"Since everyone is here, I'll briefly explain the current situation. I'll skip the technical principles for now. The conclusion is that the operational capabilities of the logical cores of all three construction machines have been enhanced," Grace said, getting straight to the point. As a mechanical engineer, she was fluent in technical jargon but could also translate it into terms that normal people could understand.
"Simply put, by communicating with the prototype, the 'children' have become smarter."
"However, of the three machines, only the pile driver, Friday, has received a clear command from the prototype. That is, its constant嚷嚷ing to 'reinforce the seal as soon as possible'."
After Grace finished, she looked at Mo Xuan and Ling. They exchanged a look, both confused about what this "seal" was.
"That sounds like a line from a video game. Don't tell me it's sealing some great demon king," Ling said, stroking her chin. She played a lot of games and could make many connections, but it didn't make sense. Hollows appeared randomly. How could someone have sealed something inside one? This was the age of technology. Physical seals existed, of course. You just threw it in a trash can and filled it with cement.
"Here is the signal and route map we collected. I'm not good at navigating in the Hollows, so finding the prototype will be up to you, Proxy," Grace said, handing a USB drive to Ling. Although they had done a lot in the past week, they weren't professionals at dealing with Hollows. It was best to leave it to Ling.
Ling nodded and inserted the USB drive into her laptop. It was time for Fairy to work her magic. If Ling had to find the prototype herself, she could do it, but it would cost her hours of brainpower and her eyeballs would probably heat up. But with the invincible AI, Fairy, it only took a moment to reassemble the information. In the hands of someone like Ling, Fairy was a force to be reckoned with.
"The information is a bit blurry, so this is the best picture we can get for now," Ling said, displaying Fairy's results on the screen and turning the laptop for the Belobog Heavy Industries team to see. Koleda and the others looked at Ling as if she were a cheater. Her speed was so fast they suspected she had hidden the prototype herself. It was just too efficient.
"Where is this? It looks like a plaza," Koleda said, looking at the photo with confusion. Although being able to synthesize a photo was already an incredible feat, it was like a group of blind men touching an elephant if they didn't recognize the place.
"Oh, I know this place," Ben the Bear-man said, scratching his head.
Everyone's eyes immediately focused on the honest and simple-looking bear. Being stared at so intensely, Ben looked small, pitiful, and helpless. He was just a Bear-man under three meters tall and weighing over two hundred kilograms. How could he withstand such pressure?
"Spit it out," Koleda urged, dispelling Ben's nervousness. He organized his thoughts and explained.
"Back when the old chairman was still around, Belobog Heavy Industries took on the construction of a memorial plaza. But you all know what happened later. The chairman disappeared, and not long after, the Old Capital fell. The plaza fell into the Hollow before it was even completed."
"The location is roughly at the border between the Old Capital and New Eridu."
Ben's last sentence was the key. With the exact location of the memorial plaza known, Fairy took less than a second to generate a map and route. They could leave immediately.
"Well done, as expected of a Proxy. All four of us will go this time," Koleda said, her spirits lifted. The location that had been a complete mystery was now solved thanks to Ben's memory and Ling's technology. This time, the management of Belobog Heavy Industries was going all out.
"It's five people. My brother is coming too," Anton said, pulling Mo Xuan's arm.
Koleda nodded and gave Mo Xuan a grateful look. As an outsider willing to risk his life with them in the Hollow, this was a huge favor.
"Just think of me as a guide. Unlike you all, I don't have much combat ability," Mo Xuan said with a smile, intentionally downplaying his presence. This way, when a fight broke out, he could use the excuse of cowering in a corner to get by.
"Uncle, you need to work out more. It's one thing if you can't fight like Ben, but you can't even fight as well as me," Koleda said, walking up to Mo Xuan and looking up at him. The height difference between them was huge, but Koleda could jump over two meters high and smash an Ethereal's head.
"No, no, how many superhuman elementary schoolers like you are there in all of New Eridu?" Mo Xuan shook his head repeatedly, retorting. He was sure that the humans of New Eridu were different from the humans he knew. Well, a small portion of them were different. On his Earth, there were no elementary schoolers who could do a spinning jump over two meters high to fight monsters.
Mo Xuan's teasing completely dissipated the tense atmosphere before entering the Hollow. The group arrived at the Hollow entrance, and the three intelligent construction machines went in first to scout the path.
Although they were important assets recovered from the Hollow, their newly acquired self-awareness meant they could be used as powerful fighters to clear the Ethereals along the way. And because of the prototype's call, they would naturally gather towards it, as if by instinct.
After a dizzying sensation, Mo Xuan entered the familiar Hollow. Putting aside other things, the four members of the Belobog Heavy Industries management team all had ridiculously high Etheric adaptability. They were the kind of superhumans who could soak in a Hollow for half a day without any ill effects. It was no wonder they dared to take on construction projects inside Hollows.
While Koleda and the others weren't looking, Mo Xuan took out two cards from his pocket. They were the two Level 10 Chemies.
"UFO-X, you watch over X-Rex. If you encounter any humans in the Hollow, get him out of there," Mo Xuan said to the more reliable UFO-X. It nodded. Mo Xuan then spun the cards between his fingers and flicked them away. Soon, the two cards disappeared from sight.
Mo Xuan told UFO-X to run if it saw humans, of course, for the safety of the humans. Anyone who could enter the Hollow at this time was likely not to be trifled with. If the two of them were corrupted by malice, it would instantly trigger a boss battle. But UFO-X was very intelligent and would surely prevent such a thing from happening.
"Mo Xuan, what are you doing? Get on," Koleda was already sitting on the chassis of the pile driver. While you couldn't drive cars in the Hollow, you could drive construction machines. These machines were unbelievably agile, especially the pile driver. It could jump over ten meters high, no different from a roller coaster.
....
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