Lin Qi's Past, Investigating the Battlefield

As he pondered, Lin Qi vaguely sensed something off about the sounds near his ear.

The distant noises were growing fainter, as if moving away.

Was the Rescue Team pulling back?

"Given the Zombies' toughness, one headshot should drop them. Why are there constant explosions? Why are they using grenades and bombs?"

Based on the weapons the Rescue Team was deploying, Lin Qi caught a clue.

The Rescue Team had run into something beyond Zombies—something ordinary guns couldn't pierce.

"With an L-level Exoskeleton, standard guns from the Doomsday World can't touch me either. But if I ran into a monster like that, I'd probably have trouble too."

Lin Qi's Exoskeleton's offensive power relied mainly on its built-in guns and a Short Tang Dao forged from A-level materials. Its active attack capability was limited—it wasn't a large-scale military cybernetic.

Compared to offense, Lin Qi's L-level Exoskeleton excelled in defense, thanks to superior algorithms and an integrated energy field generator.

"The Doomsday World is getting more dangerous. I need more gear—or rather, more materials." Lin Qi muttered to himself.

He hadn't brought the Suitcase, but as an L-level researcher at the Red Fruit Weapons Research Institute, his Exoskeleton carried simple tools inside.

Efficiency would be low, but with enough materials, he could even handcraft a machine tool.

With a machine tool, Lin Qi could then handcraft more gear in the Doomsday World.

Hearing his murmur, Xia Chu asked, "You want to go to the school's Experimental Workshop?"

Lin Qi couldn't answer that. He didn't know the parallel-world Lin Qi's specific experiences, let alone where the school was or where the so-called Experimental Workshop was.

Ignoring the question, Lin Qi said, "I'll head to the rooftop to check the Rescue Team's position."

As he left the room, Lin Qi grabbed the phone by the desk computer—this was the parallel-world Lin Qi's phone.

This time, Xia Chu didn't notice anything off. She just assumed Lin Qi thought going to the school was too risky.

On the rooftop, the crimson moonlight poured down from that Blood Moon, carrying dense Spiritual Energy Particles.

With the Blood Moon's eyes closed, these particles were harmless now, even similar to Crimson Crystal—they could strengthen the human body.

He waved a hand, summoning the Collecting Robot.

There was no signal connection between the robot and the Brain. This was Lin Qi's precaution against entities like Guangleng in the Cyber World detecting the Doomsday World's existence through the Brain's data.

"Time to put you to work."

The Collecting Robot looked like an eight-legged spider, with algorithms Lin Qi had personally written, giving it basic logic and M-level network intrusion capability.

Using the Collecting Robot, Lin Qi tried to access the data in the parallel-world Lin Qi's phone and attempt to connect to the network.

A data cable extended from one of the Collecting Robot's legs, ending in a universal interface.

Lin Qi held the phone, and his thumb accidentally touched the under-screen ultrasonic fingerprint sensor.

The screen unlocked automatically.

The unlocked wallpaper was a photo of Xia Chu.

Seeing that photo, Lin Qi was silent for a long time.

"Even my biometrics are the same in the parallel timeline?"

He shook his head and connected the data cable to the phone.

Even though it was unlocked, data collection still relied on the Collecting Robot.

He input commands on the Collecting Robot's panel.

First, compile "Lin Qi's" life story and relationships based on the phone's internal data.

Second, compile a map of Modu based on the phone's internal data and create a smart model.

Third, scan for network signals at full power and attempt to access the internet.

The Collecting Robot's processing power was inferior to the Brain's, but sorting through all the data in a single phone from the Doomsday World was trivial.

The first two tasks were completed quickly, and the data was surprisingly complete.

"Lin Qi" must not have changed phones in years—the algorithm had inferred most of his experiences since age sixteen.

Swiping the panel, Lin Qi finally learned many stories between Xia Chu and "Lin Qi."

As expected, Xia Chu and "Lin Qi" were deskmates in high school, both excelling enough to get into Modu University.

Their romantic relationship had started back in high school.

Nothing too dramatic, nothing unforgettable—their love was like a stream quietly flowing through the mountains, gentle and natural.

"That time really was a test."

Continuing to browse the data on the panel, Lin Qi saw "Lin Qi's" experiences after college.

Drawn by a foreign robot combat show that happened to match his major, "Lin Qi" wanted to create similar results at school.

But two of "Lin Qi's" roommates were deeply into Exoskeletons. After constant "pillow talk" persuasion day and night, "Lin Qi" eventually joined the "Iron Man Society." With his high IQ and hands-on skills, he became the club's core member by his sophomore year.

The phone contained many designs "Lin Qi" had drafted.

As an L-level researcher, these designs looked crude to Lin Qi, but many design concepts aligned with his own.

If Lin Qi kept researching, he might actually achieve something worthwhile.

"Not bad, parallel-universe me."

After a brief moment of self-praise, Lin Qi looked at the remaining materials.

The Iron Man Society's experimental workshop was packed with equipment and a pile of materials.

Some came from the school, but a portion was contributed by a few Modu-based club members.

Lin Qi raised an eyebrow. If he had this pile of materials in hand, he could practically handcraft a small production line—enough to assemble a Medium Mech.

Given the lack of firepower, Medium and Large Mecha were Lin Qi's first choice for combat in this world.

"I need to head to the school." Lin Qi made the decision on the spot.

But before that, he still needed to investigate what exactly the Rescue Team had run into.

The best course was to gather the final intel, so Lin Qi could design weapons tailored to the situation once he got the materials.

He activated Psychic Vision and gazed into the distance.

His Psychic Vision now covered a range of about ninety meters, but beyond that, it extended as an enhanced version of normal sight—like an all-seeing eye with no blind spots.

Using this visual advantage, Lin Qi identified the direction of the engagement.

It was still far away, even across the river.

"The Collecting Robot can be detached and remotely controlled via a separate panel."

"But based on the network environment monitoring just now, even with normal hardware, the signal is suffering severe interference."

"Is it caused by Spiritual Energy Particle concentration? Or is there another signal jammer?"

"For now, I can't use wireless transmission. I'll send the Collecting Robot out alone to record footage, then check it when it returns."

He reached out and grabbed the Collecting Robot.

Its eight spider legs began to deform and thin out.

With a toss, the legs spun at high speed and flew off into the distance.