IMC Chapter 97

Yu Lingqi saw the puffed-up furball bouncing back into the house, and, with lingering fear, patted his chest. Luckily, he had resisted the temptation to go outside earlier; seeing how the mouse had been zapped like that, he couldn’t imagine what might happen to him if he had gone out.

Back inside the villa, the mouse once again pulled out the three rings to examine. With the lightning tribulation over, it also meant that the three rings with unlimited storage space were now officially completed. Although the rings’ appearance was still pitch black, they had become much more translucent, their texture like jade, feeling slightly cool to the touch.

As he probed with his consciousness, the space inside had also changed. It was still pitch black, but the mouse felt that this darkness was different from before. If the previous darkness was like stagnant water, now it felt like an undercurrent surging, as if something was quietly brewing in the endless void.

Such unknowns would normally evoke fear, but strangely, the mouse felt a sense of affection—a unique and indescribable feeling.

Unable to sense any more changes, the mouse withdrew his consciousness and placed the ring on his wrist. The ring had an automatic resizing feature, effortlessly transforming from a ring into a bracelet.

After all, the treasure-seeking mouse’s paws were his primary tools for eating, so when in mouse form, he was very cautious about wearing things on them.

Raising his little arm, the mouse admired the bracelet for a while. Compared to the jade bracelet next to it, the black ring seemed dull and unremarkable, but the more he looked at it, the more he liked it. He couldn’t resist rubbing his chubby cheek against it a couple of times before he started smoothing out his fur.

Fu Qing stood by, slowly watching everything. After the mouse finished grooming himself, he once again extended his hand toward Shu Bao. The mouse immediately placed another ring in Fu Qing’s hand, successfully preventing any more fur-petting. “This is the ring I just forged. I’ll give you one.”

Fu Qing’s attention was successfully diverted. Having witnessed the terrifying thunderbolt during their walk outside, he now realized that the three rings Shu Bao had forged were divine artifacts. And now, the mouse casually handed one of these divine artifacts to him.

Sensing Fu Qing’s silence, the mouse calmly explained, “I originally intended to give this to you; it just happens to be a divine artifact.”

Fu Qing held the ring in his palm and solemnly said, “Thank you.” This seemed to be one of the few gifts he had ever received, and certainly the most valuable one.

After giving away one gift, Shu Bao walked over to the virtual model of the research brain and held up the ring, his eyes shining. “This is a gift for you. Use your mental energy to activate it. Imprint your mark and it will recognize its master. You should try it.”

His tone was much more cheerful than when he had casually gifted the previous one. Nearby, Fu Qing flicked his antennae, for the first time finding the person called Tesla somewhat annoying. He was just a human with a slightly smarter brain, no wings, and no friends.

Tesla thought for a moment before reaching out to take the ring. “Thank you.” He didn’t say much more. But as he took the ring, he had already decided that he would repay the gesture. However, it would be much later before he realized that this ring was priceless.

After giving away the ring, Shu Bao scampered over to T33674. “I can only forge three rings at most. I don’t have any more Earth Crystal, but when we get back, I’ll make you one…”

T33674 immediately interrupted, “Thank you for your kindness, but our race has already mastered space-folding technology. I don’t have many things I want to store.”

T33674 had already deduced the value of the ring from the emotions of the people around him and sensed the sincerity in the mouse’s feelings. Clearly, the mouse really intended to make him a ring. T33674 opened his mechanical palm. “Each of my fingers is a storage space, and there are ten of them.”

Shu Bao, who had been feeling slightly guilty, blinked at the mechanical fingers before him. Was this the way half-mechanoids showed off their wealth?

“Alright, then, is there anything you want?” The mouse gave up on the idea of gifting a storage ring and began to think about whether there was another gift he could give instead.

T33674 thought for a moment, then spoke seriously. “I want to know the reason behind the appearance of the chaotic world and how to resolve it. I want all the secrets of the mechanoids. Will you give them to me?”

Looking up at the constantly flickering fireworks-like virtual expressions above T33674’s head, Shu Bao froze in place, maintaining a polite smile. Goodness, was this how half-mechanoids gave gifts? Finally, under the glowing fireworks, Shu Bao hesitated before replying, “I’ll try my best.”

T33674’s fireworks instantly became even more brilliant. “You are truly a reliable and generous collaborator!”

“Thank you.” Shu Bao immediately felt a heavy burden. But what T33674 wanted to know was exactly what the mouse also wanted to find out, so he would work toward that goal as well.

T33674, happy with his gift, also sensed the pressure in Shu Bao’s emotions and, showing great understanding, said, “Let’s work hard together. No matter the outcome, the process will be the best gift.”

The mouse’s tension immediately eased. Yes, the half-mechanoids had always been gentle. The reason they asked for such a gift was entirely because of their shared consciousness. Unlike pure mental or physical beings, they valued the spirit more, so naturally, they preferred spiritual gifts.

