novelraw Chapter 143 : Mechanical Tower
Chapter 143 : Mechanical Tower
The starship needed to leave the underground, but the mine pit above was blocking it.
For Zhu Jing Fu, this wasn't a major problem. With White Satin Gold Gilt and the special materials left by Master Jin here, even white phosphorus ore didn't seem that important. If the mine tunnel was blocking the way, they could just blow it up.
But the current problem was how to get out through the hole above the starship while being watched by a group of high-level energy bodies.
As long as Zhou Chen's lightning magnetic cannon finished charging, the energy burst would be more than enough to blow up the mine pit.
Chen Sui and Xie Chunshi watched the monitors on the central operating panel, observing the starship's armament configuration.
Xie Chunshi had the type of personality that became calmer as danger increased. His mind put aside everything related to Master Jin, focusing on how to get his teammates out of here.
The energy bodies had been dispersed under the light pillar's attack and were now being attracted by the White Satin Gold Gilt and absorption device, gathering again toward the control room. The entrance through which Zhu Jing Fu had fallen was still some distance from the control room.
After the starship control room door was sealed, the artificial intelligence lit up, and Xie Chunshi discovered more and more programs he could control from the control room. He mobilized the firepower weapons that could still be used.
Many of the preparations in the starship seemed familiar.
—Weapons against star beasts that he had studied in Star Alliance history class.
These weapons were certainly effective against energy bodies, but only if they could penetrate the energy barriers around the energy bodies.
"Zhou Chen, do you remember the route?" Xie Chunshi looked up.
Although Zhou Chen was always somewhat reluctant to do such things, every time he agreed, he was fully prepared and had never had any problems. He muttered the route, nodding: "I've got it."
Xie Chunshi manipulated the starship's weapons: "The cannons along the way will buy you time. Snow will also help. Once you blow open the top, come back immediately."
Zhou Chen's expression was solemn as he nodded.
The power of the lightning magnetic cannon and fierce fire cannon was absolutely sufficient to blow open the mine pit.
Seeing that he and Gu Qinxue were both ready, Xie Chunshi observed the energy bodies' behavior, waiting for the right moment: "The door's open, go."
The control room door opened under his operation, large enough for mechas to pass through.
Two black-gold mechas quickly passed through.
Chen Sui's energy followed, vines wrapping around them, ready at any moment to pull her teammates back if the timing wasn't right.
Her eyes were fixed on the starship's weapons. As the mechas traversed the corridor, energy bodies that had been crawling on the starship rushed up, unable to restrain themselves. The weapons on the starship spewed fire and smoke, red light instantly surging like a tide, clearing the walkway.
"Boom—"
The muffled impact sounds were incessant.
The two black-gold mechas flashed out from the flames and red smoke, not pausing even when hit by the surrounding spherical cannon shells.
Zhou Chen held his Four-sided Mace in one hand, swinging it vigorously, deflecting the surrounding shells.
Chen Sui watched her teammates leave the control room, her gaze beginning to observe the weapons extending from the starship's walls.
Master Jin had left this starship a hundred years ago. The various power estimates from that time differed from now, but it had to be said, the firepower could indeed solve most difficulties. Though the starship's abundant firepower couldn't cause any substantial damage to the energy bodies, it had effectively hindered the energy bodies' progress, buying considerable time for Zhou Chen and Gu Qinxue to approach the exit.
This style... was really very similar to Chen Jia's.
Weapons were buried throughout the underground city, including many things whose power even Chen Sui couldn't describe. Once triggered, they could completely surround and kill all the mutants that invaded!
In the control room, Chen Sui briefly pondered the events since entering the starship. She really couldn't understand the relationship between the two, but this actually wasn't that important, because when she crossed over, Chen Jia was still recovering in the underground city, while Chen Youjin had already disappeared for many years.
Even by the longest lifespan standards in the interstellar era, she would have departed on a crane to the west by now.
Pursuing these matters was meaningless, Chen Sui thought. She needed to think about how to handle the White Satin Gold Gilt in her possession.
With the live broadcast recording, the control room should already know these were things left by Master Jin.
These items were different from any materials Zhu Jing Fu had found before.
They were not only relics of a great person but also a batch of unknown materials that could even bring enormous benefits and technological impetus to the Star Alliance.
Chen Sui wasn't very familiar with the twists and turns of the council, but she had a premonition that this batch of materials probably couldn't be completely kept by Zhu Jing Fu.
