"Who?"
The Prophet and the Holy Mother looked suspiciously, glancing briefly and exclaimed, "Mechanical Army?"
"Look at that mechanical squid, it clearly has Reynolds’ style, and the Crystal Particle Tower should have been made by Mikhail..." Levinbeck explained, his identity long revealed, now speaking without restraint.
"And there’s the fleet of the Three Civilizations, those few people seem to be Costate..." Levinbeck wasn’t sure, the signal was too fuzzy and could only connect occasionally.
"They should be the ones exploring the Holy Spirit Civilization Ruins..." Levinbeck speculated, as he naturally knew of the Holy Spirit Civilization Ruins, having even been there.
All the things worth taking had long been taken by his mentor.
"Did it end so quickly?" The Holy Mother exclaimed in surprise, contemplating, "Perhaps they sensed the mutation of the Red River Star Stream, so they went there."
She couldn’t help but show a cold smile, "It seems these few have fallen into the trap, and with such a big event, the Empire and the Federation certainly won’t let them leave."
"I remember, Azure Dragon seems to be one of the participants too." The Prophet suddenly said.
Levinbeck squinted slightly, "That makes it interesting, with Tan Ding and Alves joining forces, it’s hard to imagine them getting away without paying a price."
"Even if they pay the price, they may not necessarily escape." The Holy Mother said lightly, becoming more composed since cutting off a piece of her arm.
"Perhaps, this major hidden danger will simply disappear."
As she spoke, she paused, remembering the Oathkeeper Stone.
But as long as there is a breakthrough with this arm, the Oathkeeper Stone will surely be retrieved sooner or later.
"Stop for now." Levinbeck frowned, saying solemnly, halting navigation, as it would help stabilize the signal.
The Prophet and the Holy Mother had no objections; they also wanted to know what the outcome would be.
...
"Sir Gonzalez is indeed wise..." Alves smiled, "Once the shackled genes of the Empire arrive, you shall serve in our jointly established research center."
Gonzalez reluctantly nodded, feeling as if a dog collar was put on him, losing freedom forevermore.
But at least he kept his life because he was considered high-ranking in the Star Alliance, knowing many secrets, of great value.
"Hmm, next it’s those few." Alves turned to look at the Mechanical Army, seemingly amused, "It appears they’re not planning to show up yet."
"The Mechanical Army is contracting, could they be preparing for a last stand?" Gonzalez whispered, now half one of their own after being subjugated.
"It shouldn’t be that foolish." Alves shook his head, "Even though they have backup consciousness, that doesn’t count as themselves anymore."
With a touch of mockery, he said, "Could it be that their backbone is tougher than Sir Gonzalez’s?"
González was inwardly angry but didn’t dare to speak up, only reminding, "Li Ming is full of crafty ideas and hot-headed; he probably won’t easily submit."
"Gonzalez, you should take care of yourself first; Li Ming’s value far exceeds yours." Costate warned with a slight edge.
Gonzalez kept his head down, looking gloomy.
Since Gonzalez chose to submit, everyone had already stopped viewing him as being on the same level.
One can’t argue with self-preservation, but at the same time, he better live up to the significant resources provided by the civilization.
"Let them surrender; once it gets physical, casualties are inevitable..." Tan Ding said lightly.
As they were conversing, suddenly a slight glow appeared in the center of the Mechanical Army and then spread rapidly.
"What is that?" Costate was first to notice.
That glow, in the blink of an eye, expanded into a golden sphere, encompassing a large number of mechanical bodies around it, with more retracting inward.
"Really preparing for a last stand?" A cold glint flashed in Tan Ding’s eyes.
Though he didn’t know what that thing was, he had no intention of letting it fully develop.
He transformed into a stream of flowing light, generating a torrent of energy, shooting straight forward.
He had evolved to an extraordinary degree, and in the instant he reached out, what seemed to be an ordinary arm transformed abruptly into a terrifyingly hideous giant hand covered in black flame-flecked hair in the blink of an eye.
The black flames raged fiercely on every strand of hair, wildly leaping and wreaking havoc, exuding a volatile aura.
The emitted high temperature had astonishing might even in this space, causing the black material below to seethe.
The giant hand pressed down, causing the void to warp wherever it passed.
"Still making such a violent move." Alves couldn’t help but frown.
Costate’s face shifted slightly, genuinely fearing Li Ming might be killed outright.
Tan Ding remained indifferent; a lion fighting a rabbit uses its full strength, and he has never known restraint in battle.
Since the opponent chose to resist, any further words could only be spoken if the opponent survived.
"That is...!"
However, in the next moment, everyone’s expression drastically changed.
The originally brilliant golden sphere began to tremble violently, its light flickering wildly as if under immense pressure.
Amidst this intense tremor, a dazzling golden object suddenly swung out, resembling an arm or a whip.
This golden arm seized the perfect moment, grasping the trajectory of the black giant hand’s attack and collided head-on with it.
Boom!