Chapter 4: Partners? Section 1

“Thugs!?” His eyes widened in shock; Harry could hardly believe his ears.
What a joke? Since when did thugs possess such terrifying strength? Could those petty thieves, who got complacent just from a small bounty, really have such insane and domineering mechs? Seeing the black mech standing in front of him, Harry even felt a shameful sense of fear rising in his heart.
Warriors are brave; warriors are noble. On the planet Xek, warriors also symbolize status.
But a warrior defeated by a thug is pitiful…
“Tell me your name!! Tell me!!” Harry gasped heavily. Even through Blue Star’s damaged speaker, one could hear the intense pounding of his heart. His excitement caused severe fluctuations in his mental state, resulting in slight vibrations in Blue Star’s body. It was clear that Harry’s anger had reached its peak.
Unfortunately, his opponent—the black mech—clearly didn’t care about this at all.
“No need…” A soft sigh. Blackhair shook his head. With a motion of his right hand, he moved the little demon to Blue Star’s side. Its combat arm, equipped with alloy claws, reached out and settled around the opponent’s cockpit at the waist. His voice suddenly became incredibly gentle, like that of a most gentlemanly nobleman.
“Excuse me, is there anyone else in this stronghold?”
“Ah… yes… no! There’s no one!” Affected by Blackhair’s sudden change in tone, Harry was momentarily distracted. But he quickly regained his composure.
“What a pity, sir. Your tone has betrayed you. Then, there’s no need for you to continue existing.” As he spoke, the little demon raised its left hand, and its alloy claws, gleaming with a cold light, suddenly swung toward Blue Star’s cockpit.
Undoubtedly, in such a situation, the damaged Blue Star had no chance of resisting even a single strike from the little demon. Once caught by those alloy claws, its cockpit would end up in pieces.
Yet, not everything in this world happens as planned. Even Blackhair never expected that, at the moment he was about to strike, Harry, the pilot of Blue Star and a member of the Warriors Association, would make a crucial decision—a decision that was almost suicidal.

Although Blue Planet had lost its ability to move, it didn’t mean its weapon systems were completely disabled. The missile launchers, as external heavy equipment, were exactly the only things Harry could control now. Yet he was well aware that this meant destruction would likely affect more than just one target. Even he, the one who initiated the attack, wouldn’t be spared by the nearby missile explosions.

“Boom!!”

The massive explosion shook the earth. Searing flames instantly engulfed the two mechs standing close together, turning an area of a hundred meters into a hell of fire. Countless metal fragments scattered like locusts throughout the space, carrying terrifying kinetic energy as they tore apart everything in their path. Even the manor hundreds of meters away was devastated by the shockwave from the missile explosion—all the windows on the front side shattered simultaneously, and the walls cracked as if they had been ravaged countless times.

The power of missile explosions was astonishing, even those used by mechs. At such close range, not to mention the weak armor of those little guys, even the most heavily armored mechs would struggle to remain unscathed.

In fact, Black Hair never expected the other side to launch such an attack. But after all, he was a battle-hardened thug who had lived amidst blood and fire for countless years. His combat instincts were deeply ingrained in every cell of his body. So the moment the missile bay lid of Blue Planet opened, he immediately reacted—without even a hint of hesitation, his shotgun unleashed a long stream of flames.

Numerous bullets riddled Blue Planet’s shoulder, causing it severe damage and also deflecting the missile launcher from its original trajectory. This gave Black Hair a nearly instant moment of respite. It was just enough time for him to pull Blue Planet’s leg up and use it to shield his vital areas.

But that was sufficient.

The scorching heat gradually subsided, and the swirling dust slowly cleared, revealing the scene clearly. The little guy’s right arm, which held the gun, had been completely blown apart, exposing tangled circuits. His entire body was in tatters, like a coastline ravaged by countless typhoons, with missile fragments deeply embedded in his frame, sparking brightly. His originally black shell had lost its color due to the intense heat, revealing its true state. Visually, it was even more damaged than the most ruined engineering mechs.

Yet, it still remained. As for Blue Planet, which it had used as a shield, it had completely turned into countless pieces. Aside from its torso, which was still barely intact, it no longer resembled a mecha at all.
“Creak…”
A dry sound of metal friction. The little demon finally moved. It first checked the condition of its body, then went to Blue Planet’s torso. After fumbling around for a while, it pulled out an oval object and carefully placed it on the ground before standing up.
“What an amazing guy,” the black-haired man murmured to himself, staring at the oval cockpit at his feet, lost in thought. After a long while, he sighed.
“Even in such a situation, it still refuses to give up the desire to fight. Sir, though I don’t know who you are, you have truly won my respect. Then, as you wish, I’ll leave this place.”
A harsh engine roar sounded again, and in the next moment, the little demon’s tattered body raised clouds of dust as it sped away at high speed. Behind it, the once bustling manor was now deserted, leaving only chaos in its wake.
Yet even so, the black-haired man had successfully taken control of the Warrior Association’s stronghold. It was foreseeable that by the next day, Kuukare Town would be in an uproar. And OldOld Buick, as the mastermind, would likely get what he wanted. It was just unknown what the Warrior Association would do in response.
As it raced away, the black-haired man’s mind worked quickly, planning his future.
What he didn’t know was that the cockpit he had taken from Blue Planet had just opened its doors at that very moment.