[Previous Recap]
The scavenger Lin Ye-heng, piloting the scrapped war mecha R-01, crushed the "Silver Fang Mecha Squad" under the dome and was from then on classified as S-Class wanted.
The underworld trembles, the military seethes. The real killing game has only just begun.
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1 · Wanted Notice
> [WANTED ID S-0147]
Target: Lin Ye-heng
Crime: Activating the forbidden weapon R-01 and destroying five advanced military mechas
Bounty: 30 million energy points (increasing in real time)
Time Limit: 72 hours, target dead or alive
Reward: Priority issuance, open to any profession
The bounty spread through the floating-net, soaring to 120 million within an hour.
In tavern shadows and black-market channels, cold gleams lit up in countless eyes.
> "A damn scavenger daring to take on the army?"
"That kind of money could buy a full set of armor—kill!"
The first to respond was the underground mercenary group [Armor-Crackers].
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2 · The Armor-Crackers
They specialize in hunting "out-of-control machines," unrestricted by the military, bound only by one creed:
> "Destroy every steel monster that does not belong to order."
This time they deployed the "Five Mastiffs Squad."
The captain, codename [Wall-Splitter], pilots the "Blood Serpent V9"—a high-speed close-combat mecha, expert at severing joint neural bundles;
The other four each have records of single-handedly dismantling A-Class warframes.
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3 · The Deep Pit Crisis
Reclamation Zone 14, scrap-metal deep pit.
R-01 half-knelt on the ground, chest armor fractured, cold steam jetting from the cracks.
Lin Ye-heng crouched outside the cockpit, prying open the exhaust module for field repair. Sparks flared, scorching the skin of his left hand.
He frowned slightly, but kept reconnecting the snapped copper wires, one by one.
R-01's condition was dire:
Right shoulder exoskeleton shattered
Thruster pack offline
3 of 7 drive shafts broken
Left arm actuator offline
Neural response delay: 0.8 seconds
Ten years of scavenging—he could dismantle, but not repair.
Yet he was the only one who could.
Behind him, a faint electronic hum rose.
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4 · The Mechanic · Baita
"…Are you fixing it, or murdering it?"
Lin Ye-heng turned.
A girl in a brown dust-proof cloak squatted behind him, cradling a round repair drone. Short hair streaked with oil, her right eye a blue mechanical implant, her left arm a metal prosthetic.
She tossed a signal receiver to his feet: "Been tracking you for two days. The high-heat signature from Silver Fang could be seen across the whole city."
She raised her hand, fingertips brushing slowly over R-01's battered outer armor, as though touching a cold corpse.
When her nail scraped a burn mark, her throat trembled faintly—like suppressing an old wound—before she lowered her voice:
"My father was one of Project R's core engineers. When I was ten, he died beneath this machine's assembly platform.
It wasn't its fault—it was the military's forced shutdown."
She pressed her lips together, the curve between her brows tightening.
"I'll fix it—no matter how dangerous it is."
"What are you here for?" Lin Ye-heng asked.
She arched an eyebrow: "To upgrade you, idiot."
—Baita, exile from Sky City, known in the underground engineering world as the "mad girl mechanic."
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5 · The Armor-Crackers Arrive
The moment the data cable clicked in place, the sky boomed as if struck by a colossal hammer.
BOOM—!
Five crimson figures dropped straight from above, the shockwave of shattered rock kicking up a storm of dust.
"Five Mastiffs Squad—Target S-0147 confirmed."
"Activating S-Class extermination protocol."
Wall-Splitter raised his warblade, slashing diagonally midair—fifty meters away, a cliff face split open in response.
Baita's face went pale: "Run! You're not their match right now!"
Lin Ye-heng didn't move.
He stepped onto R-01's chest plating and said evenly: "Still can fight."
[System: Tactical Cache Prompt (HERMES-β / Offline)]
> [Warning: Enemy high-speed close-combat units ≥ 2, coordinated ranged-melee ≥ 3. Current frame unsuitable for frontal engagement.]
Lin Ye-heng flexed his fingers: "Got it."
