A Table of Leftovers

Xiao Bai hadn't expected this. The Giant Ghoul looked so ferocious, yet it fought with surprising fragility. In just a short moment, he'd exhausted his ammunition, completely disproportionate to its massive size.
After all, no matter how fierce or large it appeared, it was ultimately just a logistics-class Recycling Robot.
Meanwhile, the Metal Worm, after absorbing a wave of damage, decisively changed tactics. It abandoned its attempts to bite the opponent and instead exploited its own massive size and greater speed. It retreated underground, then violently surged upward beneath the Ghoul, flipping it onto its back.
"Ah... the outcome is no longer in doubt..." Xiao Bai sighed, watching the Ghoul struggle helplessly on its back like a turtle, its efforts futile. "I never imagined this worm would be so strong. To think it could actually flip over a hundred-ton monster."
What follo wed was a one-sided thrashing. The Metal Worm pummeled, gnawed, and bit at its defenseless opponent. In no time, it gave the Giant Ghoul a "Shang Yang-style" experience—tearing it into several large chunks, sending gears and parts flying in all directions.
"Bro... easy! Leave some for me!"
Xiao Bai watched his hopes of a mutually destructive outcome vanish, leaving him with nothing but the scraps.
As if hearing his thoughts, the Metal Worm, confirming its opponent's complete silence, rose to its full, massive height. A triumphant roar erupted from its gaping maw, proclaiming its dominance over the entire graveyard.
Instead of devouring its spoils, the creature burrowed back into the earth. Judging by the shifting soil, it seemed to have retreated deeper, possibly to tend to its wounds, leaving Xiao Bai a full table of leftovers.
"Not bad, not bad. I like this good buddy of yours."
Xiao Bai was quite satisfied with the outcome. Absorbing one... no, considering the more complete and earlier 'corpse' in the distance, that made two Giant Ghouls—a substantial haul.
But before he could act, a thunderous roar suddenly echoed from afar.
Two military mecha, equipped with hover thrusters, appeared in the scene, landing in sequence at the site.
Both newly arrived mecha were mid-sized, standing 15 meters tall. They featured duck-like, reverse-curved bipedal legs and fuselage designs reminiscent of armed helicopters, all painted in solid black military camouflage.
One of the mechas had thicker armor, with three banks of autocannons on one side and a large-caliber boltgun on the other. Its shoulders mounted twin 155mm howitzers and a 36-tube rocket launcher.
The other mecha had thinner armor, appearing more agile. Its weapon configuration favored close combat, featuring the classic combination of a chainsaw sword and alloy shield. Its shoulders were equipped with highly efficient hotline lasers.
"Second Master?" Xiao Bai immediately called out the nickname for these two mechas.
No specialized knowledge was needed; anyone connected to the network could recognize this iconic "superstar" at a glance—the Guardian Mecha.
As the second generation of mecha develope d by humans and the first mass-produced classic design, the Guardian could be said to have both pioneered and defended the Mecha Era. It had performed countless meritorious services for humanity, achieving countless glorious feats worthy of song and tears.
Without its timely appearance, humans would likely have been wiped out by repeated Demonic Beast invasions long ago, and would never have been able to excavate further technologies from Paradise .
Even in the present day, when mecha technology has advanced by leaps and bound s, humans have never abandoned this classic model proven in combat. Instead, they have continuously upgraded and modified it, giving rise to numerous improved variants that keep the 'Guardian' active on the front lines, rejuvenating it season after season.
At the same time, the Guardian frequently appears in variou s films, TV shows, and creative works, often as the protagonist's vehicle for saving the world. Combined with its high production volume and widespread deployment, it is also the first military mecha that many young people can actually encounter in person.
As a result, many young people dreaming of becoming Mecha Warriors view it as their "dream mecha," affectionately nicknaming it "Second Master." This has given rise to slogans like "A real man drives a Second Master! " "Growing stronger with your own Second Master—that's the romance exclusive to Mecha Warriors!" and "If you don't even dare to pilot a Second Master, what kind of Mecha Warrior do you think you are?" Xiao Bai was one of those who believed in these ideals.
That's why he immediately recognized the two Second Masters on the screen as the improved models released six years prior—th e high-speed close-quarters combat specialized type and the long-range firepower suppression type. In terms of "generations," they were the 113th and 114th improved variants, humorously referred to by online enthusiasts as "Second Master's 113/114 Spring."
Xiao Bai also noticed that the cockpits of these two "Second Masters" differed from the standard models, suggesting they were either autonomous or remotely controlled. He wasn't sure if they could communicate.
Mor eover, their equipment configuration was unusually lavish. Not only did they have additional cargo bays on their lower backs, but they also featured hover thrusters. Normally, this model of "Second Master" relied on tracked propulsion and bipedal movement.
"It seems they're designed for rapid response combat," Xiao Bai remarked.
As h e spoke, the remote-controlled mecha suddenly discarded the twin 155mm howitzers on its shoulders. Using the auxiliary mechanical arms on its back, it retrieved a missile launcher from the cargo bay on its lower back and installed it on its right shoulder.
Next, the auxiliary arms loaded a three-pack of missiles onto the la uncher. The hover thrusters on the mecha's waist and back erupted with scorching azure flames, propelling it upward. Mid-air, it adjusted its posture, and the newly mounted missiles streaked out with a roar, plunging into the burrow left by the Metal Worm.
"Anti-sub missiles? Don't blow my good buddy up underground!"
Even as Xiao Bai worried, he felt a faint tremor beneath his feet—the unmistakable sign of the missiles exploding.
After completing their attack, the close-range mecha on the ground also took flight. The two mechas sped off in a direction Xiao Bai hadn't yet explored, quickly disappearing from view.
They seemed not to have noticed Xiao Bai hiding in the scrap heap, or perhaps they had noticed but completely ignored him as a completely non-threatening target.
"They just left like that? Looks like both are Autonomous Type, just following a preprogrammed protocol. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been so formulaic."
"Still that quick reaction protocol, they didn't even bother to recover the discarded equipment..."
Xiao Bai didn't have time to dwell on it. He hurriedly crawled out of the scrap heap where he was hiding and sprinted toward the scene.
He could no longer see any danger, only the 155mm Howitzer abandoned on the ground.
This was precisely the combat power he needed most right now!
He had to act quickly. If the cleanup crew arrived, this powerful weapon might disappear before he could get his hands on it.

Chapter end