In a good mood, T33674 continued working, with fireworks still bursting above his head, as he diligently pursued the truth.

Meanwhile, the silent bystander, Yu Lingqi, watched the whole process and couldn’t help but feel envious of Fu Qing and Tesla for receiving space rings. Even in this universe, high-capacity storage space items were extremely expensive, a privilege only a few could afford.

This time, it was because of the competition. Every participant had received a space bracelet, as the organizers believed they would create value beyond the bracelet in the upcoming events. It was an investment from the capital, but for the participants, it was a life-or-death gamble.

Quietly retracting his envious gaze, Yu Lingqi noticed that the fluffy little mouse trotted past in front of him. He immediately lowered his head. Not sure why, but he felt out of place.

The fluffy mouse, however, stopped and turned to speak to him. “Keep it up. As long as you become a qualified base resident, you’ll be able to receive gifts too.” After all, the base was developing well now. In the future, there will be more alchemists around. Space rings and such would surely be plentiful.

Yu Lingqi felt a bit surprised. He wasn’t sure whether he was more surprised that he might receive gifts or that the other person seemed to have plans to accept him. But thinking about his own personality, he felt a bit deflated. He just wanted to be a lazy fish and didn’t really want to make an effort. What should he do?

Shu Bao, unaware of Yu Lingqi’s internal struggle, didn’t interfere with his behavior. After all, the mouse already had a disciple who could sleep through three seasons of the year. If Yu Lingqi could still raise a dragon and build a base, it definitely counted as being hardworking.

People with different life philosophies have their own unique troubles. Yu Lingqi spent the next while agonizing over whether he should try harder, only to realize that, no matter how hard he worked, the fluffy mouse only cared about whether he was eating enough and running enough.

Yu Lingqi: “…” The most terrifying thing is a persistent mouse! Fine, he’ll just lie down!

The group then spent a long time living a routine life. Tesla and T33674 worked tirelessly, while the others entertained themselves with magical beasts.

The ring’s infinite storage space had already allowed the mouse to move the entire Mechanoid City, so they no longer needed to pry up the floorboards. All they needed to do was wait for the analysis results and leave the sub-brain in the chaotic world, then take the Mechanoid City back to the real world.

Before that, it was a process of continuous exploration of the Mechanoid City and understanding of the Mechanoids’ culture.

T33674 learned about the Mechanoids through the sub-brain’s data, while Shu Bao and the others explored the traces left behind by the Mechanoids to understand more about the species. Through their detailed explorations, they gained more insights into the city.

For example, the powerful air defense barrier above the city could not only be used for defense but could also change into various patterns. So, every day, when they looked up, the sky was no longer just a pitch-black void but was filled with a variety of scenes.

The night sky was filled with countless stars, the sunset was breathtakingly beautiful, and the sky was a vivid blue. Even the water ripples appeared so real they could be mistaken for the real thing.

The city also had many unique settings and features, from the large-scale air defense system to the small cup that could automatically filter, heat, and adjust the flavor of water. Everything here seemed to record the former glory of the Mechanoids.

At that time, they possessed advanced technology, unbeatable bodies, endless lifespans, and a love and enjoyment for life. The rare heavy metals they had allowed them to build such magnificent cities. Even after falling into the chaotic world for decades, centuries, or even millennia, they could still maintain and protect this place.

As they continued to explore, Shu Bao discovered more similarities between the Mechanoids and humans. The Mechanoids also took photos, left behind records for remembrance, and had their own songs and their own culture.

Shu Bao visited the area where the Mechanoids lived and also investigated many of their homes. Each home had a different decoration style and different living habits. Shu Bao even suspected that this steel city had originally been inhabited by humans, only to be later occupied by the Mechanoids.

Of course, these were just Shu Bao’s wild guesses; the exact information would have to wait for T33674’s analysis results.

That day finally arrived three months after they entered the chaotic world.

T33674 announced that he had copied 99% of the sub-brain’s contents, with the remaining 1% being classified as highly confidential. When the sub-brain crashed, its emergency mechanism had forcibly deleted that data.

When T33674 finally stepped away from the sub-brain, Tesla immediately approached. As T33674 explained the situation to the others, Tesla moved quickly, dismantling the sub-brain with swift, practiced hands.

The others didn’t stop him when they saw Tesla’s actions. After all, the sub-brain couldn’t be taken away, so if he wanted to dismantle it, let him.

However, Tesla had already made up his mind. Over the past few days, he had realized the immense value of the ring that Shu Bao had given him and he had been wanting to return the favor. The previous display of the sub-brain’s powerful combat abilities had left a lasting impression on him. So, Tesla decided to dismantle the sub-brain, study its Mechanoid characteristics, reassemble it, and create an entirely new sub-brain.

Tesla’s simple desire to return a gift had led him to unknowingly create an entirely new Mechanoids. Of course, no one else had any idea what the genius was doing in his madness.

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