Elena turned around.
She was the first to jump off the ship.
The seawater was cold.
But her heart was colder.
Since she couldn't be human anymore,
then she would become a blade.
A blade wielded solely for survival.
…
The President slowly docked.
The massive gangplank was lowered.
Dozens of agile figures, like leopards unleashed from their cages, charged into the chaotic port.
"Ah!!"
"Don't kill me!"
"I just came to get some food!"
"Valkyries?! You're not dead?!"
Screams instantly spread throughout the port.
The survivors who had been scrambling for supplies
faced this group of regular soldiers, pent-up with rage.
Even without Exoskeletons, the "Valkyries"
carried out a one-sided slaughter.
Elena charged at the forefront.
Her movements were sharp and ferocious.
Every slash
precisely severed an enemy's throat.
She was venting.
Pouring out all the humiliation she had suffered from Qin Yu earlier
onto these people.
Blood stained her combat uniform
and dyed her blonde hair crimson.
At this moment,
she truly resembled an avenging goddess risen from hell.
Qin Yu stood at the bow of the ship,
lit a cigarette,
and quietly watched this feast of slaughter.
"Brother Yu."
Qi Chun moved closer.
Watching the bloody scene below, he felt a bit unnerved.
"You're letting them go at it just like that?"
"Aren't you afraid they'll turn on us?"
"Or take advantage of the chaos and run?"
"Run?"
Qin Yu exhaled a smoke ring
and pointed at Elena's back.
"Look at her."
"She's killing more fiercely than anyone."
"She's a smart woman."
"She knows she can't run."
"And she knows that only by proving her worth"
"can she protect the lives of her sisters."
Qin Yu flicked the ash from his cigarette,
his gaze profound.
"A woman like this"
"is like a wild horse."
"At first, she'll kick."
"She'll bite."
"But as long as you tighten the reins"
"and give her some rewards,"
"sooner or later,"
"she'll kneel down"
"and beg you to ride her."
Qi Chun listened, dumbfounded,
and finally gave a thumbs-up.
"Brilliant."
"Truly brilliant."
"Brother Yu, you've taken PUA to the extreme."
"Get lost."
Qin Yu laughed and cursed.
"Get ready to work."
"Once they've cleared the area,"
"we'll go take a look"
"at what exactly this so-called 'Tower of Gods'"
"is hiding."
Just then,
the system's notification sounded again.
[Ding!]
[Detected that the host's Pseudo-Subordinates are engaging in killing behavior!]
[Plunder Value +100]
[Plunder Value +200]
[…]
[Current Plunder Value has met the exchange conditions for the S-Class Vehicle Core Blueprint!]
Qin Yu watched the continuously rising values
and smiled.
Indeed,
having subordinates had its benefits.
Without lifting a finger himself,
he could reap the rewards.
Was this the joy of being the boss?
"Boom!"
From deep within the port,
a loud explosion suddenly rang out.
It wasn't gunfire.
It sounded more like the impact of some heavy object.
Immediately after,
Elena's figure was sent flying backward,
crashing heavily to the ground.
"Pfft!"
She spat out a mouthful of blood.
She struggled to get up.
But before her.
From the blown-open warehouse door.
A massive figure slowly emerged.
Was that… a mecha?
No.
It was an Engineering Robot.
But it had been heavily modified.
Equipped with thick armor.
And two Gatling Machine Guns.
Inside the cockpit.
Sat a bald, burly man.
With a rough, menacing face.
He leered at Elena on the ground.
"Well, well."
"If it isn't Captain Elena?"
"What?"
"Didn't die at sea?"
"Come crawling back to beg from us?"
"That outfit… tsk tsk."
"Without that turtle shell of yours."
"Your figure."
"Is truly exquisite."
The bald man licked his lips.
He manipulated the controls.
The massive Mechanical Arm rose.
The dark muzzles of the guns aimed at Elena.
"Perfect."
"I've been wanting to taste."
"The flavor of the North's number one beauty for a long time."
Elena's hand holding the dagger trembled.
She was injured.
Two ribs were broken.
Facing this heavy mecha.
With only a dagger.
She stood no chance.
"Get out of the way!!"
Several female warriors behind her tried to rush over to save her.
"Rat-a-tat-tat!"
Machine gun fire.
Pinned them down, unable to raise their heads.
"Hahaha!"
"Don't rush!"
"No one's getting away today!"
The bald man roared with laughter.
The Mechanical Arm suddenly reached down.
Trying to grab Elena like a chick.
Elena closed her eyes in despair.
To think.
She had just escaped the wolf's den.
Only to fall into the tiger's mouth.
Was this fate?
Just as the giant mechanical hand was about to touch her.
"Whoosh—"
A sharp whistling sound cut through the air.
Followed by.
"BOOM!!"
That arrogant heavy mecha.
Suddenly looked as if it had been hit by a speeding train.
It flew backward.
Disintegrating mid-air.
Turning into a pile of scrap metal.
That bald man.
Didn't even have time to scream.
Before he was reduced to a pulp.
As the dust settled.
A figure stood before Elena.
Holding a massive, still-dripping metal wrench in his hand.
It was Qi Chun.
No.
To be precise.
It was Qi Chun wearing the Exoskeleton Armor Qin Yu had just given him, which hadn't even been repainted yet.
Although the armor was a bit distorted by his ample flesh.
Looking somewhat comical.
But at this moment.
With that immense power behind him.
He looked like a god of war.
"Pah!"
Qi Chun spat.
Hefted the wrench onto his shoulder.
Glanced back at the still-stunned Elena.
And revealed a simple (lecherous) grin.
"Hey there."
"Little lady."
"You alright?"
"Yu-ge said."
"Even when beating a dog, you have to consider its master."
"You're our people now."
"Besides Yu-ge."
"No one gets to bully you."
After saying this.
Qi Chun waved a hand behind him.
"Ruo Bing!"
"Clear the area!"
"Tell Yu-ge to come down!"
Elena looked at this fatty before her.
Then at the distant, blurry figure on the ship's bow.
Her feelings were indescribably complex.
She had been saved.
Saved by that demon's subordinate.
"Our people…"
She murmured to herself.
Those three words.
Sounded so grating.
Yet carried a strange sense of…
Security.
Qin Yu jumped down from the ship.
Landed on the dock.
Ignored the corpses on the ground.
Walked straight to the blown-open warehouse door.
Peered inside.
And let out a low whistle.
"Whoa."
"This Odin."
"He must be a hamster at heart, hoarding this much."
Inside the massive warehouse,
supply crates of all kinds were piled high.
S-Class alloy.
Rare energy crystals.
And neatly arranged weapon racks.
But deep within the warehouse,
there was a door.
A stone door carved with strange runes.
That door.
Stood out starkly against the modern base.
Exuding an ancient, desolate aura.
"That is..."
Elena approached, clutching her chest.
Upon seeing the door,
her expression changed.
"That's the entrance to the core of the 'Tower of Gods.'"
"Odin studied it for half a year."
"But still couldn't open it."
"Couldn't open it?"
Qin Yu stepped forward.
Reaching out, he touched the stone door.
Cold.
Rough.
Suddenly, the system in his mind blared a frantic alarm.
[Warning! High-dimensional rule residue detected!]
[Detected fragment fluctuations of the "Ocean Soul Crystal Mother"!]
Qin Yu's eyes lit up.