53: Mechanical Angel, Critical Hit God-Tier Material

Energy Center.

Within the enormous cylindrical space, a pale golden liquid flowed slowly in the cultivation tank, reflecting a dreamlike halo.

The mechanical angel, named "Icarus," floated in the center of this halo.

She was beautiful.

Her beauty transcended human comprehension; it was a pure industrial work of art, constructed from precision machinery and bionic flesh and blood.

Her silver-white long hair fanned out in the liquid, each strand connected to imperceptible optical fibers.

The metallic wings on her back were folded, each feather intricately inscribed with complex runes, through which golden energy circuits flowed.

But what most captivated Gu Pingsheng's gaze was her chest.

A rhomboid blue crystal was embedded there.

It pulsed rhythmically, like a heart.

With each flash, a visible ripple of energy spread out, making the surrounding air hum.

[Eternal Power Core (Pseudo-Purple-Epic)]

[Description: One of the highest masterpieces of the Mechanical Divine Court, utilizing miniature cold nuclear fusion technology to provide nearly infinite energy.]

[Warning: This power core is directly connected to the ruin's self-destruct system. Forcible removal has a 99.9% chance of triggering the self-destruct sequence.]

Gu Pingsheng narrowed his eyes.

99.9% chance.

If it were anyone else, they would have been scared to death by that number, running as far as possible.

But he wasn't anyone else.

He was Gu Pingsheng.

A cheat with the Hand of God.

More importantly, he was a collector.

Not getting his hands on a treasure of this caliber would be worse than killing him.

"Brother..."

Su Ruan tugged at his sleeve, her voice very low, as if afraid of waking the sleeping angel.

"This sister... is so scary."

"Her energy readings are a hundred times higher than that big gorilla's."

Gu Pingsheng patted the back of her hand, signaling her to be quiet.

"What's there to be afraid of?"

A wild grin spread across his lips.

"No matter how powerful, she's just a doll without power now."

"As long as I pull out the battery, she's just a pile of scrap metal."

With that, he drew the High-Energy Laser Cutting Knife he had just critically hit from his waist.

A purple laser beam spewed forth, emitting a low hum.

"Ruan Ruan, step back."

"Help me watch our surroundings, don't let anything disturb me."

Su Ruan nodded obediently, hugging her rabbit as she retreated to the doorway.

Her fingers twitched slightly, and countless transparent threads wove into a large net in the air, sealing all entrances.

Gu Pingsheng took a deep breath.

He walked to the cultivation tank and pressed his hand on the control panel.

No password.

Or rather, for him, with the Hand of God, this kind of physical lock simply didn't exist.

Zzz—

With a sound of air pressure being released, the glass wall of the cultivation tank slowly opened.

The pale golden liquid poured out, instantly submerging Gu Pingsheng's ankles.

A rich energy aura rushed forth, making one's pores expand.

The mechanical angel lost the buoyancy of the liquid, her body sinking slightly, suspended in mid-air by several thick cables behind her.

Gu Pingsheng didn't hesitate.

He stepped directly onto the edge of the cultivation tank and jumped up.

One hand gripped the angel's cold shoulder, the other raised the laser knife.

The closer he got, the stronger the oppressive feeling became.

He could even hear the sound of gears turning within the angel's body, a premonition of her imminent awakening.

The countdown above his head had less than five minutes left.

He had to be fast.

And precise.

Gu Pingsheng's gaze was fixed on the connecting tubes around the blue crystal.

There were twelve of them.

Each one was thinner than a strand of hair, and they were constantly vibrating.

If he cut the wrong one, or his hand trembled even slightly, the entire ruin would instantly turn into a giant firework.

"Hoo..."

Gu Pingsheng held his breath.

His pupils contracted slightly, entering a state of absolute focus.

Talent Skill: Bullet Time (Passively Triggered)

Everything around him slowed down again.

The vibrating connecting tubes became incredibly clear in his eyes; he could even see the energy particles flowing within them.

The first one.

Zzz!

The purple laser beam cut precisely across.

A red line snapped, the cut as smooth as a mirror.

The angel's body twitched slightly, but she didn't wake up.

Gu Pingsheng didn't stop.

The second one.

The third one... his hand was as steady as a precision machine tool.

Sweat streamed down his forehead, into his eyes, stinging intensely.

But he didn't even blink.

Su Ruan stood at the doorway, clutching the rabbit's ears tightly, her knuckles white.

She looked at the man standing before the angel.

His figure wasn't tall, but at this moment, it seemed to support the entire world.

That madness of dancing on a knife's edge, that disregard for life, that extreme greed... it was so captivating.

She felt her heart about to pound out of her chest.

Not out of fear, but out of excitement.

The ninth one.

The tenth one.

Just as Gu Pingsheng cut the eleventh line.

An unexpected change occurred.

The angel, who had kept her eyes tightly shut, suddenly had her eyelids twitch violently.

The blue crystal on her chest glowed intensely, emitting a rapid buzzing sound.

[Warning! Illegal intrusion detected! Self-destruct sequence initiated!]

[Countdown: 10...9...]

A cold mechanical voice echoed throughout the hall.

Red warning lights flashed frantically, illuminating the place like hell.

