"So you're telling me that the priest these remnants worshiped as a god was actually an Artificial Hunter from the old civilization?"
"That possibility cannot be ruled out. Moreover, judging by the human-powered generators outside the laboratory and the operation of these devices, at least fifty percent of this facility's original functions have been retained," the Mainframe replied.
Sun Hang wanted to continue deeper inside, but several crimson lasers suddenly trained themselves on his forehead.
The lasers came from automated machine guns hanging from the ceiling, their dark muzzles radiating danger.
"They're the laboratory's defensive installations," the Mainframe immediately said. "Do you need me to hack into the laboratory's control system and shut them down?"
"Yes. While you're at it, loot this laboratory's database too." Sun Hang nodded.
"Understood. Initiating—"
The Mainframe's voice stuttered several times before dissolving into fragmented electronic static. The screen of the miniature terminal on Sun Hang's wrist flickered a few times, then went completely dark after displaying a bright red error message.
"It failed?" Sun Hang was not surprised by the result. What he carried was only a miniaturized Mainframe, with nowhere near even a fraction of the processing power of the mainframe in the Primal Underground Palace—enough to infiltrate ordinary computer operating systems, but this old civilization laboratory was clearly anything but ordinary.
"Like an egg striking a stone." The earlier voice spoke again, carrying a trace of mockery.
Sun Hang did not respond. Instead, he took another step forward.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out, and a bullet hole appeared less than ten centimeters from Sun Hang's toes.
"That was a warning," the other party said again.
"Are you trying to tell me that after all these years, the primers in these automated machine gun rounds still haven't gotten damp?" Sun Hang replied with