Volume 1 Chapter 23: Thermal Greatsword

"A big fish has arrived."

The night was as dark and heavy as ink, yet the mechanical tiger’s brilliant blue eyes shone like twin lanterns, piercing the darkness with an arresting glare. It made no attempt to hide; instead, it revealed itself deliberately, as if taunting or showing off, eager to see the terror and confusion on the faces of Zhang Wei and Lin Qianying.

However, the mechanical tiger was unaware of Zhang Wei’s true identity. Had it known that he was the very same being who had terrified it into fleeing from the zoo earlier that day, it would have surely tucked its tail and scrambled away in a panic. But now that the beast had appeared before him, Zhang Wei had no intention of letting it escape.

Before Zhang Wei could make a move, Lin Qianying’s cryo-gun erupted, spitting out frigid flames. Icy blue freezing rounds cut through the air, leaving behind brilliant trails of frost. With Lin Qianying’s marksmanship, hitting a target as large as the mechanical tiger was effortless. Yet, the power of the freezing rounds proved insufficient; the frost forming on the tiger’s body vanished almost as soon as it appeared.

"My attacks can’t hurt it," Lin Qianying said, stepping back in alarm. Her combat strength was far too low—even with the cryo-gun, it was only 50 points, and that was only because she had reached level eight; otherwise, she would have possessed a mere 34 points. "Can you handle it? If not, we should run."

Lin Qianying did not yet fully grasp how powerful Zhang Wei truly was. In her eyes, while he was certainly stronger than her, he couldn't be by much. If her freezing rounds couldn't damage the tiger, she assumed his floating cannon would be equally ineffective. She held little faith in his melee skills or the abilities he unleashed through his eyes. A mechanical tiger was not a flying mechanical bird; they were in entirely different weight classes.

"Leave it to me," Zhang Wei replied calmly, sensing her doubt but offering no explanation. There was no need; she would witness his power for herself soon enough.

A moment later, a roar shattered the silence, the powerful sonic waves causing the remaining glass in the surrounding buildings to shatter in unison. Amidst the shrill sound of breaking glass, the massive mechanical tiger lunged, its eyes burning with malice as it charged directly at Lin Qianying. It sought to tear apart the one who had dared to strike at it, silencing its rage with her destruction.

Yet, just as the beast was about to pounce on her, a figure suddenly blocked its path. Zhang Wei’s floating cannon fired instantly. Unlike Lin Qianying’s rounds, these projectiles carried not only greater freezing power but also enough kinetic force to slam the leaping tiger into the ground.

Watching the tiger’s leg become completely encased in ice, Lin Qianying fell into a state of profound self-doubt. *Am I not even as effective as the floating cannon mounted on his shoulder?* This realization was deeply unsettling. Being outclassed by his mech was one thing, but if she couldn't even outperform his sidearm, what did that make her?

Before she could dwell on it, Zhang Wei stepped forward, war-scythe in hand. Seeing him swing the blade toward its skull, the tiger didn't stop to wonder why he was so strong. It pushed off with its hind legs, forcing its body into a standing position. Then, its unfrozen claws flared with flame.

The collision between claw and scythe erupted in a shower of sparks, like falling stars illuminating the dark street. After a brief stalemate, their combined power exploded with a deafening boom that made the entire district tremble. The massive mechanical tiger was sent flying by the sheer force, tracing a harrowing arc through the night sky like a rogue meteor, crashing through building after building.

Zhang Wei, meanwhile, stood motionless. "It didn't die?" He was slightly dissatisfied with his own strike. To fail to kill the beast instantly while having overwhelming combat strength was a disgrace and, frankly, ruined his moment of cool.

What he didn't realize was that he had already succeeded in impressing his audience. In Lin Qianying's eyes, he was an object of pure admiration. She liked men stronger than her, and seeing him in action was, to her, the definition of a real man.

Zhang Wei didn't look at her; the tiger wasn't dead, and he wouldn't give it a chance to escape. He pursued it through the gaping holes it had smashed into the buildings. Though not killed, the tiger was effectively finished. As it lay on the ground, its front limbs rendered useless, it let out a faint whine upon seeing Zhang Wei approach, as if pleading for mercy.

Before it could beg, Zhang Wei swung his scythe again. Without its front claws to block, the tiger was forced to take the blow with its neck. A flash of purple light cut through the air; the scythe sliced through the beast’s defensive plating and severed its head clean off. The remaining body twitched a few times before falling silent. A high-level source crystal floated into the air.

"Collect."

Lin Qianying caught up behind him. "Did you kill it? You’re incredible," she said, her eyes filled with awe. However, because his mech’s eyes were glowing blue, Zhang Wei couldn't see the look in her eyes.

"It was alright," Zhang Wei said with feigned humility.

"Did you get anything good?" Lin Qianying asked, not out of greed, but out of curiosity.

"I don't know yet, let me check." Zhang Wei pulled out the high-level source crystal and activated it.

"Ding. Obtained: Excellent-grade Thermal Greatsword."

[Thermal Greatsword (Excellent)]
[Combat Strength +100]
[Possesses extreme heat, assisting in slicing through enemy armor.]

"That's amazing!" Lin Qianying exclaimed. Even with her limited experience, she knew a treasure when she saw one.

"Heh, it's decent," Zhang Wei said, adding another layer of coolness. He was actually very pleased; the combat strength bonus alone was significantly higher than his war-scythe.

He stored the scythe and equipped the thermal greatsword. It was a two-handed weapon, eight meters long and nearly a meter wide, twice as heavy as the scythe, but it promised far greater destructive power.

"I’m so envious of you melee fighters; your weapons are so imposing," Lin Qianying said with a hint of jealousy.

"You’ll get great weapons too," Zhang Wei promised. He wasn't just placating her—the weapons for long-range mechs were just as formidable; they simply hadn't dropped yet.

"Alright, I believe you. Let’s go."

"Okay."

The intense night continued. Zhang Wei acted only a handful of times, mostly when Lin Qianying was overwhelmed, and each time he stepped in, he wiped out swarms of mechanical creatures. Most were mechanical rats, yielding only ordinary source crystals. The mechanical birds provided few intermediate crystals, as they fled as soon as they realized the danger. The only high-level crystal obtained all night was the one from the tiger.

As dawn broke, the night of chaos drew to a close. Once the sky was fully bright, Lin Qianying received a call from her comrades, and her superiors issued new orders. Without waiting to tally their final haul, Zhang Wei and Lin Qianying returned to Zhang Tao’s home.