Chapter 114: Why Did the Brand-New Mecha Suddenly…

The two of them leaned back heavily, their heads nearly impaled on the branches of the bushes, almost dying on the spot.

Not to mention the young man was already injured, and the pain made his eyes roll back as he fainted right there.

Xie Jianxun: “What is this?!”

But the young man didn’t answer him. Only then did Xie Jianxun belatedly look down and realize the person had already lost consciousness.

Little Adventurer: “…” A pang of guilt hit him.

Ela jumped to the side and calmly answered his question: “A Combat Mecha, new model.”

Smoke billowed from the pit, and for the moment, it showed no other movements.

Xie Jianxun dragged the man further back and lowered his voice: “I know it’s a Combat Mecha, but where did it fly out from… Oh God!”

He suddenly realized that the young man had mentioned a Combat Mecha in their squad going berserk—could it be this very one?!

It had a massive metal shell, with light red paint forming sharp lines at the joints, giving it a sleek and streamlined look—one of the classic design styles for mecha shells at the Silver Watchtower today.

Xie Jianxun’s first reaction upon seeing it was to analyze its structure, design philosophy, and aesthetic style, along with its specs that differed from the Semi-Automatic Mech—all the random stuff he’d learned in university classes these past few days.

Wait a second, he realized: “This isn’t a Semi-Automatic Mech!”

Ela said softly: “Brain Domain Mech.”

Xie Jianxun immediately recalled the Space Mech Button that Emory had sent him—it looked almost identical to this one.

Suddenly, the mecha’s left arm in the pit twitched for a moment, and despite its considerable damage, it forcibly propped itself up!

Through the semi-transparent dark cockpit, he could vaguely make out a figure—likely the “He” the young man had mentioned!

Was it a coincidence of names, or the one he knew?

Xie Jianxun called out his name: “He? Is that you? Stop now!”

Whether it heard his call or not, the mecha’s electronic eyes flashed red as it turned toward them.

Xie Jianxun: “Hey, can you hear me?!”

Ela yanked his sleeve back hard, and he too sensed something was wrong.

The mecha didn’t stop as if it recognized him; instead, the red light intensified, and it emitted dangerous signals all over.

Then, it charged like lightning, raising its fist high!

Boom—

Xie Jianxun rolled on the ground three times, nearly eating a mouthful of dirt. But unexpectedly, he emerged unscathed—not even grazed by the mecha’s fist!

He lifted his head in astonishment from the ground and saw Ela half-kneeling in front of him.

The assistant had one hand on the ground and the other raised to his chest, where a portable mecha control panel was strapped to his wrist.

And right in front of them stood a colossal machine that could rival the Brain Domain Mech.

Another mid-sized Semi-Automatic Mech!

Ela’s face was composed as his fingers slid across the virtual screen on the control panel. The Semi-Automatic Mech he operated powerfully blocked the Brain Domain Mech and positioned itself in front of them.

A series of rapid beeps sounded as the Semi-Automatic Mech assumed a defensive stance, locking in a standoff with the other.

Xie Jianxun struggled to his feet from the ground and first turned to check on the injured man in the bushes.

Fortunately, there was some distance between them, and he hadn’t been affected.

He kept his voice low: “We need to lure it back—there’s an injured guy here!”

Ela gave a barely perceptible nod, grabbed Xie Jianxun’s wrist, and pulled him up from the ground.

The open area was too risky for them, but the dark forest behind offered tall trees for cover—a good spot for combat.

Various ideas flashed through Xie Jianxun’s mind before settling on one: “He can’t stop it. We have to blow up the energy compartment to immobilize it.”

Ela said curtly: “The energy compartment is at the lower left of the cockpit… Huh?!”

A rare look of alarm crossed his face because Xie Jianxun had grabbed him with one arm, tucking him under his elbow like a child, and bolted into the forest without looking back.

Xie Jianxun shouted: “Lure it over here—watch me blow it up!”

