Chapter 239: Chapter 233: Shadow Assassin
On the special testing grounds outside the workshop.
Allen’s gaze was locked on the metal platform in the center of the field.
Crouched there was a mechanical creation, dark purple from end to end.
It lacked the massive, imposing physique of other Golems.
This prototype was only half a meter tall, and with its six articulated legs fully extended, its diameter was no more than one and a half meters.
Its flat body hugged the ground, and a special dark purple coating absorbed the surrounding light, completely concealing its silhouette in the shadows.
"Shadow Assassin, Prototype 01, initiate self-diagnostic sequence," Allen ordered into the communicator.
[Self-diagnostic initiated.]
Jarvis’s voice echoed in the control room.
[Core Power: Energy Storage at full load, output normal. One Mid-Level Magic Stone as backup power.]
[Frame Stress Test: High-strength composite materials. Strength exceeds design specifications by 200%.]
[Stealth Coating: Magic Power fluctuation concealment rate at 91%. Spatial jump fluctuations fully contained.]
Allen nodded. This Golem was additionally equipped with a Mid-Level Magic Stone as a backup power source, a consideration for the demands of long-duration special missions.
At critical moments, it could also boost its output, giving the Shadow Assassin a terrifying level of power that far exceeded other Mechanical Bodies of the same size.
"Entering combat testing phase. Target: Target Three."
At the other end of the testing grounds, a 50-millimeter-thick plate of homogeneous Magic Steel Armor slowly rose. This was the target Allen used to test the power of the Golems’ beam weapons.
"Initiate Shadow Travel."
The instant the command was given, the dark purple, spider-like body on the platform distorted and melted into the air.
There was no leakage of Magic Power, only an extremely faint ripple in space.
The original Spider Slayer’s Shadow Travel could only be maintained for a few seconds, and due to material limitations, its cooldown was extremely long.
Ten seconds, twenty seconds, forty seconds.
A full minute passed.
Behind the Magic Steel Armor plate, the dark purple figure emerged without any warning.
It didn’t use any external weapons. Its six sharp, metallic legs suddenly burst with power.
The additional Mid-Level Magic Stone pushed its output to the absolute limit.
An ear-piercing shriek of tearing metal rang out.
The sharp tips of its legs, backed by terrifying power, directly pierced through the Magic Steel Armor.
The Shadow Assassin pinned itself firmly to the armor plate.
Immediately after, a pair of hollow spikes shot out from the tips of its two front legs.
"Crystallizing Stingers, simulate injection."
A high-pressure pump whirred briefly. A liquid sparkling with faint light was injected under high pressure through the hollow Bullet Blades into the flesh-and-blood target behind the armor plate.
The injection was complete within three seconds.
The Shadow Assassin pulled out its legs, its body distorting once more as it vanished into the shadows and retreated to its starting platform.
The entire assassination process was as smooth as flowing water, with no extraneous movements.
[Test complete.]
[Maximum Shadow Travel concealment time: 62 seconds.]
[Physical Penetration: Capable of piercing standard defensive shields or the scales of mid-level Magical Beasts.]
[Crystallizing Venom effectiveness: Meets standards.]
Allen looked at the two clean holes punched through the armor plate and nodded slightly.
If a target’s armor were tougher, the Shadow Assassin could inject the crystallizing venom beforehand to compromise the armor itself.
This level of power and destructive capability, combined with a full minute of invisibility, was enough for it to carry out the vast majority of decapitation missions on the battlefield.
When two armies faced each other, it could silently sneak up on the enemy’s command node.
Alternatively, it could perform infiltration missions at night, injecting the crystallizing dust solution directly into equipment—and this crystallizing liquid was known to have a peculiar and powerful effect on both Runes and metal.
Even if detected by an alarm ward, it could rely on its terrifying physical power and speed to force a one-for-one trade in a suicide attack.
An assassin costing 15,000 Magic Stones to trade for a high-level combatant was an extremely cost-effective exchange.
Its only drawback was that, due to its size, it wasn’t very effective against large, heavily armored creatures. Against a Rock Armor Earth Dragon, for example, even if the Shadow Assassin broke through its rock-like plating, there were still thick scales and flesh underneath. At best, it could crystallize a large chunk of tissue, but it wouldn’t be a fatal wound.
