52: Chapter 52: The First Assembly Line

The Scrapyard of Hengchuan Peak now had a new name—"Final Assembly Workshop."

Although it sounded fancy, in essence, it was still that wasteland with wind leaking in from all sides. However, the trash that had been piled up randomly was now forcibly cleared into three flat areas, each with a wooden sign displaying a number in front of it.

"Listen up! If anyone dares to install a left leg guard into the slot for a right armor piece again, I will shove their head into the Pill Furnace!"

Senior Sister Xie Handeng stood at the front of the conveyor belt—which was actually just several long strips of Spirit Wood tables—holding a slender pointer, her gaze sharp as electricity.

The chilling Killing Intent radiating from her became the best "Quality Inspector" at that moment.

The Disciples all shrank their necks, but their hand movements were more uniform than when they practiced sword forms on regular days.

"Sorting Group! Straighten the wires, twenty per bundle; one less, and I'll deduct ten points from your performance!"

"Welding Group! Control the Spirit Fire temperature, the weld spots must be smooth, and the burrs must be polished flat! The next process is waiting to receive the goods!"

"Assembly Group! Move faster, the card slot of the Talisman box only allows one chance; if you install it crookedly, it's scrap!"

This was the first assembly line in the history of Hengchuan Peak.

Even though most of these Disciples were only in the Pulse Refining Realm, or even lacked a Spiritual Root, in this industrial System forcibly built by Shen Xingzhou, they were no longer cannon fodder destined to die, but precision-fitted screws.

There was no so-called "Epiphany of Spirit," only boring, repetitive, yet highly efficient standard movements.

...

At sunset, the first crisp bell rang out in the Scrapyard.

"First batch, off the line!"

Following Su Ciyao's cheer, the ends of the three assembly lines were piled full of finished products that had just cooled down.

Shen Xingzhou walked up quickly and picked up a piece of armor that had just been completed.

It was shockingly ugly.

The entire body presented a dull grayish-black color, pieced together from countless hexagonal iron plates dismantled from scrap, with traces of solder remaining at the seams, looking like a layer of tortoise shell.

But this ugly "tortoise shell," heavy in Shen Xingzhou's hand, exuded a sense of reassuring weight.

[Munitions Line · First Batch Production Statistics]

[Low Grade "Tortoise Shell" Armor:]

Output: 73 pieces

Pass Rate: 89% (65 pieces usable, 8 pieces need rework)

Defense: Can completely block a strike from a Peak Pulse Refining Realm, or one-third of the attack power of an Early Stage Spirit Gathering Realm.

Note: Although bulky, it is top-tier for saving lives.

[Disposable "Life-Saving" Talisman Box:]

Output: 41 sets

Function: Contains "Explosive Fire Shield" or "Instant Displacement (Short Distance)" Talisman.

Feature: No need for Qi activation, crush to use.

[Substitute Puppets (Mass-Produced Version):]

Output: 19 units

Material: Spirit Wood limbs + Formation core.

Function: When the holder suffers a fatal injury, it automatically triggers, taking the damage for the holder and being destroyed.

[Comprehensive Assessment:]

If fully equipped, the death probability of Spirit Gathering Realm and Pulse Refining Realm Disciples during missions is expected to decrease by 12% – 18%.

The surrounding area was crowded with Disciples; they looked at these ugly things, their eyes shining.

"Is this our equipment?"

A Utility Disciple, who looked like a skinny monkey on normal days, tentatively picked up a piece of armor and put it on.

Immediately, his figure looked as clumsy as a pangolin.

"Ouch, this is too heavy, I can't even bend my waist!"

The people around burst into laughter.

But the Disciple touched the thick iron plate on his chest, and the expression on his face changed from a silly grin to one of steadiness.

"Heavier is better... heavier is better."

He patted the chest plate, making a "thump-thump" muffled sound. "Last time, Old Wang had his heart pierced by a Yao Beast's claw. With this thing, at least I can block one more hit... blocking one more hit might mean I can run away."

It didn't need to be sharp, it didn't need to be fancy.

As long as it could block that one claw, it was the best Magic Treasure in this world.

...

"What are you laughing at! It is truly ugly, but you'll only know if it's tough after trying it!"

Senior Sister Xie Handeng snorted coldly and directly called out ten Disciples who were wearing the armor, carrying the Talisman boxes and Substitute Puppets.

"Follow me, to the rear mountain simulation field."

"The Boss said he wants a live-combat test, so we test it with real steel."

Half an hour later, at the rear mountain's scattered stone forest.

This place had been set up by Senior Sister Xie Handeng with a Formation simulating a "Third-Level Yao Beast encirclement." Although they weren't real Yao Beasts, the wind blades and stones produced by the Formation were no less powerful than the strikes of a Spirit Gathering Realm Cultivator.

"Start!"

Following the order, the ten Disciples were divided into two groups and fell into an encirclement.

"Ah!"

A Disciple slowed his feet and was hit on the back by a wind blade.

If it were before, he would have been dead or crippled.

But this time—

"Clang!"

A harsh metallic screeching sound echoed across the field.

That wind blade, enough to slice through skin and flesh, hit the tortoise shell on his back, leaving only a white mark; it didn't even chip much of the paint.

