Chapter 63: Overwhelming Force

"Boss, the map device has finished cooling down!"

Deep within the dense forest, a young man with a crew cut pulled the map device from his spatial ring and shouted to the yellow-haired youth resting nearby.

"Open it quickly! Let's see exactly where Nangong Yuchen is!" The yellow-haired youth stood up, walked over, and said excitedly.

"Understood!" the crew-cut youth nodded.

The flat map unfolded, and the young woman nearby joined them. The three huddled together, staring intently at the device. They had been unlucky; it had taken them an entire day to cross the region and regroup. Having just arrived from the Ice Plains at dawn, they were following the orders of Xiao Quan and the others to surround Nangong Yuchen.

"Wait, something's wrong! Nangong Yuchen and his group have changed direction and are coming straight for us!" The young woman saw three icons moving rapidly across the map and blurted out in alarm.

"1,100 meters, 1,050 meters... Boss, Nangong Yuchen's group is only 1,000 meters away!"

The yellow-haired youth didn't need them to say it; he had seen it too. As the distance closed rapidly, he panicked and hurriedly searched for the positions of Xiao Quan and the others.

"Between the Urban and Desert regions?" Two seconds later, he spotted Xiao Quan's team of five to the southwest.

Just then, the crew-cut youth shouted nervously again, "Boss, it's already down to 900 meters! What do we do?"

"Shut up! Isn't there still 900 meters?" The yellow-haired youth was just as anxious as his companion, but as the leader, he was thinking rapidly.

"Lin Yan, Xiao Quan and the others have changed direction too! They’re heading toward us!" In the midst of the emergency, a glimmer of hope appeared on the young woman's face.

As she spoke, Lin Yan, the yellow-haired youth, saw it too. His heart lifted, and he analyzed, "At Xiao Quan's speed, it will take them at least half an hour. Li Hao, Xiao Na, let's retreat! We'll head through the river channel ahead and move toward Xiao Quan's team from the opposite direction. Even if we're caught, we must stall them for half an hour!"

"Go!" With that, he took the lead and dashed toward the river channel they had passed earlier.

Li Hao and Xiao Na followed immediately. By the time the distance had shrunk to 600 meters, all three had vanished into the dense woods.

"Thump, thump!"

In another part of the forest, Nangong Yuchen and his two companions were in hot pursuit. To ensure he didn't waste time, Nangong Yuchen pulled out his own map device.

"They've gone to the riverbank where we rested yesterday!"

With those words, the three shifted direction and pushed their speed to the limit. Their terrifying speed of 40 meters per second was on full display. With each leap covering dozens of meters, they were like three blurred shadows darting through the trees.

"29... 28..."

Nangong Yuchen watched the countdown on his map device and urged, "Faster! They're 400 meters ahead to the left. We must catch them before the device cools down, or it will be dangerous if they manage to hide!"

This plan had been proposed by Angel. She understood the urgency and, ignoring the searing pain in her back, pushed herself to her maximum speed.

"200 meters..."

With only five seconds left on the map device, Nangong Yuchen and his group finally caught sight of Lin Yan and his team, less than a hundred meters ahead!

"Ah, Boss, they're so fast! They're catching up!"

Lin Yan looked back, shocked. He never imagined that all three of them could maintain a speed of 40 meters per second. He was the only speed-type on his team; Li Hao and Xiao Na were reflex and strength types, respectively, topping out at only about 20 meters per second. At this rate, there was no point in running!

As the distance closed to 50 meters, Lin Yan couldn't take it anymore. He cursed, "What the hell is going on? Why are all three of them speed-types?"

"40 meters, 30 meters..."

"Screw it, I'm not running! Turn around and fight! If we can't outrun them, we'll use our strength to hold them off!"

Receiving his command, the three stopped, lined up, and drew their mechs, ready for battle!

"Kexin, you hold one of them off. Once Angel and I take out the other two, we'll support you!"

At the same time, Nangong Yuchen, Angel, and Nangong Kexin maintained their speed and drew their mechs!

"Hiss, hiss!" With energy condensing and weaving, the forest was suddenly filled with dazzling, multicolored crystalline fragments.

Seeing the enemy charging, Lin Yan shouted, "Li Hao, attack!"

S-SSG27-50 Model—Energy Sniper!

