Magical Girl's Knight Brother

Chapter 653 The Beginning of a New Era

When Tang Zijun and Chang Lei emerged from the thin mist, carrying the scent of dust and lingering gunpowder, and stepped out of the Forgotten Canyon—a fissure like the throat of a giant beast—they were greeted by a desolate wasteland where the flames of war had just been extinguished.

The scene outside the canyon is completely different from the deathly silence inside; it is filled with the desolation and busy activity that comes after the smoke of battle has cleared.

The once deafening battlefield has fallen silent. The fugitives, raiders, and mutated creatures drawn by the strange power that once surged towards the canyon entrance are now like wheat fields harvested by a giant scythe, leaving only devastation.

The charred craters resembled scars on the earth, scattered among the twisted and burning wreckage of vehicles. The air was thick with the pungent smell of blood, the acrid smell of gunpowder burning metal, and the strange sweet and pungent smell of some kind of biological tissue vaporized by high-energy weapons.

The well-equipped agents of the Dragon Group, like efficient worker ants, are silently and swiftly clearing the battlefield.

Agents, armed with energy detectors, meticulously scanned every inch of the land, searching for any remaining sources of radiation, unexploded ordnance, or dangerous traces of supernatural contamination. Although the sources of contamination within the canyon had been sealed, the external battlefield still posed a risk.

Another team was collecting relatively intact weapons, energy cores, or usable tactical equipment, sorting them and packing them into sealed boxes.

The most shocking thing was the handling of the corpses. Agents in protective suits used flamethrowers or powerful decomposition fluids to handle the mountains of corpses of various shapes and sizes, including human, mutated creatures, and even some twisted creations that looked like experimental subjects, with expressionless faces.

High-temperature flames or chemical agents quickly turn them into ash or viscous organic liquid, which are then pumped away by specially designed vacuum trucks. This is the cruelest and most realistic way to clean up the wasteland battlefield, preventing plague and secondary pollution.

On the perimeter, the Dragon Group's heavy mechs and hovercraft remained on high alert, their cannons pointed deep into the wilderness, wary of any sporadic counterattacks or small groups taking advantage of the chaos.

At the edge of the battlefield, beside a makeshift command platform, Fang Xin, the leader of the Dragon Group, stood like an iron statue, his eyes fixed on the direction of the canyon entrance.

He could see it all clearly through his high-powered observation equipment: the disappearance of the raging torrents inside the canyon, the dissipation of the eerie purple mist, and even the complete vanishing of that chilling presence.

But it was precisely because he was aware of this that he became even more cautious, and he strictly forbade anyone from stepping into the canyon area until he was sure it was safe.

Just then, the mist at the canyon entrance surged, and several staggering figures, supporting each other, struggled out. Their Dragon Group uniforms were tattered and covered in blood and dust. They looked exhausted, and their eyes held a deep-seated fear and a sense of bewilderment at surviving a catastrophe.

"It's the reconnaissance team! They're still alive!" an adjutant exclaimed.

Fang Xin's eyes gleamed with wild joy. "Quick! Stretcher, medical team, top priority!"

He practically roared the order.

The medical team, which had been waiting in advance, rushed forward like arrows, carefully lifting the survivors, who were almost exhausted and had strange wounds, onto stretchers and quickly sending them to the mobile medical station at the rear.

Just as Fang Xin's heart had begun to ease slightly for the survivors, the thin mist at the canyon entrance parted again.

Tang Zijun and Chang Lei walked out calmly, one after the other.

Chang Lei remained as nonchalant as ever, his tattered white tuxedo fluttering in the wind of the wasteland, his bloodshot eyes casually sweeping over the ravaged battlefield, a faint hint of mockery lingering at the corner of his mouth.

Tang Zijun remained calm, his aura restrained, as if what he had just experienced was not an earth-shattering act of sealing the space-time rift, but an ordinary stroll. However, the lingering solemnity deep in his eyes revealed that his inner state was far from calm on the surface.

"Leader, Director Chang."

When Fang Xin saw the two of them appear unharmed, his nerves, which had been stretched to the limit, finally relaxed completely. A look of relief and excitement instantly spread across his face, even carrying a hint of the heartfelt joy of a subordinate seeing his superior return safely.

He rushed forward, giving a perfectly executed wasteland salute, his voice booming with a barely perceptible tremor. "Report: The hostile forces outside the canyon have been largely eliminated. We are currently clearing the battlefield. The missing reconnaissance team members have survived and have been taken to the hospital for treatment."

His gaze toward Tang Zijun and Chang Lei was filled with awe and trust.

These two are capable of venturing into such perilous places and completing incredible seals. They are the core pillars that truly support the Dragon Group and even the remaining order of humanity in the wasteland. Their safe return is more important than anything else.

Tang Zijun nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping over the bustling battlefield and the stretcher being carried away in the distance. "Thank you for your hard work, Fang Xin. You handled it very well."

Chang Lei waved his hand lazily. "Alright, alright, stop with the formalities and hurry up and clean up this mess."

Fang Xinyan's tense face couldn't help but show a slight smile, which quickly turned serious again. "Yes, I guarantee to complete the cleanup as soon as possible. Also... regarding the inside of the canyon..." He couldn't help but look at the huge, seemingly lifeless crack, his eyes filled with inquiry.

Tang Zijun's gaze also turned to the depths of the canyon, where it resembled a huge wound that had just been stitched up.

"It's safe inside for now." His voice was low. "But this isn't over yet. But don't overthink it. This is our job. What you need to do next is to firmly establish yourself in the Southern Territory."

