Gu Ya declined Xiao Jin Quan's offer of a custom mecha, instead picking usable mecha wreckage from the battlefield to assemble a new one, which he named "Combination God."
He also helped Ye Ying assemble a new Nightingale mecha. While the process of assembling a mecha wasn't as convenient as using the Xi Shen Yi Weng, it allowed Gu Ya to be fully immersed, bringing him a strong sense of satisfaction. If the war could end, if his ideals could be realized, and if the world were free from conflict, Gu Ya dreamt of leaving with Ye Ying, living in anonymity, and opening a fine, private mecha assembly workshop. Apart from being with Ye Ying, nothing else could compare to the joy of working with mechas.
The group, fully equipped, boarded their mechas, ready to head to the battlefield. Suddenly, the hangar's alloy gates were smashed open, and over a dozen soldiers burst in, followed by a large number of maids and household servants.
An old wet nurse cried out in distress: "Your Majesty the Queen! How can you, with your noble stature, participate in battle! If anything were to happen to you, how would we account for ourselves to the new king!"
Qiao Weiwei sneered, her expression filled with disdain, and roared angrily, "Tell Xiao Jin Quan that this young lady would rather marry a mecha than him! Farewell!!!"
These words struck all the servants like a bolt from the blue! The sixty-meter-tall Feng Wu mecha suddenly erupted with flames, and the vast, scorching hot air current instantly sent everyone staggering. Amidst the fierce jetting sounds, the Feng Wu mecha slowly stepped forward, accelerated, and dashed out of the hangar, soaring into the sky!
The pink Taoxi mecha followed closely, tracing an exponential curve as it flew towards the heavens. Next was the New Nightingale mecha, starting with nimble agility and accelerating out. Finally, Gu Ya glanced sideways at the people who had been blown over and said calmly, "Grubs cannot be told about ice..." He activated his flames and flew out of the hangar.
Four mechas converged outside the capital of Jin Quan, forming a V-shaped formation and charging towards the sea. Qiao Weiwei calmly stated, "Gu Ya, devise a strategy."
Tao Na noticed something amiss and asked softly, "Captain Gu, are... only the four of us in these mechas? What about Jin Quan's army?"
"That's right," Gu Ya replied calmly. "Only the four of us. What, are you doubting your own strength?"
Tao Na pondered for a moment, then smiled, "Not exactly, I just feel it's a bit thin..."
Gu Ya stated with composure, "Don't worry, we have reinforcements." He continued, "Besides, with Ye Ying and me as the main attackers, you as support, and Wei Wei's powerful firepower support, the four of us can hold off an army of ten thousand. Coordinating with Jin Quan's vanguard, we can sandwich the Black Star border army of tens of thousands. That's more than enough."
Tao Na still harbored some concerns and whispered, "I hope it's as you say..."
On the sea surface at this moment, Jin Quan's engineering salvage fleet was still in the water, retrieving wreckage. They would transport these remains back to the country for reprocessing and reassembly into new mechas, which would then be sent to the front lines. As the war escalated, more and more wreckage would be utilized. This was also part of Gu Ya's plan.
The four mechas flew deep into the sea. Three hundred kilometers ahead lay the Black Star continental shelf, with the coast serving as the Black Star border army's garrison. Gu Ya controlled his mecha to signal a pause, and the four mechas hovered above the sea. Gu Ya took out his wristband and contacted, "Ao Tian, how is your army progressing?"
After a short while, the communication image connected. Xiao Jin Quan, his face contorted with anger and his body making frequent, rapid movements, clearly in the midst of combat. "Brother Gu! The situation is dire, we are being intercepted by an unknown Black Star unit!" Xiao Jin Quan said rapidly. "The vanguard is engaging, but the enemy numbers are too great, and we cannot break through for the time being! The border army also has reinforcements arriving!"
Gu Ya maintained his composure and calmly analyzed, "It seems Black Star has also made emergency preparations, and the military intelligence has changed. It's alright, deploy the second echelon army for support. I will continue to attack the border army camp to try and cut off enemy reinforcements."
Xiao Jin Quan nodded and said, "Brother Gu, I hope the distant reinforcements you promised will arrive as scheduled!"
Gu Ya calmly reassured him, "Don't worry, we can win, and we must win!"
After ending the communication, Gu Ya recalled the promises made by Xian Wang Chuan and Liu Feng as they departed. Based on the planned timeline, if everything went smoothly, they should be leading the armies of the West Hemisphere's Labu Yue continent and be on their way. However, Gu Ya could not place all his hopes on Xian Wang Chuan and Liu Feng. If their actions were obstructed, and they were delayed by a day or two, everything would be too late. The current difficulties must be resolved in the present!
"Everyone, assign tasks now." Gu Ya commanded. "I will be responsible for the left flank assault, Ye Ying for the right flank. Tao Na will be responsible for intercepting and driving back the enemy from the front, with the focus shifted towards Ye Ying's right side."
