Leaving

"Squeak—"

A thick chill emanated from the doorway.

Senior Engineer, Daisy, and Huang Yuanli, who arrived late, were all wearing at least three sets of protective suits, peeking inside.

"It should be fine now."

"Have no idea."

"Hey, you're the creator of this thing, don't you know the specific effects of this biological weapon?"

"Nonsense, I haven't even tried it myself."

The senior engineer was the first to climb down. After a while, he waved upwards, and soon Daisy descended on spider silk, with a young woman tucked around her waist.

"Does Director Du have to be so angry? It's not like she's the one who's the backup plan. The one who's the backup plan is that knight in shining armor," the senior engineer grumbled.

Rich women may be appealing, but they're not as obedient as virtual girls.

Director Du, being a strong woman who prioritizes the overall situation, did not fall out with the senior engineer but instead oversaw the post-war cleanup work.

Of course, he kept a cold face throughout and completely ignored the senior engineer.

Daisy glanced at the senior engineer and said, "Boss, I don't know about other men, but if my man gets pregnant out of wedlock, I will cut off his genitals."

"Damn, what does this have to do with my little brother? This is a byproduct of biological fusion, like a test-tube baby. And the Crimson Queen isn't even human; she's a radioactive beast."

The young woman didn't speak, but her ears were perked up, and her face was full of gossip.

"Women are fickle," Daisy said calmly.

"That's why you like women," the senior engineer said with a sidelong glance.

Daisy snorted, patted the young woman's face, and went ahead to explore the path.

This guy missed the final battle, and he's quite angry.

The senior engineer stroked his chin. Perhaps in Director Du's heart, there had always been a plan to save fallen women, or rather, fallen men.

However, it's a different story if a prostitute fathers a child out of wedlock.

Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore. Virtual girls are still the best. The senior engineer misses his maid army very much.

I wonder if I'll have the chance to rebuild the legion in this lifetime.

Soon, the three arrived at a shattered iron gate, where an eight-armed mechanical body, frozen solid like a snowman, stood.

"Wu An, the eight-armed knight, is skilled with a rapier, and his sword speed can reach twice the speed of a sonic boom."

A guy wearing a thick protective suit came out from behind the door.

"Professor Han?"

"It's me," Professor Han waved, and two apprentices carried the body over.

"On the first day, all the artificial soldiers were frozen due to the 'Black Winter.' On the second day, even the knights couldn't hold on. They tried to break through the blockade, but they didn't know that the most terrifying thing about the 'Black Winter' was not its freezing ability, but its hallucinogenic effect."

The four walked through the underground tunnel and saw that large sections of the walls had collapsed, and even several subway cars had been smashed through.

Before they died, these knights might have wondered why these doors, broken one after another, were impossible to break through.

The four quickly arrived at a frozen mountain of corpses. The mountain was made up of countless artificial soldiers, and the researchers were cutting off their heads for study.

Although these artificial soldiers are only the most basic products, their sufficient numbers greatly aid in the counter-offensive against "meat technology".

Professor Han explained, "The Black Winter is most dangerous only in liquid and fog states. In the 'solidified' state, as long as the skin is not broken and the virus does not enter the bloodstream, there is no problem."

Professor Han bypassed the mountain of corpses and arrived at the nutrient tank of the biological factory. Seven half-human, half-mechanical bodies were soaking in liquid. With the 'Eight-Armed Knight' being thrown in, the corpses became eight.

Eight-Armed Knight, Split Knight, Wild Dog Knight, Two-Faced Knight, Moon Knight, Bat Knight, Death Knight, Hippo Knight.

"Now that these advanced mechanical bodies are in my hands, I will definitely be able to deduce the technology they possess."

The technology on advanced mechanical bodies, according to the standards of a first-level civilization, is generally equivalent to level 3 mechanical blueprints.

Eight Level 3 mechanical blueprints, wow, this is a huge windfall.

Professor Han turned to look at Engineer Gao and said, "But you didn't call me here for this, did you?"

The young woman complained, "This guy got pregnant out of wedlock, and Sister Du is furious, so she came downstairs to find some peace and quiet."

"Unmarried and pregnant?" Professor Han gave the senior engineer a strange look. "In bionics, one of the biggest technical challenges is reproductive bionics. It seems I have a successor."

The senior engineer coughed and said, "To be honest, this wasn't my child. It was that 'Great Knight' who was a backup plan. I just played a supporting role."

Daisy and Huang Yuanli exchanged a glance and blurted out, "Men on top of men."

The senior engineer's face darkened. He decided not to explain further and changed the subject, saying, "Professor Han, do you remember that pre-war research institute you explored once before, but the exploration failed?"

Professor Han raised an eyebrow slightly. "What, are you interested?"

"How could I not be interested in the headquarters of bionics research?"

These ancient ruins are hidden dungeons; at the very least, they'll drop high-level equipment, and if you're lucky, you might even get class knowledge.

