Previously on Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!...
Gu Lan's squad repelled an attack and secured "Ashes", but their mechas sustained damage and their search efforts were hampered. Rose and Kuang Xin's squads also faced targeted harassment, being slowed and funneled into traps. Rose devised a plan to use relay points to map the area, but it was risky. The team successfully activated relay point C7, but an EMP attack disrupted it.
Rose's team pushed for D3, facing ambushes. Gu Lan's mecha was severely damaged, forcing him to retreat to C7. Rose and Kuang Xin headed for B5, where they were intercepted by the Faceless. Kuang Xin sacrificed his mecha to protect Rose during B5's activation and was eliminated from the match. Rose, with a damaged mecha, couldn't reach A8 alone and regrouped with the others at C7/D3, preparing for a final stand.
Rather than confronting the heavily fortified C7/D3 area occupied by New Bauhinia head-on, the "Ghost Walkers" opted for a more insidious approach. Their strategy involved persistent harassment, surgical long-range assaults on vital relay equipment, and leveraging the environment to sow disorder.
Despite the valiant efforts of "Ash" and "Anvil" in defending and repairing, the relentless attacks gradually degraded the relay point equipment's stability, causing the illuminated map area to steadily diminish. To compound matters, the ceaseless high-intensity pressure and defensive operations led to an overload in Ash's mecha, triggering a critical failure in its sensors and electronic warfare systems. This created a momentary vulnerability in their defenses.
In that precise, brief window, the mecha known as "Faceless" emerged like an apparition from a ventilation shaft, recently ruptured by an explosion and connected to other sectors. Its target was Anvil, who was actively engaged in repairing the D3 relay point.
Although Gu Lan and Rose reacted swiftly, attempting to intercept the assailant, the 'Faceless' maneuver was exceptionally elusive and rapid. It absorbed a direct, powerful strike from Rose's mecha and, utilizing the momentum, plunged its Shadow Piercing Sword into a gap in Anvil's mecha's rear armor, crippling its primary energy conduit. Anvil's mecha immediately became immobilized.
Subsequently, as Rose and Gu Lan were momentarily diverted by Anvil's incapacitation, two more "Ghost Walkers" operatives descended from the shadows. They concentrated their assault on "Ash," whose mecha was in a state of temporary electronic blackout. Despite putting up a valiant struggle, Ash's mecha had sustained significant damage and, under the concentrated assault, rapidly lost combat capability.
Within mere minutes, the defenses in the C7/D3 sector had completely crumbled. Gu Lan's mecha, already compromised, attempted a rescue of Ash. However, he was caught off guard by the 'Faceless,' which executed a precise strike, severing the leg joint's drive shaft. His mecha was left barely able to prop itself against a wall, its mobility drastically reduced.
Now, within the entirety of the "Silent Graveyard," Rose, piloting her nearly depleted and battle-worn "Dark Assault" mecha, stood as the sole survivor on New Bauhinia's side. Of the four relay points, only the early C7 point flickered precariously, maintaining a minimal, stable detection radius of less than two hundred meters in diameter. The other three points had succumbed to destruction or neglect, plunging into darkness.
Rose was compelled to fall back to the central zone of the sole remaining illuminated C7 relay point. This location was a broad, circular chamber, formerly a minor energy distribution hub within the space station.
At the hall's center, the C7 relay apparatus thrummed unstably, casting a faint blue holographic map projection that spanned approximately a hundred meters in diameter. This light stood in stark opposition to the profound obsidian gloom of the surrounding metallic ruins.
Rose positioned her damaged mecha beside the relay equipment, leaning its frame against the cold metallic base. Her grip tightened around her sole operational high-frequency cutting blade, powered by energy reserves.
Her gaze swept across the tactical display – her teammates' signals were now faint. The communication frequency was utterly silent, save for the intermittent electrical crackles from the relay equipment, suggesting it too was on the verge of failure.
She was the final bastion of defense. Should she fall, or if this relay point were destroyed, the 'Hunter' faction would forfeit its map advantage entirely. Locating the hidden 'Escapees' within the remaining time would become virtually impossible, condemning them to defeat.
At precisely that moment, at the boundary where the pale blue luminescence met the encroaching deep darkness, movement began to stir within the shadows. One, two, three... a total of five stealthily camouflaged "Ghost Walker" mechas, resembling infernal entities emerging from the abyss, slowly materialized from the surrounding gloom.
