C4 Hell(2)
The roar of gunfire thundered through the air.
One by one, shells etched with intricate patterns tumbled to the ground, each as large as an oil drum. Despite being hollow, their impact on the ground was startling.
One shell rolled right up to Luo Yan's SUV.
As the shells ejected, streaks of orange fire traced the path of bullets fired from the silver-white rifle, marking the friction of their journey through the air.
They surged toward the massive beast.
The Taotie came to an abrupt halt.
Its mouth gaped open.
With a powerful inhale, the lines of fire bending toward it twisted and were sucked into the beast's gaping maw.
The rifle's magazine emptied in an instant.
The firing ceased.
The Taotie snapped its jaws shut, greedily 'swallowing' all the bullets.
This was 'Gluttony' in action!
Bang!
A magazine the size of an SUV clattered to the ground as the Mech swiftly slotted in a new one.
But by the time the magazine clicked into place, the Taotie had vanished from sight.
It had cloaked itself!
Luo Yan's eyes blazed with intensity.
The world dimmed before him.
To the left of the humanoid robot, Luo Yan spotted a sinuous grey light stirring with anticipation.
"It's on your left!"
Luo Yan gestured urgently to the Mech's left flank.
Regrettably, the pilot inside the Mech was oblivious to his warning.
Boom!
Out of nowhere, the silver-white Mech took a heavy blow, staggering backward.
Each step it took shattered the earth, sending soil and stone flying in all directions!
A vast shadow loomed over Luo Yan and the SUV.
Without a second thought, he yelled and threw himself to the ground.
Behind him, the SUV was crushed under the Mech's weight like a discarded toy.
The Mech continued to slide backward.
When it finally came to a halt, the Taotie reappeared, silent and deadly, on its right side.
The goat-headed creature's mouth yawned open, and the lines of fire it had ingested earlier now shot forth from its dark maw.
The barrage raked the ground, the Mech's left knee joint, and several SUVs.
Boom!
The Mech's knee joint detonated, spewing out orange flames and sending shards of armor scattering in all directions.
The silver colossus was forced to kneel on one knee.
Seizing the moment, the Taotie leaped onto the Mech, agilely landing atop it, spinning around, and delivering a fierce kick.
Bang!
The Mech's chest armor buckled with a muffled crash, and its upper body erupted in a shower of sparks. The giant groaned and collapsed, shaking the ground so violently that countless buildings were likely crushed under its weight.
The broadcast blared again.
"The pilot is unconscious!"
"The Synesthesia System has been disconnected!"
"The launch hatch is malfunctioning; the escape capsule can't be ejected!"
"Captain Di Zheng is en route."
Luo Yan's ears were ringing.
He shook his head to clear it and stood up.
A sudden chill crept up his spine.
Luo Yan turned around slowly.
There, the Taotie lay on the ground, rising to its feet.
Throughout the ordeal, all four of the small eyes atop its goat-like head were fixed on Luo Yan.
A wave of intense fear and despair flooded Luo Yan's heart.
Is this where I die?
Just then, he thought he heard a strong heartbeat.
Thump.
His vision blurred, replaced by a haze of light.
Through the haze, Luo Yan could just make out a scorched earth.
He saw silhouettes of wild beasts.
He saw figures wielding weapons, casting bolts of lightning and thunder, battling the beasts.
Then he heard voices.
It was a language unfamiliar to him.
Yet Luo Yan understood some of the words.
"...Rise... Fight..."
He thought he saw a blood-soaked warrior pushing himself up.
With a roar, the figure lunged at a beast.
The scene was one of tragic desolation and indomitable spirit.
A rush of fervor surged through Luo Yan.
For a moment, he couldn't distinguish whether it was himself or another.
His vision snapped back to clarity.
The Taotie, now upright, had raised its foot, poised to crush him like an ant.
It stomped down.
I am no ant!
I will not die here!
Not ever!
Luo Yan bellowed, thrusting his hand up toward the descending foot.
It was as if he was trying to fend off the Taotie's crushing blow.
To any onlooker, it would seem a futile gesture.
But just as the Taotie was about to flatten Luo Yan beneath its foot.
Suddenly.
Bang!
The Taotie was sent reeling!
A massive silver shape then burst into the onlookers' view.
The mech surged back to life!
The silver colossus that had fallen moments before now had its eyes ablaze with blue light as it lunged forward.
It barreled into the massive beast.
Suddenly, the convoy's broadcast crackled to life again.
"The Synesthesia System is online!"
"Huh... This signal, it's not from Yang Rong's mech."
"What's with this external signal?"
"How did it manage to connect to the system?"
For Luo Yan, in that instant, the sounds around him—the broadcast, the Taotie's roars, and the gasps of the people—faded into the background.
He was gazing up at the Taotie, but in his mind, he had a different viewpoint: he was looking straight ahead.
The Taotie flipped over, vanishing from sight, then lunged at the mech.
With eyes searing with intensity, Luo Yan saw the grey luminescence that signified the beast through his extraordinary vision.
He yelled out, spinning around and reaching out with his arm.
The mech at Luo Yan's side mirrored the movement perfectly!
The mech's hand shot out, grasping fiercely.
It had caught hold of something.
In the blink of an eye, the Taotie reappeared, suspended in mid-air.
Its neck was firmly in the grip of the mech!
Luo Yan lifted his right hand, feeling as though he were wielding a rifle.
He felt completely unified with the mech.
He was the mech!
The warriors nearby witnessed the silver mech position the rifle at the Taotie's underbelly, targeting its vulnerable spot.
Fire!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Giant casings tumbled to the ground one by one.
This time, as the tangerine blaze burst from the barrel, it struck the Taotie, rocking its frame.
The humanoid beast, neck ensnared by the mech, thrashed wildly.
Bulges formed on the skin of its haunches, swelling rapidly.
Seconds later, a stream of fire erupted from the Taotie's rear.
Then came more fiery blasts!
One after another, they tore the Taotie's body in two!
The lower half, still attached to its legs, slumped to the ground.
From the severed upper half, a deep grey spinal column dangled, a grim testament to the battle's ferocity.
The mecha lifted its rifle once more, pressing it firmly against the Taotie's chest. Regrettably, the magazine ran dry after only a few shots. Luo Yan slammed his left hand onto the ground with force. Mirroring the action, the mecha slammed the half-bodied Taotie into the earth with a heavy thud. Gripping the rifle by its overheated barrel, the mecha used the butt of the gun to relentlessly bash the Taotie's goat-like face, striking blow after blow.
The warriors looked on, their faces ashen. They watched the mecha, frenzied and brutal, as it methodically disfigured the Taotie's head. Blood spurted wildly, teeth scattered, and finally, one of the four tiny eyes on the Taotie's face was forced out, dangling grotesquely from its now concave and distorted cheek.
The convoy's broadcast suddenly came to life again. "It's gone..." "The Taotie's energy signature has vanished." "It's dead!" Under normal circumstances, the warriors would have erupted in cheers. But now, they slowly backed away, step by step. The silver colossus didn't cease its assault until the Taotie's head was utterly obliterated. Only then did the mecha come to a halt.
As the blue glow in the mecha's eyes dimmed and disappeared, Luo Yan appeared to lose all his strength. His legs buckled, and he collapsed to the ground. The warped rifle remained lodged in the Taotie's head, standing defiantly like an indomitable battle standard.
A newly arrived mech, sleek and armored in red and blue, witnessed the entire scene.
Note: "Naked insect" refers to one of the five types of insects in ancient times, generally describing animals without feathers, scales, or armor.
