Terra Tinkers Construct is fine.

In Ursus, everything from duels to brawls is commonplace, or rather, it's a prime example of the fierce and valiant spirit of the Ursus people. Gangs are products of private violence that establishes rules and supports an incomplete order and power structure, and violence is naturally an indispensable element.

If there has to be a rule, it's "whoever has the bigger fist is the boss." At least this rule is tacitly accepted among the Ursus people. As is customary, once things have been said to this extent, what usually follows is a fight between the best fighters from both sides for face and the right to speak.

If words can't persuade, then use your fists.

"It seems Red Scar wants to test our turtle shell."

Alexei's voice turned cold—he still remembered the training he received at the base in Milan, and the real combat he had just faced; the weight on his body was reassuring, and after several trials, he had long been accustomed to trusting the armor he wore.

He still didn't understand the limits of this armor, but that didn't stop him from having complete faith in it—and in the one who would be there to back them up: the creators of this armor.

"Don't be afraid of conflict; you can be a bit aggressive."

Milan's words were very clear, and he understood them perfectly—he took a deep breath, preparing to accept the challenge with a tough stance.

Just then, a white-armored team member on the perimeter seemed to have received some instructions and quickly walked over.

Chapter 75 - Intensification

Alexei's facial muscles twitched slightly.

The sharpness in his eyes, which had been preparing for battle, turned into surprise in an instant as he stared directly at his teammate who was standing close at hand. The white-armored teammate's expression was also not very calm, but it was more determined and confident. His eyes quickly changed, and a deeper and colder determination entered his eyes.

He nodded slightly.

The team members immediately retreated and returned to the group; while Alexei turned his gaze back to Red Scar, his demeanor completely different now.

The short man, completely shrouded in a cloak, continued to spout nonsense, and Geor couldn't even get a signal from him. He said things like, "I wonder what kind of underhanded methods they used" and "If we don't try, who knows if it's some kind of petty theft?" His blunt words made the other gang members watching instinctively keep their distance.

"..."

As for Georg, he seemed to sense a genuine killing intent.

"Try?"

Alexei's voice rang out, still calm, but perhaps due to his experience, the condescension in his words was subtly obvious.

"It seems that Red Scar not only has eye problems, but his mind isn't very clear either."

"You'll soon find out for yourselves whether the Cracked-Tooth cadres are useless—because you'll soon become just like them."

"you--!"

The short man, whose ramblings had been interrupted, spoke in a garbled voice.

Alexei didn't give him a chance. His gaze was hostile, and his words were no longer a response to the challenge, but rather a direct escalation of the conflict.

"We know the rules. If you disagree, then we'll follow the rules."

Harboring the arrogance he had when he was still a minor nobleman or official, he said contemptuously, "You provide one person, we provide one person."

"If we lose, you don't need to tell us. We'll just leave on our own. Are you trying to kindly share this territory with everyone or what? It's your own territory, so it's not a problem for you."

At this point, he let out an undisguised sneer.

“But we won… You coward, things can’t just end like this.”

"!"

Not only did Geor's expression change drastically, but the cloaked dwarf beside him also froze—although they had originally intended the same thing, the other party's decisiveness was even more thorough than his provocation, leaving him momentarily caught off guard.

Georg's expression changed, and just as he was about to say something, the person beside him stepped forward and angrily shouted, "Arrogant! You're courting death!"

"George, send your men! Show them what's what!"

Georg: Can I call my men to go now?

He inwardly groaned, but since things had come to this, he could only grit his teeth and nod behind him; from the shadows behind him, a figure who had been waiting emerged—the person was tall, wearing a cloak over his clothes, and a mask on his face.

It was still uncertain whether he was one of the Red Scars, but Milan, hiding behind the scenes, narrowed his eyes: Milan had noticed something amiss about this person and the group behind him that belonged to the "Red Scars" organization as early as when they started causing trouble.

Milan could still recognize the blatant markings on these people—marks that resembled a stylized letter X, or perhaps symbolized "bloodline"—that looked like a DN** segment.

—The Integration Movement.

He pondered to himself: Should I say it was no surprise?

At this point, it's not hard to understand that this group has gradually infiltrated the area; but for Milan, it's an unexpected variable—he had initially considered the possibility of local gang opposition, and telling Alexei "don't be afraid to fight" already represented his intention.

But now that he is directly encountering the Reunion Movement, it means that the level of conflict will inevitably escalate, and he needs to consider his attitude towards the Reunion Movement first.

Is this something we need to start thinking about now?

