69: Dwarf Resistance

The hundred-meter-tall mechanical gate of Furnace City slowly opened amidst the roar of steam and gears, with countless precise transmission devices operating within the door frame, emitting a harsh metallic grinding sound.

Chen Xu, Zhang Ye, Su He, Cheng Xue, and sixteen other Transmigrators rushed into the city as if fleeing for their lives.

Zhang Ye's combat uniform was soaked with sweat, Su He was supporting the injured Cheng Xue, and everyone's face showed the terror of having survived a catastrophe.

Transmigration was no picnic; one could lose their life at any moment!

Just a hundred meters behind them, Nether Sword struck like a black lightning bolt tearing through space.

This killing weapon from the Demon Race had no flashy Moves, only the simplest yet most lethal strike—"Piercing Silence."

His blade carved a golden trajectory in the air, moving so fast that it left dozens of afterimages on the retina. The sixteen Transmigrators didn't have time to look back; the aura of death had already enveloped the back of their necks.

In the nick of time, the metal walls on both sides of Furnace City's gate suddenly split open with huge gaps, and accompanied by the hissing sound of hydraulic devices activating, two massive mechanical arms, each over five meters in diameter, suddenly sprang out from within the city walls.

These defensive devices, meticulously crafted by Dwarf engineers, glowed with a dark golden luster and were covered in powerful magic runes.

High-pressure steam jetted from the giant arms' joints, positioning them with astonishing precision between Nether Sword and the fleeing Transmigrators.

"Boom—!"

A deafening metallic collision echoed through the sky.

The moment Nether Sword's blade touched the mechanical arm, dazzling sparks erupted. The mechanical arm, capable of withstanding a Magister's attack, was neatly sliced through like tofu.

The severed mechanical arm crashed heavily to the ground, its intricate gears and mainsprings scattered everywhere, and hydraulic oil splattered across the city wall like blood.

Nether Sword hovered in mid-air, his black cloak billowing without wind.

He frowned, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes: "What is this? These two arms clearly have no life fluctuations, yet they can attack on their own!"

It was too strange. He had to destroy this group of people and this metal castle completely.

Nether Sword vaguely felt that these people were even more terrifying than the Human Alliance's magic.

Dwarf King Gelong was equally shocked!

This guy could destroy their painstakingly crafted mechanical arms without any incantation or magical battle Qi, with power comparable to a Legendary Mage!

Soon, the Dwarf King calmed down and ordered: "Fire the cannons!"

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

From the Furnace City walls, thousands of thick metal cannon barrels instantly emerged like a forest of steel!

The Dwarf Race's proud steam rune cannons lit up with dazzling red light, emitting a low hum of charging.

A thousand cannons fired simultaneously! A tsunami-like explosion of flames and a storm of steel tore through the air, completely engulfing Nether Sword's figure!

The ground collapsed into a hundred-meter-diameter crater from the continuous explosions, and the shockwave shattered the nearby mountains.

When the smoke cleared, all the Dwarf Race gunners stared wide-eyed—Nether Sword was still hovering in his original spot, completely unharmed except for slight scorch marks on the edge of his black robe!

Nether Sword quickly slashed towards the cannon muzzles.

All thousand cannon muzzles were severed, and the controlling Dwarf Race members were either dead or severely wounded.

Above the city wall, the Dwarf Race raised their mechanical prosthetics, which could accumulate elemental energy and fire light beams. These were the micro-energy rune cannon arms crafted by the Dwarf Race, a type of Magic Treasure.

The principle was simple: internal magic gems absorbed elemental energy, which was then physically compressed by high-speed rotating mechanical gears to form high-density "elemental crystal cores" temporarily stored in the gem's honeycomb structure. When fired, these elemental crystal cores would shoot out as high-energy light beams, with a penetrating power capable of melting through 20cm thick rock layers.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!

Hundreds of light beams shot towards Nether Sword.

Nether Sword actually flinched, because these light beams were extremely fast and seemed quite powerful, so he used his speed to dodge.

Chen Xu was dumbfounded, his jaw almost hitting the ground.

What kind of steam technology was this?

