Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

No one knew that the energy bullet that was drawn out could unleash such terrifying power.

However, amidst the raging hurricane, everyone was too preoccupied to care about anything else. Fortunately, the group of melee brutes had heavy machinery companions at hand, and by grabbing the corners they were not blown away by the explosive blast.

Even so, the assortment of iron shards, stones, and sand whirling in the blast hit their bodies like a hail of bullets.

A broken piece of iron swept across Rose's face, leaving behind a deep bloody gash.

As for Zero and the boy from Grey Iron City, it was even worse; while they were shooting, they were blown away. Only You, as if having anticipated the danger, managed to dodge by swiftly moving to the backside of a stone pillar relative to the explosion point and found cover, successfully escaping disaster.

"Huff, huff, huff~"

As the violent winds died down slightly, You shook off the sand and dust from her short hair and then saw Bai E sitting next to her, looking ragged... along with a rock.

"Captain!" Her eyes lit up with surprise.

Even knowing Bai E was formidable, the sight of him being chased and bombed by so many missiles still had her worried. Seeing Bai E with his clothes in tatters but no visible serious injuries, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After all... No matter who the opponent was, or how troublesome, it seemed that as long as Bai E was there, nothing was a problem.

["Lucky Strike" Energy +3.]

Bai E was startled briefly, then smiled warmly at You, even instinctively stroking her head.

"It's okay, I'm here."

He was hardly hurt at all, thanks to the protection of Spiritual Energy along with the "Absolute Defense" pushed to its limits. Since no missiles hit him directly, he suffered no serious injuries, and the minor wounds healed up quickly under the effects of "Regenerative Blood" and "Quick Recovery."

He also provided some quick first aid to the rock that had been knocked down and knocked out by countless bullets.

His original intention to hide was to use the missile strikes as a diversion to observe the real strength of the people from Grey Iron City.

But the current changes...

Were too fierce...

Simply too fierce...

While speaking, Bai E cautiously peeked out and, seeing the devastated battlefield, was left somewhat astonished.

The enemy, relying on their own strength, might not have been able to unleash such terrifying power, but extracting the high-density energy from the mechanical body to release the power had caused this devastating damage across the entire battlefield.

Fortunately, the simple burst of energy did not come with heat or radiation effects; otherwise, these people would have been severely injured, if not dead.

Even so, they were by no means in good shape.

Was it time for him to take action?

No.

The voice of the Grey Iron City gorilla who was easing up from an old injury was still full of vigor—

"It's going to recharge with an energy block! Stop it!"

What the mechanical transport vehicle was carrying remained unknown, but as a core resource for mechanical beings—energy... just like water, food, and air are to humans, who doesn't carry some spare energy when going out?

Energy drained? No problem, just swap in another concentrated energy block!

His reminder wasn't particularly useful.

In fact, the impact of the explosion had limited effect on Grey Iron City's three melee brutes and Rose. Without the gorilla's reminder, the remaining four also noticed the small BOSS's intentions.

In an instant, the four who had recovered from the shock each grabbed their distinct weapons and together assaulted the enormous war machine from different directions.

The solid clash of steel rang across the battlefield, but with limited effectiveness.

Facing the war machine's hefty 80-point defense capability, the damage they could inflict with melee weapons was truly limited.

Bai E, out of the blue, fired a shot with his pistol, only to find that the thing was still at full health.

Even if the shield had dropped, its armor was robust enough.

Now he decided to change his previous thought... If he wasn't there, either team might not be able to overtake the mechanical transport team.

Did the people of Grey Iron City have any other tricks up their sleeve?

Bai E didn't intend to keep waiting.

What if the other party had no ill intentions? What if they were truly sincere in cooperating?

At this moment, the enemy had already shown a sufficient level of striking power, and it felt somewhat insincere to just stand by as a spectator.

"Rest well." Enjoy new adventures from My Virtual Library Empire

Bai E picked up the anti-material sniper rifle in his arms and stood up, moving out from the cover of the stone pillar.

"Click~" The bullet was chambered.

"Boom!" Orange flames exploded.

The bullet crossed the space, making the air itself hot and dry.

"Boom!"

The power of the anti-material sniper rifle remained formidable, as the bullet lodged into the connective area of the enemy's neck, setting off a shower of electrical sparks.

[Succesful "Heavy Strike," penetrating enemy armor, +2 experience in light firearms expertise.]

[Enemy takes 38 points of damage!]

"..."

Damn, only that much damage.

Bai E narrowed his eyes, feeling somewhat displeased.

But he also noticed another trait in the enemy's attribute information: Mecha Energy Fullness.

[Mecha Energy Fullness: Mechanical soul, can replace damaged mechanical cables and components to maintain original functionality, and is capable of self-repair over time.]

The EMP bomb only paralyzed their shared mecha energy connection; the mecha energy within those mechanical beings was still exerting its intended effects.

A disrupted cable couldn't set off a domino effect that caused the entire machine to lose control; minor destruction was merely a scratch to its whole body.

A trait not present in those lower-level mechanical beings.

No wonder humanity's main forces don't really have a strategy against these things.

But at this moment, they were just the enemy!

"Click!" Bai E's bullet was chambered again.

The enemy's small cannon was also aiming over.

Sworn enemies glared at each other intensely.

As the number one threat, Bai E became the war machine's first target to eliminate the instant he reappeared.

Even though the shield system couldn't be used, its other systems were still fully operational.

Bai E smiled lightly at the crimson electronic eyes and his figure swayed.

["Gun Fighting Skill," activate!]

He had no intention of taking a direct hit again.

The damage from the energy main cannon was much greater than his missile array. Just being close to the blasts from the missile array's shockwaves meant he had to catch his breath not to mention a direct, solid hit from the enemy's main cannon—unthinkable.

Holding the anti-material sniper rifle, which was almost the same size and even heavier than himself, Bai E demonstrated unimaginable agility, so much so that the war machine's lock-on system kept reporting errors internally.

The scene was somewhat bizarre... The war machine's raised right arm, equipped with the main cannon, tried to aim at Bai E. However, it couldn't fire, continually thwarted by Bai E, who was changing positions constantly and closing in rapidly.

Make Bai E the primary target to be eliminated!

Attacks with less output than the missile array were insufficient to take down this opponent!

The gather energy cannon needed time to charge!

The judgment made from synthesizing numerous feedbacks resulted in this scene.

This was the logic of artificial intelligence in action—everything was based on probability. If there was no assurance of exceeding the predetermined success rate threshold, they would cease firing.

And thus, they appeared... somewhat sluggish.

Bai E with his gun had already rushed close to the enemy.

Who says a gunman can't deal damage up close?