The Implosion Bomb detonates inwardly, capable of reducing all matter within its effective radius to nothingness. By vaporizing matter into a vacuum, it theoretically eliminates all tangible forms.

Due to the vacuum created by the explosion, air from outside the effective attack radius is violently sucked inward, generating a hurricane effect directed toward the blast zone. Should one be unlucky enough to be swept into the luminous sphere by this gale, even a master at the peak of the Third Tier would face certain death.

Yang Ying and the others were still some distance from where the explosion occurred. Though the surrounding gale was immense, they could still maintain their footing without being swept away.

Know this, ten thousand…

Sha Hua clung tightly to Wu Li, refusing to let go.

The Implosion Bomb delivered a profound shock to everyone. How could such a large-scale weapon of mass destruction appear in the campus that had been so tranquil just moments before?

Watching the cold-resistant trees planted across the academy grounds, the decorative ice sculptures, fragments of buildings, vehicles, various debris, and numerous unfortunate pedestrians caught in the storm, all sucked into the blue sphere, everyone understood that they would never return.

A silence fell over them. Except for Sha Hua’s earlier gasp, no one could utter a word. Passing students on the pathways stared blankly at the spectacle, as if their souls had left their bodies.

After about ten seconds, the luminous sphere violently contracted and vanished. Equally vanished were a section of the academy wall and a semicircular swath of earth, one hundred meters in radius and one hundred meters deep!

The explosion itself had not inflicted catastrophic damage on the academy, but panic erupted in the next instant. Students nearby scattered in terror away from the blast site, fearing a repeat detonation.

A message resonated in Yang Ying’s mind: “Alert! Alert! Attention all citizens, a group of viciously armed thugs is fleeing through the western suburbs. There are nine of them in total, all clad in mechs, and they possess a weapon of mass destruction—the Vacuum Implosion Bomb. If encountered, please evacuate immediately. I repeat, if encountered, please evacuate immediately. The location of these thugs is near the Ice River Central Academy, and they are currently heading north. No—they are changing direction; they are heading into the Ice River Central Academy!”

This was an area-wide mind transmission, and Yang Ying could sense that the sender’s strength was remarkably close to his own.

“Let’s go too,” he said, turning back, simultaneously grabbing Wu Li, the weakest among them, and breaking into a run.

“Okay,” Leya and Sha Hua responded in unison, following Yang Ying as they fled away from the explosion.

But after only two steps, Yang Ying felt several powerful presences approaching from behind. Turning, he saw nine mechs hovering about twenty meters in the air, rapidly closing in on them—clearly the armed thugs mentioned in the mass transmission.

Of these mechs, six possessed a rugged appearance. Their bodies, seemingly assembled from massive blocks of iron, were bristling with menacing cannon barrels, arming them like hedgehogs. They were obviously built for heavy firepower.

The other three were streamlined, their external armor crafted to near perfection, gleaming silver in the snowscape like glorious knights. They held lances in their right hands and shields in their left. Two short cannons mounted on their shoulders emitted a strange luminescence along their barrels, lending them an unsettling beauty.

The situation was now clear: these desperate fugitives were being hunted, and their entry into the Ice River Central Academy was likely intended to seize hostages to threaten their pursuers. The academy had wide influence, and many students came from wealthy or influential families, making them ideal captives.

As for the many Third Tier masters within the academy, they were all equal before the Vacuum Implosion Bomb. Moreover, Yang Ying knew that the Third Tier masters among the students were hardly true experts; they had never seen a battlefield, undergone real combat training, nor mastered any practical combat techniques. Relying solely on the most basic swordsmanship taught on public education platforms to challenge heavily armed fugitives in mechs was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

Mechs produced by the Empire were terrifyingly powerful, capable of vastly augmenting the pilot’s combat prowess and destructive capability. The difference between having a mech and not having one was akin to the difference between an ordinary person on the ground holding a spear and an unarmed commoner.

A master at the peak of the Third Tier, once inside a mech, could easily wreak havoc throughout the academy. Yang Ying could now sense that among the nine mechs overhead, the six "big iron blocks" housed five pilots at the Third Tier and one at the peak of the Third Tier. The three streamlined mechs carried two pilots at the Third Tier and one at the peak of the Third Tier!

“It’s the Iron Clad and the Spear & Shield Knight, and each has a Captain unit!” Wu Li, still on Yang Ying’s back, spotted the enemies in the sky. Like many young males, he had been fascinated with weapons like mechs since childhood, so he instantly recognized the names of the two types of aerial machines.

Hearing Wu Li’s exclamation, Yang Ying glanced again and noticed that the two mechs piloted by the peak Third Tier masters differed slightly in appearance from the others, suggesting they were higher-performance Captain units.

At this moment, the nine mechs were descending upon them, apparently targeting the four of them as potential hostages.

