Chapter 53: Meeting, Section 5

Black Hair continued to travel through the universe.
Nearly two months had passed since leaving Death Star, and Black Hair’s fleet had been in battle almost constantly. As he deciphered the memories of Grand Duke Tarot, one resource site after another was destroyed. In just two months, Black Hair gained vast amounts of combat experience. The entire fleet—whether it was Snake Fang, virtual puppets, or the most crucial Native Power Armor—saw a qualitative improvement in combat strength.
Not only that, but during the destruction of resource sites, Black Hair didn’t hesitate to seize any resources he could, so now the cargo holds of the virtual puppets were already full, looking sluggish, like pregnant women. The only thing that relieved Black Hair was that such excessive loading didn’t affect the mobility of the virtual puppets. Designed as carriers, they were, in a sense, similar to freighters—at least in terms of load capacity.
Now, they were heading toward the last resource site. The fleet moved through the ruins in the virtual corridor. Meanwhile, Black Hair and Monkey went to Li Feng’s mecha bay. In the spacious area, nearly a hundred massive steel humanoid figures stood quietly, the light above reflecting off them, casting a tangible metallic glow. In front of these cold metal figures, Monkey, Blood Eyes, and Baroka’s Native Power Armor knelt on one knee, their chests open…
But these weren’t the most eye-catching. What really caught attention was that behind each of Monkey’s men’s specialized armor, there stood a burly man beside every Native Power Armor unit. With well-proportioned bodies, defined muscles, and expressionless gazes, they resembled killing machines. Just by standing there, they exuded a fierce aura that made the surrounding Blood Wolf warriors look away in awe.
“Are these the elites you picked?” Black Hair asked slowly, staring at these burly men.
“Mm. They’re all the best warriors. But I didn’t pick them,” Monkey replied, no longer wearing his usual playful smile.
“Oh? Not you?” Black Hair raised an eyebrow. “Then is it Blood Eyes? Baroka?”
“Neither,” Monkey shook his head solemnly. “Each of them fought their way here. From the current 31,600 Blood Wolf warriors, they engaged in a brutal competition behind closed doors to claim ownership of the Native Power Armor. The people you see are the winners of that competition.”
“…” Black Hair fell silent. His gaze swept over each of the men before him. After a long while, he slowly sighed.
“How many died?”

“215 people,” Monkey replied seriously, then glanced subtly at Baroka behind him.
In fact, he hadn’t finished speaking. Indeed, those with black hair hadn’t participated in their selection at all. Yet this secret competition was organized—by Baroka. That fat man, originally a sand bandit, hid a ruthless heart beneath his seemingly simple appearance. Such a cruel contest was, in his eyes, a law of survival of the fittest. He handled it with ease. Despite thorough preparations beforehand, the actual battle still resulted in over a hundred deaths and injuries. It was hard for Monkey to accept such a outcome.
You see, many of those dead warriors were his loyal subordinates who had fought alongside him all along. They died just to gain the right to pilot the Primal Power Armor, right there in the training ground. Monkey still remembered their angry cries before death.
But… it was all worth it.
The Primal Power Armor was China’s last weapon. If possible, Monkey didn’t want it used by humans of other races. If it had to be used, he wanted the pilots to be the elite among the elite.
Now, those elites had been selected—through Baroka’s brutal elimination process, they had fought their way through. What more could Monkey complain about?
The atmosphere grew heavy. Hearing that number, the black-haired man’s pupils also contracted slightly. Then he sighed again and stepped forward to the man at the front. He gently raised his finger and touched the man’s chest. There, a thick scar lay like a venomous snake, twisting terrifyingly.
The black-haired man knew that was a mark left only in moments of life and death. He could even imagine that in the fierce battle, the man’s mech’s cockpit had been struck by an enemy’s blade. The cockpit’s hard shell couldn’t withstand the massive weight of the combat weapon, which shattered instantly. Despite being gravely injured, the man had fought back desperately, taking advantage of the enemy’s momentary lapse to kill them.
“Does it hurt?”
“It doesn’t hurt, my lord!!” The man straightened his chest and answered loudly, without looking away.
“What’s this?”
“A medal, my lord!!”
“A fine medal. And who made it?”
“I killed him, my lord!!”
“Was he your comrade?” The black-haired man’s gaze sharpened, his voice growing colder.
“He was an enemy, my lord!!” The man met his gaze unflinchingly and shouted back.
“As long as he stands in front of me, he’s an enemy, my lord!!”
“What about me? I’m standing in front of you now!”

