Chapter 254: Emperor Project - Unit-01 |
The Snow Wraith Horde erupted into a frenzy, while a giant black worm burrowed madly into the ground. Its exposed, mountain-sized body became the focus of all firepower, raining down chunks of flesh and blood everywhere.
But despite the relentless heavy fire, the monstrosity remained unscathed—its black flesh untouched, the massive explosions merely igniting tiny sparks against its body.
Everyone watched in shock as the creature, causing the ground to quake, vanished underground.
Snow and dust billowed, and the massive snowdrifts at the canyon’s edge began to collapse.
KIKI’s psychic attack had immediately drawn attention, triggering a wave of heavy firepower that pinned down the Snow Wraiths emerging from the snow.
With the front snow layers blasted open, the monsters had nowhere to hide—as soon as they surfaced, they were shredded apart by streams of high-powered metal projectiles.
The cliffside terrain naturally narrowed, making the defensive line easy to hold. The monsters, piled up in chaos, were incapable of breaking through under the barrage of kinetic energy weapons.
Above them, winged monstrosities attempted to swoop down through the blizzard, but the anti-air artillery from Dragon Mountain One’s primary weapon station roared to life.
Explosions filled the sky, and the entire ice canyon became choked with thick, acrid smoke.
The ground shook violently—the black underground worm was stirring again.
Shi Diyuan’s expression darkened as he watched the snow tremble. He spat to the side before turning toward the camp behind him.
"Captain Yu! That thing’s coming up again—keep the machine running!"
HUMMMM!
WOOO—!
Moments later, a thunderous roar erupted from the colossal mecha, shaking the storm-filled air.
A nuclear-powered turbine engine suddenly ignited, releasing a high-pitched hum that rattled the bones of everyone nearby.
K-K-K-KABOOM!
The Snow Wraith Horde instantly fell into chaos.
Even the underground tremors turned more erratic, making the snowfield ripple like an ocean.
Moments later, the tremors faded into the distance—the howl of the engine seemingly repelling the horde.
Large numbers of Snow Wraiths and four-legged snow beasts burrowed into the blizzard, disappearing from the firing range.
"Cease fire!"
"Conserve ammunition!"
"Make way! Let them through!"
With the monsters retreating, the firestorm along the defensive line died down.
At the front lines, a heavily armored tracked truck moved forward, creating a gap in the barricade.
Lin Xian immediately drove his polar vehicle through, only to find numerous vehicles parked inside—including several marked with Phoenix insignias.
This was a makeshift encampment.
WOOO—
The nuclear-powered turbine engine gradually shut down, its final echoes resonating like a dying wail in the frozen air.
Lin Xian and KIKI instinctively looked up.
A colossal humanoid mecha stood with one arm braced against the ground, its gaze towering down at them.
Even with only part of its body exposed, the machine exceeded 30 meters—as tall as a ten-story building.
The mecha knelt in the ice canyon, one massive fist pressed against the cliffside.
Snow and wind swirled through the fractured gaps in its shoulder armor.
Its once pristine deep-blue plating was now riddled with battle scars.
A massive nuclear turbine core still glowed with a dim orange halo at its chest.
But its left arm was severely damaged—a gaping wound revealed hexagonal hydraulic pipes, looking like a shredded beehive.
Golden coolant dripped from the pipes, forming meter-long icicles.
The left shoulder armor had peeled outward, exposing a carbonized transmission shaft and alloy bones capable of withstanding tens of thousands of tons of pressure.
Lin Xian’s eyes twitched.
"Holy… sh*t."
"Phoenix really built something this terrifying…?"
His Mechanical Heart nearly activated on its own at the sight of this steel behemoth.
FWOOOSH!
As soon as the battle ended, the defensive line swiftly reorganized.
At the same time, a group of people rushed toward Lin Xian’s vehicle.
Shi Diyuan led the charge, his expression both surprised and relieved when he saw Lin Xian and Ning Jing step out.
"When we picked up the signal, I thought it was Phoenix reinforcements. How the hell is it you guys?!"
"Obviously, we came to find you," Ning Jing replied, her gaze sweeping over the survivors behind Shi Diyuan.
She frowned.
"Damn it… I thought you were all dead. How the hell did you guys all end up holed up here?"
"Yo, Sister Ning!"
A chubby man behind Shi Diyuan, nicknamed Fat Cat, exclaimed in shock.
"Wait… how come there’s only a few of you? Weren’t you coming from Xilan City? Where’s Phoenix’s reinforcement team?"
"Yeah, is it just you guys?"
"A’Bai, Xiao Qing, where’s the rest of our main force?!"
"Still back where we left them."
Ning Jing sighed, then turned to Shi Diyuan.
