by <unknown>
Han Te stuck out his tongue and then yawned so hard that he almost squeezed out his tears.
"I have disrupted your rest for too long. I believe that there will be a long time before the two of you can digest and absorb everything that you've been through over the past few days."
Zuo Jingyun smiled and grabbed the chains at the entrance of the cave, disappearing in the abyss of the mine.
The Fist King looked at Han Te and then at Li Yao. He walked to the entrance of the cave and said casually while observing the situation outside, "Why did you make Han Te ask the question? What are you suspicious of?"
"Huh?"
The two little fellows bulged their cheeks and eyeballs again and stared at Li Yao in confusion.
Pondering for a moment, Li Yao said, "Can I trust you, Fist King?"
"Of course not. You know that I am just a puppet, an artificial intelligence, that does not have any concept of morals or integrity. Everything I do is based on the guideline and for the purpose of getting stronger. As long as it is favorable for my ultimate goal, I will not hesitate to betray and even kill the three of you at all. So, how on earth can you trust me?"
The Fist King furrowed his metal eyebrow and looked at Li Yao in obvious bewilderment.
"I am really puzzled how your logical circuits are devised. You appear shrewd one moment and then silly the next. How can you not come to such a simple conclusion?"
Chapter 2055: The Reason to Become Stronger |
Li Yao was choked for a long time. Then he said, "Allow me to rephrase it. I can tell that you are a strong-willed man in any sense. So, why don't we make a deal? Your goal is to be the strongest, isn't it? I don't know what exactly the level of 'strongest' is, but as long as there are enough resources, time, and refining facilities, I can help you build a super iron body whose comprehensive battle performance will be five times greater than that of your current one. It will certainly be able to keep up with your ever-expanding battle database. How does that sound?"
The Fist King's crystal processor began to hum noisily again.
"Also, if you prefer the super large magical equipment system like Great Iron City, although I am not particularly good in that field, I can gather tremendous resources and hands to help you build a… transformable starship, if you will, when I have the chance in the future. It will be able to switch freely between the form of a starship and a super-enormous war puppet, and it will be as awesome in appearance as it is in fighting.
"This is not exactly a promise, but it is at least a possibility. After all, you will receive absolutely no help from the Imperium of True Human Beings and the Immortal Cultivators. Should you be captured by them, you will only be dismantled into the most fundamental parts for study. Every crystal chip of yours will be scrutinized until no secrets are left.
"Only in me, and the force that nurtured a monster like myself, lies the possibilities of your further strengthening and upgrading, right?"
The Fist King's crystal processor, crystal camera, and every crystal chip uttered cracking sounds as he calculated crazily for a minute. Then he said peacefully, "I once heard a piece of interesting intelligence, which stated that the Imperium of True Human Beings was at war against the Alliance of the Holy Covenant, another super force. So, are you from the Alliance of the Holy Covenant? If the answer is yes, I cannot agree to such a deal.
"I have no opinions at all on the Alliance of the Holy Covenant, which seems to be a country where the lives of flesh and blood are refined into cold puppets like me. By the analysis of my logic circuits, it is not necessarily a solution for the survival and development of a civilization that is not worth trying.
"However, if you are from the Covenant Alliance, it will be too dangerous, and the odds of my destruction will be significantly improved if I stay too close to you. My logic circuits and my database tell me that my optimal strategy is to keep as far away from you as possible."
"You can rest assured about that. I have absolutely nothing to do with the Covenant Alliance," Li Yao said. "Think of me as someone from a harmless small force for now, one that is weak, unnoticeable, and insignificant."
"You should really upgrade your deception database to make better lies," the Fist King said casually. "But go on. What is the deal that we are talking about?"
"Help me protect the two little fellows." Not embarrassed at all, Li Yao pointed at Han Te and Liu Li. "Until you are destroyed, you must prevent them from being killed no matter the cost. If you can make sure of that, I will not go back on my promise. You will have a much more powerful body produced by me in the future. I can even be your personal technical consultant and explore the infinite possibilities of 'the strongest' with you.