Her hand clenched. But things she had found, there was no reason she couldn't have them.
Chen Sui's eyes suddenly became sharp. As she and Xie Chunshi were pondering, a huge tremor spread.
Zhou Chen and Gu Qinxue had already reached the starship's opening. The fierce fire cannon cleared interference along the route, the explosion accompanied by fierce flames, directly blasting open the underground. This flame and energy aura immediately triggered the remaining white phosphorus ore, and a chain reaction of explosions occurred underground.
After the path ahead was cleared, the lightning magnetic cannon fired—
The mining area was extensive, with many buildings on the surface that hadn't been completely destroyed.
In the next second after the earth movement, the ground seemed to be ripped apart by a giant hand. The land cracked into several pieces, black fissures emerging from underground. But soon, from the bottomless cracks, roaring flames burned out, followed by a white light emerging. Lightning quickly climbed from the ground toward the sky, instantly becoming a pillar of lightning reaching to the heavens.
"Boom!!!"
As the ground split, the mining area's buildings fell around, the up-and-down transport devices snapped in half, directly torn apart. The installations at various levels were also torn by the ground movement, instantly leaving only tatters floating in the air amid the shaking underground structure.
After firing the cannon, the black-gold mechas immediately dodged around. Heavy objects falling from above rapidly crashed onto the starship, some even falling through the entrance into the starship's interior. Zhou Chen and Gu Qinxue skillfully dodged around. The rocks falling into the starship rolled about, blocking the area around them, obstructing the paths of pursuing energy bodies.
Chen Sui and Xie Chunshi, through the monitoring cameras, watched as the entrance view cleared. Although the smoke hadn't completely dispersed, Xie Chunshi had already activated the starship's operational device.
The entire starship, along with the three mechas in the control room, began to shake violently at the moment the starship responded.
The sounds of falling objects striking all around continued, but the people in the control room showed no concern. The starship's material had been checked upon entry—even Chen Sui couldn't break it open, let alone falling objects.
After the path above was cleared, when the starship started, Xie Chunshi saw the view from the driving perspective. Under the Commander's control, the starship began to move toward the periphery.
The muffled impact sounds of falling objects continued, accompanied by the entrance light growing stronger and stronger.
Chen Sui watched the starship move, her eyes suddenly catching something. The vines wrapped around Zhou Chen and Gu Qinxue extended many branches, quickly reaching out through the entrance, coiling around objects the starship passed by and yanking them in.
Zhou Chen was only stunned for a moment. As the starship moved toward the ground, looking at the things curled and wrapped by the vines, the corner of his mouth suddenly twitched.
White phosphorus ore?!
I have to say, Little Sui, you truly never forget your original heart.
He sighed somewhat helplessly.
But as light appeared in his view, that smile was immediately replaced by seriousness.
Returning to the surface, Zhu Jing Fu's escape plan had only completed the first step. There were quite a few high-level energy bodies on the starship.
Gu Qinxue heard the shaking sound of the starship landing, and Xie Chunshi's voice came through the team channel.
"Prepare to go out."
Zhou Chen responded: "Understood."
He held his Four-sided Mace.
Finally able to leave this narrow mine pit, he thought.
The black-gold mecha approached the exit. Almost as soon as the starship landed, it increased its propulsion, directly rushing out from underground.
Gu Qinxue came out a step behind. As she leaped out, her thorny fire whip blasted to both sides. Two strong and fierce explosions, combined with Xie Chunshi's actions in the control room, blasted the obstacles in the corridor into a pile of dust.
"Roar!!"
Metal-constructed energy bodies, varied in form, let out covetous roars toward the energy aura they could sense as soon as the layers of giant rocks disappeared.
Watching the mechas propel toward the outside, the energy bodies immediately followed, their agile figures leaping from the exit, carrying golden energy as they jumped out from the starship.
Zhou Chen and Gu Qinxue alone couldn't draw away the starship's energy bodies, and Xie Chunshi's use of the starship's defensive energy wasn't enough either.
He only managed to clear the energy bodies piled outside the control room door, allowing the three Zhu Jing Fu members coming from the control room to move quickly to the exit.
Gu Qinxue and Zhou Chen were guarding outside, controlling all the energy bodies that followed out on the side of the starship.
Seeing their teammates come out, the two immediately converged toward the entrance.
