Watching the monsters approach, Cheng Yu badly wanted to slap them into next week, but remembering the rules the God Emperor had laid down for the game, he had to give up the idea.
To Cheng Yu's surprise, however, the monsters seemed to hesitate when they saw Dermot in front of him. In the end, they dispersed.
Cheng Yu looked at Dermot suspiciously and asked,
"Hey, mister, are these guys a little scared of you?"
Dermot's tentacles began waving more merrily, as though he felt rather proud of himself. Sure enough, he said,
"Of course. There's still a difference between us Disciples of the Divine Emperor and ordinary citizens like them. Naturally, they wouldn't openly attack my people just for a trial participant's spot."
Cheng Yu was rather surprised. They wouldn't do it openly, but what about in secret?
Sure enough, Miss Puppet's voice sounded in Cheng Yu's mind.
(Your Highness, these Half-Energy Information Aggregates are still watching us in secret. I sense that the vast majority of them harbor malice.)
Cheng Yu paused, then replied with a cold chuckle.
(The rules might stop us from attacking at will, but fighting back in self-defense should be allowed, right?)
Miss Puppet's voice came again.
(Perhaps your guess is correct, Your Highness.)
Cheng Yu was puzzled at first. Why was she so certain this time? She wasn't even giving a probability?
Then he raised his head and understood why.
In the crowd nearby... well, the crowd of monsters, a number of monsters were sniffing around a burly, partially mechanical man, growing increasingly bold. Some had even started getting "hands-on," tapping his mechanical arm with "arms" that resembled insect limbs, the noise growing louder and louder.
Finally, the burly man swung his titanium alloy fist and sent the insect-like monster that had been