Chapter 46: The last resort

"It's over. Now, humanity has no future," Aries declared, his voice booming as he stomped on the ground. The earth itself cracked beneath his massive foot, collapsing under the weight of the 50-meter-tall machine. No human could survive such a crushing blow. It seemed there was no hope for Alex.

But when Aries lifted his foot, there was no body or blood left on the ground. The space where Alex should have been was completely empty.

"What’s going on?"

Aries looked around in confusion, realizing only then that a sidecar had narrowly whisked Alex away. In the sidecar were Maggie and Master Yuan Zhen, who had managed to lift Alex in time and rushed him out of harm’s way, narrowly escaping the destruction.

"Drive faster!" Ray yelled, desperately slamming the gas pedal, while Maggie held Alex tightly. The danger wasn’t over yet.

The sidecar had been brought out of hiding by Master Yuan Zhen, who had kept it hidden in the temple for years. His words earlier about going for a "wind ride" had been a subtle hint—he had used this moment to bring the vehicle into play.

"Alex! Are you okay? Please, wake up!" Maggie cried out, her voice cracking. As soon as they pulled Alex into the sidecar, she had been calling his name, but Alex was badly injured, barely conscious.

"Looks like you have allies. Now, where do you think you're going?"

Aries turned to face the sidecar, about to chase them down, when suddenly, a voice sounded from his right shoulder.

"Amitabha. Why the rush, big guy?"

Aries turned and saw, to his surprise, a human standing on his right shoulder. It was Master Yuan Zhen, who stood there calmly with his hands pressed together in a prayerful mudra, as if he was completely unfazed by standing on such a high perch.

It was clear from how he had quietly appeared on Aries’ shoulder that the master’s martial skills were extraordinary.

"Human, get down!" Aries roared.

Aries, whose main focus was Alex, had no interest in dealing with this random person. Without hesitation, he stretched out his left hand, trying to swat Master Yuan Zhen off. But the master moved like the wind, slipping and dodging every attack with graceful ease, as though each movement was part of a flowing dance.

"Amitabha. You’re too slow to catch me, try harder!" Master Yuan Zhen taunted, avoiding every strike Aries made. His movements were almost like Tai Chi, effortlessly evading the massive machine’s attacks.

Thanks to Master Yuan Zhen’s efforts, Alex and the others got a precious opportunity to escape. Ray, seizing the moment, sped the sidecar into the wreckage of nearby buildings, hiding them in the ruins.

By the time they stopped, Alex was pale and weak, barely hanging on to life. Ray and Maggie quickly helped him onto the ground, laying him flat.

Maggie’s eyes filled with tears as she saw Alex's condition. He was almost unconscious, his body battered and broken.

"Alex! Please, wake up!" Maggie pleaded, but even though her voice cracked with emotion, Alex didn’t respond.

Master Yuan Zhen, now safe from Aries' attacks, created a cloud of smoke and vanished from the battlefield.

"Where did they go?!" Aries growled, enraged. Feeling mocked, he began firing his grenade launcher wildly, trying to force Alex and the others out of hiding.

"Amitabha... How’s the young man?" Master Yuan Zhen asked, quickly finding their hiding place. He approached Alex and inspected his wounds.

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"He looks badly hurt... Master, can you help him?" Maggie asked through her tears, her voice trembling. Master Yuan Zhen examined Alex carefully, his expression turning grim.

"The internal injuries are severe... several ribs broken, and his organs are damaged. What should we do?" he said, his voice full of concern.

Alex's injuries were severe, but things got worse when the nest opened its hatch and released mechanical squid.

These mechanical squid were several times larger than the mechanical spiders, faster, more agile, and even more ruthless. They hovered above the ruins of the Lei Cang Temple, using their sharp tentacles to probe the ground, gradually closing in on Alex and his group.

As the group found themselves in a desperate situation, Master Yuan Zhen calmly spoke to his disciple, Ray:

“Ray, take them and get out of here. Leave the rest to me.”

Ray, hearing his master’s words, couldn’t believe it. How could his master possibly face these murderous machines? He grabbed onto his master in panic.

“Master, I can’t leave you behind!”

Maggie, hearing this, also urged the master:

“Master… you’re walking into certain death. Please don’t go!”

Master Yuan Zhen knew that there was no other option at this point. After all, he had lived a long life.

Just then, a voice spoke:

“Everyone… I have a way to restore Alex.”

Ray, the master, and Maggie were all startled. They turned toward the source of the voice—Alex’s smartwatch on his left wrist.

“What kind of watch is this… it can talk?!”

Ray’s jaw nearly hit the ground, but Maggie didn’t have the luxury to be surprised. She quickly asked, “What’s the plan?”

The three of them gathered around the smartwatch, eager to hear what it had in store. Ray, the smartwatch, began to speak:

“I am a smartwatch, responsible for teaching Alex how to use Qi. Without further delay… I have a way to restore Alex immediately and boost his power to the limit for a short time, enough for him to fight the mechanical machines. However, I’ll need some time. Can you cover me?”

With a plan in place to save Alex, Master Yuan Zhen, ever the noble monk, immediately agreed:

“Amid Amita Buddha, if that’s the case, let me help buy time for the young man!”

Ray immediately mounted the sidecar, ready to assist.

“I’ll help draw their attention away!”

Master Yuan Zhen initially tried to discourage Ray, but Ray was stubborn and replied:

“What, are you treating me like a child just because you never taught me martial arts? Come on! I can take care of myself!”

Seeing Ray’s determined expression, the master realized he had truly grown. He wasn’t the child he had once taken in. Master Yuan Zhen no longer stopped him. He simply patted Ray on the back and said:

“Remember to shift gears! How many times have I told you this?”

Though the master didn’t directly express his approval, Ray could feel it. He smiled and did exactly as his master said, silently acknowledging everything.

Maggie, on the other hand, stayed by Alex’s side, her eyes filled with worry. She whispered softly:

“I’ll protect you, Alex…”

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Soon, the mechanical squid swarmed above their hiding spot in the ruins. It seemed they had nearly discovered where Alex and his group were hiding, and their sharp tentacles were poised to strike.

“We’ve found you. It’s over.”

Ares declared triumphantly, giving commands to the mechanical squid to attack.

Just as the mechanical squid were about to launch their assault, Ray suddenly sped out from the sidecar, shouting:

“Come and chase me, you dumb machines!”

Ray floored the gas pedal, his left hand on the seat, holding a fake shape he had created with wood to fool the mechanical squid into thinking Alex was in the sidecar. With a piece of cloth covering it, the machines took the bait, and changed direction to relentlessly chase after Ray.

“You can’t escape!” Ares shouted, seeing the target finally appear. He prepared his cannons to fire but then noticed that Master Yuan Zhen had mysteriously reappeared, standing on top of Ares’ cannon barrel.

“Amid Amita Buddha, why are you in such a hurry?” Master Yuan Zhen asked calmly, his hands in a mudra, with a peaceful expression.

“Why are you here again, human!” Ares roared, eager to finish off Master Yuan Zhen, and immediately slammed his other hand down to strike. However, Master Yuan Zhen easily evaded the blow, damaging Ares’ cannon arm instead, which only made Ares angrier.

Master Yuan Zhen moved like a flea, dodging Ares’ every attack and staying just out of reach, successfully buying time.

Now came the crucial moment.

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“Help me sit Alex up in a meditation posture.”

In the ruins, the smartwatch instructed Maggie, and she carefully helped Alex into a sitting position. She then anxiously asked:

“What now…?”

The smartwatch’s tone became more serious:

“Now… you are the key.”