Vol-2: 113. The Violent Machine

113. The Violent Machine

Swoosh!

Six thrusters spewed flames, and powerful thrust sent the dark gray humanoid mobile armor straight into the sky ten thousand meters high. In mid-air, it unfolded and transformed into a jet resembling a surfboard, closely following behind Li Aozi and firing purple electromagnetic beams at him.

"Che—can't beat me without getting into a Gundam; what kind of man are you!"

Li Aozi halted abruptly, causing the aerial fighter to rush past him. However, Yin Shuya's piloting skills were astonishing—she spun the aircraft, flipped in mid-air, transformed back into humanoid form, and continued flying forward while raising her beam rifle aimed at Li Aozi. A mocking voice came over the broadcast:

"Too bad, I'm a female operative!"

Whoosh—Bang!

The electromagnetic field confined and accelerated high-energy particles, almost reaching the speed of light. Li Aozi knew such an attack was unavoidable; he could only deploy a gravitational field deflection and immediately activate optical camouflage. Continuing to fight this iron shell wouldn't be beneficial to him; quickly changing the battlefield was the correct solution.

Meanwhile, armored units on the ground were advancing. The 88mm six-barreled anti-aircraft cannons spewed out continuous, dense tracer chains into the sky like pouring water. The tracers, which were loaded one every five rounds, now almost formed straight lasers in the air. The infantry took out Tianhuan's most advanced 'Venom Fang' anti-air missiles—almost everyone had one—forcing Li Aozi back down again.

However, just as Li Aozi had gone invisible, the next moment, the meteorological station's system deduced his trajectory by detecting abnormal high-altitude wind speeds.

"Hmph, trying to escape!"

To capture Li Aozi, the Grand Onmyoji sought approval from higher-ups. Seventy percent of the computing power of Hōjō Group's super artificial intelligence 'Soko' was requisitioned to intercept Li Aozi's actions around the clock.

Yin Shuya grinned, and with a thought, the onboard computer received information transmitted by 'Soko'. She turned the gun barrel, and the world in her eyes instantly became incredibly slow.

[Focused Vision]

A [Ranger] of the [Destruction] branch possesses absolute firepower suppression in the early stages. The 'Focus' effect obtained by using Qi to stimulate the nervous system can achieve a miraculous vision akin to 'time stop'.

Even [Mechanics] have to admit that when piloting combat vehicles, the [Destruction] branch holds the advantage.

Qi itself can be infused into weapons and vehicles like 'enchantments'. A mobile armor in the hands of a Gamma-level powerhouse, as long as logistics keep up, is enough to destroy a brigade-level combined unit—though the consumption is roughly equivalent to a combined brigade.

Snap.

The trigger was pulled, and once again, ignition was instantaneous. Li Aozi, flying rapidly while invisible, had no time to mind his back and was immediately hit. But he calmly twisted his body, and the armor melted by the beam instantly detached, falling toward the ground, while he quietly landed elsewhere, moving separately from the armor.

"That's all you've got."

Yin Shuya sneered.

Sure enough, this 'shedding the cicada's shell' trick directly fooled Yin Shuya. She immediately pursued the conspicuous armor, which fell into the forest, causing a violent explosion and wildfire.

To confirm the kill, Yin Shuya pushed the control stick to advance slowly. Passing through the forest fire, the giant iron hands of the mech dug through the soil, only to find half of the melted Domination armor.

"Tsk, fell for it! Ano baka yarou—"

Yin Shuya cursed under her breath. Suddenly, she instinctively felt a prickling sense of danger behind her. Without thinking, she shut down the main engine, causing the mech to lose power and collapse naturally.

Boom!

At the moment the mech crashed heavily to the ground, the spot where it had just been standing was engulfed by a burst of flames. With lingering fear, Yin Shuya quickly rebooted the system. The mech's monitors rotated, and the 40mm Vulcan cannons on both sides of the head poured fire into the forest, immediately forcing the failed ambusher Li Aozi out of the woods.

Bang!

Li Aozi burst out from the woods. The [Power of Pegasus] unfolded vast stardust wings, providing strong propulsion like solar sails. His figure was dreamlike as he rapidly closed in, smashing a fist onto the mech's raised beam rifle. The 12-meter-tall, 54-ton mobile armor nearly staggered. Yin Shuya quickly stabilized, discarded the overly long beam rifle, raised the mech's fist, and all the thrusters on its back ignited simultaneously at full power, striking at Li Aozi's mid-air form.

The mech threw a punch, and Li Aozi also punched. The two fists collided. Li Aozi's scorching fist was enveloped by gravity; the metal rapidly overheated and fatigued, becoming brittle in an instant. The gravitational twisting tore layer after layer of armor steel apart.

"What the—are you kidding me!"

Yin Shuya's eyes were filled with horror. She gritted her teeth and continued to apply force, but it only accelerated the disintegration of the mech's arm. Li Aozi's punch penetrated the armor, skeletal structure, power conduits, and radiators, all the way up, smashing into the mech's shoulder joint. Then, reaching out, he grabbed and launched himself like a cannonball, crashing directly onto the armor.

Boom!

"Ugh!"

The violent impact sent Yin Shuya crashing headfirst into the panoramic display screen in front of her. The cabin's temperature soared rapidly; even the safety belt ignited due to the high heat. She had no time to curse Hōjō Heavy Industries' flashy but impractical technology; a more serious problem was at hand.

—Because she was doing the work of an entire crew alone, tasks that should have had someone assisting her in disconnecting and leaving the pilot seat could only be carried out slowly by herself.

Yin Shuya was not inexperienced in combat, but she clearly didn't understand why a mech that could be operated by one person had to be manned by four.

The layout of war machines is an experience gained through the blood and tears of soldiers.

"Damn it! Li Aozi, when I get out, I'll definitely kill you!"

However, on the battlefield, even a single second can change certain situations.

Swoosh!

A scorching light-forged blade pierced in from above, appearing directly before Yin Shuya. Before her pupils could even contract, this luminous blade vividly demonstrated what it meant to cut through iron like mud. The armor capable of withstanding 3000mm penetration melted and disintegrated rapidly under the scorching blade like butter.

Clank!

A claw hooked onto the edge of the red-hot crack, unleashing a force more terrifying than a hydraulic press. The Domination's armor-clad head, shrouded in stardust mist, appeared before Yin Shuya. At this moment, the ultra-high [Charisma] effectively transformed into a mesmerizing intimidation.

"Die!"

Yin Shuya immediately raised her self-defense submachine gun and fired a burst straight at Li Aozi's face. The bullets collided with the helmet; the 5.7mm rounds easily tore apart the facial armor, revealing the Domination's true form—a hideous and ferocious flesh monster visage.

At the same time, she quickly disconnected, pressed the eject button, and with two explosions, the hatch was blown open. As Li Aozi's body tilted back, Yin Shuya was immediately ejected. In mid-air, she quickly rotated and adjusted her posture, throwing a specially-made bomb at Li Aozi. The violent sonic waves swept over, pinning Li Aozi to the spot.