Chapter 9

Holding the piece of fatty meat they had just obtained, the three were shocked when it suddenly disappeared. Turning their heads, they saw a young man grinning at them, his hand trembling as a small bamboo claw grabbed the crystal core and pulled it back. Clutching the crystal core, he ran off without a moment's hesitation.

Only then did the three react, shouting, "It's that kid from earlier!"

"Damn it, we should have blasted him to death right away!"

However, they didn't have time to say more. One of them stayed behind to guard the golden bamboo python's corpse—various parts of the corpse were valuable materials for mechanism masters and quite expensive—while the other two chased after Chang Ming, sprinting away.

As soon as they started running, they suddenly felt their feet give way, and they all shouted in their hearts: "Trap!"

The two men quickly adjusted their steps, forcing themselves to turn and land beside the trap. Immediately after, they felt their ankles tighten, and both were suddenly caught by vine loops and hung upside down.

Chang Ming had never intended to use the trap directly against the golden bamboo python. He had set the trap right between the python and himself, precisely to prevent the others from chasing him once he obtained the crystal core!

These two reacted quickly, and as soon as they were hung upside down, one of them pulled out a bone nail crossbow and shot twice to break the vines around his feet, flipping to the ground.

The one who was supposed to stay behind saw the situation and, without hesitation, abandoned the golden bamboo python's corpse and joined the chase. After all, the most valuable part of the golden bamboo python was the crystal core, and they had already reported to their family before coming out. If they lost the crystal core, they wouldn't just lose contribution points; they might even face severe consequences!

This brief delay widened the gap between them and Chang Ming. His figure had already disappeared from their sight, and if it weren't for the rustling of bamboo branches ahead, they wouldn't have known where he had run to.

The three continued to chase, but halfway through, they realized something was wrong. The rustling sound ahead remained in one place. One of them shouted, "Not good, that kid tricked us again!"

Sure enough, when they ran over, they only saw a wild rabbit tied between two bamboo poles. It was trying to escape, but no matter how it struggled, it couldn't break free, only causing the bamboo to rustle.

One of them said, "Stay calm, this kid is too cunning. Be careful he doesn't get away!"

The other two nodded, and the three calmed down, began to hold their breath, and searched for any traces Chang Ming might have left, following them.

Fortunately, they did this; otherwise, they would have missed Chang Ming entirely.

Chang Ming shot his homemade bamboo claw, grabbed the crystal core, and immediately turned to run forward without looking back. He had already made his preparations, and now, with no time to think, he could only hope these preparations would delay the enemy!

He tightly held the crystal core, which was cold and hard, a pale golden color with faint blood streaks. Chang Ming glanced down, feeling a great sense of satisfaction: "Hmph, these bastards, they wanted to kill me for this thing. Now, you've killed the golden bamboo python, and I've got the prize. Hahahaha!"

He ran at full speed, the bamboo branches brushing against his body, leaving countless blood streaks on his skin. As he ran, he also made sure not to lead the enemy to Bamboo Village.

He leaped down a hill, and suddenly heard a clank, followed by a lightness in his pocket!

Chang Ming felt his pocket, finding an empty hole—oh no, the wrench had fallen out!

This was a critical moment, and he couldn't afford to waste any time. However, the wrench was very important to him, and he couldn't just leave it behind!

Without hesitation, Chang Ming turned around and ran back to where the sound had come from. Sure enough, the wrench had hit a rock and was lying on the ground, gleaming.

Chang Ming jogged over, picked up the wrench, and turned to run again. As he ran, he carefully wiped the wrench with his clothes, worried that it might have been damaged by the impact. Such a precise tool couldn't be mishandled.

At that moment, he completely forgot that he had once used the wrench to hit someone's head...

Suddenly, a "ding" sounded from somewhere, and a voice appeared in his ear: "Your points have reached 5000, and you have obtained a Level 2 energy core. The conditions are met, and the Mechanism Heavenly Book can now be activated. Would you like to draw a prize now?"

The voice was neither male nor female, a mix of electronic sounds. It startled Chang Ming!

He turned his head and saw a blurry shadow appearing beside him, running alongside him. The shadow was about his height and build, and if it weren't for the fuzzy light, he might have thought it was his own shadow!

Was it this shadow that had just spoken to him?

At that moment, Chang Ming heard footsteps behind him. The enemy was closing in, having correctly determined his direction!