This was clearly a laser weapon! That scoundrel Hu Zhenxing said he was here to guide the Dwarf Race's technical work, but he actually helped them develop such a devastating weapon?

Unfortunately, the Dwarf Race's combat talent was generally mediocre.

Although they possessed powerful rune cannon arms! They couldn't lock onto enemies at all, nor did they know how to predict enemy attack trajectories!

All shots missed!

In an instant, screams rose one after another.

Nether Sword had already ascended the city wall. His speed was so great that to ordinary people, he seemed to appear in dozens of locations simultaneously.

The sharp blade cut through the Dwarf Race's heavy armor without hindrance, and blood spouted like a fountain.

Some Dwarf Race members were cut in half at the waist, their upper bodies still fumbling blankly for their dropped weapons;

Others, along with their armor, were diagonally cleaved into two halves;

Most terrifying were those caught by the Sword Qi's residual wave, whose bodies suddenly developed countless fine bloodlines, then shattered into a pile of flesh like building blocks.

The city wall instantly became a living hell. Blood flowed into streams on the bricks, and the air was thick with the heavy smell of rust.

Dwarf General Grom slammed his fist on the metal control panel, making the needles on the dashboard jump wildly.

He looked at the retreating defense line, veins bulging on his thick neck: "I told you not to let them in! Now look, even the last defensive array has been breached. We're finished... completely finished..."

Dwarf King Gelong said in a deep voice: "What are you panicking about! Do you think tightly closing the city gates would save us from this calamity? That damned enemy can even cleave through obsidian city walls!"

The entire command room fell into a deadly silence, with only the distant explosions shaking dust from the ceiling.

The Dwarf King suddenly turned, his calloused finger pointing towards the boiling crimson light spot deep within the city: "Now the only chance is to detonate the geothermal furnace core! Let the entire city's geomorphic energy form a storm vortex. As long as we can draw the enemy into the energy singularity, we can definitely kill him! Even if he is a Legendary Mage!"

"Your Majesty! Are you mad?" Grom roared, "That is the perpetual motion core built with three hundred tons of mithril! All the steam factories, differential machines, city wall shields, and so on in the city! They are all powered by it!! This is all our hard work for two years!"

The Dwarf King roared: "Pedantic! A destroyed city can be rebuilt, but if the people are gone, everything is gone!"

Chen Xu and the others couldn't help but feel a bit more respect for the Dwarf King.

Chen Xu said: "Then without further ado, we will lead Nether Sword there."

The Dwarf King glanced dismissively: "With your small frames, you'll probably be killed before you even reach the core area. The only way to lure the enemy now is to activate the steam mecha built by our Dwarf Race. It hasn't been tested yet, but someone must control it and lead the enemy to the furnace core."

Dwarf General Grom's scarred chest heaved violently: "Your Majesty! Let me go! I'm familiar with every maintenance passage; I can find the mecha room with my eyes closed!"

The Dwarf King slowly shook his head: "When Hu Zhenxing designed the operating instruments, he completely referenced your Earth's aircraft. The dashboard alone has dozens of instruments, and there are twelve steps just to start it, let alone precisely controlling this fifteen-ton steel monster in combat."

Zhang Ye pushed through the crowd and stepped forward: "I'll do it! Tanks, airplanes, armored vehicles—I've operated them all. No operation is too difficult for me."

The Dwarf King said in a deep voice: "Are you sure? Do you know that once the furnace core is detonated, you won't survive either."

Zhang Ye laughed loudly: "I'm someone who has already died once, so what is there to fear in death? It seems I was born to die, both on Earth and here!"

Chen Xu wanted to speak but stopped himself. This was not the time for indecision.

The Dwarf Race warriors on the city wall were desperately resisting. The enemy would probably break into the city soon. If a decision wasn't made quickly, everything would be over.

"Big Brother Zhang Ye!" Song Nanzhi, Cheng Xue, and others watched with tears in their eyes, reluctant to part.

For two years, even in this other world, Zhang Ye stubbornly upheld his sense of justice, striving to protect everyone fairly and impartially.

The men remained silent, embracing Zhang Ye heavily, their unspoken emotions more powerful than words.

Zhang Ye waved his hand grandly: "Alright, no time for sentimentality! Hurry up and take me there!"