Apocalypse Gachapon

Chapter 1656: Mechanical genius

Wu Xiu and Ruan Xiao followed behind, occasionally ordering their subordinates to strike, coordinating with Cloud Peakʼs attacks.

Seeing yet another faction wiped out in utter confusion, the two exchanged glances, their expressions complex.

To be honest, they were shrewd individuals, but they had never considered using this method—or rather, this approach—to secure passage rights.

They were accustomed to handling everything in a businesslike manner.

Negotiating cooperation, occasionally resorting to extortion, or committing to outright plunder when necessary—these were things they could do. But adopting such ruthless tactics in this situation? It didn’t sit well with them.

It wasn’t that they lacked the courage—it simply hadn’t occurred to them.

What they didn’t realize was that it was the stationary squad that had given Ye Zhongming the idea.

With Cloud Peak and the Cannibal Chain stirring the pot, the situation on the ring-shaped mountain path descended into utter chaos.

Battles erupted everywhere. No faction was spared. It was as if everyone had gone mad, consumed by slaughter, with no room for anything else.

They had gone mad—but one thing was clear: this was a purge. Only seven factions would pass this trial. Even the weakest among them fought desperately for that sliver of hope.
Perhaps the other factions would fall faster, and then this stage would be over.

Near the mechanical puppet squad, fighting had also broken out. Several small teams from other factions, disoriented by the chaos, had tried to detour around to rejoin their main forces—only to run into this roadblock.

”Annoying, annoying!” A young man sitting inside the belly of a beast-like mechanical puppet gnashed his teeth, repeating the word. He sat motionless in his chair, but a closer look would reveal streams of symbols and lines flickering rapidly in his eyes.

He was controlling the mechanical puppets in battle.

Though the current attackers weren’t particularly strong, their numbers were substantial. He also wanted to monitor other areas, which made things a bit hectic.

”This squad? Are they Korean? Japanese? Doesn’t matter—I hate them all.”

”Time to teach you a lesson!”

As he spoke, the symbols in his eyes multiplied. Simultaneously, several mechanical beasts and over two hundred newly formed mechanical soldiers broke away from the main force, charging toward a specific direction.

”Now, for you flies—so damn annoying.”

The small teams that had been holding their own against the mechanical puppets were instantly crushed.

……………………………………

Ye Zhongming, in the midst of his squad, suddenly stopped. It wasn’t because the faction ahead posed any real threat, but because a notification abruptly echoed in his mind.

”Cloud Peak kill count: 4,004… 4,006… 4,010…”

The count started notifying after 4,000?

Ye Zhongming didn’t know the total number of evolved among the twenty factions, but he guessed it was in the tens of thousands. After this prolonged slaughter, the ring-shaped path was no longer crowded.

If Cloud Peak reached 5,000 kills, would they immediately pass the trial and vanish from here? Or would they lose further combat eligibility, waiting until everything settled before ascending the peak via the passages?

But the number of factions didn’t seem to have dwindled as much as he’d expected.

”President Wu, your turn.”

Ye Zhongming ordered Cloud Peak to relinquish the vanguard position, letting the Cannibal Chain take the lead.

Wu Xiu and Ruan Xiao were initially puzzled, but after Ye Zhongming mentioned they’d already killed over 4,000, they understood.

If this continued, Cloud Peak might leave—stranding the Cannibal Chain alone.

Wu Xiu led his people to the front at top speed, launching a terrifying assault.

Of all their team-based magic, only one or two spells weren’t on cooldown. But they couldn’t afford to hold back now—they needed to hit the kill quota. Staying here alone, in their current state, would be disastrous. With Cloud Peak’s help, they could manage—without it, who knew how much of their reserves they’d burn through during the cooldown period?

The Cannibal Chain’s kill count skyrocketed.

”Congratulations to the Great Americas for securing passage rights.”

The announcement sent a ripple of stillness through the ring-shaped path.

Someone had become the first to clear the Death Steps trial.

Ye Zhongming wasn’t bothered. No matter how strong he was, he couldn’t slaughter everyone or wipe out every faction.

In this free-for-all, if someone else hit 5,000 kills or held a passage for five minutes first, so be it.

But for the other factions, this was a big deal. It meant one fewer passage available—one fewer chance to advance. Their odds had just dropped by a seventh.

The fighting grew even fiercer after the announcement.

As if to fan the flames, the wheel space delivered a second notification a minute later.