Chapter 213: Tower of Eternity, Star Net Legion

Underground Cave World.

Mechanical Ruins, underground passage.

The flashlight beam drifted across the damp walls; A Lan maintained combat Cultivation Mode in his fused form, adorned with teammate attachments from his monster Xingtai .

After this period of experimentation, the fusion Cultivation Mode had been upgraded once again.

Besides having more teammate attachments, his Star Vein combination now included a new Soul.

He had added the "Insight" Soul, which helped him quickly lock onto weak points on mechanical lifeforms, improving hunting efficiency.

Originally, he had planned to embed the newly contained Siphon Soul to enhance combat sustainability.

But mechanical lifeforms possessed no spiritual energy to siphon, making it unsuitable for this hunting environment.

In fact, as the main component of the Fused Diamond gameplay style, he could embed many more Souls; each embedding would boost his overall strength significantly.

Alas, raising his Star Vein rank was far too expensive.

For his next Star Vein upgrade, he still intended to embed the "Gold Coin" Soul to increase profits from the Gold Coin Chamber of Commerce; looking at it, his Star Vein slots were simply insufficient.

After finishing his exploration of the Mechanical Ruins City, he planned to get his teammates back on track next.

He would thoroughly bid farewell to the Fused Diamond Cultivation Mode and return to mainstream gameplay.

This would allow him to remove certain Souls specific to the fusion style.

For instance, the Life Sharing Soul and the Scattered Arrow Soul would have to be discarded once the fusion Cultivation Mode ended.

His teammates could also be freed from their attachment roles and formally begin their exploration of the Monster World.

As they walked, boots crunched in the puddles; the air here was thick with the scent of machine oil and rusting metal.

Wherever his gaze swept, broken mechanical parts were scattered everywhere; gears, bearings, and shattered mechanical arms were piled together, resembling a peculiar mechanical funeral.

"Captain, watch out for electric shock," the Eagle-Headed Demon teammate warned in his mind at that moment.

A Lan looked up toward the spot marked by the Eagle-Headed Demon; three severed cables hung from the ceiling nearby, occasionally sparking and illuminating the oil slicks floating in the puddles below.

"Understood."

After responding, A Lan chose to bypass the leaking, waterlogged area and continued forward along the wall.

Passing through the nearly defunct mechanical corridor, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

Presented before him was a silver-white scene.

At that moment, A Lan heard a faint humming sound coming from the depths of the scene where the light could not reach.

"Captain, it's a formation of sweeping robots; they can fight, and they can be farmed."

Receiving a clear answer from his teammate, A Lan raised his Rock Shield teammate with his left hand while his Force Axe teammate in his right hand erupted with golden flames.

From the darkness, sweeping robots with glowing red lights continuously emerged, raising their rotating rust-removal brushes as they gathered to attack.

A Lan stepped forward actively, his right hand sweeping the Force Axe sharply ahead.

The Gang Qi Soul activated; as the Force Axe swung, it trailed streams of light, and the released axe shadow shattered three sweeping robots in a single strike, scattering their parts across the ground.

The Challenger's prompt rang in his mind; A Lan twisted his hips to borrow momentum and swung the Force Axe again.

The crisp sound of metal being severed rang out continuously.

Before long, he had cleared away this group of sweeping robots that previously required his teammates' cooperative effort to barely defeat.

Summoning the map, he saw he was now only 3.8 kilometers from the central district of the Mechanical Ruins City; he was getting close.

With his direction confirmed, A Lan did not linger and continued probing toward the central zone.

Reaching the end of the silver-white scene, A Lan saw a dilapidated production assembly line still stubbornly operating, emitting a low hum.

The metal framework of the assembly line was long covered in rust, with parts of its structure bent by the collapsed ceiling, yet it still stubbornly extended toward the end of the darkness.

The conveyor belt was covered in cracks and welding marks left by engineering robots making repairs, occasionally emitting ear-piercing grinding noises.

At the start of the assembly line, four old mechanical arms trembled as they grabbed sporadic metal scraps from mountains of waste; their joints creaked, their movements slow and clumsy, as if they might collapse at any moment.

It was evident that these metal scraps were mostly mechanical wreckage recovered from the ruins, their surfaces covered in scratches and rust, long having lost their original luster.

In the middle section of the assembly line, several welding robots that could barely function were attempting to piece these scraps together into shells for sweeping robots.

