The surface of the sphere was round, but there was nothing out of the ordinary about it.
Once the others were inside, the entire squad became a sphere of its own.
The sphere changed once more. Something like a drill appeared at the base of the sphere. It spun violently and slowly drilled into the ground.
At the top of the metal ball, there were also some metal mechanical hands that covered the surrounding soil that had been drilled out.
The entire squad was gone, just like that.
It didn't take long for the aliens to close in. A two-headed creature with a bulging back like a giant wolf leapt up the hill. It leapt into the air and was about to make its way through.
Just then, a silver gear shot up from the ground without warning and cut into the creature's belly.
The creature managed to make it through, but its body was cleaved in half. Flesh and blood splattered as it slumped to the ground.
Soon after, another streak of silver light soared into the sky. This time, it was a spear that drilled out of the ground for almost two hundred meters. It brazenly pierced through a purplish-red creature that was flying through the air, and then retracted at lightning speed.
If one were to look at the ground, they would not be able to see any clues at all. Only those who were particularly careful would notice that in the next instant after the attack was launched, a few small mechanical hands would drill out from the ground and gather up the soil that had been previously broken, covering up the top.
No one but Tang Xiao could have come up with such a wretched method of combat.
The members of his team were all specially selected by him.
Half of them were experts in energy enhancement or energy conduction.
The rest, including Tang Mi, were all related to metal.
Every Adept in the ARC class who had a metal Discipline had been recruited.
That was how he'd come up with this wretched method of combat he'd named Transformer Tactics.
He'd used his mecha as the outer armor while the others were responsible for offense and recharging.
He'd used his mecha as the outer armor while the others were responsible for offense and recharging.
He was in charge of the controls.
On the battlefield, he could change the shape of his metal sphere to suit the terrain.
Ambushes and sneak attacks were his main weapons.
Furthermore, his defense was extremely strong.
Now that everyone was gathered together, their survivability was greatly enhanced.
Today was the first time he had used it on the battlefield. Back when they were annihilating the Poison Wasp Pirates, Tang Xiao had been very depressed. Their team had not even finished transforming when the battle ended.
And this time …
Apparently, it was similar to what he had imagined.
Just like that, two powerful aliens were killed by the ambush.
Tang Xiao was now a Level 8 Arcanist. Coupled with the mecha that Skyfire Avenue had spared no expense in building, and the support of his companions, his Transformer tactics were indeed quite powerful.
If you don't consider the dirty factor.
Their team was the most cohesive one.
These creatures were low-level beasts, but that didn't mean they had no intelligence. Seven or eight beasts spotted them, some from the air, some from the ground. All of them swooped down on the humans.
The first to rush over was a monster that looked like a giant bear.
Its huge body was thirty meters tall, and its arms were especially thick and strong. Its purplish-red claws fell on the ground.
It dug up a large patch of earth and stone.
A ray of silver light flashed past. It was a sharp blade that stabbed towards the giant bear.
But the beasts were prepared, and their combat prowess was formidable. The bear roared and slammed its paws forward.
One of the claws was pierced.
Still, it managed to block the attack.
At this time, another monster that looked similar to it had already rushed over.
A mouth.
It spat out a ball of purplish-red light towards the ground.
There was a flash of silver.
A shield appeared on the ground and deflected the ball of light. At the same time, a large number of metal spikes protruded from the ground.
These spikes were wretched, aiming for the lower abdomen of the creatures that were charging at them.
The aliens had strong defenses, but these spikes were infused with Tang Xiao's Discipline. With the help of his comrades and the mecha, they were powerful.
And it wasn't just the bears. The other beasts that were charging were also stopped in their tracks by the spikes.
A moment later, the giant metal ball shot out.
When it emerged from the ground, it didn't look the same as it did before.
The surface of the metal ball was covered with blades.
It spun like a meat grinder as it tore through the aliens, reaping their lives.
In less than a dozen seconds, the few aliens that had been stabbed by the metal spikes were all dead.
The metal ball rapidly transformed before more purple-red creatures could surround it. This time, it transformed into something like a fighter jet, flying the members of Squad 11 back to where they came from.
They avoided being surrounded.
