“We’ve made a mistake”

Merlin's railgun blasted the Vine, revealing the mutated Nine Dragons Vine with scant foliage, making it hard to discern in the dark forest. Its flailing Vines resembled a giant octopus, with only green-brown vines visible.

At that moment, Merlin suddenly noticed its root.

-

The DE team, being closest, suffered the most damage. They had underestimated the Nine Dragons Vine, thinking their 12 mechs could easily handle it. They were caught off guard when the vine was suddenly crazy.

Arlen frowned deeply at this situation.

Back when he was with K&D, he overheard Pearl and Corey discussing the source of the contamination. With Nicholas and Edward's mechs damaged, it will be easy for him to secure the mutant crystal from K&D.

His mission to the Banute contamination zone was voluntary, seeking to establish his reputation after transferring from K&D to DE. DE gave him a chance, assigning 11 A-grade mechs to assist, but they weren't prepared for the vine's fierce onslaught.

"You guys can't dodge? Just getting hit causes so much damage?" Arlen said coldly. "Can't you avoid its attacks?"

"It's too fast."

"Yeah, with so many Vines, it's impossible to dodge them all."

"We're not as good as you, and we don't have racing mechs."

Arlen, undeterred, ordered several more assaults, but the vine's reach only extended further. after several time, they barely cut off any Vines, butthe damage to their mechs worsened.

The other DE mech pilots were understandably frustrated. To encircle the Nine Dragons Vine and block K&D, they mostly brought close-combat and guard mechs, with only two artillery and control mechs. They were at the front, facing the brunt of the attack, while Arlen, piloting a racing-grade artillery mech, hide behind them, how dare to criticize them for hold behind?

After fifteen minutes of continuous attack, not just DE but surrounding mechs suffered varying degrees of damage.

Arlen felt the pressure and quickly sought a high vantage point to charge his energy cannon.

Arlen's race-grade mech boasted weapons enhanced by A-grade mutant crystals, making his energy cannon far from ordinary. It inflicted advanced incineration effects upon impact, making it more powerful than standard energy cannons.

He poured 20% of his energy reserves into a single shot, aiming to blast a breach, "Everyone, back off."

The DE team retreated as Arlen charged and fired.

With a loud explosion, the thrashing Nine Dragons Vine seemed to sense the danger and suddenly withdrew, revealing a fanged maw hidden beneath the Vines, which swallowed Arlen's energy cannon whole!

Arlen cursed, "This isn't just a vine!"

From his vantage point, Merlin watched closely, his expression turning serious.

A contaminant that could devour an energy cannon... The Nine Dragons Vine's mutant abilities seemed far beyond simple A-grade mutant crystals.

"Devouring effect." Shirley said, "This thing is no simple vine."

"Devouring!? Wasn't the Nine Dragons Vine's ability regeneration?" Nicholas looked astonished, "I thought only S-grade mutant crystals had devouring effects...?"

"Are we dealing with an S-grade mutant crystal?!" Edward's eyes sparkled, "I'll go down and scout ahead!"

As Edward's mech charged forward, Merlin focused on him. Edward, a close-combat mech pilot, swiftly navigated through the Vines, slicing them apart as he went.

However, the severed Vines regenerated almost instantly, completing the process within 10 seconds.

This was peculiar; the vine's regenerative ability wasn't this strong initially but seemed to grow stronger the longer it fought.

The severed Vines could regenerate, and distant energy cannon shots were devoured by the strange buds it protected. It was as if the energy devoured by the buds fed the Nine Dragons Vine...

The battlefield was in chaos. The DE team's initial encirclement was disrupted by the vine, especially with the emergence of its devouring effect, putting everyone on edge.

In the ensuing chaos, everyone had the same target: the Nine Dragons Vine's mutant crystal.

An S-grade mutant crystal with devouring effects could create weapons of immense power.

As more mechs joined the attack, the enraged Nine Dragons Vine became increasingly aggressive, sweeping through the surrounding mechs and sending several flying, with damages mounting.

After three attempts, Edward has to admit defeat, "Can't do it, its regeneration is too annoying."

"We've made a mistake."

Amidst the chaotic noise, a young and calm voice transmitted through the communication channel.