“If this is your order, yes, my lord!!”
“Very good!” The black-haired man snapped softly, suddenly reaching out and pressing on the other man’s body. “Now, I grant you permission to use a Primal Power Armor. And at the same time, I am your enemy. I order you to attack me immediately.”
“Head!” The monkey beside him was stunned and immediately panicked.
“Head!!” Blood Pupil and Baroka’s expressions also changed instantly.
Only the man named by the black-haired man showed no change at all. He still stood upright and replied loudly, “Understood, my lord!! Attacking immediately!!”
“Ka!!” As he spoke, the Primal Power Armor beside him immediately opened its chest, enclosing him like a shell. A bright light flashed from its eyes, and at the same time, the armor plates all over its body began to move slowly, resembling snake scales from a distance.
The black-haired man knew that was the adaptation process of the Primal Power Armor to its user—during this process, it would change according to the user’s fighting habits and evolve into the most suitable combat form. Taking advantage of this time, he glanced directly at the other men.
“Will you all give the same answer as him?”
“Yes, my lord!!” Nearly a hundred fierce warriors replied in unison, their voices so loud that the ceiling vibrated.
“Then, I grant you the same permission and orders!! Begin.”
“Understood, my lord. Attacking immediately!!” Another synchronized reply followed, along with continuous “ka ka” sounds. In an instant, all the Primal Power Armor in the mech bay began to transform…
Witnessing this, Blood Pupil and the others were stunned. They stared blankly at the continuously transforming Primal Power Armor, murmuring to themselves.
“He’s gone mad, completely mad… What is Head trying to do? Commit suicide?”
“Damn it! If I had known this, I should have relaxed the rules. These guys are all the strongest among the Blood Wolves. Even if it’s just two or three of them, we can’t handle them.” Baroka also looked regretful.
Only Monkey, after initial surprise, became calm. Staring at the continuously transforming Primal Power Armor, a faint understanding smile appeared on his lips.
“This is… a ritual…”
“What ritual?” Blood Pupil became anxious. “Damn it, don’t talk to me about rituals. Hurry up and stop Head! This isn’t a joke—these guys go berserk as soon as blood is seen! They won’t hold back in battle!!”

“It’s useless…” Hearing Blood Pupil’s anxious shouts, the monkey only shook its head. “Once this ritual starts, it won’t stop. Unless one of the participants falls.” “Oh, damn!!” Blood Pupil slapped its forehead in pain. “How could there be such a thing? I’ve never heard of it.” “It’s normal you haven’t heard of it. Only a few people know about this ritual, and even fewer participate in it. Even I haven’t encountered it before.” “What?” Baroka was shocked. “Even you aren’t qualified?” “It’s not a matter of qualification,” the monkey said with a faint bitter smile, shrugging. “It’s just that it’s not necessary. This ritual originated on the battlefield of my hometown and Blackhair’s hometown. It’s a very ancient practice. Its purpose is to help warriors trapped in their desire for killing maintain a clear mind. So it only works for those who have been exposed to too much bloodshed. Through utterly overwhelming battles, it makes those who have lost their true nature feel despair and helplessness, allowing them to break free from their desires.” “In simple terms, it’s to destroy their confidence?” Blood Pupil was stunned. “Weren’t you saying that would make things worse? Warriors are meant to be tempered through bloodshed. If their confidence is destroyed, how can they fight anymore?” “But being lost in a world of bloodshed for too long isn’t good either. Haven’t you noticed that these guys can no longer even recognize their friends and family?” The monkey glanced at Blood Pupil and sighed reproachfully. “Such people are just killing machines. Our leader wouldn’t dare sacrifice these subordinates. As for confidence, it can’t be destroyed by a single battle. All our leader needs to do is make them sober up a bit.” “Don’t worry… Our leader is kind. He won’t kill them.” Seeing the worried expressions on Blood Pupil and Baroka’s faces, the monkey chuckled. “Oh, damn!! That’s not what we’re worried about!! We’re afraid our leader will get killed!! Ah, trouble…” Before he could finish speaking, Blood Pupil suddenly turned pale with fear. “Our special armor is still in the middle!” “What!?” Baroka and the monkey also turned pale immediately, rushing to look at the battlefield. They saw that the hundred-plus men had completed their transformation process and had just gathered Blackhair in the center. Then, Blackhair suddenly raised his hand to the sky and pressed down slightly… “Boom!!!” A massive surge of energy erupted, blowing the monkey and the others away like pieces of paper… The battle had begun.