"That person has really poor patience."
Wang Jixuan had just stepped outside for about five or six minutes when he sensed a strange energy nearby. After confirming the energy's fluctuations, he realized it was that psychic energy user named Lu Dongjie. The guy was quietly following him from over a hundred meters away.
Wang Jixuan was dressed in casual clothes, strolling around the camp as if he were shopping. He looked like a new engineer, curiously observing the surroundings.
The camp had a small tavern where engineers from the mine and reservoir would unwind with a drink after work. There were also some amateur bands playing inside. Additionally, there were a few tailor shops and general stores run by the engineers' families.
To Wang Jixuan, this camp felt like a smaller version of the Wanlijin gang’s territory, basking in the sun. The fortress's protective policies also applied here, so there weren't many children playing around like in Wanlijin territory. The outer area was relatively dangerous, and most people here preferred to enjoy life while they could.
Wang Jixuan had only been wandering for a few minutes, and it was still early in the day when his senses picked up... a dozen humanoid frog creatures.
Well, it seemed the people here had a pretty rich entertainment life.
After wandering around for a bit, he led the psychic energy user towards the miners' dormitory area. The vines at the edge of the camp swayed in the wind.
Wang Jixuan's sharp senses caught a wave of energy. The strong man named Lu Dongjie was already controlling those ordinary people.
What did he want to do? Test him?
Wang Jixuan acted as if nothing was happening and continued towards the miners' dorms. He pulled out Uncle Tai's prized possession—a vintage digital camera—from his jacket pocket and snapped a few pictures of the green vines.
Today, he not only wanted to deal with this psychic energy user but also find a way to dispel the suspicions from the Thirteen Institute regarding "Wang Zheng."
The first task was simple with Lingtong's help; the second would require some acting skills.
Wang Daochang continued approaching the vines when two nearly three-meter-tall autonomous security robots turned to look at him.
One of the robots issued a synthetic warning: "Sorry, you cannot approach this area freely, respected junior mechanic Wang Zheng. You are not on the access whitelist. If you insist on moving forward, we will use non-lethal weapons and notify the camp's garrison."
Wang Jixuan stopped in his tracks and happily took a few photos of the robot.
The security robot made a heart gesture and then continued to warn: "Please do not proceed, junior mechanic Wang Zheng. You are not on the access whitelist."
Wang Jixuan found this thing quite interesting. This fully autonomous robot had no life energy, but it seemed to have developed a mechanical spirit?
The mechanics were too mysterious.
Wang Jixuan asked, "So how can I get close to the area ahead?"
The security robot replied in a relaxed tone: "Become a senior mechanic and obtain general access permission for risky areas."
"That's too early," Wang Jixuan shrugged, "I just passed the junior mechanic exam."
Six figures approached him, only a few dozen meters away.
Wang Jixuan's mind stirred. He noticed several working cameras on the robot's skeletal metal body.
This was a good spot for something to happen.
Right here.
Wang Jixuan put away Uncle Tai's camera and politely asked, "Are you living beings? I'm very interested in machines; that's my specialty."
"We are not living beings," the security robot replied. "We can talk to you because we have a humanoid interaction center that generates corresponding statements in real-time. This does not mean we have independent thinking abilities; we just have a large amount of sample information accumulated."
Wang Jixuan nodded, about to speak when the two security robots suddenly looked up ahead and warned: "Sorry, you cannot approach this area freely..."
Four men and two women were walking towards Wang Jixuan, their expressions blank, showing no reaction to the robots' warnings.
The two security robots raised their electric guns.
Wang Jixuan also turned to look at the newcomers and shouted loudly, "Don't come over! The security robots will shoot! Uh, security, these people seem strange."
The robots' warnings became sharp and urgent as they turned on their electric guns.
Nearby, many people were startled and peeked over.
Wang Jixuan reached into his inner jacket pocket and grabbed the handle of his pistol.
—The mechanics from Lingtong's team could carry defensive weapons.
Wang Daochang thought about how an ordinary person should react and nervously shouted: "These people are not right! What happened to them? Respond, uncle!"
About eighty meters away, behind a metal shed, the psychic energy user Lu Dongjie, dressed in gray work clothes, smirked slightly.
Lu Dongjie raised his strong arm and snapped his fingers coolly.
Suddenly, the six people in front of Wang Jixuan began to run wildly, their mouths open like beasts showing their teeth.
"What the hell!"
Wang Jixuan shouted, panicking and trying to dodge, but tripped over his own foot and fell.
Zing! Zing!
The two security robots fired at the same time, shooting out 'gun heads' with thin wires attached. When the wires touched a man and a woman, non-lethal currents surged through them, causing them to shudder and collapse.
But the other four rushed at Wang Jixuan, claws outstretched.
Wang Jixuan: ...
No, they really want to bite him!
He continued to act panicked and shouted. The two security robots stepped forward, easily blocking the four attackers.
The scene became chaotic, and more and more people gathered to watch.
From a distance, a loud alarm sounded, and several patrolling soldiers in powered exoskeletons rushed over.
"Stop fighting!"
"Help! They want to bite me! Have they been infected with some virus?" Wang Jixuan yelled.
