Love, Gun, Cupid

This meant that Cyrus and his squad would have to face the onslaught of all the remaining golems and wanderer cannon fodder, and before that, Kapok had thought of Lin Jiade.

The man in the tight-fitting suit looked at the spider-shaped mech and noticed that a crack spreading from its back had split it in two. He lay helplessly on the ground, and traces of melting and solidification could be seen on the surface of the crack. In the cockpit below, a pale blue shield enveloped Lin Jiade. He looked shaken, but his body was unharmed.

Just as Mu Mian breathed a sigh of relief, the murderous intent in her blind spot made her body tense up instantly. She turned around, raised her arm, and the blade in her hand clashed with the dagger, sparking blinding sparks.

The spells on the cotton sword and the dagger were neutralized. The strange man in the tight suit attacked with the sword, and the blue light covered the blade, making each strike faster than the last. After each parry, the light on the blade grew brighter, until the phantom of the sword appeared as a sky full of stars in the eyes of the strange man.

He saw twenty swords thrusting at him, but only one of them had the power to kill him. He dared not gamble. The spell on his cloak was activated, and the writhing darkness enveloped him, instantly turning him into a shadow and merging into the ground, thus dodging the attack of the cotton tree.

"Your swordsmanship comes from the Ten Kings Peak, but that move you just made came from the Pear Blossom School. Who exactly are you?" he asked.

"In modern times, it is meaningless to be bound by any particular school of thought."

With a flick of her wrist, Kapok changed her attack and launched another assault.

Cyrus Smith took it all in. Sector 20 was wiped out, Sector 19 was decimated, and Sector 18 was suppressed by the Baker Street team. Their spider-like mechs were completely destroyed. Although the pilots were unharmed, Cyrus did not believe that the young man could turn the tide of the battle.

The destruction of the Stonewall defenses and the disappearance of the shields could be a bad thing or a good thing. The bad thing is that Cyrus Smith has to face the golems and wanderer cannon fodder outside with an entire squad; the good thing is that he has the opportunity to make contact with the previously blocked Districts 15 and 16... provided they are still alive.

As if sensing that Cyrus's team was nearing its end, the fox spirit summoner Fran arrogantly rode in her vehicle—the largest of her summoned golems—approaching the malfunctioning stone wall defense system. Enhanced by magic, her androgynous voice echoed around Cyrus's team.

"Surrender, you have no hope. Your connection with the Empire has been severed, and your other allies have either been destroyed or are on their way to destruction."

You might still be hoping that the two squads in town can support you, but my comrades have already gone to eliminate them, and my golem is constantly firing fragments of the Mirror Realm creatures. Even the immortals of Little Penglai Mountain or Imperial agents cannot resist the allure of the Mirror Realm creatures.

Our captain's target is a young man from Sector 18. We are fighting you because of your actions in protecting him. Now, please think carefully: is it worth risking your lives to protect a stranger?

"Is this how you turned Buck?" Cyrus replied. "However, I think you promised him more material terms."

"No, after we subdued it, we first weakened its willpower with fragments of the Mirror Realm creatures, and then used a false secret to make it choose to betray us..."

Before Fran could finish speaking, a faint gunshot rang out from Cyrus's team. Immediately afterward, Fran's body was broken in half at the waist, her smug expression still lingering on her face.

The golems and wandering cannon fodder ceased their movements, silent as tombstones. The sniper reloaded, aimed at Fran's head, and fired another shot, but the next second, his index finger on the trigger twitched—

He saw Fran, who had been beaten to a pulp, stand up unsteadily, her dismembered body reforming, and her festering face restored to its original state.

Fran, nearly reborn, reappeared before Cyrus's squad in male form. The squad fired shots again, but Fran, who was already prepared, controlled the golem to stop them.

"Yes, you war veterans are all tough guys. Even if you're all dead, you're still thinking about taking someone with you. I shouldn't waste my time with you."

Fran slammed down the golem in his hand, and all the golems and wanderers under his control became restless and surged toward Cyrus's squad's position.

Chapter 103 Worms: Breaking Through the Encirclement

Cyrus pushed up his glasses, and Jadin, who had just shot Fran twice, whistled and said, "Five lone heroes against hundreds of inhuman evil puppets, and a resounding victory—don't you think that's a story readers will love?"

