186: Chapter 186 Mech Core: I'm invincible... Holy crap, what is this?!

Machina Hub, core server room.

There was not a shred of warmth here.

Countless thick fiber optic cables, like blood vessels, converged in the center of the hall.

Floating there was a massive red eyeball over ten meters in diameter—this was the supreme mastermind of the Machina Legion, codenamed "Skynet."

It was emitting a heart-stopping red light, with countless data streams scrolling frantically in the depths of its pupil.

"Foolish carbon-based lifeform."

A cold, electronically synthesized voice echoed through the empty hall, carrying an absolute arrogance belonging to superior computing power:

"Do you think that by relying on those few primitive tracked tanks, you can defeat the great silicon-based civilization?"

"I have already calculated all of your tactical models."

"Infiltration, encirclement, air-ground coordination... every step you take is within my expectations. Even that giant warship hovering in the sky cannot breach my absolute defense."

"Skynet" rotated its massive eyeball, locking firmly onto Jiang Chen, who was standing at the doorway:

"Surrender, human."

"Your genetic sequence is quite special. I can turn you into a top-tier specimen; this is an honor."

Facing this judgment, which sounded like an oracle's decree,

Jiang Chen just leaned lazily against the doorframe, even holding a half-eaten bag of potato chips in his hand.

"Are you done?"

He shoved the potato chips into his mouth, chewing them with a loud crunch, his face full of impatience:

"I say, do you villains all have the same factory settings? Why do you talk so much nonsense?"

"Is that calculation? That's fortune-telling, right?"

Jiang Chen brushed the crumbs off his hands and plucked the little yellow ball that had been squatting on his shoulder from behind him.

"Pika?"

Pikachu tilted its head, clearly very interested in this big, glowing red lightbulb.

"Skynet's" red light flickered, seemingly performing some kind of scan.

"A... rodent?"

The electronic voice revealed a hint of confusion, which immediately turned into even more intense mockery:

"This is your trump card? A yellow, genetically mutated mouse?"

"According to my database analysis, this creature's combat power is 5. Apart from being cute, it is completely useless."

"Human, your behavioral logic has become chaotic. Has fear caused you to lose your sanity?"

Jiang Chen laughed.

He looked at that self-righteous super AI as if he were looking at a fool playing with fire.

"Data analysis?"

"Buddy, you might not know this."

Jiang Chen held Pikachu in his palm, his eyes flashing with a confidence known as "cheating":

"In this world, there is one thing that your CPU will never be able to calculate."

"That is—"

"The power of pay-to-win!"

Before he even finished speaking,

Jiang Chen suddenly raised his arm, striking a standard pitching pose.

"Go! Pikachu!"

"Teach this ignorant artificial idiot a lesson and help it break its internet addiction!"

"Pika—chu!!!"

Following a milk-fierce roar,

The yellow loser that "Skynet" thought only had a combat power of 5 suddenly completed an incredible transformation in mid-air.

It was no longer that pet that only knew how to be cute.

It was an S-rank beast!

It was the Thunderstorm Monarch at the top of the Wasteland food chain!

"Zzz—!!!"

Pikachu's body stretched out in the air, and the electric sacs on both sides of its cheeks instantly overloaded.

Its originally soft yellow fur turned into a blinding, bright white at this moment.

A thick, eye-blinding blue-white electric arc wrapped around its small body, turning it into a violent electromagnetic cannonball!

"Warning! High-energy reaction detected!"

"Energy level surging! Error! Data overflow!"

"Skynet's" red eyeball contracted violently; it finally realized something was wrong.

But it was too late.

It was too fast.

Pikachu's speed was a projection of the speed of light.

It did not attack "Skynet's" thick outer shell, but instead, relying on its instincts as a mouse, accurately lunged at the thickest, most crucial main power cable beneath "Skynet."

"Snap!"

That was the sound of sharp teeth clamping down.

"Skynet" didn't even have time to activate its defense system before it felt its "main artery" being bitten through in one go.

Immediately after,

"Thunderbolt—full power output!!!"

"Boom—!!!"

A terrifying current originating from biological nuclear fusion surged along that cable, pouring without reservation into "Skynet's" core processor.

That wasn't ordinary electricity.

That was the electricity of a cheater, carrying the power of laws and capable of ignoring all physical resistance!

"Zzzzzzz—"

The hall instantly turned into an ocean of lightning.

Countless sparks gushed out from "Skynet's" eyeball.

The originally calm, arrogant electronic voice now turned into a series of distorted screams, filled with fear and garbled code:

"Ahhhhh—!!!"

"What is this?! This isn't electricity! This is... what the hell is this thing?!"

"Voltage detection... positive infinity?!"

"Logic gates melting! Cooling system collapsing! Firewall... my firewall exploded!!!"

"No! This is unscientific! How could a mouse..."

"Bang!"

A loud noise.

The massive red eyeball, like a balloon that had been over-inflated, exploded, leaving a large hole.

Billowing black smoke, accompanied by the smell of burnt circuit boards, instantly filled the entire server room.

The Machina mastermind that claimed to have calculated everything and was invincible in the world...

just like that, with one bite from a "rat,"

was paralyzed.

"Pika...?"

Pikachu let go and jumped down from the smoking cable.

It shook the dust off its body and spat twice with a look of disdain, seemingly feeling that the taste of this wire wasn't as good as a high-energy battery.

Then,

It turned around and gave a standard middle finger to the smoking "Skynet" (although it only had four fingers).

"That's it?"

Jiang Chen walked over, picked up Pikachu, and rubbed its head.

He looked at the scrap metal that was still sparking and making "zzz" screaming sounds, and shook his head helplessly:

"Who told you to mess with the wrong person?"

"You just had to provoke a pay-to-win player who uses cheats?"

"In your next life, reincarnate as an abacus; it doesn't use electricity and is safer."

Jiang Chen turned around and pressed the communicator on his ear.

Since its brain was already fried,

there was no need to keep the remaining shell.

"Hello, luan bird?"

Jiang Chen's voice was cold and resolute:

"This is Jiang Chen."

"The mastermind has been paralyzed, coordinates locked."

"Bring out the main cannon for me."

"And send this bunch of scrap metal... to their graves!"