Volume One, Chapter 22: Ptooey, Men!

Lin Qianying joyfully equipped the cryo-gun, tucking her retired rifle into her mech’s storage space. Zhang Wei toyed with the idea of striking while the iron was hot and selling her the excellent-grade cargo bay he no longer needed, but after a moment’s thought, he decided against it.

One thing at a time.

"Zhang Wei, let's go save some people," Lin Qianying suggested after fiddling with her new cryo-gun.

"Save people?" Zhang Wei blinked in surprise.

"Yes. There are countless civilians suffering right now. Since we have the capability, we should save as many as we can." Lin Qianying’s voice was low; for her, the topic carried a heavy weight of responsibility and emotion. Perhaps for all soldiers, it was a somber subject, as they were currently unable to fulfill their missions.

But for Zhang Wei, he had no interest in thankless tasks. The mechanical creatures were endless, and there was no way to save everyone. Furthermore, the mechanical birds were fast; he could usually only down three or four from a flock before the rest sensed danger and fled.

Just as Zhang Wei was about to refuse, the bodyguards returned from gathering the source crystals. "Boss, we're back!" they announced, their voices filled with the pride and joy of a mission accomplished.

Hearing their call, Zhang Tao prepared to assert his presence. However, as he reached out to take the crystals, his own bodyguards ignored him entirely, stepping past him to stand before Zhang Wei and bow. Zhang Tao was stunned, then flared with indignation.

At that moment, Zhang Wei’s calm, gentle voice pulled him back to reality. "Thank you, you’ve worked hard."

The simple words felt like a spring breeze, leaving the bodyguards feeling flattered and honored. Zhang Tao felt like crying again—he had gifted a floating turret, yet hadn't heard a single word of thanks.

*It’s fine, it’s fine,* Zhang Tao consoled himself internally. *We’re brothers to the big boss. These guys are just outsiders; the boss just feels he doesn't need to stand on ceremony with me.* After this bit of self-reassurance, his mood improved immediately.

Zhang Wei paid no attention to Zhang Tao’s internal monologue. He collected all the intermediate source crystals dropped by the ordinary mechanical birds.

These were indeed intermediate crystals. Despite the fierce attack power of the birds, they had originally been creatures the size of pigeons, so they only produced intermediate crystals. The exotic mechanical bird, however, was much more generous, providing the only high-grade source crystal in the entire batch.

"Activate." Zhang Wei opened the crystal in front of everyone.

It wasn't mech experience, nor was it a skill crystal—it was equipment.

[Excellent-grade Multi-Stage Afterburner]
[Combat Power +30]

Zhang Wei nodded slightly, very satisfied. An afterburner allowed for multiple consecutive bursts of propulsion, granting the mech superior kinetic energy. There were many types—high-speed thrusters, parallel thrusters, jet engines, and so on—but choices depended on personal needs. He had no choice here, but an afterburner was already a top-tier upgrade. With its excellent quality and the significant boost to combat power, he had no reason to complain.

"Equip."

He swapped the standard thruster on the lower back of his mech for the new afterburner. For a moment, even Lin Qianying felt a twinge of envy. Zhang Wei’s gear was truly luxurious: aside from his excellent-grade war scythe, every other piece of external equipment was excellent-grade, not to mention his special floating turret and his mastery of skills. If she knew he also possessed a legendary-grade skill, her envy would surely deepen.

"Zhang Wei, can we set off now?" Lin Qianying’s voice broke the brief silence.

Zhang Wei reconsidered his earlier stance and nodded slightly. Going out to collect intermediate source crystals wasn't a bad idea; even if he didn't unbox new equipment, he could at least level up his mech. As for saving people—he’d do it if it were convenient.

"Um, we won't be going, will we? There's not much we can do," said one of the four who had arrived with Lin Qianying. They looked dejected and helpless. In terms of personal strength, they feared no one, but against those mechanical monsters, they were powerless. Facing those iron beasts with bare hands was like throwing eggs at a rock; they would only become prey.

Seeing this, Zhang Tao stepped forward to comfort them. "You four can just rest well at my place; you're safe here." Maintaining good relations with the military was essential. Even if the military seemed weak now, it was only because they hadn't unleashed their true heavy weaponry. The mechanical creatures couldn't withstand artillery fire. Though the world was in chaos, Zhang Tao believed that order would eventually be restored, and the military would certainly be the ones to lead that recovery.

"You guys stay here and rest. We can't go back now, so we'll have to wait until dawn," Lin Qianying advised.

"Understood. You go save whoever you can. I’ll keep in touch with headquarters, and if there are new orders, I’ll contact you," the pilot said to her.

"Alright, let's head out," Lin Qianying said, turning to Zhang Wei. He nodded in response.

Just then, Zhang Tao interjected, "Big brother, I..."

Before he could finish, Zhang Wei cut him off: "Watch the house."

"I... alright." Zhang Tao was frustrated. He had wanted to tag along and perhaps scavenge some loot. If Zhang Wei happened to find gear he didn't need, he might toss it his way, or at the very least, he could pick up whatever Zhang Wei discarded.

Watching them disappear into the distance, Zhang Tao couldn't help but mutter to himself, "If you didn't want me to be a third wheel, just say so. Pfft, men!"

Zhang Wei remained oblivious to the grumbling, and even if he had known, it wouldn't have ruffled his composure. His heart was clear, and he harbored no such petty thoughts.

On the way, Zhang Wei remained quiet, keeping his thrusters off to match Lin Qianying’s pace. She, meanwhile, was busy; her pure white mech was beautiful, but in the dead of night, it acted like a beacon, making them easily spotted by mechanical creatures from a distance. However, Zhang Wei observed that she hadn't been boasting—her marksmanship was indeed impressive, hitting the target nearly eight out of ten times.

Just as Zhang Wei was settling in to watch the show, a massive mechanical tiger with glowing blue eyes and a height of nearly seven meters locked its gaze onto them.