It was the feeling of having a body again—not just touch, but smell and sight, all digital. This humanlike sensation felt incredible.
His powerful soul controlled this mechanical body. He tried to move, but Mifeng immediately stopped him.
"Don't move around here! I'll take you to the testing ground in a bit. You could break something if you start moving around here."
"Okay!"
Zhang Hao stayed still. He could vaguely sense the immense strength of this robot, and Mifeng's warning made him stop at once.
Mifeng picked up the three small robots and turned to leave. Zhang Hao immediately picked up the small robot he had used earlier and pressed it against his abdomen as well, stowing away this robot body. Once he had put it away, he understood the trick: if this body was damaged, the small robot inside his abdomen would be where his soul-crystal beetle could go. In an emergency, he could control the small robot and escape.
It was a backup, a chance to get away.
A moment later, Mifeng brought Zhang Hao to a hall packed with robots of every size and shape, all sitting cross-legged.
Compared with his own, every one of these robots looked crude. Most had incomplete skin, exposing the metal underneath. Even so, Zhang Hao thought they were remarkably well-made.
Mifeng said to the three small robots, "Go pick one for yourselves. Once you've chosen, climb in and control it."
The three small robots nodded. Mifeng set them down, and they immediately ran off to find robots that suited them.
"Don't be fooled by how crude these robots look," Mifeng said. "They're much better than the ones outside, especially the ones controlled by souls. The models out there can't compare."
"The robots outside?"
"The robots outside are all remotely controlled by quantum signals. How could they compare to soul control? I'll explain more when we test them in a bit."
First, get dressed!
Mifeng took five simple outfits from a cabinet nearby. Zhang Hao saw that they were skintight bodysuits: two black and three dark blue.
The clothes were made of nanomaterials and offered formidable protection.
The three small robots chose quickly, each finding a target. They climbed into the larger robots' abdomens, stood up, and came over to the two men.
They were all 1.8 meters tall, with ordinary-looking faces. Mifeng handed them the clothes, and they quickly put them on.
"Let's go!"
The five of them left at once.
Mifeng opened a light gate, and the five entered.
The testing ground.
Zhang Hao exclaimed, "It's huge! So huge!" Judging by eye, the testing ground was at least as big as two regulation soccer fields. The ceiling was domed, and a faint glow covered the floor, walls, and dome alike: an energy shield.
"I'll try running first."
Mifeng pointed, and a circular track appeared on the floor. "Give it a try!"
As he moved, Zhang Hao grew accustomed to his body. He waved his arms, bent over, kicked his legs, and tried throwing a punch. A sharp crack split the air, startling him. That punch had broken the sound barrier, yet he hadn't felt anything unusual. He was instantly thrilled.
He strolled around the track, then gradually picked up speed. As his movements grew more coordinated, he ran faster and faster. He sprinted with all his might, reaching an incredible speed; a black streak raced around the track, quickly hitting a hundred meters per second, and he could still accelerate.
When Zhang Hao tried to stop, his entire body halted in an instant. The tremendous force made him sway slightly. If his body had been flesh and blood, stopping so abruptly at that speed would have torn his muscles and shattered his bones, if it hadn't killed him outright.
He tried all kinds of tests: punching power, climbing, weightlifting, and more. Each one left Zhang Hao stunned. These were absolutely inhuman results.
If he took this thing back to Blue Star, who could stop him? Probably not even an army!
"Can I take this robot back to Blue Star?"
"Sure!"
"Huh? Are you serious?"
"Things can be transferred between bridgeheads. Why not? But if you take this robot back, you can only play with it in secret. You absolutely mustn't go causing trouble, or you'll disrupt the timeline of the Main Bridgehead. Of course, if you don't affect anything, then it doesn't matter."
"I just want to play with it myself. I'm not planning to cause trouble."
"You need to know where to draw the line. If you disrupt the history of the main timeline, a Space-Time Branch will appear. Once that happens, you'll have to get a Branch Bridgehead ready, and it'll keep you running around in a panic. A Space-Time Branch will affect the Main Bridgehead, understand? If it's not the main timeline, then you can do whatever you like."
Zhang Hao didn't understand all of it, but he grasped one thing: Blue Star, where he lived, was the foundation. If he wanted to do anything big, he couldn't do it there.
"Got it. I'll rest on Blue Star and go wild elsewhere!"
Mifeng turned back. "You three, go get used to your bodies too."
The three robots stood at attention. "Yes, Master."
"I'm not your master. He is. From now on, you're responsible for his safety." The permissions were immediately transferred to Zhang Hao.
The three turned to Zhang Hao and saluted. "Master, please give us names!"
Zhang Hao was taken aback. "What does that mean?"
"Giving them names establishes your master-servant relationship. From now on, they'll be your most loyal subordinates and will fight to the death to protect you. Of course, raising them will cost a lot of resources and money."
Zhang Yihu, Zhang Erhu, Zhang Sanhu!
Mifeng understood at once. The names meant "First Protector," "Second Protector," and "Third Protector"—three bodyguards. That was certainly convenient.
Their souls actually contained programs, and they each stepped forward to salute.
"Zhang Yihu reporting in!"
"Zhang Erhu reporting in!"
"Zhang Sanhu reporting in!"
"All right. Go test yourselves, and try to get used to your bodies."
After watching Zhang Hao's earlier tests, they followed his example and began trying everything. Zhang Hao was rather surprised, because their results were nothing like his—they were far worse!
"Huh? Why are they so much weaker?"
"Obviously. Your robot was custom-built. They're using mass-produced models, so of course they can't compare to you."
The three soon finished testing and had bonded well with their bodies. Then they ran over to stand at attention behind Zhang Hao.
"What's the world outside like? I'm really curious. Take me to have a look."
"Don't rush. I'll explain how things work first, so you're not completely clueless."
Zhang Hao thought that made sense. He knew almost nothing, not even the basics. It would be good to hear Mifeng explain things.
A light curtain rose, displaying a three-dimensional image. This virtual projection was impressively high-tech: everything appeared in 3D, and you could walk around it to see every detail. It wasn't quite as good as the virtual network, which offered a fully immersive experience.
"This is 3D light projection," Mifeng said. "Here's a short clip showing how people in this world use mechs."
Before you continue