Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'
Chapter 169 - 138. Armored Suit Core_2

Chapter 169: 138. Armored Suit Core_2

Boom!

White frost and yellow sand splattered and rose; in an instant, the twelve-meter-tall heavy armored suit completed its hard landing, with the air cushion on the armored chassis greatly mitigating the impact force.

Li Aozi and the others were almost buried by the dust and snow that had been kicked up, his gaze flickered rapidly as he sized up the equipment level of the opposition.

Mobile Armor, a pure war weapon typically paired with mechanized infantry for assaults and large-scale combined arms operations.

The icy conditions and poor visibility of the Outer World meant that sending out fighter jets was tantamount to suicide, with the Sky Army and strategic support forces unable to provide air supremacy and long-range missile strikes, which led to the birth of this aberrant war machine.

It didn’t resemble a human at all but rather a chicken without a neck and with arms, its feet standing on huge rocket-propelled air cushions—a simple and brutal modular engineering design, devoid of an anti-gravity system, which made its maintenance far simpler.

Mobile Armor is equipment, not a monster; it has no level, but its threat level can usually be judged by the craftsmanship and number of weapon mounts.

Compared to the ’Hawk Eagle’ and ’Night Owl’ which would be active in the Sky Ring invasion and the Frost Plated civil war, the Wolf Badger was a poor by-product of the sudden cut in Frost Plated military expenses during this period.

Its design was extremely simple and brutal; in order to lower the threshold for users, it directly adopted the crew model from the tank era, with the commander in charge, the gunner operating the weapon systems, the mechanical operator responsible for communication and reconnaissance, and the driver responsible for maneuvering.

Later however, people found that just with an auxiliary AI, a fire control system, and a remote command center, a single driver could operate the Mobile Armor—there was no need to waste four people’s effort.

The Wolf Badger specialized in fire support, so it wasn’t equipped with close-combat weapons. Its main weapons included a 40mm cannon and a power shield. Li Aozi noticed missile pods on its arms, a large rocket launcher on its back, and a pair of anti-infantry Gatling guns on the protruding chest armor.

Of course, the cost of being fully armed was that its avionic systems and phased-array radars were exceptionally poor, and its electronic warfare capabilities were almost nonexistent.

Rough workmanship aside, equipment of this level could unleash a slaughter if not targeted by a large amount of artillery and anti-vehicle groups. Essentially, with the ability of Beta Rank, there was no way to stop it.

"Another smooth landing."

Uzida praised before she opened the broadcast and called out to the ground units:

"Are you Li Aozi? Why do you look so much older than your photo? But recognizing to surrender in the face of Mobile Armor is a wise move."

With those words, the Wolf Badger lifted up its huge gun muzzle, aiming at Li Aozi.

"I am willing to surrender!"

Li Aozi shouted loudly:

"I have already ceased resistance. Heroines of Frost Plated, please show mercy and accommodate me legally according to international law."

"Tsk— is this all you got?"

The gunner said disdainfully:

"Thought you were a tough guy from the mission records, but turns out you’re just a coward, giving up as soon as you see Mobile Armor, truly boring!"

Uzida’s gaze flickered as she signaled the driver to move the gun muzzle aside but deliberately and quietly aimed the anti-infantry Fire God Cannon at Li Aozi.

Even if the intel confirmed he had killed a Transcendent of Beta Rank, the Fire God Cannon’s firing rate of 9,000 rounds per minute was enough to shred an unarmored target.

"We were merely responsible for stopping the train."

Uzida said indifferently:

"Next, we will have to wait for a Fourth Rule agent to come and take control of you."

While speaking, a female voice came through the channel:

"I am Fourth Rule Agent Nimotin. We have reached the airspace and are about to make the jump."

"So slow, are you bunch of fish and shrimps who’ve never seen a battlefield riding snails or something?" the electromechanic mocked.

Nimotin’s tone was full of displeasure. Although they belonged to different systems, soldiers weren’t necessarily that much higher in rank than these agents, and this was not Sky Ring Country, after all.

Moreover, the environmental climate of the Outer World was ever-changing. Long-distance flights were extremely dangerous activities in themselves, and they had also risked their lives to follow through the bumpy ride. Why should these soldiers be so arrogant?

Retreating ten thousand steps, she was an Alpha Stage powerhouse herself. At most, among those soldiers, only a driver might be an Alpha Stage. She could only swallow her resentment and explained:

"Sorry, we encountered a storm on the way and had to pause for a moment—"

"No need for more words. Taking so long to handle a Beta Rank target, it seems the Fourth Rule Agency should’ve long abolished some positions filled with freeloaders."

The electromechanic scoffed derisively, sending a contemptuous reply before hanging up the communication.

Zhang Shengnan launched a laser tow cable, thereby thwarting any intentions the locomotive might have had of escaping. As expected, it turned out to be a simple task, just like before, with the only difficulties being parachuting from a low altitude and intercepting the target.

Next, they just had to wait obediently for that group of female Fourth Rule agents to come down and take control of the target.

However, Uzida faintly sensed something amiss. She stared at the magnified face of Li Aozi on the screen, quietly feeling something, then narrowed her eyes and said:

"I’m curious, you’re only Alpha Stage, how did you kill a Beta Rank?"

"Did you say there would be a reward? Like letting me go or something?"

Li Aozi had a ’hehe’ smile on his face, showing no signs of resistance. Moreover, not only that, he unexpectedly had a lot of affability, defusing the hostility of the crew in a few words.

Although Uzida wasn’t taken in by this, such a handsome man was rare even in Frost Plated. She nodded slightly, and after her gaze wavered, she cracked a smile and said softly:

"Sorry, young man, you’re in a state to be detained now."

"However, if you confess willingly, I might be able to give you a little, personal reward—"

"Hey hey, commander, don’t hog it all to yourself." The gunner licked his lips: "I’ve never tasted such fresh meat... Hey, young man, spend a night with us, and we’ll plead for you!"

"Really?" Li Aozi’s expression visibly perked up, his gaze wavering as if he was making up his mind. His extraordinary [Charm] amplified such behavior, causing everyone in the crew, from the older female commander to the aloof driver, to seemingly light up in their eyes in an instant.

"Really~~~" the gunner winked.

"Although it’s against military discipline... it’s not impossible." Yin Xifeng flirtatiously tossed her hair and spoke in a seductive tone.

"Go." The stern-faced Zhang Shengnan, unable to contain her thirst, spat out a word.

Li Aozi laughed:

"Hahaha—I’m not going."