Chen Sui propelled out first. As soon as she landed, she flung out her long spear. The sharp weapon cleaved down into the energy body group ahead, the spear laden with rich energy leaving a green whip-like mark, directly splitting the ground and flinging the ground energy bodies down with the collapsing ground.
As soon as Xie Chunshi and Puluo came out, all five mechas began to propel forward.
"Don't drag it out with them," Chen Sui's offensive showed no heavy killing intent. "We need to move quickly."
The most urgent matter now was to get to the secondary base station to deal with all the materials.
Xie Chunshi reminded everyone on the team channel: "Master Jin's materials must be processed as quickly as possible. Discovered under the StarNet live broadcast, other forces certainly won't easily give them up. Without any surprises, someone will convene a council to discuss the fate of these materials."
"Are they really that shameless?" Zhou Chen asked in return. "Oh, right, the Gu family definitely won't let us have them."
He remembered that there were such disgusting people.
"We should be able to stall for a while. We must quickly process the materials before the results come out," Xie Chunshi's eyes flashed with brilliance.
Once these materials were integrated into Zhu Jing Fu's mechas, the great families wouldn't be so insistent on Zhu Jing Fu handing them over.
After all, used and unused were two different concepts.
As for the Research Institute, releasing a portion of samples would be enough to account for things.
Chen Sui immediately understood Xie Chunshi's meaning. She took a light breath, thinking about the enormous workload while also considering how to use them, as she herself didn't know the performance of some materials.
Testing them one by one was definitely not possible in time. They could only process them as quickly as possible and finally inscribe her spiritual imprint onto the processed materials.
After the Commander finished speaking, Zhu Jing Fu couldn't care less about the energy bodies behind them. All their energy was focused on propelling their mechas toward the nearest secondary base station.
The aura of White Satin Gold Gilt and the absorption device were still releasing signals to the surroundings, with energy bodies continuously pursuing Zhu Jing Fu's footsteps.
Zhu Jing Fu quickly moved away from the starship, and thus didn't see behind them, in the collapsed mine tunnel, all the surrounding metal converging toward a mound in the huge pit.
Various metals adhered, slowly assembling the form of a massive behemoth on the spot.
Looking carefully, one could even see shadows of the Zhu Jing Fu mechas.
But all this was not in the consideration of the Zhu Jing Fu members.
At this moment, at the secondary base station.
Saint Laurent withdrew with ample energy. As soon as analyst Xue Yaoyao left the base station, she felt the surrounding energy fluctuations were somewhat abnormal.
"The energy fluctuations have slightly increased."
Hearing her voice, Noya looked into the distance: "Are there mechanical towers nearby?"
He asked and answered himself: "It's also possible, after all, we didn't encounter many towers on our way here."
After saying this, he clicked his tongue: "No good, we need to hurry. Zhu Jing Fu's points haven't moved for a while. I feel they're heading for the base station."
Noya felt an unexplained irritation rising within him, a sense of foreboding slowly crawling up his spine.
For people like them who had been fighting in energy fields for many years, they would have a kind of sixth sense. Noya couldn't pinpoint what his feeling was directed at, but the energy fluctuations somewhat intensified his already agitated mood, making it increasingly unsettled.
Hearing the Commander's words, the Saint Laurent members nodded, looking at the point rankings. Except for a big move at the beginning, Zhu Jing Fu hadn't shown much activity afterward, appearing somewhat quiet. The subsequent teams were gradually catching up, even showing signs of overtaking.
This made the other academies pursue more urgently. The point gap wasn't large anymore, so it was even more important to strive for the only doubling opportunity.
"Perfect, energy replenished, let's go to the main base station."
Noya looked at the route, quickly planning the subsequent arrangements.
Saint Laurent had just replenished their energy at the secondary base station. Right now, they didn't need to conserve at all and could even propel directly.
"We can also check Zhu Jing Fu's position along the way," Noya's brows slightly furrowed. One couldn't be too cautious with Zhu Jing Fu, after all, these people always had many tricks up their sleeves. "Maybe we can intercept them in advance." Even if they couldn't intercept, at least they could figure out Zhu Jing Fu's general tactics, avoiding being led too much by the nose.
Attacking was already difficult, and attacking Zhu Jing Fu's position was incredibly challenging.
Noya silently sighed in his heart as Saint Laurent's golden mechas propelled away from the base station.
Under full energy propulsion, the mechas quickly distanced themselves from the secondary base station.
Because of this, even analyst Xue Yaoyao didn't sense a fluctuation slowly approaching the base station.