The welding torches emitted faint sparks, but the energy supply was clearly insufficient, resulting in uneven welding points.

At the end of the assembly line, a barely formed sweeping robot wobbled as it slid off the conveyor belt.

Although its shell was polished bright, its chassis wheels were crooked, causing it to move in a lopsided manner.

The array of sweeping robots encountered earlier had clearly been born from here.

A Lan did not let these resources go to waste.

He destroyed the robots that were still maintaining operation, then dismantled the energy sources on the production line and tossed them into his Spatial Satchel.

He did not spare the piled mechanical wreckage either.

Whether sacrificed to Di Zhao or listed on the Trading Exchange, they would serve a purpose.

This was another substantial extra profit.

Passing through the sweeping robot production line, A Lan led his team forward.

The mechanical warriors encountered afterward showed a significant increase in strength.

Guardian types, Combat types, Destroyer types... their hunting levels had reached 25+, with Destroyer robots generally at 30+.

Even with the boost from the Fused Diamond Cultivation Mode, A Lan felt immense strain.

Their advance speed had to slow down; after every battle, he needed to drink potions to restore his condition.

These three kilometers took them half a day to traverse.

They finally arrived at the outer edge of the central district of the Mechanical Ruins City.

Bang!

The Force Axe, trailing streams of light, slashed at the broken metal pillar blocking the road ahead.

Sparks flew in all directions; the thick metal pillar cracked and collapsed like rotten, withered wood, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Stepping over the obstacle, A Lan entered the central district of the Mechanical City.

The scene before him left him utterly stunned; this place was like a city forgotten by time.

Dilapidated mechanical skyscrapers stood like the skeletons of giants; on the rust-stained metal walls crawled glowing mechanical vines forming a mechanical neural network, within which faint energy still flowed, as if the city's blood vessels were still beating.

Countless mechanical remnants were scattered across the ground.

Giant gears, broken drones, mechanical guards... the surfaces of these mechanical devices were all covered in a thick layer of dust.

Looking upward.

On the dome, a massive rift had viciously torn open the city's originally intact structure; the edges of the rift were jagged, the metal framework twisted and deformed, as if ripped apart by some irresistible force.

Shattered metal fragments, connected by the mechanical network, hung along the edge of the gap, swaying in the wind.

Through the hole in the dome, the sky was fully visible; one could see dark clouds filling the dim sky, with occasional lightning streaking across the horizon, illuminating the central district beneath the dome.

Seeing this scene, A Lan could imagine what had befallen the Machine Guard Clan.

This potential race, harboring ambitions to dominate the world, had faced an unstoppable crisis of extinction before it could even develop.

It had been destroyed by other descending factions or by native tribes of the Monster World.

All that remained was this city, nearly paralyzed yet still barely functioning.

But having potential and actually growing to maturity were two entirely different things.

It was certain that there were many such potential factions in the Monster World, but most had perished on the road to rise, failing to ascend into true powerful clans.

Luck was also a crucial factor in a clan's growth process.

No matter how high the potential, if the starting point was wrong, reaching the destination was destined to be difficult.

Unless, like them, the players, who possessed infinite fault tolerance and could rise from failure countless times to continue the journey they had not yet completed.

Shifting his gaze forward.

In the center of this area stood a towering mechanical tower piercing straight up to the dome.

The tower body was composed of countless layered metal rings, each still flickering with a faint blue light, as if some energy flowed within.

The top of the tower had been largely sheared off by external force; occasionally, lightning from the sky was attracted by the energy circulating within the tower, passing through the torn dome to strike the tower, triggering a burst of blinding arcs upon impact.

While feeling shocked in his heart, A Lan strode toward the high tower.

As he drew closer, he activated his Analysis ability and scanned:

[Tower of Eternity (Unfinished, Damaged)]:

Analysis Introduction: The supreme miracle created by the Machine Guard Clan in pursuit of mechanical immortality, standing at the center of the Mechanical City, symbolizing the peak of their technology; the high tower connects to the core energy hub created by the Machine Guard Clan and serves as the ultimate vessel for the clan leader's consciousness (not yet uploaded).

A vast consciousness network was constructed within the tower; through mechanical neural technology, once the Machine Guard Clan leader fused with it, they would enter a state of immortality.

They could control everything within the Mechanical City by connecting to the network via mechanical nerves.

