15: Chapter 15 Lu Beichen was stunned!

"Little Lu, you have a heart! I will accept this on behalf of Shen Qingci!"

Just then, the communicator on his wrist rang.

Shen Hongyuan glanced at the caller ID, his expression tightening slightly.

"You two chat, I'm going to take this call."

As he passed Lu Beichen, he didn't forget to turn back and wink at his daughter.

That look clearly said: I've accepted the gift, now let's see you perform.

Shen Qingci rubbed her forehead; her old man's bad habit of teasing people hadn't changed in decades.

Once Shen Hongyuan left, the heavy stone in Lu Beichen's heart finally dropped.

It seemed that this father had already been won over by the gift offensive.

He turned to Shen Qingci, his smile becoming even gentler:

"Qingci, look, Uncle has already agreed. For this mission, let's go together..."

"I've decided to go by myself," Shen Qingci interrupted him directly.

"As for that Source Beast crystal, my dad accepted it, not me."

Lu Beichen's smile froze.

"Qingci, do you know how much of an improvement a Tier 1 Source Beast crystal provides for a Metal-type talent? It can shorten your grueling training by at least a month."

"Don't call me Qingci."

Shen Qingci crossed her arms and looked at him as if he were a fool.

Although she didn't know Source Beast crystals were that expensive, she had been cultivating since she was six.

The Source Beast crystals she had used added up to at least several dozen.

Lu Beichen was choked into silence.

What was wrong with this family?

One was less predictable than the other.

His mind raced, and he decided to retreat in order to advance.

"How about this," Lu Beichen suppressed his irritation and changed his strategy.

"I'll go take a look at the robot Uncle prepared for you.

If it really has the ability to keep you safe, I won't say another word and will turn right back to school."

He wanted to see what kind of presentable thing a scrap yard owner could possibly bring out.

Shen Qingci thought for a moment and nodded.

She had sparred with the panshi robot yesterday and had a good idea of its strength.

Her dad had also said the robot had a "Berserk Mode."

It would trigger automatically when encountering fatal danger, so it shouldn't be used unless absolutely necessary.

It would be perfect to use it to intimidate this arrogant guy.

"Follow me."

The two of them walked one after the other into the gravity training room on the third basement level.

...

"Hum—"

The heavy alloy door opened slowly.

When Lu Beichen saw the dark silver humanoid robot in the center of the training room, his footsteps faltered.

The streamlined armor lines, the precision hydraulic joints, the smooth sensor panels...

Every detail exuded a coldness and sophistication that didn't belong to civilian products.

"A piece of work from Federal Military Industry?" He was somewhat surprised.

His older brother worked at the Federal Research Center and had mentioned it to him.

The R&D of military combat robots had made a huge breakthrough, and he hadn't believed it at the time.

Could a scrap collector actually get his hands on this kind of cutting-edge gear?

It seemed this old man wasn't just an ordinary person with connections.

Of course, it couldn't be ruled out that it was second-hand goods discarded by the military.

He walked up to the panshi robot, reached out, and knocked on its chest armor, producing a dull metallic sound.

"Come on," Shen Qingci had already assumed a stance, "Let me see just how strong your talent really is."

A look of arrogance flashed in Lu Beichen's eyes: "Dealing with an iron lump doesn't require using talent."

No sooner had he finished speaking than he lunged out like a cheetah, throwing a punch straight at the panshi robot's chest.

"Bang!"

There was a dull metallic thud.

The panshi robot remained motionless, while Lu Beichen was shocked to the point that his arm went numb.

What the hell!?

How could it be so hard!?

Before he could react, the panshi robot's mechanical arm had already transformed into an afterimage, sweeping toward him.

Lu Beichen hurriedly retreated, dodging it by a narrow margin.

In the training room, for a time, there was only the sound of dull metallic collisions and the sharp sound of wind being broken.

Ten minutes later.

Lu Beichen retreated to the corner, his chest heaving slightly, his expression somewhat ugly.

He finally understood why Shen Hongyuan was so at ease.

The reaction speed, strength, and defense of this robot had almost reached the level of a Tier 3 Silver martial artist.

In hand-to-hand combat alone, he couldn't take any advantage.

"How was it?" Shen Qingci stood with her arms crossed, watching him with composure.

"It's indeed strong," Lu Beichen panted, smiling and shaking his head, "Uncle Shen has a heart."

Though the smile remained on his face, the look in his eyes had already darkened.

Strong, yes.

But only limited to... not using talent skills.

His [Heart of Meta-Magnetism].

His first sequence skill was a small-range "Gravity Pressurization."

His second sequence skill was to create a "Meta-Magnetic Field."

Although he wasn't yet proficient with the second skill, using it to interfere with the internal circuits of a robot...

It was more than enough.

A vicious thought quietly took shape in his mind.

Make the panshi robot's recognition system crash and enter indiscriminate attack mode...

Once the core program of such a precision instrument was scrambled, it would take at least five days to be sent back to the original factory for repairs.

By then, Shen Qingci would have long since missed her assessment mission.

His gaze glanced outside, thinking of the bottom-level workers in the factory area who sorted waste like ants.

If... he could let this out-of-control killing machine rush into the crowd and cause a scene...

Once a few lives were lost, he would then step in as a savior to suppress it with all his might.

Not only would he make Shen Qingci owe him a massive favor, but he could also perfectly display his own strength and sense of responsibility in front of her.

Three birds with one stone.

Who said rich kids were brainless?

Lu Beichen wiped the sweat from his forehead and put that gentle smile back on.

"I approve of it; this robot is indeed qualified."

He walked toward the panshi robot, reached out his right hand, and patted its shoulder armor to show friendly recognition.

But beneath his palm, an extremely faint meta-magnetic fluctuation...

Silent and imperceptible, seeped into the seams of the dark silver armor.