There is no doubt that Milan does not want a full-blown conflict with the Integration Movement.

But there is no doubt that he also does not want the Integration Movement to interfere with his short-term goals – the demands of the two sides have been in conflict from the beginning, so Milan reacted quickly.

—The situation has changed. Let's take them down.

This is the instruction Milan gave to Alexei.

Alexei's understanding was this: if a plausible excuse was needed, "escalation of conflict" seemed like a good choice, whether for establishing authority or responding to provocation.

"Come here wearing your antique tortoise shells and come to your deaths! You bunch of stage actors!"

"Hahahahaha!"

A burst of laughter came from Red Scar's group, as well as from the cloaked dwarf who was now "not even acting convincingly."

Meanwhile, on the canned goods side, Alexei made a gesture, and a burly infected melee fighter stepped forward, carrying a short-handled axe on his shoulder, the white bone armor reflecting a sinister luster under the light.

Regarding their attitude towards combat, both the infected and the old workers on the canned food side seem to share the same origin—they never shout or yell during battle, just like the warriors they remember most vividly.

Without any unnecessary words, the two charged at each other instantly.

The man who emerged from the red scar spread his arms and pulled out two military knives from under his cloak. These knives were not the longswords commonly used by officers in the Ursus regular army, but rather standard military and police weapons. It was unclear whether they had entered the market or not, but ended up in his hands.

But using two weapons at the same time is no simple skill—the man who attacked moved smoothly and skillfully, his two military knives flying up and down, his steps agile and his hands coordinated, and his attacks were coherent and ruthless, clearly indicating that he had undergone systematic weapons training.

The canned goods side seems to have lost much of its luster.

It was clear that his opponent was more skilled and agile than him: the burly melee fighter wielded a hand axe, his movements were relatively clumsy and lacked variety, and considering that the hand axe was not as agile as the dual swords, his powerful and heavy slashes were nimbly dodged by his opponent.

But his opponent was different. Her light twin blades were agile and cunning, and she moved with agility, bypassing his clumsy defenses several times, stabbing or slicing through his arm and shoulder armor.

The blade made a creaking sound as it cut through the bone armor, even splattering white debris—but it only left a few marks and accomplished nothing else.

Only wisps of the aroma of soy sauce were stirred up and dispersed by his swinging of the hand axe, drifting towards the various gang members watching, giving them a subtle feeling that something was amiss.

—This tastes authentic…wait, no mixing!

Where is the smell of stewed bones coming from?

"What are you doing! You can't even take down a gang thug?! What was the point of all your training?"

The literal fragrance of the air made it hard for the onlookers to take it seriously. As they watched the bloody conflict soften in the aroma, seemingly making the whole atmosphere comical, they still murmured and chuckled with amusement.

But the cloaked dwarf on the sidelines was different. He was impatient watching, and even more impatient when he heard the sound. He glared fiercely at the gang members, but couldn't identify who it was. The rustling sound made him feel ashamed, and he immediately made a ruckus to pressure his teammates.

"Show us your true skills! This isn't the time for games!"

—Am I supposed to be playing games here?

The dual-wielding swordsman felt a chill run down his spine: he knew what kind of temperament the Bonebreaker had. This guy was one of the rare types who benefited from "Oripathy-induced enhancements," and most of the time his likes and dislikes were purely based on the "infected and non-infected" aspect... But there was a prerequisite: you had to be someone he considered a "traitor to the infected, a parasite who betrayed Talulah's great goals."

His inability to break through with his twin blades didn't mean he was launching fewer effective attacks; rather, it was because when his light blades struck the white armor of the melee fighter, it felt as if he were hitting a solid rock—utterly unpleasant.

The group of people's flashy, retro-looking full-body armor is not just for show—where did they dig up these ancient relics that are still usable today?

Especially after realizing his agility disadvantage—the melee fighter simply held his axe horizontally, bracing it without moving, ready to fight, his eyes fixed on the dual-wielding swordsman, looking like he was going to just wait it out.

He felt so disgusted he felt like he was going to throw up.

—However, speaking of armor…

Feeling the peculiar sensation of slicing through the white armor with a few strikes, the dual-wielding swordsman glanced at his opponent's hateful white armor, then touched the light armor beneath his cloak... He gritted his teeth, his heart hardening.

"Oh no...!"

Once again, just like before, as if using his own armor durability to wear down the opponent's stamina: the dual-wielding swordsman once again tentatively jumped into the melee hand's defensive circle. He did not impulsively make a move, but the swordsman suddenly staggered, revealing a huge opening.

