Chapter 552: The Machine Has Gained Sentience

Outside the ruins, many people were rushing here, some in dark‑blue uniforms, some in black night‑cloaks, some in a suit.

They stopped at the outskirts of the ruins, unwilling to get any closer for fear that they too would be swept up by the aftershocks of the two combatants' fight.

Meng Kexin now felt immensely grateful that she was wearing clothes that allowed easy movement today.

So Yang Yixie really defeated her, right?

Every time Ying Duo fought, the place she was in could be affected in various ways and then collapse.

She brushed the dust off herself while looking outward.

A red, a green, and a black—three figures—were already locked in a fierce brawl; Chi Jinan had become stronger than before, and while Ying Duo fought him, he also had to split his attention to control the mech, so he could only achieve a superficial 1:1 stalemate.

After all, Ying Duo's current status—whether under the Dome or within the Church—is that of a top‑wanted fugitive being hunted, so in any case Ying Duo is unsuited to linger here.

His amethyst‑like eyes locked onto the vivid red figure; Chi Jinan's face was full of madness. Because of a defensive gap, Ying Duo's bullet precisely struck his shoulder, yet he felt no pain and instead wore an even more exaggerated grin.

Another lunatic.

All of them are lunatics.

Meng Kexin couldn't help rolling her eyes; at this point, she should get back to her true old trade as a consciousness‑type Special Ability Practitioner.

There hadn't been any battles requiring her participation during this period, but she shouldn't have grown rusty.

Meanwhile, Chi Jinan, who was in the thick of his duel with Ying Duo, suddenly had a lapse in his movements.

His increasingly excited mood was abruptly cut off; something invaded his consciousness at that moment and dealt him a heavy blow.

It was as if someone had hammered his head hard with a hammer.

Chi Jinan seemed to hear a buzzing in his ears; before he could recover, he looked up and the mech's massive fist was already crashing down on him again.

He took the full damage of that strike, and Chi Jinan's whole body was violently slammed from the height down to the ground.

Dust sprayed everywhere; this time, the tardily arriving onlookers finally saw who the relentless opponent of Chi Jinan actually was.

The mech was entirely forged from a new black high‑strength alloy, using the Dome's most expensive, cutting‑edge materials, yet the energy circuits inside glowed a familiar Ying Guang Lu green.

This technology doesn't belong to this era at all, yet someone built it ahead of time.

"Robot......?"

Yue Chengzhang stared at the roughly three‑meter‑tall massive mech, momentarily dumbfounded.

This... the robot has gained sentience?

Could the Mutation's influence extend beyond ores, affecting these metals and even granting them self‑awareness?

From Min Tianyou's perspective, Yue Chengzhang was at least a somewhat eccentric chatterbox in private, but reliable in critical moments; it could only be said that fortunately he now didn't know what Yue Chengzhang was thinking.

Even though the Mutation was indeed spreading and expanding at a terrifying rate, the mech before them was unmistakably man‑made.

The Ying Guang Lu energy effect...

Such a unique Ying Guang Lu is truly hard to find a second of.

So, this creation that far surpasses current era technology—did it come from Ying Duo's hand?

Although it sounds bizarre, it is indeed something he could have made.

"So cool......"

Qi Hengyu and the others, also drawn by the huge commotion here, couldn't help exclaiming in awe after seeing the sleek, elegant mech.

As mentioned before, this is a creation that people of this era could never imagine.

Compared to modern society's love for wild imagination, people of this world lean more toward realism, let alone turning fantasy into reality.

It should be noted that even the robots children play with in this world are crudely made.

For a moment everyone was dazzled by the mech, paying no attention to the Chi Jinan who had been hammered into the ground.

Chi Jinan slowly moved the rubble pressing on him aside; his obsidian‑like eyes didn't look at the mech in the sky, but scanned the surroundings.

"Escaped again..."

A brutal flash crossed his ink‑black eyes; with a casual swing, the blood that had spilled from his wound instantly coalesced at his side into a massive rhombus‑shaped Blood Crystal, which he hurled fiercely at the mech in the sky.

"Huh......"

The Blood Crystal pierced the mech in the air; before Chi Jinan's attack could land on the mech, Ying Duo had already absorbed the mech into space, making it vanish without a trace.

The Blood Crystal exploded mid‑air, beautiful like an inverted lotus in bloom, yet no one dared step even a foot into its covered area.

"Are you okay?"

Yue Chengzhang, with Min Tianyou, came over and saw a disheveled Chi Jinan standing in the ruins.

His black uniform was already torn in many places and covered in dust; the only good news was that, thanks to his monster‑like regenerative ability, the wounds had almost fully healed.

Min Tianyou had already figured out how to have Yue Chengzhang subdue the out‑of‑control Chi Jinan; Yue Chengzhang's power grew slowly, while Chi Jinan, after that previous battle, seemed to have taken a hit that triggered a rapid surge in strength.

Now, for Yue Chengzhang to suppress Chi Jinan, he would also have to spend some effort.

"It's fine."

Unexpectedly, Chi Jinan quickly regained his composure, gave Min Tianyou a cold glance with his black eyes, then withdrew his gaze.

Min Tianyou raised an eyebrow; although also a member of the plan, his interactions with Chi Jinan were almost nonexistent, so it seemed Chi Jinan would be sent over to hold the fort, becoming somewhat more reliable.

Thus, Yue Chengzhang could also feel a bit more at ease.

Chi Jinan only stretched his limbs a bit, then saw over there Qi Junyi with an impatient, muttering face, coming over to clean up the mess for him.

Because they saw Qi Hengyu also joining the fun, the two brothers started arguing again.

Chi Jinan said nothing, calmly bypassed everyone, and headed back to the spot where they had rested; his obedient demeanor instead made Qi Junyi uneasy.

He didn't even scold his younger brother, just watched Chi Jinan's departing back, and the bad feeling grew stronger.

"... Did this old man take the wrong medicine today?"

For Chi Jinan, he already knew Ying Duo had come here, and Ying Duo would inevitably be among the party heading to the Eternal Silent Abyss.

Why rush at this moment? Ying Duo may escape for a while, but cannot escape forever.

Next time, he will tear Ying Duo, along with that eyesore iron puppet beside him, to shreds.

It just requires a brief wait; he has already waited long enough, and waiting for that poisonous fruit to fully mature doesn't even lack this short span.