Note: The Machine Guard Clan believed that as long as the Tower of Eternity stood, their civilization would endure forever.

"As expected, there is a Tower of Eternity!"

Although this was only a semi-finished product, the appearance of the Tower of Eternity made A Lan extremely excited.

This meant the plan he had conceived could continue to advance.

Being unfinished was not an issue; as player qualifications were distributed one after another, more and more members of the Eclipse Clan would arrive in the Monster World.

They could completely perfect the unfinished parts of the Eternal Tower based on the foundation created by the Machine Guard Clan.

As players, they had plenty of time.

Arriving nearby, the towering Tower of Eternity resembled a stone pillar piercing the sky.

A ring of massive energy pipes surrounded the base of the tower, but no energy liquid flowed within them anymore; one could only see wisps of thin mist drifting inside occasionally.

Around the tower body lay an empty plaza, its ground inscribed with a complex mechanical neural network.

Twelve massive mechanical statues stood around the plaza, all damaged, some even severed at the waist.

A Lan already knew about these twelve statues.

During his tunnel exploration, he had found many future-concept blueprints left behind by the Machine Guard Clan.

According to the records on the blueprints, the Machine Guard Clan called these twelve statues: Eternal Guards.

Their original purpose when forged was to protect the Tower of Eternity.

Any uncertified target approaching would automatically activate the guards, launching a devastating strike against the intruder.

Each statue was equipped with the Machine Guard Clan's most advanced weaponry, while the mechanical neural network beneath their feet could provide continuous charging at any time.

It was similar to the wireless charging models in reality.

But judging by the extent of the damage to the statues, they had all lost their combat capabilities.

Heading straight to the front of the high tower, he saw eight straight bridges leading to it, with bottomless space below.

The bridge bodies were cast from heavy alloy, their surfaces covered in complex mechanical patterns, wide enough to accommodate several mechanical vehicles moving side by side.

On both sides of the bridge stood tall metal railings, carved with the emblem of the Machine Guard Clan: a clenched mechanical fist.

Acting out of caution, A Lan took a metal shard from his Spatial Sack and threw it onto the metal bridge.

Clang!

The metal shard bounced off the ground after impact and fell into the abyss below.

Discovering that no hidden mechanisms were triggered, A Lan did not relax his vigilance.

The technology of the Machine Guard Clan was extremely advanced; the detection method he tried might not be effective.

Referring to important defense zones in Eclipse City in reality, all were equipped with life-detection systems; since this was the core stronghold of the Machine Guard Clan, logically it should also have multiple layers of defense.

Although the energy of the mechanical city was nearly exhausted, the body of the Tower of Eternity still flickered with faint light from time to time, proving that its internal energy core was still operating.

After throwing two more metal shards and unable to determine if there were traps, A Lan decided to approach personally.

At this moment, the best choice would actually be to throw a teammate attachment to test for life detection.

But doing so was obviously too outrageous.

Stopping before the metal bridge, A Lan took his first step forward, landing on the grid-patterned metal floor.

He leaned his body back, ready to turn and run at any moment.

The first step was fine, followed by the second, then the third.

When the fifth step landed, spiritual runes on the metal bridge lit up from the far end, flashing as they rapidly spread toward the starting point.

Seeing this scene, A Lan didn't even wait to see what would happen next; he decisively turned and ran.

"Captain, so many mechanical creatures are flying out from under the bridge, every single one is level 40."

While running, A Lan turned his head to look; mechanical lifeforms of various shapes surged forth in batches from beneath the bridge: some resembled metal bats with wings made of sharp blades, others looked like mechanical spiders whose eight legs flashed with cold light as they ran, and still others were like swarms of micro-drones, densely covering his entire field of vision.

The indicator lights on these mechanical creatures flashed with red glow, clearly indicating they had entered combat status.

Driven by some invisible command, they swarmed forward.

These mechanical creatures were not large in size, but when A Lan scanned them with his analysis, he was startled.

The materials used to forge these mechanical creatures were the Machine Guard Clan's most precious "Guardian Gold," and each one had a hunting level reaching 40+.

Given their current strength, they were no match for even a single one, let alone a whole group.

A Lan's running speed suddenly increased.

But no matter how fast he ran, he couldn't outrun flight; sensing the sound of wind cutting through the air attacking from behind, A Lan sharply lowered his head.

