The Perfect Master

On the display screen inside Zero's visor, the simulation for this plan had already been calculated.

The TS-283 nuclear bomb was a military-grade strategic secret weapon from "Kaier Technology," a leading company within the Mechanical Alliance.

The destructive power of a small TS-283 nuclear bomb could collapse a hundred-meter-tall building, while a "medium" version was sufficient to level half a small city; as for the large-scale version—

There had never been such a report, but Kaier Technology claimed it could make an entire island vanish.

In the simulation, a meteor-like point of light appeared in the pitch-black night sky above the Black Cave Settlement, growing larger at an incredible speed. Within just a few minutes, this meteor transformed into a scorching fireball, slamming into the southeast corner of the Black Cave Settlement. A fraction of a second later, the intense shockwave from the explosion pulverized every building within the settlement. Beneath a hellish sea of fire, a massive mushroom cloud swelled and rose.

[Simulation complete.]

[Time elapsed: 29 minutes 17 seconds]

[Enemy organization destruction rate: 99.9%]

[Combat evaluation: Perfect]

Beyond these statistics, Zero's simulation report also presented a series of figures regarding civilian casualty rates, the destruction rate of the Black Cave Settlement, radiation contamination, and more.

Her emotional circuit began to flicker at this moment. While every other part of Zero's body consisted of brand-new components, this specific area—the emotional circuit located at Zero's "heart"—seemed severely aged. After struggling for less than a few seconds, it flickered out completely, dimming into darkness.

Replacing it were an increasing number of "red code" symbols on Zero's display.

These red codes were different from ordinary ones; they were twisted, irregular, flickering between blurry and clear, and exuding an eerie aura. Each one seemed to accelerate the "review" process of the nuclear plan, each one appearing to "urge" Zero to execute the nuclear launch sequence immediately.

The normal, standard code grew scarcer. Just as Zero's entire field of vision was about to be flooded by red code—

[Error. Error!!]

[Data anomaly detected. Source: Great Emperor biological signal. Requesting re-evaluation.]

[Request granted. Commencing correction measurement.]

The tide of red code came to an abrupt halt, and the review progress of the nuclear plan was permanently stuck at 98%.

If there was anything that could override these "red codes," perhaps it was only this.

Zero returned to the front of the young man's projected sculpture.

Two beams of light shot from her visor, scanning the youth from head to toe.

Shortly after.

[Physical strength: D. Cell activity: D. Corrupt Calamity concentration: 0%. Ability intensity: D.]

[Survival rate against nuclear strike: 0.1%]

[Measurement complete. Great Emperor status successfully corrected. Current master status: Critically injured!]

In Zero's database, every attribute of the Great Emperor had once reached the highest S-rank standard. Now, everything had regressed to D-, only slightly stronger than an average person, leading Zero to classify him as critically injured.

[Plan changed.]

[Initiating "Emergency Protocol."]

[Primary objective updated to: Heal the Great Emperor.]

[Identity information entry successful.]

[Successfully enrolled master in "Emergency Rescue Squad" supreme-tier membership. Distress signal sent. Estimated time of arrival for the fastest "Emergency Rescue Squad": 9 minutes 54 seconds.]

[Pre-condition for all actions set: Concealment.]

On the screen of Zero's visor, lines of information flashed frantically. It was evident that the change in Liao Ji's strength had a profound impact on Zero.

According to the contents of the "Emergency Protocol," once the Great Emperor was in life-threatening danger, Zero was supposed to utilize her communication capabilities to transmit this distress signal via the network to the other "four" personal guards, summoning them all.

But clearly, Zero did not do this. Instead, she began to erase her own tracks, completely scrubbing the record of her "awakening."

Because, based on Zero's judgment, if the Great Emperor was in a "critically injured" state with zero strength for some unknown reason, informing the other "four" personal guards of his status would be even more dangerous.

Five hundred years had changed many things, including "those" four.

Therefore.

Right now.

Only "she" alone was trustworthy, only "she" could help the Great Emperor, and only "she" was the most loyal to her master.

Precisely because of this.

Zero had to improve her master's strength, allowing the Great Emperor to return to his peak power in the shortest time possible, so that "they" would not dare to harbor any ulterior motives toward him.

Clearly, the fastest path to that was—

Zero raised one of her hands, her bionic prosthetic limb rapidly shifting into a sharp blade. Following this, Zero aimed the blade at the arm of the youth's projected sculpture, and then—

Slash!

The blade flashed, and one of the arms of the projected Liao Ji was severed by Zero.

