Chapter 297 – Killing the Brown Bear
Tu Ran quickly absorbed the brown bear’s memories. At that moment, the mecha in the sky shouted at her, “The beast horde is coming this way!”
Tu Ran swiftly took a step back, coldly staring at the brown bear in front of her.
It had shown weakness to buy time, secretly summoning the beast horde over.
Without hesitation, Tu Ran’s fingers moved rapidly across the control panel of the mecha.
The mecha slowly retreated, and just as the brown bear saw a glimmer of hope, the mecha charged forward, lifting its leg and delivering a powerful kick, the force of which struck the bear’s head with a blast of wind.
“Crash!”
The mecha’s right leg shattered, parts scattered across the ground, leaving only the frame.
Another “crack” sounded, but this time it wasn’t from the mecha—it was the beast.
Its neck was snapped by Tu Ran’s powerful kick, twisting backward in a grotesque fashion.
With the cervical vertebrae broken, it was truly dead this time.
At this moment, the beast horde that had been rushing toward them stopped in its tracks, confused and looking around.
Having broken free from the brown bear’s control, they regained their self-awareness.
At first, the horde was silent, sizing each other up. Then, chaos erupted as they attacked one another.
Among them were natural enemies and competitors. Previously, the brown bear had used its mental powers to control them, bringing them into a state of “forgetfulness.” Now that their consciousness was clear, their animal instincts came to the forefront.
The lower-tier beasts immediately scattered in fear, the mid-tier beasts sought out their own kind, grouping together for protection, and the top-tier beasts were free to indulge in their desires.
Tang Ying arrived with her team and met up with Ye Hongci. Upon seeing the chaos of the beast horde scattering, she was still somewhat confused.
Ye Hongci also didn’t understand why the horde had suddenly broken apart, but at that moment, she made the decision most beneficial to humanity.
She instructed them to hide and let the beasts turn on each other.
Tang Ying supported Ye Hongci’s damaged mecha as they found shelter behind a large rock. The rest of the team also found places to hide.
…
At the same time, on the other side of the stone forest, Tu Ran, holding her broken armor, limped as she searched for cover.
Leaning against a giant rock, Tu Ran collapsed onto the ground, and a flight-type mecha landed beside her, sitting down next to her.
The two weren’t familiar with each other and had little to say.
Tu Ran appeared to be resting her eyes, but in reality, she was checking her mental energy accumulation panel.
[Mental Power Accumulation Progress: 49%]
It was quite a bit less.
Dealing with that bear had consumed a lot.
Tu Ran stared at the mental power figure for a long time, then peered around the edge of the giant rock, watching the alien beasts fighting in the stone forest.
666, 888, 8999…
Tu Ran’s eyes glistened with greed.
Maybe… she should go get a bit more?
Without hesitation, Tu Ran stood up, but as soon as she moved her right leg, she was jolted and almost lost her balance.
She looked down at the mecha’s right leg.
This damn mecha.
Resigned, she sat back down on the ground, deciding to wait for the beasts to finish their internal battles. Once they were done, the mecha researchers could handle the repairs.
She ended up waiting there for two hours.
After two hours, the sounds of the beasts’ roars and fighting gradually weakened. Ye Hongci finally gave the order, “Those with damaged mechas stay in place, everyone else, move out!”
The flight-type mecha next to Tu Ran stood up, its wings extending instantly. The mechanical wings spread wide like a great roc taking flight, soaring toward the sky.
Tu Ran sat still, her eyes following the mecha as it soared freely through the air, a look of longing on her face.
Tsk, she also wanted to experience the feeling of flying freely in the sky.
Once she had the time, she’d definitely learn how to pilot a flight-type mecha.
From behind her, the roars of alien beasts echoed through the stone forest once more.
The alien beasts weren’t very smart, nor were they particularly strong in combat, but they had loud voices. Their constant roars echoed endlessly, shaking the rocks behind Tu Ran as they reverberated.
Three hours later, the sounds of the battle ceased.
“Gather up,” Ye Hongci’s voice came from within her mecha.
Tu Ran, awoken from her rest, rubbed her eyes with one hand while placing the other on the mecha’s control panel. She maneuvered the mecha to stand up and began making her way toward the gathering point Ye Hongci had indicated, walking with a limp.
Tang Ying’s fiery red mecha stood out beside Ye Hongci’s black-and-gold mecha, clearly visible.
Her mecha also showed signs of damage, with light scratches and patches of blood scattered across it.
During those three hours, the main force had been her and the team she brought along. Ye Hongci’s squad had endured long hours of being surrounded by the beasts, resulting in significant damage to their mechas.
“I’ve brought a few mecha researchers. We’ll move to another location to repair the mechas,” Tang Ying said, her gaze briefly sweeping over Tu Ran before looking at the others.
The group nodded in agreement. With so many mechas damaged, if they weren’t repaired, it would be dangerous should they encounter more alien beasts.
Ye Hongci chose a location, and everyone moved in that direction.
Tu Ran limped to the back of the group.
Upon reaching the location, Ye Hongci instructed everyone whose mechas were damaged to exit their mechas and hand them over to the researchers for repairs. Those with undamaged mechas would stay on guard nearby, vigilant for any beast activity. Once the repairs were done, they would rotate shifts.
