A plea for recommendation votes; yesterday saw 2,800, and if we hit 6,000 today, there will be an extra chapter. If not, we'll still deliver three chapters regardless.

Boom.

The Platinum Automaton's massive frame slammed into the ground, depressing the earth deeply, as if a magnitude-ten earthquake had struck. Ye Chen did not pause. Releasing the single horn atop its head, his fingers moved with magical swiftness, activating the rune ring, transforming it into an energy pistol. He surged forward, planting a foot on the automaton's skull to pin it down, then aimed the pistol squarely at the third eye embedded in its brow, pulling the trigger with savage intensity.

“Die!” Ye Chen's expression was fierce, laced with a wild edge, as he unleashed fifty rapid shots, completely draining the pistol’s stored energy. There was no time to absorb the residual power; this wasn't an energy machine gun with massive storage crystals.

The Platinum Automaton’s brow, being the focal point for beam attacks, was its weakest defense. However, the internal layers beneath were incredibly dense, shielding the central processing core. After only a dozen shots, the outer protective shell shattered. The internal conduits for light-based attacks were ripped apart. By the time the fiftieth shot landed, the automaton’s massive head was blown into just one half, its internal components violently exposed.

From Ye Chen’s explosion of force to the automaton’s defeat, less than ten seconds had elapsed. Nearby, Mo Feng, Yue Heng, and Zhuge Fan had already rushed to Bai Long’s side. Except for Mo Feng, every one of them bore grievous wounds. Zhuge Fan’s leg bones were completely shattered. Ye Chen, Yue Heng, and Bai Long all had limbs blown off—a truly horrific sight.

Given Ye Chen's cellular vitality, the bleeding from his severed arm ceased almost instantly, quickly forming a scar. Under Alvy’s astonished gaze, Ye Chen retracted the energy pistol, the violent rage in his eyes slowly receding as he regained his composure. He turned to Alvy and said, “If I recall correctly, the city has gene pods, yes? My friends’ injuries, I entrust them to you.”

The Atlantean civilization possessed technology for gene fusion and modification. Mermaids and unicorns were products of this civilization, and they also possessed the ability to regenerate lost limbs—though death was irreversible. The technique for fusing genes to create superhumans also originated from this very ruin.

Alvy nodded, glancing at him, her delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed. “And you?”

“Before this Superman state ends, I must reach the Qilun Temple.” Ye Chen spoke rapidly, then turned to look at Bai Long, Mo Feng, and the others. He paused particularly long on Bai Long, noting the youth’s pale face. Not only was his arm shredded, but a large gash had opened on his flank, making it uncertain if his liver, stomach, or intestines had been damaged. Still, with his physique, as long as the heart or skull hadn't been directly pierced, death wouldn't be immediate.

Originally, given Ye Chen’s attitude towards Bai Long and the others, in a life-or-death situation, his first instinct would be self-preservation, only aiding others if he had the surplus capability afterward. Although he had been with Bai Long and the others for three or four months, they were ultimately outsiders. Furthermore, in his past life, Ye Chen had witnessed, and personally experienced, so many betrayals that even those he knew for seven or eight years could turn on him. There were even cold-blooded parents who murdered their own young children after raising them for seven or eight years, pickling them for sustenance.

Thus, Ye Chen had hesitated when saving Zhuge Fan. But the moment Bai Long sacrificed himself to draw the bomb’s explosion, Ye Chen was profoundly shaken. It reminded him of the comrades who died shielding him from monsters in his previous life—those moments of burning passion, unforgettable, had become eternal. He would not allow such a tragedy to be reenacted in this life.

Therefore, under the stimulus of imminent death, mixed with despair and fury, the power of the Bailing Pill, which had been dormant within him, dissolved at an accelerated rate. It was known that a person’s emotional fluctuations resonated with their physical state: during excitement, digestion speeds up (which is why many feel hungry after euphoria); under anger, the heart rate quickens, blood accelerates, and muscles contract rapidly, becoming taut.

It could be said that without Bai Long, Ye Chen would not have undergone such an emotional shift, and the Bailing Pill power would not have catalyzed so swiftly. Perhaps the Platinum Automaton would have killed Bai Long before he could detonate the bomb, and then eliminated the rest. In truth, the victory in this bloody battle owed the greatest debt to Bai Long.

“Follow Alvy and recuperate well; don’t worry about anything else,” Ye Chen quickly instructed Bai Long and the others. After a final look at Alvy, he wasted no more time, sprinting toward the Qilun Temple.

After Ye Chen departed, Bai Long and the others exchanged bewildered glances. Zhuge Fan, enduring the agony of his shattered leg, asked in astonishment, “Did you guys see it? Brother Ye had horns on his head?”

“I saw it.”

“Me too.”

“Mm,” Mo Feng merely nodded slightly.

Yue Heng looked over at Mo Feng. “Do you know why?”

