Chapter 20 The Diverse Knight Orders <TOC> Chapter 22 Black Warriors
Translator: SumTLMan
Under the positioning of Red Falcon, Zhou Yi rode a Warrior Crab, swiftly traversing the oasis at maximum speed to lead the team in reinforcing the incident site.
Outside the Mushroom Forest.
Iron Horse engaged multiple foes single-handedly, plunging into a fierce battle.
Surrounding it were a group of Camel Soldiers. The cavalrymen wielded crossbows, establishing a perimeter to prevent external interference with the ongoing combat.
The main combat force comprised three squads inside.
The first squad set up a ring of iron chains around Iron Horse, delineating a circular area of light. This white light seemed to restrict Iron Horse’s movement, preventing it from exiting.
From both sides of the chain ring, separate lines extended outward, each ending in two small iron cabinets flickering with red light, guarded by two individuals.
The second squad operated a vehicle similar to a four-wheel off-road motorcycle. The rear seat supported a high platform where someone mounted a long spear aimed at Iron Horse, the gunfire continuously emitting sparks.
The vehicle’s long-range shooting caused Iron Horse’s chassis to clatter loudly, with numerous cracks and dents appearing in various places. The top-mounted machine gun had drooped down, completely destroyed.
The third was a fully armored warrior wearing a masked helmet. He stood atop Iron Horse’s hood, thrusting a glowing spear into the mechanical lifeform’s exterior, resulting in numerous arcs of light flickering.
At this moment, Iron Horse desperately swung its hood and spun in place, attempting to shake off the enemies, but this only further agitated the spear-wielding warrior, who even let out bizarre screams.
The situation was extremely unfavorable.
Upon witnessing this scene, Zhou Yi felt a sense of relief.
Years of combat experience allowed him to instantly understand that these people did not intend to destroy Iron Horse but to capture it alive. Therefore, they aimed to continuously drain Iron Horse’s energy, lock its movement, and dismantle its weapons and protective shell.
There was no immediate danger.
Through Red Falcon’s vision, Zhou Yi first identified the four Enhancers at the enemy’s core.
First were two guards manipulating the chain formation, resembling the attire of Yang Si, likely alchemists.
Then there were the long-range snipers and their drivers.
Lastly, the fully armored spearmen.
Red Falcon alerted: “Iron Horse is emitting a strong distress signal. It has been ambushed and trapped, its situation is perilous.”
“Not urgent.”
Zhou Yi glanced around.
In the desolate Mushroom Forest, the emergence of so many Enhancers and the premeditated setup… it must be Ji Chang’s gang.
Confirming that no one else was missing.
Zhou Yi gave the order.
“Black Warrior, leave no one behind.”
……
Luan Zhu gazed down at his prey with pleasure, unable to restrain a triumphant howl.
What an unexpected delight.
A D-class Light Absorber species, even one with strong abilities, was now within his grasp.
Originally sent here to lead the excavation, he was quite displeased about it.
As a seasoned D-class knight, Luan Zhu had left the Bounty Knights Association to follow merchant Ji Chang, joining the Dead Sea Knights and being demoted to a knight escort, serving as Ji Chang’s squad leader in pursuit of better opportunities.
In fact, his wishes had been fulfilled.
Luan Zhu, following Ji Chang, had met many influential figures and witnessed scenes he had never seen before. Over these eight years, he had benefited immensely.
But no matter how high the salary or how many people he led, he couldn’t change his status as just a subordinate of Ji Chang.
Leaving the Bounty Knights Association, Luan Zhu had planned to use Ji Chang as a stepping stone, ultimately going solo, assembling his own team, and becoming a truly prominent figure.
In recent years, Ji Chang continuously dispatched him on missions and trained several young protégés as his confidants. The golden period of their collaboration had passed.
His position could be replaced at any moment.
This time, Luan Zhu was sent to the Mushroom Forest outside Grub Grain Town to participate in excavating and reviving a suspected Dead Sea Abomination, a task inherently extremely dangerous.
Dead Sea Abominations are malformed evolutions of ancient relics from the Divine Era, brought to life by the influence of Dead Light, transforming into elusive, incomprehensible, and strange lifeforms.
If Light Absorber species hunted each other to seize more power, Dead Sea Abominations killed without reason.
Some awaken and unleash mass slaughter, while others appear extremely gentle and quiet, yet they can go berserk at any moment, indiscriminately attacking everything around them.
Some Abominations specialize in hunting various vehicles, attaching these devices to themselves as unique decorations.
Some consume children; nearby residents must supply enough children, or else the Abomination will destroy the city to find children to devour.
Some Abominations gaze upon all living things, treating various lives like toys to toss into the air and attempt to catch, but often crush them upon catching.
……
Grotesque, insane, incomprehensible, and filled with terrifyingly astonishing power, that is the Dead Sea Abomination.