"You can see some of my capabilities from my current iron body. So, just boost the computational ability of your crystal processor and calculate the gains that you will earn from the deal!"
The Fist King was truly caught in a daze. Noises that were more and more ear-splitting echoed from the crystal processor. Steam was even popping out from the gaps of the metals.
Grabbing Li Yao's metal limbs, Han Te and Liu Li exclaimed in surprise, "Grandpa Yao! Why have you asked Master Fist King to protect us? Are you leaving?"
"Yes. I have something very important that is lost in space. I must get it back immediately," Li Yao said solemnly. "Also, we have discovered ninety-nine percent of the secrets and truths of the Land of Sins. I have some ungrounded speculations, too, about the most critical one percent that remains. However, whether or not the speculations can be proved, and how the conundrums can be resolved if they are—I can't find the answers to the questions if I stay here.
"The Immortal Cultivators have transformed the Martial Meritocrats Sector into the Land of Sins and an impenetrable iron house that is impossible to be broken from inside. But if there is a way to jump out of the sunless iron house, it may be possible to locate its flaws and demolish it in one attack!"
"Then, take us with you!" Han Te said in excitement. "We are going to fight side by side with you, Grandpa Yao!"
"The whole sky has been blocked by the Immortal Cultivators. Even the Fist King failed to break through it with his Great Iron City. I can only try to sneak out without alarming anyone," Li Yao said. "The two of you can neither sneak away nor live and fight for a long time in the vacuum of the space. So, it is best that you stay here.
"Staying here is another way of fighting with me. The 'temple of Cultivators', the control center of the global sword network, must have some special usages.
"Rest assured. I promise you that I will be back very soon—in a form that you absolutely can't imagine!"
"Grandpa Yao…" Han Te and Liu Li looked at each other in bewilderment, feeling lost.
The Fist King listened to their conversation in silence and suddenly said, "I have finished my calculation. You are of mysterious origins that you cannot explain, and your capabilities are unpredictable and inestimable. Little data can be used for my deduction. However, by my comprehensive analysis, reaching a deal with you will expand my possibilities of strengthening and upgrading. There is a 78.5% likelihood that it will have positive effects on my goal.
"However, I must figure out one thing first, which concerns the specific methods that I will use to carry out the deal.
"The two little fellows can't be your family or old friends. What's so special about them that made you reach a deal with me solemnly to ensure their safety?
"Are they of unknown functions, or are they related to some powerful magical equipment that will make you stronger?"
Li Yao laughed and frankly admitted, "You have got it right this time. The two little fellows can indeed make me, and possibly you, stronger!"
"Oh?" Sharp brilliance beamed out of the Fist King's crystal cameras as he scanned Han Te and Liu Li. "Would you care to tell me the mechanism?"
"No problem!" Li Yao replied lightheartedly. "The two little fellows are innocent, kind hearted, and lovely. Whenever I see them, I'm in a go
od mood and can't help but grow the urge to protect them. If I successfully protect them, I will feel satisfied. After I am satisfied, I will have a better appetite and be more energetic in training. My fighting will be more efficient, too. Am I not stronger because of them?"
After a long silence, the Fist King said, "My self-learning and infinitely-proliferating database allows me to vividly simulate all the feelings and thinking patterns of human beings, including ecstasy, happiness, sorrow, fury, fear, and even ambition. But for me, they are just different policies for survival and fighting. I truly cannot understand the true meaning of those emotions, including the… 'satisfied' you mentioned just now.
"Is it important to be satisfied? In my eyes, those two little fellows are burdens for anyone trying to become stronger. They are absolutely worthless."
"Then, I'm afraid that you couldn't be more wrong," Li Yao said. "They are not burdens when trying to become stronger; they are the reason to be stronger."
"The reason to be stronger? I don't understand," the Fist King said.
