"What... is that?"
Before the Longxiang Army guards could react, the enormous metallic mass enveloping Cheng Jinyang and Cui Jinqi had already grown to a height of 10 meters.
30 meters, 50 meters, 70 meters... It continued to rise!
"Protect the County Duke, retreat!!!"
A heart-wrenching roar echoed, as no one was willing to gamble whether the constantly expanding metallic mass could harm the heavily guarded County Duke of Wuchang—Longxiang Army couldn't afford to risk losing.
"What is that?" Wang Chuzhong, being hurriedly escorted backwards by the guard team, still maintained a turned posture, staring in disbelief and fear at the gigantic metallic mass, which had already surpassed a height of a hundred meters.
This shouldn't be happening.
If Xie Guyan retained her demonic power after transforming into a human, how could she have died in the demon attack in Wujiang Town a few years ago?
But if she had lost her demonic power...
Now, the horrific mutation on her son's body, where did it come from! Even my mental force field can't penetrate it at all!
The frontline Longxiang Army guards continued to pour firepower relentlessly at the metallic mass, not hesitating to tighten their grip on the triggers.
However, as soon as all bullets hit the surface of the metal, they rippled like stones dropped into a lake, creating rings of ripples before disappearing into it.
"Cease fire!" The commander left behind to cover finally realized, "It's absorbing our bullets! Cease fire!!!"
Gunfire abruptly ceased.
The next second, firearms in everyone's hands melted away, flowing like water through their fingers, then snaking across the ground like serpents, surging into the massive metallic mass ahead.
Not only that, within a few hundred meters radius, all metal products from buildings, water pipes, electrical wires, even steel bars in concrete, flowed out like water and merged into it.
Xie Yongye swiftly ascended into the air, hovering at the same height as the top of the metallic mass, with a wind blade already formed in his hand.
This blade, compressed tightly under immense pressure, possessed a terrifying armor-piercing effect, surpassing even specialized anti-material ammunition.
The wind blade disappeared instantly in his hand. At the same time, the upper part of the metallic mass abruptly split open up and down, precisely where Xie Yongye remembered Cheng Jinyang was located.
He squinted, trying to see through the fissure to find the body of the supernatural being cut off inside.
However, all he saw was swirling flames.
The next moment, a massive metal fist struck him from the left. Xie Yongye managed to only add a layer of pressure isolation to himself before being directly hit by the metal fist, catapulting like a cannonball into a nearby high-rise.
Like a bullet piercing a bowling pin, the glass curtain wall on the exterior of the building immediately shattered. The dignified fourth-grade supernatural had already been carried by the overwhelming force, life and death uncertain, crashing into the interior of the building.
The massive metal giant retracted its right arm that had struck him, while at the left shoulder, another arm "grew out", gradually taking the shape of a giant—by now, it had reached a height of 750 meters, surpassing most of the surrounding skyscrapers, standing out prominently in the steel forest.
"What... is that?"
In the distance, panic spread among the residents of Jiankang City witnessing this scene.
They had heard this morning that Jiangning District had turned into a war zone, and everyone was hastily packing and fleeing.
Now, seeing a steel giant appear in the southern part of Jiankang City, people instinctively thought it was a "secret weapon of the rebels". Instantly, they scattered in a panicked frenzy, not even daring to return home for their remaining belongings.
Under escort by the Longxiang Army, Wang Chuzhong and his party were urgently boarding a plane in the southern Jiangning District, planning to take refuge aboard the Jingwei Mothership.
From the air, they could see through the portholes the towering steel giant, nearly reaching a kilometer in height. The tall skyscrapers around it looked like mere children's toys beside it.
What in the world... is that thing?
On the bridge of the Jingwei Mothership, Commander Zhuge Yao was utterly bewildered.
On the holographic simulation map of Jiankang City, a giant figure resembling Kuafu had appeared out of nowhere, almost as tall as the city's tallest building, the Zhaixing(Star-Picking) Tower, firmly dominating the central position of the command sandtable program.
[T/N: Kuafu is a figure from Chinese mythology. He is known for his attempt to chase and catch the sun, but ultimately perishes due to exhaustion and thirst during his pursuit. In mythology, Kuafu is depicted as a giant who is determined and ambitious, representing the pursuit of lofty goals despite the challenges and risks involved.]
