Volume One, Chapter 22: Captured by Mountain Bandits

This was Wei Hu’s first time seeing a real Mantis Mech; all his previous impressions had been shaped only by advertisements and videos. Yet, none of those moments of awe compared to the overwhelming sensation of witnessing it in person.

This was the art of Ghost Commander’s control. Seeing this, Second Order retracted the glowing orb in his hand, leapt onto the arched bridge, and issued the command to Ghost Commander: “Eliminate everyone within the gradient zone within three days.”

Left Xuan spoke these words, then soared into the air, charging toward the Mahesh faction.

Thud! Lifting her left arm lightly, Naniya was knocked aside. With her mere hundred-plus attribute points, she couldn’t even harm a single hair on Tang Ze.

Yuan Fang, with his back turned, had no time to acknowledge Fazheng’s respect; his penetrating gaze remained fixed ahead.

Cao Cao’s severed corpse toppled in two halves, crashing to the ground and crushing thousands of undead beneath it.

As the last mask covered his face, leaving only blood-red eyes visible, nearly all the shadow demons howled in unison. It was as if they were greeting their supreme ruler. Especially the dozens of ghost kings before them, who redoubled their efforts to curry favor with the Ghost Commander.

Huang Yueying nodded, then ordered the soldiers to place the iron ore from the hall into the furnace. She then scanned the non-aggressive battle armor displayed on the crystal stand.

The blue-haired holy knight Kirill suddenly interrupted but was quickly silenced by the Iron Tower holy knight Hades beside him.

Time flowed slowly. Facing the impending vast wealth, Ling Zhou Tian revealed his calm demeanor.

“Boss, I’m in Squad Five. Gao Zhandong and a few others are in your Squad One. Most of the others are split between Squads Five and Eight, with only a few occasionally in other squads!” The fat man wiped sweat from his brow as he spoke.

“How can I command the Kachin army?” Shao Wen struggled to maintain the authority of his corps commander.

***

Master Hu was furious and without hesitation unleashed an extremely insidious, borderline foul move—one that would be condemned in modern combat—a low blow aimed at the groin, ensuring poor Rookie Four would suffer significant impairment in certain functions for the rest of his life and collapsed on the spot.

Fortunately, Yangque Village was not a large settlement; within fifteen minutes, all villagers had gathered at Yun Residence.

Uh, things seemed really dangerous now. The mud had reached the Lone Wolf’s chin. Had I been too cruel? The Lone Wolf was growing anxious.

When encountering a jaguar, do not run away immediately. Instead, approach it while shouting and clapping your hands. But if you see dangerous snakes like pythons, banded kraits, or vipers, be sure to flee quickly.

However, the gun did not fire. Only the dull sound of the bolt cycling was heard. In a panic, I glanced at the Type 81 automatic rifle and felt a chill—where was the bolt?!

Yun Mo, watching his goofy antics, easily conflated him with that golden, silly lion. Indeed, a fool remains a fool even in human form, with no increase in style or elegance.

This was also because the shop was valuable; merchants in Gujing Street’s Mandarin Duck Teahouse knew the previous owner used quality furniture. The wood shopkeeper was happy to take over; otherwise, if it were all junk, no one would want it.

Just like in the Queen’s Palace, Xiang Ru was led to the foot of the steps. Upon giving her name, the eunuch guarding the entrance pulled the curtain aside to report, and after a moment, came back out to announce Xiang Ru could proceed.

She bowed once, wasted no time, and summoned Skeletons One and Two. The two axe-spears skeletons, their eye sockets burning with silver soul fire, appeared immediately, and Dubai’s expression darkened.

However, the cultivation and strength of these three were unsatisfactory. Other sect members avoided them, and the ghost-faced warriors of the Illusion Land operated solo. So, the three remained confined to the internal training area, sparring with a dozen or so disciples and practicing minor techniques.

Grandma Yue did not say it outright, but Lin Fan could tell: the Moon God’s Guardian was an incredibly powerful tank role—tough, resilient, and heavily defensive. This was undoubtedly a formidable “meat shield” profession.

“Damn humans! How dare you come here? This is an insult to my dignity!” The enraged roar came from the nightmare beast’s jellyfish-like body. Immediately, tentacles below it struck rapidly, targeting the onrushing pets with direct assaults.

***

“Won’t he end up kicking him to death?” Wu Jing anxiously asked Ye Shao as Wang Yiquan continued foaming at the mouth.

Seeing everything before me, I was shocked. The fat man actually knew this middle-aged man. Just as I wanted to investigate further, a strange sensation hit me—I felt as if my head was caught in a ghostly loop.

Yin Letian smiled and said, “The ancestor is truly omnipotent. When it comes to planning, scheming, and calculation, I admit I fall short. Ancestor, rest assured, I will assist Ren Tiansheng and his son in accomplishing this matter.”

“What is this!” Lin Fan stared at a bamboo slip-like object before him, his eyes full of astonishment.

“Gambling again? Didn’t I tell you not to gamble with others? With your skills, you’re just feeding money to them. Why don’t you listen?” Ye Shao wanted to thrash Wu Shun badly. If not for Zhao Gengzhi’s face, he wouldn’t tolerate this repeated foolishness—some habits never change.

As soon as he finished speaking, four men nearby shouted and charged forward, seemingly fearless of death.

Unlike Jia Xu, Guan Yan did not spout loyalty or righteousness. He knew Jia Xu was not one for empty words. Being honest about his ambitions might actually foster a more sincere bond with him.

Having dodged the clash of zither and flute notes, Xiao Guo and three others landed, listening to the duel between the two instruments. Xiao Guo and his comrade Memory immediately grew excited—they recognized the flute as Hua Sanshao’s sound. So, it seemed Hua Sanshao was not under the Necropolis’s control.

Approaching closer, I noticed the middle-aged Indian man wore a white robe over a beige army uniform. Though lacking a cap, the golden collar insignia and shoulder boards gleamed brilliantly under the dim car lights.