142: GT Robot

Splash! The sea surface broke open, and a strange white head poked out. Following it onto the shore was a heavy sense of oppression that seemed to make the very air freeze for a moment.

A "freak" covered in thick white fur dragged a small net of Puffer Whale, walking out of the waves unhurriedly. His figure was not particularly tall, but with every step he took, the sand slightly subsided. A kind of inhuman, cold Aura spread out, completely different from the burning sensation of life.

Toriko and Coco's expressions changed almost simultaneously. The instincts honed from long-term exposure to danger made their bodies tense up, and their Aura erupted involuntarily, as if facing a formidable enemy.

"This guy... is strong!" Toriko lowered his voice, his muscles already coiled with power.

Coco's fingertips tightened slightly, his pupils contracting: "It's not a living being... there are no bio-electromagnetic waves, and the scent is as cold as metal."

That white freak, however, ignored their defensive stance. He slowly dragged the Puffer Whale onto the beach, and after standing still, he actually used his fur-covered hand to scratch his pointed, beak-like head. A look of almost confused bewilderment appeared on his face, creating an eerie contrast with his terrifying Aura.

But this only made Toriko and Coco even more vigilant—the unknown often implies greater danger.

"Lin Luo, step back!" Toriko blocked the front, his voice heavy. "This guy isn't right; he's very strong!"

Lin Luo nodded, his gaze locked on the opponent. Even from a distance, that cold, almost mechanical deterrence was clearly palpable, sending chills down one's spine.

The white freak's electronic eyes rotated, finally fixing on Lin Luo. An electronic voice like metal grinding pierced through the sea breeze, carrying an unquestionable dominance: "I have seen your talent." He raised a finger and pointed at the sea surface, "The technique for handling Puffer Whale, and the 'ability' you revealed... I need talent like you. Come with me."

So, he had been lurking nearby all along, witnessing and eavesdropping on everything that had just happened.

"Not interested." Lin Luo replied without the slightest hesitation.

"Oh." The beak-shaped head tilted, the electronic voice flat, "Then there is no other way."

Thud. He tossed the net of Puffer Whale in his hand onto the sand, moving as easily as if he were putting down an empty bag. Then, he slowly raised his white fur-covered arm—that was clearly not a gesture for a handshake.

"Lin Luo—!" Toriko roared, waiting no longer. His figure shot out like a cannonball, rushing straight toward the white shadow. The battle was about to erupt.

Coco's figure moved at the same instant. With excellent tacit understanding, he and Toriko split up, forming a pincer position, vaguely encircling Lin Luo—the three of them joined forces, determined to defeat this eerie white robot!

However— "Whoosh." The sound of breaking wind was so faint it was almost impossible to catch. The white figure suddenly blurred in place and disappeared! No, it didn't disappear; it was just too fast!

Bang! Bang! Two dull thuds, like heavy hammers beating a drum, exploded almost simultaneously, accompanied by the muffled sound of bones bearing immense force.

"Argh—!" "Cough—!" Toriko and Coco's groans of pain were almost synchronized with the impact. Neither of them had even managed to see the opponent's movements before they were struck squarely in the chest by an invisible giant hammer, their bodies flying backward uncontrollably.

Boom! Boom! With two loud bangs, the cliff wall shook violently, and gravel rolled down. Toriko and Coco were embedded deep into the stone wall, with spiderweb-like cracks spreading from them as the center. Their faces turned pale, and they spat out blood simultaneously, their energy instantly withering. With just one strike, two great Gourmet Hunters were heavily injured!

"Mr. Toriko! Mr. Coco!" Komatsu and Tina's screams were filled with fear and helplessness; he was trembling all over, but could only watch helplessly.

Lin Luo's expression turned completely grim, his gaze piercing like an ice blade toward the beak-faced robot that had reappeared in the distance.

"You shouldn't have hurt them." His voice was not loud, but it was as cold as a deep-sea current.

