Chapter 713: Midnight Martial Contest: Testing the Edge (13)

""Thanks, brother.""

Si Ke Te sighed: "... Compared with that woman, it's not that annoying. Also, hurry up with the search! Who's your brother!"

San Yue Qi: "Sister, you're really something!"

Under Si Ke Te's order, the cargo hold doors opened slowly, and a brand‑new mobile armor appeared before everyone.

"Is this the company's 【cargo】?" Ling Sha's expression hardened as she stepped slowly toward the mech.

"Listen up, any loss caused by this inspection, I will file a compensation lawsuit against your company..."

Si Ke Te kept rambling behind, while Ling Sha had already started tapping the mech's hull, but... suddenly a strong current surged around the mech, pushing her back several steps.

"Shut it down!"

A flash of red light flashed in the mech's eye, the hulking figure stepped forward, looking down on the crowd from above.

Si Ke Te was so frightened he curled and crawled away, daring not to advance. Yan Qing, seeing the bad turn, quickly drew his sword to block in front of Ling Sha.

The mech opened its massive mouth, sizzling arcs of electricity leapt inside, deep‑red energy particles began to converge, emitting a harsh buzz.

"Careful—!"

——

Maze Meal.

"No way? This mech contains a Bu Li Ren?" Ma Lu Xi Er widened her eyes, "Bu Li Ren can even pilot a mech? That's too clever!"

"So, you think all Bu Li Ren are stupid?" Qi Er Cha Ke, cradling a soup bowl, gave Ma Lu Xi Er a sour look, "You should know Bu Li Ren are Xian Zhou's mortal enemies; if they were just mindless beasts, Xian Zhou's forces would have wiped them out long ago."

"Makes sense." Ma Lu Xi Er recalled the Fertile People War thirty years ago; the price Xian Zhou paid was huge, and it's said Xian Zhou almost lost then.

To force Xian Zhou, which has a commanding envoy, into such a situation shows how powerful these Bu Li Ren are.

However, judging from Si Ke Te's panicked behavior, Qi Er Cha Ke still thought the company had no link to the Bu Li Ren; probably this is just a simple infiltration plan targeting Xian Zhou.

What puzzled him was why the Bu Li Ren chose now to trouble Luo Fu? Wouldn't it be better to strike after the martial ceremony, when Xian Zhou is left with only General Jing Yuan?

"Looks like that scoundrel Lu Jun is the mastermind behind this Xian Zhou attack," Lai Ou Si picked up a freshly roasted slice of meat, "They couldn't capture all three Heavenly Generals at once; at most they'd cause some chaos for Xian Zhou... perhaps they want to muddy the waters to fish."

——

""How could there be such a surprise hidden... you really scared me,""

Fortunately Yan Qing's guard intervened in time; the crowd acted together, and in no time they made the mech cease operation.

"You plan to leave this thing on Luo Fu's dock for days? That's way too dangerous!" San Yue Qi glared at Si Ke Te in anger.

"This... this really isn't our fault! It must have been you who accidentally triggered the 【cargo】's defense protocol!" Si Ke Te waved his hands, already having prepared an excuse to shift blame.

Dan Heng said coldly, "Now that it's come to this, it's better not to shirk responsibility."

Si Ke Te, on the verge of tears, said, "I truly don't know how this thing started moving... I can swear by the Amber King!"

"Enough. Miss Xi Kui, please take a few Cloud Riders and escort these company guests to the Heavenly Vessel Department."

Xi Kui nodded, and Si Ke Te, being very sensible, followed the Cloud Riders away.

After the company's people left, Ling Sha finally said slowly, "Gentlemen, after a preliminary inspection, it is indeed as the craftsman feared; it contains biological tissue." She paused, her tone hesitant, "... I'm not even sure whether this is a 【mechanism】 or a 【biological】 entity."

"Why do you say that?"

"The core of this thing is what the underworld calls a 【wet component】. Put simply, this machine is driven by a biological nervous system as its control core."

Ling Sha, with a serious expression, said, "I'll take some samples for the Dan Shi to analyze, and then we'll know the source of this biological tissue."

——

Death God.

"Oh dear~" Pu Yuan Xi Zhu shook the small white fan in his hand, his eyes narrowed under the brim, "The Institute of Knowledge really has produced something extraordinary."

"But the good news is there are no Bu Li Ren inside." Si Feng Yuan's Ye Yi let out a sigh, "Phew... at first I thought the Bu Li Ren were hiding in the mech ready to attack Xian Zhou."

"Nope~ Miss Ye Yi, this must be the worst news." Pu Yuan's fan fluttered faster.

"Ha?"

"Don't forget this is cargo the Institute of Knowledge intends to ship to other planets; a mech that reacts dangerously even to Ling Sha's light touch—one can imagine how unstable its control system must be. If it's directly linked to a biological nerve bundle… it's like wrapping a lump of meat in an indestructible armor."

Pu Yuan Xi Zhu lowered his brim, his gaze turning icy in the shadows: "Who exactly is this thing created for? Does the Interstellar Peace Company know the stability of such a weapon? There's a lot that can be uncovered here..."

Prompted by Pu Yuan Xi Zhu's reminder, Ye Yi immediately understood the danger of this technology. The Bu Li Ren likely also realized the peril of such a bio‑mech, which is why they forced its use for future wars against Xian Zhou.

——

""Why is the Institute of Knowledge employing such inhumane technology? To create new weapons?""

""Regardless of the reason, this may be why the Bu Li Ren would attack this vessel. No wonder the company's people refuse us to open the box for inspection. I'll contact the Ten Kings Office and ask the judges to weigh the decision." Yan Qing looked at the still‑closed cargo holds behind him, "According to regulations, prisoners and weapons involving dangerous organisms should be sent to the Haunted Prison for containment, then dealt with further. After all, that's the safest place in all of Luo Fu."

""Craftsman, please go with the Cloud Riders to brief the judges.""

After a short while, once the Gong Zao Si members left, Yan Qing again expressed his thanks to Ling Sha.

Ling Sha smiled faintly, "I also must thank you for saving my life; thanks to your superb swordsmanship, you felled that big fellow. I had thought the general's retainers were all…"

"... condensed." Xing Jie took over her words.