341: Chapter 342 The First Batch of "Security Guards" Go Online

Three days later.

Inside the core array of the D-3 Region.

Lin Qi squatted on the ground, with seven metal plates of various shapes spread out before him.

These metal plates were auxiliary construction Materials sent by the Alliance—originally intended to reinforce the fortress's outer walls, but Lin Qi had requisitioned them.

Every metal plate was covered in runes he had carved. The lines of the runes were so fine that a magnifying glass was needed to see them clearly.

Instructor Su Qing stood nearby, watching Lin Qi finish the last stroke of the runes before arranging the seven metal plates on the ground in a specific order.

"Boss, are these the bases for the Law creatures?"

"Mm."

Lin Qi stood up and brushed the dust off his knees.

"The Materials aren't great. Although the Alliance's alloys have enough hardness, their Law affinity is too low. I spent an extra half-day adjusting the rune parameters just to barely allow them to interface with the D-3 Region's leyline network."

"Will that diminish their effectiveness?"

"Somewhat. The patrol units I originally planned to make should have had the combat power of a Third-Turn Middle Stage; now, they'll likely only be at Second Transition Peak."

"Is Second Transition Peak enough?"

"It's enough to guard the house. Any enemy who can get in here must first pass the physical barrier. If they can pass the barrier, I'll have to deal with them personally anyway. So these security guards are mainly for watching the doors, patrolling, and sounding alarms—I never expected them to fight major battles."

Instructor Su Qing nodded.

Zhang Wei came running from a distance carrying two cups of Spirit Spring water. He handed one to Lin Qi and took a large, blissful gulp from his own first.

"Brother Qi, I've done a preliminary interrogation of the captives we've been keeping in the warehouse these past few days. There's a low-level cultist named 'Shadowbox' whose mental fortitude was weak; he was quite cooperative and voluntarily disclosed many details about the church's lower-level operations."

"What details?" Lin Qi took the cup.

"For example, how the church recruits people. They don't explicitly say they're a cult—they use a front called the 'Evolutionary Alliance,' promising that joining will grant the power to break through Bottlenecks. Many professionals stuck at a Bottleneck fall for it."

"And then?"

"By then it's too late. The initiation ceremony itself is a type of Law contract. Once the ritual is complete, their thoughts are gradually corrupted. After three months, they basically lose their autonomy and become pure tools of faith."

Lin Qi took a sip of the Spirit Spring water. "Brainwashing succeeds in just three months?"

"That Shadowbox said the ritual uses shards of a law seed. Those shards embed themselves into the participants' Soul anchors, modifying their cognition from the root."

Lin Qi's hand paused. "Shards of a law seed?"

"Mm."

"These people are actually willing to grind down the seeds intended for the Descent into powder to scatter around?"

"It seems those seven seeds aren't as precious as they appear on the surface—or rather, they are renewable."

This information was crucial.

Lin Qi's brow furrowed for a moment before quickly smoothing out.

"It seems I need to revise my deduction from three days ago." He set the cup down. "I originally thought destroying one seed would break the integrity of the Descent. If the seeds can regenerate, then just destroying the seeds isn't enough. The church would only need time to cultivate new ones."

"Then what should we do?" Zhang Wei was a bit nervous.

"It doesn't affect the plan. Since they can regenerate, it means they need to draw energy from somewhere. We just need to find that energy source and pull it out by the roots."

"Where is the root?"

"With the High Priest. The faith channel between the High Priest and the 'Throat of Devouring Heaven' is the energy pipeline for seed regeneration. Cut the channel, and the seeds become wood without roots." Lin Qi wiped his hands. "So my trip to the Eastern Continent this time isn't just to destroy the seeds. I'm going to scrap the High Priest along with his communication equipment."

Zhang Wei gave a half-comprehending "Oh" and took another sip of Spirit Spring water to hide the fact that he didn't actually understand at all.

Lin Qi didn't call him out and turned back to the seven metal plates.

"Alright, let's begin. Both of you, back up five meters."

