Chapter 80: Steel is Eternal

Chapter 80: Steel is Eternal

"Crack! Crack! Crack!"

The eerie sound of grinding bones echoed from within the wolf-headed monster's body.

The sight made the Cowboy's face pale.

"Fuck!"

He cursed under his breath in dialect, holstering his revolver at his waist before bending down to draw the firearm strapped to his calf. Crouching, he took aim at the werewolf and pulled the trigger.

BOOM!

A deafening explosion shook the entire street.

Thick black smoke billowed from the firearm, engulfing the Cowboy.

The werewolf, still mid-transformation, was sent flying backward, crashing into a lamppost with a sharp snap. Pale yellow whale oil splattered across the ground, igniting into a raging inferno.

Without even glancing at the results, the Cowboy swiftly reloaded before standing up, cautiously advancing toward the werewolf with his firearm raised.

"Whoosh!"

Before he could get close, the werewolf suddenly sprang up. Using all four limbs, it scraped against the ground and lunged forward like lightning, slamming straight into the Cowboy's chest.

Its massive jaws, which should have crushed the Cowboy's skull, instead clamped down on his right arm—the one gripping the firearm.

The tremendous impact sent both of them flying backward.

With a thunderous crash, they landed on the already pockmarked bluestone pavement, cracking it in countless places.

The moment they hit the ground, the werewolf twisted its body violently in a 360-degree spin, tearing the Cowboy's arm clean off—

Like a crocodile's death roll!

"Ugh—!"

The Cowboy grunted in pain, his eyes bulging wide. His remaining left hand pressed against the werewolf's abdomen.

BOOM!

Another ear-splitting explosion!

The werewolf was sent flying once more.

From the Cowboy's left palm, billowing crimson steam erupted.

"Flesh is weak. Steel is eternal!"

"RUN!"

The Cowboy roared at Yu Sheng'an, who seemed frozen in shock.

As he spoke, he struggled to his feet. Two steel pipes suddenly extended from his back, spewing scarlet steam that violently propelled him forward.

At the same time, a steel blade shot out from the severed stump of his right arm.

"ROAR!"

The werewolf, seemingly unkillable, let out a low growl and climbed back to its feet, lunging forward with terrifying speed.

BAM!

The two collided.

Amidst the dizzying flurry of close combat, the long blade flew out of the fray, tracing a graceful arc before landing at Yu Sheng'an's feet.

The Cowboy followed right after, hurtling backward.

Upon landing, he instinctively tried to spring back up, but halfway to his feet, he collapsed to his knees, clutching his abdomen as he vomited chunks of flesh—his shattered internal organs.

The werewolf wasn't faring much better, its chest a mangled mess of blood and flesh.

But compared to the Cowboy, who could no longer stand, the werewolf still seemed full of vigor.

In the distance, a massive spotlight beam from the airship swept rapidly toward them.

With a snarl, the werewolf abandoned the Cowboy and charged at Yu Sheng'an on all fours—

Because the scent of this man's flesh was an irresistible temptation!

BAM!

The lunging werewolf was suddenly sent flying backward even faster than before.

The Cowboy's broken blade, which had landed at Yu Sheng'an's feet, was now embedded deep in the werewolf's skull, pinning it firmly against the street wall.

When the spotlight finally illuminated the scene, the werewolf's pupils still twitched—shrinking in one final, reflexive response.

It stared blankly at Yu Sheng'an, whose magical fluctuations were extremely weak, its last shred of consciousness utterly baffled as to how he could have killed it.

The vomiting cowboy gaped at Yu Sheng'an in shock, a bitter smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

The one he was protecting turned out to be stronger than him!

"Give me the fuel, and I'll owe you a favor. Deal?"

The cowboy pointed at the werewolf.

"Fine!"

A flash of delight crossed the cowboy's face as he staggered toward the werewolf, gritting his teeth before sinking them into its neck, gulping down the still-warm blood.

A few breaths later, he released his grip.

Tilting his head back in satisfaction, he stretched his body as if countless steam engines roared softly within him. Crimson steam spewed from his nose and mouth!

His twisted right arm rapidly regenerated.

Seemingly revitalized, he turned to Yu Sheng'an and urged, "Let’s go. The Night Watchers will be here soon."

