When the three desecrated chanical wraiths lifted their heads, the crystal lenses in their eyes flashed with an eerie red light, firmly locking onto Lin Jie and William, the two uninvited guests.
A chill more unsettling than facing pure UMAs crawled up both their spines.
These things were both creations of UMAs and vessels carrying human souls.
They were abominable amalgamations of technology and resentnt.
"Tick... tock... tick... tock..."
Accompanying their stiff movents, the clockwork parts cramd into their chest cavities began emitting chaotic, irregular sounds.
The noise had no discernible rhythm, as if representing their fragnted and insane consciousness, each syllable viciously stabbing at the listeners' nerve centers.
Sergeant William's face showed unprecedented gravity.
His extensive combat experience told him that the danger level of these three entities before him might have already exceeded the "Alert-class" category.
The anomalous fluctuations radiating from them were far more intense and chaotic than those from ordinary Gremlins.
"Prepare for combat," William's voice was low and forceful, his Colt revolver steadily aid at the wraith in the middle. "I'll handle the one in the center; it looks like the core. You take the one on the left. If you get the chance, smash the clockwork in its chest!"
However, Lin Jie gently pressed down on the gun barrel William was about to raise.
"Wait a mont, Sergeant William," Lin Jie's voice was exceptionally calm. His gaze wasn't fixed on the three wraiths but instead rapidly scanned the surrounding environnt.
The chanical "totems" built by the Gremlins that resembled mountains of junk, and further back, the dark passage leading to the heart of the nest.
"Their attack patterns are unknown; we can't afford a direct confrontation here," Lin Jie quickly assessed. "Moreover, our target is the Gremlin nest, that 'Artisan Chieftain.' Getting entangled with these modified guards will only waste our precious ammunition and stamina, and might even attract more Gremlins."
William frowned tightly. Though reluctant, he had to admit the young man's judgnt was correct.
Their mission wasn't to clean up these pitiful "sacrifices." Starting a fight recklessly carried too many variables.
"So what's your plan?" William asked in a hushed tone.
"We need to bypass them. Or rather..." A flash of intelligent light glead in Lin Jie's eyes. "Make them clear a path for us."
He didn't have ti for lengthy explanations.
He swiftly pulled out a finely crafted, second-hand chanical pocket watch from inside his hunting jacket.
At this mont, this symbol of order and stability was about to beco the deadliest weapon in his hands.
Lin Jie expertly twisted the crown, winding the pocket watch's spring to its absolute limit.
Then he took several steps back, concealing both himself and William behind cover ford by discarded steam pipes.
"Sergeant William, help draw their attention," Lin Jie whispered.
Though William didn't understand his intention, he trusted him and fired a shot without hesitation at the ground near the chanical wraiths.
"Bang!"
The loud gunshot created massive echoes within the confined sewer.
The three chanical wraiths, provoked by this sudden challenge, beca enraged. The sound of parts turning within their chests grew even more frenzied, emitting a screeching, ear-piercing noise. Then, they began charging together towards the source of the gunshot with stiff, chanical strides!
The mont they left their "throne," Lin Jie made his move.
He threw the fully-wound pocket watch with all his strength towards the passage behind the throne that led deeper into the nest!
The brass pocket watch landed with a "clatter" at the entrance of that passage, then rolled clattering into the deeper darkness.
Its crisp, steady "tick-tock" sound stood out starkly against the backdrop of chaos and resentnt filling the environnt.
This sound might have ant nothing to the three chanical wraiths.
But for the true masters of this nest—the Gremlins who loved chaos and despised order—this was nothing less than a "blasphemous hymn" openly played within their sanctuary!
Sure enough, the mont the pocket watch landed and its ticking began, a sudden change occurred!
A high-frequency, electric "buzzing" sound erupted from the depths of the dark passage.
Imdiately after, several crystal lenses flickering with faint red light surged out from the darkness!
A whole swarm, at least several dozen Gremlins, were enraged by that "blasphemous" pocket watch!
Their target wasn't Lin Jie and William at all, but that damned little brass contraption emitting that harmonious sound!
"Bzzzzzt—!"
The frenzied Gremlin swarm completely ignored the three chanical wraiths blocking the path, surging tumultuously towards the passage.
The three chanical wraiths seed bewildered by this sudden onslaught.
They stood rigidly in place, facing this tide stirred up by the very things they were supposed to "guard," appearing utterly disoriented.
Chaos, absolute chaos.
And this was exactly what Lin Jie wanted to see!
"Now!" Lin Jie hissed. "Stay close!"
He stopped hiding. Seizing the chaotic mont of mutual interference between the three semi-chanical entities and the Gremlin swarm, he dashed out from behind cover.
He didn't charge at the wraiths. Instead, he sprinted along the edge of the channel, making a sudden assault towards the path "cleared" by the Gremlin swarm!
Sergeant William's reaction was equally lightning-fast. He followed closely behind Lin Jie, the copper pipe he had picked up earlier constantly pointing around them, providing the most reliable fire support for their advance.
The three chanical wraiths finally snapped out of their stupor. They roared, swinging their weapon-modified arms, attempting to intercept these two audacious intruders.
However, the surging Gremlin swarm beca their biggest obstacle. Gremlins continuously crashed into them, significantly slowing their movents.
"Quick! They're coming through!" Lin Jie shouted, feeling the icy killing intent closing in rapidly from behind.
Just as a chanical hand from one wraith was about to grab the back of Lin Jie's neck, the two of them finally managed to rush through the chaotic area, plunging headlong into the wider passage behind the "throne."
Behind them, the enraged Gremlins were still swarming madly towards the pocket watch, which was about to be completely dismantled into parts.
The three chanical wraiths, blocked and having lost their targets, were angrily pounding the walls.
"Huff... huff..."
Lin Jie and William leaned against the wall, gasping for breath.
That heart-pounding "breakthrough" had lasted less than thirty seconds, yet it was more ntally draining than an hour-long positional battle.
William looked at the young man beside him, who, though physically drained, still had bright, sharp eyes. A look of genuine admiration appeared on his face.
This young man's wisdom wasn't just evident in sand table exercises and logical analysis.
He possessed an even more formidable, and more precious, ability—the capacity to utilize every available elent on a rapidly changing battlefield, including the enemy's characteristics, the surrounding environnt, and even the enemy's own enemies, to create the most advantageous "montum" for himself.
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