Chapter 14 The Gray Fox Gang

Ye Mi began to take inventory of her available equipment.

Aside from 850,000 credits, she possessed the Mask of Divinity, a venomous spear, fifty-eight energy crystals, nine gene enhancers, the Healing Fruit Tree, and the three fruits it bore.

The venomous spear had become an inseparable companion of the Rust Tide King, while the Healing Fruit Tree was temporarily guarded by a dozen Rust Tide followers in a concealed spot. The rest of her items were on her person.

She was, without doubt, wealthy and powerful now—at least powerful enough that, if she faced the main combat force of the Defense Bureau, she might just be able to escape.

Of course, the Defense Bureau was unlikely to deploy its main force to hunt down Ye Mi, an ordinary person without any powers.

She still had plenty of time to lay out her plans.

—

As sunset approached, mysterious metal creatures quietly encircled the outer tent zone of the human camp.

At first, there were only scattered cries of alarm, but soon, the wail of sirens tore through the camp’s tranquility.

“Mon—monsters!”

“Rust Tide! A whole swarm of Rust Tide!”

“And... the biggest one... that’s...”

The disturbance spread like ripples in water, quickly enlarging until the once orderly tent area descended into chaos.

Scavengers, peddlers, and their families—all turned ashen-faced, shrinking back into their shabby tents or searching for cover, their eyes full of terror at the cold, metallic horde.

After all, those struggling for survival in the outer tent zone were not strong—if they had been, they would have at least been able to afford an entry pass!

It was a hard, bare existence.

Yet now, these frail people faced a group of uninvited guests.

They gripped their crude weapons—rusted steel pipes, chipped machetes, even sharpened sticks—but against thirteen metal monsters standing in orderly ranks with red lights flickering in their electronic eyes, such resistance seemed utterly feeble.

Strangely, though, the monsters halted at the edge of the tents and made no further move, as if waiting for something.

Then, someone suddenly exclaimed, “The one in front... why does it look so familiar?!”

“That’s the Rust Tide King!”

Many had seen the bounty notices in recent days; those with connections had already spread information about the Rust Tide King, and some even claimed the Defense Bureau had put a huge price on its head.

“What’s it doing here?!”

—

“Is it here to loot us?!”

“Why did it bring so many of its kind this time?”

Inside the camp, those who received the news tensed instantly.

The Gray Fox Gang’s alarm blared throughout the camp. Their well-trained security squad swiftly formed a defensive line with standard-issue firearms.

Moving in perfect sync, they positioned themselves in front of the tent zone, shielding the civilians behind them and aiming at the Rust Tide horde.

Against the Rust Tide, conventional firearms felt inadequate. They might not fear a single Rust Tide, but before them stood more than a dozen—led by the infamous Rust Tide King, who had plundered three Defense Bureau supply depots.

The air was thick with chilling fear and suffocating tension—a single spark could ignite a massacre.

Under Ye Mi’s control, the Rust Tide King stood silently at the front of the group, its iconic red and white electronic eyes calmly sweeping over the human guards braced for battle.

She waited.

Soon, hurried footsteps approached.

The captain of the Gray Fox security team arrived at the frontlines with a squad of elite guards. He was the very same man who had recently purchased energy crystals from Ye Mi.

Now, the composure he usually maintained was gone; his brows knitted tightly, his gaze grave and uncertain.

He, too, did not understand why the Rust Tide King had suddenly appeared at the gates of the human camp.

This was the person Ye Mi had been waiting for.

She needed someone with influence in the Gray Fox Gang to relay her message—saving herself a world of unnecessary trouble.

She was here to negotiate, not to slaughter.

So, the Rust Tide King moved.

It made no threatening gestures, nor did it take a fighting stance. Under a hundred anxious eyes, it slowly raised a metallic arm.

Fine, gleaming wires slid from its fingertips, twisting and weaving in the air as if alive.

Within seconds, large, clear words formed from the metal strands, floating in the dim light: “I wish to discuss terms.”

—

A collective gasp swept through the crowd, as if their throats had been seized, disbelief etched on every face.

A monster... could write? Was here to negotiate?!

The shock of that moment even dulled the edge of their fear.

The captain’s pupils contracted sharply as he stared, confirming again and again that those four words weren’t some hallucination.

Swallowing hard, he forced down the roiling turmoil in his heart and fixed his gaze on the Rust Tide King’s unnervingly calm electronic eyes for several seconds.

“Go... inform the deputy leader at once! Hurry!”

The wait was not long, but the air remained heavy.

Fortunately, after realizing the Rust Tide King seemed to bear no great malice, the civilians in the tent zone felt their hearts settle, if only slightly. They began whispering among themselves, speculating about the Rust Tide King’s intentions.

Under countless watchful eyes, the Rust Tide King stood motionless as a statue, the occasional flicker in its electronic eyes the only sign it was still ‘alive.’

The group of Rust Tide behind it maintained their absolute silence, and the pressure they brought to the human camp did not diminish in the slightest.

Soon enough, the captain received word. With a complicated look, he made a gesture of invitation to the Rust Tide King, indicating the heart of the camp. “The deputy leader will see you.”

The Rust Tide King gave a slight nod, humanlike, and ordered its followers to wait in place.

Then, under the tense escort of the security squad, it was led through several layers of checkpoints in the core area, finally arriving at a sturdy building on the western edge of the camp, just behind the bounty missions district.

This was the Gray Fox Gang’s headquarters—their base of operations in the camp.

Ye Mi entered, surveying her surroundings. Though simply furnished, the building was tidy, a stark contrast to the chaos and clamor outside—a typical office environment.

All the necessary facilities were in place, but it seemed the Gray Fox Gang hadn’t had time to renovate; the interior bore a distinctly industrial style.

Exposed pipes overhead were painted with the gang’s signature dark red, and oversized maps and haphazard planning sheets were nailed to the walls. From the cubicles drifted the hiss of static from communicators, lending the place a true post-apocalyptic atmosphere.

Gang members lined both sides of the hallway, eyes sharp as they scrutinized the monster being led in.

Ye Mi kept her focus steady, betraying nothing, her metallic exterior incapable of showing emotion in any case.

At last, she was brought to a receiving room—more like a converted warehouse—where the deputy leader of the Gray Fox Gang awaited her.