Purgatory Town

Lightning leaped from her hand, carving a winding path toward the automated turret. Until the very second it was destroyed, the turret showed no intention of fighting back and continued pouring fire onto the server.

"Andre, hurry and see if there's anything else we can use."

"Understood."

"Found one!" Andre patted a server whose indicator light was still flashing blue. It had been lucky; just as the rotary machine gun's bullets were about to sweep across it, Martha had destroyed the turret. Andre deftly connected the cables and carefully searched through every byte inside.

"Hurry... Hurry..." Martha silently urged herself on. Time was passing second by second. They had focused on this trail for so many days and fought a brutal battle all for this day.

In the darkness, the laptop screen's blue glow flickered uncertainly. Martha's anxiety infected Andre as well, and his fingers flew faster and faster over the keyboard. He pulled up his hood, making himself look like a real hacker.

Suddenly, Andre shouted through the mental link, "I need time!"

"These automated machines have been receiving commands from the same address. I can trace that address, but I need time!"

"I don't know. Maybe a few hours, maybe a few days..."

"No, no, no! Maybe we can finish it in just a few hours." Andre said with delight. "As long as we temporarily enter thought synchronization."

"You mean distributed computing?"

"That's right... that's right! I need more compatriots to share the computational burden with me, and I need you and the others to protect me."

Andre excitedly grasped Martha's hand. "An artificial intelligence is commanding these robots. I don't know who controls it, but as long as we trace it, we'll have our own war factory. With our abilities, we'll soon become the final Law-Ruler to emerge! Human civilization will ultimately be destroyed by their own creations!"

"Martha, please persuade the First Speaker and more of our compatriots!"

Psychological principles still applied to Law-Rulers. Although Law-Rulers considered themselves civilization killers, transcending the human species, retaining human thought and emotion while also seeking to become efficient destroyers of civilization was undoubtedly a flaw.

Although the Tenth Law-Ruler thought meticulously and avoided unnecessary actions and emotions, that also meant they would most likely follow Qin Su's plan rather than do whatever caught their interest.

The T-1000s and T-800s had already reached the outskirts of Kyshtym Town. Those terrifying war machines stood ready at any moment. They would make a grand display and create an atmosphere of tension, making the Law-Rulers believe Qin Su desperately did not want them to know the coordinates. Qin Su would then bring out the strength these Terminators were meant to possess and firmly pin them inside the town.

The sun gradually vanished beyond the horizon, and the silver moon hung high overhead. T-600s, T-800s, and T-1000s hidden among the surrounding hills began converging from every direction, forming an irregular semicircle around Kyshtym Town.

The first wave consisted of twelve T-600s, eight T-800s, and one T-1000. The second and third waves would each contain 1.5 times as many Terminators as the preceding wave, and all T-1000s would also join in. These Terminators would charge recklessly toward the automobile factory with only one goal—destroy the server.

On the constructed three-dimensional map, the Law-Rulers' positions began to shift. After several simulated deductions, without accounting for their special abilities, the Law-Rulers' defensive formation almost perfectly blocked Qin Su's offensive rhythm.

"As expected, changing the offensive strategy still produces the same result." The status indicators of the T-800s and T-600s participating in the first wave all turned red. The first assault failed as planned. The surviving T-800s, T-600s, and T-1000 would swiftly withdraw from the battlefield and launch the second wave alongside the reinforcements.

Scorching flames gathered in his hand and aimed at the T-600 ahead. A fire dragon blasted forth, and the T-600 crashed heavily to the ground.

"This should be the last one over here." A battered Law-Ruler reported to Martha with some fatigue.

"I'll temporarily end thought synchronization. Please rest for a while, compatriots." Clearly, temporarily entering the Hive Mind consumed a tremendous amount of mental energy.

"And remain alert. I'll activate thought synchronization again when necessary."

The first wave had merely been a probe. Qin Su would make tactical adjustments based on their abilities and combat characteristics.

"A total of twelve Ice-Fire ability users, individual danger rating 6, combat cores. The remaining twenty-one have danger ratings between 4 and 5 and provide support for the combat cores."

"The plan will focus on support units."

