The Lighthouse's massive landing struts, like spears thrust into the earth, rooted deeply into the purified, vitrified surface.
Upon this apocalyptic wasteland, a nascent steel fortress rapidly rose from the ground.
Massive automated engineering mechanical arms waved in the air, emitting low hydraulic groans.
Prefabricated alloy modules were precisely hoisted and assembled, while sparks from laser welding cascaded across the architectural skeleton.
Marc and the other warriors, enhanced by the Mutant Beasts, worked with terrifying efficiency.
Xia Dou, Shanda, and the others stood in the distance, clicking their tongues in awe at the miraculous construction scene unfolding before them.
"These... these technologies. That old geezer Morgan kept them hidden away, never even using them, all just to maintain his ridiculous rule."
Shanda's voice was muffled, his tone filled with disdain and indignation.
"What an absolute waste."
They used to believe that their Dragon Bone Village, after years of archaeological excavation, represented the pinnacle of human technology on the surface.
But compared to the rising fortress before them, Dragon Bone Village truly fell short in many aspects.
Bai Yuekui stood alone at the edge of a distant ridge, her back to the noisy construction site.
She paid no attention to it, silently feeling the changes within her body instead.
The boundless Life Source Essence that Ian had roughly infused into her did not conflict with her own energy in the slightest.
Instead, like rivers flowing into the sea, it docilely merged into her limbs and bones, and then began to work in a profound, incomprehensible manner.
It was carrying out the deepest level of "reconstruction" on her body.
The countless hidden injuries left behind from forcibly merging with the Mana Ecology in the past, the cellular exhaustion caused by overdrawing her life force...
Under the wash of this overbearing yet gentle power, they were all repaired, replenished, and even... sublimated.
She could clearly feel herself becoming younger and stronger.
This was no illusion, but a leap in the very essence of her life.
A transformation that felt unfamiliar, yet one she desired beyond measure.
At the Lighthouse's landing site, in just a single day, under the endless sweeping of the tireless Mutant Beast Legion led by Marc...
Every potential threat within a hundred miles had been eradicated.
With the engineering team's full-scale construction efforts, a large-scale steel fortress already stood tall upon the earth.
Under the setting sun, it exuded a cold and cruel apocalyptic beauty.
A figure silently appeared beside Bai Yuekui.
Ian, with his hands in his pockets, stood shoulder-to-shoulder with her, admiring the wasteland-style architecture before them.
"Things here are wrapped up for now. Take me on a tour of that village of yours," he said, turning his head. His gaze fell upon Bai Yuekui's aloof profile, his tone leaving no room for refusal.
"Bring Marc and Ran Bing along too. We'll go together."
"What are you trying to do!" Shanda roared. He, Sui Xing, and the others instantly stepped in front of Bai Yuekui, their Life Source Essence surging with hostility.
They could tolerate this man's immense strength, but they absolutely could not allow him to lay a finger on their home.
However, Bai Yuekui simply raised her hand.
She took a deep look at Ian. In those placid, well-like eyes, no emotion could be discerned.
Finally, she nodded calmly.
She knew very well that in front of this man, any resistance was a joke.
They had no right to refuse, nor any chips to negotiate with.
"Smart people always save me a lot of trouble," Ian smiled in satisfaction.
He turned and walked toward the open clearing ahead, smoothly drawing a golden card from the slot on his belt.
"Driving is too slow," he muttered softly, casually flicking his finger.
The card transformed into a blinding golden light, shooting straight into the midair.
The golden light suddenly burst open in the sky, expanding into a massive formation composed of data streams.
A second later, a soul-shaking dragon roar that seemed to originate from the primordial era echoed across the heavens!
"Roar!"
A mechanical giant dragon, entirely covered in golden streamlined armor, with a lithe and elongated body brimming with power and beauty, burst forth from the formation!
It circled once in the air, its massive serpentine body whipping up a gale that forced everyone below to look up.
The survivors who had just settled down in the Lighthouse fortress were so terrified by this sight that they fell to their knees once again.
Under everyone's dumbfounded gazes, the mechanical dragon went into a dive, howling toward Ian's position.
Just at the moment it was about to crash into the ground, its colossal body fluidly disassembled, transformed, and reassembled in midair.
The sounds of metal scraping and mechanical locks engaging were crisp and melodious.
Ultimately, a hover chariot with an absolutely domineering design, gleaming entirely with a white-gold luster...
...came to a quiet halt in front of Ian.
It was the Emperor Speeder!
Ian smoothly straddled the driver's seat of the chariot, then patted the seat behind him, signaling Bai Yuekui with his eyes to get on.
"Wow! That's so cool! Boss, I want to ride too!" Xia Dou, standing to the side, had long since tossed the previous tense atmosphere to the back of her mind.
Her eyes sparkled, her face filled with the excitement and longing of a little girl seeing a beloved toy. She was practically ready to pounce on it.
Ian was amused by her reaction and casually snapped his fingers.
"Snap."
Five more cards of varying colors flew out from the belt at his waist, tracing five brilliant trajectories in the air.
Red, black, yellow, blue, and white.
The five beams of light transformed into five massive formations in the sky, followed by five slightly smaller exotic beasts charging out.
Flame Dragon, Wind Eagle, Black Rhino, Earth Tiger, and Snow Mastiff.
They landed, transforming into five equally cool but stylistically distinct hover chariots, lining up neatly on both sides behind the Emperor Speeder.
They were the Armor Hero Light and Shadow Speeders.
"Pick one to ride yourselves," he said.
Before his voice even faded, Xia Dou cheered and impatiently hopped onto the bright red Light and Shadow Speeder.
She stroked the cold, smooth body of the vehicle affectionately, letting out satisfied hums.
Marc and Ran Bing exchanged a glance and also chose a black Light and Shadow Speeder.
Shanda and Sui Xing hesitated for a moment before silently boarding the remaining Light and Shadow Speeders.
Everyone was ready.
Ian's gaze fell on Bai Yuekui once more. She was still standing in place, unmoving.
"Are you ready, Boss Bai?"
The next instant, an invisible force swept Bai Yuekui up, causing her to land steadily and uncontrollably on the seat behind Ian.
"You'd better hold on tight."
As his words fell, without waiting for Bai Yuekui to react, the Emperor Speeder's engine let out a deep roar, followed by a streak of golden light shooting into the sky.
The next moment, the engines of the other five chariots roared simultaneously!
In an instant, they turned into several streams of light that tore through the air, soaring into the sky and disappearing over the horizon.
Leaving behind only a patch of vitrified ground, glowing faintly red from the scorching high-temperature exhaust.