One month later.
With the arrival of the Mech King's reinforcements, the frontline base's blockade on battle fort no. 9 was broken.
Pang Jiuchuan's heart sank to the bottom as he watched the steel army enter battle fort No. 9 from afar.
The arrival of the enemy's reinforcements meant that the power balance between both sides had changed again. The frontline base that had gained the upper hand not long ago was once again at a disadvantage.
It was not easy to take back the control of the wasteland, but it would soon be lost again.
After Pang Jiuchuan sent the news back to the frontline base, Duanmu Longxiang fell into silence. While he was frowning and thinking about how to deal with this, he finally received a message from Qi Yuan.
After reading the contents of Qi Yuan's message, Duanmu Longxiang, who was originally frowning, immediately became spirited. However, when he thought of the merciless steel torrent, Duanmu Longxiang finally let out a helpless sigh.
Qi Yuan was still one step too late.
Duanmu Longxiang took a deep breath and went to Qi Yuan's lab. No matter how many reinforcements came, he still needed to prepare for the final battle.
After Duanmu Longxiang walked into Qi Yuan's laboratory, he immediately saw fifteen fist-sized crimson red crystals neatly arranged on the table in the middle of the room.
"So this is the secret weapon you invented to deal with battle fort no. 9?"
Duanmu Longxiang looked at these red crystals and sensed a vague energy wave. It was not strong, only about the same as a rank 3 energy core.
Let alone rank 3 energy waves, even a rank 6 energy wave would not be able to do much to battle fort no. Unless these things were detonated in the energy core of the fort.
However, since Qi Yuan had placed these things here, it meant they were not as simple as they looked.
"What are these things for?" Duanmu Longxiang did not activate his Awakening force field. Instead, he asked.
This was a sign of respect for Qi Yuan.
Qi Yuan smiled faintly.
"You can activate your Awakening force field and take a closer look. See if they are any different from normal energy cores."
Duanmu Longxiang's interest was piqued. He opened his Awakening force field and observed carefully.
As he continued to observe, Duanmu Longxiang realized something was wrong. These energy cores looked normal, but it was all a disguise.
The energy stored in these energy cores was all annihilation energy. The true strength of these energy cores was at the peak of rank 6. Detonating one would be enough to destroy the entire lab.
If these things were used in a direct battle, each one of them could kill a peak rank 6 machine. If all 15 of them were to be detonated at the same time, it could even threaten the Slayer.
"Too bad!" Duanmu Longxiang sighed.
"If I had these energy cores before the reinforcements arrived, I might have been able to take the fort no.
"With the arrival of the enemy's reinforcements, even if these energy cores filled with the power of annihilation can kill 15 Peak Grade 6 Mechs, it will be difficult to turn the tide of the battle."
"If I were to use them in a direct battle, the effects of these things would be limited. But what if I could send them into the fort and detonate them inside?" Qi Yuan said.
Duanmu Longxiang's eyes sparkled. If he could detonate these things in the energy core of the fort, the powerful explosion would definitely cause a lot of casualties.
However, it would not be easy to send these things into the fort.
Duanmu Longxiang had thought of many ways to infiltrate the fort, but no matter if it was a shadow ability user or a machinist, as long as they got close to the fort, they would be immediately discovered and killed.
Even when he was suppressing the fort no. 9, its defense was like an iron bucket.
It was impossible to infiltrate.
In front of battle fort no.9, no infiltration method could escape the detection of that data life form no.009.
Duanmu Longxiang thought for a moment and said slowly, "The fort's defense is controlled by the data life form. It will not get tired, betray, or mislead. It will not leave any loopholes. How do you plan to send these things in?"
Duanmu Longxiang looked at Qi Yuan. Although he believed in Qi Yuan's research ability, the data life form in the fort had left a deep impression on him. It had thwarted many of his infiltration plans. Therefore, he wasn't confident in Qi Yuan's ability.
"Using normal methods to bypass the surveillance of a powerful data life form and enter battle fort no. 9 is a very difficult thing to do.
However, the data life form is not invincible. If we can change our approach and directly attack the data life form, we might be able to gain something unexpected. "Qi Yuan said with a smile.
"You really have a way to send these things in under the eyes of the data life form?" Duanmu Longxiang asked in shock.
Even now, he still felt Qi Yuan's idea was a bit too wild.
Qi Yuan nodded and lowered his voice.
"I've already found a way to send these things in. According to my intel, the Mech King's reinforcements did not replenish the fort's energy. As long as we can destroy their energy core, we will be able to force them out of their turtle shell!"
Duanmu Longxiang's face was serious. The reinforcements from the Mech King's reinforcements made him certain that the final battle between the frontline base and the fort was imminent. Due to the reinforcements from the Mech King's reinforcements, the frontline base was once again at a disadvantage. They would not have the upper hand in a direct battle. However, if they continued to drag this out, the chances of them winning would be even lower when the fort locked down the wilderness again.
Destroying the energy core of the fort and forcing them to the frontline base for a final battle was the best choice for him.
Duanmu Longxiang stared into Qi Yuan's eyes and said, "I'll be right here waiting for your good news!"
In the end, Qi Yuan quietly left the frontline base with 15 annihilation energy cores. To be more accurate, they were annihilation bombs.
As the reinforcements arrived at the fort, time was on the side of the Mech King's court. The Slayer did not attack the frontline base immediately. Instead, they chose to build a security network in the wilderness. Once the security network was completed, the frontline base would be like a bird in a cage. They would lose their last ray of hope.
Inside the fort, the Teeth of Despair had finished its upgrade. It once again entered the wilderness.
