Hao Ren's first impression of the metal monsters the La Rian people called "Gorgon Demons" was that they were out-of-control ancient weapons—and highly advanced ones at that, developed along a technological path. They also had extremely distinctive features, such as... structural characteristics that seemed to reveal the traits of carbon-based life forms everywhere.
Although these giant beasts were almost entirely made of alloys, those alloy components had still formed clearly recognizable structures resembling muscles, bones, and internal organs, with every structure serving a perfectly reasonable purpose. Their outward appearance was also close to that of animals, with manta rays and giant insects being especially obvious examples. And once he entered one of the giant beasts, this peculiar "bionics" became even more apparent.
Hao Ren traveled through the corridors inside the Gorgon Lord, feeling as though he were walking through the body of a colossal creature that was constantly writhing. Through the gaps between the pipes and cables, he could see large numbers of red-glowing mechanical devices operating within the hollow spaces. Splitting Bodies were transported through transparent tubes, while the irritating mechanical rumbling sounded like the movement of organs inside a living creature. The grease and electric currents flowing through the pipes and cables were the creature's blood plasma and hormones.
He did not find any spacious corridors prepared for personnel to move through normally. Instead, he found only narrow passageways meant for one person at a time. Nor did he find cabins or control equipment prepared for humans. In their place were large numbers of ancient machines that were obviously operating automatically at a glance.
"All signs indicate that this thing operates completely automatically," the Data Terminal analyzed as it floated beside Hao Ren's head, inspecting the energy and information flows in the nearby conduits. "These passageways may have