Soul Crystal Stone

Zhang Hao was human, so he understood at once. What they called killing each other was really a fight over resources. And since these were remote-controlled mechas, no one would die; they would only lose mechas. If they had enough assets, what did losing a mecha matter?

After that explanation, Zhang Hao was left with one impression: chaos. This planet was insanely chaotic! No wonder it was called the Slaughter Planet. The name really fit.

Zhang Hao knew that this bridgehead and the Slaughter Planet existed in different dimensions and could not connect directly. They had to use short-range teleportation.

"The Slaughter Planet should have one of our bases, right?"

Mi Feng answered without hesitation.

There is! But I don't know if it's still there!

I was trapped in your hometown for quite a while, so it needs to be reauthenticated before it can be opened.

"Shall we go take a look?" Zhang Hao was terribly curious. He really couldn't understand this other world. Mi Feng had told him a few things about it before: this was a Space-Time Line. From the perspective of his hometown, it was the future, though not necessarily an accurate future. When the bridgehead docked, it would form a new Space-Time Line—another branch extending from the main one.

Although Zhang Hao couldn't understand it, he did grasp that the people and events in this world were connected to his home planet's history. They had already reached the stage of interstellar development, and their technology far surpassed that of his hometown.

Don't rush. I'll set up the soul seeds.

Mi Feng's machine bug went over to the platform that had swallowed the jade box earlier. Zhang Hao followed. He could see everything around him, though not with his eyes. It was a strange kind of perception. At first, Zhang Hao had found it very difficult to get used to, but now he was gradually accepting it, since it didn't affect his ability to observe everything around him.

The entire platform lit up, like a screen. It looked like a Go board, with a black dot in every square.

I brought back 2,300 souls. Of those, 1,210 collapsed and dissipated. Only 872 of the remaining souls passed muster; the others were too weak and could only handle odd jobs.

Mi Feng seemed to think this was perfectly normal.

Zhang Hao's soul rippled. This was far too brutal. Over a thousand souls had dissipated—it was terrifying.

If even a hundred of these 872 souls can receive skill infusion, then this enormous expenditure of resources won't have been wasted.

Mi Feng worked quickly at the platform. Though he was now just a gigantic machine bug, he operated at astonishing speed, explaining as he worked.

This batch of souls should produce ten to twenty Elite Level mecha warriors, thirty to forty auxiliary mecha warriors, and the rest can become ordinary robots.

These are Soul Crystal Stones. They can house souls.

Soul Crystal Stones are taken from Crystal Life. White ones are the lowest grade. Even a Soul Crystal Stone no bigger than a sesame seed can hold one soul.

"Boss, are the little bugs we're living in Soul Crystal Stones too?"

They're not Soul Crystal Stones. They're soul crystals!

With a Soul Crystal Stone, once a soul enters, it can't leave. It's disposable. Once it breaks, the soul disappears. Of course, if there are blank Soul Crystal Stones nearby, or a higher-grade soul crystal, a strong soul might survive and inhabit one again.

But soul crystals are different. Souls can enter and leave freely. We're going out this time, so we need to place two other soul crystals on the Conversion Platform. The instant we leave the soul crystals we're inhabiting, our souls can transfer back.

Zhang Hao was overjoyed. If he could preserve his soul, he could preserve his own existence.

Mi Feng agreed. According to him, the masters of bridgeheads were not easily erased; they all had various ways to protect themselves.

Zhang Hao finally felt at ease.

Mi Feng kept working. A moment later, a box about a foot square emerged from the platform. Zhang Hao didn't know what Mi Feng had operated, but a beam of blue light swept over the box, and with a crack, it melted.

In an instant, a huge pile of things appeared.

This is a portable storage space!

It must have released the things stored inside.

There were over a thousand exquisite little robots, each only eight inches tall, like toy robots. They could move, and they quickly lined up before bending down to pick up a Soul Crystal Stone and put it directly into their mouths.

Zhang Hao was utterly stunned. This was the first time he had seen such exquisitely crafted little robots. When one swallowed a Soul Crystal Stone, it went into the robot's head. The entire platform then lit up, flashing blue. A minute later, a batch of little robots jumped off the platform and began lining up on their own nearby.

Mi Feng explained that this was the weakest batch. They were of little use and could only stay at the base.

Five minutes later, another batch of little robots jumped off the platform. According to Mi Feng, they could only serve as guards at the base.

Several hundred little robots remained on the platform. Five minutes later, another batch jumped down. These could work as repair technicians and manufacturers.

Only three little robots remained on the platform. These three could become Elite Level warriors.

Mi Feng operated the platform again, and the three little robots quickly sank into it.

Wait ten minutes. It takes a little time for the souls and Intelligent programs to combine. What a shame. I thought I'd brought back so many souls this time that we'd get more Elite Level mecha warriors. I didn't expect them to be so weak.

Mi Feng seemed a little disappointed.

Zhang Hao rather liked these exquisitely crafted robots. They were eight inches tall—not even a foot—with slender arms and legs and little heads. They were all silver-white and identical, clearly mass-produced on an assembly line.

"When we go back, can I bring a few little robots like these?"

Without souls inside, these things are just little Intelligent robots. They're not much use and can only serve as decorations. You want decorations too?

"Yes!"

We'll talk about that before we go back. For now, get ready. We're going in.

Mi Feng took out two robots about two feet tall. They were still silver-white and still small, but much bigger than the little robots.

The back of each robot's head could be opened. The crystal bug Mi Feng controlled flew out, then dropped into one of their heads. As soon as it crawled inside, the cover on the back of the head snapped shut.

Zhang Hao was delighted when he saw it. So that was how it worked. It had been really uncomfortable inside the machine bug. He had gotten somewhat used to it, but he was still human and had human instincts. Without hesitation, he flew out of the machine bug and quickly entered the head of the other little robot. In an instant, everything felt different.

This time, he felt human.

Whoa, this robot body is pretty interesting!

The voice came out, and Zhang Hao jumped. "Holy crap, I can talk!"

"Of course. It has a human shape, so naturally it has a human voice!"

After hearing Mi Feng speak for the first time, Zhang Hao grew a little excited. He moved his hands and feet slightly, then said, "All right, I'm ready. How do we get out?"

"Follow me!"

Then Zhang Hao saw a strange sight: Mi Feng led the way, followed by the little robots, lined up neatly as they ran.