In the Matrix world, the clone talked a good game and managed to steady The Oracle and The Architect.
Russell knew nothing about any of this.
When he had simulated Satan in the virtual world, he had drawn upon the world's dark side to create a clone. Its purpose was to help Neo stall for time until he finished dealing with Machine City, then returned to clean up The Oracle and The Architect.
Clearly, he had underestimated his own style. The clone simply refused to play by the rules.
That was a good thing!
As everyone knew, a person's style and special effects determined the strength of their combat power. With his style, few could surpass him; it was difficult even to see through him.
After another fifteen minutes of flight, just as Russell began to suspect he had entered some high-tech version of a Ghost Wall, some kind of spatial weapon, he finally saw endless lights stretching beneath the night sky.
At the end of the transmission conduit, mountain ranges stretched across the horizon like a crouching dragon sprawled over the continent. Layer upon layer, they were majestic and magnificent, making one keenly aware of one's own insignificance.
Russell narrowed his eyes. The mountains were not mountains, but Machine City's outer defense system.
Sure enough, the towering ranges split apart and disassembled, transforming into enormous warships. Countless gun barrels charged up and unleashed lasers and specialized missiles.
For a moment, artillery fire filled the sky!
The moment the transmission conduit was severed, Machine City detected it and dispatched nearby squids to repair it.
The diligent squids rushed to the scene, but they could not repair the damaged section. It was not that their technology was inadequate—the entire conduit was gone.
How were they supposed to fix that?
Having detected