Twelve "Xuanwu" mechs, arranged in a defensive formation, stood like twelve mobile steel fortresses amidst the wind and snow.
The massive tortoise-shell-shaped shield generators on their shoulders and backs, though not yet activated, were already emanating a chilling energy fluctuation.
"Phase One Test: Firepower Coverage," Long Ao issued the order.
"Target, three kilometers ahead, 'Frost Giant' mountain range, peaks three, four, and five. Launch, 'Miniature Missiles'!"
"receive!"
The pilots of the twelve mechs all flashed a fierce glint in their eyes simultaneously.
The next second, a chilling scene unfolded.
All around the twelve "Xuanwu" mechs, nearly four hundred miniature armor plates opened instantly, revealing countless honeycomb-like launch ports inside.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!"
There was no earth-shattering roar, only countless extremely sharp whistling sounds that instantly merged into a symphony of death.
Nearly four hundred miniature missiles, trailing crimson flames, tore through the frigid air like a swarm of enraged wasps, hurtling towards the distant mountain peaks at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye.
Three seconds later.
Almost simultaneously, three majestic snow-capped mountains in the distance erupted with clusters of incredibly dazzling, orange-red fireballs.
"Boom!"
A deafening explosion, delayed for several seconds, finally reached us. Its sheer force caused the entire ice field to tremble.
The massive shockwave whipped up a cloud of ice and snow, forming a white tsunami that spread wildly in all directions.
As the smoke and snow dissipated, the three once towering peaks had been ruthlessly sheared away by more than half.
Countless tons of boulders were blasted to pieces, leaving countless charred, bottomless craters on the mountainside.
A single salvo changed the landscape.
A collective gasp filled the command center. The young staff officers were visibly shocked.
"This... is this the firepower of 'Black Tortoise'...?"
"This is terrifying! It's practically a mobile artillery position!"
A hint of pride and excitement appeared on Long Ao's face, but he remained calm and issued the second command.
"Phase Two Testing: Precision Strike"
"Target, 1500 meters ahead, target drone group. Activate the 'High-Frequency Particle Oscillation Cannon', free fire!"
The moment the order was given, dozens of platforms camouflaged under the snow and ice on the other side of the exercise field were activated, and more than a hundred unmanned target drones painted in bright red, simulating enemy forces, took off and performed complex evasive maneuvers at extremely high speeds.
The "Black Tortoise" team reacted immediately.
On the palms of the twelve mechs, the armor plates spun open like flower petals, revealing huge cannon muzzles.
The next second, pale blue, visible energy began to gather wildly at the muzzle, emitting a low, teeth-grinding buzzing sound.
"Xuanwu-7, target locked on t-073."
The pilot of one of the mechs narrowed his eyes slightly. Almost as soon as the thought crossed his mind, the mech's right arm was raised, and the cannon in its palm was firmly locked onto a target drone that was performing a "Z" shaped maneuver.
No bullets, no beams.
Only a barely visible, pale blue ripple of energy flashed through the air.
The high-speed target drone seemed to have crashed into an invisible wall, instantly disintegrating. It wasn't an explosion, but rather it was shattered into countless metal fragments by an incomprehensible force!
Immediately afterwards, a series of buzzing sounds rang out across the battlefield.
Invisible shockwaves crisscrossed the air.
The target drones in the sky, like firecrackers being lit, were silently and one after another reduced to dust. The whole process was clean, efficient, and full of a high-tech, cold-blooded aesthetic of killing.
In less than 30 seconds, more than 100 target drones were all "vaporized".
A barely perceptible smile finally appeared on Lin Feng's lips.
"That's interesting."
The exercise was not over.
"Warning! High-intensity energy reaction detected! Third-party armed forces have intervened!"
Suddenly, a piercing alarm sounded in the command center.
Long Ao's expression changed, but he immediately looked at Lin Feng and saw that His Majesty's expression was calm, so he instantly understood.
This was not an accident, but a hidden part of the exercise.
"All personnel on alert! Activate 'Void Deflection Shield'!" he ordered in a deep voice.
On the distant horizon, snowflakes swirled as dozens of massive, menacing-looking, and unmanned "Storm" series heavy tanks rolled across the frozen ground, charging toward the "Black Tortoise" squad.
These tanks are all unmanned, but even so, with the assistance of super AI, they still possess astonishing destructive power.
At the same time, dozens of faster and more powerful Storm series attack aircraft emerged from the clouds in the sky.
