Volume 1, Chapter 10: Be careful when we go in later.

Facing the iron colossus that dared to slaughter their kin, the troop of monkeys instantly descended into a frenzy. Dozens of mechanical monkeys roared as they charged toward Zhang Wei, intent on tearing their enemy to shreds.

Behind them, the monkey king let out a thunderous, enraged howl. Zhang Wei could not understand the simian language, but he could clearly feel the raw violence and fury radiating from the sound. To this, he merely responded with a cold smirk. With his battle scythe in hand, such rage would ultimately dissolve into the helplessness of the weak.

As the troop swarmed him, Zhang Wei swung his scythe; it transformed into a gale, churning the surrounding air. Purple arcs of electricity danced along the blade, forming several glowing rings that spun around him. Any mechanical monkey that dared to step into the periphery of these rings was instantly reduced to a heap of lifeless scrap metal, scattered across the ground, with only their floating source crystals remaining as evidence of their existence.

By the time Zhang Wei had slaughtered half the troop, the monkey king finally sensed that something was wrong. Its mechanical eyes flashed with wary light, and it let out a low, urgent cry in its throat. Hearing the call, the mechanical monkeys surrounding Zhang Wei immediately ceased their assault and turned to flee.

"Barely thirty down, and you want to run? Think again."

Zhang Wei let out a cold laugh, a glint of mockery flashing in his eyes. He did not stop his advance; instead, he accelerated, giving chase to the fleeing monkeys. Although the mechanical monkeys were as swift as lightning, Zhang Wei was like a hurricane, his speed even greater. Despite his bulky frame, his agility remained unaffected.

The monkeys darted back and forth within the park, attempting to use the surrounding buildings and trees to evade his pursuit, but it was all in vain. Any obstacle blocking Zhang Wei’s path was like paper. The structures in the park, though tall to an ordinary person, were as insignificant as toys to him, posing no hindrance to his progress. Furthermore, with the aid of his thrusters, Zhang Wei wove through the buildings with a fluidity that far surpassed the mechanical monkeys.

Realizing the speed of Zhang Wei’s pursuit, the monkey king was terrified. It had led the troop to take down many mechs within the park; in its experience, these human machines were always clumsy and easy to destroy. But what was this?

The monkey king led the remaining monkeys toward the crocodile enclosure, the nearest site to their current position. When the seven-to-eight-meter-long steel crocodiles appeared in Zhang Wei’s vision, he finally realized what was happening.

"Using someone else’s blade to kill? This monkey has actually learned to strategize so quickly?" Zhang Wei marveled inwardly, having grasped the monkey king’s intent.

The monkey king crossed the crocodile pool and turned back to bare its teeth at Zhang Wei. In its view, the massive, thick-skinned crocodiles were more than enough to deal with him; moreover, there were over twenty of them in the enclosure, enough to tear him apart if they swarmed together.

"Don't be in such a hurry; I'll deal with you in a moment," Zhang Wei stared at the monkey king, his voice cold as iron. He certainly would not let the mutant in the troop escape. If a mutant among the rats could grant him an excellent-grade electric battle scythe, what kind of surprise would the mutant in the monkey troop bring? And as for these crocodiles...

"No mutants?" Zhang Wei was slightly taken aback. Every steel crocodile blocking his path radiated a fierce aura, yet their eyes lacked the distinct azure glow of a mutant. "Well, so be it." He sighed softly, then launched himself toward the crocodile pack like an arrow released from a bow.

The steel crocodiles were indeed massive, but their movement speed was correspondingly slow. To Zhang Wei, these hulking machines were nothing more than living targets. His scythe swept through the air with a sharp, piercing whistle. To his surprise, however, the external armor of these crocodiles was tough enough to withstand the edge of his weapon. The scythe left only deep, long gashes on their bodies without delivering a killing blow.

"I suppose it makes sense, given they are armored by nature. Still, blocking me won't save you."

The steel crocodiles could survive a direct hit, but the electrical discharge from the scythe had already permeated their bodies. The powerful current caused the affected parts to short-circuit, rendering them immobile—essentially paralyzing them.

Just then, several steel tails whipped toward Zhang Wei like spears. He felt a jolt of alarm; he had no desire to experience a strike from those tails. Engaging his thrusters, he dodged at high speed, his scythe continuing its rhythmic, ear-piercing dance. Within minutes, the once ferocious steel crocodiles were mostly paralyzed.

The smile vanished from the monkey king’s face, replaced by profound terror and unease. It had never anticipated that even these brutal steel crocodiles could not stop Zhang Wei. The next moment, the monkey king turned and fled in a panic. Zhang Wei glanced in the direction of its escape but did not pursue immediately. He would not let these crocodiles go, as the source crystals they dropped were all high-grade—a lucrative harvest.

After a few more minutes, Zhang Wei successfully cleared the entire crocodile enclosure, collecting twenty-three high-grade source crystals.

"Use common source crystals to replenish power."

The common source crystals in his mech’s storage vanished as their energy was injected into the engine. Zhang Wei had used his thrusters to fly all the way from New Wind Mountain to Chuan City, and after two battles in the zoo, his engine power was running low. He felt no regret using common crystals now, as there were plenty more to be harvested in the zoo—and here, the lowest grade available was intermediate.

An intermediate source crystal contained enough energy to equal a hundred common ones, and high-grade crystals were even more potent. However, using intermediate crystals for fuel was sufficient; using high-grade ones for such a purpose was too extravagant. High-grade crystals could yield valuable items—gear, skills, or even modules. Modules were vital components for a mech, serving as a key factor in widening the gap in combat capability, as they were not only difficult to obtain but also provided various ability buffs.

Still, Zhang Wei had no time to open the high-grade crystals he had just obtained. If he didn't pursue the monkey king now, it would surely vanish. If it managed to escape the zoo, finding it in the sprawling city of Chuan would be nearly impossible. With that thought, he immediately set off in the direction of the fleeing king.

Just as Zhang Wei began his pursuit, a group of mechs appeared at the zoo entrance. Leading them were machines painted in a uniform, earth-yellow hue—a sight Zhang Wei would have found very familiar, as they were identical to the fifteen-meter-tall heavy mech he had dismantled earlier.

"Boss, the mechanical creatures in this zoo must be high-level; we’re bound to get plenty of high-grade source crystals."

"Keep your guard up once we’re inside. If any of you damage your mechs, you'll answer to me," came the voice of Zhang Tao. He was piloting a seventeen-meter-tall super-heavy mech—the true ceiling of the initial-tier mechs, a custom model converted from a mining dump truck.