Some time after Saint Laurent left, the original agitation of the surrounding energy bodies seemed to be intensified. Hidden energy bodies crawled out from caves, and all the energy bodies in the entire area became extremely irritable.
On their way from the base station, Saint Laurent directly encountered a group of energy bodies moving toward the base station. But the Saint Laurent mechas, already at some distance, didn't sense what location the energy bodies were moving toward. Although the movement of a group of energy bodies looked somewhat bizarre, to Noya, these were ready-made points.
Dealing with them on the way to the main base station, though it took some time, these points immediately allowed Saint Laurent to climb one rank.
Noya nodded with some satisfaction: "Good, good, let's move quickly and see if there are any more points to grab."
This sentence seemed to open some switch. Along the way, Saint Laurent encountered quite a few energy bodies moving in the opposite direction. This anomaly made Xue Yaoyao curiously extend her perception backward: "I feel like all the energy bodies are walking in this direction. It's strange."
Noya didn't speak. The analyst understood much more than he did in this area. Only after Xue Yaoyao's perception returned did he ask: "Any situation?"
Xue Yaoyao's expression was peculiar: "No."
The confused expression on her face wouldn't disappear. The fact that there wasn't anything made it even stranger.
Noya thought for a moment: "Behind is where we came from. Could it be the tower?"
Noya pondered that there wasn't anything special along this route. The energy bodies' path oddly matched Saint Laurent's in reverse, as if they were avoiding this part of the tower, appearing somewhat abnormal.
"Shall we go back and look?" Xue Yaoyao looked at him.
Noya thought for a moment. Saint Laurent deliberately avoided mechanical towers because crossing tower cities involved numerous and extremely troublesome energy bodies, wasting too much time. Although more energy bodies meant more points, in this situation, the cost-effectiveness wasn't as high as energy bodies in other positions of the tower.
Noya was curious about this activity. What ultimately made him turn toward the tower was a thought.
"This is how Zhu Jing Fu always finds good things."
Noya thought he would try too.
So Saint Laurent turned back to the tower they had encountered on the way from the secondary base station.
At this moment, the Zhu Jing Fu team had just escaped from the energy bodies' pursuit and plunged into the secondary base station, all their auras shielded.
Only the surrounding energy bodies, sensing the attraction of White Satin Gold Gilt, were heading toward the secondary base station.
The attraction of White Satin Gold Gilt targeted the star beast instincts of energy bodies, which Chen Sui couldn't solve. Fortunately, Chen Youjin had left the box for placing White Satin Gold Gilt. The box was somewhat damaged, and Chen Sui had to repair it at the secondary base station. Otherwise, with this level of attraction plus the absorption device's effect, Zhu Jing Fu would become a live target.
At this moment, Zhu Jing Fu, who had crashed into the secondary base station, didn't know that a good person had taken away the energy from the secondary base station but had opened a path for Zhu Jing Fu in a certain direction, and had even resolved most of the towers along the way.
As soon as Zhu Jing Fu entered, they knew the mobile energy at the energy placement point had been taken away, indicating a team had arrived a step ahead.
The identity of this team was still unknown, but after discovering they couldn't get energy, Zhu Jing Fu only supplemented their mecha energy at the charging point. Afterward, Xie Chunshi went to the control room to obtain information, while Chen Sui led several people to the mecha repair room. Once on the operating platform, she didn't rush to repair the mecha but took out the materials found in the starship. Under the StarNet live broadcast, she directly began to polish them.
In the control room, seeing Chen Sui's actions, Song Xingzhang and He Lanrui, who had been pressed into service, both had smiles in their eyes.
He Lanrui avoided the camera, giving Song Xingzhang a meaningful look: "Your well-taught student, clever as a fox."
Knowing the council had designs on the materials, she was taking preemptive action. Even if the council later pressured Zhu Jing Fu to hand them over, Chen Sui's spiritual imprint had been placed on the materials.
And with Chen Sui's repair level, her spiritual imprint wouldn't be easy to remove. At that time, who knew how much damage would be done to the materials.
Song Xingzhang's eyes flashed with satisfaction as he quietly said: "It definitely wasn't Little Sui's idea."
Little Sui wouldn't be so rushed. She would definitely repair the mecha first, then look at the materials. The only one so urgent, besides Little Chun, it couldn't be anyone else.
Little Chun's personality had a hint of extremism, capable of doing such things.
But it had to be said, though this method was a bit unscrupulous, it was indeed effective. After all, he was guarding against some even more unscrupulous people.
