Chapter 10:

Roar~! Slash-! a swipe of a blade and the creatures head was cleaved from its body

Once its head was removed its body stood motionless for a brief moment before tumbling down onto the ground with a loud thumb. Thunb~! The creature in question resembled a mixed breed of some kind of lizard and an avian bird resembling mostly a vulture. Cawl~! A loud cry from behind him his left hand reached down to his thigh retrieving a familiar weapon.

His lost ASG Hera Arms Licensed M4 Airsoft Gun albite with clear signs of extensive modifications with its hull being of grey metal than plastic like before. He raised the weapon up from his thigh even before he had a firm grip upon its handle pointed the barrel at the newcomer, then depressed down on the trigger.

Psst! Came the sound of released of highly compressed air and another creature similar to the one before was brought down with a single shot to the head. Yue Fei unhesitant squeezed the trigger again three more times to ensure that the creature was truly dead. Once he unconfirmed it to be dead he took his attention away from the down beast now looking around all other activities in the area has ceased, there laid only the slain and the victors. The victors being his own kind, he saw many of his kinsman all crudely armored suits in remade miss matched patched plates mimicking his own, though many lacked much protection in more areas than even Yue Fei’s own suit.

“Everyone form up……. on me.” He spoke into the built-in radio equipment in his helm then came the sound reply to his

As the others began to pack around Yue Fei the angry thrum of fibre bundle muscle cabling and active back-mounted power packs intensified. A monotone buzz in the air that drowned out spoken words. Now among the buzzing cacophony of sound the only reliable way to speak was over the newly established radio network, which was still flawed by occasional static interference.

Other than that, the only other way to be heard was just to speak loudly enough to be heard by others.

“Yue Fei.” A voice called out to him from behind hearing this voice Yue Fei turned his attention away from the battlefield around him.

“We’re about finished up here.” The voice belonging to Yue Yang who was walking up to him his armor drenched in gory livery his massive chainsword held in his right hand dyed in the same gore color pallet. Like the rest of his equipment his armor and his weapon they seemed restored with a clear sign of a few additional modifications added to it.

“Things seems to be going well for us we might actually be ahead of schedule by a week at least at this rate.”

“Yeah, it would seem that way but we can’t get too complacent we still don’t know what waiting for us around these parts.

“Ha~, you’re getting a little too spartan there, you need to loosen up a bit buddy you can’t keep this up forever you need to take it easy.”

He tossed a rag toward Yue Fei who caught in midair and began wiping away the blood on his weapon the cloth soaked in the crimson gore in mere several wipes along the surface of the weapon. Yue Fei wasn’t using his Han Jian instead what he held in his right hand was a heavy pole arm weapon with a massive blade as a head. The pole arm in question in some tongue is known as the glaive, but in Chinese is call a Guandao the guandao is a kind of bladed polearms with a heavy decorated blade with an additional spike at the back, attached to a substantially longer pole with a spike at the end.

“I will when we actually can.” Yue Fei said calmy wiping down his Guandao his eyes focused on his task.

“Well just try not to work yourself to death at least, wouldn’t want to see you drop death while on the job anytime soon then I’ll have to be the one to drag your ass back home.”

“Oh, are you offering to take care for me sweetheart.” Yue Fei said looking at Yue Yang his hand not ceasing in its movements all the while with a sly look on his face.

“Oh, sure I’ll take very good care of you.” Yue Yang replied back with a grin on his face before the two broke into a laugh together.

“Aright you two quit your flirting you can do that on your own time we still have work to do here.”

Clank-clank came the heavy trotting footsteps of armored boots upon the dirt behind them turning their head around seeing to see are armored helmed figure, whose armor was also bath in the same crimson gore as the duo before them. In their right hand held was an extremely long blade a Dandao. The armored figure swung their blade in hand with great force that the blood was flung off of the weapon leaving only the metallic grey silver of the blade.

The figure then sheathed the blade before proceeding to remove their helmet, disengaged the locking clamps on their battle-helm with a hissing released of air before removing it, placing it in the crook of their arm. Revealing the sweaty disheveled face of Kim-sing behind the mask running a hand across his face trying to wipe away the sweat clinging onto his flesh. Though in the process he inadvertently smeared the blood on his gloves on his face

“Well, you’re more than welcome to join in on the fun if you’re feeling too lonely on the sidelines Kim-sing.” Yue Fei said so sarcastically to Kim-sing who visibly shivered at the tone of his voice. “I think I’ll stay on the sidelines thank you very much, your words were just out right creepy.” Kim-sing responded flatly he debated within himself of keeping a slight distance from the two before relenting walking up to them.

“So, you finished up on your side as well huh since you’re already here.”

“You need ask?” Kim-sing said flatly as if offended by the question, then a rumbling came behind him as something heavy came trundling through the woods. Looking towards the source of the noise the trio saw it a massive two-story tall humanoid figure step out of the tree lines behind them. It came its massive foot thumbing heavily on the soil around them mimicking a tiny earthquake due to its weight.

