Counterfeit Hero

Kodell’s face turned ashen as he stared at the long-range viewer screen, his entire body seemingly drained of energy.

Before him, the operator of the Command Mecha and several staff officers had turned into stiff figures with twisted expressions.

An unreal fear gripped everyone. No one dared to believe that the First Armored Assault Group, tempered over many years, was simply finished.

The interference in the Command Mecha’s instruments buzzed. After a few crisp beeps, they returned to normal. On the radar, dozens of red dots flashed, moving rapidly.

The dust on the screen of the long-range viewer gradually cleared, revealing a hellish scene.

The entire Puluo First Avenue District was a landscape of collapsed skyscrapers, leaving only jagged ruins. Beside them, there stood concrete debris more than ten meters high. Twisted alloy beams and metal frames protruded from the rubble in grotesque shapes. Among them, remnants of several red Mecha could be faintly seen.

Dozens of black Mecha had completely surrounded the area.

They moved like demons from hell over the rubble, chopping down any red Mecha that still managed to move with their axes.

As more and more red dots appeared on the radar, and the statistics fixed on the number 106, Kodell’s face suddenly went pale, his eyes reddened.

This number indicated that out of the entire First Assault Group, only one company was still foolishly blocked on the western side, while the rest—over 1,100 Mecha—were all lost! The opponent, on the other hand, had only lost fourteen Mecha, most of which had merely been temporarily disabled.

Years of rigorous training... stepping into Puluo Town with high spirits... confidently aiming to surpass the Blood Shadow Mecha Group... tasting the power of controlling life and death... witnessing the world turning into a bloodbath with a single command...

All delusions ended with a mocking slap from the enemy!

A sharp pain gripped Kodell’s heart. He clutched his chest tightly, his fingertips whitening from the exertion. He had no idea what kind of bastard could design such a cruel and horrifying trap!

In the silence, the communication screen of the Command Mecha lit up.

Fatty’s image appeared on the virtual screen. Blinking his eyes, he looked at Kodell, who was clutching his chest, half-dead, and opened his mouth wide in confusion: ”What’s wrong... does it hurt?”

Overwhelmed with anger, a mouthful of blood spurted from Kodell’s mouth, staining the command console before him.

********

”God!”

In an instant, a thunderous cheer erupted across the skies of Puluo Town.

Still trembling uncontrollably with excitement, Zhang Kai looked up, and the entire world had turned into a sea of joy.

Around him, everyone was screaming and even howling wildly. They hugged each other, high-fived, and cheered.

In the building opposite, a young man excitedly stripped off his clothes, waving a Mars freedom flag he had found from somewhere. Quickly, a girl pulled him off the windowsill, hugging and jumping with him.

Several other men, also shirtless, ran up and down the building, their necks strained and faces red from shouting, visible through every window as they raced like madmen. It seemed only such intense activity could release their inner excitement. More people joined these madmen’s ranks, with others cheering and banging on various objects to add to the cacophony. Some, driven insane by joy, with glowing eyes, randomly threw things out the window, just to add more noise to the chaotic celebration.

Even the older folks had shed their usual calm and composed demeanor.

Some people waved their fists and shouted with gritted teeth, while more gathered in groups, faces beaming as they discussed the incredible turnaround they had just witnessed. Thumbs rose in praise when talking about the black Mechas, while anyone mentioning the red Mechas spat on the ground, swearing they always knew those red Mechas would meet a bad end.

People expressed their excitement and joy in various ways, with many trembling from excitement and weak in the limbs. Such a spectacular, unprecedented turnaround is something one might not see in a lifetime. If they didn’t say or do something, they felt they might explode!

There’s no doubt that the newly established Sect Mutual Aid Alliance created a miracle, an unimaginable miracle! As the smoke and dust cleared away, the only structure still standing firm in Puluo Town’s First District was the Tai Sect Puluo Branch. People cheered, waving their arms toward it.

The young Mech Knights stood dumbfounded on the building of the Puluo Branch.

Apart from the intact branch, the surroundings were filled with mountains of rubble.

Judging by facial expressions, no one could be more astonished than the Mech Knights in the branch.

At the time, they stood at the storm’s center. They watched skyscrapers collapse as if the sky were falling. They saw hundreds of red Mechas buried alive by hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of tons of concrete.

Each collapsing building fell in a different direction, covering the entire First District but somehow sparing the Puluo Branch and the small section of Puluo First Avenue where the black Mechas were concentrated. Such precision in directional explosions had not only never been seen but never even imagined.