"There's no need for the plan to defeat the Law-Rulers, but it would still be a pity to waste T-800s and T-600s for nothing." After considering it, he came up with a flawless solution: trade one-for-one with the support units. Six Ice-Fire ability users had to combine their efforts to inflict effective damage on a T-1000, so they could not protect everyone. The second wave would target the support units.

A few minutes later, more Terminators joined the battlefield. Groups of steel bodies leaped across rooftops and walls between the buildings. The Terminators' bodies gleamed with a cold metallic sheen, assaulting the Law-Rulers' vision as the intensely oppressive scene constantly clawed at their sight.

Law-Rulers would not panic over such circumstances. Law-Rulers were ultimate lifeforms; even one-thousandth of a Law-Ruler was still a Law-Ruler. She calmly activated thought synchronization, and every Tenth Law-Ruler would carry out each and every movement according to her plan.

Suddenly, a metal skull appeared in Martha's field of vision, followed by even more Terminators charging toward her. Red plasma bolts flew from the muzzles of Plasma Rifles. One struck her arm, scorching part of her skin black.

She was the main target of the second wave. Qin Su had not originally known who led the Law-Ruler group, but the information gathered from the first wave showed that their defensive formation faintly revolved around her, and she had been pursuing Qin Su all along. Even if it was partly a guess, killing her would not be a loss.

The first two T-1000s were only inches away from her, while the Forest Ice-Fire People rushing over to support her were two hundred meters away. Martha's heart stirred. White light rippled like water from her fingertips, shooting straight at the faces of the two T-1000s.

"Useless attack."

At first, Qin Su believed it was merely a futile struggle. Then the current did not strike the T-1000s' faces. Instead, it exploded extremely close to them. In that instant, white light scattered everywhere. The T-1000s' optical sensors were blinded for several seconds by the overwhelming brightness. The satellite in the sky was also briefly obscured from this region by the white light and likewise lost track of Martha.

Martha temporarily severed thought synchronization. The defensive plan had been perfect, but she had overlooked one thing—concealment.

"Damn, I need to find somewhere more hidden." Martha braced herself against the wall with one hand, cautiously checking both sides from time to time. She had let the robots figure out that she was the commander.

She could only use that move once. The same trick could not possibly have such an effect again. In another dozen seconds, the Law-Rulers coming to support her would arrive. What she did not expect was for an iron hand to grab the edge of the wall. Bang! The entire wall was violently torn open, bricks flying everywhere. Two T-1000s sprang from the dust, and she could even feel the vibration as those heavy killing machines landed.

The Terminators would not give her another chance. Furthermore, fleeing toward an uninhabited place had been her greatest mistake.

Even at this moment between life and death, Martha's expression barely changed. Yet Qin Su could tell that this cold, expressionless appearance was merely forced composure. She slowly raised her right hand. Blue arcs of electricity coiled around it, and a tremendous current shot from her index finger toward the two T-1000s.

"Bang!" A thunderous boom erupted from her fingertip, and the two T-1000s immediately dropped to one knee uncontrollably. The strike was clearly as powerful as lightning itself, piercing the insulation layers of both T-1000s. However, the Lightning Law-Ruler was not in much better condition. Her face had turned terribly pale. She gasped heavily, both hands braced against the ground as she barely kept herself from collapsing.

At that moment, the fire-element Tenth Law-Ruler who had rushed over to assist had arrived. He jumped down from the roof and supported Martha as he asked, "Are you all right, Martha?"

"Mm... Take me away from here first." Martha placed her hand on his shoulder, her eyes turning toward the two destroyed T-1000s.

"!" Martha's eyes widened as she stared in disbelief at the two T-1000s that should have been destroyed. They were no longer kneeling where they had been. They had stood back up.

The T-1000 Terminators, their bodies flowing like mercury, stood there as if mercilessly mocking the exhausted Lightning Law-Ruler. Then they dashed forward.

"How is that possible?" She said nothing, only silently gritted her teeth.

T-1000s were composed of liquid metal, which could move freely. Before the electrical arcs struck them, the T-1000s separated the outer layer of liquid metal from the inner layer. A vacuum layer formed between the separated liquid metal and the T-1000s, and electricity could not travel through a vacuum. It could only be channeled into the ground.