"I hurt them, so what can you do about it?" The beak-faced robot rotated its cold electronic eyes, its metallic voice devoid of ripples, "Obey, or watch them turn into scrap metal. Come with me, and everything will end here."

"What can I do?" Lin Luo slowly exhaled, the last trace of warmth in his eyes fading away, leaving only a sharp, cold glint. "Then... I'll smash you to pieces."

The moment the last word fell, Lin Luo moved. It wasn't a violent charge like Toriko's, but rather his figure flickered, the sand beneath his feet slightly sinking, and he shot out like an arrow from a bow, pouncing straight at the beak-faced robot!

The beak-faced robot seemed to be assessing Lin Luo's speed; its electronic eyes flashed red. It did not dodge or evade, but swung its mechanical arm suddenly toward the direction of Lin Luo's charge!

Hum—! The fist tore through the air, emitting a teeth-grinding crackling explosion. The terrifying kinetic energy compressed the airflow in front, forming visible ripples. The power of this punch was enough to blast steel giant rocks into powder!

However, at the very moment the fist was about to make contact, Lin Luo's charging figure bent with incredible flexibility and agility, sliding past the edge of the fist's wind by a hair's breadth, moving like a ghost to the robot's side and back.

Now! Lin Luo's right palm pressed lightly against the seemingly heavy armor seams on the robot's back. There was no earth-shattering collision, not even much noise.

But an invisible, intangible, yet condensed-like-substance Mental Energy—Divine Thought—had, with this press, instantly invaded the beak-faced robot's complex internal structure like the smallest swarm of nanobots!

Circuits, drive shafts, energy circuits, sensors... the complex mechanical structure was laid bare in Lin Luo's "perception." His Divine Thought was like an extension of his arm, precisely bypassing all physical defenses to reach the core—there, a precision chip protected by multiple barriers was flickering with a faint light, receiving and transmitting remote commands.

"Found you." Lin Luo's mind stirred, and his powerful Divine Thought suddenly contracted, turning into the finest and sharpest mental blade, stabbing fiercely!

Crack. A silent shattering occurred at the microscopic level. The core chip that maintained the robot's movement and control had its internal structure crushed under the weight of the immense mental power, instantly turning into countless particles of metal and silicon, its circuits completely melted.

The beak-faced robot's punch froze in mid-air, the red light in its electronic eyes flickering rapidly a few times before extinguishing completely. Its imposing body swayed, emitting a short-circuiting "crackle" noise, then, like a marionette with cut strings, it fell to its knees with a crash, then face-planted into the sand, kicking up a cloud of dust, and fell silent.

In the distance, Toriko and Coco, embedded in the stone wall, struggled to lift their heads, happening to see this abrupt reversal, their eyes filled with unbelievable shock.

Komatsu opened his mouth wide, forgetting to tremble.

Lin Luo slowly retracted his palm, looking down at the beak-faced robot that had fallen into the sand and had already turned into a pile of expensive scrap metal, his tone flat, "Who would go head-to-head with you."

The waves lapped gently against the beach, fine white foam licking the white body lying in the sand.

Toriko struggled out of the stone wall, gravel falling down. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, staring suspiciously at the lifeless pile of mechanical wreckage: "What just happened?"

Coco also managed to free himself with difficulty, his sternum aching, but he forced himself to walk toward Lin Luo: "Lin Luo, what did you do?"

Lin Luo did not answer immediately. He leaned down to carefully observe the fallen robot, his fingers gently brushing over the armor seams on its back—there wasn't a single scratch, it was as smooth as before.

"I just destroyed its internal structure." Lin Luo stood up and looked around, "With the core damaged, even the most powerful robot is useless. It seems this place isn't that safe; we'd better get out of here sooner."

After Lin Luo picked up the Puffer Whale net that the robot had caught, in a secret room somewhere in this world, a man wearing a special combat suit walked out, his expression calm, murmuring: "What kind of power was that? In just an instant, the gt robot was countered!"

