After another day of recovery aboard the Bamboo Staff, Gustave had successfully resolved Luo Luo's identity documentation for the King's Avatar world using his electromagnetic abilities to navigate bureaucratic databases with surgical precision.
Upon Luo Luo's return to the ship, Hot Wheels immediately launched into urgent appeals.
"Luo Luo, how much longer are you planning to stay here?" the mechanical warrior demanded with uncharacteristic authority. "We need to get back immediately! Have you forgotten that Thunder Blaze is still being hunted by the Iron Beast forces?"
" Thunder Blaze!" The name struck Luo Luo like a physical blow, his comfortable routine aboard the Bamboo Staff suddenly feeling selfish and irresponsible.
He'd become so enchanted by the human world's conveniences—regular meals, warm beds, gaming sessions with Ye Xiu—that he'd nearly forgotten his original mission entirely.
"I'm sorry, Hot Wheels. Let me get Brother Ye Xiu and we'll return together immediately!"
"With the escape route we've planned and both Thunder Blaze and Vanguard under our control," Luo Luo continued with renewed strategic focus, "we can execute their combination technique—the Flowing Shadow Lightning Flash! The Beast Tribe won't know what hit them."
After confirming that Tom's replica Robo-King suit functioned identically to the original, Luo Luo's confidence in Vehicle Tribe tactical superiority had reached new heights.
"Then let's move," Hot Wheels agreed with grudging approval. Despite his personal reservations about Ye Xiu, having two Robo-King would dramatically shift the power balance in their favor against the technologically superior Beast Tribe.
Within minutes, Ye Xiu had joined them after quick farewells to the Bamboo Staff crew. The trio stepped through the Gate of All Worlds, dimensional energy carrying them back to the war-torn mechanical landscape.
None of them noticed Gustave's electromagnetic form following at a discrete distance, his lightning-based powers allowing him to traverse undetected.
Gustave had no intention of interfering in the Robo-Troopers World's conflict. Wars between sentient species rarely had clear moral boundaries—both sides fought for their own concepts of justice and racial survival. Direct intervention would likely cause more harm than good.
But Ye Xiu's presence changed the equation entirely. As a guest of the Bamboo Staff, his safety was Gustave's responsibility. At minimum, Gustave needed to ensure Ye Xiu survived until Luo Luo could extract Thunder Blaze from the Iron Beast encirclement.
The dimensional transition deposited them into another moonlit night, star-scattered darkness providing adequate visibility across the barren metallic terrain. The Robo-Troopers World's landscape stretched endlessly—no organic life, no vegetation, just technological ruins and mineral deposits sculpted by decades of mechanized warfare.
"Brother Ye Xiu, wait here while Hot Wheels and I rescue Thunder Blaze," Luo Luo instructed with tactical precision. "Once we regroup, we'll head to the Moon Temple together."
Since Hot Wheels couldn't carry both passengers simultaneously at combat speeds, Luo Luo positioned Ye Xiu behind a large boulder formation that offered concealment from aerial surveillance.
"Are you certain you can handle this alone?" Ye Xiu asked with genuine concern.
"Don't worry, Brother Ye Xiu. I successfully extracted the 'weakling' Hot Wheels from Blue Iron Beast's forces before—getting Thunder Blaze away from Golden Iron Beast will be even easier!"
"What did you call me?!" Hot Wheels protested indignantly. "I'm the second-in-command of the entire Time City! Without my Thunder Sky Double Kick , you would have perished long ago!"
"Yeah yeah, I know you're very important," Luo Luo replied with practiced diplomacy. "But right now our priority is rescuing Thunder Blaze."
"Heh! For Thunder Blaze's sake, I'll temporarily overlook this insult," Hot Wheels declared with wounded dignity before transforming into motorcycle configuration.
Floating invisibly above the battlefield, Gustave shook his head at Luo Luo's tactical oversight.
"When positioning Ye Xiu in that hiding spot, you didn't even conduct basic perimeter check," he muttered, electromagnetic senses detecting multiple threats. "If I hadn't followed you, Ye Xiu would become the Gate of All Worlds' first casualty."
A pulse of controlled lightning eliminated a prowling Black Iron Beast that had been converging on Ye Xiu's position, the mechanical predator's circuits overloading before it could raise any alarms.
Meanwhile, Luo Luo and Hot Wheels had located Thunder Blaze engaged in fierce combat with the Golden Iron Beast commander. The crimson-armored motorcycle warrior was clearly outmatched, his sword techniques precise but lacking the raw power needed to overcome his opponent's superior equipment.