Ela paused briefly before responding: “How are you going to blow it up without damaging the cockpit? The mecha I brought is unarmed. Silver Watchtower doesn’t allow civilians to install thermal weapons in civilian mecha either…”

Xie Jianxun had already reached the base of a tree.

Just hours ago, he’d chosen to run instead of climbing one because he couldn’t, but now he really needed to get up high.

Seeing Xie Jianxun not answer, Ela looked at the tree and realized what he meant.

He said gravely: “I’ll have the mecha come and boost you up!”

The Semi-Automatic Mech, still in the standoff, received the command, leaped back lightly out of combat range, and charged into the forest.

The berserk Combat Mecha naturally gave chase without pause.

The ground shook from the two mecha’s footsteps as they pursued one another.

Xie Jianxun counted silently in his head: three, two, one. Then he leaped high, landing forcefully on the palm the Semi-Automatic Mech had raised for him!

He soared like a light bird toward the branches overhead.

The Semi-Automatic Mech spun around after boosting him up and once again withstood the enemy’s heavy charge!

Screech—sparks flew everywhere!

This wasn’t the light sparring of the Mecha League; it was a real brawl. The paint on both mecha had been scraped off, exposing the raw metal shells that gleamed in the night.

The “bird” had reached the branch, barely grabbing the bark. His feet found purchase on the forked trunk, swaying precariously but staying put.

Xie Jianxun grinned broadly: “Hot damn, I’m awesome!”

Ela: “…You brought me up too.”

Xie Jianxun said nonchalantly: “Can’t just leave you down there, right? Look at those two going at it… Hey, hey, aren’t you going to control it? It looks like it’s struggling!”

Ela glanced down and quickly inputted a few commands: “Semi-Automatic—no need for constant oversight.”

Before he finished, something pressed down on his head.

Someone rested their chin on it, enveloping Ela in a warm embrace. The faint scent from Little Adventurer wafted over—he’d carried him up and was now sprawled prone on the forked branch!

Xie Jianxun’s gaze stayed on the fight below as he whispered: “I need a free hand. I brought a gun.”

The branch swayed slightly, leaves rustling.

Under his commands, the two mecha clashed fiercely. Without thermal weapons, they traded punches, toppling nearby trees.

Fortunately, the tree Xie Jianxun was on remained protected and untouched.

He looked down to see the little one frowning at him, seemingly questioning and condemning his habit of carrying a gun.

After a moment of silence, he said: “Silver Watchtower has strict controls on thermal weapons, and a handgun can’t pierce mecha armor anyway.”

Xie Jianxun said seriously: “I’m a hunter. This is my hunting rifle.”

With that, he pulled an arm-length rifle from his Light Brain Space and rested it on the branch.

The assistant eyed the “hunting rifle” and opened his mouth, tempted to say it didn’t look like any hunting rifle he’d seen.

“Can you see the energy compartment access?” He meant it was small and hard to aim at.

Of course he could see it—why couldn’t he?

Xie Jianxun wore oversized Night Vision Goggles, and the rifle had its own scope. Even with the glass in between, it was barely usable.

Zoom in, zoom in more, until the energy compartment access was crystal clear in his sight.

But the two mecha below thrashed about with wild movements.

After aiming for a bit, his vision swam with stars, and he nearly passed out: “No, no, I can see it, but after zooming, it’s shaking too much—making me dizzy.”

Ela: “Easy fix.”

Xie Jianxun: “Huh?”

The Semi-Automatic Mech leaped onto the Brain Domain Mech’s shoulder, pinning it to the ground as the enemy hammered ugly dents into it!

One could only say it was fortunate it was remotely controlled.

…If there’d been a real person inside, they’d have been smashed to pulp!

But thanks to those sacrifices, the Brain Domain Mech’s limbs stayed relatively stationary.

Xie Jianxun re-aimed. The Night Vision Goggles bumped the scope, drawing a small pained sound from him, but he ignored it—couldn’t move and lose his feel.

Ela nestled in the space between his torso and bent arm, turning his head to quietly watch his profile.