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6 · Armor-Cracking Frenzy (Three Rounds)
Round One — Head-on Clash
Blood Serpent V9 lunged like lightning, blade aimed straight at the abdomen!
Lin Ye-heng yanked the control stick, the mecha "side-sliding" to avoid a fatal blow, countering with a reverse-arm punch—
BOOM!
The alloy fist slammed into the chest plate, knocking Blood Serpent dozens of meters back.
With each punch, white-hot steam burst from R-01's armor seams, like a wounded beast breathing fire.
Wall-Splitter chuckled low: "I've seen bigger monsters than you—ended up all in my scrap heap."
Round Two — Counterstrike
Four mechas locked the field with crossing fire! Missiles and beams wove into a deadly net.
Lin Ye-heng made R-01 skim along the ground, metal feet sparking in long arcs, cockpit shuddering, visor almost jolted off.
He growled: "Now!"
[System: Tactical Cache Prompt (HERMES-β / Offline)]
> [Left waist armor density down 17%. A hit can cause power interruption.]
The motion and the prompt overlapped—he swung a superheated elbow into that exact spot!
BANG!
The target staggered, breaking the coordination chain for a heartbeat.
Round Three — The Killing Blow
Wall-Splitter's warblade came down from above!
R-01's left arm blocked—and exploded instantly.
Shards of metal and fuel sprayed down in a scorching rain.
Steam roared out, heat blasting the face.
Lin Ye-heng seized that sliver of opening, locking the shoulder, half-spinning, driving down—
His right fist rammed into the enemy's chest cavity, three short strikes like driving stakes:
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Blood Serpent's core cracked with a dying wail, red light snuffed out, Wall-Splitter crashing to the ground.
Two Mastiffs on the flank hesitated a beat; the third raised an arm to cover and charge in.
Lin Ye-heng traded damage for position, shoulder armor tearing through a cloud of shrapnel, cutting a diagonal line from a broken beam's shadow—
A hook punch shattered one mech's weapon arm;
Landing, he used the blast wave to reverse-push, sliding up on the last unit—knee to the chest frame, elbow to the neck base—
Two mechs fell in succession, comms channel erupting into chaos.
[System: Tactical Cache Prompt (HERMES-β / Offline)]
> [Tip: Current advantage is a brief "turbulence window." Suggest immediate breakthrough on captain.]
"Already planned."
Lin Ye-heng drew a deep breath, right arm trembling from heat and fatigue, elbow joint locking with a sharp ka—
He put the mecha's full weight into this one strike.
BOOM!
Wall-Splitter's half-shoulder guard sheared clean off, core casing exposed.
Lin Ye-heng closed in half a step, knee locking, fist rising—
BOOM——!!!
Head module shattered, core annihilated.
[Five Mastiffs Squad: Disbanded]
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7 · Aftermath & Cost
Wall-Splitter twitched twice on the ground, mechanical hand still instinctively groping for a shield, single optical lens flickering, spitting broken mechanical-voice static: "Mis…sion…not…com…plete—"
R-01's right arm trembled continuously, hydraulic oil dripping along its joints, sizzling on the scorched ground.
Lin Ye-heng panted, back sinking into the seat, then pushing himself forward again.
[System: Tactical Cache Prompt (HERMES-β / Offline)]
> [Joint wear at 42%. Further high-load combat not advised. Recommend immediate retreat and cold-repair process.]
Baita rushed over, grabbing him in a hug, half-crying, half-cursing: "You're insane—you're cracked open all over!"
Lin Ye-heng's smile was faint: "If it can be fixed, it's fine."
Far off, a few scavengers peeked out. No one dared call him "God."
They only lowered their voices instinctively: "That guy… maybe really can fight the army."
Lin Ye-heng lifted his eyes to R-01, still venting steam.
It wasn't a monster—it was his only answer.
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8 · Post-Battle Suspense
High above, a military satellite not belonging to this district silently rotated, its telephoto lens locking onto the deep pit and the kneeling giant.
Three seconds later, the feed was encrypted and sent to a certain Imperial monitoring tower.
In the dark room, someone murmured: "So it really is that bloodline."
The signal was cut.
On the tactical map, a new red marker lit up—
Next time, they would not simply be watching.