Chapter Sixteen: Surviving the Inferno, a Spectacular Breakthrough

Unlike the common mechanical guards, the elite enemies had no fatal weak points; all their pipelines were shielded beneath sturdy alloy plates.

New players often found themselves struggling against such foes due to insufficient firepower.

Fortunately, veteran players who crafted the walkthroughs had already laid out clear strategies. Both of these elite enemies had several fixed methods to be overcome.

The Sword Guard model lacked agile maneuverability, stumbling even when turning on the spot, and once it started running, changing direction was difficult.

Each time it launched, its legs showed a noticeable charging motion. At this moment, delivering a lateral strike to disrupt its balance would send the Sword Guard tumbling awkwardly, essentially tripping itself up.

As long as it was prevented from rapidly weaving across the battlefield, its threat level would plummet.

Therefore, the best way to handle it was close-quarters combat—circling the Sword Guard and delivering fierce elbow strikes to the vulnerabilities on its side and rear.

Repeated disruption of its balance would cause wear on the core components in its waist and abdomen due to uneven force exertion, triggering an overload in its system. It would then automatically open its rear maintenance panel to cool down, exposing its central components—this was the perfect moment to deliver a killing blow.

Lin Bo had long memorized the strategy and had a clear plan in mind.

As an elite enemy newly added to the "Mechanical Factory" dungeon’s Hell difficulty, even with the solution known, the Sword Guard was far from easy to defeat, requiring players to cooperate closely.

Within the four-person team, the priestess was quite powerful; her clever use of spells gave her a decent chance against the Sword Guard.

The wanderer likely relied on environmental traps to hold the line, and with some luck, could also emerge victorious.

Only the barbarian was at a disadvantage—his scant clothing and sluggish movements made him vulnerable to the Sword Guard’s slashes, though he was more than capable of handling the shield bearers.

The only one who could face the Sword Guard head-on was the mage—Lin Bo’s role. Though not a defender, he could match the Sword Guard’s speed and force it into mistakes.

“Beep—” The indicator light atop the Sword Guard flickered.

It crossed its twin swords in front of its body, gripping both hilts, then twisted its wrists back and forth. With a mechanical click, the twin swords separated into two single-handed blades. It held them palm to palm—one upright, the other reversed.

The Sword Guard leaned forward, charging energy, its upper body arching like a leopard ready to pounce. The reversed blade was hidden beneath the wrist, seemingly disappearing, while the pointed tip of the forward blade aimed directly at Lin Bo’s head. Light flowed along the blade’s edge, its cold gleam like a fine thread.

The sleek, cold lines of the alloy frame endowed it with exquisite technological beauty and a menacing aura. Even the dust in the air seemed scattered by its lethal presence.

Lin Bo nodded slightly at the bionic warrior’s posture.

It was truly impressive. The engineers who designed its movement algorithms were undoubtedly highly skilled.

It was a pity that such a stunning robot was only an elite enemy in a beginner dungeon. Its looks far exceeded its combat power—fortunately so, or else these rookies would have been cut down like crops.

“Beep—”

At the moment the low synthetic voice sounded again, the Sword Guard and Lin Bo simultaneously sprang into action. They were no more than ten meters apart, and within a second, closed the distance to mere inches.

Too fast. Such rapid close-quarters combat left even the mind struggling to keep pace.

With intense focus, Lin Bo’s subjective sense of time slowed dramatically. The charging Sword Guard appeared to crawl like a slug, and even the breeze stirring dust across its surface came into sharp, vivid clarity.

The cold gleam of the blade frosted Lin Bo’s mask as he tracked its trajectory. Urged by his thoughts, his body twisted like a swimming snake. The blade grazed his deflecting head and tensed torso but ultimately struck empty air.

Lin Bo evaded the forward thrust and countered with his short spear, aiming at the Sword Guard’s head camera.

At that moment, the Sword Guard’s AI core anticipated the move, raising its left arm to block with the reversed blade hidden beneath its wrist, aiming directly at an opening in Lin Bo’s chest and abdomen—waiting for him to collide.

Such clever and skillful defense was impossible for regular mechanical grunts, making the elite enemy’s advanced intelligence akin to a seasoned warrior and a formidable foe.

