Chapter 247: The Beast Machines and the Defenders

The confirmation of their status had barely finished when the alarm thundered across the walls. Sirens rang out, followed by red lights coming on... Just like that, the guards instantly shifted into combat readiness.

Kai turned around, and what he saw made his chest tighten. They were beast-like machines!

"What in the zoid is this?" Ralph muttered as he saw it.

"What do you mean?" Claire asked.

"Forget about it." Ralph waved his hand as he dismissed Claire’s question.

Right now, they have to focus on hiding!

The wolf‑like machines were bristling with weapons. They were charging toward the city in coordinated packs.

But then, the city answered.

From the walls, a storm of firepower came!

"Whoa~" Kai gasped at the sight of Cameron City’s defense.

"This is it... A real fortress against the A.I. Apocalypse." Mei muttered. This was something she really wanted to see!

A full-blown defensive artillery against the mechanical soldiers of the Aria!

Dozens of mounted cannons opened up, unleashing streams of heavy rounds that struck into the advancing mechanical beasts!

Laser batteries tracked targets perfectly, slicing across the battlefield in straight beams that scorched armor and severed limbs.

It didn’t end there, missile pods fired in rapid succession with their trails streaking through the sky before detonating in thunderous bursts among the enemy ranks.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The sound was deafening... A relentless barrage of gunfire, explosions, and shrieking metal followed!

The wolf‑machines were immediately suppressed under the assault...

Kai saw how their armor was easily dented and cracked with some of them collapsing on the ground as their legs were blown apart.

Kai and his team stood frozen at the checkpoint, watching in awe.

Mei’s eyes widened. "That’s... overwhelming. Can’t we all just live here?"

Claire also had the same thoughts. "It must be super expensive to live in this place, Mei. There’s no way it will be free."

Ralph, on the other hand, couldn’t take his eyes away from the mechanical beasts...

"So incredible... They’re dismantling them before they even reach the walls."

"It’s like the city itself is a fortress." Alfie muttered.

The barrage continued, but Kai noticed something... the defenders weren’t firing endlessly. After a few minutes of concentrated fire, the cannons slowed, the missile pods ceased, and the lasers dimmed.

It seemed that they had run out of bullets, or at the very least, they were saving them.

Nonetheless, the beasts had already weakened as their formations were disrupted by the suppression. However, many still crawled forward. They were damaged yet still dangerous.

But then, the second wave of defense.

"W-what?!" Claire’s eyes widened.

"L-look at those! Are you seeing this?" Alfie gasped as he saw something too cool!

From the battlements, figures leapt down!

They were humans clad in rugged exosuits...

Of course, exosuits didn’t look expensive or lustrous. They were used in numerous battle operations. Nonetheless, despite being scarred and dented from countless battles, they looked so reliable!

The armor plating was thick and patched in places with improvised repairs.

As they landed on the ground, their hydraulic limbs hissed as they absorbed the impact...

Soon, Kai and the others heard the guards and other people cheer!

"Ohhh! They’re here!"

"Finally! Hurry, take out your cameras!"

"The Iron Phalanx is here!"

"Haha! Destroy them all!"

Kai and the others remained silent as they saw the regiment called Iron Phalanx come down to end the enemies.

Each of them carried bladed weapons, but they were also equipped with heavy rifles with scratched barrels...

Then, Kai suspected that they were also carrying energy blades aside from the compact launchers strapped to their backs...

"Iron Phalanx, huh..." Kai muttered as he watched the exosuit soldiers move in to intercept the remaining beast-like machines.

It seemed that they were some sort of celebrities, but he could understand why. They all just look so incredible.

As a matter of fact, he also wanted such an exosuit...

Just like that, he watched them charge directly into the weakened beast‑class machines. One slammed into a wolf‑construct, driving its blade through the machine’s neck joint.

Another vaulted over a crippled unit, firing a burst of rounds into its exposed core.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Teams coordinated seamlessly, dismantling the beasts piece by piece.

’I guess they’re saving ammunition by finishing the fight up close...’ Kai mused.

"They fight like they’ve done this a hundred times before." Farrah whispered as she realized that this human city wasn’t that completely safe from the A.I. Army.

Ralph, on the other hand, felt so excited.

"Exosuits... so that’s how Cameron City holds against the A.I. Army."

It would definitely be a tough battle if the Beast Machines were in full strength. However, with so much damage done to them, the exosuit soldiers were immediately at an advantage.

They dodged faster, countered, and struck their weak points...

Kai could tell that they had done this hundreds of times. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Still, the Beasts weren’t going to go down without a real fight...

Explosions flared as grenades and missiles were launched.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t watch more of it.

Kai and his team could only look at the closing gates, blocking their view.

The defenders outside continued their battle, but the newcomers were ushered inside quickly. Guards shouted, "Move! Get in before the gates shut!"

Reluctantly, Kai turned away from the fight. He wanted to see it through, but survival came first. The massive gates slammed shut behind them, cutting off the view of the battlefield.

Inside, the atmosphere shifted. The checkpoint guards immediately demanded payment.

"Entry fee. One C‑Grade Core per person."

Kai didn’t hesitate. He and his companions each handed over a C‑Grade Core.

The guards inspected them, then nodded. "Accepted."

In return, they were given small metallic tokens, etched with the city’s insignia.

"Visitor’s tokens. Keep them visible. They’ll mark you as authorized guests."

Kai turned the token in his hand, and he didn’t find anything new about it. It was just a token made of brass.

’So this is Cameron City... even entry comes at a price.’

As Kai turned his attention to the city in front of him, he was soon approached by a guard...

"You’re the one with an invitation token? Can you show it to me again?"