"Dragon Mountain One got caught in the storm. On top of that, we ran into a monster horde. Our No. 3 Electric Locomotive failed, so we were stuck in the snow for two days."
"Then we ran into Lin Xian and the Infinite Train—he helped us repair the locomotive. Before heading for Xilan, we wanted to check on you guys. Didn’t expect you to be trapped here too."
"Trapped?!"
Shi Diyuan slapped his thigh in frustration.
"Son of a b*tch! We’re completely screwed now. Without Phoenix reinforcements, we’re not breaking through this."
Lin Xian glanced around—aside from Shi Diyuan’s group, there were at least four or five other survivor convoys, totaling over 200 people.
It seemed they had all gotten stuck here.
"Brother Shi, what’s going on?" Lin Xian asked.
Shi Diyuan pinched his brow, sighing.
"Lin bro, I hate to say this, but we’ve dragged you into another mess. We’ve been stuck here for two days—lost a lot of people already."
"If Phoenix reinforcements don’t show up, we’re all f*cked."
"Sister Ning, Captain Lin," Fat Cat explained, his thick fur coat barely containing his bulk.
"We answered a distress signal, but when we got here, it was a goddamn hellscape."
"Apparently, Phoenix was secretly testing this giant mecha here."
"But something went horribly wrong. Their entire armed platoon and transport team got wiped out."
"By the time we arrived, Brother Qian and his team had already been fighting for a whole night."
"This place is a death trap."
"Once you enter… you can’t leave."
Lin Xian’s expression darkened.
"So you’re telling me… we came here to rescue you, but now we’re the ones needing rescue?"
Everyone fell silent.
The situation was worse than expected.
Ning Jing turned to Lin Xian, her voice grim.
"We only have three hours. The two trains still need to depart."
Fat Cat sighed.
"We really thought you were bringing Phoenix’s army with you…"
KIKI suddenly spoke up.
"Then why don’t we do a diversion?"
"Send one vehicle to lure the worm away, and everyone else escapes."
Shi Diyuan groaned.
"We already tried. It doesn’t work."
"The creatures can smell us."
Lin Xian’s brows furrowed.
"…Smell?"
Lin Xian immediately understood—the Dark Mark.
The monsters lurking in the snow could track marked prey even in broad daylight.
That meant both he and KIKI had already been tagged with a high-level mark.
And that massive black creature—whatever grade it was—likely had everyone here marked as well.
"That can't be right!" KIKI objected. "We ran into that thing just now, and it scared the hell out of me."
"Wait, really?" Qian Dele raised an eyebrow, looking at them with suspicion. "How did your two vehicles escape from that monster's jaws?"
KIKI shrugged. "We just… ran."
Ning Jing added, "It was damn close. If Lin Xian and his team hadn’t stepped in, we wouldn't have made it. But if we try to run back now, we definitely won’t shake it off. Worse, we’d bring it straight to the train—and that would be a disaster."
"Exactly."
Lin Xian nodded. This wasn’t just about escaping anymore.
If they couldn’t shake off or kill that underground worm, then the Infinite Train itself could be flipped over.
He couldn’t afford to drag this trouble back with him.
"Looks like we need another plan."
"The only plan is to wait for Phoenix reinforcements from Xilan City." Shi Diyuan gestured toward the massive humanoid mecha behind them. "Or pray that this thing has one last spark left in it—enough to get us out."
"What do you mean? That mecha is completely inoperable?" Ning Jing asked.
"It's been dead for a while," Fat Cat replied. "Captain Yu just fired it up for show, to scare off the worm. But in reality? It can't stand anymore."
"Wait a second!"
Shi Diyuan suddenly lit up, turning to Lin Xian with wide eyes.
"Damn! How did I forget?! Lin Xian, you have a mechanical ability!"
He smacked his forehead and then grabbed Lin Xian’s shoulder.
"Come on! I’ll introduce you to Captain Yu—she’s in charge of the Emperor Project. She’s definitely going to be interested in you."
Lin Xian immediately shut him down.
"Brother Shi, do you really think I can fix that thing? You’re overestimating me."
"Wait, aren’t you a mechanic-type Ability User?" Shi Diyuan looked confused.
"He is, but not a mechanical god," KIKI cut in. "That thing weighs thousands of tons—it’s not something you just fix up overnight."
KIKI was right.
This mecha was too massive.
The problem wasn’t just repairing it.
Or scanning it.
There was also the issue of materials.
This thing likely used composite armor, super-carbon carbide alloys, and nano-ceramic plating—all high-end materials.
Lin Xian didn’t have anything like that.
Even at a glance, the core structure seemed intact, but its left arm was torn apart.
Fixing that alone would be a monumental task.