The wings of a metal bat swept past overhead, instantly killing the Eagle-Headed Demon teammate standing on his head, sending him back to Emperor Tomb Village in seconds.

"Captain, run faster, Little Chicken died so miserably!"

Glancing at the teammate avatar in the party list that had already turned gray, A Lan wanted to accelerate even more, but then heard a short, sharp scream from behind.

Another teammate had been killed.

Realizing he lacked the power to escape the pursuit of the mechanical legion, A Lan decisively turned around, lifted his Rock Shield teammate, and smashed him violently into a flying mechanical bat.

"Captain, stop running! When enemies meet on a narrow path, the brave wins; let's counter-kill!"

As soon as the words fell, a laser beam suddenly swept across, instantly slicing A Lan's body into black mist that dissipated.

Seeing this, the teammates also gave up resistance upon landing, calmly awaiting the arrival of death.

After all, they were no longer novice players; death had long lost the fear that only existed during the first time.

After entering the Black Room, A Lan's vision automatically switched to the forum interface.

Above was the resurrecting countdown timer ticking away.

Although he had died, A Lan's heart was filled with immense excitement.

Facts proved that the Tower of Eternity truly existed.

Although many settings were not yet perfected, and even the original main structure had suffered significant damage, A Lan already held expectations for the future.

Having not logged off for a long time, he did not browse the forum information, choosing instead to exit the game at this moment.

His vision was like the curtain closing at the end of a stage play, gradually shrouded in darkness.

After a brief sensation of weightlessness, his consciousness was transmitted back to his physical body.

Hiss!

Four jets of white mist sprayed from both sides of the game pod.

The nutrient fluid inside the game pod evaporated, and the pod lid shifted upward.

A Lan sat up inside the game pod.

Unlike the game pods used by most races on Earth, the game pod A Lan used did not require regular replacement of nutrient canisters.

The game pod adopted a pipeline-docking nutrient supply system, which differed significantly from traditional immersion-style nutrient fluids.

This design utilized a pipeline network to atomize the nutrient fluid and directly transport it to the user's skin surface, employing nanometer-level penetration technology to ensure maximum absorption efficiency of nutrients.

After each gaming session ended, the intelligent system would automatically evaporate and recover any residual nutrient fluid, avoiding waste and pollution.

The evaporation process also included built-in purification, separating water and trace components from the nutrient fluid for condensation and recovery, while skin tissue and debris remaining in the liquid were decomposed into gas and expelled, to be absorbed and processed by the room's air purification system.

Secondly, the interior of the game pod was also equipped with temperature regulation devices, ensuring he remained in optimal physiological condition throughout the gaming process.

This design not only saved resources but also reduced user discomfort, making it suitable for long-duration virtual gaming.

After obtaining qualification for the Monster World game, A Lan had also equipped his game pod with an exercise system.

At regular intervals, the game pod would inject numerous tiny pressure bladders, gently enveloping his body.

During this process, the pressure bladders would inflate and deflate rhythmically like breathing, simulating muscle contraction and relaxation.

Even the joints would be pushed by the pressure bladders to perform gentle movements, such as ankle rotations and knee bends.

Yet, under the precise control of the game pod, his body maintained healthy blood circulation and muscle activity, preventing muscle atrophy from prolonged gaming and promoting blood flow.

After the exercise concluded, the pressure bladders were automatically retracted.

Because this type of game pod possessed a nutrient supply system requiring connection to a city nutrient depot, it had not yet become popular in the cities of various races on Earth.

Standing up, he walked out of the game pod.

A Lan approached the dining counter, picked up a water cup, filled it with blue liquid, and drank it down.

His gaze swept across the room.

The room he was in was dominated by white and blue tones, with walls constructed from semi-transparent nanomaterials.

Faint blue light patterns flowed across the surface, fluctuating slightly with the light and sound within the room as if alive.

These light patterns were not merely decorative; they were created using holographic environmental simulation technology.

The wall surfaces consisted of countless tiny nano-pixels capable of instantly changing color, brightness, and texture upon command.

They could even simulate dynamic lighting and shadow effects.

The crystal chip on the back of A Lan's neck flickered slightly at this moment, immediately transmitting his thought to the house's intelligent system.

The originally pale blue walls instantly transformed into a tranquil forest.

Tall trees with lush branches and leaves stood everywhere; sunlight filtered through the foliage, casting dappled shadows, while a gentle breeze blew, causing the leaves to sway gently, accompanied by the sounds of birdsong and flowing streams.