"Wei Wei, once the enemy enters the optimal attack range, unleash heavy fire! Don't hold back for me or Ye Ying!"
"Understood."
"Roger that, Captain."
"Just watch, Gu Ya, I'll absolutely make the enemy shit their pants!"
Tao Na said with a disdainful laugh, "You're already the Queen, yet you still speak with such vulgarity."
"Hahaha!" Qiao Weiwei burst into laughter. "What nonsense about being a Queen, this young lady simply loves piloting mechas!"
The four mechas simultaneously activated their flames, the air currents creating four giant circular waves on the sea. Forming a 2-1-1 formation, they flew towards the Black Star border army. The anticipation of battle seemed to quicken time itself.
On the coastline, the Black Star army's defensive mecha regiment, upon spotting Gu Ya and his companions, immediately ascended to intercept them. All ground anti-aircraft units, including self-propelled anti-aircraft gun mechas, chain protection turrets, electromagnetic interference cannons, and surface-to-air missile silos, entered combat readiness.
The first to be encountered was the Black Star mecha regiment. They formed a defensive formation fifty kilometers from the coastline, standing ready to engage Gu Ya and his group. The Feng Wu mecha rapidly adjusted its tactical posture, hovering in the air, its rear flames redirected to an anti-recoil mode. Its shoulder and back bays simultaneously opened, and massive white smoke clouds were ejected from the mecha's body. Hundreds of missiles of various types shot out from the smoke, roaring towards the enemy formation. For a moment, the sky ahead erupted with a series of fireballs!
The Combination God and Nightingale mechas rapidly ascended, swooping down from above the explosion zone. At this point, the enemy formation's front was completely occupied by heavy defense mechas intercepting the missiles, creating a defensive gap in the rear for their long-range artillery mechas. The dual mechas dived towards the enemy's rear ranks, like two phantom-like, deadly assassins, beginning to harvest the ADCs.
Although there was no system skill buff, Gu Ya, with his extraordinary mental concentration, could still make his mecha perform incredible and deadly moves. "Blue Electric Wind Great Three-Dimensional Killing Formation!!" Gu Ya roared ferociously. Countless fine currents instantly spewed from the shoulders of the Combination God mecha, spreading to the surrounding enemy mechas. The momentarily paralyzed enemy mechas gave Gu Ya an opportunity to strike. Two beam swords sprang from his hands, charging towards the enemy mecha's rear, simultaneously executing the [Pure Extreme Stab]. A focused sword strike, coupled with Gu Ya's years of combat experience, instantly pierced the enemy mecha's vital points. As the Combination God stepped on an enemy mecha and moved towards the next target, over a dozen enemy mechas in this airspace were all eliminated.
The New Nightingale mecha had already completed its assassination performance on ten enemy mechas, rapidly descending and charging towards the enemy formation below with dozens of missiles. Before the enemy could react, the Nightingale had already reached the rear of several enemy mechas. Two successive small [Flash Bangs] caused the missile cluster to lose its targets entirely and plunge straight into the sea. After shaking off the missiles, the Nightingale suddenly counter-attacked. Its sharp beam sword forcefully slashed across the enemy mechas' necks, severing their heads. The speed was astonishing.
As the two were harassing the enemy's rear, the Feng Wu mecha's second round of firepower support arrived. Hundreds of white lasers shot through the gaps between the heavy defense mechas, piercing towards the enemy mechas in the rear. The highly penetrating mechas completely pierced the lightly defended long-range enemy mechas, like steel needles passing through thin paper.
At the very beginning of the battle, Gu Ya and the others had already downed nearly a hundred enemy mechas. Just as they were preparing for a second round of slaughter, the roar of the Taoxi mecha suddenly sounded in the sky! A semi-transparent Black Star high-spec combat mecha swooped down from the clouds and charged directly towards the Feng Wu mecha. Taoxi rapidly ascended, wielding two short broadswords, their blades emitting pink beam ripples, intercepting the enemy mecha. In just one exchange, the Taoxi mecha had its broadswords severed, and was kicked away.
"Only four of you dare to invade my great Black Star Empire!" The Black Star high-spec combat mecha pilot roared, controlling his mecha to attack the Feng Wu mecha. The Feng Wu mecha, as a long-range artillery output, had almost no effective defensive measures against close combat! Gu Ya and Ye Ying were also surrounded by enemy mecha groups that had caught up, unable to break free for the moment! The Taoxi mecha managed to stabilize its posture, but the enemy mecha's immense strength kicked it nearly a thousand meters away. Moreover, what was worse, the enemy was a heavy close-combat mecha, whose sheer size was a fatal disadvantage compared to the Feng Wu!
Just as Gu Ya and his companions were anxiously unable to disengage, a giant bright red light shot from behind the Feng Wu mecha, directly towards the Black Star high-spec combat mecha like a fiery red meteor!