13: Lord kill, critical hit on the source of fire

The wind stopped.

The air was thick with a burnt smell, the scent left behind by high-energy lasers scorching the air.

The Mechanical Giant Ape stood in the center of the ruins, its ten-meter-tall frame like an insurmountable iron mountain. Its pair of scarlet electronic eyes stared fixedly at the ants beneath its feet, and two streams of scorching white vapor puffed from its nostrils.

"Roar——!!!"

The roar exploded like thunder.

It raised its right foot and stomped down heavily.

"Boom!"

The ground shook violently, and countless pieces of rubble were sent flying into the air.

"Scatter!"

Gu Pingsheng shouted lowly, sliding backward for several meters.

Lin Qinghan reacted extremely quickly, rolling out almost flat against the ground. Tang Xiaoxiao and Su Ruan also scrambled to dodge to the sides in a disheveled manner.

The spot where they had been standing a moment ago had turned into a giant pit half a meter deep.

"This defense... it's too insane!"

Tang Xiaoxiao poked her head out from behind a pile of scrap metal, holding a modified electromagnetic rifle, and fired several shots at the Mechanical Giant Ape's leg.

"Zzzzt——"

Blue electric arcs danced across the Mechanical Giant Ape's armor, but didn't even leave a single mark.

"It's useless! Its armor is high-density alloy; normal attacks can't break through its defense at all!"

Tang Xiaoxiao shouted in despair.

This was the terror of a Tier 4 Lord.

In the face of absolute defense, numbers were meaningless.

"Lin Qinghan!"

Gu Pingsheng stood on a towering rock, his gaze as cold as ice.

"Try to freeze its joints!"

"Yes!"

Lin Qinghan did not hesitate at all.

She thrust her High-Frequency Vibration Blade fiercely into the ground, the ice-element energy within her surging wildly.

"Ice Age: Extreme Cold Domain!"

"Crack——Crack——"

White cold air spread rapidly with her as the center, instantly covering the area beneath the Mechanical Giant Ape's feet.

The ground froze, and the cold air crept up along the Mechanical Giant Ape's legs.

The Mechanical Giant Ape's movements clearly slowed for a moment.

But it was only for a moment.

"Roar!"

It let out an angry roar, its leg muscles exerting force suddenly.

"Snap!"

The ice covering its legs instantly shattered, turning into ice shards that filled the sky.

The level suppression was too great.

Lin Qinghan's face went pale, and a trace of blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.

Backlash.

"Su Ruan!"

Gu Pingsheng ordered again.

"Get your Bunny to go up and pull aggro! Don't let it fixate on Lin Qinghan!"

"Received~ Brother~"

Su Ruan hid behind a massive concrete pillar, a flush of excitement on her face.

She flicked her fingers.

"Go, Bunny! Bite it!"

"Roar——"

Even though that semi-mechanical Berserk Bunny was only two meters tall, looking like a toy in front of the Mechanical Giant Ape, it showed no fear.

It leaped up violently, slamming into the Mechanical Giant Ape's knee like a cannonball.

The hydraulic pliers on its left arm clamped tightly onto the Mechanical Giant Ape's joint, and the saw on its right arm cut frantically.

"Zzzzt—— Sparks flying!"

Although it couldn't cause substantial damage, this annoying thing that was like a flea completely enraged the Mechanical Giant Ape.

The Mechanical Giant Ape roared, waving its massive arms to grab the Berserk Bunny.

The Berserk Bunny leaped around agilely on its body, taking a bite every now and then.

Aggro was secured.

"Tang Xiaoxiao!"

Gu Pingsheng narrowed his eyes, the desert eagle in his hand already loaded.

"Where is its weak point?"

Tang Xiaoxiao was frantically scanning with her tactical goggles.

"The energy canister on its back! That's its power source! And the eyes! Those are the sensor cores!"

"Good."

A cold smile curled the corners of Gu Pingsheng's mouth.

"Then let's blind its eyes first."

He raised his hand.

No aiming, completely relying on instinct.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Three gunshots, almost ringing out in a single line.

The purple bullets, carrying spiraling air currents, struck the Mechanical Giant Ape's left eye precisely.

The first shot shattered the outer bulletproof glass.

The second shot pierced through the internal sensor.

The third shot caused an immediate explosion!

"Roar——!!!"

The Mechanical Giant Ape let out a shrill, miserable scream.

Its left eye erupted in a burst of sparks, and black machine oil gushed out like blood.

Impaired vision made it even more berserk.

It no longer paid attention to the Berserk Bunny on its body, instead beginning to swing its arms wildly, attacking everything around it indiscriminately.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The surrounding ruins were smashed to pieces by it.