Despite the sight of such a thing the group was not alert this was no creature of the wild but of human creation the armored structure of its form, and the bright color orange of its form. This was one of the dozen Construction Loaders that Yue Fei and the exploration team had brought back from their trip out into the wilderness by themselves with one clear goal in sight. However, they didn’t expect to have found such a treasure on a whim not fully thought out.

The Construction Loader stomped in front of the group beginning its work, the Loader in question being a large, one-manned exo-suit manufactured and used by many manufacturing corporations and construction sites. Even though Construction Mechs included a cabin for a driver, they could operate fully autonomously. A feature Yue Fei and the rest find extremely grateful for in their current situation as they need every able body elsewhere. The Loader began the process that the students had it perform for the last countless times since it was first booted back up. The on each of its arms equipped permanently with four forked clamps one on each arm along with a set of 5-fingered manipulators for precision work.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The clamp arms are used to carry and lift heavy objects like those of a Forklift, fitting for a commercial mechanized exoskeleton machine used for lifting heavy materials and objects. If these features along with a visible paint scheme and warning lights are installed in each shoulder was telling enough, the Loader’s fingers grasp around the trunk of the tree then in a repeatedly going up and down the trunk breaking off the branches off the trunk. Once all the branches have been torn down the loader then pulled the now bare tree trunk out of the ground roots and all together from the ground.

Befitting its wide statues as a widespread industrial use machine it began its work along with the other two sibling machines, stacking the ripped tree trunks in on massive pile and the broken tree branches in another pile.

Another group of fresher looking armored figures smaller than the Construction Loader that came with the massive machines came trunding through the soil toward Yue Fei’s group. The groups number rivaled Yue Fei’s own party bearing a ragtag assortment of different weapons seemingly made out of mismatched parts, the leader of this party came straight up to Yue Fei taking off their head showing their face to him before saying.

“Good job guys we’ll take it from here you guys go get yourself a break back home.”

“Alright then let’s head back.” Yue Fei then said over the roaring thrumming of hydraulics and engine hums that sweep over them even as the group was turning away from the sight. After a long walk after trunding through the now mostly barren field devoid of the many great trees that once stood tall where they walked. Not far away from the hill they saw the outer wall of their school and the entrance to the school grounds, before was an open space in the walls now replaced with a makeshift gate which stood a massive newly installed steel bared sliding gate.

At the gate there were several figures stood clad in half-suits of dull crudely fitted Cobalt Steel plated suits of armor. Compared to Yue Fei’s exploration team having equally crudely fitted but neither the less a full plated exo suit of armor, most of the student body only have somewhat half suits of armor. Meaning only the upper body is armored the main part of the armor is the massive powered torso which encloses the chest and arms. Poorly fitted coiled energy cables lay beneath the armor plating which transmits energy from the power pack on the back to the arms, greatly increasing physical strength.

Unlike Yue Fei’s armor which consists of the Hal Exoskeleton Suit combined with the Human Universal Load Carrier or HULC, theirs consist solely of the Levitate's Airframe Exosuits. Like any other form of exoskeleton, a wearable lightweight technology engineered to improve upper extremity musculoskeletal health in professionals and skilled trade workers who engage in repetitive arm motion and/or static elevation of the arms.

The design of the Levitate's Airframe transfers the weight of the arms from the shoulders, neck and upper back to the outside of the hips, evenly distributing energy to reduce stress. It slips easily on and off, and moves seamlessly with the wearer without intruding into the workspace or limiting motion or dexterity. The Levitate's Airframe’s mechanical support system progressively activates as the arm is raised, and gradually releases as the arm is lowered, resulting in just the right level of support – at just the right time. It’s personalized to fit each wearer, so they can use their arms as normal while enjoying reduced fatigue and comfort they never thought possible. At least that was the original functions of the design the students of the academy have modified it slightly while it still bears much of its original functions, but with additional inertial mechanism to give the exosuit more power to boost the wearers strength.

This left the legs of their armor unpowered as the Levitate's Airframe does not have lower frame for the lower part of the body at all. To combat this flaw the student body of Su Tech University enclosed their legs in tough modified padded breaches, other used modified simple steel plates, the lucky ones wore armored greaves and custom armored boots. Among the group in front of the gate not one of them resembled the other as the armor suits made had no standard template to base off of. Thus, there was no standard designs between the suits, each was a custom individual suit varying heavily from one another and their exact designs were often a matter of personal taste.

Seeing Yue Fei’s group, the guards in front of the gate moved forward causing the rattle of the suit’s armor plating was a dull, constant clanking to rival a rushing river’s tide. The angry thrum of additional fibre bundle muscle cabling and constant hum of the massive active backpack-mounted power packs on their backs was like a drone of a locust swarm. A monotone buzz that snags in the air, packed together in a tight space the noise was enough drown out spoken words.