A three-dimensional encirclement network, integrating land and air, was formed instantly.
"Fire!"
A barrage of energy cannons and physical projectiles, like a steel storm, poured down from all directions toward the twelve "Black Tortoise" mechs in the center.
That scene was enough to wipe out any armored force from the Blue Star era in an instant.
But the "Xuanwu" mechs simply stood still, neither dodging nor avoiding the situation.
"'Void Deflection Shield,' activate!"
"Buzz!"
The four shield generators on the backs of the twelve mechs simultaneously lit up with a deep blue light.
A nearly transparent energy shield, with a faint sense of spatial distortion, instantly enveloped the entire body of each mech.
A bizarre scene unfolded the moment countless shells and energy beams made contact with the shield.
They didn't explode; instead, they seemed to have been shot into water, their trajectories deflecting strangely as they grazed the mechs and shot into empty space, or... towards friendly forces.
In an instant, explosions echoed throughout the enemy camp, creating chaos.
"This is... the 'Void Deflection Shield'?"
Qin Lan's beautiful eyes also shone with admiration: "To be able to deflect attacks to this extent, those guys from the Tiangong Kaiwu Institute are truly geniuses."
"The counterattack begins." Long Ao's voice was as cold as ice.
"Black Tortoise Squad, assault! Close combat permitted!"
This command removed the last shackles binding the beast.
"kill!"
The pilot of "Xuanwu-1" let out a low, excited roar that he could not suppress.
Instead of using long-range weapons, he piloted the steel behemoth weighing hundreds of tons, actively heading towards the torrent of tanks.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Its every step caused the earth to groan in pain. Its massive body exuded unparalleled oppressive power.
A Storm tank attempts to halt the advance of Xuanwu with its massive cannon.
The response from the "Black Tortoise" mecha was simple and brutal.
It didn't even use its hands; instead, it rammed its chest into the ground!
Clang!
A sound so loud it could pierce eardrums, the purest sound of metal colliding with metal, resounded through the sky.
That heavy tank, weighing tens of tons, was as fragile as a soda can in front of "Xuanwu".
Its cannon barrel twisted into a pretzel instantly, and the entire vehicle was thrown backward by the enormous kinetic energy, tumbling several times in the air before crashing heavily to the ground, turning into a pile of black-smoking scrap metal.
This is the true, violent aesthetics of steel!
It's the most direct crushing force and quality!
On the other side, facing the encirclement of three tanks, the "Xuanwu-4" did not retreat but advanced, its huge arms suddenly spreading out.
Its left hand grabbed the turret of one of the tanks, and its five mechanical fingers, gleaming with a cold metallic light, exerted force like hydraulic clamps!
"Crunch... crunch... tear!"
With a sickening metallic twisting sound, the sturdy tank turret was torn off the vehicle body!
The mech used its heavy turret as a makeshift weapon and slammed it hard into another tank, creating a dazzling burst of sparks.
Meanwhile, its right hand, with its palm holding a "high-frequency particle oscillation cannon" that was already fully charged, was aimed at the chassis of the last tank.
"Buzz!"
A silent shockwave pierced through the thick armor. The tank shuddered slightly before disintegrating from the inside out, turning into a pile of parts.
Storm attack aircraft in the sky attempt to perform a dive attack.
But the "Xuanwu" mechs simply raised their heads, and the miniature missile launchers on their shoulders opened again. Dozens of missiles with automatic tracking capabilities roared out, drawing beautiful, deadly arcs in the air, and blasting those fly-like, annoying attack aircraft into oblivion one by one.
This was a massacre with no suspense whatsoever.
The twelve "Black Tortoise" mechs were like a herd of prehistoric beasts that had broken into a sheepfold. They demonstrated their value to Lin Feng in the most primitive, savage, and direct way.
They used their enormous feet to crush the tanks into flat, mushy discs.
With their powerful arms, they smashed the tank into rubble.
With their indestructible giant hands, they tore the tank in two.
The explosions, the metal fragments, the swirling snow, and the twelve black figures, like demons, galloping across the battlefield, together create a breathtaking, apocalyptic scene.
A real, burning flame finally ignited in Lin Feng's eyes.
This feeling... I haven't felt it in a long time.
It's not the kind of bland, aloof, all-powerful existence.
Rather, it is an appreciation and desire for extreme power and destructive aesthetics that originates from male instinct.
Mecha is a man's romance.
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