The goggles obscured his face.

But Ela could sense his calm mindset, as if the mecha battle below didn’t faze him at all.

The composure of a sniper, a hunter, an adventurer—it had naturally taken root in him.

Bang.

His pale lips close to his ear mouthed the sound effect.

At the same time, he pulled the trigger. The bullet flew, and both on the branch jerked back slightly.

The shot hit above the energy compartment, chipping out a small crater.

Xie Jianxun groaned in frustration: “Damn, missed. I’m afraid of hitting your mecha.”

A moment later, Ela said coldly: “Is there anyone in my mecha?”

“…No?”

“Then shoot. Even if you punch through, it’s fine.” His voice was low and cool, but his eyes on Xie Jianxun gleamed unconsciously.

Xie Jianxun had an epiphany: “Right, we can repair it ourselves.”

He aimed down again, and this shot hit the Brain Domain Mech’s energy compartment dead-on!

The instant the bullet tore through the panel, the Semi-Automatic Mech seemed to receive an order and leaped back swiftly.

The next moment, the energy compartment and the upper joint of the adjacent left arm exploded entirely, triggering a small Energy Stone blast!

Xie Jianxun exclaimed: “Oh no, will that hurt the pilot?!”

Ela: “Shouldn’t—cockpit has reinforced protection.”

But they had no time to check, as the branch they were on finally snapped under the weight, sending them plummeting!

Wind whistled past their ears.

Ela thought calmly: The Semi-Automatic Mech would catch them. As a bionic person, he could cushion Xie Jianxun and prevent broken bones.

But before the thought finished, his hand was gripped and hoisted high in the air.

Ela blinked in daze and looked up.

Xie Jianxun had grabbed the broken half of the branch with his other hand, his expression a mix of strain and disbelief.

Little Adventurer’s heart pounded; even he hadn’t realized what he’d just done.

“Don’t just sit there—call… call your mecha to… catch us…”

His fingers lacked the Exoskeleton’s coverage—they wouldn’t hold for long!

But those few seconds were enough.

The Semi-Automatic Mech rushed over, catching them both before kneeling on the ground—clearly heavily damaged itself.

The Brain Domain Mech shook for a moment before crashing heavily to the earth.

The cockpit hatch opened, and a figure tumbled out, rolling into the leaf-strewn dirt, motionless.

…

“It’s him.”

“No idea what happened. Why did the mecha suddenly go out of control like that?”

Xie Jianxun studied the unconscious face for a while before concluding.

It was indeed the little curly-haired guy he knew!

He stood up and scanned the surroundings. In his memory, He was part of the school mecha team and often hung around with Captain Gu Xuning.

Gu Xuning was very likely in this Wild Zone too.

The forest was full of mosquitoes. Exhausted, Xie Jianxun dragged both injured men to a clear grassy area, sprayed everyone with insect repellent, sat cross-legged on the ground, and waited for the Wild Squad and the Outpost to find them.

Ela stored the damaged Semi-Automatic Mech in the Mecha Button, while the Brain Domain Mech lay nearby.

It sparked occasionally, so Xie Jianxun decided to keep his distance in case it exploded.

Soon, the Outpost personnel arrived in haste.

A doctor came along too, just in time to load the injured onto stretchers.

The Captain tagged along, looking like he might faint himself.

If his client got hurt—or worse—on what was supposed to be a “low-risk” Wild Zone outing, it wasn’t just about compensation; his whole team’s reputation in the industry would tank, making future business impossible.

He circled around Xie Jianxun twice, and Xie Jianxun put on an innocent expression. “Don’t worry, Captain. I’m not injured.”

Captain Min Xingwen patted his chest, but he still couldn’t hold back. “Boss, you should’ve contacted us sooner.” Especially after they’d run off in the wrong direction.

Xie Jianxun replied guiltily, “I forgot for a moment. Speaking of which, where’s You Liang?”

