Chapter 792 - 71: The Ghost in the Factory (3)

[IMC Soldier A: We are on standby... Wait, alarm at the factory.]

[IMC Soldier A: Enemy pilots are moving through the maintenance channel! The factory is clearing the path for them!]

[IMC Soldier B: Engaging enemy fire! Request backup, we can trap them in the channel... Boom!]

[IMC Soldier C: ...Malfunction! / ...They are attacking our forces... Titan has fled!]

[IMC Soldier A: EMP! Activate night vision... Argh!]

[Bang Bang Bang——]

The communication channel was in chaos!

The IMC Commander of this operation immediately sensed something was wrong: she indeed wanted to stir things up by directing the enemy pilots and the mistakenly entered resistance soldiers towards the dome, the weapons testing ground, before deploying combat robots.

But why does the current situation seem somewhat off?

The communication system was evidently jammed, and the factory operations were clearly troubled, but the console showed Jack nearing the dome.

Moreover, viewing only the console, the activities of the factory plates and IMC soldiers seemed even more efficient in steering the enemy towards the dome!

Clack.

Ash, the operation commander for this mission, grasped the long knife at her waist and disconnected from the console.

Her technological expertise couldn’t elucidate the problem, but her instinct and mind told her the factory was haunted, claiming no issues here would be insane!

[Brisk: Ash, quit messing around and get the damn job done!]

[Ash: I got it, seems I have to intervene personally.]

[Ash: All IMC soldiers and Hunters approach the dome; we’ll annihilate the enemy there in one strike.]

Ash stepped out of the shadows, her hooded face glaringly visible under the light:

This face was dreadfully pale, not due to malnutrition, but a special synthetic material.

As she strode towards her Titan, the motors and mechanical joints on her body emitted a soft whir...

The body illuminated under the lights bore no human flesh, just like the Titan before her.

Why does this world have no unique reaction to AI emergence?

It’s because AI technology here is extremely widespread and commonplace, Ash is an example of a human transformed into a robot after death.

"Let’s see what you’ve got, pilot."

...

Boom!

Jack blasted away the last batch of enemies, looking towards the path ahead:

He had leveraged the shortcut Lille provided to arrive at the dome’s entrance!

This shortcut truly elevated his operational efficiency; these IMC forces were utterly reactive, coupled with Jack’s superb combat prowess and the factory equipment’s tacit and overt assistance, a battle ended in no more than ten seconds!

The pathway towards the dome lay ahead right now!

Dull black hexagonal modules opened a passage; Jack rushed inside without hesitation——

Upon entering, a brand-new world unfolded before him.

The so-called dome was the assembly product of modular buildings produced within the factory.

These prefabricated constructions were far from the typical mobile homes of the Cyberpunk or Marvel World eras; rather, they were sturdily built with iron plates and concrete, even with soil and grass forming the house "floor."

On this floor, there were buildings matching New York’s ordinary constructions in terms of quality, equipped with furniture, appliances, and mannequins...

From the outside, it resembled a real scene almost entirely, while the venue’s four sides and sky were blocked with ultra-high-definition holographic panels, ensuring internal combat wouldn’t affect the outside while providing a sky and distant view.

Immersed within, it was as if stepping into a truly boundless vast space.

The holographic wall behind closed the entry passage, and Jack gazed at this space as though he had suddenly transferred from the factory to the mountains and forest.

However, the factory broadcast quickly shattered this illusion:

[Loading Scenario 127 in Dynamic Simulation Dome 314.]

A platform rose before Jack, he stepped forward and picked up the weapon from the box.

"...Another test, we almost died just now!"

"Shut your mouth, hold your weapon!"

Voices echoed from afar, Jack looked up and saw the opposite wall open, a few resistance soldiers entered rather disheveled.

Clearly, this wasn’t their first test participation.

[Commencing the IMC Death God Testing Program.]

Bam!

In the center of the venue, a giant platform ascended from the ground, and the soldiers termed Ghost Soldiers started firing immediately upon stabilizing!

Once these soldiers began shooting, Jack realized something peculiar:

Modern battlefields necessitate information technology integration and deployment, yet soldier combat situations remain highly random.

Simply put, a squad of 12 might blindly fire at a location under orders, but it’s utterly impossible to manage ballistic trajectories into a shape that completely restricts his mobility...

These robots can do it!

Their every shot trajectory was unified through calculation, coordinating their firing to challenge highly mobile pilots like him!

Fortunately, this testing venue had cover; Jack hid behind it, listening to bullets pinging off it while instantly planning his route:

Were these robots designed to target pilots?

This design warrants optimization!

Three grenades were pulled and hurled; two exploded mid-air, the shockwave propelling the third grenade like shrapnel, evading the Ghost Soldiers’ precision aiming and detonating amongst them!

Gunfire paused briefly with the explosion, Jack dashed out at the explosion’s moment!

He knew these robots adjusted extremely quickly; there was no time to ascertain the explosion’s efficacy. He must seize this instant and ensure the explosion disrupted those robots!

And he did it!

This brief pause provided him the chance to leap and fire his hook line, clutching the "billboard" simulation board by the house and gliding towards the back!

When the Ghost Soldiers responded, their bullets could only trace his afterglow into the air!

Upon entering the building, he activated his invisibility equipment——

This series of moves completely broke the Ghost Soldiers’ lock; the robots swiftly re-aimed to focus fire on suppressing the resistance at the other end, leaving them utterly unprepared for the incoming bullets from an unanticipated direction!

The high-temperature plasma clusters formed lines, a total of three dangerous red plasma bullets penetrated several Ghost Soldiers’ heads!

Fire suppression gaps appeared; the resistance soldiers raised their heads just in time to see Jack reveal himself by firing from their side!

"Look, a pilot! We are saved!"