12: Eerie Lolita, Soul Sewing Master

Mechanical Graveyard.

This is a cemetery of metal.

Giant gears were half-buried in the black soil like broken vertebrae, and rusted drive shafts were stuck haphazardly into the ground like the remains of some ancient behemoth.

The air was thick with the heavy scent of engine oil and the sour stench of decay—a mixture of metal oxidation and organic decomposition.

The sky was a hazy gray, with occasional arcs of electricity flashing through the clouds, illuminating the deathly silent ruins below.

"Zzzzt..."

The sound of electric current seemed exceptionally piercing in the silence.

Gu Pingsheng walked at the front.

Dressed in his casual clothes with his hands in his pockets, he strolled along as if he were wandering through his own backyard.

Half a step behind him was the fully armed Lin Qinghan.

Black nano-light armor outlined her perfect curves, and the high-frequency vibration blade in her hand was on standby, emitting a faint blue light. Her gaze swept the surroundings alertly, her body tense and ready to strike at any moment.

Further back were Tang Xiaoxiao, carrying a toolbox, and Su Ruan, holding a Bunny plushie.

"The radiation levels here are a bit high."

Tang Xiaoxiao looked at the detector on her wrist, her brow furrowing.

"But it's still within the safe range. It's just these mechanical remains... they all seem to show signs of being reassembled."

She crouched down to examine a broken mechanical arm.

The cut was fresh; it didn't look like a natural break, but rather as if it had been forcefully torn off by something.

"Be careful."

Gu Pingsheng gave a faint warning.

Before his voice even faded.

"Roar—!"

A sudden, tooth-aching sound of metal grinding echoed from all directions.

In the shadows, a dozen pairs of red electronic eyes snapped open.

They were [Scrap Iron Hounds].

Mechanical creatures cobbled together from discarded parts. Their bodies were rusted iron plates, their limbs were hydraulic rods, and their mouths were lined with sharp serrations. Although they looked dilapidated, a sense of ferocity hit them full force.

"Woof! Woof woof!"

Accompanied by ear-piercing snarls, a dozen hounds rushed forward like they were crazed.

They were incredibly fast!

"Prepare for combat!"

Lin Qinghan barked a low command, her figure instantly vanishing from the spot.

"Clang—"

A flash of blue light.

The hound leading the charge was sliced clean in half at the waist. The cut was as smooth as a mirror, and wires and engine oil gushed out from within.

An instant kill.

This was the power of an S-Rank Talent combined with superior equipment.

But there were too many hounds.

And they knew no fear.

"Damn it! Stay back!"

Tang Xiaoxiao was surrounded by two hounds.

Although she had awakened [Mechanical Affinity], this talent was primarily for repairing things; her combat strength was not high.

Seeing a hound open its serrated maw to bite her leg.

"Flesh Overclocking! Activate!"

Tang Xiaoxiao shouted through gritted teeth.

A layer of red light instantly surfaced on her skin, her muscles bulged, and her strength surged.

"Bang!"

She kicked the hound's head.

The sound of metal denting rang out.

The hound was sent flying, crashing into a pile of scrap iron, twitching twice before going still.

But the other hound took the opportunity to pounce, its sharp claws lunging for her back.

"Watch out!"

Lin Qinghan wanted to turn back to help, but was pinned down by three other hounds.

At this critical moment.

"Hee hee..."

A soft giggle suddenly rang out across the battlefield.

The laughter was sweet and soft, like a little girl next door acting spoiled.

But in this environment, it was hair-raising.

Su Ruan stood at the edge of the battlefield.

She was still holding that dirty Bunny plushie, an innocent smile on her face.

Her fingers twitched slightly.

Just like she was manipulating a marionette.

"Go, Bunny."

"That's your snack."

The next second.

A sudden mutation occurred.

The Bunny plushie in her arms, which was originally only the size of a palm, suddenly inflated like it was being pumped with air.

Its button eyes burst, revealing crimson crystals inside.

Its sewn mouth split open all the way to its ears, revealing a mouth full of dense, sharp teeth.

"Roar—!!!"

A roar even more terrifying than the mechanical hounds rang out.

The Bunny plushie instantly transformed into a two-meter-tall monster.

It lunged out, its speed so fast it left only an afterimage.

"Crunch!"

Before the hound about to ambush Tang Xiaoxiao could react, its head was grabbed by a large, furry hand.

Then.

A forceful squeeze.

"Bang!"

Like crushing a soda can.

The hound's head exploded, parts flying in all directions.

But it didn't end there.

The terrifying rabbit didn't stop.

It grabbed the hound's corpse and stuffed it directly into its gaping maw.

"Crunch... crunch..."

The scalp-numbing sound of chewing echoed.

Hard metal was crushed like gristle in its mouth.

The entire field went silent.

Even the mechanical hounds, which felt no pain, seemed intimidated by this scene, their movements pausing for a moment.

Tang Xiaoxiao's eyes widened as she watched the monster in front of her devouring machinery, then looked at the innocent-looking loli in the distance.

This is a freaking rabbit?!

This is freaking Su Ruan?!

"It's not enough yet..."

Su Ruan tilted her head, her fingers twitching again.

Countless transparent threads, invisible to the naked eye, shot from her fingertips, connecting to the Gluttonous Rabbit.

[S-Rank Talent: Soul Sewing]

[Description: Can sew souls together with matter, giving life to dead objects or transforming living things into puppets.]

"Sewing... begin."

As her voice fell.

Countless black threads suddenly emerged from the Gluttonous Rabbit, piercing into the surrounding hound corpses like tentacles.

The dismantled parts, wires, and even cores were forcibly pulled over by the threads and stitched onto the rabbit's body.

"Zzzzt—"

A sickening sound of flesh and metal fusing.

The Gluttonous Rabbit's size surged again.

