Volume One, Chapter Thirteen: The Mechanical Stag, Electromagnetic Pulse

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“Brother, save me!”

Zhang Tao’s cry was desperately urgent. As he shouted, he raced toward Zhang Wei.

The collision between the herd of deer and the mecha was earth-shaking. In the very first clash, the lights in ten mecha eyes went out, their vitality extinguished.

The remaining mecha were all damaged as well. In their current condition, stopping the next wave of attacks was nothing short of impossible.

Even the heavy mecha standing fifteen meters tall could not withstand it.

Zhang Wei cursed inwardly at the sheer waste. Such fine mecha were being placed in the hands of these people—an appalling squandering of their potential.

As for saving them?

Why should he?

Because they had money?

Before the apocalypse, money might have been useful. But now…

“Brother, save me! I can give you anything you want—money, women, anything!”

Zhang Tao knew perfectly well that he could not escape the pursuit of these mechanical deer. His skill at operating a mecha was hardly any better than that of his underlings. He would be caught by the herd before he could get very far.

At present, the only person who could save him was Zhang Wei.

Only now did Zhang Tao realize how terrifying Zhang Wei truly was.

He thought back to the metal wreckage scattered throughout the zoo when they had first entered.

How many mechanical creatures like these had this man slaughtered to produce such a vast amount of wreckage?

“I have no interest in what you’re offering. And don’t call me brother. My name is Zhang Wei—Zhang as in arrogance, Wei as in sole supremacy.”

At that moment, Zhang Wei was indeed arrogant enough.

Unfortunately, apart from Zhang Tao, there was no audience to appreciate it.

Zhang Tao had no time to wonder whether Zhang Wei was merely boasting. At present, all he wanted was to stay alive.

“Big Brother Zhang Wei, we both have the surname Zhang. We might even be relatives. Save me today, and I’ll repay you handsomely. Oh, right—source crystals! I have source crystals, and I also know where to find high-quality ones. They’re all yours.”

The mention of being relatives certainly could not move Zhang Wei, but the source crystals Zhang Tao mentioned immediately caught his interest.

After all, Zhang Tao had been one of the Ten Great War Gods in his previous life. Surely the opportunities he had obtained went far beyond the legendary skill from Xinfeng Mountain.

If Zhang Wei could seize Zhang Tao’s other opportunities as well, he would be one step closer to his goal of becoming invincible.

“Go stand behind me.” Zhang Wei gave the order in an unmistakably domineering tone.

That was exactly what Zhang Tao had been waiting to hear. He did not dare say another word.

“Got it.”

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However, before Zhang Tao could circle around behind Zhang Wei, he saw Zhang Wei drive his mecha skyward. In an instant, he soared over the top of Zhang Tao’s mecha and landed firmly in front of the charging herd.

By then, the herd had already taken down nearly all of Zhang Tao’s subordinates. Facing Zhang Wei, who dared to stand upright directly before them, the deer released an aura of savage fury.

But at that moment, the variant mechanical deer among them let out a soft cry. Its call soothed the agitated herd.

“You’ve got some sense. You realized I’m not someone to provoke?”

“But just because you’re not attacking doesn’t mean I’ll let you off.”

Zhang Wei swung his battle scythe and charged into the herd.

Dismantling mecha offered him little benefit, but killing these mechanical deer would bring him tangible rewards.

The herd, which had only just begun to settle down, erupted into a frenzy the moment it saw Zhang Wei move.

The prey had launched a countercharge against the hunters. It was a challenge to the hunters’ dignity.

Without waiting for the variant mechanical deer to give an order, the mechanical deer in the front rank immediately charged Zhang Wei.

Watching the mechanical deer lower their heads and rush at him with their antlers aimed forward, Zhang Wei gave a cold laugh.

“Do you take me for one of those fools you’ve already torn apart?”

Zhang Wei swept his battle scythe through the air. Its blade was hooked, extending more than a meter from the shaft, allowing it to pass over the deer’s antlers and sink effortlessly into their bodies.

The mechanical deer’s defenses were far inferior to those of the steel crocodiles. With a single stroke, Zhang Wei ripped one open from belly to chest.

The mechanical deer that had charged him collapsed along its own path.

Zhang Tao stood blankly in the distance, panic churning in his heart.

After witnessing Zhang Wei’s true combat strength, Zhang Tao was astonished that he was still alive.

He had actually been foolish enough to provoke such a powerful monster.

Under Zhang Tao’s horrified gaze, the mechanical deer fell one after another. No matter what angle they used to ram Zhang Wei, their attacks ended in futility.

Even when entire groups of mechanical deer charged from all directions at once, Zhang Wei could evade them with ease. And as he dodged their attacks, he could still reap the lives of two or three deer at a time.

In less than five minutes, the massive herd of mechanical deer had been reduced to only five.

Among those five survivors was the variant.

“Human, you are powerful. I have no desire to become your enemy,” the mechanical deer said.

When Zhang Tao heard a mechanical deer speak, the mouth of his mecha fell wide open.

Zhang Wei, however, had long since grown accustomed to such things.

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“What will you offer in exchange for your life?” Zhang Wei did not immediately attack the variant mechanical deer.

The variants among these mechanical creatures could sometimes produce good things—certain pieces of equipment they had hidden away, for instance.

“I…” The variant mechanical deer was rendered speechless.

What good things could it possibly have?

How about giving him all the source crystals scattered across the metal wreckage on the ground?

Well, those source crystals seemed to have belonged to him in the first place.

Then…

“If you have nothing to trade, leave your life behind.”

Zhang Wei attacked, his figure swift as the wind.

As Zhang Wei rushed toward the variant mechanical deer, the four mechanical deer surrounding it charged at him of their own accord.

However, the four deer that had suddenly emerged could do little more than delay him for a moment.

But that was precisely the time the variant mechanical deer needed.

“Electromagnetic Pulse,” it murmured inwardly.

The next instant, dazzling electrical light burst from its antlers. The radiance was so intense that it seemed capable of devouring everything around it.

Two bolts of electricity crossed and coiled together in midair before converging into a single straight current. Like lightning cleaving the night sky, it shot toward Zhang Wei at tremendous speed.

“Watch out!” Zhang Tao shouted, his voice carrying a hint of tension and terror.

Zhang Tao was not truly concerned for Zhang Wei’s safety. He knew that Zhang Wei could not die. If Zhang Wei died, Zhang Tao would be finished as well.

If even Zhang Wei could not kill this deer, what chance did a man whose combat strength was not even a fraction of Zhang Wei’s have against it?

“It’s already learned a skill? That quickly?” Zhang Wei was deeply surprised. He had not expected the mechanical deer to master a skill in such a short time.

Having just cleaved another mechanical deer to death, Zhang Wei gripped his battle scythe and held it before himself.

If only he had a battle shield.

Unfortunately, his battle scythe was a two-handed weapon. Along with its formidable offensive power, it necessarily cost him a portion of his defensive ability.

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