Generally speaking, only players who are proficient in "archaeology" can spend a lot of time and energy to find these "spark bases" as scientific expeditions continue.

The senior engineer had already won over Professor Han's favor, so he went straight for it.

"Alright, I do want to figure out some of the issues from the past."

The senior engineer nodded and said, "Two Class A radiation beasts were killed in battle, and most of the remaining Class B radiation beasts were injured or killed. I have already sent people to retake Scavenger City. Under the effect of the 'Radiation Annihilation Agent,' some of the radiation ecology in Scavenger City will soon be cleaned up."

"From now on, Scavenger City will be renamed New Hope City. According to the last wishes of those old guys, their remains will be buried in a place with good feng shui in the city."

Professor Han was silent for a moment, then asked, "How many of them died?"

"Exactly two digits."

Huang Yuanli also fell silent. There were only about a dozen of these old folks in total.

The counterattack went smoothly, even without any obstacles. As dozens of aircraft sprayed large amounts of "anti-toxic agent", the mutated plants withered at a visible speed, a large number of electronic ivy began to retreat, and the man-eating flowers and metal vines began to die.

The surviving radioactive beasts began to escape from the urban area.

The old hunter's grave was placed on a high ground, facing east, the place where the sun used to rise.

The younger generation, such as Huang Yuanli and Momo, all had solemn expressions, while the few surviving old hunters were arm in arm, whispering and plotting where to have fun, spouting all sorts of dirty jokes, almost to the point of dancing on their graves.

It wasn't until Aunt Xiang stepped in and forcefully suppressed them that their arrogance was finally brought down.

Huang Yuanli remained unusually silent.

"Sister Li, are you feeling very upset?" Momo asked worriedly.

Huang Yuanli curled her lip. "What's there to be upset about? These old geezers are all clamoring to die on the battlefield, isn't this exactly what they want? Besides—"

She raised her chin slightly, and there stood the new biological warriors of Mengduo, solemnly saying something in front of the grave.

"They died a worthy death, and someone even came to collect their bodies. They even have a successor to carry on their legacy. If these old folks knew this from beyond the grave, they shouldn't be too happy."

"Then why do you look so preoccupied?"

Huang Yuanli scanned the area and found that, as the main force advanced, the once vibrant urban area had once again become a dead city, with cracked buildings, a dilapidated environment, and a large number of dead leaves.

"I'm not that fragile. I know we won't survive if we don't kill these mutated monsters," Huang Yuanli paused, then suddenly whispered, "But is it really okay for us to be so ruthless?"

Momo looked at the other person in astonishment, seemingly never expecting them to say such a thing.

"Forget it, it's just nonsense. The sooner we kill them, the fewer people we'll die."

In the distance, the senior engineer glanced at the young woman with surprise. With his hearing, he naturally heard what she was saying.

How could a young woman have a saintly heart?

Or is it that a certain brain is subtly influencing things?

If it's the latter, he'll need to talk to the other person.

The senior engineer was surrounded by a group of people.

As the undisputed first person in this beast tide, Senior Engineer naturally obtained the right to develop the new oasis.

Meanwhile, his small circle was engulfed in a heated discussion about the location of the new oasis.

Some have suggested creating an oasis right here in this new city of hope.

Some suggested leaving the central desert and opening up markets in other less developed deserts.

Some people also suggested going to the coast, where there are countless radiated beasts and a great deal of biological materials.

The senior engineer listened quietly, seemingly lost in thought.

Seeing this, Du Zhaodi quietly nudged him.

The senior engineer snapped out of his daze, gave an apologetic smile, and took out his cigarette case.

"You guys continue the discussion, I'm going to have a smoke to calm myself down."

Before anyone could speak, the senior engineer left on his own. He found a quiet spot, lit a cigarette, but didn't put it in his mouth.

Open the system panel and first activate the 'Mechanical Module' that you finally managed to collect.

[You have obtained the Level 1 Mechanical Module - Autobot Transformation (No Spark Version)]

Modules and templates are at the same level, except that 'modules' are more like physical objects, while 'templates' are more like bloodlines and skills.

"Tsk, the full-body makeover I promised Ironhide is finally happening."

The senior engineer opened the targeted lottery for the enemy.

You have obtained the Level 5 Mechanical Blueprint [Steel Banner]

You have obtained the Level 5 biological blueprint for the "Flesh and Blood Power Plant"

The former appears to be a range-enhancing equipment, a level 5 blueprint, which is at least in the "strategic weapon" category. Unfortunately, "Qi" was all alone at the time and was never seen using it.

As for the "flesh and blood power plant," it is an organ that converts biological energy into electrical energy. Combined with the "shaping organ," it can create a man-made lightning spear.

"Great, they're all useful."

"You're leaving, aren't you?"

The senior engineer turned around and found it was Aunt Xiang.

"You mean the new oasis? Of course, we'll move away sooner or later. The car city has been reduced to ruins, and who knows when it will be cleaned up."

"Don't change the subject. What I mean is, you're leaving the Iron Sand Desert, right?"