Chapter Twenty-Three: The Reconnaissance Squad

Bang! Chen Hao’s body crashed into the wall inside the room, causing the colored lights hanging from the ceiling to shake loose and fall, sputtering with sparks.

“A human mech warrior!” Xia Yue was stunned to see the new figure in the room. She never expected a human mech warrior to appear here. Their presence meant exposure, and the thought twisted her face into a snarl.

“A… Specially Selected?” On the other side, Nangong Yuchen stared blankly at the tall, beautiful girl before him. Her long, deep purple hair cascaded like a waterfall, reaching down to her slender, curving hips. The strange purple skintight battle suit she wore accentuated every contour of her alluring figure.

Her long, straight legs were clad in light blue, fold-over knee-high boots.

Specially Selected—Shangguan Youran?

Nangong Yuchen recognized her. Just last month, at the gates of the City of Technology, he remembered clearly that this girl was the leader of the Specially Selected, and even Lu Shijie dared not defy her orders.

Tap, tap! Shangguan Youran gave Nangong Yuchen a cold glance, then turned to Xia Yue and said icily, “So that’s why you dared to cause trouble in District B. Turns out you’re a beast who’s taken a shapeshifting potion. No wonder the city of Ruxia is restless.”

“Hmph, detestable mech warrior! Go to hell!” The mention of the shapeshifting potion made Xia Yue’s body tremble. Her hands sprouted feline claws that instantly extended to a terrifying thirty centimeters. Crouching low, she lunged at Shangguan Youran with a savage snarl.

Shangguan Youran showed no fear. She pushed off with her left foot, leaping into the air as her light blue boots revealed sharp blades, shimmering with a pale white glow, sending a chill in all directions.

Bang! Bang!

Claw versus boot—the two moved with lightning speed, their intense collisions making the small café shudder.

“So… this is a battle between human and beast?” Nangong Yuchen, still sitting on the floor, was stunned by the spectacle. Other than witnessing mech warriors fight once before, he had never seen such a clash, especially between a human and a beast.

At that moment, Chen Hao climbed to his feet, eyes blood-red, staring at Shangguan Youran with a predatory, venomous gaze, waiting for an opportunity.

Boom! The fierce duel between Shangguan Youran and Xia Yue tore the surroundings apart—walls, chandeliers, and chairs were all sliced in two.

Awooo! Chen Hao began to transform. Within seconds, his upper body swelled, muscles exploding beneath deep blue skin, resembling a frenzied werewolf. In the next instant, he pounced at Shangguan Youran’s back.

Nangong Yuchen panicked. He didn’t want Shangguan Youran to fall—if she did, he would be next to die.

“Danger!” He blurted out the warning, immediately regretting it—his worry was unnecessary.

At some point, pale blue blades had appeared in Shangguan Youran’s hands. With nimble footwork, she parried Xia Yue’s claws, flipped mid-air, and spun her blades in a sweeping arc to meet the incoming wolf’s claws.

Crash!

Chen Hao’s strength was immense, and Shangguan Youran, clearly a speed-type, couldn’t withstand the brute force—she was sent flying.

Xia Yue seized the opportunity. Seeing Shangguan Youran still airborne, she transformed into a brown blur and, together with Chen Hao, lunged at her.

A werewolf and a catwoman?

Nangong Yuchen watched the pincer attack in growing anxiety. He wanted to help, but his own strength was worlds apart, and he still feared the beasts. All he could do was pray nothing went wrong, or he’d die here for no reason.

“Hmph! A first-level mech warrior dares intrude here? Courting death!” Xia Yue’s front claws flashed with a cold light as she swiped at Shangguan Youran’s waist.

At the critical moment, a yellow beam of energy, as thick as a finger, shot through the door crack, aimed straight at Xia Yue, who was leaping toward Shangguan Youran.

The yellow energy beam struck Xia Yue’s body like a bullet, blood spurting. She screamed in pain, her body hesitating for a beat. The deadly claws just missed Shangguan Youran, who barely escaped.

“Who is it?” Xia Yue’s right arm now bore a bloody wound. Had she not reacted quickly, the shot would have struck her head, not her arm.

“Hehe! Were you calling for your dear Lingling?” A sweet, childish voice rang out. From outside the door walked a petite little girl and a burly giant of a man.

“More human mech warriors?” Xia Yue and Chen Hao exchanged a terrified glance, then turned and bolted for the darkest corner of the café.

With three mech warriors now present, they knew they couldn’t win in a short fight—who could say if more reinforcements would arrive? They had to retreat, to escape and report to their superiors. Now that their exposure—and the secret of the shapeshifting potion—was unavoidable, the consequences would be dire.

Nangong Yuchen, still sprawled on the floor, stared in shock at the two newcomers.

“Trying to run?” Shangguan Youran’s pretty face turned frosty as she surged after the fleeing pair.

“Mufeng, go help my sister!” The little girl, seeing her sister and the two beasts vanish, hurriedly called to the burly man beside her.

Bang! Bang! The giant, hefting a three-meter-long greatsword, dashed after them, the ground shaking with each step. As he passed Nangong Yuchen, he gave him a long, searching look.

He… he recognized me! Nangong Yuchen’s heart clenched. He never imagined he’d run into Mufeng here. The events in the abandoned building more than a month ago flashed through his mind. Now, seeing him again, there was no joy—only dread.

He had already sold off Chen Junhao’s mech. If word got out about that night, he would be doomed, hunted relentlessly by the Lu family throughout Ruxia City.

For in this era of physical mechs, the law? It only applied to ordinary citizens. What else was it good for?

The more Nangong Yuchen thought, the more anxious he became, falling into a spiral of worry.

Meanwhile, at the door, the self-proclaimed Lingling was shouldering a long sniper rifle as she walked in. She slanted her eyes, pointed the thumb-sized barrel at Nangong Yuchen’s head, and demanded, “Hey, kid, what are you doing here?”

She had recognized Nangong Yuchen as well, which was why she asked.

“Uh…” Staring at the massive sniper aimed at his forehead, Nangong Yuchen’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly raised his hands and stammered, “Don’t shoot! I’m human!”

“Nonsense, of course I can tell you’re human,” Lingling retorted, unimpressed. “Now, out with it. Why are you here?”

With his life on the line, Nangong Yuchen dared not lie. He told her honestly about working here.

“Oh? You’re not lying to me, are you?” Lingling shouldered her gun but her dark, gem-like eyes were still suspicious.

Nangong Yuchen could only look helpless. But seeing the youthful face up close, he couldn’t help but marvel—no wonder she was one of the Specially Selected from Star Academy. So young, yet already a first-level neural-reflex-type mech warrior. How did she train her body to this point?

“Hmph! I’ll let you off this time. Now get lost! If our recon squad hadn’t happened by, you’d have been eaten by now!” Lingling said loftily, waving her sniper rifle to shoo him away.

Hearing he could leave, Nangong Yuchen leapt up and ran. He’d been scared half to death today, but at least he was still alive.

It wasn’t until he sat on the city rail that he finally came to his senses. Fingering the three thousand yuan in his pocket, he was filled with lingering fear and a touch of sorrow.

The café, once as warm as home, had become a lair of beasts… Xia Yue and Chen Hao had shown not a hint of mercy—they’d almost killed him. If not for Shangguan Youran’s timely rescue, he would have left this world already.

Madam, Sister Yue, Brother Hao…