192: White Tiger

The battle within the passage had fallen into an irritating stalemate. Shen Mingyuan could feel the burden of every dodge and every slash accumulating.

Although the Falcon Dive Form provided greater mobility and close-combat capabilities, the physical exertion it required was much more intense.

His body began to transmit a deep sense of heaviness—not weakness, but a silent alarm issued by the interlocking parts of a precision machine after long-term overloading. He knew his physical stamina was nearing its limit.

Worse still, the energy pulsation at the core of the Red Lightning Arm Blade, transformed from the twin stars, had noticeably weakened. The light that recovered after each strike grew a shade dimmer.

"Running out of power..." This thought made his tactical choices increasingly urgent.

The pitch-black dragon opposite him had clearly sensed its opponent's fatigue. Its attacks became more reckless. Although its attack patterns were restricted within the narrow passage—consisting mainly of bites and claw strikes—its immense strength and nearly impenetrable, slimy scales left Shen Mingyuan exhausted from dodging, with little progress to show for it.

"What's wrong? Little bug, can't you jump anymore?" the dragon mocked, lunging forward once more and forcing Shen Mingyuan into a desperate backward leap.

Just as Shen Mingyuan's feet touched the ground—his old momentum spent and new strength yet to rise—the dragon saw its chance and raised its head to devour him—

BOOM!!!

The concrete ceiling and rock layers diagonally above them suddenly exploded!

Debris and dust poured down like a waterfall. A figure, accompanied by the low hum of machinery and the azure exhaust of thrusters, descended from the sky, slamming precisely into the open ground between Shen Mingyuan and the dragon!

As the dust settled slightly, the figure's true form was revealed: a humanoid mechanical creation with sleek lines and industrial beauty. Its body was primarily white, with black outlining the joints and vital structures, and gold stripes as decorative accents, making it look lean and highly technological.

A long, flexible mechanical tail extended from its back, the tip split into three sharp golden metal claws that were currently swaying slightly.

The moment it landed, it completed a battlefield scan. The light from its head sensors quickly swept over Shen Mingyuan (whose shadow armor image was already in its internal database, marked as "Friendly Unit/Observation Target") and the pitch-black dragon.

Target Identification: High-risk abnormal creature belonging to the The Fellowship. Threat Level: High. Response Protocol: Immediate elimination.

Without any communication or even a moment's pause, the mechanical creation’s outer arm armor slid open, revealing multi-barreled rotary muzzles and micro-missile launcher nests.

Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat—! Whoosh! Whoosh!

A searing barrage of physical rounds and several small missiles trailing white smoke instantly blanketed the dragon's head and neck area!

However, those troublesome slimy scales played their part once again.

Most bullets struck the scales with a dense "ding-ding" sound, being deflected or sliding off, leaving only tiny white marks on the surface. Although the missiles hit and exploded, the shockwaves were similarly weakened significantly by that strange layer of defense.

The dragon's head tilted back slightly from the sudden, violent attack, its crimson pupils flashing with surprise and anger: "What the hell is this?!"

But after realizing the attack hadn't caused substantial damage, its rage grew even hotter. Limited by the narrow passage, it lowered its head and lunged for another bite!

The robot's reaction was extremely fast. Foot and back thrusters spat fire, allowing it to retreat lightly, while its shoulder armor flipped open, and two surging white-hot plasma flames swept toward the dragon like whips!

"ROAR—?!"

The moment the flames touched the scales, the situation finally changed! The oily substance that provided the extreme sliminess rapidly burned, carbonized, and lost its activity under the high temperature!

The pitch-black scales in the area directly scorched by the fire did not shatter immediately, but they clearly lost that eerie smoothness, becoming charred and rough!

A sharp light flashed in Shen Mingyuan's eyes! An opportunity!

Without hesitation, he activated his will. The wings on his back folded, the Red Lightning Arm Blade retracted, and the armor structure rapidly reorganized. Within a breath, he had switched back to his basic form.

The twin stars pistols slid into his palms, and he raised the muzzles, aiming exactly at the charred, brittle areas where the scales had lost their sliminess!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

This time, the black-red energy beams did not slide off; they drilled solidly into the gaps of the charred scales, exploding into small fragments of shell and sparks! The dragon let out a roar of pain!

There was no verbal communication between the robot and Shen Mingyuan, but their coordination was as if they had practiced it countless times. The robot used its flamethrowers to continuously suppress and destroy the dragon's scale defense while using its mobility to draw its attention;

Shen Mingyuan moved along the flanks, holding the twin stars and firing precise shots at the weaknesses exposed after being scorched by the flames.

Physical bullets, energy beams, and plasma flames intertwined into a deadly web of fire within the narrow space.

The dragon finally realized things were going south.

The threat posed by these two "little things" working together far exceeded its expectations, especially that damned fire and the precise shooting that followed.

It hissed in a frenzy, no longer obsessed with attacking. Instead, it used its head and shoulders to smash violently against the walls on both sides and the ceiling of the passage!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The passage, already structurally damaged by the previous battle and the robot's entry, began to vibrate violently. Large chunks of concrete and rock fell, and terrifying cracks appeared at the top. The entire underground space was on the verge of collapse!

