The Mech Touch

For the next couple of days, the forces under the command of Ves transformed into a swarm of locusts!

Although this analogy was not entirely accurate, word slowly spread of a steadily-growing swarm of mechs, biomechs and other vehicles.

Each time someone spotted this powerful airfleet in transit, all of the estimates of its numbers and combat power had to be revised upwards!

In their wake, they left over a dozen small and medium-sized facilities in damaged condition. The Larkinsons and its allies were not shy about utilizing the full extent of their firepower to crush an opponent as quickly and decisively as possible..

One particular detail about their raids was that the Larkinsons exclusively attacked facilities held by forces that weren't entirely proper.

As much as Ves became infected by the air of chaos that had spread across the planet, he was very much aware that he was still in the middle of a powerful second-rate state.

Just because many institutions had collapsed did not mean the LRA fell apart. It still existed and some of its organs were still working. The movements of his growing airfleet could hardly be hidden from satellites and other observers from orbit, so he always assumed that various parties were keeping track of his deeds.

This restriction didn't bother him that much. The forces in the outer districts mostly consisted of gangs and other groups of scum to begin with. Cleaning them up was not a sin.

In fact, it was the opposite! These lawless forces inflicted a lot of harm towards innocent people. Even if they were born and raised on the planet, these Lifers had completely shed their compassion towards their fellow citizens and turned into a destructive influence!

Even though Ves hadn't asked permission to eliminate these cancers, he figured that no one would be able to find fault with his decisions. If he didn't eliminate all of those criminals, they would have continued to terrorize the surrounding neighborhoods!

Once his airfleet swelled to 400 mechs, Ves began to get truly ambitious. Medium-sized biolabs and complexes no longer satisfied his appetite.

No matter how easy it was to demolish their outnumbered defenders, the yield he gained became more and more inadequate.

Nothing really important took place at these modest sights! The local companies and research institutions all concentrated their main activities at their primary sites.

The smaller labs and facilities were merely secondary sites where less-important work took place. For example, some biolabs exclusively researched bone plating armor systems. Another site might be a simple repair facility instead of a fully-fledged biomech production site.

The biotech experts that were stationed in these kinds of places were never the cream of the crop of their profession!

"If we can't find someone important enough in these smaller sites, then we just have to target a more serious facility!"

At the beginning, Ves would never have the guts to assault a full-sized biomech production facility that was occupied by around 250 hostile biomechs.

The gangs that had joined forces in order to defeat the security mechs were also stronger and more organized than usuals. Some of their biomechs were even custom-designed premium products that were piloted by champions!

Unfortunately for these self-assured gang members, the enemies they faced in the past were nowhere comparable to the Larkinson Clan!

Just like before, the attack began with an unannounced bombardment!

Hundreds of solid rounds, explosive shells, acid missiles and even a number of attack beetles descended onto the facility!

"Damn! The locusts have finally come for us! Why couldn't they have chosen to attack another complex?"

"Activate our interception systems! Take cover as much as possible and ride out the shelling. The locusts will certainly dispatch their melee mechs once the last shells have landed, so make sure that you're ready to stop their assault!"

Despite the brave-sounding words of the commanders, a lot of mech pilots and other personnel were already thinking about turning around and fleeing into the distance.

No one had ever beaten the locusts!

In fact, no one had ever come close enough to inflicting severe harm on them! They never attacked a target until they were absolutely certain they could obtain an overwhelming victory.

While most thugs weren't particularly clever, they possessed enough logic to figure out that being chosen as the next target meant that they hardly stood a chance!

However, no one ran, at least at first. The brotherhood and discipline within the allied gangs was quite tight. They all had a history stretching back centuries, and the mech pilots already made some psychological preparations.

The notoriety of the airfleet had already spread far and wide. It was no longer possible for Ves to catch anyone off-guard, but that did not mean that the abrupt bombardment was ineffective!

Even as various bioturrets and biomechs began to fire in the direction of the incoming shelling, not every projectile could be stopped.

Plenty of them still managed to get through and strike against biomechs, defensive structures and other valuable targets!

Before the defenders had time to catch their breath, another volley came in! The interception measures were less effective this time, mainly because the initial volley prioritized any mechs and turrets that were capable of mitigating the shelling!

"These bastards! How did they know where to aim their guns? There has to be a target painter somewhere!"

While the frequency of volleys wasn't particularly high, the constant attacks were quickly eroding morale. The gang leaders and officers were doing their best to pump everyone up, but the rain of attacks continued uninterrupted!

The only relief was that the large-scale production complex offered plenty of hard cover. Alongside the huge, sturdy production buildings, the complex also offered plenty of underground tunnels and storage halls.

Once every mech began to shelter behind solid structures and underground spaces, the biomechs were no longer under lethal threat.

Two powerful gauss rounds shattered the roof of a production hall and slammed through a wall before landing several meters away from a sheltering biomech!

The powerful release of kinetic energy caused the nearby biomech to lose its footing and collapse onto the ground!

