211: Chapter 211 Mechanical Iron Guard

Dark red radioactive clouds covered the sky.

Outside the underground structure, hundreds of logistical transport Puppets worked ceaselessly day and night, turning into long steel dragons as they continuously transported long-dusty high-carbon steel ingots and titanium-tungsten alloy armor plates to Shelter No. 7.

Gu Shen stood in the arsenal hall of the 6th Underground Level.

In the vast hall, dozens of fully automated assembly lines crisscrossed. Huge mechanical arms hung down silently, and the conveyor belts were covered in thick dust.

"Crab, take over the local area network of the Sixth Level and wake up the assembly matrix." Gu Shen said in a steady voice, issuing the order.

"Understood, Master. The industrial motherboard self-check is complete, and the core power furnace has been reconnected to the grid."

Accompanied by the frantic flickering of the dark blue light on the holographic screen of the control console, the long-silent underground arsenal welcomed its revival.

Boom—a low and deep mechanical roar rippled from the depths of the underground, shaking dust down from the dome. Dozens of conveyor belts began to run at a constant speed, sturdy mechanical arms flexibly stretched out under the drive of the hydraulic System, and cutting machine tools and plasma welding torches burst into blinding sparks.

Gu Shen strode onto the central master control and supervision platform.

He had activated the arsenal this time with the aim of building a mass-produced army of iron guards that would obey him completely.

The nine Demon Bone Iron Guards embedded with the remains of high-level Great Demons were certainly outstanding in combat power and immune to many spells, but demon bones above the second rank were rare, and the high-energy Fusion micro-batteries that drove them were becoming scarcer with each one used.

"Parallel tracks are the only way for the long term."

Gu Shen's eyes were clear as an abyss, gazing at the assembly line operating below. "High-end combat power should follow an elite route to guard the path, while logistics, collection, and pathfinding should be driven by mundane metal supplemented by the methods of the Cultivation World."

With his mind made up, he extended his right palm.

An ancient Jade Slip engraved with complex patterns floated in mid-air; this was the Jade Slip that Gu Shen had specially recorded previously, containing the Qianji Pavilion Legacy, the Thousand Mechanisms Spirit Pivot Array Diagram.

Gu Shen divided his Divine Sense, and with the assistance of the AI Crystal's multi-threaded computing power, he compared the mechanical structure blueprints of the Wasteland with the Puppet Formation patterns of the Cultivation World, frantically deducing and performing Fusion in his mind.

"The first batch of mass-produced models will be positioned for resource collection and positional defense."

Gu Shen quickly defined the parameters on the holographic projection. "The lower body will use a hybrid chassis of all-terrain tracks and multiple legs, the upper body will be covered with titanium-tungsten alloy armor, the high-frequency oscillation melee module will be discarded, and giant mechanical claws and multi-barrel laser emission modules will be installed."

The mechanical arm fell with a boom, precisely grabbing the high-carbon steel ingots on the conveyor belt.

Plasma cutting and high-temperature forging were carried out simultaneously. Pure physical industry erupted with astonishing efficiency. In just half an hour, ten steel shells with rugged shapes, devoid of any aesthetic appeal but exuding extreme utilitarianism, took initial shape at the end of the assembly line.

With the skeleton formed, the most critical issue of power was now before him.

Gu Shen flew down from the supervision platform and landed steadily in front of the wide chest armor of the first mass-produced iron guard.

He did not take out the precious micro-batteries, but instead retrieved more than ten glossy and round Mid-Grade Spirit Stones from his Storage Ring. These were all spoils of war seized from the Beast Taming Sect Disciples and were a very common currency in the Cultivation World.

"The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi creates all things. Now, I will use Spirit Stones to replace nuclear energy and Formation patterns to replace mechanical pivots."

Gu Shen focused his Qi into his Dantian, and deep cyan poison-evil True Yuan gathered at his right fingertips.

