A shabby industrial ship carried Xia Fei away from the Metal City, heading toward the unknown reaches of space in search of the last of the three chiefs under the Sentinel Goddess, the super combat robot Warstar.
“The last time I saw Warstar, he’s cultivating at the edge of the Hidden Realm. I hope that he’s still there,” the robotic cockroach Dimsky said.
For some reason, this chief engineer seemed to have a grudge against his colleague. Hami had gone to great lengths to persuade him into coming with them in search of Warstar.
“Cultivate? A robot can cultivate?” Xia Fei questioned.
Dimsky nodded. “Robot warriors cultivate differently from you. They primarily research skills used in battle and how to modify themselves so that they can produce more explosive power. The toughness of critical components is also crucial.”
Xia Fei understood. It turned out that cultivation for robots meant upgrading their components. At the same time, he was very interested to know just how terrifyingly powerful this strongest combat robot really was.
Pod came over with a bowl of fried paste noodles. Xia Fei was the only human on the ship, so the food was naturally meant for him.
“I made a microwave oven for myself. The temperature control isn’t that precise, so the taste might be bad,” Pod said, feeling abashed.
Let alone food, the world of robots did not even have cooking utensils, for none of them needed to eat.
Xia Fei stroked Pod’s head. “It’s good enough that there’s something to eat, and it’s not like I’ve ever been a picky eater.”
Pod was very happy. Once Xia Fei was done eating, Pod ran off to clean up. In his eyes, everything was for Xia Fei’s sake. As for his fellow robots, he did not converse with them very much, nor did he seem particularly intimate with them.
“This model of service robot has already been phased out. There are no humans in the robot world, so there’s no need for service robots. At present, combat and engineer robots are in the mainstream,” Dimsky said.
Xia Fei shrugged. “You might not need it, but Pod is very important to me.”
Nearby, Pod heard Xia Fei’s words and worked even harder, his heart brimming with gratitude.
Phantom had recently been feeling very dejected. Xia Fei knew that this was because the Sentinel Goddess was able to see him. In his melancholia, he seemed to be pondering the mystery of his existence.
…
A planet.
A planet forged from metal.
This place was much messier than the place Xia Fei had come from.
Ruined and deserted.
The industrial ship staggered down, and Dimsky, Xia Fei, and Hami disembarked.
Cold gusts of wind blew black sands around.
Xia Fei snatched at the air, grabbing a handful of the black sand. Through the feel on his fingers, Xia Fei realized that this was not sand but rather metal, which had been eroded by the wind into dust.
All around him was this kind of metal dust, like an endless desert.
The top of many large machines and metal buildings were visible in the sandy metal hills. It appeared that they had been buried here for a very long time.
“This is one of the earliest metal planets built by the robots. After an incident, the planet was abandoned,” Dimsky said. “Warstar likes this place. It is bleak and deserted, perfect for someone with his proud personality.”
Xia Fei said, “It’s good to have a personality, particularly for a robot. The Sentinel Goddess lost herself precisely because she doesn’t have a personality.”
Dimsky bitterly laughed. “In truth, the Sentinel Goddess is the only perfect robot. Alas, she is too perfect, causing her to become easily conflicted.”
They advanced into the black desert, leaving shallow footprints in their wake.
The wind-blown sand blasting at the face was painful, but none of them cared about such things.
On a distant dune, a robot walked out, stood amidst the wind, and coldly stared at Xia Fei.
This was a robot that radiated an air of martial prowess. Xia Fei had never before seen a robot with this kind of aura. Steel outlined the sharp lines of his muscles, and his arms and legs were perfectly proportioned. If this had been a human warrior, his aura and body alone would be enough to move many people.
With his hands behind his back, Warstar glanced at Xia Fei before turning around and leaving.
“This guy… He’s as insufferably arrogant as ever,” Dimsky pursed his mouth and said.
They moved faster, following Warstar’s tracks all the way to a massive fallen building.
Warstar entered through a damaged part of the building, and the others followed. Furball seemed very unhappy with the surroundings, or perhaps Warstar’s arrogance had provoked him, for it began to growl softly.
In the middle of the black sand was a reactor used to restore energy. Warstar sat himself on a slab of metal and attached a power line to his body. To his left was an indicator light. There were ten lights on them, and if they all lit up, it meant that one’s energy was full.
Xia Fei lit a cigarette and sat himself down near the entrance. Meanwhile, Dimsky attached a power line to his own small body.
“Cosmic Origin Energy?” Dimsky was surprised, and then a smug smile appeared on his face. “I didn’t think that you’ve been enjoying such a good thing living all alone in these ruins.”
Warstar simply creased his brows and said nothing. Xia Fei curiously asked, “What is Cosmic Origin Energy?”
Dimsky explained, “Hearts of Spirit, but not all can be considered the Cosmic Origin Energy. They have to be purple at the minimum. Of course, it will be even better if it’s a White Heart of Spirit.”
Hami was very reserved. Warstar and Dimsky were generals who had served under the Sentinel Goddess. These two legendary figures in one room left him both nervous and excited.
“There are even White Hearts of Spirit?” Xia Fei asked.
