“This is the one, right? It is a powerful spider tank that is both agile and moderate in size. It has participated in almost every operation of the yaksha squad and boasts a powerful enough crystal processor to carry our souls temporarily.
“But since it is the most cutting-edge model of the Holy Alliance, it must be very difficult to hack into it and very easy to be detected.
“The more difficult it is, the more exciting it is. Otherwise, are we really going to hack the automatic toilet?”
“That’s true. Where is the yaksha squad right now, and where is their Spider Tank?”
“Ah, the yaksha squad has just experienced a big explosion during a mission. It seems that all the members have suffered some injuries and are resting in the headquarters of the cleaners. Their spider tanks are being upgraded in the maintenance workshop, too. It is not far from here.”
“Excellent. A perfect plan?”
“First of all, we need to find the design of the ordinary model of the spider tank and the structural design of its crystal processor. Then, we need to figure out its operating system and defense system. After hundreds of virtual rehearsals, we will be able to crack the loopholes in the design. Then, we will need to set up some ‘traces’ in the debris of the crystal processor, because the people of the Sanctuary Alliance know that we once controlled the entire floating fortress through the mainframe crystal processor. We will have to make them think that we did it with the ordinary crystal processor hacking technology, and that our soul ran away the moment the floating fortress crashed. Lastly, we will need to set up a few traps and some ‘logical bombs’ so that the enemy will have temporary data overflow, defense collapse, and even spiritual energy overload when they are cutting the debris of the crystal processor into pieces. The problems will not be fatal enough, but they will cover up the traces of our ‘dancing’. When the enemy resolves the ‘logical bombs’ that we set up in a flurry, it will be the best opportunity for us to switch to a new ‘carrier’!”
“Excellent. Let’s begin!”
For a moment, the souls of Li Yao and the mental devil unfolded like the wings of a butterfly.
As the soul ripples spread out, a brand-new world gradually appeared in their vision. Countless sounds, pictures, and information streams in bright gold and crimson constituted a splendid world. They seemed to be able to ‘see’ the crystal processor research center that they were in, the researchers who were going in and out of the research center and the pathways outside, the brainwaves that the researchers were sending out, and the wider and more splendid new world made of the ripples of the Spiritual Nexus outside the research center.
“The network is vast.
Li Yao smiled and thought to himself, Who can… stop me?
…
Three days ago, at the bottom of the engine compartment at the tail of ‘Light Pursuit’, the main warship of the Sanctuary Alliance.
Light Pursuit was a vintage warship with a history of five hundred years. If it had been placed in the federation or the imperium, it would’ve been scrapped long ago or handed over to local armed forces and transportation fleets.
However, the efficiency and reliability of the primeval technology, as well as the near-zero requirements for the living environment of the starship, made it struggle stubbornly in the cold sea of stars for the ‘glory of the gods’.
In order to push its enormous body, which was more than five thousand meters long, to sprint at a high speed and turn agilely, it was surrounded by dense industrial thrusters. Together with the astronomical energy consumption of spiritual shields and various energy weapons, the engine compartment, which had been repaired and strengthened multiple times, almost took up all the space at the rear of the vehicle. The tubes, which were several meters in diameter and dozens of meters in diameter, were tangled together in a complicated way, making it look like a nest of steel boas, cold and gloomy, and a 3D labyrinth full of rust.
Since the materials were old and in disrepair, hot steam was spurting out from the corners of the tubes, submerging the engine compartment in vague fog all year round, making it look like a quiet mountain.
After the steam was frozen, it would turn into drops of water and fall from the ‘above’ of the gravity field like a drizzle.
The drizzle and the mist, the maze that was the color of rust, and the emotionless marines and mechanics who were wearing grey raincoats and gas masks below the maze constituted the eternal ‘scenery’ in the engine compartment of Light Pursuit, no, all the antique warships of the Sanctuary.
‘Major’ Chu Zhixiao crouched on a horizontal tube at the highest point and watched the glittering ‘raindrops’ falling into the grey abyss below and landing on the ‘soldiers’ and the ‘work bees’ that looked like gray spots.
She liked the feeling. She liked the feeling of the light rain on her skin, which made her feel that she was truly alive. Therefore, what did it matter if it was not the real ‘light rain’?
“14,522,14,523…”
Chu Zhixiao was counting how many raindrops had fallen on him.