Mo Feng shook his head.

Bai Long’s face was deathly pale. Despite the tearing pain from his wounds, his endurance had been rigorously tested. He simply suppressed the pain, feigning indifference, and sighed with wonder, “I knew he was freakishly strong for a reason—turns out he’s genuinely non-human…”

“Seconded.”

“Agreed.”

“Mm,” Mo Feng nodded.

None of them displayed their agony; instead, they skillfully steered the conversation toward trivial matters.

Alvy looked at these men, who still managed smiles despite their injuries, with a hint of surprise, but she asked no further questions. She smiled sweetly. “Please, follow me.” Turning, she led the way. She knew these men couldn't understand her language, so she didn't intend to speak much.

Seeing her lead, Bai Long and the others quickly followed, recalling Ye Chen’s instructions. Bai Long called out, “Miss, where are you taking us?”

Alvy didn't look back; she didn't understand modern language and assumed Bai Long was chatting with someone next to him.

Bai Long then remembered. To his surprise, instead of feeling regretful, he became somewhat excited. He leered playfully, “Miss, you have such a beautiful figure, truly lovely! Marry me, I like you so much!”

Yue Heng and the others exchanged helpless looks, aware that Bai Long meant no harm, he was just terribly sharp-tongued.

Zhuge Fan whispered, “You’re taking advantage of the fact that she can’t understand you.”

Bai Long chuckled triumphantly.

“Hurry up and walk,” Yue Heng mimicked Ye Chen’s tone, sounding indifferent.

“I’m disabled here.”

“Me too. Even Steven.”

Bai Long turned and looked at Mo Feng with pleading eyes. “Little Feng Feng, give me a hand?”

Mo Feng shot him a sidelong glance and uttered two words: “Go die.”

“You’re so cruel, I hate you, woo… I can’t hold on, ahh.” Bai Long slumped sideways, nearly falling. Mo Feng flinched slightly, moved swiftly, and caught him.

Yue Heng and Zhuge Fan cried out in alarm. Bai Long was the most seriously injured among them. They rushed over, anxiously demanding, “What’s wrong? Did you pull the wound?”

Yue Heng’s eyes turned red. He roared, “Damn that cursed robot! I’m going back to tear it to shreds!” He turned around angrily and started to leave.

“Hey, hey, hey…” Bai Long quickly opened his eyes, stood up, and said, “I was joking! You took it seriously?”

Joking?

Yue Heng, Mo Feng, and Zhuge Fan froze, then veins popped on their foreheads.

“Beat him up!”

“Thrash him!”

“You pain in the neck!”

“Hey, I’m really dying, ahh, ahh…”

Leaving Bai Long and the others behind, Ye Chen arrived outside the Qilun Temple. He mentally calculated the time. After reaching Superman Stage Two, the duration of the Superman state had halved, shrinking from five minutes to two minutes and thirty seconds. As the stage increased, the activation time did not lengthen; instead, it shortened, because the Stage Two state was harder to control, and prolonged activation would result in a severe backlash.

Upon reaching the entrance, Ye Chen moved, plunging inside. Earlier, Alvy had deactivated all the mechanisms within the temple, so there was no worry about traps. However, because this was the Qilun Temple, the most sacred location in the city, even Alvy dared not monitor it. Thus, whatever lay inside was completely unknown. Ye Chen dared not be careless; there might even be several more Platinum Automatons within.

He rushed past the wall where the previous automaton had emerged and found a long corridor flanked by metal protective walls. The floor was littered with automaton wreckage, and the walls bore numerous signs of struggle, suggesting a fierce battle had occurred here millennia ago.

Ye Chen frowned but did not stop, sprinting over the mechanical debris. A hundred meters in, there was another corner. Beside this corner lay several sets of ominous white bones, their skeletons larger than a dinosaur’s. Bloodstains covered the ground. Near them, a section of metal was buckled inward, seemingly struck by immense force, half-concealed. It emitted no light, as if hiding a lurking monstrous beast.

Ye Chen furrowed his brow, pushing the warped metal aside. After a moment, seeing no reaction, he stepped inside. The interior was pitch black. Even with his physique, he couldn't see his hand in front of his face; the atmosphere was deeply unsettling.

A flicker in Ye Chen’s eyes—he triggered the energy pistol. Muzzle flashes erupted, and in the fleeting white light, Ye Chen glimpsed the surroundings. Ahead, not far off, was another corner leading to the main hall. Piled near that corner were countless monster corpses and automaton wreckage.

Bang. A bullet struck the distant wall, detonating with a muffled blast before vanishing, swallowed by the darkness.

Ye Chen trod over the remains of the monster corpses, moving toward the corner.

Recommending a friend's book: "Sword Ancestor"—The sword is about sharpness. The Sword Immortal soars to the highest heavens, descends to the deepest netherworld, rides the sword for a thousand miles, cleaving the firmament.