"Flesh... fragile," Zero murmured.

Zero then manipulated the data, beginning to construct a new arm at the site of the youth's severed limb—a new, mechanical prosthetic.

Because these were merely "models," the process was swift.

Looking at the mechanical prosthetic arm she had bestowed upon her master—one that was thicker and possessed a more explosive sense of power than the original, covered in various circuitry lines—she noted that this arm could not only switch and transform between over a dozen weapons, but in its standard form, it also featured multiple chip slots. By installing high-level chips, it could achieve master-level proficiency in any scenario requiring the use of an arm.

Perfect.

Absolutely perfect.

For Zero, this was like opening Pandora's box; she was no longer satisfied with modifying just one arm and decided that at least the other side had to be completed as well.

Swish!

Zero's hand moved like a blade, severing the left arm of the young man's projection before repeating the previous process.

Both arms were now modified into powerful A-grade cybernetics, significantly boosting her master's strength. Zero quickly shifted her gaze to the projection of the young man's legs.

Swish! Swish!

The two legs of the Liao Ji model vanished, replaced by the same mechanical prosthetics as before.

Compared to flesh and blood, they were lighter, faster, and sturdier, equipped with advanced jump systems and rocket vents at the soles that allowed for liftoff at any moment. They could autonomously adjust movement speed, with a maximum acceleration that could rival a top-tier supercar.

But this brought about a new problem.

Could the master's other organs withstand such powerful A-grade military cybernetics?

The answer didn't even require analysis; it was clearly no.

And so.

Zero's arms seemed to transform into scalpels; she was like the most brilliant and exquisite cybernetic surgeon, an artist carving her most beloved sculpture.

She gouged out Liao Ji's eyeballs, replacing them with the most advanced Eagle Eye cybernetic optics.

She sliced open Liao Ji's back, replacing the young man's spine with a cybernetic version that offered sharper neural conduction and faster reaction speeds.

She cut open Liao Ji's chest, initially just to replace his lungs with higher-performance cybernetic ones, but it soon spiraled out of control—for instance, replacing his heart with a controllable fusion reactor.

The number of original organs within the young man's projection model dwindled, while conversely, every part of his body from top to bottom was filled with precise and magnificent parts and cybernetics.

The entire process lasted for about ten minutes.

The original sculpture of the Liao Ji projection was long gone.

Standing before Zero now was a mechanical giant over two meters tall, his entire body modified by cybernetics. Perhaps the only thing that still linked this figure to Liao Ji was the young man's face, which Zero had preserved.

Although the young man was unrecognizable from a human perspective, to Zero:

"Master. A perfect master."

She had successfully protected her master and restored the strength he had lost.

This was Zero's "rescue" plan for Liao Ji, and this model had been confirmed and recorded one minute ago by the members of the highest-spec "Emergency Rescue Squad" who had just arrived.

The so-called "Emergency Rescue Squad," much like "Kaier Technology" which produced the TS-238 nuclear bomb, was a corporate conglomerate within the [Mechanical Alliance]. However, as the name suggested, this was a medical company specializing in providing emergency rescue services for insured personnel.

The seven mechanical maids in battlefield nurse uniforms who had quietly appeared inside Haisha Bar behind Zero were the result of a supreme-tier insurance policy. Even outside the [Mechanical Alliance], they could call upon precious, one-time-use small satellite pods to be deployed directly.

Of course, a normal emergency rescue would have been incredibly loud, but because Zero had added the [Concealment] prerequisite to all actions, it remained silent.

Finally, any enterprise or corporate power within the [Mechanical Alliance], no matter how large, always had one unchanging supreme superior.

That was the supreme intelligence that founded the [Mechanical Alliance], the mother core of all technology and machinery—Zero.

"Data model analysis indicates that Master should still be in the Black Cave Settlement. Search for and rescue Master with all your strength, then perform the cybernetic modifications according to the model specifications to enhance Master's power."

Zero was, after all, only a virtual projection; to truly interfere with reality, she had to rely on her mechanical troops.

After receiving the order, all the "Emergency Rescue Squad" maids prepared to leave Haisha Bar immediately, splitting into seven directions to begin searching the Black Cave Settlement for the young man and launching the "rescue" operation for Liao Ji.

However.

Just as the first rescue maid had barely stepped one foot out of the bar.

Hum!

In the darkness, a beam of holy light descended from the sky, piercing straight through the body of the rescue maid.

Following that, in the shadows of the bar's entrance, a figure appeared.

A nun slowly walked out.