Shi Diyuan stared blankly at Lin Xian, who nodded.
"Yeah. I have mechanical abilities, but… I need to examine it first."
"Eh, no worries!" Shi Diyuan waved it off.
"Honestly, we’re stuck anyway. And I already mentioned you to Captain Yu.
Maybe we can think of another plan together."
Then, Shi Diyuan turned to Qian Dele.
"Qian, I’m bringing Lin Xian to see Captain Yu. You coming?"
"I’ll pass~" Qian Dele’s gaze lingered on Lin Xian before he scoffed. "I don’t like that woman—cold as ice. I’ll stay out here and keep watch in case the Snow Wraiths come back."
"Haha! Look at the bright side—at least we got more Ability Users on our side!"
Shi Diyuan tried to lift morale.
"That psychic girl? We all saw how powerful she was! With her and Lin Xian, we might actually break out of here!"
The others nodded slightly in agreement.
KIKI’s performance had been shocking.
There were about a dozen Ability Users here, all strong, but KIKI and Bai had massive area-damage potential.
That alone gave the survivors a huge morale boost.
With that, the convoy members returned to their vehicles to warm up.
The defensive line had two nuclear-powered generators, ensuring enough heat for everyone.
Shi Diyuan’s own nuclear-powered locomotive had a Triangle Track electromagnetic all-terrain drive module.
Lin Xian had inspected it earlier—the engineering was top-tier, high-precision, but it required extensive modifications.
Aside from the outer shell, almost everything had been replaced.
Lin Xian guessed Shi Diyuan must’ve paid a massive price to build it.
If Lin Xian had to create something similar, it would be a colossal engineering challenge.
Not to mention the Infinite Train had 14 cars—it would take more than just a few days to upgrade it.
He made a mental note to ask Shi Diyuan how it was built and maybe scan the blueprints.
Joker Convoy also had a small nuclear generator powering their vehicles.
Other teams relied on solar energy storage systems, but in these conditions, nuclear power was the only reliable option.
Under the relentless blizzard, at the edge of Trakamar Ice Canyon, the nuclear reactors kept the convoy survivors warm.
Shi Diyuan led Lin Xian and KIKI toward the mecha’s base, where a cluster of large tents formed a makeshift camp.
Meanwhile, Ning Jing, A’Bai, and Xiao Qing returned to Dragon Mountain One.
The Emperor Project
As they walked, Lin Xian spoke up.
"Something’s bugging me."
"The Emperor Project is part of Phoenix, right? Why are they requesting help from Xilan City?"
Something felt off.
Why did it sound like Phoenix in Xilan had no idea this was happening?
Shi Diyuan waved it off.
"I asked about that."
"This mission is classified."
"They even kept it secret from their own people?"
"No," Shi Diyuan’s tone grew serious.
"My guess? Something went wrong.
Whatever happened here, it’s not part of the plan—that’s why Phoenix lost contact with their other reinforcement teams.
That’s why they sent a full-spectrum distress signal.
Seven convoys came here to help. And now we’re all stuck."
"So many casualties…" KIKI frowned.
"This must be an S-Class Eerie Entity—like that black worm."
Shi Diyuan shook his head.
"That worm isn’t classified S-Class."
Lin Xian’s eyes narrowed.
"Then the S-Class monster reported in Parma Grasslands… is something else?"
"Exactly."
The Titan of Steel
Under the howling blizzard, heavily armored soldiers worked around the camp, hauling military supplies toward the frontline barricades.
Lin Xian glanced around—only about 20 soldiers remained.
They wielded heavy weapons, outfitted with exoskeletons and high-end cold-weather gear.
Their bodies bore scars from days of brutal combat.
As they neared the mecha, the blizzard weakened—its lingering heat from the turbine still radiated warmth.
Standing beneath the colossal machine, Lin Xian and KIKI felt like ants beneath a mountain.
Shi Diyuan saw their awe-struck expressions and grinned.
"Scary, huh? First time I saw it, I almost pissed myself."
"If we could build more of these, we’d stand a real chance against the monsters."
KIKI, however, was blunt.
"But doesn’t this mean the project already failed?"
A Phoenix superweapon—destroyed on its first mission.
That wasn’t hope—that was despair.
Lin Xian frowned.
"They built this to fight S-Class Entities… or infiltrate the Abyss.
If this is the result, does that mean it didn’t meet expectations?"
Shi Diyuan exhaled.
"I dunno. But it killed a Black Worm—that’s not nothing."
Lin Xian examined the damage.
"This thing’s fought something else too…"
KIKI looked up.
"What’s its name?"
Shi Diyuan’s expression turned solemn.
"Emperor Project—Unit 01."