"You are not strong enough exactly because you don't understand that. It was also why you were blown up by a minor Manjusaka!" Li Yao poked the Fist King's shoulder with his metal limb and said solemnly, "Look. It is because I have perceived the enigmatic principle that I am stronger than you. You wouldn't deny that I am stronger than you, would you?"
"No." The Fist King shook his head and asked suspiciously, "Does it involve the logic circuits and the survival policy optimization of a higher level?"
"…Possibly," Li Yao said. "It doesn't matter if you don't understand, but a great opportunity has been presented to you. Just try your best to protect the two little fellows and consider it a new training method. When you find your reason to be stronger, I believe that you will certainly be reborn as a… well, a more evolved, advanced super artificial intelligence!"
"I do not need any reason to be stronger," the Fist King said coldly. "I do not have emotions or self-will. I am not a real life, only a puppet and a machine. My goal is the only reason for me to become stronger."
"That is not necessarily the case. It's like how people who live in the darkness below the ground and never see the blue sky and the white clouds think that they do not need light," Li Yao said with a smile. "In many cases, you think that you do not need something, but that's only because you haven't discovered it yet. Okay, enough talking. Do we have a deal?"
The Fist King thought for a moment and nodded, "It's a deal. Until the Immortal Cultivators and the Imperium of True Human Beings propose more enticing conditions, I will keep the two little fellows safe."
Han Te and Liu Li were both upset and amused, but they swallowed their words after moving their lips for a while when they saw the Fist King's glittering iron body.
"Also, a word of advice," Li Yao said. "Beware of Wei Longtao. Even if he does find the control center of the global sword network, don't carelessly lead the charge. Try to keep a low profile as much as you can."
"How can I keep a low profile?" the Fist King said calmly. "There is a ninety-five percent likelihood that the Immortal Cultivators have discovered my secrets. It's impossible for me to keep a low profile. Why don't I try to keep a high profile to cover your existence and operation?"
Li Yao was slightly dazed. Then he said in a low voice, "Thank you. Believe me. As long as I am here, whatever broken garbage that you are blown into, I will do my best to repair and upgrade you!"
"I can't find any successful policy in my database. The only policy with a success rate of one percent is to trust you," the Fist King said casually. "How are you going to leave the place?"
"I have worked everything out." Li Yao's soul glanced at the dozens of earthly dragons outside that were being maintained, upgraded, and refilled with ammunition and spiritual energy. "If I am not mistaken, there will probably be an opportunity very soon…"
Chapter 2056: Battle of Drilling |
According to the time on the surface, it was already late at night.
But the underground mine that had been forsaken for hundreds of years was ablaze with lights and filled with an obstreperous crowd. The collisions of metals and the splashing sparks were echoing everywhere.
Lurking deep inside the mines, Li Yao's soul spread out in ripples and covered the entire mine while he observed the last preparations of the resistance warriors of Starlight in silence.
To be more exact, the resistance warriors who called themselves 'Cultivators' were different from the Cultivators of the Star Glory Federation.
They did not have perfect theories or beliefs, and they never thought about how they could create a new world. They were merely the descendants of the Cultivators in the past who were struggling in the hopeless desperation with their instincts of survival and revenge.
However, if Li Yao were in their shoes, he was not certain that he could have behaved better than the 'Cultivators' like Zuo Jingyun.
This was going to be the largest counterattack of the underground branch of Starlight in the past hundreds of years. Li Yao could tell from the eyes that were filled with light, their rapid breathing, and their hot sweat that all the warriors could not be more excited.
Wei Longtao, their general commander, was leading everyone in the work. He heaved the locomotive of the most majestic and intimidating earthly dragon into midair with hoists and chains. Crawling up and down, he added battle units to the vehicle and cheered up the warriors next to him, waving the maintenance tools in his hands.
Illuminated by the dazzling lights, his white teeth and his eyes that were filled with dreams were particularly eye-catching.
