The ghostly green "eyes" stared fixedly from the shadows below at the dark gold energy tendrils winding down toward it, filled with undisguised vigilance and a hint of suppressed longing.
The black shadow calling itself Rust Eater no longer whimpered or scraped. Only occasionally did several heavy, murky breaths emerge from its blurred outline, like the wheezing of a bellows.
Ming Xin controlled the dark gold fragment, holding it suspended about three meters above Rust Eater. This distance allowed the energy tendrils to operate conveniently while leaving enough room to react.
His perception was like the most precise scanner, carefully examining the twisted metal components pinning Rust Eater down.
The situation was more complicated than expected. These were not merely fallen pipes or trash, but more like the total collapse of some large piece of equipment after a structural failure.
Its heavy metal framework and complex internal mechanisms had piled up and twisted together, forming a sturdy yet chaotic "cage."
Rust Eater had been trapped inside a relatively open cavity at the bottom, in a corner whose exit was tightly sealed by several severely warped alloy beams and a gear assembly.
The metal surfaces were covered in thick, hardened mixtures of rust and oil, making them even harder to move.
Part of Rust Eater's body also seemed to be pinned beneath the metal components, or pierced and snagged by sharp edges, leaving it unable to break free on its own.
"I need to clear away these main beams and this jammed gear assembly."
Ming Xin clearly conveyed his thoughts to Rust Eater as the dark gold energy tendrils began moving.
He did not choose to pry them apart by force or cut through them brutally—that would create tremendous noise and vibrations, and might trigger the collapse of even more unstable