Behind the metal shed, Lu Dongjie shook his head in disbelief.
He was somewhat disappointed.
This Wang Zheng was just a junior mechanic. According to their information, he had always lived on the eleventh floor of the fortress, and the only thing missing was clues about Wang Zheng's friends, meaning they hadn't fully investigated his social connections within the fortress.
From this reaction, it was clear he was just an ordinary person.
"Better to kill the wrong person than let one go; he’s just an ordinary person."
Lu Dongjie squinted slightly, then took a deep breath, placing his thumbs against his temples through his hat!
A patrolling soldier running towards Wang Jixuan wobbled slightly, his gaze dazed, and he raised his automatic rifle, pulling the trigger and opening fire.
Gunfire erupted!
Wang Jixuan curled up as best as he could, but his shield and protective charms didn’t activate.
However, he saw blood splatter at the edge of his vision; two of the puppets controlled by Lu Dongjie had been shot!
The patrolling soldier who fired was knocked down by a comrade, and the other two soldiers quickly subdued him, grabbing the rifle from the controlled soldier's hands.
Wang Jixuan squinted.
The Daoist's killing intent had risen.
Suddenly!
A loud noise came from the supply station, and a figure shot out, flying in a sharp angle towards Lu Dongjie’s hiding place!
Lu Dongjie’s expression changed drastically.
Lingtong!
Had he just been exposed?
How could Lingtong react so quickly?
Lu Dongjie turned and ran, using his psychic energy to boost himself towards the crowd.
Lingtong's fixed-wing armor fired two bursts of flame, and two micro-missiles locked onto Lu Dongjie, trailing flames as they pursued!
Lu Dongjie cursed, "Lingtong, you!"
The missiles flew too fast!
Lu Dongjie suddenly flipped, using his psychic energy to propel himself upward, jumping seven or eight meters in the air, narrowly dodging the two missiles that flew past him.
The missiles struck the metal shed on either side, piercing through the metal. The small warheads exploded, causing dents but not much damage.
The power of these micro-missiles was relatively low.
At that moment, Lu Dongjie realized...
He had been tricked!
Lu Dongjie was much stronger than An Qian, but even for a psychic energy user of his level, floating in mid-air without anything to hold onto was somewhat challenging.
In the blink of an eye, he had decided to jump to avoid the missiles, successfully dodging them, but turning his psychic energy took time, and he needed gravity to fall back down. For the next two seconds, he would be a floating target...
Two seconds was enough to be fatal!
Lu Dongjie instinctively turned to look behind him. He saw Lingtong flying towards him, saw the alloy blade emerging from her mechanical arm, and caught a glimpse of her calm gaze.
"No..."
Bang!
Lingtong and Lu Dongjie's figures crossed in mid-air, and a head flew off, the headless body plummeting down, blood gushing out like a fountain, disturbed by the fierce air currents.
Not a drop of blood could catch up to Lingtong's figure.
She didn’t care about the visual impact this scene had on the ordinary people in the camp;
Slowing down and spiraling, Lingtong's fixed-wing gear released airflow, allowing her to land smoothly in front of Wang Jixuan.
Nearby, the four controlled puppets lay on the ground—two had been shot and were unconscious, and two had fainted due to Lu Dongjie's death.
The security robots continued shouting, "Medical assistance needed! Medical assistance needed!"
Lingtong didn’t know how to treat injuries, so she ignored them and walked up to Wang Jixuan to check his body closely.
Not shot.
Lingtong glanced at the soldier in the distance who was also unconscious, worried about the daily training intensity of these soldiers, and decided to submit a report later about the need for enhanced daily mental training for the garrison at Fortress 76.
Just as Lingtong was about to say, "It's taken care of," she suddenly heard Wang Jixuan's wail.
"These people have gone crazy! Major! My legs are weak!"
Lingtong: ...
Wang Jixuan, out of the security robots' sight, winked at her and then shouted: "This place is too dangerous! It's not as safe as you said!"
"I will protect you; don't worry."
Lingtong explained simply, bending down and using her mechanical arm to lift Wang Jixuan by the collar, hoisting him up.
"Don't embarrass my team, junior mechanic."
She had entered her performance mode.
Wang Jixuan secretly admired... although Lingtong's performance relied heavily on her expressions, they worked together seamlessly.
"Sir, two of them were shot. What just happened? Was it a mimic blade beast?"
Several soldiers rushed over, frantically trying to stop the bleeding of the injured.
"You should head back," Lingtong said, "I'll handle the follow-up."
Wang Jixuan continued to act, "Can I go with you? I'm scared."
"I'll go find the person in charge of the Thirteen Institute to negotiate..."
Lingtong's voice suddenly cut off. She furrowed her brow and looked towards the entrance of the mine nearby.
Boom—
Without warning, the ground rumbled faintly, and then the ground began to shake slightly, causing the metal shed to rattle.
Lingtong's mechanical arm flickered with a faint red light, and her expression turned extremely serious.
Wang Jixuan's heart suddenly jolted.
His senses were racing!
A strong wave of energy appeared from the mine entrance, as if a burst of energy had crashed through a wall, emerging beyond his perception.
This was, it seemed to be...
Monster Qi.
(End of Chapter)