A huge steel plate was flipped into the air, flying past Su Ruan's scalp and shearing off a lock of her hair.

"Ah!"

Su Ruan curled up in fright.

"Chance!"

A sharp light flashed in Gu Pingsheng's eyes.

Because of the severe pain and rage, the Mechanical Giant Ape opened its mouth wide to roar.

That was its greatest weak point.

The inside.

No matter how thick the outer armor was, the inside was always fragile.

"Lin Qinghan! Freeze its feet with all your might! Even if it's only for a second!"

"Tang Xiaoxiao! Shoot its right eye! Distract it!"

"Su Ruan! Have the Bunny attack its crotch!"

The orders were issued like a machine gun.

Although the three were panicked, upon hearing Gu Pingsheng's voice, their bodies moved instinctively.

"Freeze... for me!!!"

Lin Qinghan bit the tip of her tongue, overdrawing all her energy.

Even more terrifying cold air erupted, freezing the Mechanical Giant Ape's feet firmly to the ground.

"Go to hell, big guy!"

Tang Xiaoxiao raised her rifle and fired frantically at the Mechanical Giant Ape's only remaining right eye.

"Bunny! Dig at it!"

Su Ruan screamed.

The Berserk Bunny did a slide, drilling under the Mechanical Giant Ape's crotch, and raised its hydraulic pliers to clamp down hard.

"Awooo——!!!"

Although this attack didn't deal much damage, it was extremely insulting.

The Mechanical Giant Ape stiffened all over from the pain, opening its mouth even wider, and let out a deafening roar.

This is it.

Gu Pingsheng moved.

He didn't fire.

Instead, he took a few running steps, stepped on a tilted steel plate, and leaped high into the air.

He adjusted his posture in mid-air, his whole body like an eagle spreading its wings.

The muzzle of the desert eagle in his hand was pointed directly at the Mechanical Giant Ape's gaping maw.

Distance: ten meters.

At this distance, for a purple weapon, it was point-blank damage.

"Goodbye."

Gu Pingsheng said softly.

He pulled the trigger.

"Bang!"

This shot didn't sound loud.

But what left the chamber wasn't an ordinary bullet.

It was a [High-Explosive Armor-Piercing Round] emitting a faint blue light.

This was special ammunition he had crit-opened from a chest before, and he hadn't been willing to use it until now.

The bullet sliced through the air, drilling precisely into the Mechanical Giant Ape's throat.

Drilling all the way into its chest cavity.

Drilling into that core power furnace.

Time seemed to stand still for a second.

Then.

"Boom——!!!"

A dull, massive sound emanated from within the Mechanical Giant Ape.

Its chest bulged violently, just like a balloon being blown until it burst.

Immediately afterward, countless streams of fire spewed out from its eyes, ears, mouth, nose, and even the gaps in its armor.

The huge energy canister carried on its back also exploded in sympathy.

A small mushroom cloud rose in the center of the Mechanical Graveyard.

The Mechanical Giant Ape's massive body swayed.

The red light in its eyes flickered a few times, then extinguished completely.

Then, like a golden mountain toppling and a jade pillar collapsing, it crashed to the ground.

Dust and smoke rose everywhere.

Gu Pingsheng landed steadily.

He brushed the dust off his body and holstered the desert eagle back at his waist.

His movements were fluid and smooth, as if the thing he had just killed wasn't a Tier 4 Lord, but a stray dog by the side of the road.

"Won... we won?"

Tang Xiaoxiao poked her head out from behind cover, looking stunned.

Lin Qinghan sat slumped on the ground, panting heavily, looking at Gu Pingsheng's back, her eyes full of shock.

Too strong.

Not just the marksmanship.

It was that absolute control over the battle situation.

From the initial probing, to the restraint in the middle, and then the final execution.

Every step was within his calculations.

This man was simply born for the battlefield.

Gu Pingsheng didn't pay attention to their gazes.

He walked straight toward the Mechanical Giant Ape's corpse.

Looting the corpse.

This was the most anticipated part after the battle ended.

He rummaged around in the Mechanical Giant Ape's charred chest cavity for a while.

Soon, a fist-sized core emitting a faint green light was dug out by him.

[Mechanical Heart (Green · Rare)]

[Description: The core power source of a Tier 4 mechanical creature. Contains relatively pure energy. Can be used to craft intermediate mechanical equipment or as energy for a spaceship.]

Green?

Gu Pingsheng raised an eyebrow.

A Tier 4 Lord only dropped a green?

This drop rate was truly touching.

But it didn't matter.

He had a cheat.

"System, activate Hand of God."