However, the exposed liquid metal had to bear the full force of the shock, and every drop of a T-1000's liquid metal was part of its CPU. That was why the T-1000s had briefly shut down.

"Sigh." Martha let out a soft breath and reprimanded him through the mental link. "You shouldn't have come over here alone." Without thought synchronization, the Tenth Law-Rulers acted according to their own ideas. Although Martha had made a plan for them, the commander being attacked was outside that plan.

The T-1000s sprinted behind them with lightning speed. The Fire Law-Ruler turned around in terror. A T-1000 grabbed his shoulder, and the spike formed from its right hand brutally pierced his heart from behind.

The T-1000 coldly spoke its first words. "You have been terminated."

Pfft. A large mouthful of blood sprayed from his mouth, staining half of Martha's skirt red. The T-1000 pulled its arm, along with the Law-Ruler Core, out of his body. Cold silver-white metal and vivid crimson blood intertwined across the T-1000's arm. The indifferent, cruel killing machine snapped his neck, then flung him against the wall, smashing a huge spiderweb of cracks into it.

The exhausted Martha lost her support but did not fall. She merely stood stubbornly, staring expressionlessly at the T-1000 as if saying, "Do it."

The T-1000's left hand gripped her neck as though holding a chicken or duck ready for slaughter. The spike formed from its right hand hovered in the air, just about to pierce her skull, when the T-1000's movement stopped.

Qin Su suddenly became interested. Many Tenth Law-Rulers chose suicide when they were about to be captured alive, but she clearly had not. Fire Moth's internal files had once reported that a small number of abnormal Tenth Law-Rulers displayed behavior different from that of most Tenth Law-Rulers.

"Such valuable material must not be wasted."

The T-1000 released Martha, but she instead thrust her hand fiercely into its body. Qin Su had guessed her intention before she extended her arm inside. She would not be able to feel anything by putting her hand in; instead, it would be exposed to a vacuum. Although there was a massive pressure difference, the effect was negligible due to a Law-Ruler's body.

Five fingers locked around her arm, extending and curling to form a ring-shaped shackle. Now she could neither advance nor retreat. Her hand was firmly trapped inside the T-1000's body, enduring the pain brought by tremendous force. The T-1000 was now preparing to retreat with her.

The next second.

"Heh." Martha softly laughed. It was the first time Qin Su had seen a Thousand-Man Law-Ruler display emotion.

A soft "pfft" sounded, as though some liquid had sprayed out inside the T-1000. The sound came from her body.

Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth as she smiled miserably.

As a Law-Ruler, controlling her own body was a basic function. Using Honkai energy as power, compressed blood as water, and blood vessels as nozzles, she had turned her arm into a crude water gun, intending to use her own blood as a medium to conduct electricity.

Martha nearly exhausted all her strength. Vast amounts of blue electric arcs erupted across her body. All the Honkai energy in her Law-Ruler Core had been depleted. This was clearly her final electric strike. Flickering lightning wrapped around her body, and a trace of pride appeared on her face.

The T-1000's hand rapidly returned to normal as it tried to pull away from her, but it was too late. The T-1000's core was directly pierced by the overwhelming voltage, and the Lightning Law-Ruler was reduced to dust in the core explosion.

Qin Su could not help sighing regretfully. "Mutual destruction... truly the worst outcome." This T-1000, which could have quickly dealt with the Law-Ruler, had paid the price for underestimating its opponent and vanished in the explosion alongside her.

Underestimating others never brought good results. Miss Sirin had already demonstrated that with herself as a vivid example.

However, Qin Su did not regret losing the T-1000. He only regretted failing to capture the Law-Ruler alive, because these T-1000s had been intended as sacrifices in the plan anyway.

Although the decapitation plan here had gone smoothly, the status indicators of the T-800s and T-1000s elsewhere had almost all turned red as they withdrew from the battlefield. This also marked the failure of the second wave.

PS: A 4,000-character mega chapter, everyone. The author will be insanely busy for a while, so there will not be many updates this month. Still, I'll write whenever I have time.