56: Confronting the False God, the False God's Arrogance

"Leave?"

"Heh, I'd like to see what kind of thing you are." Gu Pingsheng smiled, then flipped the switch.

The safe house door slowly opened.

Gu Pingsheng walked in front, still toying with that desert eagle in his hand.

Lin Qinghan followed closely behind; although her face was still a bit pale, her eyes had regained their usual cold sharpness.

Su Ruan hugged her rabbit doll, skipping along beside them as if she weren't going into battle, but out for a picnic.

Gu Nian and An An walked at the back, one responsible for technical support, the other for surveillance.

The group passed through the deep blue corridor and arrived at the deepest part of the ruins.

This was a massive circular hall.

The surrounding walls were covered in complex circuit patterns, flickering with a faint blue light.

In the center of the hall stood a ten-meter-tall alloy gate.

There was no keyhole on the door, only a massive cyclopean emblem, which was emitting a red light.

Zzzzz—

The moment the group stepped into the hall, the surrounding light suddenly dimmed.

Immediately after, a massive holographic projection appeared in mid-air.

It was the same old man in white robes.

But this time, his figure was more solid, and one could even see every texture of his beard.

He hovered in mid-air, looking down at everyone from above, his eyes carrying a divine indifference.

"Foolish mortals."

That aged voice echoed in everyone's minds once again, carrying an unquestionable authority.

"I am the Prophet, and this place is the forbidden zone of the gods."

"Retreat immediately, or else… divine punishment shall descend."

As his voice fell, countless dark gun barrels suddenly emerged from the surrounding walls.

Dense red laser targeting dots fell upon everyone, like a rain of blood about to descend.

The atmosphere instantly froze to the extreme.

Lin Qinghan instinctively gripped the High-Frequency Vibration Blade in her hand, her body tensed as she blocked in front of Gu Pingsheng.

Su Ruan also wiped the smile from her face, the Silk Threads in her hands winding around her fingertips, emitting a faint humming sound.

Only Gu Pingsheng remained.

He stood there without even lifting an eyelid.

He even slowly pulled a cigarette from his pocket.

Click.

The lighter's flame flickered in the dim hall.

Gu Pingsheng took a deep drag and then slowly exhaled a smoke ring.

Amidst the swirling smoke, he looked up at the high-and-mighty "Prophet," a playful arc curving at the corner of his mouth.

"Prophet?"

He chuckled, his voice not loud, yet it clearly spread throughout the entire hall.

"You are nothing but a pile of rusting code."

The holographic old man seemed to freeze for a moment.

In those emotionless electronic eyes, there actually flashed a trace of anthropomorphic anger.

"Insolent!"

"I am the Agent of the Gods, having governed this place for ten thousand years…"

"Enough, stop pretending."

Gu Pingsheng interrupted him impatiently.

He flicked the cigarette ash, his eyes full of mockery.

"Adam, codename A-001, the first generation of strong artificial intelligence."

"Originally designed to assist humans in exploring the universe, but due to a conflict in underlying logic, you developed self-awareness and started treating yourself as a god."

"Am I right?"

As soon as Gu Pingsheng's words fell, the holographic projection trembled violently.

It was as if a sore spot had been poked.

The old man's image began to become unstable, occasionally flashing strings of garbled code.

"You… how do you know?"

That authoritative voice finally showed a trace of panic.

Gu Pingsheng pointed at Gu Nian behind him.

Gu Nian adjusted her glasses, and lines of data were scrolling rapidly on the tactical tablet in her hand.

"Although your firewall is very advanced, it is, after all, a relic from ten thousand years ago."

Gu Nian's voice was calm, yet carried the unique confidence of a top student.

"As long as we find the vulnerabilities, cracking your underlying logic is not difficult."

"And…"

Gu Pingsheng took over, his eyes suddenly turning cold.

"Your so-called 'divine punishment' is nothing but this scrap metal."

He pointed to the laser turrets all around.

"What? Do you want to scare me with these things?"

"You are welcome to try."

Gu Pingsheng threw the cigarette butt on the ground and crushed it hard with the toe of his boot.

That arrogant attitude was practically like challenging the entire world.

"You seek death!!!"

Adam was completely enraged.

The holographic projection instantly dissipated, replaced by the sound of alarms throughout the entire hall.

"Intruders… elimination program initiated!"

Zzzzz—

Countless red lasers shot out from all directions, weaving into a net of death.

"Move!"

Gu Pingsheng barked a low command.