"Are you all ready? We have been losers below the ground for hundreds of years. Today, we are finally going big. Do not slack off at the most critical moment!" Wei Longtao laughed loudly. "Let's make the wretched Immortal Cultivators open their eyes and see clearly what real Cultivators should look like!"
The hundreds of resistance warriors bashed their chainswords and vibration sabers on the earthly dragon and uttered roars of excitement.
Some of the warriors were playing instruments that were similar to harmonicas. Under the lead of Wei Longtao, everybody began to sing the same thrilling, blood-boiling battle hymn. While they were singing, everybody's eyes were filled with tears. Looking at the black rocks around them, their eyes seemed to have pierced through the miserable, suffocating world to the ultimate battlefield.
Li Yao observed everything in silence and added every detail into his deduction model. His soul became clearer and clearer but also more and more… angry.
Right then, Li Yao sensed feeble quakes from the dark wall of the cave above their heads.
Cracks unnoticeable to the naked eye appeared on the wall quickly, spraying dust that was as small as sand.
They're really here!
Li Yao thought something and sent two warnings into Han Te and Liu Li quickly. "Wake up now. Bring all the food, medicine, and ammunition. Be ready to retreat with the Fist King!"
The Fist King stuck his metal palm to the wall and sensed something. Ominous brilliance beamed out of his man-made eyes as he said, "Intruders?"
"Exactly," Li Yao said coldly. "The intruders that have drilled into the ground!"
Hardly had he concluded his sentence when devastating alarms began to ring.
"Enemy incoming! Enemy incoming! Enemy incoming!"
"The Immortal Cultivators' penetrators are approaching us quickly from above. They are less than three kilometers away from us!"
"The index of quakes is so high. It must be a super drill of an extremely huge size. Also, there is no stopping and adjusting at all. They have obviously discovered our accurate coordinates!"
Panicked exclamations were echoing everywhere, mixed with the alarms each higher than the last, which only made everyone even more panicked, especially the bandits and thugs who had just been guided to the underground world. If the place had not been an underground mine with no escape at all, they would have held their he
ads and fled in a hurry.
"Don't panic, everybody. Listen to my command!"
At the critical moment, Wei Longtao roared like a bell being tolled. "Eighty percent of the earthly dragons have completed the final upgrading and loading of ammunition. The basic position of the 'temple' has been transmitted to your respective crystal processor, too. There is no time to delay anymore. All conductors, set off immediately and search for the precise coordinates of the 'temple' in a grid as we planned before!
"As for this place…
"I will cover the retreat for everybody. Not a single Immortal Cultivator will catch you!
"The final war has come. Take action now, warriors of Starlight. Let's meet again at the 'temple'!"
Wei Longtao's voice seemed to boast amazing magic, filled with the power to convince and pacify other people.
Under his roars, the chaotic atmosphere in the place had entirely vanished. All the resistance warriors jumped to their feet like fully-wound machines that were full of fuel.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The drill-shaped excavation systems before the earthly dragons began to revolve slowly in deafening fulminations, releasing unstoppable mystic rays and high-frequency vibration fields that were enough to shatter the hardest rocks and minerals.
Countless warriors leapt out of their respective caves. Moving on the chains and the rails as steadily as if they were running on the ground, they soon jumped into their own earthly dragons.
"This place is about to be breached!" Zuo Jingyun showed up before Li Yao and the rest of them again. She extended her hands to Han Te and Liu Li and said, "Let's go to my Cloud Penetrator!"
Quite a few earthly dragons had long finished their maintenance and modification and were standing by in their respective tunnels. They took off before other people and soon disappeared into the depths of the soil with the tracks all over their bodies rotating crazily.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
After they drove into the depths of the tunnels, the tunnels were all blown up by the crystal bombs that had been planted earlier. Materials similar to gels had been mixed into the crystal bombs, which stuck the collapses and made them as tough as iron. It was practically impossible to drill through the same way.
