Residential Grand Adventure

Qin Su had never considered using a Law-Ruler core as bait, with himself being the biggest lure. If the Armed Dolls had clashed with humans, it proved the feasibility of using autonomous machinery to exterminate humanity. As long as the Tenth Law-Rulers harbored ambitions of exterminating humanity, they would surely take the bait.

"Just as expected." Someone was already following closely behind, their biological tissue having been replaced on the T-800. As long as one didn't observe the T-800's biological disguise carefully, they wouldn't be exposed. Qin Su surmised that the Law-Ruler core they took with them had revealed them. Although he didn't know the principle behind it, Qin Su pretended not to notice. The T-800 and T-1000 continued with the original plan, acting like normal people, heading towards the underground hangar at 36 Oak Street in the East District.

Inside the underground hangar were 5 T-800s and 3 T-1000s undergoing routine maintenance. Even if these Terminators were destroyed, they wouldn't believe it could end so easily.

Numerous T-1000s and T-800s were lurking nearby. These scattered T-1000s and T-800s were the real main course. However, they were also a bigger bait, but it wasn't their time to appear yet. Moreover, Qin Su didn't believe his pitifully small number of low-combat-power Terminators could defeat a swarm of Tenth Law-Rulers.

Deep in the night, most people in the world were already asleep. But in the minds of some insomniacs, intense debates were taking place.

"What are your thoughts on the death of our fellow Yars today?" The first person to speak was a refined man in a suit. Within the Law-Ruler group, speaking order indicated status, and only wisdom determined that order.

The first speaker continued, "Apart from the vast majority of Armed Dolls that have already disappeared, we have never encountered such combat machinery. Fellow Yars transmitted some recordings of them before their death."

"In my opinion, there are no such robots within Fire Moth. Previous Armed Dolls had to be discontinued due to the development of free will." This person was clearly a high-ranking official within Fire Moth.

"I don't think they are worth our effort."

"A fellow comrade's life should not be wasted in vain."

"Agreed, we should first investigate 36 Oak Street."

Others chimed in their agreement. The internal discussions of the Thousand-Man Law-Rulers were vastly different from those of ordinary people. They were like a group of absolutely rational strategists. Even when disagreements arose, they didn't argue emotionally, but rather briefly stated their reasons for opposition or suggestions.

"After the discussion session, a 5-person investigation team will be formed. Next, we will continue discussing the Divine Keys. Our primary target remains the Divine Keys," the man in the suit declared decisively.

Inside the Fire Moth's [Base], the adjutant reported the latest findings to Dr. Mei, holding a tablet. "Dr. Mei, one of our patrol soldiers is missing. He was found dead in an alley."

Dr. Mei took the tablet and swiped her finger across it. After browsing, she asked, "Was it a Law-Ruler?"

The adjutant shook his head. "No, according to the autopsy report, this soldier was a Law-Ruler, and his Law-Ruler core has been removed."

Mei was silent for a moment, a conclusion already forming in her mind. Her gloved hand stroked her chin as she pondered, "There are only two reasons for removing a Law-Ruler core: research and utilization. For research, all Law-Ruler cores are in our hands, and the outside world knows nothing about them. It's not strange for them to take them for research. If it's for utilization, then it's troublesome. The best use for these Law-Ruler cores is to build Divine Keys."

Divine Keys, as the divine weapons used by Fire Moth to fight Law-Rulers, were manufactured using methods considered top secret within Fire Moth. This implied that Fire Moth might have been infiltrated through and through, or perhaps some genius had figured out how to manufacture Divine Keys on their own. However, Dr. Mei considered this probability to be close to zero.

"It's necessary to conduct an internal investigation, but now is not the time. Recklessly purging the organization would be more detrimental than beneficial. Spies can also be a double-edged sword; I can spread some false information..."

She pushed up her glasses and said, "Send me the autopsy report. I will handle this matter."

"Understood, Doctor." The adjutant nodded and withdrew.

On the outskirts of the city, in nearby high-rise buildings, a Law-Ruler squad was observing 36 Oak Street. However, they could not only observe the exterior but also see through the interior. This "seeing through" wasn't direct vision, but rather that some among them could easily utilize electric currents and magnetic fields to achieve a form of x-ray vision. The Tenth Law-Rulers were such beings. They possessed the types of all previous Law-Rulers, but due to insufficient energy levels of their Law-Ruler cores, they could often only possess a portion of the abilities of previous Law-Rulers.

After confirming the situation, the five individuals quickly retreated to their hiding place to prepare weapons and offensive equipment. Although they had deliberately avoided surveillance, they could not avoid satellites roaming in space, especially on such a clear, sunny day.

"Plan initiated, commencing environmental variable control..." Qin Su controlled the T-800s and T-1000s inside 36 Oak Street, covering them with optical camouflage cloth.

As expected, at dusk, five people arrived from different directions and gathered at a street corner.

