"Thump—!!!"
The ground trembled and rain splashed.
Han Qing, who was about to tear through space and escape at all costs, instinctively turned his head to look, and his thought of running away paused slightly.
This sudden turn of events drew everyone's attention to the unexpected guest who had appeared out of nowhere, and they all focused their gaze on him.
The splashing water cascaded down.
In the center of the shallow crater created by the impact, a metallic figure made entirely of a dark silver special alloy slowly straightened up.
Li Yu paused in her action of drawing her bow and aiming at Han Qing, and subconsciously looked over.
He sensed no life force from the figure before him, which gleamed with a cold metallic luster; instead, he felt a pure, chilling sense of oppression.
Han Qing's pupils contracted slightly as he recognized the newcomer as "Steel Casting," the modified awakened individual whom Zhou Zhenbei had promised to send to support him in cooperation with the Ao family!
'But it had to be at this time...' The appearance of the steel casting did not bring Han Qing much joy.
Steel casting is arriving now, which is really a bit late.
Moreover, after witnessing Li Yu's rule-like power, Han Qing didn't even believe that having the help of the steel-cast member would reverse the battle.
"Buzz—Click!"
The single red mechanical eye on the steel-cast head suddenly began to rotate, first sweeping over Xiao Zhan, who stood holding a gun, and emitting a flat, synthesized electronic voice:
[Feature comparison confirmed identity: Xiao Zhan, the Crown Prince of the Northern Border]
Database record: Special ability: Ice type.
Threat level: Medium.
Question: The task log does not show that you should be here.
Xiao Zhan frowned, pointing his ice spear at Gang Zhu: "Where did this lump of iron come from? Playing tricks!"
Ignoring his rebuke, Steel Cast turned his one eye back to White Raven and began scanning:
[Identity confirmed: Deepsea Watcher. Codename 'White Raven'.]
Superpower: Spatial Aid.
Threat level: Low.
Question: Why does this align with the task objective when it doesn't conform to the database's behavior pattern?
Bai Ya looked at Gang Zhu with a solemn expression, as if he remembered what this metal monster in front of him was.
However, he never expected that what had always existed only on blueprints would now be standing in front of him in reality.
The meaning behind this sent a chill down his spine.
The single, red, steel-cast mechanical eye tilted slightly, its scarlet scanning beam landing on Han Qing:
[Identity confirmed: Han Qing. Eleventh on the Popularity Ranking.]
Superpower: Spatial Domain.
Condition assessment: Disordered energy fluctuations and impaired bodily functions.
Mission Related: Collaborator, assist in capturing target Li Yu]
Finally, the steel-cast red single eye ignored the refugees and fixed its gaze firmly on Li Yu beside the jeep, its red light suddenly intensifying:
[Primary target identified: Li Yu. Identity confirmed: Tenth Star Lord of Zhongzhou.]
Special ability: Unknown remote type.
Threat level: Extremely high.
According to Article 3 of the Threat Response Protocol: Amend the original 'capture' command.
Abandon capture.
Execute priority task command: Clear!
The single, steel-cast eye shifted slightly, sweeping over Xiao Zhan and Bai Ya who were with Li Yu. His cold, emotionless voice added:
Secondary targets: Xiao Zhan, Bai Ya.
Behavioral assessment: There is a strong tendency to obstruct the task.
Additional instruction: If it hinders the task, remove it as well.
Han Qing, who was preparing to escape, observed the suddenly appearing steel casting, especially when he heard the cold "eliminate" command and the judgment made on the group. His pupils contracted sharply, and a terrifying thought surged into his mind:
'Zhou Zhenbei... he actually succeeded in his research?!'
It seems that not only was the experiment successful, but this forbidden technology of Zhongzhou has also been perfected and put into actual combat!
Metal-modified Awakener.
They feel no pain and are fearless in the face of death!
They abandoned their fragile flesh and blood bodies, mechanically enhanced themselves while retaining their superpowers, and possessed energy reserves beyond those of ordinary people!
Han Qing had met those metal-modified individuals before. Although most of their bodies had been replaced, they at least retained their original memories, emotions, and parts of their personalities.
Therefore, during combat, the modified Awakened will still be affected by emotions, fear, and the will to survive.
But the “steel casting” before us, with its speech, behavior, and thought patterns, is exactly like a real mechanical creation.
They've become killing machines that only know how to execute orders!
Logic is cold, and commands reign supreme!
Having guessed that Zhou Zhenbei's plan had succeeded, the spatial fluctuations around Han Qing subsided.
He immediately realized that the Metal Awakener was very likely unaffected by the Nightmare Beast's curse.
With the support of the steel-casting, he might still have a chance to turn the tide.
While Han Qing was quickly thinking, Gang Zhu had already entered battle mode without delay.
It doesn't give anyone time to react; it immediately begins executing the cleanup command.
Threat removal initiated. Saturation fire coverage.
That cold command was like a declaration of war against Li Yu, instantly igniting the flames of war!
The red monocular eye locked onto Li Yu, emitting a blinding aiming laser. The mechanical body flipped and reassembled, transforming itself layer by layer.
"Buzz—Zzzzz!"
A pair of mechanical wings quickly unfolded behind it, and eight thick metal cannon barrels popped out from below.
The shoulder armor plates slide smoothly to both sides, revealing honeycomb-shaped micro-missile launch pods.
The outer armor of the legs flipped up, revealing two high-speed rotating energy focusing ports, where blinding white light rapidly condensed.
This is no longer a human awakener; it's clearly a walking war fortress!
Just as the steel-cast battle form was fully deployed and the destructive attack was about to begin.
The Nightmare Beast's eyes suddenly narrowed, and with a rare hint of surprise, it warned:
"Li Yu, that strange thing doesn't have a spiritual sea anymore; it's no longer human."
Upon hearing this, Li Yu's somewhat languid expression finally faded, and she also revealed a hint of surprise.
For Nightmare Beast to say something like that, it seems it is indeed immune to Nightmare Beast's mental influence.
It was indeed beyond his expectations. No wonder the golden pupil's threads had such difficulty establishing a connection earlier; it turned out to be a controlled metal puppet.
It seems that even if Golden Eyes and Nightmare Beast launch a mental interference attack against this kind of mechanically modified creation, the effect will probably be extremely limited.
Li Yu made a quick decision and, without turning around, spoke to Bai Ya and Xiao Zhan behind him:
"Protect these refugees; I'll handle this myself."
"Understood!" Bai Ya immediately agreed and quickly moved the car away without hesitation.
"Leave it to me." Xiao Zhan didn't believe that some random lump of iron could defeat Li Yu, so he calmly stood in front of the refugees.
Before Li Yu could even reach the more spacious open area ahead, the steel-cast saturation attack had already begun!
"Swish, swish, swish—"
In an instant, dozens of thin plumes of white smoke spewed out from the missile pods on the steel-cast shoulders.
The dense barrage of miniature missiles directly covered an area within a ten-meter radius of Li Yu's location!
No discrimination, all-round!
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