Chapter 4: Reward Behind the Door

A massive energy beam surged out of the device.

The nearby crowd, their faces illuminated by the glare, could barely keep their eyes open, and their hair was constantly lifted by the hot wind of the surging energy.

Meanwhile, the tightly sealed Alloy Gate of Nest City ahead began to melt gradually under the continuous bombardment of energy.

Ana stared with wide, dazed eyes, her face full of doubt as she looked at the device she had built herself.

Even though every component came from her own hands, Ana now saw it spew such a massive energy beam, and from her face down to the depths of her eyes she felt only endless unfamiliarity.

Ana is that clueless Mechanical Goddess Priest.

On the other side, Bunoke slung a machine gun over his explosively bulging shoulder, his gaze stunned by the raging energy before him.

"This power... could be mounted on a knight Mech as its main cannon..."

Both looked bewildered until the energy began to wane, eventually vanishing completely, and Xisi finally released his grip on the device.

"Why did it stop?"

Seeing the gate only half‑melted, the foul‑mouthed deputy Bunoke, habitually wearing an impatient expression, asked Xisi bluntly.

A few veteran soldiers of the 101 Regiment, despite all belonging to the Imperial Side, couldn't help but suddenly draw their sidearms and glare at Bunoke fiercely for his disrespect.

Bunoke's expression froze, and under the veterans' stare his eyelids twitched wildly.

He hurriedly shut his mouth, yet his heart was filled with strangeness.

Bunoke became a deputy, and in this ragtag crew earned the rightful title of commander, thanks to his hundred battles!

One could say that in this screwed‑up world, his survival alone proves his strength.

Thus Bunoke not only dared to disrespect Xisi, but also secretly called Ana, a Mechanical Sect Disciple, a half‑baked fool.

Know that in the Human Empire, no one dares to show any disrespect toward the Mechanical Church, even if the other is a low‑level Mechanical Sect Disciple.

But the suddenly appearing 101 Regiment, with that young Demon God leading the front, and even any one of the soldiers beneath him, all put enormous pressure on Bunoke.

In front of those veterans, he felt like a raw recruit!

Bunoke certainly knows that not only across the galaxy or even a star sector, but even on his own planet, there are certainly beings stronger than him.

But the problem is, Bunoke can accept a few or even some, yet he cannot accept that any random regiment, with everyone inside so powerful, because that's just damn absurd!

And now this absurd group, because he disrespected their commander—who is also his nominal superior—glared at him viciously.

"Out of energy. I'll replace it with a new one right away."

Ana hurried over, wearing a bright red Mechanical Monk robe and a supporting prosthetic on her shoulder, and opened a valve behind the device.

A burst of white smoke with a high‑temperature 'sizzle' erupted; Ana carefully retrieved an Energy Block, looking at it as if it had been fully exploited, revealing a side of the Energy Block she had never seen before, and for some reason felt a little uneasy.

But that uneasiness was quickly cast aside; Ana's face lit up with excitement as she hopped to replace the Energy Block.

"I knew it, I'm a genius!"

Ana, thrilled, swiftly swapped the Energy Block back, and after a deft operation, without waiting for Xisi, she activated the device herself.

Without an instant surge of raging energy, after Ana's activation the device turned sluggishly; under the puzzled gazes of those around, it took a long while before it barely managed to emit a thin stream of energy.

It then fell onto the partially solidified breach of the gate; instead of creating a hole, it seemed to heat the melting alloy.

Ana's excited expression froze instantly, and Bunoke's eyes widened sharply:

His mouth twitched to curse, but he dared not disrespect Xisi nor show open contempt for the Mechanical Church.

Bunoke could only turn a deep red, then exhaled sharply, heftily shifting the machine gun on his shoulder.

"Why... again displeased?"

Ana wore a helpless expression, with a hint of tears in her eyes.

The Senior Mechanical Sect Priest may retain only cold rationality, but Ana, newly initiated, still displayed obvious emotional swings.

"Let me handle it."

Xisi took the device; having completely run out of supplies and with the fleeing Rebel Forces possibly returning with more troops at any moment, Xisi truly had no time to waste.

Xisi took the device, while Ana's face remained lost and pensive.

But as soon as her head dropped, with barely a pause, the raging energy erupted, blinding light and scorching gusts blasting everyone nearby.

The hot wind again lifted everyone's hair; the soldiers cheered that the device finally recovered, while Ana, after a brief shock, fixed her suddenly enlightened gaze on Xisi.

"I get it!"

"To please the Machine Soul of my genius invention, you must personally perform this step!"

The Mechanical Sect Rationality is also superstitious; their rigor can be illustrated with a short story:

Although they don't know why one must dance around the machine before activation, they danced before a successful launch in the past, so dancing beforehand must have its reason.

Now Ana realized that the issue wasn't her invention, but the missing crucial step involving Xisi.

Ana hurriedly recorded the device's operating steps, emphasizing the part that required Xisi's personal handling.

While Ana busied herself noting the results, the soldiers who had been scattered began to gather around.

The Alloy Gate of Nest City, already half‑melted, began again to visibly turn into a rolling orange‑yellow molten metal.

The once massive gate now became extremely thin, and at its very center one could faintly see the energy beam piercing through.

Whether the 101 Regiment or Bunoke's ragtag troops, they all subconsciously licked their lips, eager to enter the Supply Station in Nest City for a hearty meal.

But as the gate grew thinner, not only Xisi furrowed his brows watching it, but even the veteran soldiers of the 101 Regiment and Bunoke grew increasingly solemn.

Finally, at the last moment before the gate would open completely, Xisi kept staring into the darkness beyond the crack, then suddenly glared, pulling his hands away from the device.

The raging energy beam gradually faded, and the broken gate was but one step away from opening.

Yet the veterans showed no joy; instead, with tense faces, they abruptly aimed their weapons at the gate.

An explosion erupted from within the gate!

The final obstruction vanished with the blast, and the long‑closed gate slowly pushed open from inside.

The narrow, deep entrance passage of Nest City revealed, in the darkness, a dense throng of moving silhouettes.

When sunlight streamed in as the gate opened, the sight beyond made even Xisi's eyes twitch.

Behind the gate are rebel forces that have been locked up for an unknown length of time—an entire Nest City of rebels!