Li Hao shouldered a black sniper rifle nearly a meter long and fired at Nangong Yuchen, who was in the lead!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Three blue bullets, each the thickness of a finger, pierced through the air and reached Nangong Yuchen in the blink of an eye!

"A sniper rifle?" Nangong Yuchen was unfazed. If he wasn't afraid of cannon-style snipers, why would he fear an ordinary one in a head-on confrontation?

He instantly summoned his triangular shield, met the incoming bullets, stomped the ground, and leaped forward, charging directly at Lin Yan's trio.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The three bullets struck the shield and were completely deflected. Before Li Hao could adjust his angle to fire again, Nangong Yuchen was already upon him.

"Hmph, you won't!" Xiao Na, who had been waiting for this moment, held a shield in her left hand and summoned a red iron fist on her right, swinging it violently at Nangong Yuchen.

"Thud!"

At the moment of impact, both Nangong Yuchen and Xiao Na were sent reeling. Seeing the opening, Lin Yan, who had been lying in wait, seized the moment Nangong Yuchen recoiled and thrust his spear forward. The cyan spearhead, glowing like a bolt of electricity, aimed straight for Nangong Yuchen's head!

"I won't let you get in Nangong Yuchen's way!" Nangong Kexin, following close behind, gripped her spear with both hands and thrust it down.

She had decided on the road that even if she were eliminated here, she would no longer be a burden to her brother and Angel. Her cowardice yesterday had led to Angel’s severe injury; though she hadn't said it, she was proud and would never let that happen again.

Besides, this was just a qualifying match with no risk to their lives!

"Piercing Silver Dragon Spear!"

"Clang!"

The purple triangular spearhead accurately blocked Lin Yan's attack. Nangong Kexin then spun and leaped, fighting Lin Yan with a bravery that seemed like a different person.

Xiao Na steadied herself and stared intently at Nangong Yuchen. "Nangong Yuchen of the 'Three Items,' I've heard your name. Today, let me see what makes you so different!"

With that, she charged forward ferociously.

Nangong Yuchen didn't reply; he raised his shield in his left hand, drew his sword with his right, and met her head-on.

In the blink of an eye, the two were locked in combat, trading blow for blow, fist to flesh.

"Thud! Thud!"

Another hard collision sent them both stumbling back.

Nangong Yuchen looked at Xiao Na in slight astonishment; he hadn't expected such terrifying strength to be contained within her slender, delicate frame.

"But that's just strength!" Thinking this, Nangong Yuchen decided not to delay and unleashed his full power, charging at her again.

All of this happened in a flash. Just as Li Hao was about to provide support, a crisp voice rang out from nearby.

"Your opponent is me. Go! Ice Soul Triple Execution!"

As her voice faded, three pale blue arrows shot through the sky, tearing through space along different trajectories, swirling before falling upon Li Hao on the ground!

"What! How do you have a skill?" Li Hao stared at the falling arrows in horror, unable to believe it!

"Squelch!" Unfortunately, Angel gave him no time to think. In the next second, three arrows pierced his body, and Li Hao was eliminated!

"It's over!" Under the sheer speed and power of Nangong Yuchen, Xiao Na couldn't hold on. Her chest was soon pierced by a curtain of lightning swords, and she was eliminated!

"Li Hao! Xiao Na!"

Lin Yan, who had been watching the battle, was shaken to his core. He never imagined that the three of them wouldn't even last two minutes! The "half an hour" he had boasted about now seemed ridiculous.

His face turned ashen. He quickly parried Nangong Kexin and turned to flee, not daring to stay another second.

"Trying to run?"

Nangong Yuchen and Angel pursued him simultaneously. Watching Lin Yan, who was thirty meters away, Nangong Yuchen pulled out his third mech: the S-M82A1-75 Model—Cannon Sniper. Angel’s crossbow was already drawn to a full moon!

"Hiss, hiss!"

Just as Lin Yan ran fifty meters away, a yellow cannon shell the thickness of an arm and a blue arrow half a meter long shot out, reaching him in an instant.

"Boom!"

Lin Yan tried to dodge, but the two attacks were already in his eyes. In the next moment, they exploded, and he was swallowed by the flames...

"Let's go!"

Having eliminated the three, Nangong Yuchen didn't dare linger. He quickly took the two women and headed out of the forest region.