Even the air changed, beginning to fill with the fresh scent of earth and green grass, as if one were immersed in nature itself.

This holographic technology combined with virtual techniques made it difficult to detect any flaws even when examining closely with the naked eye.

The environment could even change in response to the variations in A Lan's pupils.

A Lan issued another command, switching the scene to a vibrant underwater world.

In the three-dimensional scene presented on the walls, schools of colorful fish swam leisurely, and coral reefs flashed with fascinating colors amidst the light and shadow.

In the distance, a huge whale slowly swam over, emitting a low cry.

The switch command was transmitted again, and the walls instantly became a vast starry sky.

Against the pitch-black background, countless stars twinkled, and the Milky Way stretched across the sky like a brilliant band of light.

From time to time, meteors streaked across the starry sky, leaving behind a brief and dazzling trail of light.

During this period, A Lan could also zoom in on a specific galaxy to observe the orbital trajectories of planets up close.

The room temperature also adjusted automatically during this time.

Without needing to issue any commands, the intelligent system would automatically adjust the room's brightness, temperature, and humidity based on the emotional fluctuations transmitted by the crystal chip on the back of his neck.

At this moment, A Lan walked to the corner of the room.

Here stood a 3D printing capsule, shaped like an oval blue-and-white capsule.

Tapping lightly on the screen of the printing capsule, it displayed a selection of printable items.

For the Eclipse Clan to have developed to this day, basic daily necessities no longer needed to be acquired through purchase.

The 3D printing capsule could satisfy all basic living needs; from simple clothing, toothbrushes, and shoes to various household tools, all daily necessities could be printed in just over ten seconds, with a database containing a vast array of selectable style templates.

Next to the printing capsule stood a smart wardrobe with transparent doors; inside, clothes hung neatly, all produced by the 3D printing capsule.

The smart screen on the glass would also automatically recommend outfits based on A Lan's schedule.

For instance, when attending high-level meetings of the Moon Eclipse Clan, it would recommend more solemn attire.

Usually at home, he mostly wore casual clothes, or directly donned his game suit.

After printing a brand-new set of game suits for backup, A Lan moved to the center of the room; with a wave of his hand, the projection lights on the ceiling ignited, weaving light and shadow into a virtual office desk within the room.

A chair that fit his body automatically rose from the floor.

A Lan began recording his discoveries in the virtual game, along with planning proposals for the future development direction of the Moon Eclipse Clan.

Especially the Tower of Eternity; this might provide enormous assistance once the Star Net entered the game.

Just as A Lan threw himself wholly into his work, the projection lights on the ceiling automatically shifted, and then a child's figure condensed beside him.

Realizing it was the Star Net who had arrived, A Lan immediately stood up:

"Star Net."

"No need to report; I already know the situation regarding the Tower of Eternity. I watched your entire livestream; you simply didn't notice that I was always in your livestream room."

Hearing this, A Lan said with a slightly excited expression:

"Star Net, what do you think of the Tower of Eternity? Can it serve as a vessel to carry your consciousness?"

The Star Net smiled and nodded:

"Indeed not bad. The Machine Guard Clan has conceived many novel technological techniques, perhaps all of which can be realized in our hands; it has even given me the idea of building a mechanical legion."

"A mechanical legion? Could you elaborate?" Hearing these words, A Lan appeared somewhat puzzled.

Before this, the Star Net had stated clearly.

The development of the Moon Eclipse Clan would center on three systems: Soul Soul, Star Vein, and Body Tempering, with technological weapons serving only as auxiliary support for development.

The combat loss rate for a mechanical legion system was extremely high; the Star Net's initial idea had been to apply it depending on the situation.

After all, players could be reshaped after death, but mechanical lives mass-produced on assembly lines in arsenals could only have a portion recovered after death, requiring complex craftsmanship to repair them, or smelting them into metal resources for reuse.

Facing the inquiry, the Star Net nodded:

"Assuming that in the future I participate in external operations as a player legion commander, it is indeed a promising development path, but compared to the Black Black Tide Commander, I possess one obvious shortcoming: there is a significant delay in issuing commands."

"This delay cannot currently be resolved by any means, unless a special Soul Soul capable of mental connection emerges in the future, one that can directly present my thoughts in the minds of the commanded players; before that, no matter what orders I issue, they must be understood by the commanded players before execution."