Song Xingzhang's eyes turned cold.
The reason he and He Lanrui were presiding over the review panel now was because every single member of the review panel had gone to argue at the temporary meeting.
Not to mention the family heads, the Research Institute, Management Department, Commercial Department... all were fighting over Master Jin's things.
Someone was even urging Zhao Loulan to immediately arrange for the Border Army to enter the competition field and bring out Master Jin's starship.
—There had never been a case of interrupting the league competition without cause.
In the past, it had always been riots, descents, or emergencies that intervened in the league. These people, just to covet children's things, were using such tactics, how shameless.
Song Xingzhang pondered as he leaned back in his chair.
Fortunately, he had foreseen the problem and had already sent a message to his big brother. By now, the Song family should have taken the initiative, right?
Otherwise, Song Qisheng would be too useless.
Song Xingzhang thought secretly.
Main Star, Legislative Hall.
Besides the Star Ring representatives sitting on both sides, there were also representatives of several major Star Alliance institutions floating in the light screen.
Sitting in the first position on the right was a middle-aged man with somewhat graying hair and a thin figure. Compared to several people around him who were already arguing until their faces were red and necks were bulging, his expression seemed somewhat indifferent. Only when named by the somewhat aged Gu family patriarch opposite did he raise those gray eyes, sweeping over everyone present.
"What does the Song family head think?"
Watched by those extremely oppressive eyes, several people who had been arguing heatedly instantly fell silent, sitting in their positions with stiff postures.
Song Qisheng looked indifferently at Gu Songyu: "I'm watching from a reclined position."
After saying this, he leaned back, "Suspending the league for such a small matter."
Seemingly with a sneer: "How amusing?"
"Next time, can I also apply to the chairman for suspension because I suspect there are relics of my ancestors in the arena?"
He lifted his eyes to glance at the Gu family head.
Several people present were stung by these words. This one truly had a poisonous tongue as always.
However, in principle, it wasn't impossible, after all, the Song family ancestor Song Yunlai's position in the Star Alliance also transcended the ordinary.
"If you just said outright that you want to rob the children's things, I would think more highly of you today."
Song Qisheng said indifferently.
The Chairman Zhao at the head of the conference table held back his laughter upon hearing this.
A middle-aged woman sitting on the other side curved her red lips into a smile: "Uncle Song, in a serious occasion, please be a bit more mindful of your words."
But the interest in her eyes was abundant, her posture fully that of watching a good show. She only pulled back slightly to maintain appearances.
He Lanying glanced at the Gu family head's expression.
Compared to the arrogant Gu Haichuan, the Gu family head appeared much more peaceful. Hearing Song Qisheng's words, his expression didn't change at all. He only sighed: "In all these years of retirement, have you not considered improving the art of language?"
"If we could truly find relics of Chairman Song, I would also support suspending the league."
"After all, the belongings of the Star Alliance's venerable figures are indeed worth valuing, aren't they?"
After saying this, Gu Songyu looked to the other side. Behind him, his deputy understood, sending messages on his light brain.
Song Qisheng appeared calm. In his words, he wasn't eager for the Border Army to enter the arena. It seemed he was trying to drag out the time.
As for what dragging out time would achieve, Gu Songyu smiled. He didn't even need to guess.
Thinking of this, the old Gu's eyes darkened. If Master Jin had left other things, he certainly wouldn't care, but specifically, there was White Satin Gold Gilt.
The essential material for Black Execution, Ghost Knife, and Song of Praise, White Satin Gold Gilt.
Ghost Knife's repair was already complete, only lacking White Satin Gold Gilt to be fully restored.
If the guess wasn't wrong—
Gu Songyu now strongly suspected that several years ago when Xie Liuyun took his son into the God-Abandoned Domain, he might have found Black Execution.
Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence? Lu Cuining had entered and exited energy fields so many times without finding Song Baining's mecha. Moreover, Zhu Jing Fu's materials this time were found too coincidentally.
Energy material white phosphorus ore, mecha repair material White Satin Gold Gilt!
At the Competition Committee base, Gu Pingyang, who had received the news, was discussing the council's contents. After receiving the family head's message, he was momentarily stunned and stood up abruptly.
As if thinking of something, he suddenly narrowed his eyes.
Lu Cuining?
Wasn't that fellow sent to the Border Army training by the Song family head? What did the family head want him to find Lu Cuining for?