457: Chapter 101 Xu Si: Benefits?

Seeing the Hei Wu Wei Automaton charge, Feng Sha Yan did not dodge or avoid it, meeting it head-on with a punch, and then... Both sides retreated a few steps.

After steadying its stance, the Hei Wu Wei Automaton showed no signs of abnormality. Feng Sha Yan, however, couldn't help but shake her hand, frowning.

The impact of that punch just now felt like hitting a block of iron.

In an instant, Feng Sha Yan realized that the thing in front of her was an automaton, a creation of Artifact Refining, not a human. Therefore, it did not possess the ability to feel pain like a person, and its body was likely mixed with metal Materials; it was truly a block of iron.

While she had trained in martial arts, she had not practiced hard-body conditioning. Her physique was stronger than an ordinary person's, but only to a limited extent.

Under these circumstances, going head-to-head with it was like colliding flesh and blood with steel; she was guaranteed to be at a disadvantage.

Realizing where the problem lay, Feng Sha Yan immediately changed tactics. Facing the Hei Wu Wei Automaton as it attacked again, she resolutely chose to retreat and dodge.

Unexpectedly, the Hei Wu Wei Automaton seemed to anticipate this. The moment its attack missed, it lunged forward, approaching Feng Sha Yan with even greater speed and throwing a punch.

Feng Sha Yan had not expected this at all. Her expression changed drastically, and having no time to dodge, she had to cross her arms to block.

The next moment, Feng Sha Yan was sent flying several meters away, cold sweat breaking out from the pain.

She felt as if the bone in her forearm had cracked.

The Hei Wu Wei Automaton did not pursue its advantage because Feng Xingtong, seeing that things were not right, hurriedly ordered it to stop.

"Sister, are you okay?" Feng Xingtong ran over and asked with concern.

Feng Sha Yan gritted her teeth and said, "I'm fine."

After saying this, she forced herself to stand up despite the pain, looking at the completely motionless Hei Wu Wei Automaton, a realization dawning in her heart.

That sudden lunging pursuit just now defied human anatomical structure; it was almost impossible for a human to do, which was why she hadn't anticipated it. But this guy was not human, so naturally, it could perform movements that defied human common sense.

Thinking of this, Feng Sha Yan couldn't help but smile bitterly to herself, while simultaneously feeling a sense of relief.

This was her first time encountering an opponent that had a human shape but wasn't human, and her combat mindset hadn't fully adjusted.

It was fortunate that this was just a test; if it had been a life-or-death struggle, it would have been disastrous.

"Chen Duo, help her check her hand." Feng Sha Yan intended to tough it out, but out of professional habit, Meng Li noticed immediately that the Hei Wu Wei Automaton's strike had injured her hand, so he called out to Chen Duo.

Upon hearing this, Chen Duo replied with a "Sure," then walked up to Feng Sha Yan and said to her, "Let me see your hand."

Seeing this, Feng Sha Yan stopped trying to tough it out and extended her hand.

Chen Duo first observed the surface to determine the location of the injury, then used her Qi to penetrate it and check the specific condition.

After a moment, she said calmly, "It's just a minor hairline fracture, nothing serious."

After saying this, Chen Duo mobilized the Black Jade Gu to enter the injured area along with her Qi to perform treatment.

Feng Sha Yan felt a shiver in her heart as she saw the dense black Gu insects "burrowing" into her forearm. She instinctively wanted to resist, but remembering that Chen Duo had used the same method to heal Ding Shanan, she forcefully suppressed the impulse.

Afterward, she felt a slight stinging sensation at the injury, followed immediately by itching and numbness.

Before long, Chen Duo withdrew her technique.

Feng Sha Yan tried to exert force and shake her hand, finding that the pain was gone and there was no abnormality at all; it was clearly healed.

"What kind of Gu did you use just now?" She looked at Chen Duo and asked curiously.

"Black Jade Gu." Chen Duo replied, then briefly explained, "Meng Li and I researched it together; it is specifically for repairing bone injuries."

After saying this, she seemed to think of something and added, "You were injured during the testing process, which counts as a work-related injury, so I won't charge you for this treatment."

Feng Sha Yan was stunned for a moment, then smiled dashingly, "Then thanks."

On the other side, Meng Li, Xu Si, and Feng Zheng Hao began a further discussion on the trade of Magical Artifacts based on the test results.

"Dr. Meng, how many automatons like this do you currently have?" Feng Zheng Hao pointed at the Hei Wu Wei Automaton and asked Meng Li.

Xu Si didn't speak, but his eyes were equally filled with curiosity.

Meng Li replied, "About ten or so. Automatons are things that are large in volume and require a lot of Materials; they are also troublesome to refine. For combat automatons like the Hei Wu Wei, I originally intended to use them as bodyguards; I believe you can tell that from its appearance."

"Later, I found that I rarely encountered danger, so I didn't refine any more, turning instead to research some occupational-type automatons."

Occupational-type automatons?

"What exactly do you mean by that?" Xu Si asked.

Meng Li replied, "Literally. These automatons possess the abilities of their corresponding professions. For example, a chef automaton is not only highly skilled in cooking but also proficient in various Chinese and Western cuisines. Or, for instance, a cleaning automaton, whose cleaning abilities are in no way inferior to top-tier professional cleaners."

"However, I only refined these occupational-type automatons for my own convenience; I don't have any extra stock."

"If you have a need for them, they will have to be refined separately."

As he spoke, he seemed to think of something and said with a cryptic smile, "If we refine them again, the appearance of the automatons can be customized according to your requirements."

"This can be considered a small perk."

Hearing the word "perk," Xu Si, an experienced veteran, understood immediately. A flicker of imagination couldn't help but arise in his mind: first, a petite, cute girl wearing a sailor suit with twin tails appeared, then it changed into a cold, mature woman with short, neat hair, a tall figure, and an aloof temperament.

The next instant, he hurriedly extinguished the image of that mature woman.

No way!

If he really customized an automaton that looked like her, once word got out, he would definitely get hammered.

Feng Zheng Hao, who was beside him, had no reaction.

It wasn't that he was uninterested in women, but beauty was definitely low on his list of priorities.

Furthermore, things like cooking and cleaning were not worth worrying about given his status and wealth.

Therefore, Feng Zheng Hao skipped over this topic, adjusted his glasses, and brought the conversation back to combat automatons like the Hei Wu Wei: "Dr. Meng, can you still refine combat automatons like the Hei Wu Wei?"

Hearing this, Xu Si's heart tightened, and his expression became subtle.

Meng Li replied, "I can refine them."

"However, for a combat automaton to possess considerable combat power, the Materials must first be top-notch, and then a bunch of other things like strength, speed, and reaction time must be considered."

"Anyway, it's very tedious to refine them."

"This is also a major reason why I later gave up on tinkering with them and turned to researching occupational-type automatons; it's too troublesome."

Seeing Meng Li say this, Feng Zheng Hao and Xu Si did not doubt him.

They had some understanding of Artifact Refiners; this line of work not only required talent but was also indeed dependent on Materials. Without suitable, or rather, high-quality Materials, even the most skilled artisan couldn't cook a meal without rice.

This was also a major reason why most Artifact Refiners had limited achievements.

The fact that Meng Li could refine creations like mechanical automatons that possessed a certain level of intelligence was already enough to prove the miraculous nature of the Divine Mechanism Hundred Refinements. If it could ignore the limitations of Materials and produce large quantities of high-quality products, that wouldn't be miraculous; it would be Heaven-Defying.

Subsequently, Feng Zheng Hao and Xu Si began further discussions regarding the automatons and Magical Artifacts that Meng Li currently had in surplus.