He joined his fingers like a blade and began to carve directly into the groove on the iron guard's chest designed for the power source, his movements as sharp as iron strokes and silver hooks.

Iron filings flew, and sparks splashed everywhere.

One by one, profound and complex Spirit Gathering Formation patterns were engraved by him onto the cold metal machine. Each Formation pattern followed the principles of Spiritual Qi conduction from the Thousand Mechanisms Spirit Pivot Array Diagram, precisely connecting to the metal transmissions of the iron guard's limbs and body.

The Formation patterns connected end to end, turning into a miniature Spirit Gathering Formation with strict rules.

Gu Shen flicked his finger, and a Mid-Grade Spirit Stone was firmly embedded in the center of the Formation eye.

Hum!

The moment the Spirit Stone entered the slot, the Spirit Gathering Formation patterns shone brightly. The pure Spiritual Qi of the Spirit Stone was forcibly extracted by the Formation, turning into a surging flow of power that rushed forward along the red copper wires inside the iron guard.

The originally dead steel shell suddenly shook.

The circular main sensor on the iron guard's head lit up with a cold white light. The track base made a low grinding sound, and two thick metal giant claws clashed heavily in front of the chest, bursting out a deafening sound of metal clashing.

"Master, the spiritual power conduction efficiency of Unit 1 is stable, and the servo motor speed meets the standard. The energy conversion rate far exceeds expectations. It is estimated that a single Mid-Grade Spirit Stone can maintain high-intensity operations for one hundred hours." Crab's feedback sounded at the right moment.

Gu Shen nodded slightly, quite satisfied with this creation that stitched together two worlds.

These mass-produced iron guards had no Demonic Qi or nuclear radiation, driven purely by Spirit Stones, and their shells were as hard as top-grade Magical Artifacts. Even if they encountered a Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivator in the Cultivation World, they could wear the opponent down to death with just their physical armor and fearless brute force.

Most importantly, the cost was very low. High-carbon steel and titanium-tungsten alloy were piled up like mountains in the Wasteland armory; one only needed to seize more Mid-Grade Spirit Stones to mass-produce the iron guards.

"Continue engraving."

Gu Shen calmed his mind and focused, his figure moving rapidly among the remaining nine steel shells.

True Yuan flickered at his fingertips, and the Formation patterns were branded onto the mechanical armor like flowing clouds and running water. The Spirit Stones were embedded into the Formation eyes one after another, and nine cold sensor lights lit up in the arsenal hall one after another.

Several days later.

In the Sixth Level arsenal, on the vast plaza.

Ten massive, mass-produced mechanical iron guards with a mix of tracks and multiple legs were neatly lined up. They were clad in heavy, dark black titanium-tungsten armor, like ten unshakeable steel bastions.

Gu Shen sat on the high platform, overlooking this mechanical army completely pieced together by industrial assembly lines and Cultivation Formation methods.

"Crab, import the basic collection and defense commands. Test the maneuver Formation."

"Understood. The local area network corps protocol has been issued."

The ten mass-produced iron guards on the plaza moved instantly.

The multi-legged models moved agilely, quickly climbing up the surrounding metal rock walls to simulate a posture occupying the commanding heights; the tracked models went full throttle, forming a wedge Formation on the flat ground to simulate the state of a group charge when attacking an enemy.

These mechanical iron guards did not possess the delicate tactical evasion and Divine Ability to be immune to sound waves like the elite Demon Bone Iron Guards; their combat method was only the most straightforward physical suppression.

This was exactly the effect Gu Shen wanted.

"These ten mass-produced units are just the beginning of the Wasteland troop buildup."

Ten Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, exchanged for ten fearless Qi Refining Stage Body Refining dead soldiers. Such a deal was unique throughout the entire Great Yu Cultivation World.

"Put this batch of iron guards into the Storage Ring. It is also time to take them across planes to send warmth to the Cultivators of the Beast Taming Sect."

He waved his large sleeve, and all the mechanical iron guards on the plaza turned into streaks of light and disappeared into his finger.