Binding the Mecha

Close-quarters combat? Forget it. Zhang Hao couldn't fight at all. He was better at sneaking attacks from a distance; staying far from danger was always a homebody's choice. He said, "Then let's go with ranged attacks."

The robot engineer said, "All right. We'll equip it with a long-range Electromagnetic Cannon, the latest model."

Immediately, two robot engineers attached a six-meter-long sniper Electromagnetic Cannon to the mecha's back. A two-meter-long blade was also slotted into its right thigh. On an eight-meter-tall mecha, that blade was little more than a dagger.

A small, round shield was attached to its left arm. Once activated, it could form a hemispherical defensive barrier. The mecha only had to curl up to block attacks from outside.

The robot engineer said, "You can change the weapons whenever you like. This mecha is very powerful in close combat, but using ranged weapons is a little safer."

Zhang Hao asked curiously, "What's your name?" He had noticed how clearly the robot spoke and figured it must have a powerful soul.

The robot engineer said, "I am Intelligent Creation Robot Number Nine. Serving my master is my honor."

Intelligent Creation meant intelligent manufacturing. Intelligent Creation Robots were the most advanced intelligent mechanical and electronic engineers. Across the several bases owned by the Bridgehead, there were no more than five hundred of them. The first fifty numbered Intelligent Creation Engineers were all masters, each entitled to priority protection at the base.

Their souls resided in soul crystals, and the longer they existed, the stronger their souls became.

These five hundred Intelligent Creation Engineers were the most elite master engineers.

Mi Feng said, "Just call him Old Nine."

Zhang Hao knew how valuable these master Intelligent Creation Engineers were. He found some relevant information and quickly read up on them, immediately understanding what made them so precious. They were among the engineers with the best fusion of soul and intelligence. Not only were they exceptionally skilled at mechanical engineering, they could also reach the master level in combat. They were the very best across the several bases.

However, they rarely went out to fight. Unless mecha attacked the base, they would not leave without orders from Mi Feng and Zhang Hao.

Zhang Yihu, Zhang Erhu, and Zhang Sanhu each chose a mecha. The mechas they picked weren't the ones in this compartment, but the ones displayed in the main hall. Though they weren't custom-built, they were still top-tier mechas. All were Humanoid Mechas, and all were designed for close combat.

The Humanoid Mechas stood nine meters tall.

Zhang Hao said, "Let me try."

A hatch opened in the mecha's back, and Zhang Hao leaped straight inside.

Once he had steadied himself, Zhang Hao felt as if he were suspended in midair. Everything around him was pitch-black. A mechanical voice sounded: "Mecha detected. Bind?"

"Bind!"

In an instant, Zhang Hao could see everything around him in an astonishingly vivid way. His soul and the mecha's intelligence fused rapidly, and he gained complete control of the machine. Everything about the mecha appeared in his soul. Then he realized that his soul and the mecha had become one, just like his soul was joined to his body.

Just by looking, he could switch between several modes. One was like seeing through ordinary eyes, with a world full of color. Others included infrared vision, ultraviolet vision, and microwave detection, which could see underground, as well as ultrasonic reflection detection. Best of all, these modes could be combined into a single comprehensive scan.

There were also many forms of communication, all governed by access permissions. With Zhang Hao's status, he could command any mecha or robot at any of the bases.

Zhang Hao thought the mecha's vision and hearing were incredible; even his own body couldn't match its agility. He looked up using the comprehensive scan and could even see robots moving around on the floor above, calibrating their equipment.

Zhang Hao had mastered mecha piloting, and his piloting skill was the best there was. Combined with his reasonably powerful soul, he could operate the mecha well, even if he wasn't as skilled as a true master. And his mecha was simply too powerful.

Mi Feng climbed into a Humanoid Mecha as well. It was a heavy model, a gigantic fifteen-meter-tall machine wielding two nine-meter-long energy blades.

Zhang Hao was speechless. Standing beside it, he looked half its size. The mecha had a hover system, so it wasn't all that heavy even when standing on the ground. But jumping required tremendous power.

Mi Feng's heavy Humanoid Mecha had been custom-built for him long ago. It looked incredibly imposing: a black machine that moved without making a sound.

This kind of heavy Humanoid Mecha usually required two or three robots to operate, but Mi Feng could control it by himself thanks to his extraordinarily powerful soul. Zhang Hao suddenly understood: Mi Feng must have lost his body. He had once asked Mi Feng if he was human, and Mi Feng had said he wasn't.

No wonder the guy showed so little emotion when he spoke. Now Zhang Hao understood.

Mi Feng said, "Have an elite mecha squad assemble at the fortress gate."

"Let's go out!"

"All right!"

A subterranean passage, eighty meters wide and about thirty meters high, led outside the fortress.

Squads of mechas stood in formation throughout the passage, of all different kinds. Only Mi Feng, Zhang Hao, and the three Zhangs he had brought along walked down the middle of the passage, five mechas in all.

Mi Feng said, "People from outside can't come in. All the mechas stored here are transported automatically. Of course, we can come and go as we please between our own bases."

A short distance ahead stood a large number of elevators. Zhang Yihu entered one first. Zhang Hao knew he was going up ahead to provide security. Zhang Erhu followed right after him.

Only then did Mi Feng and Zhang Hao enter, followed by Zhang Sanhu's mecha.

They were now outside the fortress. Zhang Hao first used ordinary vision, seeing through the mecha's eyes. There were many mechas outside the fortress. The mechas he saw had a friend-or-foe identification feature: no matter how far away they were, each had a small green mark on its arm. If the mark was red, the mecha was hostile.

The sky was red, as if covered with patches of crimson, some darker and some lighter. The red patches shifted and flowed, creating a bizarre sight. Gale-force winds swept across the ground, and rocks the size of fists or even basketballs were occasionally hurled along by the wind.

These gales were already considered gentle on Slaughter Planet. The entire fortress had been built inside a massive mountain.

A huge opening had been carved into the mountain, and the base fortress had been built inside it. In other words, the fortress was enclosed by the mountain, with its entrance opening onto a pair of enormous cliffs. The cliffs protected mechas as they emerged. The fortress's exterior formed a concave shape, with its entrance at the bottom of the hollow.

The cliffs were also part of the fortress. Their alloy-framed walls were densely packed with cannon ports. At the bottom of the cliffs were many sealed gates. Once those gates opened, the mechas lying in wait inside would charge straight out.