Its left arm became a giant hydraulic claw, its right arm was fitted with the hound's serrations, and several exhaust pipes even appeared on its back.

[Semi-Mechanical Berserk Rabbit (Tier 3 · Elite)]

[Status: Hungry / Berserk]

"Roar!!!"

The evolved Berserk Rabbit roared to the sky, the sound waves making the surrounding scrap iron tremble.

It charged into the pack of hounds like a tiger into a flock of sheep.

Crushing one with a punch, smashing another with a stomp.

The hounds that were so ferocious just moments ago were now as fragile as toys before it.

In just half a minute.

The battle was over.

Only a pile of scrap metal remained on the ground.

The Berserk Rabbit stood in the center of the ruins, covered in oil and shredded meat, its crimson eyes still searching for prey.

"Come back, Bunny."

Su Ruan beckoned.

The terrifying monster instantly shrunk, turning back into the dirty plushie and flying obediently back into her arms.

Su Ruan held the plushie, rubbing it against her cheek with a satisfied look.

"Are you full? Good Bunny."

Tang Xiaoxiao swallowed hard and instinctively moved two steps to the side, getting away from the loli.

Too perverted.

This was even scarier than a zombie.

Lin Qinghan sheathed her blade, her gaze toward Su Ruan becoming a bit more solemn.

Is this an S-Rank Talent?

As expected, no one who can survive in this apocalypse is simple.

"Clap, clap, clap."

Crisp applause rang out.

Gu Pingsheng walked over.

He looked at Su Ruan with no fear in his eyes, only appreciation.

"Nice puppetry."

He commented faintly.

"Using enemy corpses to strengthen the puppet, sustaining battle through battle. Very efficient."

Hearing the praise, Su Ruan's eyes sparkled like a puppy waiting for a compliment.

"Thank you, Captain Brother~"

She called out sweetly, her voice carrying a cloying sweetness.

"I'm very useful. From now on, you can leave all this dirty and tiring work to me."

Gu Pingsheng smiled and said nothing.

He raised his hand, the desert eagle suddenly lifted, and without even looking, he fired a shot at a discarded tower in the distance.

"Bang!"

A gunshot rang out.

At the top of the tower, the head of a sniper-type mechanical beast that was preparing to ambush them exploded, and it fell from the height.

"Let's go."

Gu Pingsheng blew the smoke from the muzzle.

"Warm-up is over, time to get down to business."

The group continued deeper.

The further in they went, the more massive the mechanical remains became.

Some were even a dozen stories high, like mountains of steel.

The radiation levels here were also getting higher, and free electrical charges could even be seen in the air.

Finally.

After passing through a dense area of ruins, the view suddenly opened up.

A giant tower stood at the center of the graveyard.

It was an [Energy Tower].

Though it had been abandoned for years, a faint blue energy glow still flowed over its body. And at the top of the tower, a massive core was slowly rotating, emitting heart-palpitating energy fluctuations.

"That's... a High-Energy Convergence Core!"

Tang Xiaoxiao cried out in surprise, her eyes widening.

"If we can get that, our spaceship can upgrade to at least LV3! Maybe even LV4!"

That was a true treasure.

In this energy-starved apocalypse, the value of a high-energy core exceeded even that of a city.

"Don't celebrate too early."

Lin Qinghan coldly poured cold water on her.

"Look down there."

Everyone followed her gaze.

At the base of the Energy Tower lay a gargantuan creature.

It was a [Mechanical Giant Ape].

Over ten meters tall, its entire body was covered in thick alloy armor, its arms as thick as pillars. It carried a giant energy tank on its back, with several thick tubes connecting its body to the Energy Tower.

It was sleeping.

With every breath, two plumes of white steam puffed from its nostrils, making the ground tremble slightly.

[Mechanical Giant Ape (Tier 4 · Lord)]

[Description: Guardian of the Mechanical Graveyard, possessing terrifying strength and defense. Its armor can immunize against most light weapon attacks.]

A Tier 4 Lord!

Tang Xiaoxiao's face instantly turned pale.

Those Tier 2 hounds from earlier had already kept them busy; now a Tier 4 big guy had appeared?

How were they supposed to fight this?

"Cap... Captain..."

Su Ruan hugged the Bunny in her arms tightly, her voice trembling slightly.

"This... Bunny doesn't seem to be able to beat it..."

Although her Berserk Rabbit was powerful, it was only a Tier 3 Elite. In front of this big guy, it would probably be crushed in one slap.

Lin Qinghan's hand tightened on her sword hilt, her knuckles turning white.

She could feel the terrifying pressure emanating from the great ape.

It was absolute power suppression.

"Roar—!!!"

Seemingly sensing the presence of intruders.

The sleeping ape suddenly snapped its eyes open.

Two red laser beams shot from its eyes, sweeping directly over where the group was hiding.

"Boom!"

A giant rock hit by the laser was instantly reduced to powder.

The great ape slowly stood up.

Its ten-meter-tall body blotted out the sky, casting a massive shadow.

It raised its massive mechanical arm and slammed it hard against the ground.

"Thump!!!"

The earth shook violently.

A visible shockwave spread out, sending the surrounding scrap metal flying.

Tang Xiaoxiao and Su Ruan were knocked to the ground by the shock, their faces deathly pale.

Too strong.

This kind of power was simply not something humans could contend with.

"It's over... we're going to die..."

Tang Xiaoxiao murmured in despair.

However.

Just when everyone was feeling terrified.

Gu Pingsheng smiled.

He stood in the fierce wind, his clothes fluttering.

Looking at the arrogant Mechanical Giant Ape, there was no fear in his eyes; instead, there was an excitement like a hunter seeing his prey.

"Decent power."

He said softly.

"Perfect, the spaceship is missing a doorman."