The Legendary Mechanic, page 820
He planned to get away as soon as he got what he came for. Afterward, even if the advanced civilizations held him responsible for it, there was no way he would throw up what he had already swallowed.
Chapter 1165. Encounter and Confrontation |
In the command center of Planet Earth Ring, the manager of the planet was startled by the Mechanic Emperor’s name and only spoke cautiously after more than ten seconds of silence.
“Your Excellency Mechanic Emperor, Planet Earth Ring belongs to the Razo Civilization. You have broken the Planetary Management Law set by the Shattered Star Ring Civilization Alliance by locking down this planet. We hope you can give us a proper explanation.”
“I’m chasing fugitives. When I’m done, I’ll leave. It’d be best for you to step back and not cause any trouble.” Manison’s calm voice sounded from the public channel.
“… No, we have to stay. According to the rules and regulations, we must report this to the upper echelons of the civilization afterward.”
“Whatever.”
Manison hung up the communication.
The manager of Planet Earth Ring did not dare resist. He suppressed his anger and ordered the garrison fleet to standby in a defense formation, but he did not disrupt Mechanic Emperor’s actions.
Although the Razo Civilization was one of the Star Cluster civilizations of the Shattered Star Ring, now that their communication with the outside world was cut off, the garrison fleet on this planet was no match for the Mechanic Emperor.
The manager was not going to sacrifice his troops for nothing, so he chose to stand aside with caution. This went against his duty, but he could only be flexible.
Without the obstruction of the garrison fleet, Mechanic Emperor’s mechanical troops started to search through the civilians on a large scale, not missing out on anything that breathed. They chased everyone out to the streets and forced them to stand in lines.
No matter how arrogant, all the Supers obediently followed the Mechanic Emperor’s instructions.
Of course, there were some civilians who just could not grasp the situation. The fists of mechanical soldiers would not have mercy, and after thousands of rioting tourists were beaten up, the rest all became quiet.
Jill and Warren were squeezed by the crowd into a line. They looked around with caution and panic.
The two of them were intimidated by the Mechanic Emperor’s troops. They secretly used the Soul Swapper to communicate with each other’s souls.
“Elder bro, do you think the Mechanic Emperor is here to catch us?” Warren was worried.
“It can’t be. Didn’t he say? He’s here to catch fugitives, and we’re not fugitives,” Jill assured him.
“But even if he’s not here looking for us, since the search is so thorough, there’s a chance we’ll get exposed too.”
“That is a problem indeed…”
Jill looked gloomy and was in a very bad mood. He was partly worried about the situation, but he was also gloomy because he noticed that someone had squeezed his butt.
He glared behind him and saw a mercenary-looking red-skinned beastman moving his hand away while giggling. The Beastman then flexed his arm and displayed his muscles, even giving him a confident look… Only low-grade beastmen with strong desires would still be thinking of reproduction in times like this.
Jill felt a disgusting chill running through his body. He quickly tightened his clothes.
“How about we find an opportunity and swap into those who’ve already been checked?” Warren suggested.
“Let’s see how it goes first. We’ll temporarily stay put, and if things are not going well, I can swap you into my body, and we can share one body temporarily… Wait, no, I’ll swap into your body.”
Jill’s mouth twitched. He regretted choosing a rather attractive body.
The search was going on one batch after another, and Manison was monitoring the process in the main ship.
“Let me see how long you can last.”
Manison’s tone was calm.
The Soul Swapper was unique. All ordinary detection methods were useless. Furthermore, the target could swap into different bodies at any time, so rechecking again and again would be very troublesome.
He planned to send batches of people who finished the check into different spaceships, away from the range of the Soul Swapper and put them in quarantine.
This way, as the number of people was reduced, the Soul Swap Twins would sooner or later activate their abilities and most likely swap into those who had already been checked. However, they did not know that he would still carry out multiple checks even after the quarantine, hoping to trap the two of them in smaller crowds.
Also, another goal of the quarantine was to take away all the people on the planet, including even the garrison fleet. This way, he would have plenty of time to slowly filter and check through them.
If the Soul Swap Twins used their abilities, the shells that had lost their souls should faint, which would be a clue too. Even if the Soul Swap Twins could swap multiple souls around and mix up the identity of the bodies that fainted, as long as it happened, it would prove that they had used their abilities. Furthermore, doing this would definitely cause mass confusion.
Manison had prepared many plans, among which the most extreme was slaughtering the entire planet. Killing life forms with souls one after another would definitely be able to force the Soul Swap Twins to appear. However, the consequences of that were too severe. He would not use this plan unless he had no other choice.
“In about two hours, all the people on the planet will be separately quarantined in different ships. Not the most efficient, but good enough. There’s still plenty of time…”
While Manison was calculating the time, he suddenly sensed something and suddenly turned around to look behind.
Woo!
The alarm of the spaceship rang at the same time. In the distance, streams of hyperdrive light appeared and stopped nearby. The bright blue light dissipated, showing a completely black fleet. An organization symbol that Manison could never forget was engraved on these ships’ exterior armor. It was the Black Star Army!
