Chapter Seven: Battle Against the Mecha! [Second Update] We're almost at 40 votes today, whew. I have to add two more updates on top of the guaranteed three—that’s five total! Whew. I was just asking for a little motivation to write, but I didn't expect to be this stimulated. I write, I write, I write and write...

... "Hmph." "Just because you're strong doesn't mean you're anything special." As Ye Chen and the others turned to leave, some generals sneered, only to be met with indifference from those standing nearby.

... Ye Chen led Bai Long and the others down the metal pathway leading east. Once they were a considerable distance from the group of generals, Ye Chen drew his energy pistol, ready for any monsters that might suddenly charge out. According to the data he obtained in his previous life, the Atlantean civilization had a long history. The first generation of Atlanteans was not powerful; they were kind-hearted, fond of small animals, and yearned for peace and freedom. The state of mind of that generation was exceptionally strong.

By the second generation, as brain development progressed and intelligence grew, they researched and developed much technology, including techniques to enhance the human body. Consequently, second-generation Atlanteans could live for 200 years and possessed the strength of 100 modern humans—a constitution level of 10.

Near the end of this second generation, the third generation was born, immensely powerful. They fused animal genes to enhance their physique, reaching a constitution level of 100. Through reproduction, the next generation was born with physiques already at levels seventy or eighty, leading to the third-generation Atlanteans generally possessing a constitution level of 100.

Subsequently, this civilization vanished overnight. Some scientists claimed it was destroyed by great floods and earthquakes; others speculated it was an extraterrestrial civilization—various theories abounded.

Every civilization undergoes continuous evolution, developing in different directions. Take modern civilization, which evolved from early ape-men, then through the barbaric ages of Shennong and Fuxi, and finally to the strong, robust ancients—changing generation by generation...

Seeing Ye Chen draw his energy pistol, Bai Long and the others paused, then quickly took out their own, one for each person, scanning their surroundings warily.

"It's walls on all four sides. We just jump straight over them?" Zhuge Fan looked up at the ten-zhang-high (33m) city wall and scratched his head, asking Ye Chen. Calculations based on equations like gravity and aerodynamics suggested that a constitution level of 30 allowed a jump of about 126 meters. With their current constitutions, they could easily clear the walls. The only unknown was the scene inside; if it was full of mechas, they'd be finished, instantly overwhelmed by a group attack the moment they landed.

"I'll jump up first to scout the situation inside the city," Bai Long offered.

Ye Chen nodded slightly, raised his pistol, and pulled the trigger. A bolt of energy shot out, soaring over the city wall. Even with the group’s eyesight, it quickly became a mere speck, vanishing into energy tens of thousands of meters high in the sky.

Ye Chen lowered his pistol. "No anti-air system. Go ahead and jump."

Bai Long gave a wry smile and said no more. His figure moved, and he leaped up to about 35 meters high, peering into the city. He saw numerous steel skyscrapers, resembling clock towers, piercing the cityscape, most with roofs sharply pointed like bamboo shoots.

Between the steel clock towers were metal roadways, utterly empty and silent, devoid of any human sound. His eyes flickered, and he quickly fired a shot toward the ground inside the city. The bullet struck the metal surface and exploded, creating a small crater, yet the surroundings remained utterly still.

The recoil from the energy pistol propelled him backward several dozen meters. This was not flat ground; he was suspended in mid-air, possessing immense power but lacking any footing to stabilize himself. This city floated high above a dark abyss, beneath a silver sky canopy.

Realizing he was about to fall into the abyss, a shock went through him. He quickly fired a shot behind him; the recoil pushed him back toward the city, and he landed steadily on the six-meter-wide metal path bordering the structure.

"How was it?" Ye Chen asked indifferently.

Bai Long shrugged. "No mechanical beasts."

Ye Chen nodded slightly, then moved. To avoid triggering any mechanisms on the wall, he leaped straight upward. Reaching the air above, he fired a shot in the opposite direction. The recoil propelled his body sideways a dozen meters, and he landed inside the city. Bai Long and the others quickly followed suit, scaling the walls.

Ye Chen scanned his surroundings. Seeing no mechanical beasts, he didn't hesitate, darting along the street toward the distance.

Bai Long and the others followed suit.

"In my previous life, after this place was captured by the Huaxia Base City, it became their stronghold and was opened to outsiders," Ye Chen murmured, his eyes gleaming. "If I recall correctly, the Divine Blood is in the Qilun Temple."

This ruin was not the true Atlantean nation but merely a remnant site hidden within this alternate dimension. The continent where the Atlanteans once existed was called the Great West Continent, and structures from the Atlantean civilization remained there, sunk beneath the sea.

Due to viral interference, the connection point hidden in the storm of time and space overlapped with the real world, which is how it was discovered.

