The man finished speaking and nimbly slipped into the mecha.
The others dispersed outside the plaza, leaving space for the two to duel.
Gu Ya secretly wiped sweat from his brow.
Judging by its exterior armor alone, the opponent's mecha was extremely powerful, at least a high-tier model among civilian armed mechas.
The sharp shoulder spikes, the serrated armor plating on its arms, and the bayonet-like knee armor were cold and sharp, sending shivers down one's spine.
The mecha stood three stories tall, its overall structure compact and its appearance robust, perfectly matching the man's demeanor.
It was like a burly professional boxer.
Gu Ya's dilapidated mecha was like an undernourished dwarf in comparison.
Through his mecha's external speakers, the man shouted, "Youngster, I admire your courage. But even the brave need luck, and unfortunately, your luck runs out tonight."
"Your sister is a beauty, hand her over to me. I'll raise her to be my wife."
As the man uttered those words, laughter erupted from the crowd.
"As for you, you killed two of my robotic brothers! How will you compensate me!"
"Do you know the current legal regulations? You can't arbitrarily execute robots, they are precious!"
"This makes things difficult for me."
"Therefore, I'm going to kill you to avenge my robotic brothers!"
Listening to his twisted rhetoric, Gu Ya grew increasingly furious.
*You're the ones who kidnapped my sister, insulted me, tried to kill me, and now you want to claim her!*
Youyou's struggles and muffled cries tugged at Gu Ya's heart.
"Then I will destroy your Crocodile Dao Alliance!" Gu Ya stated calmly yet angrily.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Gu Ya activated his mecha and charged forward.
With an absolute disadvantage in strength and speed, how could a dwarf defeat a professional boxer?
The answer was to utilize his height advantage, catch the opponent off guard, and attack unexpectedly.
The best defense was offense.
Moreover, he had skill buffs!
Gu Ya shot forward, but he soon realized something was wrong.
The fierce crocodile pulled out a giant mecha-specific shotgun from its back!
The opponent had anticipated Gu Ya's close-quarters attack utilizing his height, and had no intention of giving Gu Ya any opening!
"Damn! My shields are gone too!"
With a deafening roar, countless tiny pellets accompanied by sparks erupted from the gun barrel.
They moved at extreme speed, capable of piercing Gu Ya's body in just 0.01 seconds.
A normal human would be unable to dodge them!
But before Gu Ya's [Active Mind], all rapid movements became as slow as an old lady strolling.
Now, combined with [Adrenaline Burst],
Gu Ya's hands flew across the control panel, furiously tapping buttons.
He unleashed a series of extremely difficult evasive maneuvers.
Gu Ya's mecha drew a lightning-fast serpentine path, dodging all the buckshot and heading straight for the opponent.
"Wh..." The man was still in shock.
Gu Ya had already reached the fierce crocodile's feet, raised his whirring giant chainsaw, aimed at its knee, and pressed down fiercely.
Countless sparks sprayed out. In just one second, Gu Ya sawed off the fierce crocodile's knee armor, which was shaped like a bayonet.
The opponent was not to be trifled with either; he activated his rear thrusters and shot straight up into the sky.
Simultaneously, he raised the shotgun and pulled the trigger repeatedly.
Gu Ya's skills were still on cooldown, and with nowhere to hide, he could only raise his giant pincers and chainsaw to shield his cockpit,
straining with all his might to escape the shotgun's cone of fire.
In an instant, the buckshot peppered both of Gu Ya's arms with countless holes.
Worse still, a bullet the size of a glass marble ricocheted and struck Gu Ya's left shoulder.
Although it didn't penetrate, the intense pain and cramping were continuous.
Gu Ya froze in place, unable to make any movement.
"You're very clever, and you've got some skills, especially that lightning-fast movement just now. How did you do that?" the man asked.
At this moment, the system automatically activated the fourth skill: [Pain Immunity].
Gu Ya deliberately stalled, waiting for the pain to subside.
Half a minute later, he shouted resentfully, "Want to learn? Take me as your master!"
The fierce crocodile suddenly opened its shoulder weapon bays, and two miniature missiles shot out, heading straight for Gu Ya!
Gu Ya finally recovered from the numbness. He manipulated his giant pincers to clamp the chainsaw and swung it towards the sky.
The chainsaw and one missile collided in mid-air,
a massive explosion followed by a shockwave.
The other missile was deflected by the shockwave and flew into the distance.
Before long, fire and explosions could be heard from afar.
Surrounding alliance members all looked towards the explosion, causing a commotion.
