Chapter 30: The Crazy Stone, Section 5

“Click!” The massive mechanical feet stepped onto the cold rocks slowly and gently. Kurokami finally let out a sigh of relief, though his face remained pale.
It had been extremely dangerous just now.
They shot out of the pipes at incredible speed, comparable to that of bullets. Coupled with the force of gravity, their descent was utterly uncontrollable. Not to mention the mechs of others, even Kurokami’s own Killing Emperor became uncontrollable in an instant.
Below them was an bottomless abyss, and their falling speed was terrifyingly fast. Such a sudden change would likely overwhelm any ordinary pilot. Fortunately, none of those around Kurokami were ordinary. Almost simultaneously, all the pirates made every effort possible.
Those with unstable postures began adjusting to regain balance, while those with stable postures activated their mechs’ engines, trying to fly upward using their own strength to counteract the immense pressure. As for those who tried both but still were powerless, they even drew their weapons and fired downward, hoping to use the recoil! If not for Kurokami’s order, it might have instantly drawn the attention of all the Rock Warriors.
Yet, it proved just how correct Kurokami’s decision was.
Because one minute after they began falling, a silent current rose from the bottomless abyss below, lifting them up. Instantly, their rapid descent slowed, and they regained control of their mechs.
At the same time, they were shocked to realize they could now see the landscape at the bottom of the abyss.
It was a city!!
A huge city, like some ancient beast, situated at the bottom of the abyss. In the endless darkness, it appeared gloomy and terrifying. If not for the faint lights within the city, they might have thought they had returned to a realm of ghosts.

It was such a city, yet it was extremely busy at this moment. Through the night vision system in the mech, almost everyone could clearly see that right at the city’s entrance, which resembled the maw of a monster, countless Rock Warriors were pouring out. After adjusting their equipment, they surged upward. At an altitude of about 500 meters, a mysterious current would emerge from beneath their feet, pushing them upward until they disappeared into the endless void above. Surely, there must also be a passage there, just like the one Black Hair and the others had just escaped through, welcoming these Rock Warriors.

A slow descent must eventually come to an end. Now, Black Hair and the others had finally landed on a solid rock—a rooftop of a building. Although it wasn’t the highest point in the city, it still allowed them to observe the surroundings thoroughly. As for Ashen Soil beside Black Hair, it was even busier. Sweat droplets already appeared on its small forehead.

Black Hair noticed the little guy’s strain. Clearly, after leaving the passage, the sudden increase in the area to be disguised had overwhelmed it. After all, it was just one being. The ability required to disguise an illusion that covered the entire city was beyond its reach.

“No need to strain so hard, Ashen Soil. Your disguise only needs to cover us. There’s no need to worry about distant areas.” Seeing the little guy’s struggle, Black Hair couldn’t help but give it some advice. At the same time, he sighed inwardly—couldn’t this little thing understand such a simple truth? To maintain the invisibility of its companions, it had expanded its disguise to cover the entire city. Was this little guy really that straightforward?

Hearing Black Hair’s words, the little guy suddenly realized what it had done. Annoyed, it tapped its own head, and disguising itself again wasn’t as difficult. But the negative energy crystals wasted during the previous disguise could no longer be recovered. Looking at the remnants of the crystals at its feet, the regret in its eyes was evident.

“Hehe.” Seeing the little guy’s childlike behavior, Black Hair couldn’t help but laugh. He casually patted its small head before activating the communicator.

“Are the scan results ready?”

“It’s in progress; the preliminary scan is ready. To the northeast of this city, there’s a highly active energy source. It must be their power core. Meanwhile, in the center of the city, there’s another energy source that appears and disappears intermittently. If I’m not mistaken, that’s likely our target. The fact that it appears and disappears suggests it’s buried underground, protected by a force field,” replied the pirate in charge of reconnaissance without looking up, as he swiftly operated his mech. Behind him, a giant spherical scanner replaced the backpack, emitting a low humming sound from time to time.

“You mean the Stone of Light and Dark?” The black-haired man was stunned. “That’s impossible. How could the Rockfolk place such an important item in an ordinary city? Even if it’s a base, it seems too careless.”