They are natural killing machines, and as long as they are sent to suitable locations, they can generate enormous strategic and transactional value.
Luan Zhu, assigned here, had been trying every possible method to delay the construction timeline.
Reviving an Abomination required human lives.
Someone could die for it.
But that someone couldn’t be himself.
Therefore, he was extremely cautious, continuously dispatching people to investigate and explore, hiring hunting teams to scout the Mushroom Forest. He also recruited locals from Grub Grain Town, gaining knowledge about ancient giant legends within the Mushroom Forest.
After twelve deaths, Luan Zhu confirmed that the Abomination was parasitized and absorbed by the mushrooms in the Mushroom Forest, causing its energy to be nearly depleted and plunging it into a deep, immobile sleep.
Activating it wasn’t difficult, simply chopping down some key Giant Mushrooms and attached mushrooms would suffice.
After several months of gradual clearing, the giant had shown slight reactions.
Next was to input a certain amount of energy to awaken it and lead it out completely.
In principle, this step wasn’t difficult; it was just a matter of controlling the number of Light Seeds inputted, keeping it in a dazed state, much like using a carrot to lure a camel, guiding it to the designated location to board the ship for containment.
To facilitate the operation’s cover, Luan Zhu deliberately waited for stormy weather to take action. He had the alchemists use special consumable items to change the storm’s direction, creating a sandstorm barrier over the area to further obscure it from external observation.
However, at this moment, a minor incident occurred.
Next door was a mechanical lifeform.
This Mechanical Light Absorber species, named Iron Horse, was tilling the soil in the oasis area, seemingly intending to cultivate here. Even in the sandy environment, it continued its operations.
Luan Zhu was delighted by the hunt.
Unexpectedly, there was an additional bounty.
As long as he captured this guy, whether to subdue him, demand his freedom’s ransom, or directly sell him externally, it would be a considerable profit.
Harvests beyond the mission were implicitly personal, an unspoken agreement among them.
Especially true for merchant teams.
All loot obtained as plunder belonged to oneself.
He immediately brought along the other three Enhancers, the shooter Wu Sheng and Jiao Zifu from the Alchemist Association, and a group of experienced merchant guards to design an ambush.
Before Luan Zhu could act, Iron Horse charged forward angrily, roaring in protest.
“Stop your destructive actions! Do not interfere with and damage my farmland!”
“You caused the storm to harm my fields!”
Just a slight provocation, and this guy fell into the trap, becoming trapped like a tortoise in a jar.
Thinking of this, Luan Zhu couldn’t help but laugh.
Gripping the chaotic spear, he gazed down at the iron skin beneath him: “Obey me, Iron Horse. As long as you obey, I will help you recover; otherwise, you will become a slave.”
The subdued mechanical lifeform responded: “Dream on! You pathetic coward!”
Just as Luan Zhu intended to dismantle it to teach it a lesson, he suddenly sensed something was wrong.
Why was everything so quiet?
He noticed that the Camel Soldiers running around had their glow sticks extinguished.
The four-wheeled war vehicles carrying the shooters had vanished without a trace.
The light circle surrounding Iron Horse had dimmed, and what were the alchemists maintaining the light blockers doing?
No!
Luan Zhu looked down, a cold sensation accompanied by pain spreading from his scalp, warm liquid seeping down from his hair.
His helmet had been cut open.
An enormous black crab attacked. Its entire body was pitch black, with its eyes shifting from black to cold, steely silver. Its pincers were sharpened to extreme sharpness, resembling two black double-edged blades.
A Black Warrior Crab, using its claws as blades… How could a Warrior Crab possess such immense strength?
This was the ground, and it wasn’t even within the operational area of this group.
Luan Zhu was horrified.
The leader of the Warrior Crabs?
His hands were faster than his mind. He drew the chaotic spear and thrust it toward the Black Warrior Crab, but the opponent vanished into the darkness in an instant. Luan Zhu felt a chill around his waist, followed by a heart-wrenching tearing pain.
Too fast.
Is this truly a Warrior Crab?
No, it’s not.
Luan Zhu saw, from the darkness, pairs of silver eyes lighting up.
A shiver ran down his spine, the hair on his back standing on end.
How many are there, damn it?
What the hell is happening!
He frantically swung the chaotic spear, but his wounds multiplied, and his body grew colder.
Before his consciousness faded, Luan Zhu hazily realized.
Behind him was that outsider, who had been silently observing and preparing to strike… That guy had indeed targeted the Abomination from the beginning!
Ji Chang must have known some inside information.
He had intentionally sent him here to lead him to his death!
Damn it, he had been deceived!
I’m dying, and you can’t expect to profit from it!
If I can’t get it, no one can.
Let the Abomination play with you properly, hehehe…
Old dog Ji Chang, I’m waiting for you underground! Waiting for the day you meet your doom!
Chapter 20 The Diverse Knight Orders <TOC> Chapter 22 Black Warriors