The only reliable way to speak in such a situation was over the outdated radio wave network that the student body had managed to set up though still flawed by occasional static interference.

However, there was no need for that in this situation.

“Welcome back all is intact I see.” The lead member of the gate guards came toward them sheathing two modified looking bats to his side hooking them in place. The handle had brass knuckles welded to its surface along with a blade along its surface. Once these deadly tools were sheathed away, he warmly greeted them before looking over the bloodied form of Yue Fei’s party.

“Just another day at the job Clavin with all pieces accounted for nothing lost here.” Yue Fei replied.

‘Alright then-’ the youth in front of Yue Fei named Clavin then turned his head slightly to the side and with a slight hand gesture ‘open the gate!’ he cried out to the wall behind him. At his command the sliding gate began to shift and roll to one side of wall, the other team on the other side was pushing the door open from within the school grounds.

Before the gate was even fully opened Yue Fei and his party pushed through the small gap that was just opened. Once through they passed through, they entered the courtyard of their academy the site of which has rarely changed but instead of happy going students in uniforms prowling the ground but were now armored warriors. The uniforms have now faded from extinct what took its place were now varying shapes and forms of half suit of armor. The atmosphere was more similar to that of an active military outpost base rather than a peaceful environment of learning and nurturing the next generation.

The heavy trunding of heavy footsteps upon pavement grounds rang out in the air all around the area only momentarily drowned out by occasional roar of an engine of a heavy machinery at work. Yue Fei said his goodbyes to his party and parted ways his massive Guan Dao in hand leaning against his shoulder heading towards a different direction compared to the rest. Instead of heading to the school dormitory he headed the opposite direction. Walking past patrol parties of armed students male and females alike each greeted him as he past them so he too greeted them back in kind.

Those students that make up these patrol parties were not just that of his Su Tech University but also various members of the all-male student body staff of the Wu Li One World Academy.

Weirdly enough Yue Fei thought he could see several of the female student looking at him funny sending a shiver up his spine. He could almost see glittering stars like those special effects in anime cartons, he didn’t understand what he thinks he was seeing but put it behind him as he walked away. Yue Fei couldn’t have known because of his recent feats of during the last few weeks, including his exploits in the first expedition have made him along with several others relatively popular among the female students of the school. There were such gossips happening among the student body, especially those with the newly converted student bodies of Saint Maiden Scholars Institute and Eagle Mountain College with the latter mostly being the females of course. However, because Yue Fei was too preoccupied with what had to be done to even notice such distracting affairs.

Too many tasks needed to be done ever-growing in number so little time to complete them all. Onwards he walked till he reached a building of the campus that seemed on the outside to resemble a large industrial workshop building, bay door visible to the sides of the building most were sealed but there was the one or two that was opened with one the commercial trunks backup into the doorway.

Yue Fei opened the door to the building angling his posture slightly to not get caught in the doorway with his polearm and immediately was meet and overwhelmed by the clanking ad banging of metal isolated within the closed space. The loud reverberating machine roars bouncing off the metal wall ignoring these mind-numbing soundwaves that he has grown use too he walked right through the workshop garage shop. He walked towards the door to the other side of the corridor ignoring all the vehicles being gutted around him students clad in their workshop uniforms doing their work. One of the bay doors was open and parked was commercial trunk with its content being carried out by several of the working students in the workshop.

All around him as he walked there was an array of different tasks occurring student carrying loads of varying materials around or others working on their half suit armors using the various equipment of the shop. Yue Fei didn’t much attention to them as they did for him as he knew not to disturb his fellow kinsman from their important work, he came here for one thing only. He finally reached the opposite door walked through them to a hallway he took a right turn to another set of door pass through them to a flight of stairs walking up them to the second floor of the building. Walking through the mostly empty hallway listen to the heavy thuds of his armor boots echo around him he continued to walk till he came upon the set of doors he was looking for, without breaking stride grasped at the doorknob stepping into the space beyond it as he opened it.

Creek~, the sound of rang out loudly as the door gave out its monotone whine, a sigh of the hinges badly in need of oiling coming from the other side behind a door to the room behind them. Within that room was filthy littered with machinery sets parts and various paper spread out all along the surface floor.

“Jesus Hou An you really need to clean up your workspace how do you get anything here among this garbage dump.” Yue Fei carefully maneuvered his way through the area trying to be careful to not step on anything as he figured the figure in front of him would throw a hissy fit. Hou An stood at his table at the far end of the room with his back to Yue Fei as he made his way to him his attention fixated on whatever he was doing, bright lights flared about in front of him.

“I will when I have the time to do so.” Hou An replied over the cracking flare in front of him the light stopped he turned flipping open the protective face shield he had on. His torch in in hand as Yue Fei reached him Hou An flashed a toothy white grin pulling the mask he had covering his face down before saying to his friend -

“So, what can I help with you today?”