Even though the mech pilot inside had managed to escape getting hit, the immense firepower left an unforgettable impression on his mind!

The other mech pilots that had managed to reach the underground shelters grew less and less courageous. While they were very loyal to their bosses and gangs, it was very hard for them to maintain their fighting spirit in the face of overwhelming strength.

"When will this stop?"

"They'll run out of rounds eventually."

"Wait, they already stopped!"

The bombardment ceased as soon as the defending biomechs all reached cover. Only around thirty organic machines had succumbed from the attacks.

Some of the defenders suddenly made a frightening realization.

"Get out of the tunnels! Their melee mechs are coming! If we're all stuck underground, we'll be stuck in our caves!"

Biomechs poured out of the underground spaces and hastily deployed outside. Even as the mech pilots reluctantly started to prepare themselves for a tough fight, an enemy mech had already entered the base!

"Ahhh!"

"Our exit is blocked!"

"What are you doing? It's just a light mech. Push it out!"

"We can't!"

"Then shoot it before it passes through the tunnel!"

"It's too late!"

The Piranha Prime had gone ahead of the other attacks and boldly pushed its way through the tunnel, sinking its Unending daggers into the weak points of the opposing biomechs along the way.

Biomech after biomech fell in rapid succession despite the hard flesh or harder bone plating protecting their frames.

In contrast, hardly any attack managed to land on the fast and slim biomech. Even though Venerable Tusa was not in his best fighting condition at the moment, he was far from helpless against these ordinary mech pilots.

"Scum like you don't deserve to be free! I will send you all to hell where you belong!"

The prime mech's spiritual pressure combined with its suppressive glow was too much to bear for any mech pilot that entered its range.

Perhaps a highly-disciplined soldier may have been able to resist the superimposing effects, but the weaker-minded gang members were not so capable!

The only reason why a handful of them managed to retain control was because of their strong loyalty and long service. These veteran mech pilots tried their best to band together to limit the movement space of the Piranha Prime, but even in the confined underground halls, Venerable Tusa always managed to slip through the gaps!

In order to accelerate his killing pace, Tusa didn't bother to perform as many evasive maneuvers anymore.

Occasionally, swords and positron beams struck the surface of the mech. The Piranha Prime's weak resonance shield managed to negate some of those attacks. The solid Unending alloy that clad its surface blocked the rest!

"This light mech is unreal! Why didn't my attack deal any damage?"

"Stay away from it! It's got a freaky field effect that turns your mind into mush. Pull out your guns and shoot!"

No matter whether the biomechs attacked up close or at a distance, none of their attempts achieved any visible effect. Whatever confidence the defenders still held was rapidly draining away.

At some point, one of them made an astonishing observation. "The power of this foreign mech does not belong to a second-class machine. It's armor is too good despite being so thin. It's a first-class mech!"

The hearts of every surviving mech pilot briefly shook as they heard this conclusion.

From the way the Piranha Prime slaughtered so many second-class biomechs like cattle, the deceptively thin classical mech indeed seems like a first-class mech!

Even though its speed was not actually comparable to a true first-class light mech, its impervious armor along with its indestructive daggers was way beyond anything that a typical second-class light mech should possess!

Their already frayed morale completely evaporated at the moment. All thoughts of loyalty and obedience went out of the window.

"RUN!"

"We can't beat this first-class mech!"

The biomechs completely stopped coordinating their movements. Their chances of winning while cooperating was not big, but once their formation collapsed, they completely gave up their chance of stopping the Piranha Prime!

Venerable Tusa grinned like a shark. "Run, biomechs, run! No one can outpace my light mech!"

The Piranha Prime easily surged up to the exposed rears of the fleeing biomechs and easily cut them down with a couple of rapid stabs.

When the Piranha Prime began to reach a narrow tunnel, its progress nonetheless slowed down a bit because it had trouble moving past its latest victims.

It took too long for the disabled mechs to fall and allow for other mechs to pass through!

Still, Venerable Tusa was more than satisfied with the effect he achieved. In just a couple of minutes, he managed to slaughter 25 biomechs!

After hunting down so many organic machines in quick succession, he had become incredibly efficient at taking them down.

Tusa quickly swept his surroundings.

At this time, the main wave had already arrived and engaged with the shell-shocked defenders.

The disparity in skill, equipment, organization and most importantly morale meant the battle was already over before it began!

What undoubtedly helped was that the panicked transmissions about encountering a first-class mech had already spread. As soon as the Piranha Prime began to approach a nearby squad of enemy biomechs, their pilots shook so much that they didn't even think about putting up a fight!

"Screw the boss! Let's run!"

"We can't beat this first-class mech!"

The abrupt flight of a single mech squad sparked a chain reaction. The remaining defenders didn't want to bear the increased pressure. While they weren't necessarily selfish, they did not wish to lose their lives in order to facilitate the escape of craven deserters.

Even the leaders recognized that the fight was lost.

"Retreat! Split up and make your way back to our fallback point!"

The defending force completely disintegrated! The locusts devoured yet another prey!