"Fellow Martha, can you sense the situation inside now?" the leader inquired via mental link.

"I've sensed it. There's no one inside," the Law-Ruler named Martha shook her head.

"Then let's go." The leader pushed open the slightly ajar door. Martha did not warn them of any traps. The group boldly entered and began searching the rooms. The house was very clean, with not a speck of dust on the floor. They could even see their reflections on the gleaming tiles.

"Zzzzt," a surge of electricity passed through. Martha lightly activated an electronic switch hidden at the bottom of a bookshelf. The group looked at her. She didn't speak but directly gestured for one of them to enter the elevator that had just risen from the floor. A young man stepped forward without hesitation and entered the elevator. Because he possessed the ability of invisibility, he was the only one who could go first into danger.

His body gradually became transparent until it completely merged with the silver-white elevator. However, this ability offered no advantage to the Terminators, who possessed thermal imaging vision.

The elevator door slowly opened, revealing a hall. A radiation warning sign was posted next to the elevator door. A large UN flag hung on the gray wall, with a bookshelf below it filled with various books. Next to the bookshelf was an old mechanical clock, its ticking sound like a lit lighter, gradually approaching the fragile fuse in his heart. On the iron shelf against the left wall were parts and tools of unknown use, while the iron shelf on the right held various unopened food cans.

This place looked very much like a doomsday enthusiast's shelter. He cautiously observed his surroundings. Besides these items, there was nothing else. The invisible Law-Ruler searched carefully for a few minutes and then said through the mental link, "You can come down now. I haven't seen anything."

They believed in their hearts that this was a trap. Sending one person to scout was merely a gamble born of desperation. If the scout died, they could openly retreat. Although the Thousand-Man Law-Rulers did not fear death, they preferred sacrifices with clear benefits. They neither wanted to waste time here nor lose their lives; only the Divine Keys were worthy of these proud Law-Rulers rushing forward.

The Law-Rulers entered the elevator one after another. It was very quiet inside, without the usual subtle hum of an elevator. However, the silent, cramped environment made them more nervous.

With a "ding," the elevator doors opened. The invisible Law-Ruler stood in the center, waiting for them. This adventure was like a chicken rib – tasteless to eat, but a shame to discard. However, since they had come this far, how could they return empty-handed?

They walked forward and pushed over a solid, opaque wooden desk with storage compartments. After a cloud of dust dispersed, a locked small door appeared before them, only wide enough for one person to pass through. Where the doorknob should have been was a round hole. However, Martha was not foolish enough to stick her finger in. Blue arcs of electricity emerged from her fingertips, lightly touching the inside of the round hole, and the small door opened.

The scene that greeted them exuded a peculiar minimalist style: white, unadorned walls, three workstations surrounded by many parts and tools, and two simple, exposed metal-structured cabins that appeared to be repair bays. There were no industrial robotic arms crisscrossing here as one might expect. Building an underground repair facility in the city that Fire Moth valued most seemed somewhat impractical.

Next to the corner of one of the workstations was a cardboard shipping box wrapped in a black plastic bag. Martha tore open the bag and the box together. Inside was a regular square pyramid shape carved with intricate curved patterns, with blue light paths flashing rhythmically.

Martha signaled the people around her to protect themselves and carefully touched its strange, dazzling patterns. Only now did she feel the slight energy pulsation of the Law-Ruler core. It seemed they had arrived just in time; this device was almost taken away.

With a soft "snap," but not the sound of it opening, Martha furrowed her brow and tilted her head slightly to discern the source of the sound. It was definitely not the sound of metal, but the sound of some fabric falling to the ground.

The ambushing Terminators instantly shed their optical camouflage cloth. Cold red electronic eyes reflected the figures of everyone. Their imposing steel bodies walked towards them. The Law-Rulers huddled together, assuming a defensive stance. They had stepped into the first layer of the trap.

Qin Su couldn't help but look forward to their spectacular performance.

PS: The first 50 chapters were written by the author before the main storyline reached the Thousand-Man Law-Rulers. Many parts have been revised. Feel free to point out any inaccuracies.

There is a significant difference between the Thousand-Man Law-Rulers of the previous civilization and the current one. Firstly, the specialty of the previous civilization's Thousand-Man Law-Rulers was that they possessed the abilities of other Law-Rulers from the beginning, albeit weakly. The current civilization does not. Their dominion over powers is also expressed differently; the previous civilization's Thousand-Man Law-Rulers tended to plunder the powers of Divine Keys, while the current civilization's Thousand-Man Law-Rulers prefer living Law-Rulers.

Secondly, in terms of thought and action. The previous civilization seemed to be a primarily rational civilization, so the Thousand-Man Law-Rulers in the manga were like a shadow army working in unison and acting after careful consideration. The current civilization, having undergone the baptism of humanism and left-wing ideology, has Thousand-Man Law-Rulers who are more like a group of cunning bandits focused on sensory experience and acting erratically.