"The command capability of the Earth Thought Evil Spirit, and the data analysis ability of the Evil Eye, are continuously improving as they grow; my advantages will gradually shrink, and in the future, command delay will be my greatest shortcoming, even a fatal flaw when confronting the Black Black Tide."

Hearing this, A Lan immediately understood the Star Net's thinking:

"So you intend to build a mechanical legion, allowing for command without delay, just like the Earth Thought Evil Spirit where a thought is an order, thereby narrowing the gap in command efficiency."

The Star Net nodded:

"That is precisely my idea."

Having clarified the Star Net's intent, the doubt in A Lan's heart deepened at that moment:

"I have a doubt: building a mechanical legion can indeed significantly improve command efficiency, but its combat strength simply cannot compare to the player system, so how should the gap in combat power be bridged?"

"Secondly, a mechanical legion clearly cannot resolve the disparity in unit strength; the Black Black Tide possesses units of all systems, whereas the mechanical legion's units are created via assembly lines in arsenals; for every type of mechanical warrior built, a production line must be established, creating a development model with a significant gap compared to the Black Black Tide."

"With a single thought, the Earth Thought Evil Spirit can switch combat units in real-time on the battlefield, whereas your method of generating units requires backend arsenals; the battlefield environment changes in an instant, making the generation and switching speed of units far too inefficient. Although commanding players involves delay, players possess rule buffs and are not subject to absolute counters, but the units generated by a mechanical legion are easily countered by counter-type units generated by the Black Black Tide, leading to being crushed on all fronts."

Hearing this, the Star Net smiled and nodded:

"This is also the reason I previously abandoned the mechanical legion model; non-player systems simply cannot contend with the Black Black Tide, having too many unresolvable shortcomings."

"But the emergence of the Tower of Eternity has allowed me to find a solution to the problem."

"In the settings of the Machine Guard Clan, the Tower of Eternity possesses an ability I lack: mental resonance technology, which connects target devices via mental waves, unaffected by electromagnetic pulses, signal shielding, or other interference methods; its specific range can continuously improve as the Tower of Eternity is perfected."

"This technology has led me to conceive a special plan for building a mechanical legion system."

As the Star Net finished speaking, the light and shadow in the room automatically shifted, and countless tiny silver-white particles emerged against a backdrop of starry sky.

As his vision suddenly zoomed in, A Lan discovered that each silver-white particle was a tiny mechanical lifeform.

"This is the mechanical nano-insect legion I have conceived; similar to the Black Black Tide's energy particles, they serve as the universal energy source within the legion, with each particle capable of being regarded as a single unit."

At this moment, the Star Net raised a hand, and the nano-machine insects quickly gathered in the direction of the Star Net's finger.

Immediately, one mechanical warrior after another continuously aggregated and formed within the projection image, spreading across the screen as rapidly as a viral outbreak; in the blink of an eye, a massive legion of mechanical warriors was generated.

Light and shadow wove together, forming a light screen panel before A Lan, displaying information about the mechanical warriors.

[Assault Warrior.]

Appearance Setting: Medium-sized humanoid or quadrupedal robot, equipped with heavy armor and a multi-functional weapon system.

Function: Frontal breakthrough, mid-range fire suppression.

Equipment: High-energy pulse rifle, rocket launcher, plasma blade, etc.

Advantages: Powerful firepower, high defense, adaptable to combat in various terrains.

Weaknesses: Poor mobility, easily targeted by area-of-effect fire attacks.

Just then, a figure infinitely familiar to A Lan appeared at the end of the virtual scene.

This figure was none other than the Earth Thought Bully, along with the Evil Eye that always hovered behind it.

A virtual Black Black Tide generated, and a surging Black Black Tide pressed forward from the end of the scene.

The Assault Warriors immediately raised their firearms; their weapons spat bullets, unleashing dense volleys against the calamity-type units generated by the Black Black Tide.

A starry sky battle was about to erupt.

But to A Lan's astonishment, the bullets fired by the Assault Warriors, upon hitting the evil spirits, unexpectedly turned back as if alive, then merged back with the Assault Warriors, replenishing their ammunition.

"One of the Black Black Tide's characteristics is its backlash capability; the mechanical legion composed of nano-machine insects possesses the same trait. Although it cannot achieve the same extremity as the Black Black Tide, fundamentally, both the bullets and the combat units are composed of nano-machine insects; even if damaged, they can be instantly repaired by the nano-insects."