The robot's sensors instantly captured the data stream of structural stress failure, and the highest priority command in its core processor was triggered: "Primary Principle: Ensure the survival of humans (including friendly units)."

Without the slightest hesitation, its long mechanical tail shot out like it had a life of its own. The three golden metal claws at the end precisely and gently gripped the joint of Shen Mingyuan's waist armor.

At the same time, the thrusters on its back and feet went to full power, and the azure exhaust flared!

"Warning: Structural collapse imminent. Executing emergency evacuation protocol." A cold electronic voice sounded for the first time.

"Wha—?" Shen Mingyuan only had time to utter a single syllable before being carried off the ground by a powerful pulling force.

Gripping Shen Mingyuan, the robot rushed upward through the vertical shaft it had broken through earlier, moving against the constantly falling debris!

From below came the dragon's increasingly frantic slamming sounds and the roar of collapsing rock, followed by a chain reaction of dull, massive thuds of collapse.

The entire underground laboratory area was being buried.

A few seconds later, brilliant sunlight replaced the gloom of the underground space. The robot carried Shen Mingyuan out of the ground, hovering over the mess of an abandoned factory area before slowly descending.

Not far away, several black vehicles bearing the GUPA logo could be seen approaching, and further off, there seemed to be the sound of helicopter rotors. Several fully armed personnel were setting up a perimeter.

The robot's mechanical tail claws released, setting Shen Mingyuan down steadily. It stood to the side, its white armor reflecting the cold light of the sun. The thrusters on its back slowly shut down, and its long tail curled flexibly back to its side.

Shen Mingyuan steadied himself, his red visor first scanning the surroundings—GUPA vehicles and personnel were taking positions, but no one was approaching their central area for the time being.

His gaze finally fell back on the mechanical creation that had saved him, maintaining a silent scrutiny.

After a brief silence, the robot was the first to emit a steady synthesized electronic voice:

"Hello, shadow."

Shen Mingyuan nodded in response: "Hello." He paused for a moment and asked directly, "Who are you?"

"Belonging to GUPA, combat-type auxiliary robot, codename White Tiger," the robot replied concisely, its head sensors flashing slightly. "My internal System has recorded a fuzzy profile of your combat vitals, codenamed 'shadow'. Priority: Observation and cooperation."

It continued: "Physiological telemetry data shows that your body is currently in a state of energy depletion following high-load activity. Nutritional reserves and metabolic balance indices are low.

According to the cooperation agreement and battlefield emergency support clauses, it is recommended to immediately undergo nutritional supplementation and energy substrate injection to accelerate recovery and avoid potential risks."

As it spoke, its long mechanical tail reached out again, but this time the three metal claws at the end did not open. Instead, from a hidden interface in the middle of the tail, a small syringe encased in a transparent protective shell slid out.

The syringe was filled with a clear, light-blue liquid.

"This is a High-concentration sustained-release energy mixture and Cell activity stabilizer. After subcutaneous injection, it can quickly replenish basic energy, optimize metabolic pathways, and alleviate combat fatigue. Effects last for approximately twelve to twenty-four hours with no known side effects."

The robot held the syringe steadily in front of Shen Mingyuan. "If you agree, I can assist with the injection. The recommended injection site is the lateral subcutaneous area of the neck for maximum absorption efficiency."

Shen Mingyuan looked at the syringe, then at the robot's expressionless sensor "face."

He knew something of GUPA's official status, and his current condition was indeed poor.

"...Understood," he said deeply. "I'll trouble you, then."

"Execution confirmed."

The mechanical structure of the robot's tail made fine adjustments, stabilizing the syringe and precisely approaching the area just below the connection between Shen Mingyuan's neck armor and helmet—a micro-interface specifically designed for medical intervention that was relatively thin but ensured sterility.

With an extremely faint "pssh" sound, the injection was completed. The light-blue liquid was fully injected.

Shen Mingyuan immediately felt a gentle warmth spread from his neck, rapidly diffusing to his limbs and torso. That deep sense of heaviness and faint weakness was washed away significantly. Although his strength didn't return instantly, his mental and physical fatigue were markedly relieved.

"Injection complete. Physical improvement is expected to peak within three to five minutes."

White Tiger retracted its tail, and the empty syringe casing was automatically stored. "Based on the field situation and your status, you may now choose to leave or remain here to observe GUPA's cleanup operations. Our personnel will not obstruct or question you."

Shen Mingyuan moved his arm, feeling a more stable strength surging within him once again. He looked around once more. GUPA's team had basically controlled the surface area and begun cordoning off and conducting preliminary probes of the collapsed pit. He was no longer needed here.

"Alright, I'll be leaving."

"Understood. Goodbye, shadow. Please proceed with caution." The robot stood in place and nodded slightly.

Shen Mingyuan said no more. With a movement, the matte black of the shadow armor's basic form streaked across the sunlight as a low blur, quickly merging into the complex shadows of the abandoned factory buildings and disappearing after a few leaps.

Throughout the process, none of the GUPA personnel busy setting up the perimeter attempted to stop him or call out, as if they had long since received orders to ignore him.

White Tiger stood quietly in place, watching Shen Mingyuan leave until his figure completely vanished.

Then, it turned and walked with precise steps toward the GUPA field command vehicle to begin fulfilling its other duties in the "cleanup operations."