Chapter 1: The Stranded One with Black Hair, Section 6

“Clang!!”
A massive arm adorned with purple patterns flew upward in a perfect arc. After spinning countless times, it was thrown far away. The sand kicked up upon impact, rising like a small fountain.
Everyone was stunned.
What lay before them was a nightmare-like scene. The once-mighty and dominant magic mecha was now in tatters. A huge wound ran from its left shoulder, splitting half of its body. The internal components could be seen clearly, with red sparks flickering within. Its massive left arm, once wielding a terrifying chain hammer, was gone—only a broken stump remained. Crystalline magic conductors were exposed, occasionally shooting out colorful sparks.
“George!” OldBuick let out a pained groan. He turned away, unable to bear the sight any longer.
Magic mechas were products of the magic civilization, different from the mechanical civilization of their origins. Though they used mental control to enable more agile movements and quicker reactions, this also meant that any damage inflicted on the mech was reflected on its operator. Minor injuries were one thing, but fatal damage often led to both destruction of the mech and death of the operator. Seeing the miserable state of this magic mech, anyone would realize… their “warrior” probably didn’t have much time left.
Sure enough, in the next moment, Moni swung her long sword again. A mech head the size of a melon flew into the air. After tracing a long arc, it landed right in front of the Puppet Worm. The blue vision crystals on its head flickered before fading out.
“Attack! Hurry up and attack!”
Amidst everyone’s shock, OldBuick was the first to regain his senses. His once-excited, red face was now filled with panic. He screamed hoarsely, “Damn it! What kind of warrior is this? A worthless guy. We spent a hundred thousand cards on such a thing. I’m blind! What are you waiting for? Attack already! Do you want to get torn to pieces by that thing?”
At his cry, his subordinates also snapped out of their daze. The purplish-red light of the crystal cannons reappeared in the desert sky.
Like a giant net, the sheer number of hundreds of crystal cannons created an overwhelming presence. Their dense trails of light formed beautiful patterns, instantly encircling the massive figure ahead. Sparks of all sizes burst out from every part of its body—vibrant and dazzling.

But everything seemed like a real nightmare. Moni’s terrifying figure wasn’t destroyed by the intense artillery fire as expected; instead, the gunfire distracted everyone. Amidst the heavy fire, it slowly turned around…
“Thud… thud… thud…” The desert trembled with dull vibrations. Sparks flew from its armor under the bombardment. With each step of that giant robotic figure, it seemed to weigh down the scavengers’ hearts. Facing that demon-like figure, everyone’s face turned pale, their eyes filled with despair. OldBuick’s face twisted in agony as he staggered uncontrollably.
Suddenly…
“Look! What’s that?” One of his subordinates suddenly shouted in alarm. OldBuick was startled and glanced over quickly, immediately spotting a nimble figure.
Like a swift raccoon, that human figure darted through the intense fire, rolling and stopping abruptly as it rushed toward the fallen magic mech. Its movements were so agile they hardly seemed human. Amidst all those complex maneuvers, the crystal cannons couldn’t touch it at all. In just a few moments, it had closed the distance to within five zhang of the magic mech.
“Black hair!!” OldBuick froze for a moment before suddenly jumping up. “Quick! Increase the firing rate—don’t let Moni notice him. Damn it, I wasn’t wrong—he’s really a warrior!”
But could he truly control that thing that had become scrap metal?
OldBuick didn’t dare think about it, nor did the scavengers. Because at this moment, they had no other choice… That figure moving through the fire would be their only hope.
“Clang!”
Ignoring the height of the magic mech, Black Hair climbed swiftly like a agile monkey, using both hands and feet to reach a protrusion on the mech’s waist. His long black hair fluttered in the wind. With a sudden fist strike, he plunged deep into the mech. Followed by grabs and pulls, lifts and swings—within moments, a hard plate about three meters square was lifted, revealing the dark space beneath.
George’s figure appeared before his eyes…
It looked as if he had been tossed around by countless blades. There was no trace of a warrior left in George now—his entire body was covered in blood, as if he had just been pulled out of a pool of blood. The small figure that had been perched on his shoulder was also gone. The entire cockpit was splattered with blood, with pieces of flesh of all sizes scattered everywhere, a terrifying sight.

With a cold snort, Black Hair hesitated not for a moment. Extending his left hand, he pulled George out of the mech in one motion and then threw him far away. Immediately afterward, he rushed in and the hatch closed again.
It was as if a dragon returned to the sea or a tiger roared through the mountains. Although the scavengers had placed their hopes on Black Hair, none of them could have imagined that the outcome would be like this.
“Screech!!”
With a sudden high-pitched sound, the previously paralyzed magic mech leaped up like a agile monkey. Despite its gruesome wounds, they didn’t hinder its movement at all. Blinding flames burst out from behind it. In just an instant, it accelerated to its limit! It rushed through the desert, leaving behind long trails of smoke.
Everyone was stunned.
After all, mech combat was different from ordinary battles. Every movement required a tremendous amount of energy from the operator, and extreme actions imposed an equally astonishing strain on the body due to inertia. While such acceleration might seem ordinary to outsiders, the scavengers knew full well how much pressure it entailed. To put it bluntly, even the body might be crushed under the strain.
Moreover, at this moment, Black Hair was bearing the mental pressure exerted by the mech on his own, without any assistance. This was simply an impossible miracle!
But it was definitely not all…
It was like a crazy race car doing drifts. Right before everyone’s eyes, the magic mech suddenly changed its trajectory. Without slowing down, it instantly turned several times. Friction with the rough sand created long trails of smoke as it moved. By the time it stopped, it had reached in front of Moni, blocking its path.
Immediately after, the mech’s remaining right arm discarded its shield and, with a swift motion, pulled out a… small dagger.