"Take this—Thunder Sky Double Kick !" Hot Wheels announced with theatrical grandiosity.
Despite the technique's complete lack of actual combat effectiveness, its intimidating name and flashy visual presentation served as perfect misdirection. Golden Iron Beast immediately pivoted into defensive formation, raising both arms to block the supposedly devastating attack.
The ruse worked perfectly. Hot Wheels' harmless kick allowed Luo Luo to vault off his mechanical partner's shoulders, using Golden Iron Beast's own defensive stance as a launching platform toward Thunder Blaze's position.
Luo Luo seamlessly disengaged from Hot Wheels and initiated fusion with Thunder Blaze, the Robo-King suit's interface immediately synchronizing with the more powerful Vehicle Tribe's systems. Enhanced by moonlight's amplification effects, Thunder Blaze's Thunder Crescent Slash achieved unprecedented destructive potential.
The entire combination sequence flowed with video game precision—feint, positioning, fusion, enhanced technique execution. Golden Iron Beast found himself completely outmaneuvered by tactics he couldn't predict or counter.
"That kid's talent is terrifying," Gustave observed from his aerial vantage point, genuinely impressed by Luo Luo's seamless adaptation from digital controls to physical combat coordination.
"But the real Thunder Blaze is even more impressive than his animated counterpart," he added, studying the Vehicle Tribe's authentic presence.
Where the animated version had been simplified for visual clarity, the actual Thunder Blaze possessed intricate mechanical details that spoke of advanced engineering. His metallic surfaces caught moonlight with mirror-like brilliance, while his oversized blade carried the weight and balance of a genuine weapon designed for mechanized combat. Even Golden Iron Beast radiated military authority—less cartoon villain, more seasoned battlefield commander leading actual armies of Black Iron Beast soldiers.
"Retreat, Thunder Blaze! You can't match his current power level!" Luo Luo called out as he smoothly transitioned back to Hot Wheels, his tactical assessment prioritizing survival over prolonged engagement.
Thunder Blaze cast one final appraising glance at Golden Iron Beast before transforming into vehicle mode, following Luo Luo and Hot Wheels toward the predetermined rendezvous point.
" Thunder Blaze, I want you to meet someone," Luo Luo announced as they reached Ye Xiu's hiding spot.
"Someone?" Thunder Blaze's vocal processors carried confusion. "Did you locate Vanguard?"
"Brother Ye Xiu!" Luo Luo called out.
Ye Xiu emerged from the boulder's shadow, and Thunder Blaze's optical sensors immediately focused on his attire.
"Luo Luo—his clothing!" Thunder Blaze's voice carried shocked recognition.
"Yeah! This is Brother Ye Xiu, and as you suspected, he can do everything I can. The Vehicle Tribe now has two Robo-Kings!"
"Two Robo-Kings!" Thunder Blaze's exclamation reverberated across the metallic landscape. The implications were staggering—their tactical capabilities had just doubled overnight.
"Hello, Thunder Blaze. You can call me Ye Xiu." Ye Xiu extended his hand with genuine friendliness, noting that Thunder Blaze possessed the impressive presence he'd expected from heroic motorcycle warriors—unlike Hot Wheels' more comedic personality.
"Hello, Ye Xiu—I'm Thunder Blaze!" The mechanical warrior clasped the offered hand, his excitement barely contained beneath professional composure. "The Vehicle Tribe is saved!"
After brief introductions, they immediately departed for the Moon Temple. Hot Wheels carried Luo Luo while Thunder Blaze transported Ye Xiu, all four maintaining maximum speed to stay ahead of potential Iron Beast pursuit forces.
They traveled through the night, mechanical engines humming across desolate terrain that stretched endlessly in every direction. As dawn approached, the Moon Temple's ancient spires finally appeared on the horizon—their destination where Vanguard waited.
"This is the Robo-Troopers World?" Ye Xiu asked as morning light revealed the full extent of environmental devastation surrounding them. "Everything looks so barren. There's not a single living plant anywhere."
"According to the elders in the Time City," Thunder Blaze replied with melancholy that transcended his mechanical nature, "the Robo-Troopers World wasn't always like this. Only with the escalating war between Vehicle Tribe and Beast Tribe did everywhere except the Sacred Forest become this wasteland."
"War..." Ye Xiu repeated quietly.
Having spent his entire life in peaceful modern world, this was his first direct exposure to warfare's true environmental and social costs. The reality was sobering—entire ecosystems sacrificed to industrial conflict, civilizations reduced to scattered enclaves, beauty replaced by endless mechanical desolation.