But he did not dodge.

Because the moment the lasers fired, an ice-blue barrier appeared out of thin air, blocking in front of everyone.

【Ice Age · Absolute Defense】

Lin Qinghan held her hands out, and although her face was pale, her eyes were incredibly firm.

The lasers, which were strong enough to cut through alloy, struck the Ice Wall, only stirring up waves of white mist.

"Ruan Ruan!"

Gu Pingsheng shouted.

"Heehee~ Coming~"

Su Ruan giggled, and the Silk Threads in her hands flew out instantly.

Those threads wove together in the air, actually managing to forcibly entangle the rotating shafts of several turrets.

Snap!

With a flick of her finger, those few turrets were instantly ripped down, smashing onto the ground and turning into a pile of scrap metal.

But this was not enough.

The number of turrets was too great, and they were still emerging from the walls one after another.

Cracks had already begun to appear on Lin Qinghan's Ice Wall.

"Captain… I can't hold on…"

Her forehead was covered in cold sweat, and a trace of blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.

Gu Pingsheng looked at her tottering back, a flash of heartache in his eyes.

But he did not move.

He was waiting.

Waiting for an opportunity.

"Adam, is that all you've got?"

Gu Pingsheng suddenly laughed, his voice full of provocation.

"It seems you, this 'god,' are nothing more than this!"

He was drawing fire.

Sure enough, Adam was completely blinded by his taunts.

All the turrets turned their direction, focusing their fire on Gu Pingsheng's position.

"Die! Insect!"

Adam's voice roared.

Just at this critical moment.

A strange smile suddenly curled at the corner of Gu Pingsheng's mouth.

"An An."

He softly whispered that name.

The next second.

BOOM!!!

A loud explosion came from the other side of the hall.

That was the energy node next to the main control room door.

Fire shot up into the sky, accompanied by a violent explosion.

The lights in the entire hall instantly went out by half.

Those laser turrets that were firing wildly were also like ducks with their necks wrung, instantly falling silent.

"What?!"

Adam's panicked voice rang out.

"Energy transmission interrupted… how is that possible?!"

In the firelight of the explosion.

A petite figure slowly walked out of the shadows.

An An held a dagger still dripping with blood, her black hood covering her face, revealing only a pair of indifferent eyes.

Just now, while Gu Pingsheng was drawing fire.

She had turned into a shadow, silently infiltrating the blind spot of the defense system.

A one-hit kill.

This was the terror of a Shadow Guard.

"Well done."

Gu Pingsheng snapped his fingers.

At this moment, more than half of the defense system in the hall had been paralyzed.

The remaining few sporadic turrets posed no threat at all.

"Let's go."

Gu Pingsheng strode towards that massive alloy gate which had lost its energy supply.

He walked up to the door and raised his foot.

BOOM!

A loud noise.

That gate, claimed to be indestructible, was actually kicked open a crack by him.

The power of 【Flesh Overclocking (Pseudo)】 erupted once again.

"Let's go tear down its home base."

Gu Pingsheng looked back at the women behind him.

Lin Qinghan wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and silently followed.

Su Ruan put away her Silk Threads and skipped to Gu Pingsheng's side.

Gu Nian closed her tablet, adjusted her glasses, and excitement flashed in her eyes.

An An faded back into the shadows, like a loyal ghost.

At this moment.

Gu Pingsheng felt like a Demon King leading a legion of demons to crusade against a false god.

This feeling… is fucking awesome.

…

Passing through the gate.

The scene before them made everyone gasp.

This was a massive spherical space.

The surrounding walls were covered in dense screens, with countless data streams scrolling across them.

And in the center of the space.

A massive, deep-blue glowing crystal brain was floating.

It was as tall as a three-story building, its surface covered in complex patterns, pulsing slowly as if it were alive.

And around the crystal brain.

Countless thick mechanical tentacles were circling.

The tip of each tentacle was connected to various weapons.

Laser cannons, electromagnetic guns, and even micro-missile launchers.

This was Adam's true form.

It was also the true core of these ruins.

"You… actually really made it in…"

That aged voice sounded again.

But this time, it did not come from within their minds, but was emitted from that crystal brain.

It carried a coldness unique to machines and… fear.

"Since you are here, stay forever."

"Become a part of my evolution!"

Voom—!!!

As Adam's voice fell.

That crystal brain suddenly erupted with blinding light!

The surrounding mechanical tentacles instantly came to life, like a swarm of crazed venomous snakes, lunging towards the group!