"That's the 11th Power District, a model security zone for the wealthy!"
"Destroying a security zone will lead to an investigation by the Security Bureau!"
"The Security Bureau will trace the missile source within fifteen minutes..."
"Boss!"
The fierce crocodile in the air landed steadily. The superior emerged from the cockpit, pointed at Gu Ya, and furiously addressed the alliance members, "Seize him!!!"
Ten minutes later, Gu Ya was escorted by members into a dilapidated five-story building next to the plaza, their headquarters.
Through the window, Gu Ya saw seven security bureau mechas parked on the plaza, their red and blue lights flashing, illuminating the entire area.
The superior stood before a line of security personnel, acting subserviently, nodding and bowing profusely, completely devoid of his earlier arrogance.
Finally, the security personnel hauled away the fierce crocodile, leaving the superior to gaze dejectedly at the receding red and blue lights.
A furious and hurried set of footsteps approached. The superior kicked open the door of the room where Gu Ya was being held.
Having witnessed the man groveling, seeing him now full of rage created a strange contrast.
"I, Wang Panpan, will kill you tonight!!!"
What? Wang Panpan? Did I hear that right?
Gu Ya choked with laughter, letting out a snort.
The other members lowered their heads, covering their mouths, trying desperately to suppress their laughter.
One person couldn't hold back and burst into laughter.
The superior realized he had accidentally revealed his real name and quickly corrected himself, "I, Wang Meng'e, will kill you tonight."
"Boss, the Security Bureau has fitted you with a monitoring ring. Every word and action of yours..."
Wang Meng'e instantly sobered up. He sat down on a chair brought by a member, covering his forehead dejectedly, sighing repeatedly.
Suddenly, he turned and glared at the dozen or so members, finding them increasingly displeasing. He reprimanded them, "Look at you all! What am I always teaching you! Stay fierce! Do you know what fierce means!"
Coincidentally,
the two robots Gu Ya had eliminated earlier, one clutching its chest, the other propping up half its head, walked in limping, heads down.
Their appearance was both comical and dejected.
Wang Panpan, filled with disappointment, wanted to scold them but couldn't, so he could only let out a long sigh.
A few minutes later, perhaps having regained his composure, Wang Panpan reverted to his fierce demeanor and said coldly, "Gu Ya, don't think I'll go easy on you."
"What do you want?" Gu Ya asked calmly.
"Help me earn a million, and I'll release you and your sister, with no repercussions."
Gu Ya was stunned. This Wang Panpan was asking for the moon, utterly preposterous.
As a poor student, he couldn't even earn a million by selling blood and kidneys.
Wang Panpan continued, "I want you to participate in the mecha bounty battles in Wuhe City. First place prize is exactly one million."
"If you win, I'll release them. For every loss, your sister will suffer a bloody wound!"
"If you refuse, you won't survive tonight."
When Wang Panpan said this, his eyes were sharp, and his tone was as cold as a mid-winter frost, devoid of any humanity.
Gu Ya understood. He wasn't joking.
He simply wanted to toy with them, brother and sister, in his palm.
He was no longer human, but a demon.
However, with himself and his sister in his hands now, resistance would only lead to death.
Agreeing offered the only sliver of hope for saving his sister.
"I have a condition, give me a mecha," Gu Ya said.
"You're negotiating with me?" Wang Panpan gritted his teeth, staring fiercely at Gu Ya, and retorted venomously.
Gu Ya met the man's gaze without fear. This demon wanted to watch Gu Ya and his sister go from disappointment to despair, and finally be played to death by him!
But Gu Ya would not give him the chance.
*I swear, I will kill him, but not now.*
Gu Ya nodded, his tone calm as he said, "Tell me the time, location, and how to participate, and I'll help you earn a million. But, do not harm my sister without cause."
"Also, before I go, I want to see my sister."
"Fine!"
...
The door to Youyou's confinement was pushed open, and Gu Ya walked in.
"Brother!" Youyou threw herself into Gu Ya's arms, tightly hugging his waist.
Gu Ya gently lifted Youyou's head, wiped away the tears from her eyes, and said tenderly, "Be good. Wait for me to earn a million, and I'll take you out. Do you trust me?"
Youyou stared into Gu Ya's eyes.
To her, a million was an astronomical sum, money that she and her brother could never earn in three lifetimes.
But Youyou ultimately chose to believe Gu Ya and nodded firmly.
As he emerged from the five-story building, the sky was beginning to lighten.
Gu Ya faced the rising sun, stepping forward towards a more arduous fate.