"Phew..."
In the silence, the sound of his breathing felt like it was about to burst from his mouth. Inside the building, air filters that hadn't been designed for silence hummed loudly. Lin pressed himself against the wall, merging with the darkness.
Lin saw no surveillance cameras inside the building. Perhaps they were miniaturized, or perhaps they simply didn't want to leave... evidence.
Everything Lin had seen so far made something in his heart throb more and more, gradually confirming the information he had been unable to verify.
Lin walked slowly down the corridor ahead.
The depth of this building was much greater than it appeared. It was possible the lower half of the floating fortress was also utilized. Lin found two paths in the elevator—one going up and one going down. After a moment's consideration, he decided that the upper levels were likely the main activity areas for personnel, while downward...
Lin pressed the down button. The elevator descended slowly. Lin watched the changes in his current sector on the electronic screen until the doors slowly opened.
What met his eyes was an unbelievable number of mechanical soldiers.
Different models were categorized into different zones. At a glance, it was impossible to determine the scale of the space filled by this terrifying number. Even the ordinary soldiers he saw first numbered in the hundreds, and the total count of standard units stored in this area likely exceeded a thousand. Among them were the elite models Lin had seen earlier, and even thirty alien-looking mechs with savage designs that radiated a bloodthirsty aura.
Yet this was just the tip of the iceberg. Lin didn't know if these soldiers were being produced elsewhere besides this location. To a regular soldier, the lethality of one machine was no less than that of a high-level zombie, and those elite models were clearly designed for anti-personnel lethality far exceeding that of ordinary Honkai beasts.
Why were they not deploying these things into the fight against the Honkai?
Lin gaze lowered. He walked between the rows of machines, almost sensing the smell of high-temperature particles burning from their muzzles.
Why...
Wasn't it obvious?
This was their "property," the "wealth" gained from the Honkai.
It was both hope and despair, both a cornerstone of peace and a front line for war.
Once a weapon is produced, there is no use for it other than killing.
...
"A mechanical soldier has been destroyed?"
This information reached the central management room within seconds. The person inside frowned and immediately ordered: "CM-236, CM-237, CM-238, search the vicinity immediately. Monitoring room, assist them in finding traces of suspicious persons. Everyone involved will submit a self-reflection report afterward. Everyone else, take note: traces of a suspicious person have appeared in 'KaliYuga.' Enter Level 1 Alert. Everyone, begin immediately—"
The alarm sounded earlier than expected.
...
Suddenly, several machines emitted mechanical whirs. Lin immediately hid behind a tall, alien-model soldier. He watched as dozens of units activated and moved in an orderly fashion through the transmission tunnel toward the upper levels.
Had he been discovered?
Lin didn't hesitate. After the soldiers had been gone for a while, he immediately retraced his steps.
There were still other buildings to explore. Currently, it seemed this aerial fortress was divided into three sectors. These machines occupied one; what were the remaining two?
Upon returning to the upper level, Lin observed the suddenly increased number of patrolling machines. Even the number of drones in the sky had doubled. They were indeed searching for him.
Seeing this, Lin drew a longblade and a tachi from his weapon case. With a flick of his wrist, a layer of electricity flickered across the longblade.
The weapons Vil-V forged didn't just possess the material strength and regenerative properties of Soul Steel; like the former Delta, she had added specific traits to the weapons.
Like this!
Lin swung the longblade, wielding the current fiercely as he struck the chest of a machine coming around the corner.
Electricity surged from the point of impact into the machine's interior. Its lights flickered wildly before white smoke drifted from the seams, and it collapsed rigidly to the floor.
He charged out like an assassin of the night. The fluorescent blue electricity in his hand turned into a streak of light, and wherever it went, the current invaded the cores of the machines at lightning speed.
Lin had specifically observed the core locations of the machines while underground. Although they were protected by layers, perhaps because Soul Steel hadn't been fully utilized during their manufacture, the materials were fragile against Lin weapons. Combined with his precise movements—weaving through the machines without taking a scratch—those units became scrap metal before they could even transmit useful information.
However, his large-scale movements naturally attracted many units. Lin stepped on the head of one machine and leaped into the air. Beneath a clean, round moon, the blue visor of his helmet lit up. He pulled out a grenade launcher in mid-air, aimed at the densest cluster of incoming machines, and pulled the trigger.
BOOM!
"Over there!"
At that moment, fragments of human voices were caught by Lin amidst the flying shrapnel and explosions. His mind was exceptionally clear. Seeing that those machines hadn't sustained much damage from the explosion, he immediately changed tactics. He kicked off the wall, using his jetpack to sprint in the opposite direction.
The machines now firmly locked onto his back and gave chase. Nearby drones also fired bullets at him from small machine guns at their bases.
Lin performed a mid-air spin, switching to a rifle. Seventeen bullets hit seventeen pursuing drones in an instant. By the time he landed, those drones were falling with sparks flying.
During this interval, Lin rushed into another building. Since the internal structures were similar, he found the elevator and pressed the button for the lowest floor. Watching the floor indicator change, his breathing grew heavy. Those fragmented whispers appeared in his ears again. Gritting his teeth, at the moment the elevator doors opened, he clutched his helmet and stared wide-eyed inside—
...
"So this is where they fled?"
Three "beast-men" arrived in front of the building Lin had entered.
They possessed extremely obvious mutated features: grotesque horns, claws, tails, and eerie pupils. Each feature proclaimed their identity—Fusion Warriors.
Yet their serial numbers were not on the current official list of Fusion Warriors.
In other words, they were hidden Fusion Warriors.
Just as they were preparing to enter the building to capture the suspicious individual, a man in a helmet and armor walked silently out of the main entrance, his head lowered.
Every step he took seemed as heavy as lead.
A deathly aura permeated his body.
"Hey! Get on the ground right now and put your hands up!"
"Hehe, someone actually found this place. Do you think we can try it out now?"
"Try what?"
"Fusion Warrior power, of course! Look, we usually only get to play around in the simulation room. We've never fought a real person before."
The man lifted his head. Azure particles drifted continuously from his helmet.
"In the simulation room... do you fight 'humans'?"