Instructor Su Qing and Zhang Wei stepped back.

Lin Qi pressed his hands down, and Dao Source surged from his palms. A Chaos-colored glow enveloped the seven metal plates.

A low hum vibrated through the air as the metal plates began to deform.

It wasn't a deformation of being bent, but a deformation of "spontaneous growth." Fine granules sprouted from the metal surface, and those granules, as if alive, began to piece themselves together and combine.

Within thirty seconds, the seven plates had merged into a rough humanoid shape.

It was about 1.5 meters tall, lean, and had no facial features. It was a dark gold color all over, with surface patterns identical to the ground of the D-3 Region.

It had no eyes, but there was a recessed circular hole at the top of its head. Beneath that hole was a tiny core—a drive core that Lin Qi had recompiled and condensed from the Law residue refined from those church "organic fertilizers" over the past few days.

The humming grew stronger. The metal humanoid's legs bent slightly, and then—it stood up straight.

Its head turned, facing Lin Qi.

Even though it had no eyes, both Instructor Su Qing and Zhang Wei felt that this thing was "looking" at Lin Qi.

"Designation A-01, Patrol Mode. Range: Entire D-3 Region. Execute." Lin Qi's voice was flat.

The metal humanoid's head leaned forward slightly—as if nodding. Then it turned and walked away.

Its pace was steady, neither fast nor slow. After leaving the core array, as soon as its feet touched the dark gold ground, the luster of its entire body became more vivid. The essence in the leylines was automatically "charging" it through the ground.

Zhang Wei watched it walk away, dumbstruck.

"Brother Qi... this... you made this?"

"Who else?"

"It... it just came to life?"

"What do you mean 'came to life'? It has no life. It's just a Law program running on a pile of metal. It can't speak, it can't think; it only executes orders."

"Can it fight?"

"Yes."

"Who can it beat?"

"It can beat you."

"...Then it's definitely enough." Zhang Wei shrunk his neck.

Instructor Su Qing stepped forward, looking at A-01's receding back. "How many more do you need to make?"

"The first batch is planned for twelve. There's enough material left for five." Lin Qi looked at the remaining metal plates. "When will the supplies from the Alliance arrive?"

"Zhao Shouzhen said a new batch of construction alloy will be sent the day after tomorrow." Zhang Wei flipped through his terminal. "He also asked a question—asking if you could teach this Law creation technology to the Alliance scientists."

Lin Qi didn't speak.

Zhang Wei added, "I rejected it for you. Told him Mr. Lin's technology is a trade secret and not to be shared."

"Good rejection."

Lin Qi shouldered his entrenching tool and walked toward another part of the core array.

"Let's continue with the next one. I'll try to get five units out today. Once this batch of security guards is finished, I'll set off for the Eastern Continent tonight."

He took two steps, then suddenly stopped and looked back at Zhang Wei.

"By the way, Zhang Wei."

"Here!"

"Don't drink the Spirit Spring water like it's regular water. That stuff has a high essence content, and you've been gulping it down like plain water for three days; your body hasn't fully adapted yet. Drinking too much can easily cause diarrhea."

Zhang Wei looked down at the cup of Spirit Spring water in his hand, which was already nearly empty again, and recalled his frequency of drinking at least five large cups a day for the past three days.

An extremely ominous cramp suddenly surged from deep within his stomach, and his face instantly turned green.

"Brother Qi... you... couldn't you have said so earlier..."

Lin Qi had already walked far away.

As Instructor Su Qing passed by Zhang Wei, the corner of her mouth quirked up for once, and two words popped out:

"Serves you right."

Zhang Wei clutched his stomach and ran desperately toward the toilet with his legs squeezed together. His exoskeleton armor made rapid "clack-clack-clack" sounds as he ran, echoing across the dark gold ground.

The daily life in the D-3 Region was just this chaotic.

But beneath this chaotic surface, a fortress capable of withstanding the apocalypse was becoming more impregnable day by day in the hands of this trio of master and disciples (plus a group of emotionless iron security guards).