"Zhuge Yao!" A communication came swiftly through Wang Chuzhong's console, "The Duke has ordered: all Mothership formations are to spare no effort in destroying that giant!"
Zhuge Yao wasn't surprised by the command, considering the massive size of the giant on the battlefield. Without further ado, he wondered how to handle the next move if the adjacent Zhaixing Tower were to be pulled out and used as a spear to target the Mothership.
New tactical commands swiftly loaded. A large fleet of drones poured out from within the Mothership, piercing through gaps in the shield created by the battleship's main cannons, swarming towards the steel giant towering in the city center.
Inside the steel giant, Cui Jinqi, encased in metal, could not move, only able to stare blankly at Cheng Jinyang nearby. His blood-red novae pupils were fixed straight ahead, in a diffuse state without focus, occasionally trembling and flickering like an unstable old TV screen.
Strangely, she felt a peculiar connection with him, as if she, Yuanzhi, Wanrou... all six girls were nestled within Cheng Jinyang's body, intertwined with his soul.
Suddenly, the surroundings violently shook. Outside the steel giant, swarms of drones circled and darted at high speed, bombarding its surface with countless armor-piercing rounds. Under the explosions, large sections of metal casing folded, cracked, and shattered.
Cheng Jinyang stared blankly ahead, yet internally focused unlike his scattered pupils. In fact, he was in a state of "clairvoyant transparency," fully aware of everything around him.
Yang Wangshu's electromagnetic wave spread across a radius of 10 kilometers around him, pinpointing the coordinates of 13,857 drones attacking him, each position clear in his mind.
Wideband high-electromagnetic pulse diffusion field!
In an instant, severe electric sparks danced across the surface of every drone within the electromagnetic detection range, their internal power circuits instantly fried, and a multitude of out-of-control drones began plummeting to the ground like rain.
On the bridge of the Jinwei-Class Mothership, almost all drones connected to the command system simultaneously issued a "signal lost" alert.
The room fell eerily silent, as if one could hear a pin drop.
"Duke!" Zhuge Yao quickly connected via communication, Wang Chuzhong's console now at the bottom of the Jinwei-Class Mothership, ready to land. "The target has electromagnetic pulse capabilities, and the drone formations are compromised!"
"All forces currently in the city are to launch a full-scale assault toward the target," Wang Chuzhong decided swiftly. "Prepare 'Sanzuwu' on the Mothership, energize to 100%, and unleash full firepower on the target."
"Understood!" Zhuge Yao's expression changed.
The Jinwei-Class Mothership boasted two strategic weapons: one, the Mother-Child Cluster Bomb system "Heavenly Cataclysm," capable of wiping any town off the map; the other, an experimental high-energy laser cannon "Sanzuwu," previously penetrating tens of thousands of meters into the Earth's crust. The main cannon now prepared to fire was charged with 3% energy.
In reality, even 1% of the main cannon's laser could briefly shatter shields, and 10% could pierce through shields to vaporize everything within the strike zone instantaneously.
At 100%, it would inevitably cause severe crustal tremors and terrain changes. A shot at full power would turn Jiankang, the millennium-old capital, into history, transforming it into a deep lake downstream of the Yangtze River.
Even if it meant sacrificing the entire city of Jiankang, the goal was to destroy this steel giant, illustrating the Duke's profound dread of the target, urgency surpassing even the annihilation of all aristocrats and the entire court!
Thus, Zhuge Yao swiftly issued a series of commands. The Jinwei-Class Mothership began operating at full speed, revealing its menacing fangs.
The steel giant, still standing in the city, slowly turned its body to face the distant warship.
Alongside his massive steel body, raging yellow flames burned, countless arcs of electricity sparking, jumping, and vanishing within. Free radicals continuously reacted and radiated high heat around him.
Standing amidst flames and arcs, liquid metal flowed along his arm, coalescing into a streamlined lance, kilometers in length, with a sharp and terrifying groove at its tip.
[T/N: Susano'o is a term from Japanese mythology, specifically referring to the Shinto god of the sea and storms. Susano'o is known for his tumultuous and sometimes unpredictable nature. In various myths, he is depicted as a powerful and sometimes disruptive deity who plays significant roles in the pantheon.]