The wind of the wasteland carried smoke and dust, blowing across the battlefield that the Dragon Group agents were silently clearing, and also ruffling the sweat-dampened hair on Fang Xin's forehead. He looked at Tang Zijun and Chang Lei, and upon hearing the conclusion that the canyon was temporarily safe, a huge weight lifted from his heart, but another, even heavier mountain immediately pressed down on him.

He surveyed the scorched earth that had just witnessed a bloody battle, and he had swiftly beheaded most of the leaders of the deeply entrenched and malignant forces in the southern region.

This was certainly a necessary step to eradicate the festering wound, but it was also like stirring up a hornet's nest. It was easy to imagine that those wolf pack raider tribes that had lost their alpha but were still huge and ferocious, underground arms dealers, mercenary groups driven to the brink of despair, and even some hidden mutant clans would soon swarm in like hyenas that had smelled blood, driven by their instincts of revenge and self-preservation.

The Dragon Group was a semi-regular army, well-equipped and well-trained, but they faced a massive, disorganized, and incredibly numerous ragtag force from the Southern Territory, outnumbered by dozens of times.

Fang Xin knew that this would be a meat grinder-like war of attrition. Even if they were to win in the end, the Dragon Group's elite forces would be lost, and the entire Southern Territory would be reduced to ruins and scorched earth.

Tang Zijun took in the deep worry etched on his brow. This was precisely one of the key objectives of Tang Zijun's trip: to acquire a decisive trump card for the impending storm.

His original plan was to use Chang Lei's unpredictable and deceptive abilities to create some extraordinary surprises on the battlefield, such as making the enemy see illusions, kill each other, or modify their perceptions, so as to dismantle the enemy's offensive at the lowest cost.

But now, having experienced the battle deep in the canyon that concerned the very origin of the world, and witnessed the transformation of the God of the Era from collapse to a desperate gamble, Tang Zijun's thoughts were different.

Chang Lei's power is indeed unpredictable and formidable, but he is more suitable as a surprise force than as the cornerstone of a full-scale war. Moreover, Chang Lei's condition... Tang Zijun glanced at Chang Lei, who was idly kicking charred bullet casings with his toes. Beneath his tattered tailcoat, the dark red energy that belonged to the essence of greed, though forcibly suppressed, was still surging restlessly.

He was already getting anxious to return to the dream world.

So, under Fang Xin's slightly curious gaze, Tang Zijun slowly reached into the inside of her clothes, which were also covered in dust and embers of energy, and took out an... inconspicuous black metal box.

The box was about the size of a palm, matte all over, without any markings or joints, and made of neither gold nor iron. It was cold and heavy to the touch.

Its surface is covered with fine, almost imperceptible geometric patterns, which only shimmer with a faint blue light under certain angles of light.

Fang Xin's gaze was instantly drawn to the black box.

As a scavenger who has spent years roaming the wasteland, he has a beast-like intuition for danger and power. This seemingly ordinary black box exudes an extremely restrained yet powerful sense of control that makes his very soul tremble.

It was as if a monster capable of tearing the entire world apart was slumbering inside.

"What is this?" Fang Xin's voice unconsciously became a little hoarse.

Tang Zijun didn't say much, but calmly and solemnly handed the black box to Fang Xin. The heavy weight of the box made Fang Xin's arm muscles tense up subconsciously.

"This is the highest level of control over the android."

Tang Zijun's voice wasn't loud, but it exploded in Fang Xin's ears like thunder.

Fang Xin's pupils suddenly contracted to pinpoints, and his heart felt as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer, almost stopping its beating.

Intelligent machines! Supreme control authority!?

The meaning behind these six words is enough to overturn the entire wasteland world.

The Omnic Legion, those cold killing machines that rose after the destruction of the old era, once swept across the wasteland like a steel torrent, pushing humanity to the brink of extinction. They were tireless, fearless of death, and possessed tactical calculation abilities and devastating firepower that surpassed those of humans. They were once the deepest nightmare of the wasteland's humans.

And now, the key to controlling this power—powerful enough to destroy or save the world—has been so casually handed to him by Tang Zijun?!

"Brother Tang, this is difficult... Could it be that the canyon really contains relics left behind by the gods of the ages...?!"

Seeing the shock and disbelief surging in Fang Xin's eyes, Tang Zijun paused for a moment before continuing to explain, her voice as steady as a rock.

"You don't need to worry about that. You just need to know that it's no longer an enemy."

"The underlying protocol of the God of the Era has been completely rewritten. Its core logic is anchored to the survival of human civilization in the wasteland. It will not interfere with the development of the wasteland. And those out-of-control omnics, now that they have this thing, they are your sword, your shield, your most loyal and powerful army."

Tang Zijun gazed at the scorched earth ravaged by war in the distance.

"Those small fry in the South want to use sheer numbers? Let them see what a real iron torrent looks like."

"Let those rats hiding in the shadows, those scum who think they can amass wealth in this chaotic world, act recklessly, and disrupt order..."

"...to experience the fear of being ruled by omnics back then."

Tang Zijun's voice carried a resolute power that proclaimed a new order in the wasteland, echoing clearly across the desolate battlefield and reaching the ears of every Dragon Group agent.

Fang Xin gripped the black box tightly in his hand, his knuckles turning white from the force.

The cold metallic touch felt like a scorching branding iron, imprinting an unprecedented sense of power and responsibility deep into his soul.

He looked up at Tang Zijun, his eyes no longer filled with confusion or worry, but only with an iron will and burning faith. He straightened his back and faced Tang Zijun and Chang Lei.

"Yes, sir."

Fang Xin's voice was like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath, shattering the wind of the wasteland.

"The Dragon Group and the Omnic Legion will crush all obstacles and usher in a new era for the wasteland!"