But this couldn’t hide the Shadow Assassin’s outstanding assassination capabilities. Perhaps other planes of existence would be the battlefields where it could truly shine.
"Jarvis, finalize the blueprints," Allen said, turning toward the elevator. "Produce one unit for now."
[Command confirmed.]
Returning to the main control room on the surface, Allen settled into his command chair.
"Report on the cleanup progress in the Black Stone Gobi."
A holographic sand table materialized in mid-air, zooming in on the Black Stone Gobi region.
The red dots representing the Rock Armor Earth Dragons were sparser than they had been half a month ago. However, the blue dots representing the hunting squads were stationary in various areas of the gobi, having ceased their advance.
[The initial stages of the hunting operation proceeded smoothly.]
Jarvis brought up several combat recordings.
In the footage, Purgatory mechs, in coordination with Storm Falcons, used Crystal Armor-Piercing Bullets to carry out a highly efficient slaughter of lone Rock Armor Earth Dragons on the gobi plains.
[In the first five days, Hunting Squads One through Ten killed a total of fourteen adult Rock Armor Earth Dragons. Casualties were zero.]
[However, starting from the sixth day, the kill efficiency plummeted sharply.]
The topographical map on the sand table marked the last known locations where the Earth Dragons had disappeared.
"The Demon Eye Mark III’s detection radar cannot penetrate more than twenty meters of rock," Jarvis added. "The Purgatory mechs lack deep-earth strike capabilities. Currently, they can only resort to ambush tactics, lying in wait near water sources and ley line nodes. Kill efficiency has dropped significantly."
Allen could see that the remaining hundred-plus red dots were hidden at depths of one hundred to two hundred meters underground.
Allen picked up the cup on his desk and took a sip.
Any other Lord facing these heavily armored Magical Beasts holing up like cowards would have a massive headache. The resources and time consumed to dig deep into the earth just to catch a Tier-2 Magical Beast would be incalculable.
But his composure was unshaken.
"It’s good that they’re smart," Allen said, putting down his cup. "If they had kept charging headfirst, I’d have been more worried about the Crystal Armor-Piercing Bullet production lines keeping up with consumption."
Although the Rock Armor Earth Dragons were not highly intelligent, they possessed animal instinct. The successive, violent deaths of their kin had made them aware of the danger on the surface.
They abandoned their territorial instincts and all burrowed deep underground, hiding like cowards.
The Purgatory and Storm Falcon units had become completely ineffective.
If they were to use Pioneer-class tunnel boring machines to excavate downwards, it would not only be extremely time-consuming, but in the cramped, hard-rock environment underground, the Golem Legion’s numerical advantage would be nullified. Instead, the Rock Armor Earth Dragons, skilled in earth-burrowing Magic, would have the geographical advantage.
[All hunting squads have now switched to a static ambush mode. Monitoring networks have been deployed at the exits of all Earth Dragon lairs.]
[However, in the past ten days, not a single Rock Armor Earth Dragon has left its underground lair.]
[Should we adjust tactics and request the deployment of large-scale earth-penetrating munitions for a carpet bombing of the target area?]
Jarvis offered a tactical suggestion.
Allen leaned back in his chair, his fingers interlaced over his stomach.
"No rush."
His tone was completely unruffled.
"Earth-penetrating munitions are expensive. Using them to blindly bomb rock layers several hundred meters deep is highly inefficient."
Allen stared at the distribution of red dots on the sand table.
"Rock Armor Earth Dragons are massive creatures and require a large amount of food daily. They can’t stay underground forever without eating or drinking."
"Pull the hunting squads back to the outer strongholds to lie in wait. I am not lacking in patience."
"If they want a battle of attrition, then let them have one. My Golems only need Magic Stones to operate. Let’s see who starves first."
"We must ensure the Rock Armor Earth Dragons are completely exterminated. We won’t be able to start mining operations until every last one of these burrowing Magical Beasts is eliminated."
Allen’s tactics had to shift. Since a direct assault was too costly, he would use time to enforce a blockade.
[Orders updated. Outer blockade network is being established.]
Allen drained the last of his hot drink, then cut the display and went to continue his daily Meditation.
