CXnovel Chapter 369: Mining
Chapter 369: Mining
Xu Wuyi walked on the left flank of the team, his Spiritual Perception fully extended, covering a two-kilometer radius.
The ground beneath his feet was hard and rough, with some low, dark-purple shrubs whose branches and leaves were as hard as metal.
The team advanced at a steady speed of fifteen kilometers per hour.
The first two hours passed without incident.
At nine in the morning, the team entered "Black Wind Canyon."
The canyon was about three kilometers long, flanked by steep rock walls. At its narrowest, it was only twenty meters wide. Wind howled mournfully as it passed through the canyon, kicking up clouds of sand and dust.
"Stay sharp!" Zhou Heng barked.
Everyone tightened their grip on their weapons and slowed their pace.
Xu Wuyi’s Spiritual Perception swept over the rock walls and the ground. Suddenly, his brow furrowed slightly.
"Midway up the left rock face. Life signs detected. Seventeen of them, and they’re approaching."
Zhou Heng didn’t hesitate. "Prepare for battle! Chen Wu, Wang Hai, protect the center! Zhang Yuan, take the high ground! Hongwei, run support and flank!"
The team’s formation instantly tightened.
Almost at the same time, a dozen or so gray-black figures shot out from crevices in the left rock face, clinging to the wall as they rapidly dove down!
Iron-Claw Wolves!
They were nearly two meters long, with mottled gray-and-black fur and powerful limbs. Their front claws were the size of washbasins, the blades glinting with a cold, metallic light.
The wolf pack’s coordination was clear. Six of them charged straight for Zhou Heng at the front, five rushed Li Hongwei on the flank, and the remaining six circled around to the rear, attempting to attack the engineers and mechs.
Zhou Heng let out a furious roar as he drew his Battle Saber. Qi and Blood condensed on the blade’s edge into a light-red Sword Gang as he slashed at the foremost Iron-Claw Wolf!
CLANG!
Saber met claw, sending sparks flying.
The Iron-Claw Wolf was knocked back several meters, but it was completely unscathed. After landing, it lunged forward again.
Zhou Heng’s expression darkened. ’These beasts’ defenses are even stronger than I expected.’
On the flank, Li Hongwei moved like a phantom, her twin short blades leaving bloody gashes on the Iron-Claw Wolves, but she struggled to inflict a fatal blow.
In the rear, Chen Wu and Wang Hai were already engaged with six Iron-Claw Wolves.
Chen Wu wielded a heavy alloy shield, repeatedly blocking the wolves’ pounces. Wang Hai swung a power hammer, each downward smash making the ground tremble and forcing the wolves to back off from a direct confrontation.
But there were too many wolves, and their coordination was seamless. For a moment, the squad was locked in a stalemate.
Xu Wuyi made his move.
He didn’t go to help Zhou Heng, nor did he support the flank. Instead, his figure flashed, and he appeared at the rear of the formation.
An Iron-Claw Wolf was trying to get past Chen Wu and pounce on the nearest mech.
Xu Wuyi thrust his spear.
On the spear’s tip, a dark-golden flame silently ignited.
The thrust wasn’t fast, but it was heavy.
The spear tip precisely struck the center of the Iron-Claw Wolf’s forehead.
PFFT.
A soft sound of penetration.
The Iron-Claw Wolf’s forward Momentum came to a sudden halt. The dark-golden Flame burrowed in through the wound and instantly spread across its entire body.
It couldn’t even let out a cry before it collapsed with a THUD, its body rapidly carbonizing in the Flame.
The other five Iron-Claw Wolves sensed the danger and simultaneously turned to lunge at Xu Wuyi.
Xu Wuyi didn’t move his feet. He swept his spear horizontally.
Along the spear’s shaft, a Golden Crow Illusion flashed and vanished.
BOOM!
The dark-golden Flame spread out in a fan shape. The five Iron-Claw Wolves slammed into it as if hitting a wall of fire. They were violently thrown back, their fur igniting as they let out piercing howls of agony.
Xu Wuyi didn’t pursue them. Instead, his figure flashed again, and he appeared on the flank.
Li Hongwei was surrounded by three Iron-Claw Wolves, struggling to fend them off.
