Chapter 200.2: Bring in the Tech! Part 2

“I’ll... do my best.” Jiang Xuan smiled awkwardly. His whole body turned silver as his Iron Essence and ability transformed him. With a wave of his hand, an iron wall rose from the ground, blocking the bullets howling toward his teammates from afar. With his other hand, he pulled a huge iron hammer, temporarily transformed from the ground, and stood at the very front.

He took a deep breath. Still, he couldn’t help but feel a chill down his spine. Facing attacks head-on wasn’t a problem, but protecting teammates with no combat ability in the middle of all this chaos? Was that really something he could manage just by doing his best?

Ji Jue poked his head out and looked toward the enemies rushing in. “It’s fine. The Heretic Cult is way too overpowered in this version, so that’s definitely a problem. I can help nerf them a little.”

Nerf them? How? This isn’t some shopping app where sharing a link gets you a discount.

Jiang Xuan shook his head. He was just about to thank him for the thought when he saw that strange armored off-road vehicle, which had somehow slipped outside the ruins of the base. The cargo bed slowly opened amid the vibrations. From beside the machine gun, another odd-looking thing slowly rose, covered in welding scars and machining marks. Ji Jue had apparently been too lazy to paint it.

It looked like more than a dozen thick steel tubes, each over a meter long, had been crudely welded together. It looked exactly like a...

Jiang Xuan wanted to rub his eyes, doubting both his sanity and his vision. No, wait. Where the hell did you get a rocket launcher pod?! Have I gone insane? Or have you...

Ji Jue patted his shoulder and whispered in his ear, “Don’t be afraid. I have the tech.”

The tech was here!

A chain of flames burst forth with piercing shrieks as rockets shot out of the launcher and soared into the air. In Ji Jue’s perception, the launcher was cackling like a lunatic. I’m going to blast the hell out of everything!

This was the Luwu 70-millimeter rocket pod, a classic military product from Universal Heavy Industries. Its effective range was eight hundred meters, with a maximum ammunition capacity of fourteen rockets. It used electronic firing control, and in addition to the standard explosive charge, the rocket warheads also contained a few mysterious little surprises, courtesy of the craftsman.

A single full salvo would be enough to give the vast, extravagant governor’s mansion a clean and thorough renovation. However, because the model was old and lacked both fire control and guidance systems, its rating in the military database was only Grade D.

But that was fine! It had no fire control? He had Deus Ex Machina. It had no guidance? He still had Deus Ex Machina! It had no machine tools? He had Pacifier. It had no precision? He had Flawless Craft!

If there weren’t enough materials, he could make do by buying steel pipes in bulk and running them through alchemical reinforcement. If there wasn’t enough phlogiston explosive, then he could use Layla’s connections to purchase the raw materials and assemble it himself.

Once he ignored his own labor costs, the total cost came to only 42,900 Fedra, and that was only because the raw materials for phlogistonive explosives were controlled goods, which had driven up black market prices. Otherwise, Ji Jue could have pushed the price down to just over 20,000! It was practically good quality at a bargain price.

And now, that bargain-price firepower had been launched into the air in bulk. Amid the wild wind and violent tremors, the rockets scattered abruptly, turning into fireworks that streaked chaotically across the sky. Trails of flame and thick smoke crisscrossed, sketching out a complex web of trajectories at once. One rocket even deliberately curved around in a wide arc and flew over Ji Jue’s head, leaving behind a string of cheers and shouts.

Woohoo, liftoff!

Then, the burning fire that filled the sky locked onto the ground and came crashing down from above. The tech had arrived to the rescue!

“What the fu—”

The White Deer, who had been charging at the very front, stopped dead in his tracks and looked up in shock. The rapidly descending shadow and fire swallowed his entire field of view. In that final moment, he only had time to instinctively mutter the second half of the curse, though it was unclear who it was meant for.

“—ck!”

Boom!

Flames erupted from the ground, and a storm mixed with countless fragments swept the earth. Billowing smoke blasted straight into Ji Liu’s face just as he was about to charge and cover the rear, making him stagger. He turned back sluggishly and looked behind him.

What the hell? What is that thing? Wait. Is this guy trying to take us out along with the enemy?! So you’ve finally shown your true colors, huh?!

Ji Jue waved at him. “It was an accident, Ji Liu! A total accident! Careful! Watch your back!”

What accident? Careful of what?

Ji Liu stared at Ji Jue’s mouth in confusion, trying to make out what he was saying. When he turned around, he saw the next wave of rockets falling like a torrential downpour. With the Swarm Chosen Ones’ extraordinary dynamic vision, he could even clearly make out the hastily painted yellow warning symbols on the rockets.

Radiation warning?! You bastard.

Ji Liu immediately activated Storm Sweep and took off running!

From the sky above, a furious roar rang out. Yan Chong turned back in rage.

Ling Zhi was an independent operator and could afford not to care, but the people down below were Yan Chong’s subordinates. They were the capital that allowed him to hold power and influence within the Heretic Cult. The moment he noticed the rockets launching into the air, the broken sword in his hand instantly changed direction and slashed toward the launcher from a distance.

But halfway through the air, the scarlet sword light seemed to lose its way. It suddenly veered off course, missing by just a little, and brushed past Horsey before flying into the darkness of Spring City. The darkness swallowed it whole, and it vanished without a trace.

