What a terrible feeling. I pulled an all-nighter until 10 AM to finish this chapter and set it to post. By the time you read this, I will have only managed about four hours of sleep.

Please grant me your monthly votes! ... The Temple of Qilun and the Temple of Light were both situated in the city center, yet they were separated by four streets and a distance of several tens of thousands of meters.

While this distance would take Ye Chen and the others only a minute to cover at their speed, in this life-or-death moment, even one minute was a luxury. Bai Long heard the roaring sounds closing in from behind and urged, "They're right behind us! At their speed, we might be killed before we even reach the temple." A flicker of ruthlessness crossed Yue Heng’s eyes.

"Why don't I just bombard it?" Ye Chen shook his head. "Even with the full power of the light cannon, it won't do any damage if we hit it." As he spoke, he continued to run at high speed; these exchanges of words happened in the blink of an eye, extraordinarily fast. Zhuge Fan suddenly pointed toward a steel tower in the distance and exclaimed, "There’s a building over there.

Why don't we hide inside? Since the automaton is behind us, it won't see us after we turn the corner. Once we get inside, how will it know which room we’re in?" Mo Feng replied coldly, "No.

This automaton is extremely advanced; it must be equipped with life scanners that can easily detect us. Hiding in the steel tower is just waiting to die. Our only chance now is to split up and flee, then rendezvous at the Temple of Light.

Let's see which one of us it can chase down." Silence fell over the group. This seemed to be the only option left. If they stayed together, they would all die if caught; scattering might allow at least one of them to survive.

An unprecedented shadow of death enveloped everyone’s heart, including Ye Chen's. In the short time available, he didn't even have time to activate his Rune Space, or he could have hidden there. Just then, heavy footsteps, like those of an ancient behemoth, pounded the ground behind them.

In an instant, the figure of the Platinum Automaton caught up. Elvi was clinging tightly to its massive head, trying desperately to impede its movement, but the difference in strength was too vast; it was entirely futile. "Not good!" Yue Heng's face changed drastically.

He quickly pulled the trigger on the energy pistol in his hand, sending bullets flying. He wasn't expecting to harm the automaton; he only hoped to slow its advance. Whether dodging or enduring the impact, its speed would be reduced.

Bai Long, Mo Feng, and the others noticed this situation as well and fired their energy bullets—it was the only offensive action they could take while fleeing. Bang, bang, bang... The bullets struck the automaton's chest, erupting in flashes of white light.

These were bullets capable of harming a Silver Automaton, yet they did absolutely no damage to the Platinum one. However, the force of the impacts caused a slight fluctuation in its speed. Still, for a Level 2000 Platinum Automaton, its speed far surpassed that of Ye Chen and the others.

They were not operating on the same level. In the time it took to blink, it was right behind Zhuge Fan, who was trailing the group. The young man's face was a mask of sheer terror, his desperate flight amplified by the terrifying aura right behind him that made every hair on his body stand on end.

A sliver of despair crossed his eyes. This was the second time he had felt such hopelessness since the very beginning of the apocalypse, locked away in that cramped, dark room. At that moment, the Platinum Automaton brought a fist crashing down.

If it had hit Zhuge Fan, the youth would have been instantly pulverized into a smear of bloody pulp, a death beyond further dying. In that critical split second, a bullet suddenly streaked in. It didn't hit the Platinum Automaton, but rather struck Zhuge Fan’s leg.

Thud! Zhuge Fan’s leg shattered from the impact, and the inertia from the bullet violently arrested his forward momentum, throwing him backward onto the ground. The automaton's punch, precisely calculated for a 90% success rate, had failed because Zhuge Fan suddenly stopped and unexpectedly jerked backward, causing the blow to miss entirely.

Ye Chen swiftly raised his pistol, aiming at the Platinum Automaton, and fired three shots. Watching Zhuge Fan sprawled at the automaton’s feet, a flicker of hesitation crossed Ye Chen’s mind—should he save this boy? If he intervened, he too might be killed, dragged into the ensuing disaster.

Ye Chen had always intended to cultivate Bai Long, Mo Feng, and the others as his future confidantes, but in this moment concerning his own survival, he wavered. He had attachments, unbreakable bonds that demanded he live, no matter what. Just then, Yue Heng suddenly roared beside him, hauling out the light cannon, quickly setting it up, and unleashing it.

A beam of light slammed toward the Platinum Automaton. But the automaton was prepared; the moment Yue Heng brought out the cannon, it had already detected the weapon’s potential. It skillfully evaded the blast, timing its movement perfectly.

The instant Yue Heng pulled the trigger, it shifted position, causing the projectile to slam into a distant steel tower, creating a massive explosion. A tiny gun barrel emerged from the Platinum Automaton’s finger, firing a metallic slug toward Yue Heng. Bang!

The bullet pierced Yue Heng’s arm, blasting the entire limb open. Half his bicep was drenched in crimson. The shockwave hurled him to the ground.

