Honkai, why do you only throw me into high-level battles?

As a rotary machine gun designed for Titan mechs, its six barrels, arranged in a circular pattern, each exceeding 15mm in caliber, were more akin to a cannon than a machine gun.

"..."

Anna watched as over a dozen constructs, who should have been enemies, marched in formation, carrying the massive gun and surrounding Lin Wei. The scene was so impactful that she was at a loss for words.

Isn't this a bit much?

It wasn't that Lin Wei enjoyed being surrounded, but controlling these mindless puppets with a shared behavioral template was simply more efficient.

"Anna, step aside, don't want to hurt you."

Lin Wei called out to Anna, who was diligently guarding the staircase, preventing the Deadmen from breaking through.

Instead of retreating, Anna charged towards the staircase, slashing horizontally at the densely packed Deadmen in the narrow passage. She effortlessly cut down three or four, pushing them back slightly.

She then dodged an arrow shot from the depths of the passage and kicked away a giant scythe aimed at her head. The Deadman she kicked lost its footing and tumbled down the stairs, taking several others with it.

Using the momentum from her kick, Anna nimbly flipped out of the staircase, drawing her dual pistols mid-air and firing downwards. A rapid barrage of gunshots echoed, decimating another layer of the蠢蠢欲动的Deadmen. The tumbling bodies blocked the path of those behind them.

Landing gracefully, Anna calmly holstered her slightly overheating weapons and stepped aside, giving Lin Wei's steel storm free rein to roar.

The whirring of the rotary gun intensified into a deafening roar. Dense bullets, like fiery whips from hell, lashed into the deep passage, mercilessly tearing apart anything in their path. They slammed into the walls and floor, sending dust and debris flying.

The narrow passage amplified the destructive power of the relentless barrage. In an instant, everything that moved was torn to shreds, leaving a gruesome scene of scattered limbs.

With capable mechanical "soldiers" handling the task, Lin Wei didn't operate the gun himself. He merely watched the carnage unfold with an indifferent expression.

With a gentle wave of his hand, the still-spinning gun reluctantly slowed to a stop amidst a disgruntled hum. The silent, obedient constructs once again lifted the smoke-filled weapon.

Now that the path was clear, it was time to sweep through each level, one by one. One machine gun and a dozen cannon fodder should be enough.

Anna had recently fought against a Titan mech. She knew the power of its weaponry and wasn't surprised by the scene.

She merely frowned at the lingering smell of gunpowder and retreated to Lin Wei's side, where the air was slightly cleaner.

Of course, this was because they were near the open elevator shaft, allowing for ventilation.

"I didn't expect you to be capable of this. You're truly amazing."

Anna looked at the constructs operating the machine gun, her eyes glancing at Lin Wei, finding him increasingly mysterious and intriguing.

"Just some hacker tricks, nothing special. It just happens to be effective here."

Lin Wei deflected her praise modestly, then changed the subject.

"You were the amazing one, holding back an entire army by yourself. By the way, are you hurt?"

This simple praise and concern made Anna beam. She shook her head gently, indicating she was fine.

Good to hear, Lin Wei nodded, relieved.

After all, unlike himself, who had been subtly avoiding direct combat, Anna had been incredibly dedicated and hardworking. He would have felt incredibly guilty if she had been injured.

Meanwhile, the roar of the machine gun echoed again. The construct "gunners" set up the weapon at the corner of the winding staircase, the fiery whip continuing its relentless sweep, mowing down the remaining "weeds."

As a weapon designed to fight Honkai beasts, the Titan mech's machine gun was overkill for dealing with Deadmen.

Especially in this confined underground space, facing such overwhelming firepower, the Deadmen couldn't even utilize their numerical advantage.

Even though these Deadmen were enhanced and modified, much stronger than their "natural" counterparts, it didn't change the outcome.

Anna wasn't surprised. She had seen similar scenarios in simulations.

As a Valkyrie of Schicksal, she was always deployed with fire support units like drones and ground vehicles.

A typical Valkyrie mission went like this:

First, satellites and drones conducted reconnaissance and target marking. Then, depending on the threat level, varying degrees of firepower were used to bombard the target area, reducing the number of enemies.

Only after this initial barrage would the Valkyrie squad enter and take over the battlefield.

They would use their Honkai energy weapons to eliminate targets that couldn't be destroyed by conventional firepower and mop up the remaining Deadmen and Honkai beasts.

Even after the Valkyrie squad took over, command would provide further support with drones or even battleship main cannons if needed. Valkyries rarely faced hordes of Honkai beasts and Deadmen alone,

Unless a major Honkai eruption occurred, like the birth of a Herrscher, causing the command system to collapse and leaving the Valkyrie squads stranded, forced to fight on their own. Whenever this happened, the Valkyrie units suffered heavy casualties.

Durandal, who had been rushing around the world recently, had practically handled all these tasks single-handedly, rewriting Schicksal's battlefield rules. It was somewhat absurd.

Therefore, amidst the roar of the machine gun, Anna naturally guarded Lin Wei's side, using this time to check her equipment.

She knew that when the gunfire stopped, it would be her turn, as a Valkyrie, to take over the battlefield. Fortunately, the high Honkai energy concentration here was rapidly replenishing her weapons' energy levels.

As a professional warrior, Anna was preparing for battle. Lin Wei, on the other hand, as an amateur, was considering something else.

How would the enemy counterattack?

