Chapter 48: Mecha Squad vs. Planetary-Grade Iron Armored Earth Dragon

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Six consecutive strikes left the beast resembling a pangolin utterly disoriented. It staggered blindly through the earth, driven by instinct, until, after a period of frantic subterranean wandering, it suddenly burst from the soil and surged to the surface.

“It’s an Armored Earth Dragon. Previously, the highest level we’d seen was the Lord class; this is the first time a King-class Armored Earth Dragon has been discovered. I didn’t expect to encounter one here.” Jiang Chen quickly identified the creature through the surveillance feed.

The point where the Armored Earth Dragon broke through was nearly a kilometer from the coordinates previously calculated by Jarvis, and several hundred meters from the mecha squad. If it escaped back underground, capturing it would become exponentially more difficult.

However, after the relentless sonic barrages, the Armored Earth Dragon was severely dizzy, unable to regain its senses. Upon reaching the surface, it stumbled and swayed erratically, unable even to run in a straight line, like a drunkard.

The surrounding beasts fared no better—those of lesser strength couldn’t even stand, collapsing flat upon the earth.

Six rapid-fire sonic assaults didn’t inflict lethal damage, but they did induce widespread vertigo among all creatures within the area.

When combined with other long-range attacks, such tactics proved extraordinarily effective on the battlefield.

The only flaw was the limited attack radius—even the most powerful models had an effective kill radius of less than fifty meters.

Anything beyond that could simply be ignored.

The mecha squad, being non-living, suffered no ill effects. Having confirmed their target, they launched their assault without hesitation.

The Guardians and Firebats accelerated to their limits, charging toward the Armored Earth Dragon.

The six Snipers simultaneously raised their Phantom sniper rifles, barely seeming to aim before pulling their triggers.

It wasn’t that they skipped aiming—the process was so swift it appeared effortless.

With the formidable capabilities of the Boxer mechas, and under Jarvis’s control, their shooting accuracy far exceeded even the finest human marksmen.

The bullets, traveling at ten times the speed of sound, traversed nearly a kilometer in the blink of an eye, spinning as they drilled into the Armored Earth Dragon’s body.

Half the bullets struck its skull, while the remaining three hit its torso and a forepaw.

The unique spiral pattern on the bullet heads granted them tremendous penetrating power, easily tearing through the beast’s tough armored scales and burrowing deep within.

One bullet even punched straight through its skull, lodging in its brain.

Yet, given the creature’s enormous size, a single bullet wasn’t enough to inflict fatal damage to its brain.

Even so, a portion of its brain was shredded—a grievous wound.

Staggered by the injury, the Armored Earth Dragon seemed to regain clarity, fear flickering in its eyes as it turned to flee underground.

Mutated from a pangolin, its greatest skill was burrowing—once beneath the earth, not even foes a tier or two stronger could match its speed.

But the mecha squad would not allow it to escape.

The nearest Guardian surged forward, activating its plasma shield and ramming into the Armored Earth Dragon.

While the Guardian lacked the raw strength of a planetary-class beast, its goal was merely to prevent the dragon from diving back underground.

A violent collision sent the Guardian flying, crashing heavily to the ground.

The impact shattered the plasma shield, damaging many internal components in the secondary collision.

But this interruption broke the Armored Earth Dragon’s momentum, preventing its immediate descent.

The second Guardian quickly moved to block its escape.

Dozens of meters away, the two Firebats activated their flamethrowers, unleashing thousands of degrees of compressed flame in a narrow stream toward the beast.

In less than a second, the six Snipers fired again.

With the Guardians restraining the dragon’s movements, the Snipers’ accuracy reached new heights.

Six bullets struck nearly the same spot, passing through the creature’s ear and into its brain.

A bloom of blood mist burst forth as its brain suffered another devastating blow. Even a massive planetary-class beast could scarcely withstand such repeated trauma.

Seven bullets had now penetrated its brain, destroying nearly half of it.

Only its planetary-class vitality kept it clinging to life.

But as its brain sustained further damage, the Armored Earth Dragon’s control over its body faltered, its speed and strength waning, even its ability to gather force becoming difficult.

The Firebats’ attacks posed little immediate threat—their flames would need to burn the same spot for several seconds to pierce planetary-class scales, an impossible feat.

The Guardians’ blockade, however, was deadly. Though one Guardian had lost mobility after the initial collision, the other was fully capable of holding back the wounded Armored Earth Dragon alone.

Breaking through would require several seconds.

But several seconds were more than enough for the Snipers to fire multiple additional rounds.

At this point, Jiang Chen silently pronounced the Armored Earth Dragon’s death sentence.

“Impressive performance. It appears the mecha squad can independently hunt most king-class terrestrial beasts. Still, to ensure a successful kill, they must create a suitable environment,” Jiang Chen remarked, satisfied.

“The hardest part is disrupting the king-class beasts’ ability to fly or burrow during the first wave of attacks. As long as they’re confined to the surface, the mecha squad can complete the hunt. Judging by this battle, unless the mecha’s capabilities are upgraded, their limit is planetary-tier three beasts,” Jarvis concluded.

The Boxer mechas couldn’t fly, their greatest disadvantage against planetary-class foes.

But as long as the first assault restricted enemy movement, the Snipers’ formidable firepower could exert sufficient deterrence.

“That’s more than enough.” Jiang Chen glanced at the battlefield, now nearing its end. “Looks like I won’t need to intervene. Finish the fight quickly, then tally the losses.”