Honkai, why do you only throw me into high-level battles?

World Serpent's forte had always been biotechnology, not mechanical engineering.

Perhaps it was due to the research direction of Mobius, their "founder";

Or perhaps because Grey Serpent Themself was a product of bio-experiments;

Or perhaps because "Project Stigma" itself destined World Serpent to pour most of their resources into this field;

Or perhaps some other factors…

But the reality was that World Serpent's technology and resources in the mechanical field were all plagiarized from Anti-Entropy's research.

"Perhaps their greatest achievement in the mechanical field is 'brain-computer interfacing'?"

Lin Wei recalled the two Titan mechs he had encountered earlier. Human brains implanted into the control center—they were more like "mechanical cyborgs" than "mechs."

It's just that these "cyborgs" were too large and too destructive.

"Sometimes I wonder if things would have been smoother if you had acted alone, without my interference."

Lin Wei said apologetically to Anna. He felt things could have been less complicated.

"Pretending to be captured by those constructs and being taken directly to the depths of this base, attacking from within, would have been much easier than searching from the outside."

Anna blushed slightly. She knew she probably would have done that. But she couldn't blame Lin Wei for "interfering." After all, no one could have predicted this unexpected turn of events.

"What do we do? Continue downwards?"

The smooth sailing since entering the base had made her uneasy. Lin Wei's speculation gave her a sense of foreboding. She couldn't help but ask.

She had grown accustomed to consulting Lin Wei. After all, they had only made it this far because of his meticulous deduction and clue-finding.

"Let's go back."

After a moment of thought, Lin Wei immediately led Anna back to the previous level, taking down the constructs still diligently performing their duties.

Under Pandora's influence, these flesh-and-machine constructs collapsed without resistance, seemingly harmless.

Even so, Lin Wei still cautiously severed their spines, including the biological nerves and mechanical links within, ensuring they couldn't get back up.

Then, Lin Wei asked Anna to find a way to damage all the doors on this level, emphasizing—not to open them, but to make them unopenable.

Facing Anna's puzzled gaze, Lin Wei explained softly,

"If there really is a 'Queen Ant' here controlling the base with pheromones, how can you assume it can only control those constructs and not the Deadmen?"

Lin Wei pointed to the narrow staircase, saying in a light, joking tone,

"Just a precaution. After all, you wouldn't want our escape route blocked by a sudden swarm of Deadmen, would you?"

He remembered clearly that World Serpent had used Deadmen as cannon fodder when they ambushed Rita and the Immortal Blades in the "game's plot."

Perhaps that was just the game's representation, and the reality was different. But regardless, since there was a possibility, it was best to eliminate it at the source.

While they weren't in too deep yet!

"The elevator outside is damaged, and those 'hunting' constructs can't return. So, as long as we control this level, our escape route is secure."

Lin Wei explained his thoughts. Since they had discovered a potential danger, it was best to take preemptive measures and minimize the risk.

"Anna, can you do it? If not, I'll find a way."

The doors here used electromagnetic locks. If Lin Wei used Pandora to destroy them, the result would be "unclosable" rather than "unopenable."

Completely the opposite of what he wanted…

Damage the doors? Make them unopenable?

Anna understood Lin Wei's intention. She felt he was being overly cautious. His speculation was a bit absurd. How could anyone control Deadmen? There was no Herrscher here!

But she still agreed. After all, he had a point. What if?

After a moment of thought, she took out a Water's Edge Type-II pistol from her waist, checked the energy level, and after confirming it was full, gently twisted the handle, adjusting the energy output to its lowest setting. Then, she fired four shots at the edges of a door.

"Pew pew pew pew… Click…"

The gunshots were muffled. Lin Wei saw blue beams hit the door seams, quickly freezing and forming thick ice, sealing the gaps tightly, emitting a chilling cold.

So good with ice?

Lin Wei felt a strange mix of absurdity and reason watching this.

Anna seemed quite satisfied with her handiwork. She then repeated the process on the other doors, covering them with ice. Only the door she had carved the lily emblem on was spared after a moment of hesitation.

After finishing, Anna returned to Lin Wei, saying proudly,

"Done! It'll take a while for them to melt. That's enough time for us to cause some chaos down there!"

Then, her expression turned to concern.

"But, Lin Wei, you should stay here. The Deadmen in the cages can't get out, so it's safe here for now. You really shouldn't go deeper. After all, you know there might be danger."

"I can't let you go alone, can I?"

Lin Wei shook his head gently. He truly didn't feel comfortable letting an A-rank Valkyrie like Anna venture into World Serpent's lair alone. It was too dangerous.

"With me there, I can help you avoid some hidden dangers. Besides, in such a large underground base, there's bound to be a time when my hacking skills will be useful."

"But!"

Anna was getting anxious. She wasn't worried about Lin Wei holding her back, but about him putting himself in danger. It would be better for him to stay here and wait for backup.

She had said similar things many times, her persistence almost endearing.

"I'm really not comfortable letting you go alone."

Lin Wei had initially wanted to say this, but he felt it would be a mistake. So, he changed his words—

"Don't worry, I value my life. There's only one path here. If we encounter danger, we can just retreat. Isn't that the point of securing our escape route?"

Although Anna was stubborn, she wasn't domineering. So, unable to persuade him, she reluctantly agreed.

"Promise me, stay close, and if we encounter danger, run immediately! Do you hear me?"

Lin Wei smiled and nodded in agreement.

Anna felt even more irritated, glaring at Lin Wei.

Disobedient, reckless, you're the worst!

They re-entered the third level. It was still spacious and quiet. Then, they continued towards the fourth level.

......

