Chapter Sixteen: Little White

“Whew...” Lin Feng exhaled deeply after enduring the most intense battle since his arrival in this world. Having destroyed the dead zone branches here, he pressed onward. Seizing the travel time, Lin Feng opened the status panels of the three monsters:

[Individual Information: Autonomous Mechanism — Relic Exterminator (Leyline Projection)]
Level: 38+10 (A projection of an autonomous mechanism enhanced by the dead zone, extremely powerful, far beyond ordinary beings. Relying on the forbidden power entwined around its body, it dares to challenge even the fiercest monsters.)
Attributes: Physical / @#$%
Traits: Forbidden Power, Chaos Core, Constructed Technology 5, Sturdy Body 4, Burrowing 3, Laser 3...
Mood: @￥#%
Friendliness: @#￥%

Seeing these relic soldiers boosted to level 48 through dead zone enhancements, along with a series of augmentations, Lin Feng's understanding of Canria’s combat capabilities was refreshed.

—If even mass-produced soldiers are this strong, except for the top-tier forces who cannot rival the Celestial Faction, in mid- to low-level battles, they undoubtedly crush the armies of other nations.

Lin Feng had yet to find any trace of the uncle’s daughter but decided to clear this dead zone regardless—not only because its intensity was too high and could cause massive trouble if left unchecked, but also for an important reason: once the dead zone vanished, those inside would naturally be safe.

With utmost speed, Lin Feng rushed toward the remaining two dead zone branches. Approaching them, new relic monsters indeed appeared: a triangular relic cruiser capable of deploying floating turrets and laser fields, and a jellyfish-like relic scout that could generate energy fields.

“All right, this should be the last branch.”

Though the relic soldiers were tough, their moves were mechanical and their weaknesses obvious. These seemingly formidable creatures were all paralyzed and slain by Lin Feng using ranged energy arrows, familiar with their attack patterns.

Seeing no signs of humans so far, Lin Feng breathed a sigh of relief—it was highly likely the uncle’s daughter had fled elsewhere. There was no way she could have charged unscathed all the way to the core, right?

Lin Feng thought it was impossible for an ordinary pack horse to achieve that.

Gazing at the dead zone’s core, Lin Feng’s expression grew serious. Generally, the core leaders of relic dead zones were either relic dragon beasts or relic heavy machines.

As Canria’s industrial treasures, both possessed solid armor and earth-shattering destructive power, with massive cannons capable of piercing mountains and near-immunity to physical attacks. Even lone specimens appearing in the wild often warranted the highest-level extermination commissions issued by the Adventurers’ Association.

—As for the thing at the heart of this dead zone, Lin Feng could only say he never wanted to face it.

But since he had come this far, Lin Feng resolved to conduct a distant reconnaissance to gather intelligence.

Even if he could only bring back some information about the leader, the next time the extermination team assembled, the participants would be far safer than going in blind.

---

Having made up his mind, Lin Feng patted little White on the shoulder, lowered his center of gravity, and quietly advanced toward the dead zone core.

Carefully pushing aside the last branch before him, Lin Feng peered into the center of the dead zone:

There, amidst the withered, lifeless forest, a colossal mechanical dragon hovered abruptly before him.

Its rust-like reddish-brown exterior and overall posture resembled a legendary dragon. Four legs, two wings, its body covered in gears and bolts with no sense of disorder. The overwhelming pressure it exuded conveyed a mechanical form possessing a powerful aesthetic of strength.

But what truly stopped Lin Feng was the small green shield in front of this enormous machine—a black-haired girl and a horse protected within its glow.

Lin Feng was speechless.

Watching the scene he least wanted to witness unfold before him, Lin Feng found himself powerless to comment on the horse that had crossed the dead zone—a truly legendary beast.

Fortunately, Lan Nalu’s presence in the forest prevented the relic dragon beast, even in standby, from having already wiped out the uncle’s daughter and the foolish horse.

Opening the relic dragon beast’s panel:

[Individual Information: Autonomous Mechanism — Relic Dragon Beast: Sky Patrol (Leyline Projection)]
Level: 61+10 (A top-tier autonomous mechanism projection strengthened by the dead zone, immensely powerful, far beyond ordinary beings. With forbidden power entwined around its body, it dares to challenge even messengers of the gods.)
Attributes: Physical / @#$%
Traits: Forbidden Power, Chaos Core, Constructed Technology 7, Sturdy Body 6, Element Absorption 5, Energy Torrent 4...
Mood: @￥#%
Friendliness: @￥#%

Facing this unprecedentedly powerful foe, its level 71 nearly made explicit how dangerous this adversary was. Lin Feng longed to flee immediately—after all, the uncle’s daughter was now under Lan Nalu’s protection and not in mortal danger, so there was no need to rush.

However, Lin Feng also recalled a quest trigger from Vimaloka in the game, which was set off by lingering too long in the dead zone. Even the mighty Lanrana could only temporarily stabilize her condition.

Eventually, the traveler endured countless hardships and administered Yeya’s Fruit—at least a golden-tier item—to heal her fully.

Though not much time had passed, Tinali was conveniently away, and no one nearby possessed a Divine Eye. Leaving now meant not knowing when he could return, and Lin Feng had no way to obtain Yeya’s Fruit.

To leave was to break his promise to the uncle and watch a Liyue girl about his age perish. To stay endangered his own life.

Struggling with his inner turmoil, Lin Feng glanced at the black-haired girl inside the shield and then at little White on his shoulder. He sighed deeply and made his decision.

---

He gathered green grass-elemental energy in his hand, compressed it, and hurled it fiercely in the opposite direction from the girl.

“Boom!”

The relic dragon beast instantly activated from standby—its eyes glowing, wings spread wide, drawn toward the distant explosion of green light.

Seizing this brief gap, Lin Feng dashed toward the green shield protecting the girl.

He swiftly scooped up the trembling green mushroom nearby, tucked it into his arms, and dashed inside the fading shield. He hugged the petite girl tightly, covering her body as much as possible.

Having done all he could, Lin Feng watched the relic dragon beast’s incoming missile speeding toward them. Closing his eyes, he unleashed the forbidden power he had never intended to use.

“Little—White—,” Lin Feng let out a sharp, explosive cry.

...

Because of Lin Feng’s command, little White—who had remained in standby and never displayed its power—vanished silently from Lin Feng’s shoulder at the moment Lin Feng’s life was in peril.

Ignoring the struggling green mushroom in his arms, Lin Feng embraced Lan Nalu and the girl tightly.

Just as the missile was about to strike—

Time seemed to freeze.

Azure, yellow, violet, green... countless colors blended together, finally merging into the purest white—white enough to dissolve everything.

A terrifying pressure filled the air, spreading from a corner of the rainforest throughout the entire Daocheng Forest, the whole rainforest, all of Sumeru, and even the entire continent.

Earth, dead zone, forest, sky... everything visible and invisible alike was consumed by an overwhelming force—destroyed, erased, and disintegrated.

A spherical crater appeared on the ground, within which only a small patch of land protected by Lin Feng remained.

The relic dragon beast, once radiating dreadful oppression, vanished the instant little White disappeared—its chaos core and the leyline power constituting its very being were annihilated into pure molecules by this indescribable force.