Suddenly, dozens of light beams shot over, forcing them back toward the sky. The accuracy was exceptional, proving they originated from high-level combatants—six—*

Thirty more mechs followed in the sky behind them, appearing to be a standard Imperial Mech Squadron, likely the force pursuing the fugitives.

At this point, the Captain unit of the Spear & Shield Knight in the sky abruptly raised the shield on its left arm and slammed it heavily downward toward its feet. It was airborne, its feet meeting only air. Yet, the impact caused eerie, concentric ripples to spread outward.

Yang Ying abruptly halted. Leya and Sha Hua appeared at his sides, their brows deeply furrowed.

“What is it? Why did you stop?” Wu Li asked, confused.

“Force Field Wall,” Yang Ying punched the empty space before him, but it felt like striking an invisible barrier, causing ripples to splash outward.

“The Spear & Shield Knight’s Force Field Wall. It can restrict the enemy’s movement and force them into close combat?” Wu Li stated grimly. “We’re done for; we can’t escape this.”

It wasn't just Yang Ying’s group trapped by the wall. About forty students nearby were also caught, all exerting their full strength, attempting to break through the force field.

“It’s useless,” Wu Li sighed at the sight. “How can flesh and blood overcome the power output of a mech?”

“Then what do we do? Just wait to die?” Leya glared at him angrily and began racking her brain for a solution.

Just then, over twenty security personnel from the academy’s defense rushed to the scene, followed closely by a group of academy professors. None of them were equipped with mechs. It should be noted that only about ten seconds had passed since the Vacuum Implosion Bomb detonated.

“Don’t come any closer! Or I’ll kill them!”

The Force Field Wall separated the fugitives from the Imperial Mech Squadron outside. The Captain unit of the Spear & Shield Knight aimed its shoulder-mounted cannon toward the students below, and an unnaturally vibrant energy began to gather at the muzzle, clearly ready to fire.

“Hold on!” The Imperial Mech Squadron stopped. “What do you want?”

“Tch,” a furious voice boomed from inside the Iron Clad Captain unit. “We were just visiting Ice River Star, and you immediately started shouting about fighting. What do we want? You retreat back to your base first, and then we’ll discuss what to do!”

“In your dreams!” Several voices erupted simultaneously from the Imperial Mech Squadron.

Know this, ten thousand…

“Wait,” the commanding Squadron Leader waved a hand, silencing them. “Tahu, you are an Imperial Class-One wanted fugitive, and Ida beside you is the same. If we hadn’t met, fine. Since we have, letting you go is absolutely impossible.”

“Shut up! Say that one more time, and I’ll kill a student. This is the Ice River Central Academy; if someone dies here, you, the Mech Squadron Leader, cannot bear the responsibility!” the Spear & Shield Knight Captain unit roared. He then commanded two of his subordinates, “The two of you, deploy your Force Field Walls as well, creating three layers. Prevent them from breaking through easily for a short time, at least giving us a chance to fight to the death!”

“Yes.”

The other two Spear & Shield Knights obeyed instantly. Outside the original layer of the Force Field Wall, they deployed two more layers.

A total of three force field layers completely isolated the interior from the exterior, making passage through any of them a difficult feat. If the outside group attacked collectively, they might break the walls, but doing so would easily endanger the students contained within. This gave the pursuers pause, and the two sides entered a stalemate.

From the exchange, Yang Ying discerned that the two top fugitives, both at the peak of the Third Tier, were named Tahu and Ida, piloting the Captain units of the Iron Clad and the Spear & Shield Knight, respectively.

Yang Ying considered for a moment, then used his optical computer to communicate with Wu Li: “Tell me the characteristics of the Iron Clad and Spear & Shield Knight mechs.”

While Yang Ying was certain his mind transmission could not be intercepted, if Wu Li replied via the same method, it might not be secure. Using the optical computer was the simplest and most practical method.

Just as Wu Li was about to reply, the Iron Clad Captain unit suddenly emitted a rainbow-like glow. Yang Ying immediately felt his optical computer being jammed; communication was severed, and messages could no longer be sent or received.

“Ha, I knew some fools down there would get restless. You are hostages now, do you understand? Hostages! If you have something to say, shout it out loud! Consider this your only warning; if you try to conspire again, don't blame me for being impolite!” Tahu threatened loudly.

Yang Ying had some familiarity with the Imperial mechs; though not deeply knowledgeable, he knew that speaking out would be futile, as the mech’s sound collection systems were powerful enough to relay the voices of all the hostages to the pilots. Since optical communication was jammed, the only remaining option seemed to be risking a mind transmission.

“If you want to know about those two mechs, I know a little, but you shouldn't take risks. In my eyes, Young Master’s safety is the most important thing,” came Sha Hua’s mind transmission.

“Good, then tell me,” Yang Ying agreed immediately. Sha Hua was a Third Tier master, and her mind transmissions were far more discreet and less dangerous to use than Wu Li’s.

Authored by Wulianwenxue Gangzhaomajian You Shangchuan