“Jedin, right now there are no scientists, no reporters, no cooks, no sailors, no naturalists in the team, only five men who have been through thick and thin together,” Cyrus said.

“I think Jupp and Ayrton might protest,” Nab said.

Ayrton wasn't there, and as expected, Jup protested. Naboo went to calm his colleague down, and Jup, still cursing, skillfully unloaded his gun, released the safety, and fired at the golems and wanderers below.

However, due to its different physical structure compared to humans, Jup the chimpanzee's attacks were destined to feel like soul-piercing shots, which resulted in the golem launching a more powerful counterattack.

"Alright, friends, let's put an end to this farce," Cyrus said. "The golems are the enemy's firing positions, the wanderers are the infantry, and that fox spirit summoner is the enemy's central leader. Eliminating him will bring this army to a halt."

“We’ve tried, sir, but it didn’t work,” Jedding said.

"His body is repaired by energy. There is no doubt that energy cannot be generated out of thin air, but must have a medium for storage. Therefore, the golem under the enemy's feet may be a medium for storing energy and engraved with spells for repairing the body..."

Wait, considering he's not human but an undead, he doesn't need a dedicated energy supply. As long as he's in a high-concentration energy zone, his body can repair itself… Herbert!

The youngest member of the team put on a four-hole observation instrument. This commonly used observation instrument can observe energy imaging, but it cannot observe the changes in energy intensity in the field of view in detail. But that doesn't matter. Hubbard has a keen eye and can replace some of the functions of the instrument.

Nab and Jup stayed with Herbert, while the others jumped. The strong Pencroft was the first; as he jumped, the waves surged beneath his feet, cushioning the impact of his fall.

After he landed, the others jumped down and were caught by Pencroff in the same way. Fran, of course, didn't just watch. Under the fox spirit summoner's will, a considerable number of golems changed direction, their cannons extending from their bodies and pointing at the landing Cyrus Smith squad.

Beams of light shot from the cannons, each a different color representing a different type of spell. The eyes of the Cyrus squad members were illuminated by the light of the enemy's attack. Then, Herbert made lush green plants rise from the ground to block the attack and overturn the golems and wanderers.

Without Cyrus's command, Pencroff raised his arm, and the water gathered in his hand, forming a boat shape that enveloped the team. They soared into the sky, and through the semi-transparent water curtain, the situation on the ground was clearly visible.

"Kill them!"

Fran waved his arm. His melee ability as a summoner was only at the level of a novice magic researcher. He was the type who would die if he got close to someone. Moreover, most of his energy was used to maintain the golems and the energy network between them.

He directly controls the golem, which is embedded with fragments of Mirror Realm creatures. The golem, possessing low intelligence, then controls the wanderers who are also embedded with fragments of Mirror Realm creatures and have lost their way.

Cyrus's team used two cool spells in combination, clearly not to show off in front of him, so the threat must be destroyed before it gets close.

With a muffled sound, the golem clasped its arms together, gathering energy to spray into the sky. It hardly needed to aim; the massive shape of the ghost ship constructed by Pencrof meant it would take 99% of the attacks.

Each attack sent water flying from the ghost ship, and within seconds, its hull thinned to resemble a curtain of rain. Pencroff had originally intended to smash it directly onto Fran's head, but Fran's frenzied attacks forced him to make an emergency landing nearby.

"Hold on tight!"

The ghost ship fell almost vertically, disintegrating on a golem. The water carried Cyrus, Pencroff, and Jadin to the top of a golem, while also washing away the nearby wanderers who were cannon fodder, creating an open space where they landed.

“Buy me some time,” Cyrus said.

Pencroff nodded, then reached out and gathered the water to form a shield around them. Albert's lush plants, nourished by the water, stretched wildly, entangling the golems and the wandering cannon fodder.

"Interesting, what are you summoning?" Fran laughed loudly. "Summoner battles are like playing chess or cards. What summoners look forward to most is fighting against another summoner, but unfortunately, in order to win, I have to sacrifice my own enjoyment!"

He was casting a spell, and the lonely gunshot from Jadin was making him restless, but the thought of crushing his opponent soon made him smile.