“Where do you think you’re looking?” someone asked sharply, right beside his ear.

Yan Chong’s eyes went wide. He whipped his head around, only to see Tong Shan right next to him. The sharp metal cap of the flagpole came crashing down toward his head, wrapped in gravity magnified by hundreds, even thousands of times.

In his fury, Yan Chong’s bloodshot eyes turned a deep scarlet. He met the flag head-on with brute force. Subordinates and lackeys could be found anywhere. This world had never lacked people willing to risk everything in pursuit of power.

Once I kill you, I can have as many as I want!

High above, solid darkness and blood-red fire danced without end. The flag swept through the air, stirring up tides of gravity as thunderous booms rang out one after another. Blazing light flashed, and chaotic storms spilled in every direction.

Down on the ground, deadly flames rose into the air like fireworks. No screams could be heard, only deafening explosions.

Because phlogiston explosives were complicated to manufacture, only half the rockets Ji Jue had launched carried normal charges. As for the other half, Ji Jue had put a craftsman’s standards and principles to excellent use by preparing a set of thoughtful little gifts.

The earth became a sea of fire. Carefully mixed thermite, high-concentration phlogiston gasoline, white phosphorus, and all kinds of reactive substances sprayed out like a torrential rain. The shrill screams were swallowed by the explosions, leaving only charred bodies struggling desperately before finally collapsing into the flames and turning to ashes.

Under the strikes from the sky and the devastation of the rockets, the ruins had been completely flattened amid the shockwaves. All that remained was scorched earth.

After one full salvo, it was as if the enemy had been put through a sieve. More than half of them lay dead on the spot because their defenses were too weak, their reactions were too slow, or simply because they were too weak!

More than eleven Chosen Ones of the Resonance Realm were buried in the sea of fire. Among those who had avoided the fatal blast, many were still covered in soot and looked utterly shaken. They scattered like a swarm of startled bees, no longer daring to charge in a tight formation as they had just now. The momentum they had shown, as if they were about to wipe out their enemies in one sweep, was gone.

After being nearly eliminated in one move by their opponent, they could no longer hide the fear and doubt in their hearts. What the hell was going on? Weren’t they supposed to be dealing with a Security Bureau support team? How was this the Security Bureau? They had clearly kicked over the military’s damn hornet’s nest instead! Where did all these guided rockets come from?! Weren’t precision electronic components supposed to be completely unusable in a corrupted environment?!

But they had clearly seen all those rockets twisting and weaving through the air, swaying from side to side as they flew toward them. They flew in the most ridiculous paths imaginable, yet somehow their accuracy was terrifyingly high.

They had two Rebirth Realm fighters, nine Metamorphosis Realm fighters, a dozen or so Resonance Realm fighters, and even a Death-Class Bewitching Lizard. Everyone had thought taking down a support team would be child’s play. But before they could even wrap their heads around what was happening, they were already on the verge of being wiped out. They hadn’t even properly clashed head-on, and more than half their people were already dead! How the hell were they supposed to fight this?!

The Heretic Cult members looked up at the sky and felt their hearts sink.

The cult’s internal rules were strict. At a time like this, no one dared to say, “You can’t even win two against one? Do you even know how to fight?” Just imagining the consequences of suffering such heavy losses and still failing the mission made all of them swallow hard, their hearts turning ice cold. Even if they survived, they would probably wish they were dead. For all they knew, they could be sent off to that old freak as materials!

Fuck it, I’m taking you down with me!

“By my flesh, evil is made manifest!”

A Vortex-type Chosen One, his eyes red with desperation, shouted his slogan. His body rapidly swelled as countless scales grew over him, transforming him into a massive lizard-like beast four or five meters tall. He charged fiercely toward Jiang Xuan, his eyes locked on him, or rather, on the two Ember-types behind him!

A cornered dog would leap over a wall[1]! No matter what happened, he had to pick off two easy targets first and secure a couple of kills!

Behind him, the other cultists were moving just as fast, if not faster. Following the path he had opened up for them, they charged through the waves of flames with bloodshot eyes, all wanting to snatch the kills first.

Jiang Xuan finally realized that he had somehow become everyone’s target. Fortunately, his face had turned to steel, so no one could see his complexion. Otherwise, panic would have been written all over it.

Just as he was about to shout and fight these bastards to the death, he felt someone poke him in the side from behind.

“Xuan, use this...” Ji Jue raised his hands and passed over the heavy machine gun he had just taken off Horsey’s vehicle. Then he skillfully pulled a belt of ammunition from the pile of ammo boxes stacked like a small mountain by his feet and loaded it. “This thing hits hard!”

Jiang Xuan lowered his head and looked at the heavy machine gun in his hands, which had already begun to rotate. Then he looked up at his opponents, who had yet to react, and at the terrified expression on the face of the giant lizard charging at the very front. It slammed all four feet into the ground, carving deep trenches as it desperately tried to stop. Unfortunately, it was too late.

“Mm...”

A bright, carefree smile appeared on Jiang Xuan’s metallic face, one he had never shown before. And then he pulled the trigger.

1. "A cornered dog will leap over a wall" is a proverb that means desperate situations drive people to extreme, reckless, or bold actions. When an individual is trapped without options, they will attempt seemingly impossible or dangerous feats to survive or escape. ☜