"Brother!"

Su Ruan cried out in alarm.

Gu Pingsheng, however, seemed not to hear her.

His eyes remained terrifyingly calm.

He didn't even twitch a hand.

"So noisy."

He cursed under his breath.

The laser knife in his hand suddenly accelerated.

Zzz!

The last line snapped in response.

At the very instant the countdown reached "1".

Gu Pingsheng grabbed the blue crystal and forcefully pulled it out.

Crack!

With a crisp snapping sound.

The power core, emitting terrifying energy fluctuations, was forcibly ripped from the angel's chest.

Buzz—

All alarm sounds ceased abruptly.

The red lights went out.

The angel, who had been on the verge of awakening, stiffened abruptly.

Her eyelids had just opened a slit, revealing a hint of golden pupils.

But the next second.

That golden hue quickly faded, turning into a desolate gray-white.

She slumped her head powerlessly, like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

Her massive metallic wings, deprived of energy, crashed down, striking the edge of the cultivation tank with a dull thud.

"Hoo..."

Gu Pingsheng let out a long breath.

He plopped down on the edge of the cultivation tank, clutching the still-hot blue crystal tightly in his hand.

He won the gamble.

This feeling of constantly dancing on the edge of life and death was incredibly stimulating.

He looked down at the spoils in his hand.

[Eternal Power Core (Pseudo-Purple-Epic)]

"System."

Gu Pingsheng grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

"Give me... an upgrade!"

"Ding! Hand of God activated!"

"High-energy item detected... initiating conceptual sublimation..."

"Critical hit successful!"

Buzz!!!

The blue crystal in his hand suddenly burst forth with a dazzling light.

The light was no longer the previous deep blue, but a brilliant silver.

It was as if... he held a miniature star in his hand.

The original rhomboid crystal structure had changed, becoming a perfect sphere.

Inside, countless stars seemed to rotate, emitting heart-pounding fluctuations.

[Miniature Stellar Drive (Brilliant Silver-Mythical)]

[Description: Utilizes high-dimensional technology to capture a miniature star as an energy core. Provides constant output, no radiation, no pollution.]

[Effect: Can provide permanent power for an interstellar mothership, or infinite energy for a city of tens of millions.]

[Attached Skill: Stellar Flare (Active): Instantly releases core energy, causing devastating area-of-effect damage. Cooldown: 30 days.]

"Holy crap..."

Even Gu Pingsheng, with all his experience, couldn't help but curse.

Brilliant Silver!

Mythical grade!

This was a tier higher than even the Golden Legend!

Infinite energy!

With this thing, why would his spaceship ever need refueling? It could just take off!

Even if he got his hands on a Planet Annihilation Cannon later, he wouldn't have to worry about insufficient energy.

"Brother! Are you okay?"

Su Ruan finally dared to run over. She looked at the dazzling light sphere in Gu Pingsheng's hand; although she didn't know what it was, she instinctively felt its power.

"I'm fine."

Gu Pingsheng put the drive into his personal space.

That heavy sense of security put him in a great mood.

He stood up and brushed the water off himself.

His gaze fell once more upon the now- abandoned mechanical angel.

Even without its core, this body... it was crafted from the finest alloys and bionic materials.

Especially those wings; just looking at them, he knew they were extraordinary.

"A thief never leaves empty-handed."

Gu Pingsheng chuckled.

He waved his hand.

"Collect!"

Whoosh!

The massive mechanical angel's wreckage instantly vanished from its spot.

Only the empty cultivation tank and a mess of nutrient solution remained.

"Let's go, Ruan Ruan."

Gu Pingsheng happily ruffled Su Ruan's head.

"This trip was a huge gain."

Su Ruan didn't really understand what good these scraps of metal were, but seeing her brother so happy, she also giggled foolishly.

"Mhm! Brother is the best!"

The two were about to leave.

Suddenly.

Gu Pingsheng's communicator on his wrist rang.

It was the emergency channel's alert tone.

This channel was only used in life-threatening situations.

The smile on Gu Pingsheng's face vanished instantly.

He answered the call.

"Captain..."

Lin Qinghan's voice came through.

It was no longer her usual calm and steady tone, but carried clear urgency and gasping.

In the background, intense gunfire and explosions could be heard.

"There's an ambush here at the data archives!"

"It's those Obsidian Guards... no, they're even stronger than that!"

"Gu Nian... Gu Nian was hit trying to hack the door!"

"We're trapped... requesting backup!"

Gu Pingsheng's pupils sharply contracted.

A cold killing intent instantly erupted from him.

Even more terrifying than when he faced the mechanical angel.

Gu Nian was injured?

The woman who always pushed up her glasses and calmly analyzed situations for him... was injured?

"Hold on."

Gu Pingsheng's voice was as cold as ice.

"I'll be there immediately."

He hung up the communicator and turned to Su Ruan.

"Ruan Ruan."

"Here!"

Su Ruan also dropped her smile, clutching her rabbit tightly, her eyes sharpening.

"We're going back to kill them."

Gu Pingsheng drew the desert eagle from his waist and strode out.

"Dare to touch my people..."

"I'll tear them into pieces!"