Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

Chapter 326 96 Conflict Erupts

The next day, having already purchased fuel and gained a preliminary understanding of Lebyon, making it feel less unfamiliar than when they first arrived, the group allowed themselves to relax a little.

"Should we leave, or stay here a while longer?" they discussed.

"I'd like to arrange some funding, but it feels like that might bring a lot of trouble," Guluo said, leaning back in his seat with his hands behind his head.

"That Red Hat from yesterday looked like he was up to something, but I just don't trust him, especially after learning about the power of the two major groups," someone added.

"Getting involved in their struggle just to make some money would be unwise, and besides, we're not really mercenaries. What happens if we actually have to kill someone in a fight to the death?"

"You've got a point there," Kinsenke said, although he liked stirring up excitement, he wasn't without reason.

"Ask Tilan?" At that moment, the black-haired girl was still not awake.

"Hmm, while it's better not to get involved in their fight, this is a good place to gather information. Today we can visit some other places to see if there's any opportunity in other parts of Northern Second District," they continued.

After discussing for a while, they started breakfast, and by then Tilan had come upstairs from the first floor, unusually dressed in a Dailan skirt.

"This is for you," Ruby said as she placed the steaming oatmeal in front of the girl.

"Thank you, Ruby," she responded, and then began to eat with a spoon.

"We were discussing today's itinerary just now, what do you think, Tilan?" Ruby asked.

"What do I think..." the girl mused, stirring the oatmeal while recalling the intelligence about all parties from yesterday.

She shook her head and said, "I guess these two are going to go to war, so let's not get involved,"

"Let's stock up on supplies this morning and leave in the afternoon. If we stay too long, I'm afraid that Maxizha might come looking for us again,"

"Alright, fine." Although they missed the excitement, it was wise not to get involved for the sake of their own safety.

Thus, the group decided and arranged their itinerary for the day.

However, events unfolded more quickly than they anticipated. Tensions had been mounting, or perhaps the situation had reached a critical point of explosion, because at 10 a.m., they heard an explosion from afar, followed by panicked running in the streets.

Soon, a whooshing jet sound sliced through the sky, and they saw several deep crimson mechas leaping across the rooftops of abandoned buildings. Bending their legs slightly, their hydraulic jump devices boosted them into the air. Then, an orange stream shot from the jets on their backs, carrying them to the next high-rise.

Bright flashes erupted from the machine guns on the mechas' shoulders, and as the barrels spun, they spewed hot bullets like a torrential downpour, sweeping across distant buildings. Amid the flashes of fire, a rocket shot out from inside one of the buildings, hitting the shooting mecha. But after the explosion, aside from some scorch marks, the mecha remained unscathed.

"So that's a mecha from 'Burn Iron Energy,' huh? Very powerful," Ximu remarked, watching the distant scene.

"A Fourth Rank pilot with the aid of a mecha can easily defeat multiple Transcendents of the same rank, and even against a Sequence 5 Transcendent, they can maintain an advantage," Yalian analyzed using the scanner on his glasses.

"It looks like an old Fourth Rank mecha model, somewhat outdated, but it's still quite thrilling and exciting to witness a mecha battle firsthand," they observed. It had been many years of peace within the Federation, and although there were occasional law enforcement issues, they had never warranted the use of mechas; soldiers equipped with exoskeleton armor were usually sufficient.

"Let's go, we should leave during the chaos. If we don't, it might be too late soon," Ximu took the driver's seat, signaling his companions to secure themselves, while N also took the unusual position of sitting in the co-driver's seat to monitor the situation.

The truck started once again, leaving the parking lot and heading for an adjacent passage.

Along the way, the sounds of panicked running and occasional gunfire were everywhere. After driving a few blocks, a roadblock suddenly appeared at an intersection ahead, manned by people in black protective gear holding guns, not letting anyone pass freely.

"Should we stop?" someone asked, but they all knew it would be difficult to get moving again if they stopped now.

"Don't stop," Tilan said, shaking her head as she moved to the driver's cabin, observing the distance.

When the guards at the roadblock saw the truck approaching quickly, they shouted for it to stop and aimed their guns. They bore a black hammer-and-gear emblem on their shoulders, suggesting they were members of 'Black Hammer Heavy Industries.'

"What a hassle," the girl muttered, holding her forehead. She didn't want to resort to violence, but now she had no choice.

A series of bullets struck the windshield, which, although it didn't break, caused web-like cracks to spread. As the guards continued to fire, a burst of frost spread from the ground, freezing the group in place. Then, several compressed air blasts shot past them, clearing the guards blocking the road.

After passing the roadblock, Guluo and Valke on the truck's roof eased up just slightly. They were the ones who had acted, using their powers to send the frozen adversaries flying.

The truck continued forward, but as they progressed, more and more figures in black appeared on the streets, and the group gradually realized they might have chosen the wrong direction to leave the city; they could be nearing the 'Black Hammer Heavy Industries' base.

Indeed, two pitch-black mechas appeared ahead on the road. They were like crouching beasts, covered in thick, black steel armor. Their heads were rectangular, with orange indicator lights blinking intermittently, and on their shoulders were large cannons, their edges etched with clear spiral grooves.