At this moment, the Earth Thought Evil Spirit in the image began switching evil spirit units.

In the time it took for a thought to turn, the Star Net caused the mechanical legion to collapse violently, melting into raging silver-white nano-particles.

A new order was issued, and the nano-mechanical legion re-aggregated.

One by one, massive quadrupedal mechanical behemoths quickly formed, sweeping across the starry sky like dominoes.

Introductory information for the newly born units appeared before A Lan's eyes in the form of light screens:

War Bastion:

Appearance: Super-large war machine, equipped with multiple heavy weapons and thick armor.

Function: Conducts wide-area fire coverage in war Cultivation Mode, responsible for destroying the enemy's core groups.

Weapon Systems: Giant laser cannons, missile arrays.

Advantages: Capable of withstanding massive damage while striking multiple targets simultaneously.

Weaknesses: Extremely poor mobility.

At this moment, the Star Net snapped its fingers, and immediately dense firepower rose into the sky, illuminating the starry expanse.

Dense energy cannons rained down like drops upon the Black Black Tide's damage-dealing units.

"This is the mechanical legion I have conceived; there is no need to build multiple assembly lines for different mechanical unit types, only a single production line for mechanical nano-insects is required. Any unit type I need can be constructed based on the mechanical nano-insect as the fundamental unit, mimicking the Black Black Tide's ability to switch units at will, as well as its backlash trait after taking losses."

The Star Net snapped its fingers again, and immediately numerous mechanical unit templates appeared sequentially before A Lan in the form of light screens.

Phantom Tracker (Reconnaissance Type), Instant Assassin (Sniper Type), Stardust Purifier (Sequence 1 Destruction Weapon), etc.

"You can understand it this way: mechanical nano-insects are universal building blocks; I only need to set the unit template, and the mechanical nano-insects will generate the designated unit for me. I can switch unit types at any time during a state of war according to the unit arsenal to cope with different types of war environments."

"Assuming the conceptual settings can truly be achieved, I could possess the three major war advantages of a Black Black Tide Commander: thought as order, arbitrary unit switching, and backlash recovery—these three characteristics."

After hearing the Star Net's explanation, A Lan's expression shifted from puzzlement to shock, his pupils dilating slightly.

He had originally thought the Star Net's idea was to rapidly produce large quantities of mechanical units in the early stages to build a mechanical legion, accelerating growth and resource acquisition speed.

Although combat losses would be high, as long as the growth speed could cover the losses, it wouldn't be a problem.

He never expected that what the Star Net had conceived was actually a super-legion under a solo-dominance model.

In A Lan's view, this system was terrifyingly strong.

He even suspected that if given sufficient resources and time, the Star Net had the capability to create a new calamity legion.

Just then, the Star Net couldn't help but sigh:

"This war system still has a considerable gap compared to the calamity level; the backlash cannot proceed without limits like the Black Black Tide, and there remains a possibility that mechanical nano-insects cannot be recovered after being destroyed; Black Black Tide energy particles are the most perfect fundamental unit."

"A nano-mechanical legion would inevitably hold a systemic advantage when confronting other races, but if facing the Black Black Tide, it would be completely countered; the effects shown in the demonstration cannot be applied in actual combat."

"Why?" A Lan couldn't help but frown.

"Because mechanical nano-insects lack the Black Black Tide's trait of growing stronger through battle; I can only achieve backlash repair, but I cannot achieve devouring growth."

Speaking thus, the Star Net pointed a finger toward the battlefield.

The black waves came into contact with the silver waves composed of mechanical nano-insects.

Instantly, the black waves expanded at a speed visible to the naked eye, devouring swathes of silver light points and transforming them into Black Black Tide energy.

The confrontation between Black Black Tide particles and nano-machine insects presented a lopsided decline.

"This is the gap; before the Black Black Tide, the nano-mechanical legion can only compensate for some shortcomings, yet there remains an insurmountable disparity."

Hearing these words, the previously excited A Lan immediately calmed down:

"Is there a solution?"

"There is."

In the time it took for a thought to turn, the Star Net caused the Black Black Tide and mechanical legion in the virtual scene to dissipate.

A mechanical colossus as massive as the moon appeared in the image, hovering in the starry sky, surrounded by countless mechanical lifeforms.