“How did they find me?” Manison was shocked.
That’s strange. This fleet clearly got rid of its trackers. How did the Black Star Army find this place? Prophecy? But the spaceships’ information disruption devices are still working. Aesop shouldn’t be able to accurately foresee the exact location. Is there an even stronger prophet?
This is getting troublesome. Black Star’s noticed what’s happening here. Change of plan, I must speed up and get everyone into the ships. … However, luckily, only an ordinary search fleet is here. There are just more than thirty fleets.
Manison responded instantly. He waved his hand, and a large group of mechanical troops immediately turned and charged toward the Black Star Army fleet.
He planned to eliminate Black Star’s men first so they would not disrupt him.
However, the next moment, three powerful energy presences erupted in the Black Star Army fleet!
Woo!
The energy detection radar’s reading exceeded the limits instantly!
Manison was stunned for a moment.
“Three Beyond Grade As?”
In his sights, three silhouettes flew out of the Black Star Army and stood opposite his mechanical army. They were Black Star, Ames, and Hila!
Han Xiao scanned through the situation of Planet Earth Ring and smirked. He connected to the public channel and mocked, “Yo, looks like I’m almost late.”
“Why are you here?” Manison did not bother chatting with Han Xiao at all. “Oh? Are you asking me why I wasn’t lured away by your bait?” Han Xiao curled his lips. “The Shattered Star Ring is my territory. If I got toyed with by you so easily, where should I put my face?”
Actually, the bait Manison set some time ago almost fooled him, and this fleet did indeed lose its initial trackers.
However, as a peak Beyond Grade A Virtual Mechanic who was in his own territory, Han Xiao also did a deep search. He analyzed what all of the routes Manison’s troops took had in common and also discovered the vegetable incident of multiple planets. After some cross referencing, it matched with the route of one of Manison’s teams.
Although the Great Mechanic Han did not know about the mind trap, it did not stop him from speculating that this was the clue Manison was going after.
Therefore, just like the Mechanic Emperor, he locked onto the Soul Swap Twins’ escape route according to those incidents and sent a fleet right to Planet Earth Ring.
Therefore, this army fleet did not come here by following the Mechanic Emperor but instead happened to encounter the Mechanic Emperor, which proved he was right.
The three of them were originally not in the fleet, but Han Xiao had the fleet bring a ‘Throne’. He received the news the instant this fleet discovered Mechanic Emperor, and immediately used the King to teleport all three of them here, hence this moment.
While the two of them confronted each other, the manager of Planet Earth Ring was overjoyed and quickly spoke in the public channel.
“Your Excellency Black Star! I’m the manager of Planet Earth Ring. The Mechanic Emperor has forcefully taken over the planet, and we are powerless to resist. Luckily, you’re here. Please help us. The Razo Civilization will definitely thank you for it after!”
Initially, the manager of Planet Earth Ring could only watch and feel powerless while filled with rage. Now that Black Star was here, it was like he had caught a lifebuoy. He immediately asked for help.
It was known that the Shattered Star Ring was protected by Black Star now. In the manager’s eyes, Black Star was on his side.
Han Xiao casually waved. “Hmm, take your troops off the planet. Leave the rest to me.”
“Roger!”
The Planet Earth Ring manager brought the garrison fleet aside to watch without hesitation.
He did not agree when the Mechanic Emperor asked him to leave, but as soon as Black Star did, he left instantly. In the Shattered Star Ring, Han Xiao was much more respected than Manison.
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Seeing this, Han Xiao then turned to the Mechanic Emperor’s ride and snorted.
“I’m right here. Aren’t you going to come out and meet me?”
About ten seconds later, Manison’s Lord’s Avatar finally flew out.
“Black Star, you’ve come to mess up my plan again,” Manison said coldly. Although his voice was monotonous, it still had a sense of frustration and anger.
“Hehe, Mechanic Emperor, I won’t play games with you. Our goal should be the same. It’s right here on Planet Earth Ring, and it belongs to whoever’s more capable.”
Han Xiao crossed his arms and looked firm.
Actually, he was filled with joy on the inside. Originally, he had no excuse to fight with this old b*stard, but now that he had one and met him, he looked at Manison like he was looking at a portable talent inventory.
Manison looked at the three of them and said coldly, “You think your victory is certain just because it’s three against one?”
“Haha, you’re mistaken.” Han Xiao curled his lips. “I alone am enough to fight you. The two of them won’t interfere.”
Hearing this, Ames and Hila both turned to him and silently stared at him.
Seeing this, Han Xiao coughed and softly said, “Ahem, the two of you are responsible to search the planet and find the target. Hila, you have some knowledge in the mind area, so it’s suitable for you to find them, while Ames’ force field makes catching people more convenient.”
“You said you’d let me help in the fight…” Ames frowned slightly.
“That’s when we fight Modo. Leave the Mechanic Emperor to me. I’m going to fight him one on one.”
“Am I a burden?” Ames narrowed her eyes.
“… Just a little bit.” Han Xiao was very honest and did not find any excuse in times like this.
