Grace the Fox Spirit immediately bristled. “Did I say anything wrong? Just look at his record—he’s messed things up this badly, how can we trust him? If we listen to him, we’re doomed for sure!”

　　Earth Guardian fell silent. He glanced at Fox Spirit, noticing that the other’s scanning electronic eye was fixed on him, clearly waiting for him to make a decision, which made him hesitate.

　　“Do you trust me or him? If you trust me, then keep moving forward!” Grace the Fox Spirit raised her voice. The iridescent paint on Fox Spirit’s mech was changed by her to a blazing blood-red—she was furious!

　　Earth Guardian was at a loss. “Sigh~ then let’s keep moving forward.”

　　After speaking, he turned to Brian Bolton uneasily and said, “Wolf Demon, you don’t have any objections, right?”

　　“Let’s move forward, then.” Brian Bolton didn’t say much. In the military, there’s only one voice, and since he wasn’t the commander now, with the other two team members insisting on advancing, he could only go along with the majority.

　　Agreeing to the order didn’t mean Brian Bolton would do nothing. He thought for a moment and said, “Fox Spirit, White Phantom is a close-combat assassin. You’re carrying three guns and a spare power cell—the weight is considerable. If you get engaged in close quarters, it’ll be hard to move. How about I carry the heaviest long-range railgun for you?”

　　The suggestion sounded reasonable. Fox Spirit considered it and nodded. “Alright, you carry it for now.”

　　She detached the long-range railgun and tossed it to Brian Bolton, then took a brand-new high-energy power cell from him and swapped it in.

　　Brian Bolton’s Wolf Demon mech also had a mount for a long-range railgun, so he attached the weapon to his arm. Once everything was ready, the team continued forward.

　　After just a couple of steps, there was a “beep”—Brian Bolton received a private message, surprisingly from Earth Guardian who was walking ahead.

　　“Sorry, Wolf Demon, my girlfriend is new to this and a bit headstrong.”

　　“No problem,” Brian Bolton replied, saying nothing more. His goal in “Hero” was the Dark Exploration mode, and barring any surprises, after this battle, they’d likely never meet again. Since they wouldn’t see each other in the future, why bother arguing with a passerby?

　　As the team pressed deeper, the light ahead grew dimmer and dimmer, but the trees in the forest remained unchanged.

　　Earth Guardian called out loudly, “Be careful, there’s an artificial light barrier here. We must be close to the demon base.”

　　“Beep~” Brian Bolton increased the power of his radar scanner.

　　“Wolf Demon, what are you doing?! As if we’re not obvious enough already!” Grace the Fox Spirit jumped up as if her tail had been stepped on.

　　Brian Bolton ignored her, but didn’t lower the radar power either. This was a critical moment—he could sense danger approaching, so the radar had to be at full output. Even if he couldn’t detect White Phantom, he could at least guard against other demon mechs ambushing them.

　　“Brother Mumu, look at this deadweight—he’s going to get us killed!” Fox Spirit saw that Brian Bolton was ignoring her and turned to Earth Guardian for support.

　　But this time, Earth Guardian didn’t chime in. He switched on the high-powered searchlight on Earth Guardian’s head, sweeping the intense beam across the shadowy forest ahead.

　　“Grace, get ready for battle. We’re almost at the demon base—there should be quite a few Sky Demon mechs around here.”

　　With that, Grace the Fox Spirit finally stopped picking on Brian Bolton, quickly positioning herself between Earth Guardian and Brian Bolton, clutching her short-range rapid-fire laser gun and aiming cautiously.

　　Time ticked by, and the forest was eerily quiet—not even a whisper of wind.

　　Suddenly, there was a faint “crack” from the treetops above and to the left, and something like a pinecone dropped from the tree.

　　Brian Bolton looked over at the sound, and with just a glance, shouted, “Sonic grenade! Activate the anti-resonance field!”

　　As he spoke, Brian Bolton quickly operated the control interface. In an instant, he activated the anti-resonance field and adjusted his position for shooting, eyes locked on the radar scan, ready for the enemy to appear.

　　Just as he finished, the sonic grenade exploded.

　　A strange, piercing screech rang out—high-intensity infrasound and ultrasound erupted together. The air shuddered violently, and a visible ripple spread in all directions. Wherever it passed, leaves fell in droves, and the small birds and beasts hiding in the treetops dropped like dumplings.

　　In a flash, the sonic wave swept over the three mechs.

　　At the last moment, Earth Guardian also activated the anti-resonance field and escaped harm, but Grace the Fox Spirit didn’t react in time. After the sonic wave hit, Fox Spirit’s mech shuddered violently, its steps faltering as its balance was compromised.

　　“Grace, are you alright?” Earth Guardian shouted.

　　“I’m okay, just a bit dizzy, but the mech’s balance gyroscope is broken—I can’t stand steady.” Grace’s voice was on the verge of tears; the sudden blow had rattled her composure.

　　Her situation was dire. For a long-range attack mech, once its balance is compromised, even with software compensation for aiming, shooting accuracy would drop by at least 10%.

　　The demon’s assault gave them no respite. Right after the sonic grenade, a second wave of attacks followed.

　　“High-energy reaction, block vector (12, 24, 4)!” Brian Bolton shouted.