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

Lin Wei had long known that World Serpent possessed technology to "control Honkai."

As the embers of the former Fire Moths, they had not only inherited much of the Previous Era's legacy and technology but had also made unorthodox modifications and applications,

Most notably with the "Super-Variable Factor" technology—

It branched into two paths: one, sacrificing power for greater reliability, stability, and safety, widely applied to World Serpent's "executive" group;

The other, a path less traveled…

Like Grey Serpent, who would become "Aśvatthāman" in the [Eye of the Deep] in a little over a year;

Or like the cat currently being kept as a pet by Jackal.

They shared several characteristics:

One, they could completely transform into Honkai beasts for a period without affecting their minds;

Two, the Honkai beasts they transformed into were generally high-level, Emperor-class and above.

Lin Wei watched the approaching scythe-Deadmen, the archer-Deadmen behind them nocking their arrows, their numbers steadily increasing. His expression darkened.

The sudden transformation from mechanical weapons to biological weapons had indeed caught him off guard.

He had never imagined World Serpent would apply this technology to lowly Deadmen!

And where did their weapons come from? Thin air?

Too absurd!

Lin Wei looked at the cold, menacing scythes and arrows. Reality is stranger than fiction.

The only consolation was the absence of Warlock-type Deadmen.

Anna fired her dual pistols, taking down four or five approaching Deadmen, but the fallen bodies were quickly and indifferently stepped over by the ever-increasing horde.

Lin Wei waved his hand, sending two constructs to shield them. A flurry of "thump thump thump" sounds later, they were reduced to pincushions, making Lin Wei wince.

"Retreat!"

The number of Deadmen had quickly approached two hundred and was still increasing, making the already cramped floor even more crowded.

Seeing this, Lin Wei decisively grabbed Anna and retreated to the narrow staircase, returning to the previous level. He ordered the remaining ten or so constructs under his control to follow, retreating further up.

"Damn it, what are they? There are too many!"

Reaching temporary safety, Anna became anxious.

In an open area, these Deadmen wouldn't pose a threat. She could easily wipe them out. But in this confined space, facing this overwhelming horde, she couldn't maneuver!

Deadmen didn't care if the bodies riddled with arrows or sliced in half were enemies or "allies." They had no such concept, attacking without hesitation;

While she had to constantly watch out for sneak attacks!

"Don't worry, they only have the advantage of surprise. Down there, they have the numbers, but up here, they're just easy targets."

Lin Wei comforted Anna, ordering his remaining constructs to guard the corner of the staircase, a spot safe from arrows. He walked to the elevator, checking and confirming it was still out of order, slightly relieved. At least they didn't have to worry about being flanked.

Since the fight had started, there was no need to hold back.

Lin Wei pried open the elevator door. A grating metallic screech echoed as the deep elevator shaft was revealed. He looked down, but it was too dark to see anything. He kicked a random object down the shaft and mentally started counting.

One, two, three…

Soon, a muffled thud echoed back.

"Tch, this damn place isn't that deep. Seven or eight floors at most."

He had thought this ant nest would be deeper, but it wasn't. Four floors down, with such limited space, how many "ants" could they possibly cram in?

Lin Wei sneered. He then shouted,

"Anna, cut all the cables inside!"

Anna was guarding the staircase, watching the movements below while keeping an eye on Lin Wei. She knew what he was doing. Hearing his call, she instantly understood his intention and rushed over without hesitation, slashing through the seemingly sturdy cables with a single strike.

"*Boom!*"

Moments later, a dull thud echoed. No one would be using this elevator again.

"How's it going? Are they coming up?"

Having dealt with that minor issue, Lin Wei asked Anna about the situation below.

Anna shook her head, saying anxiously,

"Those Deadmen tried to break through once. After suffering some losses, they retreated. They haven't approached since, like someone's commanding them."

Lin Wei nodded thoughtfully, gleaning several pieces of information.

One, this base's "manpower" wasn't as abundant as it seemed, quite limited in fact;

Two, the base's "controller," the one who had physically spread their "nerves" throughout the base, was rational and decisive, quickly turning the remaining constructs into Deadmen after detecting the threat of the Key of Corruption, and retreating after the initial attack failed.

Three, the constructs-turned-Deadmen didn't have a limited transformation time like Stan the cat, which only lasted a few minutes. Their transformation seemed to last much longer. Otherwise, the enemy wouldn't have retreated so readily.

Was it because the Deadmen were too weak?

Lin Wei tapped his cane lightly, digging for more information.

Four, the controller didn't seem eager to reclaim the base, more inclined to prevent them from going deeper.

Was there something down there that needed to be protected?

What could it be?

Lin Wei couldn't find anything matching in his information database.

Unable to figure it out, he stopped thinking.

"What… what were you thinking about just now?"

Anna had held her breath, not daring to disturb Lin Wei while he was lost in thought. After all, he always seemed to find something unusual in ordinary things.

Now, seeing Lin Wei stop fidgeting, she hesitantly asked, afraid of interrupting his train of thought.

Lin Wei nodded, explaining his guesses.