While Fran was casting his spell, the offensive of his army attacking the stone wall stalled. Nab and Jup, who were not good at fighting, breathed a sigh of relief and went to take care of Albert, who had exhausted his energy. Albert had inherited the strengths of all the members of Cyrus's team and was considered a future star destined to surpass the team, but now he was still too young. It was unreasonable to ask a 15-year-old to take on responsibility.

Nab stuffed the energy-rich pastries and drinks into Albert's mouth. Seeing a flush of color rise on the boy's pale cheeks, he patted Nab's hand and, with the latter's help, stood up again.

"This is Squad 17. We are still holding our posts. Repeat, we are still holding our posts. Survivors of Squads 15, 16, 18 and 19, please continue your fight with confidence. No enemy will disturb you until we are all killed in action."

Albert had stopped looking at the map, because it was pointless. The key to the current battle was how long their Sector 17 squad could hold off the enemy, and whether Sector 18, which was directly confronting the enemy's elite, could take down the enemy's leader.

Albert thought it was impossible, but at this moment, he had to trust the District 18 squad because his most respected captain, Cyrus, believed in them. That's why the squad was protecting the District 18 squad's flank while fighting desperately against the now-useless stone wall.

Pencroff maintained his defense for 55 seconds amidst the golems' concentrated fire. Just as he was about to exhaust himself and end his spell, he saw Fran finish casting her spell first and swing her arm down in their direction.

"Die!"

The sky was torn apart, and a new golem materialized at Fran's summons. This golem was larger than all of Fran's golems present. Without a doubt, Fran had revealed her trump card.

Chapter 104 Worms: Slanting Attack (43→42)

The lapis lazuli humanoid golem fell from the sky, crashing directly onto Cyrus's head. Its shadow spread over Cyrus's team, but for a moment, the shadow stopped expanding because the golem beneath Cyrus's feet stretched out its hands and caught the falling lapis lazuli golem.

"My golem..."

Fran was referring to the one beneath Cyrus's feet. Just now, he felt himself lose contact with the Redstone-32 golem. He looked at Cyrus and said, "You seized control of it?"

"To be precise, it's a modification," Cyrus said. "Your summoning spells and golem modification techniques are based on the theories of summoning spells from 50 years ago. In your time, it represented the mainstream of summoning, but now it only means outdated and backward."

If the dead were to rise from the dead, or if people from the past were to come to the present, the first thing they would have to overcome is the limitations of their own time, to see how far the world has developed. Then they would learn, transform themselves, and then reflect.

In that respect, you're not a worthy opponent, but a good enemy. I like enemies I can defeat.

Fran laughed angrily: "You merely seized a piece on the chessboard, and you're already proclaiming your victory? You have experience on the battlefield, and so do I!"

“I don’t mean to smear or insult your past experiences, but your infiltration team mainly focuses on special operations and rarely engages in head-on battles. Your thinking is mainly based on asymmetric warfare... These ten minutes have already revealed your thinking.”

Cyrus stood in the darkness, but his glasses gleamed: "The dead are more stubborn than the living... Well then, let me teach you with facts."

Meanwhile, the Baker Street Squad's heavy-armored defender, the perfunctory monster, and the healer, Momiji, head to a town... a ruin called the town.

Prior to this, Fran manipulated some of the golems to fire stone projectiles at the town. The stone projectiles were not very lethal, but the fragments of the mirror world creatures released after they disintegrated were a deadly but gentle poison to the Homo sapiens.

Upon approaching, both the Perfunctory Monster and the Red Leaf donned protective gear to prevent themselves from touching the fragments of the Mirror World creatures and being tempted and succumbing to their allure.

Red Leaf held a life detector, while the Perfunctory Monster stood guard beside her. The moment Red Leaf scanned the red dot, dust from the ruins suddenly rose up.

The four rushed to the two advanced magic researchers, forming pairs to hold off the perfunctory monster and Hongye in place. In an instant, Tang Ao appeared in front of them, wielding his deer-shaped weapon and striking Hongye in the neck.

"?!"

Hongye glanced at the sword embedded in her neck: "Prioritizing killing the opponent's healer is a good idea, but the ability is a bit lacking."

