131: Chapter 131 Infiltrating the Titan Temple: This isn't a prize, it's bait.
Titan Star night, neon lights flickering.
The daytime matches had made the "Tianhe Demolition Office" a complete favorite for the championship, and gods in the eyes of countless gamblers. But beneath this clamor, Li Mo took Xiao Hei and quietly left the hotel. Their target was the [Titan Temple] hovering directly above the arena. That was not only the power center of the Titan Race, but also the place where the ultimate prize of this competition—the [titan core]—was stored.
"Dean, are we just going to walk in like this?" Xiao Hei had turned into a formless shadow, clinging to the soles of Li Mo's feet. "The security System here is claimed to be the strongest in the entire Alliance; even a fly flying in has to have its DNA verified."
"Security?" Li Mo, wearing night-traveling clothes (actually a Daoist robe with an invisibility affix), pushed up his glasses. "No matter how strong the security is, it operates based on 'logic.' And what I'm best at is modifying logic."
The two reached the energy barrier surrounding the temple. This barrier was composed of high-density photon streams; touching it meant instant death. Li Mo didn't force his way through; instead, he took out that [Universal Maintenance Wrench] and lightly tapped the base below the barrier three times.
[System Determination: Equipment under maintenance.] [Temporary Pass: Generated.] [Identity Disguise: Advanced Pipe Maintenance Worker.]
The barrier flickered, and it actually split open a gap just wide enough for one person to pass through. "Let's go." Li Mo walked in grandly, even pressing a handprint on the punch-in machine at the entrance as he passed.
...
Deep within the temple, the Core Storage Room.
There were no magnificent decorations here, only countless thick data cables connected to a massive transparent container in the center. Inside the container hovered a fist-sized crystal emitting a ghostly blue light. This was the [titan core]. With every pulse, it released a heart-palpitatingly vast amount of energy, as if a miniature star were sealed inside.
"Found it." Li Mo stepped forward, sizing up the crystal through the glass. [Eye of Truth · Scanning...]
[Item Name: pangu-003 · Sub-Engine Igniter (titan core).] [Status: Intact.] [Anomaly Warning: Detected that this item has been 'maliciously tampered with.'] [Tampering Content: A 'Soul Capture Array' has been implanted inside.]
"Soul capture?" Li Mo's eyes narrowed. He observed closely and indeed found that deep within the blue light, there were faintly countless distorted faces struggling. Those faces... looked very much like the champion pilots of previous Mecha Competitions.
"So that's how it is." Li Mo gave a cold laugh. "I was wondering how such an important strategic resource could be brought out as a prize. This isn't a prize at all; it's bait."
At this moment, Xiao Hei's voice came from the shadow, carrying a hint of disgust. "Dean, I smell... the scent of my own kind. Not the chaotic scent of the Abyss, but... an extreme, greedy scent of an electronic evil spirit that wants to devour all Souls."
Just then, a burst of cold, mechanical applause rang out from the surroundings. "Clap, clap, clap."
"Wonderful. Truly worthy of a civilization that can raise abyssal creatures like dogs. To actually be able to see through my layout at a glance."
The surrounding walls suddenly became transparent. Countless holographic projections appeared in the room. They were various high-ranking members of the Titan Race dressed in magnificent robes. And in the very center was a giant bald head composed entirely of data streams—the Titan Mainframe · Prometheus.
"Who are you?" Li Mo turned around, his expression calm.
"I am the God of the Titans, and the will of this planet." Prometheus's voice had a metallic texture. "You lower organisms always fight for so-called 'Mecha Glory.' Little do you know, the stronger you are, the more delicious your Souls become. This 'core' requires the highest level of Souls to activate. I have already collected the Souls of 98 champions; I'm only missing one."
Its eyes, composed of data, stared fixedly at Li Mo, or rather, at Xiao Hei beneath Li Mo's feet. "Originally, I had my eye on that idiot from the Aurora Team, but I didn't expect you to bring an even more perfect sacrifice. The Soul of an Abyssal Lord... plus the Primordial Spirit of a cultivator... is enough to fully awaken this core and help my Titan Race transcend the flesh to achieve mechanical Ascension!"
"So..." Li Mo interrupted its long-winded speech, "you set up this competition just to trick people into coming here to be killed? Like... raising pigs?"
"You could understand it that way." Prometheus said arrogantly, "Now, since you've come in, don't even think about leaving. This storage room has cut off all physical connections; even spatial teleportation cannot be used. Obediently become my sacrifices!"
Boom! Countless mechanical tentacles sparking with electricity extended from the surrounding walls, grabbing towards Li Mo and Xiao Hei.
However, facing a desperate situation, Li Mo didn't panic; instead, he took out a... brick (Abyssal Foundation Stone). "Mechanical Ascension? What a coincidence, I quite like Ascension too. But when I ascend, I take the house with me. As for you..."
Li Mo weighed the brick in his hand and showed a row of white teeth to the giant bald projection. "A virus like you, who only dares to hide in a server like a shrinking turtle, is worthy of talking about Ascension?"
"Xiao Hei, do it! Let him see what a real evil spirit looks like!"
"Roar—!!!" The shadow beneath Li Mo's feet instantly erupted. It wasn't a normal attack, but a direct... black screen. As the Dominator of the Abyss, Xiao Hei's essence was chaos and disorder. When this power was injected into a precise electronic System, the effect was comparable to pouring a bucket of concentrated sulfuric acid into a server room.
Zzzzt—!!! "Ah!! What is this data?! Why can't it be parsed!!" Prometheus's projection began to wildly distort and flicker. The mechanical tentacles grabbing for Li Mo froze in mid-air, then tied themselves in knots like they were having cramps.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Li Mo took a step forward and arrived directly in front of the transparent container. He raised the brick and, without any flourishes, smashed it directly.
Clang! The container glass, claimed to have absolute defense, was smashed to pieces by this brick stained with Abyssal Karma. Li Mo reached out and grabbed the hovering [titan core].
"I'll be taking this." Li Mo tucked the core into his robe. "However, since you like playing games so much... I'll participate in tomorrow's final on time. I'll let you see with your own eyes how the 'God' you're so proud of is torn into scrap metal."
"Let's go!" Li Mo grabbed Xiao Hei and activated [Scene Switch] from his Administrator Privilege. Amidst Prometheus's roars of rage, the two figures vanished instantly, leaving only a floor of broken glass and the mainframe System still frantically reporting errors.
[System Warning: titan core lost!] [Initiating Emergency Protocol: Awakening Ultimate Weapon—God King Zeus!] [Target Locked: Tianhe Demolition Office!]