Mech: Shattering of the Galaxy Chapter 1520: 36: I’ll Only Say This Once
Previously on Mech: Shattering of the Galaxy...
Chapter 1520: Chapter 36: I’ll Only Say This Once
Buzz——
The hum of a drawn bowstring reverberated through the immense, hollow corridor of the Star Ring.
In that suspended moment, all breath was held captive as the colossal, sixty-meter Light Arrow carved its path through the air.
Like the wake left by a torpedo in water, the atmosphere instantly solidified into a distinct, transparent channel.
Ba Hanyi, a Level 3 Inspector serving the Aohan Freedom Alliance, saw his pupils contract to mere pinpricks as the gargantuan arrow materialized less than a meter before him.
His entire field of vision was consumed by a blinding, searing radiance, akin to the sun's core.
“No…”
The faint utterance had barely left his lips before the Light Arrow shot past in an instant!
His entire form disintegrated in mid-air, much like a ruptured plasma containment, and the blood that sprayed forth was instantly vaporized into a green mist by the intense heat.
Boom!
The Firmament Light Arrow bored directly through the steel bulkhead two hundred meters behind Ba Hanyi, sending molten steel fragments flying in all directions.
Before the astonished eyes of all present, the sixty-meter arrow completely breached the wall…
Gulp.
A collective gulp echoed as gazes remained fixed on the damaged wall.
A colossal, perfectly cylindrical hole, exceeding five meters in diameter, extended over a thousand meters into the distance!
In their perception, the hole was a series of concentric rings.
It was impossible to fathom how many subsequent walls that single arrow had penetrated!
Ba Hanyi left not even a trace behind, utterly vaporized by the extreme thermal energy.
The memory of Ba Hanyi's preceding laughter still echoed in their minds, yet observing the current scene instilled a profound sense of the absurd and the bitterly ironic.
Attention shifted towards the young man who had merely lowered a finger, his eyes now betraying no disturbance, as if his action had been utterly insignificant.
Simultaneously, alarms, far surpassing any previous intensity, began to blare throughout the entire Star Ring.
[Warning! Flame Star under attack!]
[Warning! Passage walls 17, 18… 22 have sustained critical damage.]
[Warning! All passages are now sealed; planetary defense state initiated.]
Even the least perceptive among them grasped the gravity of the situation.
A single warship, manned by a solitary individual, was launching a direct assault on an entire planet.
“Is this… war?”
A staff member of Flame Star uttered the question with a vacant stare.
…
Crash!
The Steel Guards, who had been advancing with formidable momentum, abruptly halted, their faces etched with shock and trepidation.
Lord Ba Hanyi had been annihilated within Flame Star by a mere ship's armament.
This impossible reality pressed down on them, suffocating their senses.
“Planetary defense order — annihilate the attacker!”
A chilling voice resonated from their comms units.
The holographic display, which had previously shown navigational data, now featured the face of a middle-aged man.
He possessed curly black hair, a meticulously trimmed beard, and appeared to be around forty years of age, his eyes partially closed.
Half of his physique was adorned in a uniform more ornate than Ba Hanyi's.
Despite not appearing physically imposing, an aura of sheer intimidation emanated from him, surpassing that of anyone else present.
“Inspector Lord!!”
“Level two… Inspector!”
“It’s the highest authority on Flame Star, Lord Li Genmao!”
Whispers of astonishment subtly rippled through the assembled personnel.
The single shot fired had been sufficient to summon Li Genmao's immediate appearance.
Now, the onlookers within passage 17 felt no sense of reprieve; instead, a wave of panic swept through them.
For Li Genmao was notoriously known as a ruthless general within the Aohan Freedom Alliance, having governed Flame Star with an iron grip for an entire decade!
During his tenure, any form of dissent had been ruthlessly crushed under various pretexts.
Li Genmao would never tolerate any challenge to his authority…
Once combat orders were issued, every individual within the 17th passage faced probable doom.
Many individuals' eyes suddenly welled up with tears, and they began to flee in a desperate scramble.
“Yes, Inspector Lord!”
Clatter!
In unison, countless weapon muzzles snapped up, aimed directly at Mu Fan and his companions as the throng of hundreds, perhaps thousands, suddenly scattered.
This fully armored mechanical contingent was equipped not only with standard firearms but also with scores of heavy weaponry.
Personal armor-piercing cannons!
Shoulder-mounted interference ray guns!
Miniature particle cannons!
…
A Major, resplendent in his Freedom Alliance military uniform, surged forward, bellowing furiously at Mu Fan, “Open fire!”
At this critical juncture, volleys of artillery fire illuminated the surroundings.
Bam—
Bam bam bam!
Blinding light erupted.
The Flame Star Guards unleashed a ferocious barrage upon Mu Fan and his group, disregarding the warship entirely.
In the ensuing moment, Mu Fan and his companions were poised to face an overwhelming onslaught of ordnance.
Mu Fan's gaze remained impassive. He deliberately opened and raised the right hand he had just lowered.
“Defend.”
A single, icy word was all that was spoken.
Bang!
A tremendous vibrating sound emanated from mid-air as a section of the Dawn Battleship's hull plating detached, revealing a one-meter square aperture.
A black sphere, one meter in diameter, arced through the sky before slamming onto the ground ten meters in front of Mu Fan.
With a low hum.
The instant the black sphere made contact with the metallic floor, it disaggregated, and a fist-sized High Crystal Stone was revealed. Numerous probes immediately converged on the High Crystal Stone, unleashing tens of millions of volts of electricity instantaneously.
Sizzle—Boom!
The High Crystal Stone radiated a brilliant light, and a colossal, light-blue hemispherical shield materialized swiftly, enveloping Mu Fan and his companions instantaneously.
Simultaneously, the concentrated firepower of the Flame Star Guard descended.
Countless sparks erupted and vanished upon the surface of the azure shield.
Mu Fan remained in his standing posture, his eyes impassive, silently observing the dazzling display of pyrotechnics above.
The light-blue shield’s luminescence rippled like disturbed water, appearing fragile enough to burst like a soap bubble, yet for a full fifteen seconds…
Through the entire fifteen-second barrage from the Flame Star Guard, the shield showed no signs of sustaining damage.
“It’s… ineffective?!”
The Major of the Aohan Freedom Alliance, who had issued the initial command, exclaimed in disbelief.
Fifteen seconds of full-force shelling, and it had no impact whatsoever!
He even witnessed, within the confines of the light-blue shield, the tall, cold-faced girl moving to stand beside Mu Fan, followed by Yin Shuai, Fatty, and the others, all positioning themselves by Mu Fan’s side in a single line, their gazes fixed on their adversaries.
Mu Fan tilted his head, his gaze directed towards the immense overhead light screen, knowing that Flame Star’s true Governor, Li Genmao, could observe him.
“I will state this only once: open the checkpoints.”
Uttered without any particular inflection, his words, delivered with such calm simplicity, sent a chill down the spine of anyone who heard them.
Li Genmao’s eyes shifted, finally settling on Mu Fan. “Do you presume to negotiate terms with me, ignorant whelp?”
The stilted Federation dialect resounded, laced with a subtle threat and unmistakable murderous intent.
“Seal off the airspace around passage 17 of Flame Star. Alert the Firmament garrison. If it is destroyed today, so be it. I am simply curious to witness what kind of newborn calf is so ignorant of the world’s immensity.”
Having spoken, Li Genmao continued to observe Mu Fan with his impassive eyes.