"This is a faction recorded in the early forums; it suddenly descended upon the Emperor Tomb Mountain Range region in the past, plundering a mining district; players call it: the Mechanical Overlord."

"According to the introduction in the Guidance, it wields a world-level rule power called Divine Metal, which can refine metal into rule-metal; this is, in my eyes, a nearly perfect material. If blessed by this world-level rule, although the manufactured nano-machine insects still couldn't stop the Black Black Tide's devouring, combat losses could be significantly reduced, and the mechanical nano-insects could be granted the ability to evolve by devouring metallic substances."

As the Star Net's voice fell, the virtual image on the wall switched to a scene of rolling, continuous mountain ranges.

In the pitch-black night sky, a silver cloud mass emerged, a vast swarm composed of hundreds of millions of mechanical nano-insects.

Each nano-insect was smaller than a speck of dust, shimmering with a metallic luster under the moonlight, resembling a flowing river of stars.

As they approached the undulating mountain ranges, the cloud mass suddenly dispersed, transforming into countless tiny points of light that poured down like a torrential rain.

The nano-insect swarm covered the surface of the mountains like a layer of flowing mercury, rapidly seeping into the crevices of the rocks.

Any ore containing metallic substances, whether iron mines buried deep underground or copper mines exposed on the surface, vanished quickly under the devouring of the nano-insects.

The continuous, undulating mountain ranges collapsed at a speed visible to the naked eye; during this process, the rocks disintegrated and the soil turned loose, as if an invisible giant hand was slowly hollowing them out bit by bit.

Wherever the nano-insect swarm passed, only gray-white residue remained—the waste left behind after the ores were completely stripped away.

Under the Star Net's simulation, the mechanical nano-insect swarm resembled a flock of hungry locusts, greedily devouring everything metallic, not even sparing the trace metal elements within the mountain bodies.

In a short period, the once towering mountain ranges became riddled with holes, resembling a giant beast that had been eaten hollow by termites.

After completing their devouring, the nano-insect swarm regrouped into a silver cloud mass and flew toward the next target.

All that remained was a dead, desolate wasteland and mountain bodies that had been completely hollowed out, as if they had undergone a fierce, blanket artillery bombardment.

At this moment, the Star Net continued speaking:

"Although it cannot devour all matter like the Black Black Tide, Divine Metal can grant the mechanical nano-insects the rule-level ability to grow by devouring metallic substances; enemy weapons, armor... all metallic matter can become nourishment for the mechanical legion to grow stronger with every battle."

"Theoretically, apart from calamity-level forces like the Black Black Tide and the Insect Black Tide, I can generate a war system to counter any known faction existing now."

While A Lan felt immense shock in his heart, his expression suddenly turned solemn:

"Star Net, it seems we have a clear objective."

As he spoke, A Lan's gaze swept across the scene, landing on the Mechanical Sovereign hovering above the starry sky, its form as massive as the moon.

"There is no rush; the gap in combat power between us and the Mechanical Sovereign is too vast. It is a Half-God realm expert; if we wish to challenge it, we still have a very long road ahead."

"The future development of the Moon Eclipse Clan will still revolve around the three core systems: Star Vein combinations, Body Tempering ranks, and Soul Souls. Even for me, who follows the solo strength model, I will use these three core systems to create mechanical legions in the future. I hope to combine the concept of the nano-mechanical legion with Soul Soul characteristics to grant the nano-mechanical insects more possibilities. Relying solely on the blessing of this one world-level rule, Divine Metal, there remains an insurmountable gap between me and the Black Black Tide."

"Only by adding the Star Vein system will I have the power to fight... but at the current stage, there is temporarily no function that allows combining external systems with the Star Vein system for use... but regardless, the concept of the mechanical legion will be one of my core growth directions in the future."

After speaking, the Star Net looked at A Lan:

"From now on, there is no need to report to me; if you have ideas, you can communicate with me directly in the livestream room. I am always available."

"Mm." A Lan nodded respectfully; in his heart, the Star Net had always been the role of an elder and the mentor guiding his growth.

The Star Net's projection dispersed at this moment, and the room returned to the virtual scene surrounded by starlight.

At this moment, A Lan walked toward the game pod, preparing to enter the game and continue his struggle.

After ending the conversation with the Star Net, he already had a clear hunting target.

Mechanical Sovereign, just wait for us!

(End of Chapter)