Lin Bo pressed down on his spear’s shaft, parrying the reversed blade.

Sparks flew from the contact as he poured his full strength into the block. The point of contact slid along the blade toward its tip, propelling Lin Bo’s body swiftly to the Sword Guard’s left side. At this moment, both swords struck air—an obvious wide-open gap.

Seizing the opportunity, Lin Bo delivered a flying knee strike to the Sword Guard’s side. Though the force was moderate, it was enough to disrupt its balance.

The robot was blasted sideways again, sparks trailing as it skidded across the ground.

This exchange unfolded within a single second, pushing Lin Bo to his limit. Though he remained calm, his body reacted intensely—his heart pounding like a drum and sweat breaking out cold.

The Gundam pilot Frost Skystream was unfazed, but the machine itself was thoroughly rattled.

Watching the Sword Guard falter once more under his assault, Lin Bo’s spirits lifted. The adrenaline surge dulled the physical pain, replaced by a rush of dopamine—a warm, tingling electric thrill spreading from scalp to back.

Such rapid, high-stakes duels were dangerously addictive.

In dungeons, risking it all didn’t mean real death—no wonder so many players reveled in the thrill.

[Starry Eyes]: The mage is amazing!

The priestess cheered enthusiastically, watching the overall battle and ready to assist at a moment’s notice.

Her greatest concern had been whether the lighthouse keeper could hold the dangerous Sword Guard. Now, relieved, she encouraged her teammates warmly over the channel.

The wanderer was still scaling walls like a gecko, fiddling with valves and mechanisms, sweating profusely and fully absorbed.

The Sword Guard rose again.

To force the machine into overload, it had to be made to charge fully multiple times. In close combat, it seldom executed charging maneuvers, so it usually took a long fight to accumulate enough wear.

Lin Bo let the Sword Guard charge, meeting it head-on to break its momentum. After all, this was a bionic machine with intelligence far from cunning. Though it had many varied moves, they were too formulaic and rigid. Every victory Lin Bo won opened the door to countless more.

Poor Sword Guard, tormented until smoke poured from its body, finally could no longer bear it. It popped open its rear maintenance panel, exposing its fragile weak spot to the merciless humans. On its final charge, the mage’s spear struck its vital core, ending its ignoble existence.

Meanwhile, the barbarian had crippled the shield bearer’s legs and called to the wanderer in the team channel for a bomb.

The shield bearer collapsed, dropping its shield and struggling to move with its hands, attempting to blast enemies with its chest-mounted electromagnetic cannon.

The barbarian caught the bomb, disarmed the fuse, counted three seconds in his hand, then shoved it into the cannon’s muzzle embedded in the shield bearer’s chest, delivering a devastating internal explosion.

With a thunderous roar, the last guardian of the Mechanical Factory fell.

[Nightingale]: Woohoo! We did it! Great job, everyone!

[Starry Eyes]: Great work, great work!

[Flying Grass]: So easy! You all are amazing—less than half an hour and it’s over. Awesome!

[Lighthouse Keeper]: Thanks, everyone.

[Dungeon clearance conditions met, calculating rewards.]

[You have earned: Comprehensive Network Disaster Coins ×180, Universal Experience ×900, Mechanic’s Sweat-Wicking Vest (Gray), Guardian Chest Armor (White), Leg Burst Exoskeleton (Blue), “Secrets of the Machinist” (Red).]

[First-time clearance of Hell difficulty “Abandoned Ancient Mechanical Factory” dungeon reached milestone.]

[Achievement unlocked—“Hazardous Appliance Cleanup” (Dim).]

After a brief discussion, the four divided the mechanical guard remains according to who dealt the killing blow. The barbarian suggested the shield bearer’s remains belonged to the wanderer, but Nightingale waved off any claim to credit.

This collaboration had been quite pleasant. Originally a temporary team, now all four felt a reluctant attachment.

The deep purple time-space vortex opened.

No one left first; they exchanged glances for a moment.

[Nightingale]: How about we head back and rest before continuing the run?

The other three had been waiting for this exact suggestion and nodded in unison.