Charles finished cursing and shot John Carter a fierce glare—this brother of his really was a jinx. He felt deeply relieved that, when he came out earlier, he’d made sure to bring both his men and their mecha armor. Otherwise, they would have suffered a huge loss this time.

David Foster and James Foster, both of whom had grown up with him and were used to fighting, didn’t even need Charles’s instructions. They immediately released the mecha armor from their cases, and in an instant, all the armored components covered their bodies. Their two-zhang-tall steel forms cracked the rooftop, causing a chorus of startled cries, mixed with the furious roar of the building’s manager: “Have you all gone lawless? Do you even know whose property Qingyun Tower is?”

To be able to build a seven-story building near the imperial palace, the owner of Qingyun Tower clearly had an extraordinary background.

But at this moment, Charles had no time to care about any of that. He saw a massive spear crash into the building, aimed straight at him, its momentum and power at least ten times greater than Andrew Foster’s earlier attack.

Matthew Bolton had also opened his own “Juyuan Box,” but instead of armor, a sword and shield appeared in his hands, and he stepped in front of Andrew Foster.

Divine-grade mecha armor has three transformation stages. The first is the unsealed “weapon form,” usually shaped like a weapon, with almost no defense but extremely strong attack power. Some are armor-shaped, providing both protection and increased strength. The second stage is the “half-form,” where, in addition to weapons, armor covers the arms and upper body—like ordinary iron armor, but granting several times the strength of the wearer. The third stage is the “full form,” the most powerful state after the divine-grade mecha is fully unleashed.

Matthew Bolton’s nine-star mecha “Lingwei” hadn’t reached the divine grade, but a year ago, Charles had spared no expense, spending a hundred thousand taels of silver to hire a master armorer to modify it. As a result, this nine-star armor now possessed some features and combat power of divine-grade mecha.

So now, this “Lingwei” mecha could also transform into a sword-and-shield form.

Matthew Bolton was a formidable fighter, and thanks to Charles, he had a wealth of combat experience. With a casual, slanted swipe of his shield, he deflected the massive spear. Not only did it fail to touch Charles, it also couldn’t harm any of the companions beside him. At that moment, Matthew Bolton suddenly slid forward, leaping out of the building, and slashed down with his blade like a flash of lightning. Taking advantage of the moment when the spear couldn’t be withdrawn, he struck the chest of the two-zhang-tall armored figure, instantly tearing open a huge gash—almost cleaving through the thick, refined steel in a single blow.

David Foster and James Foster also leaped out at this moment. The armor worn by them, as well as by Henry Foster and Thomas Foster, was all the seven-star “Mantis” mecha made by Tiangong Workshop, with two exaggeratedly large, gleaming blades at the ends of their arms.

For some reason, Charles had chosen, for his bodyguards, mecha that excelled at offense but not defense. Now, the two “Mantis” armors crashed out of the building, producing two thunderous booms as they tangled with two equally burly mecha on the street.

Seeing this, Charles couldn’t help but curl his lips in a slight smile. His bodyguards were all experts in ground-fighting techniques; in all of the capital, there were probably no more than twenty people who could outdo them in a ground brawl.

Sure enough, two swirling flashes of silver light, like spinning plates, rolled and twisted across the ground, forcing their opponents into a sorry state, constantly retreating and dodging. Not only could they no longer stand, but in an instant, their bodies were covered in countless slashes.

John Carter glanced over and felt reassured. He thought to himself that the Ying clan truly was a family of generals. The heir’s bodyguards were indeed skilled, and their mecha was decent, but their real combat ability was far superior to that of Matthew Bolton, David Foster, and James Foster’s opponents.

“Charles, how did you think to bring them along? Did you get some advance warning?”

After asking, John Carter realized that Charles was already gone. Looking to the side, he saw Charles had leapt out of the building and was heading straight for Daniel Harper, leaving him stunned.

Chapter 10 Miss Emily Reed

Compared to the shock of John Carter and Robert Hill, Daniel Harper was actually delighted. He had only brought three mecha, but there were more than twenty other bodyguards with him.

The three mecha were already being overwhelmed, and it looked like they were about to suffer a humiliating defeat. But then this Charles foolishly appeared right in front of him.

This guy was just a crippled fourth-rank martial artist, with no internal energy at all. Even without the nearly twenty fifth-rank martial guards at his side, Daniel Harper himself could easily beat him up.

“What are you all waiting for? Go cripple him for me!”

Pointing from a distance, Daniel Harper’s expression was full of arrogance and dominance. He was about to urge his guards to attack when he saw Charles curl his lips in a cruel, mocking smile. Before he could react, Charles raised his hand, and in an instant, countless pellets rained down on him like a storm.

Daniel Harper shuddered from head to toe, his hair standing on end, his soul nearly leaving his body. He practiced martial arts himself and could tell at a glance how deadly these pellets were—enough to terrify anyone.