Dimsky chuckled. “Of course. Red Hearts of Spirit are considered the basic Cosmic Origin Energy. They lack purity, so whether it’s humans or robots, they’ll take damage from absorbing the energy. Purple Hearts of Spirit are called grade 2 Cosmic Origin Energy ores. The energy can be absorbed, but taking too much is no good. White Hearts of Spirit are considered grade three. At this grade, not only can the energy be absorbed by any living creature, it’s even good for plants. It’s a superb item that you just can’t have enough of.”
Xia Fei nodded. He suddenly realized that the Source of Life he had sunk into the Southern Four Lakes was one kind of Cosmic Origin Energy, and one of the highest quality to boot.
However, Xia Fei had always been confused on how to absorb this energy. He did not have Furball’s appetite, nor did he have the energy storage units of robots. He had once obtained a small book which introduced a method for absorbing Cosmic Origin Energy, but that book had only mentioned how to absorb Purple Hearts of Spirit. It had never mentioned White Hearts of Spirit.
As his mind worked, Xia Fei suddenly realized what was so special about Warstar and Dimsky, but he temporarily suppressed his astonishing theory. He feigned boredom and continued smoking his cigarette. He removed a chocolate from his ring and began to chew on it slowly.
It was very quiet. Warstar was neither hostile nor welcoming to Xia Fei, and Dimsky mentioned nothing of their goal. One man, one ball, and three robots quietly whiled away the time in these ruins, treating one another like strangers.
By the third cigarette, Dimsky could not take it anymore and said, “The Quee—no, the Sentinel Goddess needs our help.”
Warstar coldly said, “The Goddess is the smartest and most rational existence. She doesn’t require anyone’s help.”
Dimsky shook his head. “The Goddess also has a logical system, and she’s currently caught on a problem.”
Warstar answered, “That is the Queen’s choice. Neither of us has the authority to intervene.”
After a moment of silence, Dimsky smiled and said, “You’re just as stubborn and repulsive as ever. Fine, if you don’t want to ask about the Goddess, I won’t blame you, but I hope that you can help me find Xana.”
“Xana?” Warstar was surprised. “What’s wrong with Xana?”
“She’s gone crazy. She’s expanding the robot army as much as she can, seemingly planning to one day leave the Hidden Realm and set up her own kingdom.”
Warstar’s perfect metal hand clenched into a fist as he hatefully spat, “Idiot! Has she forgotten the past?”
“No. She just doesn’t want to let it go.”
Placing his hands together on his now pained face, Warstar said, “Even the Goddess let it go. Why couldn’t she?”
Hami was perplexed by this conversation, wondering what the two of them were talking about, but Xia Fei was immersed. The more he thought about it, the more interesting he found it to be.
Glancing at Xia Fei, Warstar asked, “Who is this human?”
“Xia Fei, someone personally summoned by the Goddess.”
“Why?”
“Probably because of shame. That or curiosity. Who knows? In any case, the Goddess is confused,” replied Dimsky helplessly.
Warstar stared at Xia Fei and coldly asked, “Are you very strong?”
Xia Fei indifferently said, “Not really.”
“What did the Goddess say to you?”
Xia Fei recounted what had happened when he had gone to see the Sentinel Goddess.
“So you want to kill Xana?”
Xia Fei merely nodded.
“Dimsky, he wants to kill Xana, and you’re helping him?”
“Heh, robots don’t live and die. I’m sure that what Xia Fei means is to shut Xana off temporarily.”
“What is the difference between that and death?”
“None.” Dimsky bitterly laughed. “I just don’t want history to repeat itself. You should also understand.”
The ruins fell silent once more. Hami was almost driven to madness by this baffling conversation. Even if his AI analysis was stronger, he still would be unable to understand what the three of them were talking about.
A smile appeared on Xia Fei’s lips. He was getting closer and closer to solving the enigma that had plagued him all this time. Getting closer to the truth made one excited, and as he looked at Dimsky and Warstar, the flames in his eyes grew hotter and hotter.
“Xana is making a mistake, but you also can’t just shut her off,” Warstar stubbornly insisted.
Dimsky fell silent. At this moment, Xia Fei spoke. “General Warstar, the situation is already very clear. Xana is using the Blood Candle people to create a large number of life-like robots. These robots will externally appear similar to humans, and with their AI, it will be enough to make them seem real.
“At the same time, Xana is doing her utmost to break free from the Sentinel Goddess’s control. From what I can see, Xana, you, and Dimsky have never been under the Goddess’s control. She hopes to do the same for her subordinates.
“Everything is out in the open. I presume that I don’t need to tell you what Xana will do next and what will happen.”
Warstar bitterly shook his head, apparently willing to accept the conclusion produced by his logical systems, his mind racked with struggle.
Standing up, Xia Fei made an inviting gesture with his hands.
“I know of a way that can quickly help you clear up your internal contradictions.”
“What way?”
“Fight. The winner is king,” Xia Fei nonchalantly said. “Humans also have moments of conflict. At those times, they might play rock-paper-scissors, flip coins, etc. These methods clearly don’t work for us since we are both warriors.”
Warstar was taken aback. Fighting truly was a good method of resolving conflicts, and the loser must listen to the orders of the winner. This was far more effective than letting his logical systems churn on without an answer.
“Now that I’ve had a chance to meet the strongest fighter among robots, it would be a great pity not to have a fight.” As Xia Fei spoke, he took out the Dragonscale Hectoslasher and stroked it in his hand.