"!"

The melee fighter fell for it! He seized the opportunity to swing his axe, but the swordsman shifted his body and, from his seemingly unbalanced posture, flipped over with a strange movement—the melee fighter made a mistake, and he suddenly sprang to close the distance, slashing with both swords at the melee fighter's armpit with all his might!

That's a movable joint, a spot where defensive materials are difficult to apply! If this strike lands...

"Crack!"

The sounds of metal clashing and materials rubbing together rang out.

The good news is: the dual-wielding swordsman did succeed. With his extensive combat experience and honed skills, he successfully lured out a weakness in the melee attack and seized the opportunity to strike!

The bad news was that he was aware of his own strength; he could cut through a piece of wood as thick as a bowl and leave a mark on steel... but after this strike, he only felt a strange, unbearable force in his wrist...

It's like sawing through rough, heavy rocks!

"Something's wrong with this armor!"

The sneer on the dual-wielding swordsman's face froze instantly, his eyes widening in horror as he gasped in shock.

--It's now!

But he was an Ursus man and didn't have the surname Speedwagon, so naturally he wouldn't have the special skill of time-stopping commentary. The melee fighter didn't have time to think, so he dropped the axe and his heavily armored arm snapped shut, grabbing the arm holding the knife like an iron clamp!

"You guy!"

The dual-wielding swordsman was filled with shock and rage. He struggled violently, his other sword slashing wildly at the arm that was gripping his arm. The chaotic blows were powerful and relentless, cracking the plated armor. But the white-armored warrior withstood all the attacks. Using his overwhelming weight, he pressed his opponent down, while his free left hand reached to his waist and immediately drew another [tool].

Wait, wait, wait... [Stewed Pork Bones - Bamboo Pickaxe]!

The rich, fragrant aroma of stewed bones filled the air! The melee fighter swung his pickaxe, and the dual-wielding swordsman raised his hand to block, but he couldn't—the gleaming pickaxe tip landed on the swordsman, whose light armor was no match for [Armor Penetration 1], which was essentially just a piece of cardboard.

The pickaxe, sharp as a nail, pierced through the swordsman's thin armor, driving the swordsman and his sword into the ground!

The venue fell into a deathly silence.

The aroma of stewed pork bones still lingered in the venue, but this time no one found the smell funny. The rich aroma was mixed with the smell of blood. Although the smell of blood might just be psychological, it still made them feel creepy in their subconscious—Geor was even pale and subconsciously took half a step back.

His half-step back startled Broken Bones.

Broken Bones was also stunned. His eyes under his hood were full of disbelief. After a long while, he let out a roar of "I'm completely enraged!"

"Bastard!"

"You scum! You insects! How dare you... how dare you lay a hand on him! What right do you have to harm my compatriots!"

He pointed at the melee fighter, his voice harsh with anger and distortion from his mask: "Let him go! I told you to let him go!"

"?"

The melee fighter completely ignored him, instead panting as he raised his hand axe and turned to look at Alexei.

Alexei's face remained expressionless; all he could recall was Milan's clear instruction: take them down.

He nodded.

Without hesitation, the melee fighter swung his short-handled axe, bringing with him the aroma of meat broth, and chopped down the wood with a single blow!

——Crack!

"what--!"

"Kill them! Kill them!"

Broken Bones hadn't expected the other party to completely ignore him, and even dare to finish him off right in front of him; after the initial shock came intense anger. He stopped pretending and simply waved his hand, screaming, "Kill these bastards! Leave no one alive!"

"Wait a minute! Bone crusher! This is against the rules!"

Georg was horrified, horrified, and then horrified again: "This will make everyone hostile!"

"What *Ursus profanity* rules! My words are the rules, our Reunion Movement is the rule!"

The enraged Bonebreaker looked small, but a shove nearly knocked him to the ground. He angrily pointed a trembling hand at the can, roaring, "They killed our people! Are you just going to let me watch?!"

"waste!"

"I'm in charge here! For the sake of our fellow countrymen's hatred! Everyone, take action!"

Chapter 76 Fierce Battle

"No... Bone shattering! Listen to me, this won't work!"

"We will be the enemy of everyone!"

The roar of shattered bones echoed in the underground space. Geor waved his arms in vain, but none of his nominal subordinates obeyed his orders—they had never intended to continue the act, let alone now.

The Reunion soldiers obeyed only Bonebreaker's orders, and like predators that had smelled blood, they pounced on what they perceived as the enemy.