IMC Chapter 93

“It’s not just the length of the energy pillar; even its body size is meticulously calculated.” The entire city could melt and integrate into it if needed, becoming part of the mechanical giant.

This is the Mechanoids. They can be a city or a giant. Their forms are unrestricted, and there is no distinction between individual and collective among them.

Although the subsidiary brain is disconnected from the network and lacks the main brain’s level of consciousness, under certain conditions, it knows how to act in a way that maximizes benefits.

When the intruders were first detected, the subsidiary brain merely tested the waters. Once it realized the intruders possessed a power it couldn’t defend against, it began deploying various types of mechanical beings to attack and gather data. As for the losses incurred, it was unconcerned. In the end, the intruders would inevitably be killed, leaving them with nothing.

The massive mechanical giant bizarrely moved across the ground. It didn’t lift off the ground but slid smoothly as if skating. Upon closer inspection, it became evident that it was constantly connected to the city’s surface.

Shu Bao looked down at the smooth steel ground beneath his feet and concluded that this must be the foundation of the Mechanoids’ cities. What lay beneath his feet was far from ordinary steel. It was highly likely that this steel was the key to the Mechanoids’ ability to change forms freely and convert matter and energy at will.

T33674 had also noticed this. He tried hard to pry a piece of the ground to take with him, but neither laser cutters nor grinding drills could leave a mark on it.

Meanwhile, the Imperial squad noticed that the mechanical giant was rapidly closing in. After a panicked escape, they realized their pursuer must possess a tracking system. Fortunately, the team’s psychic mage was still functional and promptly erected a psychic barrier.

Shu Bao, having already taken shelter in Tesla’s psychic barrier, observed the scene. With two barriers up, the mechanical giant’s movements slowed. The subsidiary brain lacked any data related to magic and was naturally powerless against it.

However, the mechanical giant didn’t give up, still moving toward the last known position of the Imperial squad. Terrified, the squad quickly relocated with the psychic mage, afraid of being struck by the fearsome energy pillar if they lagged.

Once far away enough, the surviving squad members finally breathed a sigh of relief. The barrier would hold until the spatial mage could cast a group teleportation spell. All they had to do was wait patiently. The treasure was the last thing on their minds now.

The mechanical giant ahead continued its search, the energy pillar randomly sweeping the surroundings. Any building struck by the pillar was instantly reduced to powder, which would then vanish, transformed into energy, and absorbed by the pillar.

The three core elements of this Mechanoids’ ruin were the foundation beneath their feet, the light pillar capable of converting matter and energy, and the Mechanoids’ subsidiary brain.

While the Imperial squad hid, Shu Bao’s group was busy discussing how to approach the mechanical giant, locate its core subsidiary brain, and strike it with magic to deal a critical blow. Only then could they defeat this formidable foe.

Yu Lingqi thought they were insane. Facing such a colossal entity hundreds of meters tall, their group seemed no more significant than ants. How could they possibly win?

“Whoever wants to go can go! I’m not going!” Yu Lingqi plopped down on the ground, refusing to engage in a suicidal mission.

Unexpectedly, the fluffy little creature beside him nodded agreeably. “That’s fine. Just make sure you run fast when the time comes.”

Yu Lingqi was baffled. Why would he need to run fast? Wasn’t it this group of lunatics who needed to flee?

Finally, after a brief discussion, the group finalized their plan and began advancing toward the mechanical giant.

Tesla left a psychic barrier at their original position and erected a new one to envelop the group as they moved forward. Unlike the psychic mage in the Imperial squad, who needed frequent breaks, Tesla was almost inhuman. He casually remarked that he was, after all, a genius.

Not only could Tesla maintain psychic shields continuously without rest, but he could also create multiple barriers simultaneously. This was why the Imperial squad had never been able to locate them. Since the squad’s arrival, Tesla’s psychic shields had never faltered.

This level of ability clearly exceeded the general understanding of psychic mages, but Tesla downplayed it, saying, “It’s just barriers. One, two, or three—what’s the difference?”

For ordinary people, the difficulty of maintaining barriers increased with each additional layer. But for Tesla, once he identified the patterns, the number of barriers made little difference. In fact, the more barriers there were, the more stable the energy became, making it even easier to sustain.

Under the protection of Tesla’s psychic barrier, Shu Bao and the group gradually closed in on the mechanical giant. As they got nearer, the oppressive aura of the giant became increasingly palpable. Its form was now clearly discernible—it bore a humanoid silhouette, identical to a human in shape, except that it was composed entirely of steel.

The mechanical giant had ceased swinging its energy pillar by this point, likely realizing that such blind actions yielded little benefit. Yet it was unwilling to simply give up, knowing that each conversion consumed a significant amount of energy.

The giant moved slowly through the city, continuously scanning and analyzing its surroundings for any signs of intruders.

What terrified the Imperial squad most was that even though the giant couldn’t see them, its powerful analytical abilities allowed it to steadily close in on their position. Its path of advancement was deliberate as if designed to block off every possible escape route.