Even if the enemy was weaker, Tang Xiao would still try to ambush them. If the enemy was stronger, then what was he waiting for?
Su Xiaosu once said that pirate tactics were the art of survival. Survival was the most important thing.
Tang Xiao wholeheartedly agreed. He often sought out Xiaosu for advice, but whether or not he had any ulterior motives, only he himself knew.
Because he was Lan Jue's disciple, Xiaosu didn't hesitate to teach him. Tang Xiao quickly grasped the essence of pirate tactics.
But not everyone fought the way he did. There were those who preferred to fight head-on, like a certain someone …
Perhaps it was because the nickname Little Ergou had left such a deep impression on Jin Tao, that when he was choosing his mecha, he also chose the rarely seen beast-shaped mecha. His mecha was shaped like a Tibetan mastiff that looked like a lion.
The Tibetan Mastiff was a mythical dog of China in the Former Era. It was one of the most powerful canine breeds. The strongest of the Tibetan Mastiff's adult breeds could defeat a lion.
Though the Tibetan Mastiff was nearly extinct, Jin Tao had loved to read about it since he was a child. Now that he had a custom mecha, he chose the Tibetan Mastiff mecha.
The mecha was fifteen meters long and seven meters tall. Its body was majestic, and its head was encircled by three rings of alloy armor. The outer rings were like blades, and the front was like a shield.
Its strongest weapons were its four sharp claws. When Jin Tao piloted the mecha, he used his own ability, Dog Transformation, to make the claws merge perfectly with the mecha.
Piloting a bestial mecha was different from a humanoid mecha. A humanoid mecha required a multitude of controls, but a bestial mecha relied on the body to move. It was more direct, but it also required a high level of fitness. First and foremost, it had to be compatible.
Without a doubt, Jin Tao was one of the best.
He was also the captain of Jin Tao's team. In terms of individual strength, he wasn't strong enough to be a captain.
However, he was very compatible with his mecha. His combat prowess far exceeded that of many original pilots. His fighting style was ferocious, and he excelled in direct combat. He had his own unique characteristics.
Therefore, even though his team was ranked at the bottom of the First Brigade, he was still a true leader.
His team wasn't made up of students from the A.R.C. class. They were all bestial Adepts, and they all chose bestial mechas.
Because of this, they were a rather unique sight in First Brigade.
Seeing that the enemies were approaching from afar, the 2nd Brigade's long-range attack had already begun. Jin Tao led his 31st Squad and charged at the forefront.
Long-range attacks required close-combat support. Although Jin Tao's team was a bestial mecha, they relied on their own abilities to fly.
He named his mecha 'Black Gold' because the mecha itself was mainly composed of these two colors. Controlling Black Gold, he used the short wings on his back to fly towards the purplish-red creature in the distance.
The first wave of long-range attacks was over, and a large number of the creatures were killed. By the time the long-range attacks stopped, Jin Tao was already in contact with the enemy.
A large, bird-like alien swooped in front of him, its beak protruding out to stab at Blackgold's head.
After entering Dog Transformation, Jin Tao's entire aura changed. His entire body exuded a crazed aura. He raised his right paw and swatted at his opponent. At the same time, his body had already leaped into the air.
"Bam!" The giant bird's head was knocked off course, and Hei Jin scurried onto its back.
In terms of size and strength, the bird had the upper hand.
However, Blackgold's speed was too fast, and Jin Tao's actions were too firm.
The moment it pounced, Hei Jin's four sharp claws turned dark gold in an instant. With a ferocious swipe, the giant bird's neck was crushed into pieces.
Magenta blood splashed all over him, but he didn't seem to notice. He followed the bird's back a few paces away, then leaped up and pounced on his next opponent.
The giant bird also fell from the sky.
Just then, a large figure leaped up from the ground, a pair of giant arms reaching for Blackgold.
Hei Jin somersaulted in the air, dodging the pounce. At the same time, he stomped his hind legs on the creature's shoulder and sent it flying. At the same time, he leaped down and pounced on the baboon-like creature that was three times his size.
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The second update, I'm still asking for recommendation votes. It's still more than a hundred words.
(To be continued.)