Gu Pingsheng grasped the core and silently chanted in his heart.

"Hum——"

The familiar golden light lit up in his palm.

This time, the light was more dazzling than any previous time.

Even somewhat blinding.

[Ding! Hand of God activation successful!]

[Sublimating...]

[Critical hit triggered! Quality improved by leaps and bounds!]

[Green -> Blue -> purple -> Brilliant purple!]

The light dissipated.

The originally dull, gray Mechanical Heart was gone.

In its place was a diamond-shaped, completely transparent crystal.

Inside the crystal, it seemed as if a burning flame was sealed.

That flame was not red, but a ghostly blue, slowly flickering and emitting a heart-palpitating energy fluctuation.

[allspark fragment (Brilliant purple · Legendary)]

[Description: A fragment of a sacred relic from the planet Cybertron. Contains the mysterious power to bestow souls upon mechanical life.]

[Effect 1: Mechanical Ascension. Can transform any mechanical creation into a silicon-based life form, giving it self-awareness and evolutionary ability.]

[Effect 2: spaceship Evolution. When fused as a spaceship core, it can allow the spaceship to achieve leapfrog evolution and unlock special forms.]

[Effect 3: Infinite Energy. Can serve as a perpetual energy core, providing nearly infinite energy output (current output power in fragment state is limited).]

Gu Pingsheng's pupils constricted slightly.

Allspark!

Although it was just a fragment, this was a legendary-grade item!

If this thing were taken out to be sold, it could probably buy half the universe.

Bestow mechanical life?

spaceship evolution?

No matter which effect, they were all heaven-defying levels.

Gu Pingsheng took a deep breath and carefully put the allspark fragment into his personal space.

He had made a huge profit this time.

"Brother~"

A sweet, cloying voice interrupted his thoughts.

Su Ruan hugged the Bunny, which had turned back into a doll, and limped over.

Although that steel plate hadn't hit her, the flying debris had still cut her leg.

Spots of blood seeped onto her white stockings.

She walked in front of Gu Pingsheng, raised her head, and looked at him with teary eyes.

"Ruan Ruan hurts so much..."

"Bunny is hungry too..."

Even though the Bunny doll had returned to its original form, it was ragged and tattered, clearly having consumed a lot in that battle just now.

Gu Pingsheng looked down at her.

This little loli's performance in the battle just now had indeed exceeded his expectations.

Ruthless enough, crazy enough.

She was talent worth cultivating.

He pulled a [High-Energy Battery (Blue)] from his pocket.

This was a byproduct he had casually looted while looting the corpse just now.

"Here."

He tossed it casually to Su Ruan.

Su Ruan's eyes lit up, and she quickly caught it.

She didn't use it herself but stuffed it directly into the Bunny doll's mouth.

"Crunch crunch."

The Bunny doll chewed the battery to pieces and swallowed it in just a few bites.

The originally somewhat dim button eyes instantly lit up, and the damaged parts on its body also began to repair automatically.

"Thank you, Brother!"

Su Ruan was extremely happy.

She suddenly pounced, hugging Gu Pingsheng's thigh.

Her small face rubbed against his pant leg, like a spoiled little kitten.

"Brother is so good~"

"Better than all those people from before~"

"From now on, Ruan Ruan is Brother's person~"

"Whoever Brother tells Ruan Ruan to bite, Ruan Ruan will bite~"

Her voice carried a kind of pathological attachment.

In this cruel world, the strong were the only reliance.

And Gu Pingsheng was that strongest god.

Gu Pingsheng didn't push her away.

He reached out and patted Su Ruan's head.

It felt good, soft.

"Good girl."

He said calmly.

"Be obedient, and you'll get candy."

"If you're not obedient..."

His hand slid down her hair and pinched Su Ruan's slender neck.

Applying slight pressure.

Su Ruan's breathing hitched, and her face flushed red.

But she didn't struggle; instead, her eyes became even more dazed, and she even stuck out her tongue to lick her lips.

"Ruan Ruan... is the most obedient..."

Gu Pingsheng let go.

This girl was indeed a pervert.

However, perverts are good.

Perverts are easy to use.

"Clean up, get ready to retreat."

Gu Pingsheng turned around and looked at the Energy Tower not far away, which was still emitting a faint glow.

The biggest threat had been eliminated.

Now, it was time to go get that big guy.

He pulled that newly obtained [allspark fragment] from his bosom.

The ghostly blue flame flickered inside the crystal, reflecting on his face full of ambition.

"With this..."

Gu Pingsheng muttered to himself, his fingers gently stroking the warm texture on the crystal's surface.

"The spaceship will be able to achieve leapfrog evolution."

"By then..."