With that, he took the lead, vanishing into a dark alley.

Yu Sheng'an hesitated for a moment before following, disappearing into the night.

The wind howled past their ears as the cowboy moved with the agility of a creature born for the darkness.

Under his guidance, the two quickly left the city center, stopping before a square, blocky building in the outskirts.

Countless tin-wrapped pipes coiled around the structure, and a metal plaque reading "Jiu Long" was nailed to its mottled walls.

"I need to fix myself up. Don’t worry, this place is safe."

The cowboy pushed open the rusted gate as he spoke.

This was a slum—an apartment slum.

Every cramped unit seemed to house an entire family.

Stench, noise, wailing, curses, shouting—all kinds of smells and sounds echoed through the corridors.

The cowboy walked on expressionlessly, but wherever he passed, voices instinctively quieted.

Beatings stopped. Wails grew louder.

At times like these, the cowboy’s steps would slow slightly, but in the end, he always moved on.

Finally, the cowboy knocked on a sixth-floor unit door.

A hunched old man, covered in engine oil, opened the door.

The moment he spotted Yu Sheng'an behind the cowboy, his face darkened, and he slammed the door shut with a loud clang.

"Deserves to die! I told you, no outsiders!"

"He’s trustworthy!"

"Fuck! Trustworthy? Last time you brought someone 'trustworthy,' I spent a week drinking tea at the precinct! Almost lost my damn life in there!"

"Didn’t I bail you out?"

"Pah! With whose money? Mine!"

After a round of cursing, the old man finally relented and opened the door, glaring menacingly at Yu Sheng'an.

"Listen here, brat. If you dare report me to the precinct, I’ll make sure you live long enough to collect the bounty but not a penny longer!"

Yu Sheng'an shrugged and stayed silent.

The old man’s room appeared to be a standard apartment unit at first glance, but stepping inside revealed a hidden world.

It seemed several units had been merged, making the space surprisingly spacious—though the piles of metal parts made it feel cramped again.

The cowboy sat familiarly on a chair under a spotlight, extending his left arm and complaining, "Your steel blade is of terrible quality—it snapped with just one swipe! If not for my quick reflexes, you’d probably be collecting my corpse from the constabulary by now!"

"Snapped? Impossible! That was a special supply blade from the Mechanical Steam Divine Sect—cost me three steam engines to get it! Wait, what did you run into?"

"A dog... Oh, right. What should I call you, sir? That song you sang earlier about some dog sounded quite interesting." The cowboy deftly changed the subject, glancing at Yu Sheng'an.

"Brat, don’t touch my stuff," the old mechanic’s voice snapped from behind.

"Upside-Down Song, a nursery rhyme from my hometown. You can call me Aji De," Yu Sheng'an replied casually, his gaze fixed on the machinery on the table, his mind reeling.

It was half of a dismantled steam engine. Though its design was bizarre, Yu Sheng'an recognized it immediately—because it bore an uncanny resemblance to an internal combustion engine.

What shocked him was the sight of mysterious magic runes engraved inside the steam engine—divine techniques.

"Your hometown must be quite interesting. By the way, how did you end up catching that beast’s attention?"

"How did you end up catching its attention?"

"I’ve been tracking it for a long time!"

"Same here."

The cowboy rolled his eyes at that, then winced as the old man sliced open his arm and inserted a section of the steel blade into it.

It was hard to imagine how a blade longer than his arm could fit inside, but somehow, it did.

"You’re not one of the Puen people? Though your accent is flawless," the cowboy remarked, flexing his right arm—the incision already healed naturally.

"Neither are you. Your accent is way off," Yu Sheng'an countered.

"You’re from the Empire, aren’t you? Am I right, spy?" The cowboy stood up.

The old mechanic’s expression darkened instantly.

A series of metallic clatters erupted throughout the spacious room as countless mechanical contraptions whirred to life on their own.

In the blink of an eye, over a dozen firearms and cannons emerged from cluttered corners, their dark muzzles—embodiments of truth—now aimed squarely at Yu Sheng'an’s head.

Yu Sheng'an stared at the suddenly hostile atmosphere, utterly bewildered.

"Why would you say that?"

"I know you gave up the fuel to win me over, but sometimes, excessive goodwill is the biggest giveaway!" The cowboy’s voice was icy.