Chang Ming had only been training for half a month, and the others were naturally better at physical combat, with much better physical fitness. In a true chase, he was no match for them.

Chang Ming was anxious, panting and quickening his pace, completely ignoring the strange shadow beside him.

The shadow spoke again, "The conditions are met. Would you like to draw a prize now?"

Chang Ming, focused on escaping, was irritated by the constant interruptions. He panted and shouted, "Draw, draw, draw, draw your chicken!"

The shadow continued to run alongside him, mirroring his every move. However, its voice was calm and composed, without a hint of breathlessness: "Um... Master, please forgive me, but your preferences are quite unique. However, since it's our first meeting, if you insist, I can fulfill your request—"

As it spoke, the shadow suddenly turned, reaching out behind Chang Ming while still running.

At that moment, the three pursuers were closing in, clearly seeing Chang Ming's back. They laughed smugly, "Run, see where you can run! Kid, I advise you to stop and hand over the item. You might be spared, but if not, not only will you die, but your village will—"

Before they could finish, a black shadow suddenly flew in front of them like a bolt of lightning.

"Damn, another trap!"

The three had encountered several such incidents on their way, and this time, they dodged without hesitation, thinking it would just be another obstacle, not something dangerous.

But this time was different. The black shadow was incredibly fast, and by the time they saw it, it was already in front of them!

As the first one started to dodge, he saw the black shadow growing larger in front of him—

At that moment, he finally saw clearly. It was a brightly colored mechanical chick, about the size of a fist. It flew to him at lightning speed and pecked him sharply on the forehead with its yellow beak!

Chang Ming was running when he suddenly heard three consecutive "thuds" behind him. His mind was focused on escaping, but curiosity made him turn his head.

What he saw made him stop in his tracks, his mouth wide open.

The three men who had been chasing him had stopped, all lying on the ground, seemingly unconscious!

A trap?

Chang Ming was considering whether to go check or continue running when the electronic voice asked, "The crisis has been resolved. The prize draw is over. Would you like to activate the Mechanism Heavenly Book now?"

Chang Ming, full of questions, couldn't help but ask, "The crisis has been resolved?"

The shadow replied, "Yes, Master."

Chang Ming asked in surprise, "How, how was it resolved?"

The shadow patiently explained, "In the prize draw system, you directly requested the mechanical battle chick. The mechanical battle chick is a one-time-use combat mechanism, the lowest-value prize in this draw. Since you directly requested it, I fulfilled your request."

"Mechanical battle chick?"

Chang Ming calmed down, observed from a distance, and saw that the three men were completely still. Gathering his courage, he turned and walked over.

As soon as he saw the condition of the three men, he immediately "vomited"!

From a distance, he hadn't seen clearly, but now, up close, he realized that the three men had their brains splattered, dead on the spot!

Two of them were lying face down, and one was on his back. Chang Ming could clearly see a large hole in the man's forehead, with blood and brain matter oozing out!

Chang Ming had never seen a dead body in his two lifetimes, let alone such a gruesome one. He leaned against a bamboo pole and vomited for a long time before finally calming down.

However, these three were enemies who had wanted to kill him and had threatened to harm his village if he didn't stop. Their deaths didn't evoke any sympathy from him.

He calmed down and saw a chick-sized mechanical bird walking around the bodies. The chick's body was clearly made of metal, and its bright yellow beak had some red and white mixed liquid on it.

Chang Ming asked in disbelief, "Did this chick kill these three men?"

The shadow replied, "The mechanical battle chick is fast and has a sharp beak, capable of killing humans."

What does "capable of killing humans" mean? It clearly killed three people!

Chang Ming was first shocked, then overjoyed, "Such a powerful chick! With it, will I never have to fear anyone again?!"

Before he could finish, the chick, which had been wandering around, suddenly made a "click" sound, its head drooping, and a screw fell out of its bottom, flying far away.

The shadow explained, "The mechanical battle chick is a one-time-use combat item, lasting about three minutes."

Ah? One-time use...

Chang Ming squatted down, holding the chick, feeling extremely heartbroken.

After a while, he suddenly looked up and asked the shadow, "By the way... what exactly are you?"

The shadow wavered slightly, and through it, the green trees behind could be seen.

The emotionless electronic voice said, "The prerequisite conditions have been met. Would you like to activate the Mechanism Heavenly Book now?"

Mechanism... Heavenly Book?

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