Gourmet food makes people happy, but it also makes them crazy.

When Lin Luo and his party passed through the last rock crevice and stepped back onto the ground scorched by the sun, what hit their noses was not the fresh scent of grass and trees, but a thick, inseparable stench of blood, mixed with gunpowder and the strange smell of some kind of charred meat.

Before them was the edge of a devastated forest, trees broken, the ground pitted, and seven or eight corpses wearing various hunter attire lay in twisted poses in pools of blood, some still maintaining expressions of terror or ferocity from before they died. Weapons were scattered everywhere; there were broken blades, guns with empty magazines, and several special capture tools. The air was oppressive, and flies had already begun to buzz and circle over the bloodstains.

"It seems that while we were enjoying gourmet food, things were quite lively on the surface." Coco frowned slightly, his fingers subconsciously brushing his earlobe, sensing the chaotic electromagnetic waves and negative emotions remaining in the air, "Greed, fear, anger... very strong fluctuations."

Toriko just glanced at it, his expression unchanged, as if what was before him were just a few stones on the roadside. He moved his shoulder, which still ached slightly—that strike from the gt robot was indeed heavy. "Fighting over Puffer Whale or something else until they ended up killing each other, I suppose. This kind of drama is too common on the outskirts of the Gourmet World and in certain black market hunting grounds. Komatsu, Tina, don't look." He reminded them.

Komatsu's face turned pale, his stomach churning, and he quickly looked away. As a reporter, Tina had seen quite a few scenes, but such a direct impact of death still made her breathing rapid, and she gripped the camera in her hand tightly, her knuckles turning white.

Just then, a helicopter slowly approached from the distance and hovered overhead. A middle-aged man in a suit and sunglasses descended from the cabin and walked straight toward Lin Luo. Seeing Toriko and Coco also present, he looked slightly surprised; apparently, they knew each other.

Toriko was the first to speak, asking: "Johannes? Why are you here? Did IGO release a new Gourmet mission?"

Johannes shook his head: "Toriko, I'm not here for you this time." He turned his gaze to Lin Luo behind Toriko, "I'm here for him."

Lin Luo understood in his heart, taking the ingredient box out from the pendant around his neck: "Are you the contact person from IGO?"

"I am the Minister of the IGO Food Development Department, Johannes."

Lin Luo handed the box over: "This is the Puffer Whale. One of them has had its poison sac removed and processing completed, and the other remains in a fresh, living state. This should count as exceeding the mission requirements."

Johannes took the box, his gaze lingering for a moment, especially on the Puffer Whale with the poison sac removed, and a flash of surprise crossed his eyes. He quickly regained his composure, stating that he would purchase this Puffer Whale at market price, but did not continue to ask for details.

Having a Minister come personally to receive the mission was clearly unusual. Lin Luo's mind stirred, guessing that the other party had another purpose.

"You encountered a gt robot from the Gourmet Association earlier, right?" Johannes pushed his sunglasses, "IGO was worried about your safety and specifically sent me here to investigate the scene."

Toriko snorted, blunt and straightforward: "Johannes, IGO sent you here, I'm afraid, just to confirm if Lin Luo is still alive and to collect intelligence from the scene along the way."

Johannes coughed lightly at these blunt words, using the adjustment of his sunglasses to mask a moment of awkwardness: "Mr. Toriko, IGO maintains a high degree of attention and responsibility for the protection of all registered Gourmet Hunters—especially those who have shown outstanding talent. Mr. Lin Luo's successful capture and processing of the Puffer Whale has fully proven his value. The appearance of the gt robot is an emergency event; we do need to grasp the specific situation in order to analyze the movements of the Gourmet Association and formulate corresponding countermeasures."

Although these words were formal and thorough, Toriko and Coco both understood in their hearts: IGO's "attention" always included risk assessment. The more special the ability Lin Luo displayed, the more IGO wanted to incorporate him into their control system—or at least, figure out his background.