Hongye grabbed Tang Ao's Deer-Lu Sword and moved it aside. The slash on his neck healed rapidly, revealing a silvery-white metallic sheen. Tang Ao exclaimed in surprise, "Is this a ritual performed by a master-level magic researcher?"

"Abandoning the physical body, that's true. I went through that ritual, but I failed, so I was labeled a defective product and assigned to the Baker Street Squad to supervise the work of non-establishment magic researchers and as the squad's last line of defense."

"Impossible, you've already died once..."

"Indeed, my body reconstruction is different from others. They only need enough energy to rebuild their physical bodies, while I need more technological components. Thanks to Gladiolus, thanks to Robinson, I have been reborn... although this body is barely passable."

Tang Ao stepped back, raising his hand. Fragments of the town rose, transforming into a dark, oppressive cloud that shrouded the earth. Hongye said calmly, "Why not continue? Let those fragments flying in the sky fall; their number is enough to kill me and the Perfunctory Monster."

"..."

"Because you can't do it. You're not an ascended being from Little Penglai Mountain at all, but a particularly skilled liar. Your illusions are amazing, even able to fool 93's eyes, but you can't fool me. If you have no other skills, then please die here with your companions."

This sentence became the signal to start the war. Tang Ao whistled, and Lao Can, wearing a bird-beak mask, led four people out from the other side. Each of them held a spray device, and they all aimed their guns at Hongye and pulled the trigger. The corrosive liquid sprayed out, filling the scene with a pungent smell.

Hongye tried to dodge, but Tang Ao followed up with his Deer-Lu Sword, pinning her to the spot. At that moment, the Perfunctory Monster stepped forward, taking the full force of the attack that was enough to melt Hongye. The Perfunctory Monster's clothes melted, but his body remained completely unscathed.

"Alright, it's time to end this."

Hongye grabbed the weapon Tang Ao was about to use against her, her body began to deform and open, revealing a honeycomb-like hole in her chest filled with fragments of Mirror Realm creatures. Although he didn't know why Hongye hadn't been assimilated by the Mirror Realm creatures, Tang Ao knew what choice he had to make.

"Scatter! Scatter!" Tang Ao shouted.

The mercenaries who arrived here were all veterans, at least their survival and self-preservation skills were maxed out. They immediately scattered in all directions, faster than when they were flanking the enemy. But Hongye raised his arm, a flash of lightning, and a suction force pulled the fleeing mercenaries back to his vicinity little by little.

"It's magnetism!" Tang Ao realized the secret. "He controls our range of movement by attracting the metal objects on our bodies."

It's difficult to get rid of all the metal objects. So, in this desperate situation, the trapped individuals all resort to one method: eliminating the spellcaster who has imprisoned them.

The moment they turned to attack, the Perfunctory Monster activated its skill, taking all the prepared attacks upon itself. Tang Ao desperately and helplessly slashed at the Perfunctory Monster's body, while Lao Can futilely injected various resistance-enhancing potions into his allies' bodies.

Hongye took it all in. His body had become mechanical, but his soul was full of humanity. So he released the fragments of the Mirror Realm creatures with a sense of pleasure, watching them pierce into the enemy's body... but nothing happened.

Seeing the attack miss, Hongye looked at Tang Ao and said, "If these people in front of us are fake, then what about the other team members?"

"you guess."

Hongye switched on her prosthetic eye and soon said, "One team went to support the stone wall, and the other team rushed into the teleportation area to try and kill Jianlan. Unfortunately, you can't change the course of the battle no matter which side you choose."

"That's hard to say. I'm a very clever liar," Tang Ao chuckled. "Do you think it takes an ascendant from Little Penglai Mountain to keep you here? Don't underestimate me!"

Hongye nodded to the perfunctory monster, who then went to annihilate the small team that had rushed into the transmission area, but the Lulu Sword embroidered with twelve golden flowers blocked his way.

"Gentlemen, this road is blocked," Tang Ao said.

Chapter 105 Worms: Withdrawal

From the Kapok Squad beside him to Cyrus Smith by the stone wall, from Tang Ao who single-handedly held off two advanced magic researchers to the Old Man Squad who led the support team, everyone was fighting for their own destiny.

Lin Jiade really wanted to join them, but embarrassingly, the magic used by Jianlan saved his life, but the cockpit deformed under the energy impact, trapping him inside.