Xu Wuyi’s spear pierced the neck of one Iron-Claw Wolf, and with a backhand strike, he slapped his palm against the midsection of another.
The Palm Force penetrated its body, and the dark-golden Flame erupted within its organs.
The third Iron-Claw Wolf saw things were going badly and turned to flee, but Li Hongwei caught up and slit its throat with her blade.
In less than ten seconds, the threats to the rear and flank were eliminated.
The pressure on Zhou Heng’s side was instantly relieved. He seized the opportunity to shatter an Iron-Claw Wolf’s skull with his saber, then coordinated with Chen Wu and Wang Hai to quickly finish off the remaining few.
The battle, from start to finish, lasted less than three minutes.
Seventeen Iron-Claw Wolves, all wiped out.
Zhou Heng caught his breath and looked at Xu Wuyi, his expression complex.
The combat power Xu Wuyi had just displayed far exceeded the scope of a level 38 Martial Artist.
That dark-golden Flame not only had a terrifying temperature but also possessed an indescribable "inextinguishable" quality. In its presence, the Iron-Claw Wolves’ tough bodies were like paper.
"Let’s keep moving," Zhou Heng said in a deep voice, suppressing the shock in his heart.
The team reformed its ranks and quickly passed through the canyon.
On the rest of the journey, the squad encountered two more small waves of Star Beasts, but they were all dealt with easily.
At three in the afternoon, the team arrived at the Red Iron Mine Area.
The mining area was built at the foot of a crimson mountain. It was surrounded by simple fortifications, but many sections were damaged—obviously remnants of last week’s battle.
The three engineers quickly began inspecting the mining mechs and extraction equipment.
Zhou Heng led the squad on a patrol of the mining area, setting up watchposts.
Xu Wuyi walked to the edge of the mining area and gazed out at the rolling hills in the distance.
For the next three days, they would stand guard here to ensure the mining operation was completed.
And what he needed to do, amidst the fighting and guard duty, was to continue searching for the True Intention of the "Earth."
...
The fortifications at the Red Iron Mine Area were even more dilapidated than expected.
Zhou Heng’s expression grew increasingly grim as he led the squad on a patrol.
The alloy fence on the west side had been torn open in three places, creating gaps two meters wide. The southern watchtower had completely collapsed, leaving only half of its metal skeleton jutting crookedly from the ground.
The attack by the swarm of tunnel spiders last week was clearly more brutal than the battle report had described.
"Chen Wu, Wang Hai, you two are in charge of repairing the western fence. Zhang Yuan, get up on that intact watchtower to the east and establish a lookout point. Hongwei, check the internal sensors and alarm systems in the mining area."
Zhou Heng quickly assigned the tasks, finally turning to Xu Wuyi. "Wuyi, you and I will clear the rubble and obstacles at the edge of the mining area to widen our field of view."
"Alright."
The two of them walked to the southern side of the mining area.
The area was piled high with rubble and broken metal components from last week’s battle, stretching all the way to the foot of the mountain and forming a chaotic zone of cover.
Zhou Heng bent down and lifted a rock half the height of a man. The muscles in his arms bulged, veins popping, as he threw the stone into the distance.
Xu Wuyi was more direct. With a sweep of his spear, the wind from the motion kicked up a large patch of rubble, clearing a patch of open ground.
"Thanks for what you did back in the canyon," Zhou Heng said suddenly, his voice low. "If it weren’t for you, we would’ve at least gotten wounded."
"Just doing my job," Xu Wuyi replied.
Zhou Heng glanced at him, said nothing more, and went back to clearing the debris.
The two worked in silence for half an hour, clearing a fifty-meter-wide line of sight on the southern side.
In the distance, the crimson mountain looked like a block of coagulated blood under the dark red sky. Occasionally, weathered pebbles would roll down the slope, making soft, rustling sounds.
"Captain, the fence repair is complete!"
"Sensor check complete. Two-thirds are non-functional. I’ve marked their locations."
"Watchtower view is clear. No abnormalities detected."
The squad members reported in one after another.
Zhou Heng nodded. He walked over to the dormant mining mech in the center of the area and said to the three engineers, "Engineer Wang, you can begin. We’ll handle perimeter security, but if any Star Beasts break through our defenses, stop work immediately and get into the mech’s cockpit."