Chapter 797 - 76 Cause and Effect (1)

Why did Colonel Anderson go missing?

The answer was already half-revealed when they saw the convergence point.

The so-called convergence point was a massive comprehensive research facility.

As a comprehensive research facility from the interstellar era, its scale rivaled a bustling financial CBD district from the old era, and the ample land resources and powerful industrial construction capabilities meant they didn’t need to maintain that inch-of-gold design style.

A super composite research facility with an area comparable to a city. Just by looking at the size, this place might be equivalent to the main district of Night City, but its population might be less than one percent.

The extravagant ratio of population to land use, so magnificent it made Johnny and Lille drool.

In Johnny’s world, it’s not that there aren’t nice places to live; it’s that they can’t afford to live in them.

In Lille’s world, although he believed Earth was more than capable of accommodating ten billion people, and subsequent technological advancements could indeed support this claim, they had still fought to the point where there was hardly any livable space on the surface...

But this place has already become a ruin, which somewhat makes the heart feel "balanced".

This research facility has turned into a decrepit Ghost City, as if it had been bombed.

The facility was built along the coast, with a very unique core by the sea, looking like some sort of artwork composed of rings from the wreckage.

There were no signs of any living person inside the facility, wild dragons circled in the sky, seeming to regard this place as their nest.

Breaking through the facility’s broken doors, Lille completely confirmed that the facility had entirely ceased functioning, the security system had completely collapsed, with no circuits able to form a loop.

BT evaluated: "It’s unimaginable what scale of explosion could cause such comprehensive damage; Colonel Anderson’s signal last appeared inside, investigating this facility.

However, to cause such extensive damage, the damage to buildings should be more severe.

My body isn’t suitable for passing through these channels; I’ll wait for you ahead."

The three split up here, Lille and Jack entered the facility, BT found an alternate way in.

In the original work, because the rendezvous task belonged to Jack’s mentor, the late Captain Lasticomasa, who was BT’s official Iron pilot, it had nothing to do with a rifleman. After leaving the factory, Jack stopped concerning himself with them and explored the facility alone.

The scene seemed somewhat desolate, with a faint sense of decay and loneliness.

But now there was a small difference...

Lille hastily manufactured 31 Destruction Shell Type III robots from the IMC factory. Although these things couldn’t perform long-distance flights, arriving at this facility with him was absolutely no problem!

That is to say, as BT sought another path, stepping through the facility gates was not just Jack alone but Jack plus Lille, plus his additional 30 Combat Robots!

An individual exploration turned into a sweeping push by a swarm of robots, the mighty robot army marching in uniform into the facility.

Jack suddenly found it quite novel: because nothing had gone right since landing, he thought he would play the lone hero.

As for Lille, from the first second he set foot here, he remained highly tense:

Because he knew the reason this place became a ruin was due to an out-of-control Holy Cabinet Energy!

The out-of-control Holy Cabinet not only destroyed this place but also left behind significant time-space distortion phenomena, which was precisely his research target!

Among the thirty robots, one was himself, all sensors on his body fully activated, processors and communication devices powered to the max, attempting to record every moment of change...

Jack originally wanted to say a few words, but seeing Lille so focused, he simply entered mission mode as well.

[Monitored dimensional rift...]

Lille suddenly received a system prompt and a piece of information from the otherworldly —

Before his next crossing, he had already locked his existence in Latovia into work mode, turning it into a cross-dimensional signal tower.

Not only maintaining contact with the Transformers World but also continuously broadcasting some fixed information...

Just now, Lille received some noisy information, seemingly from the Void...

Because before entering the facility, he had verified with BT that no signal sources existed here.

The two walked into the facility, the decrepit reception only contained the wreckage of civilian robots, and the road to the next level was blocked by collapsed structural components.

"Looks like we have to find a way..."

Just as Jack opened his mouth to say something, the world in front of them began to twist violently!

In a daze, the ruins turned into a pristine laboratory; broken robots were perfectly doing their work at the bench...

In front of the holographic panel on the wall, there were even live people talking!

Time seemingly rewound to before the explosion!

[Time and space distortion, dimensional rift expanding.]

[Ambulance: This is Cybertron Moon Base, Lille, we are continuously transmitting information, please reply if received...]

[Ambulance: Please reply if received...]

"What is this!"

"There’s an unknown robot!"

Before Lille had a chance to respond to the Cybertron research team as planned, the researchers in the facility suddenly began to yell in panic!

The entire facility suddenly entered alert mode, the warm lights instantly turning into glaring red, isolation riot walls all dropping with a bang!

Bang!

An explosion came from outside the window, and then everything returned to normal!

[Combat Robots in Network: 28]

Jack’s confused voice came from the dead silent ruins: "What was that just now?"

[BT7274: Time and space distorting permeates this facility and seems to have caused time to crack. I suggest we be cautious until we have further info.]

[BT7274: Lille, I noticed you’re missing a few robots... There seem to be similar robot remains on the ground.]

[BT7274: What happened?]

"... They were killed in the past."

Both Jack and BT were taken aback.

Only Lille knew, it had to be like this: The two lost robots had been destroyed by the IMC troops stationed here in the past!

The moment the distortion of time and space occurred, all of his processor resources were used for observing and analyzing cross-dimensional information, leaving no energy for combat!

[Lille: BT, I need to know how much you understand about this phenomenon?]

[BT7274: Not too much, I suggest we be cautious until we have further info.]

[Lille: ...Does your database have any information related to Superluminal Technology or interstellar communication?]

[BT7274: Information like this is extremely costly and complex, as a Combat Titan, I don’t have relevant data stored.]

[BT7274: But I can tell you, this model is based on the existence of rips in the Universe, also known as the "Void".]

[BT7274: The phase shifting device installed in the Rogue Iron Ride is based on this theory; if you need it, I can retrieve information on the equipment for you, though this won’t cover fundamental principles.]

[Lille: That’s enough.]

His robots had gone to the past from the present... both energy and matter had transferred simultaneously.

This was the key to breakthroughs in cross-dimensional technology.

"Let’s keep going, I feel we’re very close to the truth."

Lille’s emotions were obviously higher than Jack’s. Just as they moved forward, time and space began to distort again——

[Screech——]

[Ambulance: Please reply if received...]

[Lille: I have a new equipment design for you to analyze——]

"Enemies spotted! They’re here!"

This time through the time-travel, five fully armed IMC riflemen appeared directly before Lille and Jack!