On the other side, those carrying metal boxes also rushed forward recklessly, regardless of danger, to stop the robots from attempting to “finish off” the wounded.

The bushes blocked the view, so no one could see what was happening here. It seemed impossible to distinguish friend from foe for rescue, so they intensified their assault... The fierce battle continued.

“Looks like he passed out... Hmm. But, he saw me just now! Damn.”

“So, should we strangle him? And then push him out.”

“And then what? Keep lying here, or risk it and try to crawl away?”

Henry Clark looked at the guy beside him, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, unable to move, but clearly still alive, and thought silently.

Chapter 3: A Choice Without a Choice

Henry Clark might have thought for three minutes, or maybe five or six. The scene was so chaotic, and so was his mood—it was hard to make a decision.

Finally...

“Scatter.”

With this sudden low shout, the battle seemed to finally be coming to an end.

The group carrying metal boxes deliberately broke apart at the end of the fight.

This move was clearly not an escape.

It was completely beyond Henry Clark’s expectations. After such a brutal battle, they were finally going to win. Wave after wave, undaunted by casualties, their relentless assault gradually slowed down the two robots, leaving them battered and unable to fight.

Then, a series of grating low noises rang out. Not far away, the conical “UFO” suddenly began to swell and crack apart without any explosive flash... Black metal shards flew everywhere.

Almost at the same time, black vapor suddenly billowed from the two already battered “armors,” and then, with the same low rumble, they too gradually broke apart and burst.

During this process, everyone ducked to the ground for cover. Although this time, the flying shrapnel seemed far less powerful than the piece from the earlier battle.

Henry Clark did the same, of course.

“Good thing there’s a pit here.”

He thought, and then suddenly felt something hit him.

From the “self-destructing” UFO, among the flying metal shards, a dark golden piece of metal about the size of a broad bean first landed on the ground, then rolled right into the dirt pit where Henry Clark was lying.

It was heavier than it looked, like a chunk of iron that had been smelted at high temperature, twisted and irregular, but not hot to the touch... because Henry Clark was actually struck by it.

Aside from a slight bump, it really wasn’t hot.

Henry Clark awkwardly propped himself up a bit, turned his head for a look, and saw metal shards whizzing over his head. He quickly buried himself back in the pit.

After a while, the last few bits of shrapnel finally stopped flying. Several anxious voices called out, “Lao Dui,” “Lao Dui,” and footsteps hurried and chaotic came from all directions.

There was no time left for Henry Clark to think or choose. The moment the rain of shrapnel in the woods stopped, several people carrying metal boxes had already rushed up to him.

They were clearly looking for the wounded man, and naturally, they also found Henry Clark.

Their eyes met.

“You...”

Henry Clark slowly sat up. “Hello, I... just saved him.”

“...”

“Really,” Henry Clark said sincerely.

...

With nearly 40 against 2, there were four dead and nine wounded. Minor injuries didn’t count, nor did those who could still get up.

For the first time in his life, Henry Clark faced such a brutal, bloody, and terrifying scene.

Some people were gathering bodies and limbs, some were tending to the wounded, and others were cleaning up traces. The rest, most of them, each held a small device, carefully searching the area, picking up every single piece of metal, no matter how small, and collecting them together.

They were cleaning the battlefield, treating the shrapnel as spoils of war.

“Did you search everywhere?”

“All done. But there’s something strange—this time, we didn’t find the source energy block.”

“Huh?! You didn’t?!” Cold sweat instantly slid down this person’s forehead.

The other was just as anxious, stammering, “Y-yeah, we just can’t find it... Could it have been used up completely?”

“That’s not impossible... but how could it be such a coincidence?!” The last sentence even had a hint of frustration and a whimper of grievance.

After thinking for a moment, the speaker suddenly turned to Henry Clark and asked sharply, “Kid, did you see a dark golden metal chunk? About this big... maybe smaller, very small... or maybe not a chunk, just a lump.”

Calm down, calm down. Be as calm as when catching snakes. Henry Clark stood there like a captive, still trembling uncontrollably, but telling himself this in his heart.

The Han family had passed down the skill of catching snakes. Henry Clark used to know how, had learned it at just over ten years old, but after his grandfather died, his mother forbade both him and his father from doing it.

Now, at a life-or-death moment he could no longer avoid, Henry Clark finally remembered and recalled that feeling.