Tu Ran climbed out of the mecha cockpit and jumped to the ground. A mecha researcher came over, took the mecha from her hand, and examined the damage. He let out a sharp intake of breath and displayed a troubled expression.
Tu Ran blinked, asking, “Is it hard to repair?”
The researcher stroked his chin, nodding, “This mecha’s material is quite special. We didn’t bring enough of this kind of material.”
“Special? Isn’t it just a light-type mecha? There are so many people here using light mechas.”
The mecha researcher shook his head. “It’s not the same. This mecha is lighter than an ordinary light-type mech. If I’m not mistaken, this is a model from over a decade ago. Back then, research on various types of mechas was more extreme. Light-type mechas were designed to be as lightweight and fast as possible, neglecting defense; stealth mechas focused on flawless defense, at the expense of agility; flight-type mechas prioritized super-fast gliding, but lacked attack capabilities.”
“Over the past seven or eight years, mecha development has become more well-rounded. The older models have gradually been phased out. The one you’re using is from back then—it’s fast, but the mecha is like paper; a single hit, and it’ll fall apart.”
The researcher carefully explained to Tu Ran and then approached the mecha’s lower leg, pointing to several areas. “This part can be replaced with materials from other light-type mechas, but this,” he said, shaking his head with regret, “we can’t fix with our materials. We’ll need specialized ones.”
“So, what do we do now? Do you have any replacement mechas?” Tu Ran asked.
The researcher shook his head. “We only have replacement materials, not replacement mechas.”
“Then make a new mecha with the replacement materials,” Tu Ran said bluntly.
She wasn’t very familiar with mechas, but her subconscious told her this approach might work.
The researcher was so shocked by her bold suggestion that his eyes widened, his mouth hanging open. He was momentarily speechless.
Tu Ran quickly added, “I know you can’t make one. Wipe that expression off your face and start thinking of a solution. Without a mecha, how am I supposed to hunt alien beasts?”
The researcher pinched his stiff jaw and adjusted it back into place. “I’ve already requested a mecha be delivered through the transporter from the main star. Whether or not it arrives at the right location is up to luck.”
The transmission device in the Haenden star system can deliver items to specific locations, but there is a margin of error. While the deviation might seem negligible on a small scale, when considering the vast distances of space measured in light-years, this error can result in a misdelivery by the distance of an entire star.
For precise delivery, both planets must have their own transmission devices and be interconnected.
Currently, the transmission device on Star 4344 is still under construction, so any mecha sent from the main star could land anywhere on Star 4344.
Considering the size of Star 4344, it’s purely a matter of luck whether the mecha will land in the right spot.
Upon hearing that the main star would be sending a mecha to Star 4344, the live stream chat exploded with discussions.
[Isn’t this just a waste of a mecha? How could the main star agree to this?!]
[Not necessarily a waste. We have drones, and their search range covers half the planet.]
[Even if the drones find it? Do we send a group of people to fetch the mecha for her? That’s such a waste of progress. Aren’t we supposed to prioritize the big picture? We never saw them send a mecha to replace Tang Yi’s when hers was damaged before.]
[What ‘big picture’? Did you watch the previous streams? Tu Ran’s combat ability makes it worth wasting a mecha just for her. Even if this one doesn’t reach her, sending a second or third mecha is still reasonable.]
[Ha, you’re not the one making the mechas, so you’re not bothered by it.]
[If I were the one making the mechas, I’d want my mecha to be used by someone like Tu Ran to maximize its value.]
[Ha, easy to say when you’re not the one spending the resources.]
The argument in the live chat grew intense, with each side having its supporters, debating back and forth.
However, at the core, everyone’s intent was the same: they all wanted to see the alien beasts on Star 4344 eradicated as quickly as possible for the benefit of the Haenden star system.
…
In the main star’s detention center, Qi Tongda was brought back to his cell, where he pressed against the bars and locked eyes with Zhou Ming.
“Why?” Young Master Qi spoke first, his tone filled with anger and defiance. “Why does she get to play with mechas outside while we’re stuck here, only getting one meal a day?!”
Zhou Ming: “Because you’re pathetic.”
Young Master Qi: “??”
He couldn’t believe his ears.
“You’re siding with her?” he asked, stunned.
Zhou Ming gave him a disdainful glance, not bothering to reply. He walked back to his bed, lay down, and stared at the ceiling.
Young Master Qi, feeling both disrespected and ignored, grew furious. “Zhou Ming! Just wait until I get out! I’ll make sure we settle this once and for all!”
“Clang, clang,” the sound of iron bars rattling echoed twice, sharp and sudden.
Qi Tongda didn’t see anyone and quickly took a few steps back, staring out at the corridor.
A ghost?!
The thought sent a chill down his spine.
At that moment, a voice came from the invisible speaker above him, “Sleep time, no noise.”
Hearing the source of the voice, Young Master Qi: “…”
He glared at the small holes in the ceiling where the speaker was hidden, grinding his teeth in frustration as he stormed back to his bed and flopped down with a loud thud.
Next door, Yao Bei was sitting against the wall beside the bars. On the other side of the wall, Li Wenchuan was in the same position. The two of them were only separated by a thin wall.
