Volume One, Chapter 35: What Are You Trying to Do? Have You Lost Your Minds?
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“Then, can you beat them?” Lin Qianying frowned, a trace of worry showing in her eyes. She was not questioning Zhang Wei’s combat prowess. It was simply that the thought of facing tens of thousands of mechanical rats was enough to make anyone’s blood run cold.
And if there was a Rat King among them…
The consequences would be unimaginable.
“We’ll know once we try. Let’s go.”
Zhang Wei, however, remained remarkably calm. Without changing expression, he waved for Lin Qianying and Zhang Tao to follow.
At those words, Zhang Tao instantly grew tense, his legs even beginning to tremble.
He knew his own limits. If they were truly going to face thousands upon thousands of mechanical rats, he would be nothing more than an extra meal for them.
“Big brother, how about I stay and guard the house?” Zhang Tao tried to back out.
Without even thinking, Zhang Wei shook his head. “No.”
What a joke. Zhang Tao was a lucky little prince. With him along, they might stumble upon some unexpected gains.
As for safety, they could simply keep him hidden well enough.
“Big brother!” Zhang Tao nearly resorted to acting cute and pleading.
Unfortunately, it was useless. Zhang Wei was immune to such tricks.
Seeing Zhang Wei stare at him in silence as the atmosphere began to turn cold, Zhang Tao immediately changed his attitude.
“Let’s go, big brother. Wherever you go, I’ll go.”
A wise man knows when to submit. Zhang Tao understood that a weak arm could never overpower a strong one.
“Let’s move.”
Zhang Wei led the way, Lin Qianying followed close behind, and Zhang Tao brought up the rear.
With Zhang Wei clearing the path, the journey was completely safe.
At last, Zhang Tao discovered his own purpose.
During Zhang Wei’s frenzied slaughter, he had no time to collect the source crystals. Naturally, this happy burden fell to Zhang Tao.
Just as Zhang Wei was leading Lin Qianying and Zhang Tao toward the northern part of the city, Han Xu appeared in the villa district. He had vanished from Zhang Tao’s house earlier.
Han Xu stared at Zhang Wei’s departing figure, his eyes filled with hatred.
At that moment, his heart was consumed by pain and regret. He hated his own helplessness—he had not even possessed the courage to collect Han Xiao’s remains.
“Zhang Wei…” Han Xu clenched his teeth and forced the name through them, as if pouring all his resentment into those two words.
“Zhang Wei!”
He growled the name again, his voice brimming with fury.
Carrying all that hatred with him, Han Xu crossed several villas without hesitation before slipping into one that appeared to be occupied.
“Who’s there?”
The homeowner was highly vigilant. The instant Han Xu vaulted the wall and entered the courtyard, the man keenly sensed the uninvited guest.
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He was secretly startled, and a trace of tension and suspicion appeared in his eyes.
Han Xu made no attempt to hide his identity. In fact, he seemed almost smug.
Straightening his back, he answered loudly, “I work for Zhang Tao!”
His tone carried both provocation and arrogance.
The homeowner was a middle-aged man. He frowned and stared at Han Xu.
Of course, he knew the name Zhang Tao well.
What had happened at Zhang Tao’s home had already spread throughout the villa district’s residents’ group chat. Every homeowner was somewhat afraid of Zhang Tao.
Because of that fear, the middle-aged man, despite being filled with indignation, did not dare lose his temper with Han Xu.
He drew a deep breath and tried to remain calm before asking sternly, “What do you want here?”
This was precisely the effect Han Xu had wanted.
He sauntered over to the middle-aged man and said with a smile, “My big brother wants me to take stock of the mechs in this area. How many do you have?”
The middle-aged man replied irritably, “Why should I tell you?”
“Not cooperating? Fine. I understand.”
Han Xu was not angry in the slightest. A cold smile appeared on his face as he turned to leave.
Seeing him depart so readily, the middle-aged man immediately panicked.
“Wait!”
A cold glint flashed through Han Xu’s eyes. When he turned back, his face wore a provocative smile.
“What is it? Do you have some instruction for me?”
The middle-aged man’s expression was ugly. He did not want to find out what would happen if he refused to cooperate with Zhang Tao.
Faced with Han Xu’s taunting smile, he could only grit his teeth and say, “I have two mechs.”
“Why didn’t you cooperate in the first place? Where are the mech cores? Bring them out for me to inspect. Don’t try to hide anything. If the numbers don’t match, I can’t guarantee what will happen.”
The middle-aged man had not intended to hand over the mech cores, but after hearing Han Xu’s words, he could only swallow his anger and continue enduring the humiliation.
When one is beneath another’s roof, one has no choice but to bow one’s head.
The middle-aged man took out two mech cores and threw them at Han Xu irritably, his attitude openly hostile.
Han Xu paid no attention to his attitude. The moment he received the mech cores, his eyes lit up. After examining them, his excitement grew even greater.
Although neither mech inside the cores had reached medium-class standards, one stood eight meters tall. It had most likely been converted from an MVP model.
Compared with his previous mech, it was vastly superior.
The next moment, Han Xu activated the mech, and its enormous frame appeared inside the villa.
“What are you doing?” the middle-aged man roared hysterically.
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Summoning a mech inside one’s own home was no different from demolishing the house.
But the middle-aged man had underestimated Han Xu.
Han Xu had never intended merely to tear apart the house. He intended to tear the man apart along with it.
Amid the middle-aged man’s furious roar, Han Xu, already merged with the mech, lifted one foot and brought it down on him.
How could a mortal body withstand the force of a mech?
Han Xu barely exerted any strength. Under the mech’s own weight, the middle-aged man was crushed into a heap of mangled flesh.
“Are you stupid or what? Hmph!”
Han Xu snorted coldly, then quickly left the scene.
The place was too close to Zhang Tao’s home. The bodyguards there would likely notice the disturbance and come to investigate.
Han Xu did not want to run into them now. He needed to build up his strength.
He needed revenge.
…
River City, north district.
Tens of thousands of mechanical rats swept across everything before them like a colossal wave. Nothing made of steel could escape their razor-sharp teeth.
The cries of the people, the sporadic resistance of mechs, and the collapse of high-rises merged into one cacophonous roar.
Yet most numerous were the mechs and other mechanical creatures fleeing madly toward the southern part of the city.
Faced with the rat tide, even bloodthirsty mechanical creatures had no choice but to avoid its edge. None dared stand in its way.
Before long, however, the fleeing mechs discovered three machines moving in the opposite direction.
“What are you doing? Do you have a death wish? Run!”
In the early days of the apocalypse, there were still many kindhearted people.
Someone shouted loudly, hoping Zhang Wei and the other two would immediately join the stream of fleeing survivors.
Unfortunately, Zhang Wei acted as though he had heard nothing and continued moving forward without hesitation.
“Big brother, how about I find somewhere nearby to hide? Would that be okay?”
Zhang Tao once again tried to retreat. There was no helping it. Ahead of them, dust filled the sky, and a vast expanse of sand that seemed capable of swallowing everything was rapidly closing in.
If he were caught in that sandstorm, Zhang Tao did not know how many seconds he would last.
“Stay nearby and absorb the source crystals. Complete your first evolution. Use the thrusters properly, and you won’t die in the short term.”
“Lin Qianying, find a high place and act freely. Just don’t get yourself killed.”
After giving those instructions, Zhang Wei continued forward, charging straight into the region shrouded in swirling sand.
“Be careful!” Lin Qianying shouted.
Zhang Wei did not respond. His figure gradually receded into the distance. Without the two burdens slowing him down, he could unleash his speed to the fullest.
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