At the mention of that, the captain closed his eyes briefly. “He’s in the Danger Zone. His locator signal’s bouncing all over the place, and the Outpost is still searching for him. Apparently, quite a few wild Giant Mineral Beasts were stirred up in the Danger Zone, and there are a bunch of trapped people who need rescuing. Things are getting complicated.”

Ela stored the damaged Semi-Automatic Mech back into the Mecha Button and walked over to Xie Jianxun’s side.

Seeing him approach so calmly, Xie Jianxun grabbed him and ruffled his hair.

The little guy stared at him wordlessly with his round, cute face.

Xie Jianxun said, “Our Mr. Ela was amazing today, wasn’t he? Handling a Combat Mecha so skillfully.”

After the barrage of praise, Ela stayed silent, but his expression gradually brightened.

“You’re injured,” Ela said in a low voice.

Xie Jianxun blinked in surprise. He hadn’t even noticed any injury on himself and quickly looked down. Ela grabbed his hand, revealing several bloody scratches on his fingers from tree branches.

They were from when he’d suddenly dropped and grabbed the branches reflexively.

Xie Jianxun himself had no memory of the injury at all. He found it rather novel and kept examining the wounds. “How come it doesn’t hurt at all? I don’t remember this happening.”

Ela snatched his fingers and roughly applied a bandage.

As the sky began to lighten faintly, Xie Jianxun sat on a resting bench in the Outpost, having already dozed off lightly for a bit.

What woke him wasn’t the dawn light, but the sound of a group of people talking at the Outpost entrance.

“…he’s back…”

“…You Liang… injured, needs a doctor first…”

Xie Jianxun snapped awake. He shifted his legs slightly and felt a heavy weight on them. Puzzled, he looked down to see Ela curled up, his small body pillowed on Xie Jianxun’s lap.

His sleeping face wasn’t exactly peaceful; instead, it carried a deathly stillness.

It was as if a robot had suddenly powered down, its expression frozen at the moment of shutdown.

Xie Jianxun stroked his head and tousled his soft hair, but even that didn’t wake him. Lovingly, he patted Ela’s back.

The group at the door came inside.

Xie Jianxun asked, “Captain, has Mr. You Liang returned?”

Min Xingwen noticed him sitting there and nodded. “We found him. Sigh.” After the first sentence came a weary sigh.

Xie Jianxun asked casually, “What happened?”

Min Xingwen waved it off. “Boss, you didn’t see it. Mr. You even brought some other people back with him, covered in blood. Their injuries were serious.”

Xie Jianxun paused in his absentminded rubbing of Ela’s head, his heart stirring. “Those injured ones… were they students from Silver University?”

The captain blinked. “Eh, Boss, how did you know?”

The entire Outpost was packed with people: Wild Squad members, Outpost staff, several doctors and nurses bustling about, and quite a few police officers standing guard.

A runaway Mecha was no small matter.

Especially since the Mecha had injured people so badly. The seriously wounded had already been rushed to the city hospital, leaving only two lightly injured students at the Outpost for police questioning.

Xie Jianxun wasn’t an exception. He sat outside waiting for the police to finish with the ones ahead and call him in.

The officer asked him a few detailed questions: where he’d heard the cry for help, how he’d gotten there, and what he’d done afterward.

Xie Jianxun answered them all one by one and was quickly let go.

When he came out, he saw Ela still lying motionless on the cold bench outside the interrogation room.

Just like he’d run out of battery.

Xie Jianxun chuckled at the image in his mind and went over to pat Ela. “The police are calling you in. Hey, wake up. Incoming call.”

But Ela didn’t wake up. He slept like the dead.

Xie Jianxun sensed something off. He bent down and touched Ela’s forehead. Nothing seemed wrong, just that his body temperature was a bit low.

He was about to call someone to check when Ela suddenly opened his eyes wide, his expression perfectly alert—as if he’d never been asleep at all.

They stared at each other, and Xie Jianxun jumped a little in surprise.

Then he laughed. “You sleep like the dead. No matter how I called, you didn’t react.”