The Collecting Robot flew much faster than the drones in the Doomsday World, and at that altitude, its flight noise was almost impossible to hear.
Lin Qi waited on the rooftop for less than half an hour before the flying robot successfully returned.
"My programming is as reliable as ever." He gave his own technical skills a nod of approval.
He set down the Collecting Robot, removed its display panel, and checked the situation at the battle site.
The battle site was quite far away, over thirty kilometers in a straight line from Lin Qi's location.
If Lin Qi weren't a Wizard, he wouldn't have been able to hear a thing from that distance.
He fast-forwarded the footage to the destination, and only then did he get a full view of the battlefield.
The first thing that caught his eye was several collapsed high-rises. The ruins showed just how brutally the place had been battered by artillery.
Lin Qi saw no rescue personnel in the footage, but plenty of weapons and equipment were scattered around.
As the view drew closer, Lin Qi saw what the rescue personnel were up against.
A gigantic humanoid creature, as tall as a two-story building.
The monster's head had been blasted to pieces. Inside the enormous hole in the back of its skull, he could see a massive Crimson Crystal.
The light around the Crimson Crystal was distorted. According to the data collected by the robot, the temperature there exceeded four hundred degrees.
"Crimson Crystal? No, this thing and a Crimson Crystal are already two different things. Maybe it's a new Extraordinary Item."
From the footage alone, Lin Qi couldn't determine what it was, let alone its rank.
A giant Zombie as tall as a two-story building. This thing probably wasn't a First Rank Extraordinary Item. It was most likely Second Rank, but not quite Third Rank.
Second Rank Extraordinary Items corresponded only to L-level cybernetics. A Second Rank Extraordinary Profession user without cybernetics probably wouldn't stand a chance against someone with a full set of L-level cybernetics.
If Lin Qi faced the giant Zombie himself, at least he wouldn't be in immediate danger.
"Against a large monster, I'm afraid I'd struggle to do any real damage. Looks like I still need heavy weapons."
Lin Qi found himself missing the guns from the Cyber World.
With the Cyber World's level of technology, guns had enough stopping power to take down a monster like this.
But the problem was that Lin Qi could only bring a limited number of items across worlds. So far, it seemed that only his close-fitting Exoskeleton could make the trip.
Should he keep modifying the Exoskeleton and expand its capacity?
Lin Qi didn't dare risk it. If there was a limit to the volume he could take between the two worlds, he might damage the Exoskeleton.
Repairs would be a hassle, and they'd leave traces on Red Fruit City's network.
"I still have to rely on Cyber World technology and build things by hand in the Doomsday World."
Fortunately, Lin Qi hadn't wasted all the years he'd spent traveling between worlds. All that knowledge was still in his head.
Given enough time, he could build cut-down versions of any weapon below L-level by hand in the Doomsday World.
They'd be cut-down versions mainly because the Doomsday World lacked an industrial base.
Building industrial machines by hand was part of Lin Qi's plans, too.
"Next, I need to head to the School Lab Workshop and build some equipment first."
"The Doomsday World is becoming dangerous a little too quickly. I need to pick up the pace."
With his course set, Lin Qi moved at once.
He put away the Collecting Robot and returned to the room downstairs.
He had the Collecting Robot pack up the Crimson Crystals he'd collected, then went to Xia Chu.
"I need to go to the School Lab Workshop and make some equipment. We have to leave right away," Lin Qi said simply.
Xia Chu looked a little unsure. "Isn't that too risky?"
Though Xia Chu had awakened supernatural powers, she was still an ordinary person who had grown up in peacetime.
As far as she knew, when faced with danger, people were supposed to wait for the authorities to rescue them.
Lin Qi removed the Collecting Robot's display panel and handed it to Xia Chu. "This is footage I recorded with a drone. The Rescue Team is in trouble. We need to save ourselves."
A few minutes later, Xia Chu's confusion gave way to bewilderment. When she looked at Lin Qi, she took a deep breath and said just one word: "Okay."
Xia Chu trusted "Lin Qi" completely.
Lin Qi knew that Xia Chu didn't actually trust him, but he wasn't going to leave her behind.
After all, she was "his" girlfriend. Lin Qi still had some sense of right and wrong, and the Lin Qi from his previous life had at least been a college student who'd received an education in ethics.
The Cyber World hadn't completely worn away Lin Qi's conscience.
Xia Chu didn't have much to pack. She opened Lin Qi's wardrobe and changed into clothes she could move around in easily.
When Lin Qi saw her, he lowered his head without thinking and began operating the Collecting Robot's display panel.
He tapped here and poked there, looking as though he were very busy.
Only after Xia Chu had changed did Lin Qi put the panel back on the Collecting Robot.
Xia Chu seemed not to have noticed his little maneuver. She grabbed a backpack, put in a few bottles of water and some instant noodles, and picked up the small hammer she'd brought up from downstairs. That was all she needed.
Lin Qi had nothing to prepare.
In the early days of the apocalypse, supplies wouldn't be scarce, especially in a prosperous city like Modu.
Supplies were inside every building. If you were brave enough, you could get them.
"Stay behind me. We'll go downstairs first and find a way to get around."
By Lin Qi's estimate, they had more than ten hours to reach the workshop before he had to return to the Cyber World.
"Mm." Xia Chu nodded without asking anything else.
The two moved quickly, heading down the stairs toward the first floor.
Lin Qi had already cleared out the Zombies in the building, so nothing went wrong along the way.
When they reached the ground floor, they were still inside the residential complex.
All kinds of vehicles had been parked illegally along the internal roads.
Modu was one of the most prosperous cities in the Doomsday World. Even in an ordinary-looking residential complex, luxury vehicles occasionally lined the roads.
Lin Qi didn't recognize the brands, but he knew cars like sports cars and off-road vehicles.
He looked around and quickly picked out his target.
A scooter parked beneath the electric vehicle charging shelter.
The parking spot bore the brand logo "No. 10 Electric Vehicle." Lin Qi walked over and said to Xia Chu, "Wait for me inside the entrance."
Lin Qi's reasoning was simple.
The city was too prosperous, which meant too many vehicles would be clogging the streets after the apocalypse. Cars would probably have trouble getting through. It was better to find something small.
Why an electric vehicle?
Because motorcycles ran on fuel and made a lot of noise.
Electric vehicles were different. His Micro-nuclear Powered Heart could supply them with power directly.
All Lin Qi had to do was modify the vehicle a little.
First, he removed the battery to reduce the weight. Then he modified the motor, added a port, and designed it to reach a higher speed.
Next, he removed some redundant parts from the leg section of his Exoskeleton and reinforced the vehicle's frame to keep it from falling apart at speeds over 350.
In just half an hour, Lin Qi used the few parts he had to build a Cyber-special No. 10 Electric Vehicle by hand. That was the handiwork of an L-level Researcher.
He climbed onto the electric vehicle. A protruding port on the seat connected to the Exoskeleton around his lower back, supplying power directly.
With one hand on the handlebars, Lin Qi rode up to the entrance and shouted to Xia Chu, "Get on!"
A breeze ruffled Lin Qi's hair, making its color look faintly yellow.
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