As Lin Qi pondered, he sensed that the sounds around him were somewhat unusual.
The sounds coming from far away seemed to be growing more distant.
Was the Rescue Team moving away?
"Given how strong the zombies are, one shot to the head should be enough to take them down. Why have there been constant explosions? Why would they use grenades and bombs?"
From the types of weapons the Rescue Team was using, Lin Qi sensed a clue.
They had encountered monsters besides zombies—and ordinary firearms couldn't penetrate their defenses.
"With an L-level Exoskeleton, ordinary guns in the Doomsday World can't hurt me either. But if I ran into monsters like those, I'd probably have some trouble."
Lin Qi's Exoskeleton's offensive capabilities relied mainly on its built-in firearms and the Short Tang Dao made from A-level materials. Its ability to attack on its own was limited, since it wasn't a large military-grade cybernetic body.
Compared with its offensive capabilities, Lin Qi's L-level Exoskeleton had excellent defenses, thanks first to its advanced algorithms and second to its energy-field generator.
"The apocalypse is getting more dangerous. I need more equipment—or, rather, more materials," Lin Qi muttered.
Although he hadn't brought his "suitcase," as an L-level Researcher at the Red Fruit Weapons Research Institute, Lin Qi carried some simple tools inside his Exoskeleton.
They were inefficient, but with enough materials, he could even hand-build a machine tool.
With a machine tool, Lin Qi would be able to hand-build more equipment in the Doomsday World.
Hearing him mutter, Xia Chu asked, "Are you thinking of going to the school's Experimental Workshop?"
Lin Qi didn't know how to respond. He knew nothing about the parallel-world Lin Qi's actual experiences, much less where the school was or where this so-called Experimental Workshop was.
Instead of answering, he said, "I'm going up to the roof to check the Rescue Team's position."
As he left the room, he picked up the phone beside the computer on the desk. It belonged to the parallel-world Lin Qi.
This time, Xia Chu didn't notice anything strange. She merely thought Lin Qi considered going to the school too risky.
When he reached the rooftop, crimson moonlight spilled down from the Blood Moon, bringing with it a dense concentration of Spiritual Energy Particles.
With the Blood Moon's eyes closed, these particles were harmless. In fact, they were much like Crimson Crystals and could strengthen the human body.
He waved his hand, summoning the Collecting Robot.
The robot had no signal connection to the Brain. Lin Qi had designed it that way to prevent an entity like Guangleng in the Cyber World from discovering the Doomsday World through the Brain's data.
"It's time to put you to work."
The Collecting Robot looked like an eight-legged spider. It had algorithms Lin Qi had written himself, giving it a degree of logical reasoning and M-level network-intrusion capabilities.
Using the Collecting Robot, Lin Qi tried to access the data on the parallel-world Lin Qi's phone, then attempted to connect to the internet.
A data cable extended from one of the robot's legs, ending in a universal connector.
Holding the phone, Lin Qi accidentally brushed his thumb against the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor beneath the screen.
The screen unlocked automatically.
The wallpaper was a photo of Xia Chu.
Lin Qi stared at it in silence for a long time.
"Even our biometrics are identical across parallel worlds?"
He shook his head and connected the data cable to the phone.
Although he could unlock it, he still needed the Collecting Robot to gather the information.
He entered the following requests on the robot's control panel:
First, compile "Lin Qi's" biography and relationships based on the data on the phone.
Second, compile a map of Modu from the phone's data and create an intelligent model.
Third, search for network signals at full power and attempt to access the internet.
The Collecting Robot had less computing power than the Brain, but compiling all the data from a single phone in the Doomsday World was easy.
The first two tasks were completed before long, and the information was unexpectedly comprehensive.
"Lin Qi" apparently hadn't changed phones in years. The algorithms had nearly pieced together most of his life after he turned sixteen.
Scrolling through the panel, Lin Qi finally learned a great deal about the history between Xia Chu and "Lin Qi."
As expected, Xia Chu and "Lin Qi" had been high-school deskmates. Both had earned excellent grades and been admitted to Modu University.
They had started dating back in high school.
There had been no thrilling drama or unforgettable passion. Their love was like a quiet stream trickling through the mountains, gentle and natural.
"So that really was a test."
Continuing to browse the information on the panel, Lin Qi saw what "Lin Qi" had done after starting university.
Inspired by foreign robot-fighting shows—and with a major that happened to fit—"Lin Qi" had wanted to create something similar at school.
But two of "Lin Qi's" roommates were passionate about Exoskeletons. After their constant persuasion, "Lin Qi" eventually joined the "Iron Man Society." Thanks to his exceptional intelligence and hands-on skills, "Lin Qi" had become one of the club's main contributors as early as his sophomore year.
The phone held quite a few blueprints designed by "Lin Qi."
As an L-level Researcher, Lin Qi found the designs crude, but many of the ideas behind them coincided with his own.
If "Lin Qi" had continued his research, he might have achieved something worthwhile.
"No wonder he's me in a parallel world."
After praising him, Lin Qi looked at the remaining information.
The Iron Man Society's Experimental Workshop was well equipped and stocked with materials.
Some had been provided by the school, while others had been contributed by several club members from Modu.
Lin Qi raised an eyebrow. With materials like these, he could hand-build a small production line—or even make enough to build a Medium Mech.
With firepower in short supply, a Medium and Large Mecha was Lin Qi's first choice for fighting in this world.
"I need to go to the school," Lin Qi decided at once.
But first, he needed to investigate what the Rescue Team had encountered.
If possible, he wanted to gather as much intelligence as he could so he could design weapons tailored to the threat once he had the materials.
He activated Psychic Vision and gazed into the distance.
Lin Qi's Psychic Vision now covered a radius of about ninety meters. Beyond that, his sight could still extend in the form of an enhanced version of ordinary vision, giving him a complete, unobstructed view.
Using this special vision, Lin Qi identified the direction of the battle.
It was still far away, even across the river.
"The Collecting Robot can detach from the control panel and be operated remotely."
"But according to the network-environment scan just now, the signal is severely disrupted even though the hardware is working normally."
"Is it the concentration of Spiritual Energy Particles? Or is there another source of signal interference?"
"Wireless transmission isn't an option for now. I'll send the Collecting Robot to record the scene on its own and look at the footage when it returns."
He reached out and grabbed the Collecting Robot.
Its eight spider legs began to transform, growing thinner.
He tossed it into the air. Its legs spun rapidly as it flew toward the distance.
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