“Major, help me. Major, help me, help me…”
The voice was echoing inside her brain again. There was unspeakable pity and desperation. The rain and mist in front of her eyes seemed to condense into a little girl in a white dress who opened her arms helplessly.
Chu Zhixiao frowned. The hallucinations and hallucinations were gone, like water melting in the rain.
She stared at the raindrops for a long time and cursed softly—she had forgotten where she was counting.
“Major! Major!”
This time, the super micro-vibrating chip deep inside his ear canal really sounded lackluster, as if metal was rubbing against each other. “We’ve arrived at the scene. Where are you? Are you monitoring the situation? I’m going to transmit all the terrain data of the engine compartment and the information of all the crew members on board. Please prepare to receive it.”
It was ‘Seven Stars’, the seven annoying kids.
Chu Zhixiao turned around and saw that a shaking spider tank was lying on the tube next to her. Although it was known as ‘the entire terrain’, with anti-joint limbs that could turn 36o degrees and sliding wheels that could turn at an amazing speed, such an auxiliary spiritual puppet was still not suitable to climb up and down the maze as agilely as a human being. The guy, who was as round as a toilet, was constricting his six limbs, trying to hold on to the slippery tube. The indicator light on his back was blinking rapidly, indicating that he was receiving a lot of data and that he might fall off if he was not careful. It was quite hilarious.
Chu Zhixiao’s lips curled coldly.
“Let’s go, Red Pig. Enough rest.”
The woman whose code name was ‘Major’ stood up from the top of the ventilation tube that was almost a hundred meters high. She narrowed her eyes and opened her arms, enjoying the irregular air currents above the engine compartment. Then, she jumped down softly, not forgetting to hook ‘Red Pig’, her spider tank, with her toes and fall into the grey mist together with her.
The spider tank was clearly a cold machine, but it was displaying an ’emotion’ that was even more vivid than that of the citizens of the Star Glory Federation. Its six limbs were shivering hard, as if it were trying to grab something nearby. The crystal cameras embedded in the nine rails on its head were spinning crazily, too, as if they were scared out of their wits. It was truly hilarious.
The moment they were about to land on the ground, Chu Zhixiao seemed to have stepped on something solid in midair. He spun weirdly and picked up a spider tank. The man and the tank, which had a combined weight of more than half a ton, fell to the ground like dry leaves without making any sound.
The six limbs of the spider tank were still shivering. There was no telling whether it was because the sudden weightlessness from the fall affected its balance system or because of the lingering fear.
Chu Zhixiao, on the other hand, immediately assumed the role of the captain of the yaksha squad. His face was covered in grey frost as he observed everything around him coldly.
From a height of almost a hundred meters, the marines and mechanics gathered in the engine compartment were no different than usual.
When he was among them, Chu Zhixiao immediately sensed the fear and the intense scent of blood.
The facial features of almost all the marines and mechanics were twisted to the extreme. Panic and fear were written all over their faces, which were extremely abnormal for the citizens of the Sanctuary.
The surroundings had been sealed by the soldiers of the God Bless Army, the purifiers, and the cleaners. Chu Zhiling saw that the cleaners had deployed the second and the fourth investigation teams. Now that the two teams had shown up at the same time, together with the ‘Yaksha Squad’, it was a serious crime.
That was the result of the emotional scan, too.
Chu Zhixiao did not need to raise his wrist at all. Through the intense vibration of his crystal processor, he knew that the emotional waves gathered in the narrow space were beyond the threshold and were enough to trigger mass hysteria. All the peaceful, pure, and loyal marines and mechanics were infected by the virus named ’emotion’.
Although they could only sense ‘fear’ right now, it was like the collapse of a dam. If they were left alone, other emotions would soon follow and swallow them.
“Everybody in the engine compartment, whether they are exposed to the heretics or not, will have to undergo ‘deep purification’ on a large scale.
Deep in thought, Chu Zhiyun glanced at the purifiers in the anti-vaccination suits. “That’s why so many purifiers have gathered here.
“However, if we don’t find the source of the infection, it will be useless no matter how many times we purify it.
“The smell of blood is getting stronger and stronger. There is also a hint of sweetness mixed in. But for the ordinary people who are used to synthesized food, it is indeed an irresistible sweetness. This is… the smell of ‘Taotie’. Is it you, puppet king?”.