Ames’s eyes twitched, but she thought about it and realized she could not object.
She gave Han Xiao a glare and flew toward Planet Earth Ring.
Hila tilted her head and pondered for a while before raising three fingers.
“Three times.”
“What three times?” Han Xiao wondered.
“I’ve lost the chance to fight someone as strong as the Mechanic Emperor, so you’ll have to spar with me seriously three times afterward, and you can’t reject it no matter when I ask for it.”
“Alright, alright, not to mention three times, I’ll spar with you thirty times even if you want to.” Han Xiao sighed.
“Okay, thirty times it is. It’s a promise!”
Hila nodded with satisfaction and instantly followed behind Ames with the fleet.
Han Xiao’s eyes twitched. He was speechless.
This tomboy’s combat maniac trait had been getting even more and more intense, and god only knew where she learned to be this cheeky.
Removing Ames and Hila was an attempt to try to trigger Beyond Grade A challenge mission. Otherwise, given how thick Han Xiao’s skin was, he would not ask for a duel for no reason.
Han Xiao looked at old Manison and said, “Alright, now no one will disturb us. It’s a rare opportunity. Now that we’ve coincidentally run into each other, we have to get properly intimate.”
Manison watched Ames and Hila landing on Planet Earth Ring and did not stop them.
He knew that as long as he did not defeat Black Star, stopping them would not do anything.
Seeing that Han Xiao had stayed behind alone, Manison slowly said, “If the three of you had come at me together, it might have been quite troublesome for me. Yet, you’ve actually decided to fight me alone. How brave.”
“Yo, you’re saying it as if I lost to you last time. Why do I seem to recall it being a tie?”
Manison mirthlessly laughed. “Black Star, you should have a clearer idea of how real that ‘tie’ was than me. Without more than a dozen people helping you this time, do you really still think this will still end as a tie?”
“Tie? No, no, I didn’t think that.” Han Xiao narrowed his eyes. “I’m here with my original body, and crushing your Lord’s Avatar is my goal today. It’s time to refresh my achievement.”
“Hehe, I admit, that special technique of yours to burn your potential can grant you power to match me, but that’s all. Defeat me? You’re a hundred years too early! Plus, how much potential do you have to throw away? If this is the source of your confidence today, I’m guessing it’s not going to end well for you.”
“You never know if you don’t try.”
Han Xiao narrowed his eyes, his body trembled, and Mechanical Force sparked around him. His energy level rocketed as he quickly entered combat stance. Seeing this, Manison shook his head, his energy level rising too. The gold Mechanical Force seemed to have painted his Lord’s Avatar gold.
“Looks like I’m quite lucky today to receive a pleasant surprise. Since you dare face me with your original body, I’ll gladly take your Spacetime Amber as a compensation from you.”
Chapter 1166. Shaken Manison |
Boom!
Like thousands of thunder strikes happening at the same time, raging Mechanical Force erupted like silver dragons.
The people on Planet Earth Ring looked up. It was as if two suns covered in lightning had suddenly appeared.
Two light gates suddenly appeared in cosmic space, and countless machines swarmed out from the secondary dimensional army boxes.
One side was black like storm clouds, and the other side was white like snowy hills.
The mechanical armies surrounded the two of them. Mechanical Force extended out from their bodies and connected their armies, quickly assembling into two giants!
In an instant, two enormous weapons clashed. The mountain-sized black blade slashed onto the middle of the golden trident!
Clank!
A psionic shockwave exploded, extended through the artificial atmosphere of Planet Earth Ring, and caused chain reactions, creating a deafening noise!
Countless people hastily covered their ears with agony on their faces. They felt as if someone was tolling a bell inside their brain. They could feel their brains trembling. Some lost balance like they were drunk, fell onto the ground, and could not control their body.
Outside the planet’s atmosphere, two Mechanical Deities had appeared and were already fighting intensely.
Every move of a Mechanical Deity harnessed terrifying power. Even though they consciously distanced themselves from Planet Earth Ring, the aftershocks still triggered countless natural disasters on the planet’s surface.
Machinery came out of their Secondary dimensional army boxes nonstop like it had no end. Their machines fought each other under the lead of their own Apostle Weapons and divided the battlefield into countless smaller battles.
The combat artificial intelligences of both sides tried their best to break each other’s formation and create situations where they outnumbered the other side. Mechanical soldiers that got occasionally left stranded became targets of focused fire. They then recovered through Mechanical Force and entered the battlefield right after.
Planet Earth Ring’s atmosphere was filled with traces of psionic beams that seemed to have formed a net that shrouded the planet.
Occasionally, liquid metal melted by the high temperature would cool down to irregular shaped metal meteors that fell onto the surface, either creating pits on the ground or shattered by the planet’s protective shields.
This was not the first fight between Han Xiao and Manison. They had a rough idea of each other’s capabilities, so they went full out from the start and released most of their Apostle Weapons.
Old Manison had more than forty Apostle Weapons in all kinds of shapes. Their similarity was that they were all mechanical lives that had existed for many years, so they had a lot of energy in their tinder, meaning they were very strong.
