A Clichéd Trap

Seeing the Terminators closing in, one Law-Ruler asked through the mental link: "Martha, can you scrap these machines directly?"

"I'll try."

She raised her palm. "Boom!" A torrent of blue current erupted from her hand. Compared to the thin strands of electricity before, this was now a ferocious electromagnetic python.

Though the T-800 tried to dodge, it was still bitten by the swift serpent, its movements instantly becoming sluggish and stiff. It could withstand overload currents for a short time, but sustained electrocution would undoubtedly destroy the T-800. But don't forget—there were eight robots here. Martha's attack was like a horn signaling the start of battle; all the Terminators charged forward.

Freezing, biting air burst from another person's hand. The icy mist swept over a Terminator, slowing its pace, its once-powerful iron fists growing stiff and weak.

The Invisible Law-Ruler swung his greatsword with both hands, aiming for the neck of the frozen robot. A crisp clang reached his ears; the immense impact jarred his tiger's mouth. He gritted his teeth and increased the force in his hands. For a Law-Ruler, such a minor wound would heal after a short rest.

"Ferdinando, duck your head." A voice came through the mental link, and he obeyed.

The sound of something cutting through the air beside his ear was like a viper's whisper, chilling to the bone. The T-1000's silver spike was a hair's breadth from his head. He quickly sidestepped to the left, but his greatsword was already stuck in the T-800's neck. The T-1000's thrust missed, so it kicked him instead. The Invisible Law-Ruler hastily arched his body backward but was still struck, falling to the ground with his back bent.

Fortunately, the Ice Law-Ruler saw him struggling and broke free from his entanglement with another T-1000. A massive blast of icy mist hit the T-1000 fighting the Invisible Law-Ruler, but it only stalled the T-1000's attacks for a second or two.

"Liquid robots need priority focus; ice attribute attacks aren't very effective..."

The Law-Rulers' thoughts began to synchronize. They stepped from independent thinking into a Hive Mind, with Martha as the queen among the swarm.

Defeating the T-800s was no problem for the Law-Rulers in the Hive Mind, but the T-800s' strength was not to be underestimated. The T-1000s' attack methods and abilities were too bizarre. Sometimes their bodies were so hard that the Law-Rulers chipped a few teeth; other times, a light blow could pierce through their bodies but cause little real damage.

The key Ice Law-Ruler was tied up by two T-1000s, while the other Law-Rulers were gradually being separated by the Terminators' deliberate tactics in battle. Without the Ice Law-Ruler's support, the other Law-Rulers would need some time to defeat combat robots nearly double their number. But that left two idle T-1000s free to start hunting.

If these Law-Rulers didn't have special abilities, Qin Su's combat predictions and corrections from his calculations would have made the T-1000s evenly matched with them. But with the T-800s backing them up, killing the Law-Rulers one by one wasn't too difficult. Though the T-800s were quickly dwindling, it was clearly worth it compared to these few Law-Ruler Cores.

The five-man Law-Ruler group was locked in a bitter struggle, gradually reaching their limits. One Law-Ruler hit his breaking point and showed an opening; his arm was directly severed by a blade formed from the T-1000. Breaking through at a single point, this group of Law-Rulers was about to be wiped out.

Sure enough, the Law-Rulers began to take casualties. The Law-Ruler with the severed arm was pierced through the chest by the T-1000, taking away a chunk of flesh and his Law-Ruler Core. Golden blood splattered across half of the T-1000's silver body.

Though the Law-Rulers were retreating step by step, Qin Su couldn't be happy. This was just bait. He never expected the fish to eat the bait without biting the hook, only to be poisoned by the bait itself.

"Estimated combat power of the Thousand-Man Law-Ruler individuals was wrong. Need to reallocate resources and revise the plan..."

Qin Su activated the Terminators' internal autonomous combat protocols, pulling the computing power used for coordinating team battles and correcting movements from these combat machines.

But within the next few minutes, one T-1000 lost its ability to move.

"Looks like they figured out a solution." Qin Su watched with interest.

He reconnected the computing power to the remaining Terminators. Using the residual internal programs and surveillance footage, he examined the fallen T-1000. Some critical electronic components inside had burned out; unless it was sent back to the factory for repairs, it couldn't be restored to function.

A few minutes earlier, the Ice Law-Ruler was scurrying around, dodging the T-1000's attacks. Though danger was close at hand and the fear in his mind wouldn't fade, he hadn't lost his rationality. While constantly evading, he tried again to use icy mist to defend against the T-1000's attacks.

The T-1000's movements initially slowed but quickly returned to their original attack speed. The sound of blades cutting through the air kept coming from beside his ears. He continuously blasted icy mist at the T-1000, while Martha commanded through the mental link: "Ivan, use your ability to attack the enemy in front of Edward."

Though Ivan wanted to say that the T-1000 wasn't affected by his high-temperature flames, out of obedience within the Hive Mind, he ultimately complied.

Low-temperature cold air and high-temperature flames individually had no effective effect on the T-1000. However, when these two attack methods were used alternately, a qualitative change occurred. The T-1000's internal electronic components couldn't withstand the extreme temperature shifts and gradually broke down, so the pauses in the T-1000's combat grew longer.

Martha then said through the mental link: "It's working. Continue attacking. Other comrades, hold off the liquid machines as much as possible to create opportunities for them."

Under the patterned alternating hot-and-cold attacks, all the T-1000s soon lost their combat capability. Martha began directing the cleanup through the mental link.

"Drag the three liquid robots back, then retrieve the Law-Ruler Cores from our fallen comrades. Be careful of possible pursuing robots on the way."

The T-800s on the ground occasionally sparked, while the T-1000s, due to internal component damage, had turned into amorphous liquid metal. Martha stopped analyzing the structure of these mechanical bodies for now. The blue arcs retracted to her fingertips. She turned her head, looking at the regular quadrangular pyramid in the center of the hall. Current surged from her hands; blue arcs coiled around the box like thin snakes. Her fingers moved nimbly, and soon, the box opened.

"Of course, there's nothing inside." The pulsation of the Law-Ruler Core was just simulated by this device. Her expression didn't change; such an outcome wasn't unexpected. Martha's cold voice rang out in the mental link: "This place was just a trap. Time to leave. These remains are the only gain."

The Law-Rulers laid the bodies of their fallen comrades side by side. Blazing flames rose from their hands, spraying toward the dead companions. Everyone gathered around, as if holding a grand and solemn ceremony. Seconds later, the Law-Rulers picked up from the burning embers the final gift their comrades had left them—the Law-Ruler Cores.

They cut off the T-800s' heads, dragged the three frozen T-1000s toward the elevator entrance, and pressed the elevator button. Nothing happened.

"The elevator is locked. I'll handle it." Martha tapped lightly, and the button's light came on.

Even though the script had deviated from control midway, the ending still returned to its original track. And compared to the original plan, the shifted script produced additional positive effects.

"Ding." The elevator doors opened to them. The group walked in, the T-1000 wreckage thudding heavily onto the floor. Martha, standing in the center of the hall, lifted her head, her gaze sweeping around before finally settling on the center of the elevator doors. The floor indicator, constantly changing colors, eventually stopped at number 1. The elevator doors slid open slowly. They filed out one after another. Sunlight streamed through the windows onto the white tiles. The Law-Rulers passed by the windows and walked out through the main entrance.