Three Near-Heavyweight sheep-type jin beasts were chasing a jin person south along the road toward Great Vajra. Four more jin people trailed at a distance, trying to draw the animals off but not daring to press in close enough to make a difference.

All they could do was watch their companion getting run down.

Out on the road ahead, Shen Cong had already suited up in the Half-Activated Armor, attached the bouncing stilts, and was working through his warm-up — sprinting and jumping along the highway, loading the stilts with stored energy.

Between Huanghuatang Town and Ping'an Town ran National Highway 205, and the fleeing jin person was using it. Sensible choice. A paved road gave him a meaningful edge over open terrain, where four-hooved jin beasts had every advantage.

The running jin person spotted Great Vajra parked among the ruins ahead, and the armored figure bounding dozens of meters into the air with each leap. He found another gear immediately.

"Help! Someone help me!"

Shen Cong paid no attention to the shouting. He kept loading the stilts and studied the three creatures closing from behind.

They were technically goat mutations rather than sheep — the straight horns were the tell; ordinary sheep didn't have them. Their coats were patchy and thin in places, hide showing through in patches. But the horns themselves caught the light with a distinctive gleam. Good quality.

Those would make excellent totem engine components.

Energy stored. The moment the lead goat was about to close the gap on the jin person, Shen Cong launched.

Two objects on a collision course. In what felt like a single blink, he was among them. The Tyrant Broadsword took Activity and sharpened, the blade surface running with light, and in the fraction of a second before impact he drew it through the space between the goat's horns at seven or eight meters of height.

Thwack.

The skull split open along a meter-long gash. Blood erupted like a tap that couldn't be shut off.

He didn't pause. Body dropping, then surging back up, the broadsword came back through and opened…