The Imperial squad broke out in cold sweat, repeatedly urging the spatial mage to initiate a group teleportation. The mage, clearly panicked, kept trying but to no avail.

As the mechanical giant entered attack range, the Imperial squad prepared to split up and scatter in an attempt to buy time.

Suddenly, magical energy waves surged ahead of them. Several figures emerged through the psychic barrier, rushing toward the mechanical giant.

Leading the charge was a person with butterfly wings on their back, moving at incredible speed. At the same time, three massive magical dragons materialized out of thin air, roaring fiercely. Exploiting the blind spots in the energy pillar’s attack range, the dragons charged directly at the giant.

The magical dragons varied slightly in size, but all were colossal. The largest was as big as one of the mechanical giant’s legs!

The dragons weren’t slow, either. As soon as they neared the mechanical giant, they unleashed fiery dragon breaths. The scorching flames roasted the steel body, turning it red-hot in an instant. The heat caused its defenses to weaken significantly, revealing parts of its internal structure through the glowing shell.

The mechanical giant twisted to counterattack, but a massive tornado suddenly surged before it. Invisible blades of wind hidden within the vortex sliced into its body, cutting deeply. These wind blades were even more ferocious than the dragon breath, directly breaching the giant’s defenses.

Shu Bao hadn’t expected Fu Qing’s attack to be so powerful. For a moment, he was full of questions about the caterpillar species. What kind of caterpillar could be fiercer than dragons?

Fu Qing’s role was to distract the mechanical giant. The dragons, with their massive size, made excellent targets. Even a slight touch from the energy pillar would have catastrophic consequences.

From a distance, the Imperial squad watched in astonishment. They had previously thought the two individuals who dared to loot Imperial resources were reckless. Now, they realized they’d completely misjudged them. These people didn’t even seem to take the Empire seriously—after all, they had the audacity to take the initiative against an unbeatable monster. It was simply unbelievable!

Fu Qing’s subsequent attacks became even more frequent and precise, targeting critical areas like the eyes and joints.

But to everyone’s shock, the mechanical giant wasn’t limited to its energy pillar as a weapon. Its two arms unfolded, revealing an array of densely packed gun barrels of various sizes and types.

Without hesitation, the giant unleashed a barrage of attacks on Fu Qing, using a mix of high-speed laser weapons that couldn’t track but dealt immense damage, small and precise anti-matter warheads, and charge-tracking javelins.

Even with the agility granted by Fu Qing’s wings, the relentless attacks left him struggling. Meanwhile, the mechanical giant swung its energy pillar toward the three dragons.

The Imperial squad cried out in alarm. Regardless of the situation, they didn’t want anything to happen to the dragons. But the mechanical giant was too fast and it seemed the dragon was about to be cleaved in two!

Yet just as the attack was about to land, the dragon vanished. Moments later, the other two dragons disappeared as well and the previously crowded sky suddenly felt empty.

The three dragon hatchlings, now safely stored in Shu Bao’s spatial bracelet, quickly adjusted themselves, ready to re-emerge for another assault.

Meanwhile, Fu Qing, with T33674’s assistance, began neutralizing the tracking weapons.

T33674’s race, having long explored mechanoids’ ruins, was naturally equipped with anti-mechanoid weaponry. In the skies, the firepower of the semi-mechanoids clashed with the mechanical giant’s arsenal, creating brilliant bursts of flames.

The explosions were brief and intense, but no smoke or gunpowder smell lingered. Both civilizations had advanced beyond traditional thermal weapons, leaving no trace of such outdated effects.

Fu Qing focused on drawing the mechanical giant’s attention, while T33674 used semi-mechanoid weapons and protected Fu Qing. Shu Bao, meanwhile, repeatedly summoned and recalled the dragons, using their fiery breath to weaken the giant’s defenses and structural integrity. The flames couldn’t melt it entirely, but they effectively reduced its durability, exposing its semi-transparent shell for better observation of its interior.

When mistakes or unexpected situations occurred, the group would retreat into Tesla’s psychic barrier. Once they were safe, Tesla would briefly dismantle the barrier left at their starting position, leaving Yu Lingqi exposed as bait.

With everyone else hidden, Yu Lingqi naturally became the mechanical giant’s sole target. Only then did he realize why Shu Bao had told him to run fast! At that moment, being the target left him no energy for cursing—he focused entirely on escaping.

Fortunately, Yu Lingqi didn’t need to run indefinitely. Once Shu Bao and the others were ready, Tesla would extend the psychic barrier to shield him again, allowing the group to launch another round of attacks.

The Mechanoids had evolved to near perfection and locating their core wasn’t easy. Shu Bao and his group could only proceed gradually, analyzing and probing the mechanical giant’s internal structure through a combination of attrition and relay tactics.

From afar, the Imperial squad watched in awe, completely convinced of the group’s prowess. They no longer felt rushed to leave, instead taking out food and potions to enjoy while observing the battle. Occasionally, they even felt a pang of sympathy for the bait desperately running for his life.

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