This city contained four great temples, the largest being the Qilun Temple and the Temple of the Goddess of Light. Legend held that infinite wealth was amassed within. Atlanteans were born possessing the power of light, calling themselves the Civilization of Light. The deity they worshipped was Poseidon, a legendary figure from ancient Greek mythology.

Additionally, they also revered the Goddess of Light.

Ye Chen had visited this place in his previous life, trading a low-grade leather armor he didn't need for a small amount of food. He still vaguely remembered some locations, and now, following the familiar route from memory, he moved ahead with practiced ease.

"Just around the next corner is not far from the Temple of the Goddess of Light. I wonder what treasures are inside," Ye Chen mused, his gaze shifting. The Qilun Temple was in the city center, directly on their route, so he decided to loot the Temple of the Goddess of Light first, then head to the Qilun Temple.

"Beep beep... Intruder detected."

Around the corner, a silver mecha slowly rose from its resting, energy-saving state. Two red lights ignited in its eyes, its fingers clenched, gripping a massive metal battle-axe beside it. The axe was stained with dried blood, and nearby lay the skeletal remains of a beast ten meters long and three zhang high—truly terrifying.

"System diagnostics," the silver mecha intoned, red light flashing in its optics.

"Power Output System: Normal. Remaining Energy: 13%." "Energy Focusing System: 79% damaged." "Combat AI System: Normal." "Sensor System: 75% damaged."

A rapid series of reports was relayed by the Sub-Main Brain to the Intelligent Main Brain, which held overall control, for final judgment.

"Enemy approaching. Activate Combat Mode."

The silver mecha’s eyes flashed red, and it raised its battle-axe, taking a stride forward to plant itself squarely at the corner.

Ye Chen and the others were about to accelerate when a massive figure suddenly appeared before them. Startled, they halted immediately, then their faces changed drastically as they registered the silver mecha.

"Silver Mecha!" Ye Chen reacted in an instant, shouting low, "You all retreat quickly, I’ll hold it off!"

"You..."

"Go!" Ye Chen roared.

Bai Long and the others froze. They had never seen Ye Chen so agitated. Gritting their teeth, they quickly turned and bolted backward.

"Beep beep~~~ Target fleeing: four individuals." The Sub-Main Brain reported the sensor data to the Intelligent Main Brain. The use of the term "fleeing" suggested its intelligence was not low.

"Pursue!" the silver mecha decided, letting out a low growl as it swung its metal battle-axe down toward Ye Chen's head.

Whoosh.

Ye Chen's figure blurred, leaving an afterimage as he shifted to the side. He looked up; a pair of black antennae sprouted from his forehead, and his entire aura surged. In terms of sheer strength and physical toughness, he reached the equivalent of a constitution level of 1060.

Slash.

A flash of bloody light erupted from his palm, and the Blood-Red Battle Blade, formed from countless energy constructs, materialized in his hand. He launched himself from the ground, charging toward the mecha's head. The blade aimed directly at the third eye on its forehead—the mecha's area of highest offensive power but weakest defense.

The silver mecha let out a low roar. Its internal Combat AI instantly analyzed Ye Chen's trajectory and stance, calculating tens of thousands of countermeasures at super-high speed, selecting the most suitable one, and swiftly transmitting it to the Intelligent Main Brain for execution.

It suddenly opened its mouth, and a cannon barrel extended from within, rapidly gathering energy to blast Ye Chen.

Ye Chen frowned. He whipped the Blood-Red Battle Blade in his hand sharply to the side, deflecting its path. The immense force skewed his body’s momentum. Just as he cleared the cannon's firing arc, a beam of white light erupted from the barrel, slamming into a building layer behind him, instantly blasting out a massive pit—the material of this building was far sturdier than modern technology.

Ye Chen tapped the ground with his toe and charged back toward the silver mecha, his battle blade dancing madly, forming a lotus platform. Over a hundred blade shadows enveloped the mecha’s legs, creating a storm of swords.

Clang!

The blade shadows vanished, and the Blood-Red Battle Blade struck the silver leg armor with a resonant clang, spitting out sparks and scraping off a layer of the special metallic substance covering the mecha’s surface, leaving behind a shallow fissure.

"This hard?" Ye Chen frowned. His Blood-Red Battle Blade was considered relatively low-grade among rune weapons, yet it could easily cleave through the bodies of Level 800 monsters. He hadn't expected this silver mecha to not only match him in strength, reaction speed, and other aspects—around Level 1000—but to possess even stronger physical defense.

Although the Atlantean civilization vanished from Earth 16,000 years ago, this space was sealed. The airflow within was different from the outside air, which was corrosive. This sealed environment lacked external air and featured special currents containing unique elements, preventing anything from rusting or decaying. However, when the spatial connection point opened, the outside air drifted in, allowing him to breathe inside without discomfort.