They advanced without a sound, sequentially closing the distance, halting at the fringe of the light. They formed a complete cordon around Rose and the humming relay equipment, an isolated island of illumination within a hundred-meter radius.
Through fractured sections of the observation window near the hall's apex, scant beams of distant starlight pierced the darkness. They mingled with the relay equipment's blue glow, casting long, distorted silhouettes of the five silent, metallic predators.
Rose's blue-black mecha, scarred and grime-coated from battle, stood resolutely in the center of the light, a solitary beacon against the tempest, facing the fivefold gaze emanating from the darkness.
Externally, the scene was vividly transmitted to all observing eyes via the relay point's last active signal. The dramatic tableau—the solitary hero isolated, the menacing shadows encircling, the stark division between light and dark—evoked an overwhelming sense of tragic magnificence and profound shock.
The internet was set ablaze, not by despair, but by a surge of complex emotions stirred by the impact of this scene:
"My god... this image..."
"Rose... she's the only one remaining..."
"Five mechas have her surrounded solo... how can this possibly be a fair fight?"
"Even if we're facing defeat, this moment... it's so incredibly tragic."
"New Bauhinia has truly given their utmost..."
"Why hasn't Bai E made his move yet?!"
Within Zone 7 of the International Pavilion, from New Bauhinia's observation chamber, an extremely tense atmosphere permeated the room.
Catherine, Kuang Xin, Gu Lan, and the others wore looks of deep solemnity.
Gong Yan clenched her lower lip with all her might.
The Elorin scholar, his brow deeply furrowed, rapidly processed data, yet the worry etched upon his face was undeniable.
From the shadowy recesses of the chamber, Yue Ying's gaze was fixed not on the main display, but instead on Bai E, who stood in silent contemplation before the observation window.
A barely perceptible trace of bewilderment flickered within her eyes.
Based on her understanding of Bai E's character, he was not the type to passively witness his comrades fall into despair without intervening.
So why had he hesitated to act until now?
Even if direct field intervention wasn't possible for him, the near-"descent" ability he had previously showcased surely offered avenues for intervention.
As if sensing Yue Ying's scrutiny, Bai E, without turning, calmly projected his voice directly into her mind: "You're pondering why I haven't intervened yet, aren't you?"
Yue Ying gave a slight inclination of her head.
"Rose's potential extends far beyond this moment," Bai E stated. His gaze seemed to bore through the void, landing upon the solitary, yet still defiant, blue-black mecha within the desolate expanse of the "Silent Graveyard."
"She has endured the most harrowing of battles, risen from crimson tides of bloodshed, and her resolve is forged into an alloy of unparalleled hardness. Her Absolute Spirit constitution inherently nullifies any spiritual energy interference—making pure combat prowess her most formidable weapon. However, she has primarily served as my most dependable ally and the tip of our spear. I am keen to witness the full extent of her personal brilliance when spurred by absolute adversity, when pushed to her very limits. Her chosen 'path' necessitates refinement and validation through her own efforts."
Yue Ying remained silent for a brief interval, her own composed voice resonating within Bai E's mind as well: "You place immense trust in her."
"Just as I place my trust in you," Bai E's response was delivered with unembellished finality.
...
Unaware of the silent exchange occurring between Bai E and Yue Ying, Rose remained focused on the grim reality unfolding on the battlefield.
All she comprehended was the fall of her comrades, the relentless march of time, and her own designation as the final ember of hope for the "Hunter" faction.
Confronting adversaries who inexorably converged from four distinct vectors, like an encroaching tapestry of shadows, she drew a profound breath.
Inside the cockpit, her gaze was as piercing as a honed blade, devoid of any apprehension, filled instead with an unquenchable, seething battle spirit.
"Bring it on," she declared, lifting the mecha's Sharp Blade, a solitary sentinel challenging an overwhelming quintet of foes.
The engagement commenced in a blinding flash!
Rather than adopting a defensive posture, Rose initiated a sudden offensive, hurtling toward one of the already damaged enemy mechas!
Her movements were ethereal, fluid; the "Dark Assault" mecha utilized its innate stealth and surprise capabilities to the fullest, artfully navigating the labyrinthine wreckage as its high-frequency cutting blade let out a piercing shriek, aimed directly at the opponent's critical weak point!
Simultaneously, the five "Ghost Walker" mechas, including the one designated "Faceless" now bearing a ghastly gash across its chassis, surged forward.
Operating with the chilling coordination of a predatory wolf pack, they attacked from all five directions, their lethal intent palpable as they descended upon the isolated silhouette bathed in the stark light.