Deep within the depths, although brightly lit, it was as silent as the dim upper levels.

Suddenly, a soft murmur came from a corner, faint yet clear in the silent expanse—

"Intruders…"

The voice was cold and mechanical.

Instantly, besides the constructs on this level, all the other constructs throughout the base seemed to receive a command simultaneously. They stopped what they were doing and began to converge silently and resolutely towards the fourth level.

......

"We've been discovered."

Just as they entered the fourth level, Lin Wei's sudden warning startled Anna. She asked anxiously,

"How do you know?"

There were no enemies in sight!

As soon as she finished, several constructs approached from not far away, their red eyes glowing beneath their black masks, closing in on Lin Wei and Anna.

"Damn it!"

Since they had been discovered, Anna no longer hid. She drew her Crystal Edge and charged forward, slicing through the constructs like vegetables, the surging energy from her blade freezing them into ice statues.

Lin Wei had wanted to stop her, but before he could speak, Anna had already charged out. He could only sigh.

He had wanted to see if Pandora could still hijack and control these constructs. If so, it would save them a lot of trouble.

"This base has no surveillance or security systems, but it should. That's not normal. So, I tried a different approach."

Lin Wei caught up to Anna, explaining his discovery. He jabbed his cane hard into the floor, the sharp tip sinking deep into the ground.

Whether it was the Divine Key or the demon blade itself, cutting through this kind of floor was easy.

Anna didn't know this, however. She was surprised by Lin Wei's strength, but considering his Honkai resistance, it seemed reasonable.

Lin Wei pulled out his cane and gestured to Anna.

Anna turned on her flashlight and looked into the hole he had just made. Seeing a layer of white, unknown substance, she looked at Lin Wei, puzzled.

"This is their security system."

Lin Wei said slowly, his tone strange.

"It's a neural network that spreads throughout the entire underground base, like a spiderweb, hidden and efficient, more effective than any surveillance system."

After gaining a new understanding of this base, Lin Wei had changed his approach, using Pandora to probe for a more biological "network."

And unlike machines and conventional networks, biological "networks" would have a very obvious rejection reaction to foreign intrusions, like viruses.

Therefore, the moment Lin Wei got the answer he wanted, he also confirmed that he and Anna had been exposed.

It seemed reckless, but it was a calculated risk. This place was strange. Instead of venturing deeper and being surrounded by unknown enemies, it was better to take a defensive stance with a secured escape route.

"Eek!"

Anna shuddered, instinctively moving closer to Lin Wei. The walls, the floor, these once familiar things now seemed like they could come alive at any moment, transforming into monsters and devouring them.

So disgusting!

Anna felt her stomach churn.

"Don't be afraid, it's just neural tissue embedded in the ground, walls, and ceiling. They don't have any offensive capabilities. Our real enemies are those."

Lin Wei gestured with his hand. More than a dozen constructs, similar to the ones they had encountered earlier, emerged from the staircase on the other side of the room. After exiting the staircase, they dispersed and charged towards them.

More constructs continued to pour out from behind them.

"Heh, a real ant nest. Poke it a little and they swarm out."

Lin Wei sneered, stopping Anna, who was ready for battle. He wanted to see if there would be a conflict between the "biological" and "mechanical" aspects of these constructs in the presence of the Key of Corruption.

Lin Wei gently shook his cane. Although a meaningless gesture, it looked to Anna like he was using his device.

Gotta have that sense of ritual.

As Lin Wei moved, the constructs in the front row, already very close, suddenly stopped. Then, like ripples, the effect spread to the second row, the third row, and so on.

Then, the crimson eyes beneath their black masks flickered, and the constructs froze completely. Following Lin Wei's command, they turned around, facing their former "companions," like guards.

Anna was stunned by this sudden change. She didn't understand what had happened.

Pandora's influence spread like a virus, but it didn't reach all the constructs instantly, causing momentary chaos among the later arrivals.

But then, a sudden change!

The constructs further away, those not yet controlled by Lin Wei, all made the same move—lifting their left arm armor, taking out a syringe, and injecting themselves.

Lin Wei had a bad feeling. Without hesitation, he waved his hand, commanding his newly "recruited" guards to charge forward and eliminate these obviously suspicious constructs as quickly as possible!

"*Clang!*"

Lin Wei now controlled dozens of constructs. A few seconds after they charged into the "enemy swarm," the sound of blades slicing through flesh echoed!

Constructs on both sides fell, tearing each other apart. Lin Wei's "guards" were reduced by half in mere seconds. Seeing that the situation was still out of control, Lin Wei could only grimly order his remaining constructs to retreat.

He had seen what had happened. Anna had too.

"Deadmen!"

Anna exclaimed in disbelief.

"Those constructs, weren't they artificial machines? How did they become Deadmen? What did they just inject themselves with?"

Anna's worldview was shattered. She had never heard of such a thing!

Suddenly, alarm bells rang in her mind. Her Valkyrie instincts kicked in. Without thinking, she tackled Lin Wei to the ground.

"*Whoosh!*"

More than a dozen sharp arrows flew from different directions, grazing their scalps, embedding themselves firmly in the walls and floor.

Lin Wei looked up and saw archer Deadmen drawing their bows, and scythe Deadmen silently approaching, hundreds of them. More figures continued to emerge from the staircase behind them.

All Deadmen!

As if from the very beginning, there had never been any "constructs"—except for the dozen or so "loyal guards" still standing before Lin Wei and Anna, a testament to the truth.

"Heh… Hehehe!"

Lin Wei couldn't help but sneer. He thought he had always been cautious and wary of World Serpent, but now he realized he had underestimated them!