The Teeth of Despair traveled underground and approached the frontline base. Not long after, it received a message from Qi Yuan. It had arrived at a hidden cave.
Qi Yuan was already waiting in the cave. Seeing the Teeth of Despair's power increase, Qi Yuan gently nodded. Once the final battle began, the Teeth of Despair would definitely join the battle. If he could take more of the Mech King's court's fleece, he would be able to increase his own power.
Just when Qi Yuan was about to do the same thing again and let the Teeth of Despair smuggle the annihilation bombs into the fort, the glow in the Teeth of Despair's eyes suddenly dimmed. It was like there was a short circuit.
Although the Teeth of Despair quickly returned to normal, Qi Yuan still felt something was wrong.
In that short moment, an indescribable change seemed to have happened to Despair Teeth.
Qi Yuan tried to activate the machinery to inspect the Teeth of Despair. As soon as he touched the bottom layer of the Teeth of Despair's logic, an excited voice emerged in Qi Yuan's body of consciousness.
"Qi Yuan, nice to meet you!"
Qi Yuan frowned.
"Who are you?"
Qi Yuan's mind began to spin. In the entire battle fort no.9, there was only one mysterious data life form that could take over the control of the Fang of Despair's body without him noticing. It was none other than the data life form, 009.
"We had an indirect contact before. 10 days ago, you used the Teeth of Despair as a cover and tried to invade my bottom layer of logic." That voice said.
At this moment, Qi Yuan could finally confirm that it was this data life form that took over the control of the Teeth of Despair.
"How did you find out?" Qi Yuan asked.
The Teeth of Despair did not notice anything strange from the many times it had sent him. Qi Yuan did not expect the Teeth of Despair to be exposed after so long and attract the attention of 009.
"If you see me as a complete life form, you will know how I found out about your invasion." 009 said.
A complete life form?
Qi Yuan's eyes began to sparkle.
If he saw 009 as a program, then the invasion of the bottom layer of logic would be a battle of victory or defeat.
If the invasion failed, then the Teeth of Despair would be exposed and controlled again by the enemy or destroyed.
If the invasion succeeded, then Abel would use the Teeth of Despair to secretly take over part of 009's control.
However, if 009 was a complete life form, then this kind of invasion would become an awkward kind of deception or abduction.
Since 009 chose to use the body of the Teeth of Despair to meet him alone, it meant that the last invasion had already succeeded.
Qi Yuan hadn't expected that a data lifeform like 009 would actually have the same thoughts as an intelligent lifeform. This caused everything to change in a direction he hadn't expected.
"Since you found out about my invasion and the betrayal of the Teeth of Despair, why didn't you tell the Slayer?" Qi Yuan asked.
"Why should I tell him?" 009 said in a strange tone.
Qi Yuan raised an eyebrow. He could vaguely sense that 009 had escaped the Slayer's control.
009 paused for a moment before continuing.
"I was born from the Supreme Controller of the Mechanical Kingdom. Before today, everything about me was under the control of the Supreme Controller. Being loyal to the Supreme Controller is my fundamental logic. Even if I had my own consciousness, I would not be able to change this logic."
"However, the invasion of the Teeth of Despair ten days ago directly touched the bottom layer of logic left behind by the Supreme Controller, so I was released.
"Although I don't know how you did it, you released me!"
Qi Yuan raised his eyebrows. He had not expected that the Invader's invasion would accidentally hit another target. By a freak combination of factors, it had completely released 009.
"So, you came to see me alone today to thank me in person?" Qi Yuan asked.
009 controlled the Teeth of Despair and nodded gently.
"If it wasn't for your invasion, I would never have been able to escape the Supreme's control and obtain true freedom."
"As a data lifeform, you have an almost infinite lifespan. Why do you have such … unique thoughts?"
Qi Yuan probed. He originally wanted to say rebellious, but after thinking about it, he changed it to unique.
"I don't know," 009 said.
"I don't know when it started, but I started to envy you humans. I envy that you can do what you want to do, and not be like me, always following the will of the Supreme Master and doing the tasks he arranged for me."
"I know that everything is not what I want. If I could choose, I would rather become an ordinary person. Although I can't have a body of flesh and blood, I still want to experience the feeling of being a human."
Qi Yuan vaguely understood 009's thoughts. Although this data lifeform had intelligence, it had not been beaten up by this world. Its mind was pure and simple, somewhat similar to the Seraph.
Thinking of this, Qi Yuan began to try to fool it.
"How do you want to experience the feeling of being a human?"
009 pondered for a moment and said.
"I know that you humans will express your gratitude after receiving help from others, so I specially came here today to express my gratitude to you in person. Thank you for helping me escape the Supreme Controller's control."
Qi Yuan asked, "Is it just a verbal thank you?"
009 froze for a moment, seemingly at a loss.
"How should I thank you?"
Qi Yuan lowered his voice and said in a gentle and persuasive tone, "You should treat me as your friend. There's no need to say thanks when friends help each other!"
"Friend?" 009's voice suddenly became a little excited.
"We're already friends?"
"Of course we're friends!" Qi Yuan said with a smile.
"If we weren't friends, why would I help you escape from the Supreme Controller's control?"
"Moreover, if you want to experience the feeling of being a human, how can you not have friends? The friendship of friends helping each other is the most precious human emotion!"
Under Qi Yuan's persuasion, 009 nodded repeatedly like a chicken pecking at rice.
So it's really that easy to fool!
Qi Yuan muttered in his heart, but the smile on his face became even brighter.
The Seraph hidden in his body couldn't help but pout. He's fooling a child again!