Intense pain caused sweat to pour down his forehead, but the man gritted his teeth, making no sound. Using his uninjured arm, he pushed himself up, ignoring the fallen light cannon, and dragged his heavily wounded body away. Elvi, still clinging to the automaton's massive head, shook it violently.

Seeing Ye Chen and the others injured, she cried out anxiously, "Run!" The Platinum Automaton moved, and numerous muzzles extended from its palm, aiming directly at Ye Chen and the others. Just as it was about to fire, a Silver Automaton warrior suddenly charged from the side, slamming into its body, knocking its aim askew so that the barrage of bullets flew harmlessly into the sky overhead. "They're finally here," Ye Chen murmured, glancing at the Silver Automaton warrior.

His eyes brightened. He swiftly helped the injured Yue Heng up. Zhuge Fan scrambled out from beneath the Platinum Automaton and, supported by Bai Long and Mo Feng, fled into the distance.

"Roar!" The Platinum Automaton roared and kicked the Silver Automaton warrior away, sending it flying backward. It crashed to the ground, parts exploding outward—a testament to the terrifying power of that single kick. The two automatons were not on the same level; their power levels differed by 1,000, and the Silver unit couldn't withstand even one exchange.

After kicking the Silver Automaton aside, the Platinum Automaton re-aimed the weapons in its hand at Ye Chen's group and fired. Upon entering the ruins, Ye Chen realized he had severely underestimated the power of a Level Six Ruin. This place was not meant for someone of his current strength to enter casually alone.

Without Elvi, he might already have perished at the hands of a Silver Automaton. Now, facing this Platinum warrior, he lacked even the strength to resist. Neither the Rune Ship nor his superhuman state was a power he could deploy at will.

At only Level 62, he was utterly fragile against these behemoths. The moment the muzzle locked onto him, a chilling dread exploded through Ye Chen’s body. Without needing to look back, he knew what was coming.

With no time to think, he violently hurled the half-crippled Yue Heng away, roaring, "Get out of here alive!" The instant he threw Yue Heng, his own right arm was struck with a thump. A bullet shattered it mid-limb, breaking the arm completely. Blood streamed forth, and the intense pain seized every nerve, yet at this critical juncture, he had not given up.

He executed a desperate tumble to the side. As Ye Chen staggered to his feet, the light around him suddenly dimmed. His pupils contracted; his heart turned to ice.

Looking up, he saw the Platinum Automaton looming vast and tall, like an ancient beast, radiating an unstoppable presence. The metal muzzle was aimed directly at Ye Chen's forehead. If this shot connected, not even a god could save him.

Despite Ye Chen’s rapid nerve reactions, he couldn't react before the Platinum Automaton fired. In that single instant, Ye Chen felt himself violently embraced and slammed to the ground. Then, a cold sensation washed over his lips.

Only when the visual information registered in his mind did he see that Elvi was the one holding him. She had taken a shot to the back of her head, but the bullet couldn't penetrate her; it merely deflected. However, the sheer impact forced her head forward violently, bringing her mouth flush against Ye Chen's lips.

"Mmm..." Ye Chen had no time to savor the tenderness of the moment. He saw the Platinum Automaton raising its massive fist. He quickly wrapped his arms around Elvi and rolled, narrowly avoiding the blow.

Otherwise, even if Elvi was unharmed, the seismic force of the punch would have flattened him into a pancake. Boom! The metal fist hammered the ground, the resulting tremor leaving half of Ye Chen’s body numb.

He scrambled up immediately, fleeing into the distance. Only one thought echoed in his mind: I cannot die. Absolutely cannot die.

The moment he thought of his sister, Ye Zhu, waiting for him back at the base city, Ye Chen felt his chest might explode. Her pure, untainted smile flashed before his eyes... That was the sanctuary he had to defend with his life.

Elvi supported him, boosting their speed significantly, but they still couldn't outrun the Platinum Automaton, which quickly caught up. It swung a fist down; Elvi couldn't dodge in time and was struck on the shoulder, colliding with Ye Chen. Due to the residual force, Ye Chen suffered several bone fractures and spat out a mouthful of blood.

The Platinum Automaton snatched Elvi aside and brought a punch down on Ye Chen. It seemed to know Elvi was virtually indestructible, so it did not focus its attack on her. Ye Chen was severely injured, his movements drastically slowed.

He knew he couldn't evade this punch, but his eyes held unwillingness. He still gritted his teeth, trying to dodge to the side—he wouldn't give up until the very last second! At that critical moment, Bai Long appeared seemingly out of nowhere, rushing from the side.

He aimed his pistol at the third eye on the Platinum Automaton's forehead. The automaton halted the punch aimed at Ye Chen and batted the energy bullet away with a sweep of its palm. Using that moment, Bai Long grabbed Ye Chen’s arm and tossed him backward.

Then, he pulled three metal plates from his coat—they were, unmistakably, the three Nuclear Light Mines from the mechanical factory.