Fishing

Since the Thousand-Man Law-Ruler has awakened, it's time to deploy all nine of the T-1000s we have to collect its core. Simultaneously, we'll dispatch all T-800s and the majority of the T-600s to assist the T-1000 in any high-intensity combat it might encounter. The remaining few T-600s will handle routine security. After the Tenth Law-Ruler's emergence, many refugees will inevitably flee to Dr. Mei's city. The Terminator units, with their highly realistic artificial biological tissue, will help the T-800s and T-600s blend in among the refugees.

Qin Su, of course, thrives in the city. Fire Moth cannot possibly gather and analyze information on everyone. Every area humanity occupies is under wartime martial law, and every supercomputer is dedicated to research or combat operations. But for Qin Su, as long as everyone has a smart device, collecting and analyzing everyone's information to predict behavioral patterns is incredibly simple. Big data's effectiveness is even more pronounced during wartime.

A long line of civilian trucks stretched across the city entrance, and many "people" disembarked. Middle-aged individuals, etched with the weariness of years, held cigarettes in their mouths. Burly, muscular men with rough faces stared at the sky. Young people, bathed in the morning sun, wore looks of sorrow. Their gaits were aimless, their faces a mixture of fatigue, helplessness, and cunning. No one would guess that this group of people, with their varied expressions, were machines composed of parts.

"Next!" the junior prosecutor guarding the city's edge checkpoint shouted impatiently. The scorching sun beat down on the soldiers nearby. Though sweat poured down their faces, they dared not move an inch, their hands gripping their rifles tightly, knowing a Law-Ruler could be hiding among these people.

A spry old man stepped forward. The prosecutor at the checkpoint, seeing an elderly gentleman, visibly relaxed his agitated expression. He motioned the old man forward, "Please present your identification."

"What kind of ID?"

"An ID card is preferred, but others are acceptable," the prosecutor said impatiently, a phrase he'd uttered countless times that day. Even the kindest person loses patience after long, repetitive work, which is why shorter work shifts are implemented.

The old man appeared to be around 50 years old. His movements were precise, and his physique was remarkably robust. He silently handed over his ID card.

The prosecutor placed his ID card on the scanner. A clear, soft chime accompanied a gentle blue light.

"Here is your ID," the prosecutor handed it back.

"Where should I go?"

"Wait over there for a moment."

The old man nodded and joined the crowd waiting to enter the city. A few minutes later, the prosecutor waved, signaling the soldiers behind him to let them pass.

This city can be roughly divided into five zones, with the government building at the city center forming the core of a circular district. The other zones are sectors radiating from the center. Infiltrators are present in all five zones, with the highest concentration in the city center. The Tenth Law-Ruler primarily operates around the Divine Keys. To gather information, the Law-Rulers will undoubtedly tamper with government agencies. Even though the Tenth Law-Ruler communicates through a mental link, as long as they move, they will leave a trace.

Throughout history, the Tenth Law-Ruler of the previous civilization possessed the highest intelligence among all Law-Rulers. They employed guerrilla tactics and concentrated their forces for decisive assaults. They formulated plans and, knowing they couldn't defeat the Fusion Warriors, chose to destroy the Divine Keys and seize their authority. These are among the few Law-Rulers whose intelligence does not decrease after liquefaction.

Even so, walls are not truly impenetrable. A person's actions can reveal a great deal of information. No matter how cautious the Tenth Law-Ruler is, they will leave some trace. Qin Su's central computer has flagged several hundred individuals as suspicious. It's possible none of them are actually Law-Rulers. However, if even one is found, Qin Su's existence will be detected by the Law-Rulers. If the dying Law-Ruler's last observations are enough to pique their curiosity, then a steady stream of couriers carrying Law-Ruler cores will arrive at his doorstep.

The wide, bright pedestrian walkway had only a few people on it. The once-clean sidewalks were now littered with debris from collapsed buildings and carelessly discarded trash. A Fire Moth soldier, holding a rifle, patrolled the road. Three burly men in overcoats approached him. The first man stopped him. Seeing the well-defined muscles and bulging veins on their hands, the soldier instinctively felt they meant trouble and tightened his grip on his rifle.

"Excuse me, buddy. Can you tell us where this refugee shelter is?" the second burly man asked, scratching his head apologetically. Another man pulled out a map and pointed to a location with a smile. The soldier, secretly relieved, softened his expression and gestured the route. "You go this way..." the soldier explained at length, then looked at the three men, "Anything else?"

The three burly men exchanged glances, their eyes filled with confusion. They all shook their heads, and one awkwardly scratched his head, saying, "All three of us brothers are terrible with directions. That's why we ended up walking from the southern checkpoint all the way to the city center. Could you perhaps lead us there?"

The soldier thought for a moment and reluctantly nodded. "Alright, but I'll only take you part of the way. I have patrol duties, and it's not good to leave my post without authorization. For the rest of the way, just keep going straight in the direction I point."

The three burly men followed the soldier into a quiet alley.

"From here, you just follow the direction I'm pointing..." The soldier pointed towards a small alley behind him. Before he could finish, the T-1000's hands transformed into conical spikes, impaling the soldier's shoulders against the wall, while two other T-800s simultaneously pinned his arms. With the T-1000's immense force, if the T-800s hadn't held his arms, the soldier would have been embedded in the wall.

What truly jolted the bewildered soldier, a Law-Ruler, into awareness was the searing pain in his elbows, knees, and shoulders. By then, even if he reacted, there was nothing he could do. The severe fractures prevented him from exerting normal strength; he was already a lamb to the slaughter.

The soldier gritted his teeth, his expression one of disbelief.

"Damn it, do you know the trouble you've gotten yourself into?! If you don't let me go, you'll be the ones dying!" He didn't want to reveal his Law-Ruler abilities before they could be properly utilized.

The three burly men remained unmoved. Their cold expressions and swift actions starkly contrasted with their earlier, guileless demeanor.

"Damn it, even if I die, you'll die before me!" The soldier's eyes glowed an eerie agate red. He roared almost madly, "Turn to ash in the heat!"

His hands gathered immense heat, and he forcefully sprayed flames reaching 1000°C towards the T-800s restraining him. The three burly men, however, showed no fear. The biological tissue on the T-800's head peeled away, revealing scorched red metal and glowing red optical sensors.

Titanium alloy and liquid metal couldn't withstand such temperatures for long, but within mere seconds, its mechanical arms were broken by the burning red appendages.

"Armed Dolls?! How is that possible! How can there still be Armed Dolls now?!" The soldier was utterly horrified, instantly sharing his discovery with the Law-Rulers' mental link.

The T-1000 transformed its right hand into a sharp spike. Like some sort of cult ritual, the spike aimed directly for the Law-Ruler's heart and plunged in.

A person typically survives only a few minutes after losing their heart. However, Law-Rulers are peculiar. He wanted to know if organs still functioned after a person became a Law-Ruler. Coincidentally, Qin Su had recently initiated a project called "Law-Ruler Body Structure Research," using the numerous Tenth Law-Rulers as research material to extrapolate the weaknesses of ordinary Law-Rulers from the general.

The soldier's hands and feet were firmly restrained, yet he could breathe for about an hour and a half. It seemed the heart, while a weakness, wasn't a fatal one that could quickly kill him.

The T-800's partially exposed mechanical arm inserted itself into the soldier's chest. After a brief search, it retrieved the Law-Ruler core. They re-covered themselves with a layer of biological tissue and vanished without a trace.

The bait has been cast. Now, we'll see if the Law-Rulers take the hook.

PS: Terminator is the general term for ground combat robots, while Infiltrators are Terminators disguised in human skin.