"Sakura, if you were the commander here, what kind of counterattack would you come up with?"

Lin Wei asked Yae Sakura in his mind. As an outside observer, he wanted to hear her opinion.

"Your attack was fierce, suppressing their frontal assault. If it were me, I would choose a flanking maneuver. After all, we're just uninvited guests. The one hiding deep within this base is the one most familiar with the layout."

Yae Sakura thought for a moment, then said,

"Therefore, they could easily use another passage for a surprise attack. As for the target… either you and the Valkyrie, or the machine gun. Either would be acceptable."

Lin Wei nodded, acknowledging her point.

"Lin Wei-kun, be vigilant, don't get careless."

Yae Sakura reminded him gently,

"Otherwise, your little game of 'house' with this girl might be exposed."

Lin Wei felt a chill. She seemed to be anticipating something. He shook his head, discarding these distracting thoughts and focusing on the present.

A surprise attack? From where?

The fresh air from the open elevator shaft behind them dispersed the lingering gunpowder smoke. It was precisely because the air here was less pungent that Lin Wei had chosen this spot.

"Anna, guard the elevator shaft!"

Lin Wei called out, turning to look at the gaping hole, stepping back a few steps away from the potential danger. The six remaining constructs split into two groups. Two went to support the machine gunners, while the other four approached Lin Wei.

The elevator shaft connected all levels. If the enemy wanted to flank them, wouldn't that be the ideal path?

While this underground base was cramped, limiting larger Honkai beasts, smaller ones could fly!

"Huh? Oh, I understand!"

Anna was momentarily confused, but obediently followed his instructions. After all, Lin Wei's judgment was usually correct.

"*Clack, clack!*"

Rapid footsteps echoed from within the elevator shaft, a peculiar sound of metal striking concrete, accompanied by a dull echo, rapidly approaching.

Without further explanation, Anna instantly understood Lin Wei's warning, quickly aiming her dual pistols at the elevator shaft, ready to fire.

The strange footsteps stopped. Nothing appeared. A deathly silence fell, as if it had all been an illusion.

"*Thump!*"

Suddenly, a heavy thud echoed from the depths below, reverberating through the space.

Did it lose its grip and fall?

Anna relaxed slightly, lowering her guns a bit. Holding them up constantly was tiring.

"Anna, stay alert!"

Seeing Anna's vigilance waver, Lin Wei shouted urgently. This silly girl fell for it!

While shouting at Anna, he jabbed his hiking staff hard into the ground, piercing the bio-neural network that spread throughout the base, instantly injecting a large amount of bio-virus.

The power of Corruption, as a super-virus with both electronic and biological properties, was fully capable of inflicting immense physical pain in a short amount of time!

Perhaps this bio-neural network didn't have a biological immune system, but it didn't matter. As long as he could disrupt it, his goal was achieved.

As expected, the moment his staff pierced the ground, a figure emerged, seemingly out of thin air. A "girl," her entire body tightly bound, with long pink twintails exceeding her body length, her blindfolded eyes staring straight at Lin Wei, her mouth wide open as if trying to say something.

It wasn't a girl, but a Deadman: a Nihilus Seed.

It looks kind of cute…

Ugh, Elysia, what have you done!

"Damn it!"

Alarm bells rang in Lin Wei's mind. He shoved Anna away without hesitation and lunged in the opposite direction, dodging a searing beam of energy that scorched the spot where they had just been standing. The air became intensely hot, and the sturdy brick and concrete melted into lava.

A direct hit would have been fatal!

Having missed, the emotionless Deadman showed no frustration. It simply closed its mouth, stopping the energy flow. A few strands of hair from its twintails broke off, scattering in the hot air currents.

"Damn it!"

Anna, having rolled across the floor, realized she had been tricked, and saved by Lin Wei. The realization filled her with shame and anger.

But she knew this wasn't the time for that. She drew her dual pistols, weaving a dense net of bullets towards the floating "hair," freezing them into ice shards mid-air.

Only two strands, the furthest away, landed successfully, instantly transforming into two scythe-wielding Deadmen that lunged silently and swiftly at Lin Wei.

Anna aimed her guns at them.

"Don't worry about me, take out that one!"

Lin Wei shouted, telling Anna what to prioritize.

"Swift and decisive! Don't let it summon more Deadmen!"

Anna turned to look at the floating Nihilus Seed. As expected, its "twintails" were stirring again, and its mouth opened slightly, energy gathering at the base of its tongue.

Logic dictated that eliminating it quickly was the priority, but Anna hesitated.

The two summoned Deadmen were too fast. Lin Wei would be in danger!

Damn it, it's all my fault…

Anna blamed herself for her momentary lapse in judgment.

"What are you waiting for?"

Lin Wei urged again. Why is this silly girl hesitating again? Focus!

"Don't worry about me, do what you need to do!"

Lin Wei continued retreating, creating distance between himself and the Deadmen. He waved his hand, and the four constructs guarding him charged forward, intercepting the rapidly approaching enemies. One was instantly cut down.

At the same time, the two constructs he had sent to support the machine gunners quickly turned back to assist.

Seeing Lin Wei's resolute attitude, Anna bit her lip and tossed one of her pistols towards him.

"Catch!"

She didn't know if he could use it, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

After throwing the pistol, Anna didn't look back to see if he caught it. She drew her blade and charged towards the annoying twintailed Deadman, her heart filled with rage.

Swift and decisive!