeheng was already seated in the pilot's seat.
He placed his hand on the main control stick, closing his eyes:
> "It won't explode."
The screen flickered and displayed:
> [Roaring Wings · Proto-Flight Form Activated]
[Tip: Optimal Glide Launch Angle — 35° at Cliff Edge]
Lin Yeheng took a deep breath:
> "Alright then—let's fly."
R-01 sprinted toward the cliff, feet stomping broken stone, leaping from the slope!
And then—
BOOM!!!
A deep red flame burst from the thrusters—Roaring Wings deployed!
The massive mech glided like a falcon through the air, slicing past the projection barrier of the Severance Wall!
---
[5]Sky Duel · The Pale-Faced Arbiter
Above the barrier, a figure was waiting silently.
A silver-white cloaked enforcement mech:
> "White Eagle · Arbiter Unit"
It had no weapons—
Only a long staff, and a deployed ring-shaped cryo-shield on its back.
The command voice was ice-cold:
> "You think a pair of wings breaks the law?"
> "The heavens are judging you now, Lin Yeheng."
The Arbiter thrust its staff forward!
Multiple floating electromagnetic tethers formed a multi-vector positional lock around R-01!
—R-01's first aerial battle under restriction!
Lin Yeheng pulled hard on the controls:
> "Let's see how loud these new wings can roar."
He shut off the jammed auto-navigation, manually steering the thrusters—
diving against the wind in a slanted charge!
The Arbiter's staff shifted into a spiral blade spear, slashing down like lightning!
R-01 flipped mid-air like a hawk, rolled downward, and swept up behind the Arbiter!
The twin wings boosted—
Both fists charged with power!
> "This punch—is for heaven and earth alike!"
BANG!!!
BOOM—!!!
A sky-shattering explosion thundered through the clouds—
The Arbiter was struck in the back, its shield matrix shattered!
---
[6]Voices from the Depths · The War God Takes the Sky
R-01 landed—kneeling.
The Arbiter's remains tumbled from the sky, swallowed by the Severance Wall.
Lin Yeheng slowly stood up.
Suddenly, the comm link crackled back to life—
Voices of scavengers from all over the wastelands came through:
> "He flew... He actually flew past it…"
> "The Skydome isn't unreachable anymore. We can break through too."
> "That's not a mech. That's the first time in my life I've seen resistance rip open the sky."
Solderburn gazed at the still-unfolded Roaring Wings, murmuring:
> "That's our... War God."