“But the fluctuations are very similar to those of the Stone of Light and Dark we saw in the Dead City—almost identical,” argued the pirate in charge of reconnaissance. At the same time, Graydust, the small creature beside the black-haired man, also raised his head.

“He’s right, Boss Beck. If it’s buried underground and protected by a force field, it must be the Stone of Light and Dark. The Rockfolk are proud; they believe their strength can protect everything. That’s why they rarely use advanced defensive measures. Other than the Stone of Light and Dark, they wouldn’t hide anything underground.”

“Is that so?” Hearing the small creature’s explanation, the black-haired man’s eyes lit up.

What great luck! They hadn’t expected to stumble upon such a valuable treasure on this mission! So the Rockfolk had such a habit—believing their strength could protect everything. Wasn’t that arrogance? After a disaster that nearly wiped them out, they still hadn’t changed their flawed ways.

However, obtaining this crucial stone silently posed another challenge: the enormous number of Rockfolk warriors.

After observing them in space, he no longer underestimated their strength. That giant stone axe could tear through warships—what could they not attack? Though his group was made up of elites, they still couldn’t match their sheer numbers. If discovered, he didn’t think he had a chance of escaping unscathed.

From where he stood, Black Hair could even see countless Rock Warriors gathering. These massive stone figures seemed endless, appearing from every corner of the city before rushing toward the main gate. They were then swiftly sent to the battlefield below. After such a long time, the number of Rock Warriors still didn’t decrease at all. It was as if the entire city was a production line for them, with no end in sight.

After a preliminary observation, Black Hair couldn’t find any route that would allow him to avoid these Rock Warriors while safely reaching that hidden location. No matter how he calculated it, they were always on the paths taken by the Rock Warriors. Unless they could launch a direct attack from the sky…

The sky… Wasn’t the sky of this city just the ceiling of a giant cave? With the built-in engines of their mechs, they should be able to sustain short-distance flight. From what he had observed, that upward-flowing current only appeared above 500 meters. So long as they could fly at a height of 500 meters, they wouldn’t be swept away by the current.

Theory… It seemed feasible.

“Blood Eyes, do you have any objections?” After briefly explaining his thoughts to his subordinates, Black Hair turned his gaze to his companion.

At that moment, his companion was right beside him, having put aside his cynical smile and replaced it with seriousness and silence. He carefully checked his equipment but said nothing. It wasn’t until Black Hair asked him that he slowly raised his head.

“No objections. A high-altitude attack is our strength. As long as the target is correct. But boss, I need to warn you—based on the war footage we saw in the Dead City last time, the force field protecting the Light and Dark Stone is very tough. It’s better not to use energy weapons yet. We don’t even know if our hybrid weapons will work.”

“The hybrid weapons should be fine. Although the power comes from energy, the actual damage is caused by high-speed particles from real ammunition. That force field shouldn’t be immune to it. What worries me is whether we’ll provoke a counterattack from the Light and Dark Stone.” Black Hair pondered for a moment, a hint of concern in his eyes.

Hearing his words, the pirates around him also fell silent. Everyone pursed their lips and quietly checked their equipment.

They’re not fools; they’ve seen the footage of that war. The horror of the Light and Dark Stone’s energy-draining aura remains a nightmare, appearing in their dreams constantly. The terrifying ability to drain energy and life, almost eliminating all forms of resistance—no one dares claim to be fearless when faced with it. After all, it’s not a real battle, but rather an almost certain instant death. Even those powerful Sea Urchin warships had to resort to self-destruction in the end, didn’t they? Yet now, all they have are just over a hundred mechs. This is an adventure. A gamble. None of them are sure they can win. But they definitely don’t want to lose. He glanced at his subordinates around him with a complex expression, his dark-haired face twitching slightly. Of course, he knew what they were thinking. But at this moment, someone has to pay the price. It’s just unknown how many brothers will survive this mission… Hopefully, it’s all worth it! For this stone that determines the fate of humanity and the Moor race. With a long sigh, the dark-haired man pushed the control lever, and the massive Killing Emperor immediately crouched slightly before soaring into the sky. Behind him, over a hundred equally dark mechs followed closely, so closely that they seemed like one entity. Even knowing they might turn into piles of gray debris in the next moment, not a single gap could be seen between them…