The Disciple was stunned for a moment, then ecstatic: "It blocked it! I'm not dead!"

"Don't space out! To the left!"

The teammate beside him roared, throwing a flat box.

Snap!

The box shattered in the air, a flaming shield instantly unfolded, helping him block a giant stone whistling towards him.

This was the power of the assembly line.

You don't need everyone to be able to swing a sword to parry; as long as you have armor, a Talisman box, and teammates.

Immediately after, the most thrilling scene occurred.

A sharp claw of a "simulated Yao Beast" swiped directly at the face of that skinny monkey Disciple. The distance was too close; he couldn't dodge in time, nor could he even use his armor to block.

It was a certain-death situation.

"Crack!"

A crisp sound came from his waist.

That crudely made "Substitute Puppet" exploded without warning.

Amidst flying wood chips, a faint spatial ripple flashed.

The claw that was swiping toward his face passed straight through, as if it had hit a phantom.

And that Disciple appeared three feet away as if by teleportation, uninjured, apart from looking a bit pale.

The whole field fell silent.

Senior Sister Xie Handeng stopped the sword in her hand, looking at the puppet that had exploded into wood scraps, her eyes shaken.

Life-saving means like the Substitute Technique were usually high-level Divine Abilities only mastered by Elders above the Foundation Establishment Stage, or top-tier Magic Treasures customized at a great price by wealthy families.

And now, a Utility Disciple in the Pulse Refining Realm had achieved it with a piece of junk carved out of wood.

"This..."

Shen Xingzhou stood on high ground, watching the data frantically refreshing on the System panel, the corners of his mouth lifting uncontrollably.

[Live-Combat Simulation Results · Real-Time Analysis]

[Combat Intensity:] Third-Level Yao Beast Encirclement (Simulated)

[Original Expected Casualty Rate:] 23% (2-3 casualties)

[Actual Tested Casualty Rate: 8% (Only 1 slightly injured, no deaths)]

[Key Effective Factors:]

Standardized Armor: Defense Contribution Rate 60%

Substitute Puppets: Life-Saving Contribution Rate 40% (Saved the master at a critical moment)

[Conclusion:]

Actual Damage Reduction Effect: Extremely significant.

Senior Sister Xie Handeng walked up to the Disciple who had been saved by the Substitute Puppet, reaching out to pinch the ugly armor.

She raised her head, looking at Shen Xingzhou in the distance, and for the first time, an extremely complex expression appeared on her usually indifferent face.

It was admiration, and also a sense of security she had never felt before.

"Although not sharp."

She whispered, her voice just loud enough for those around her to hear, "But it can save lives."

"This is... a weapon for killing."

...

Night fell.

The first batch trial run was a huge success, and Hengchuan Peak was immersed in an unprecedented excitement.

Shen Xingzhou returned to his Immortal Cave, looking at the red-trending casualty prediction curve on the System interface, and even felt a bit carried away in his heart.

This wasn't just saving lives; this was creating a miracle.

[Hengchuan Peak Casualty Prediction · Updated Version]

[Original Prediction (V1.0):]

Next Quarter Casualty Rate: 19%

[New Prediction (V2.0 - Munitions Line Boost):]

Next Quarter Casualty Rate: 12%

[Horizontal Comparison:]

Average Casualty Rate of Peaks in this Sect: 25%

Hengchuan Peak Expected Ranking: Lowest in the entire Sect (First time in history)

"12%..."

Shen Xingzhou tapped his fingers on the table, "If I can push it below 10%, I might really be able to turn Hengchuan Peak into an iron fortress."

However, just as he was preparing to close the panel to rest, the [External Perspective] module in the bottom right corner of the System, which had always been silent, suddenly lit up with a faint red light.

The light wasn't dazzling, but it exuded an unsettling chill.

[Abnormal Incident Notification (Reported to Audit Node)]

[Monitoring Object: Hengchuan Peak Munitions Line Project]

[Anomaly Description:]

A certain bottom-tier Sect sub-Peak, without large-scale injection of external resources, has seen a non-natural, cliff-like drop in casualty rate.

[Risk Assessment:]

Exclude "Cultivation Breakthrough" (No data support).

Exclude "Geographical Factors" (Hengchuan Peak is a four-battle zone).

[Preliminary Conclusion:]

This Peak may have used "Forbidden Taboo Arts" or "Illegal Modification Means" to exchange for survival rates.

Suggest that the superior Audit department focus on whether its "Life-Saving Means" are compliant.

[Note:]

Low-level Cultivators possessing a large number of Substitute-type devices seriously violates the logic of conventional resource allocation.

The smile on Shen Xingzhou's face froze.

He looked at that line "Focus on," and only felt a chill creeping up from the soles of his feet.

In this world that treats people as consumables, living well is a crime in itself.

Especially when the bottom-tier consumables suddenly become very hard to die, the first reaction of those high-and-mighty supervisors is not happiness, but suspicion:

"Did you steal my feed?"

"A good thing..."

Shen Xingzhou gave a wry smile and closed the panel.

"In this hellhole, even if it's a good thing, it will eventually be turned into evidence of a crime."