Hearing that something might be hidden deep within the base, Anna became anxious. She was about to say something, but calmed down, swallowing her words. She asked seriously,

"Then what do you think we should do?"

The situation was clear. They couldn't go down, and the Deadmen couldn't come up. It was a stalemate.

"Simple. We do nothing. Your reinforcements are almost here, right? Once they arrive, we just charge down."

Lin Wei said matter-of-factly.

Although he felt sorry and regretful for that "old friend," he no longer believed there were any survivors deeper within this base.

In that case, it was best to play it safe, wait for the Valkyrie reinforcements, and then find an opportunity to leave.

"…No, we have to think of another way. The sins of this base are too great!"

Anna lowered her head, thinking. The subtle anxiety she had felt gradually dissipated, replaced by a growing sense of resolve. She looked up, firmly rejecting Lin Wei's suggestion.

"Regardless of the conspiracy, regardless of whether it's Anti-Entropy or some other terrorist organization… In the name of the Schariac family, in the name of the Valkyries, in the name of those innocent lives lost, I have to do something…"

Her initially impassioned voice softened, returning to her usual gentle tone, slightly hesitant, but still firm in her stance.

"If we wait for the main force, those hiding here will definitely destroy all the evidence and either fight to the death or escape. We can't wait. We have to defeat them quickly and find enough evidence to expose their secrets!"

Such a righteous girl, those eyes yearning for approval, it's hard to refuse.

Is it this overwhelming sense of justice that makes her unable to accept the brutal gift of "Herrscher power," bought with the lives of millions, ultimately choosing self-destruction?

Lin Wei thought.

Forget it, let's not think about that. I'll play along for now. I'm a sucker for this kind of thing.

Lin Wei chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"Hold on, let me think…"

There were too many Deadmen below, too densely packed. A direct assault wasn't a good idea. After all, this wasn't a game. There were no health bars in real life. A reckless charge would result in either no injuries or death, no in-between.

He had to think of another way.

Hearing Lin Wei agree, Anna looked at his slightly helpless smile, inexplicably happy again, lost in thought.

Lin Wei pondered for a moment, quickly coming up with a plan. After weighing the pros and cons, he said,

"I have a way to break through quickly, but we need to act separately."

Anna, still immersed in her inexplicable joy, jumped up like a startled cat at the words "act separately."

"Act separately? No! It's too dangerous!"

Anna thought Lin Wei was planning something risky. She couldn't allow it!

"We can't not act separately… Why don't you hear me out first?"

Lin Wei was about to explain further, but seeing Anna's growing anger, he took a step back, trying to appease her.

Anna nodded, slightly annoyed. Go ahead, speak!

Lin Wei was confused. Why the sudden change in mood?

Forget it, business first. He explained his plan.

Anna was no longer angry after hearing it, realizing her earlier misjudgment. Lin Wei wasn't planning anything risky. But she still disagreed.

"Can't we not split up? I'm worried about your safety."

Anna hesitated, glancing at the dozen or so "loyal guards" standing nearby.

"Can't they go? I'll stay with you."

Lin Wei shook his cane, saying,

"The signal's weak if they're too far away."

Anna nodded regretfully. Losing control would be bad.

Actually, Lin Wei had only told half the truth. The signal would be weak if they were too far away, but it didn't mean he would lose control of the constructs.

He had used the Key of Corruption to completely hijack and rewrite their underlying code. Even if the connection was broken, he wouldn't lose control so easily. But this was hard to explain.

After they left this place and parted ways, when Anna calmed down and recalled this experience, wouldn't she find his "hacking abilities" too absurd?

Then, suspicion, investigation, inquiries, information leaks…

Wouldn't that cause trouble?

"…Fine, be quick and be safe."

Anna was still worried, but could only relent. She patted her chest confidently, saying,

"I'll guard this place. Don't worry!"

Lin Wei nodded, issuing a command. The dozen or so silent constructs turned and followed him, heading towards the upper levels.

Anna watched Lin Wei's figure disappear into the shadows of the staircase. She took a deep breath, her gentle expression turning serious. She gripped her weapons, ready for battle.

Because the Deadmen below, or rather, the one controlling them, had also noticed the constructs leaving and began sending Deadmen to probe.

"Tch, a bunch of small fry, go to hell!"

As long as she wasn't overwhelmed by a sea of Deadmen, guarding the staircase and picking off the stragglers was a piece of cake for Anna.

Lin Wei also heard the commotion behind him. He stopped, listened for a moment, then continued at a faster pace.

Reaching the second level, he again heard the rising and falling roars. The zombie-type Deadmen trapped in their cages were clawing and pounding at the frozen doors, unable to break through.

Lin Wei sneered, quickening his pace.

…

Fifteen minutes later, Anna, waiting amidst the constant fighting, grew increasingly anxious. Why isn't he back yet?

"I'm back, everything went smoothly!"

Just then, Lin Wei's voice and footsteps came from the passage above. Anna turned back happily, only to be stunned by Lin Wei's current appearance.

More accurately, not his appearance, but the appearance of the constructs he had brought with him—

Two constructs were carrying a rotary machine gun salvaged from a Titan mech. Five others were struggling to carry a massive ammunition box. Two more were carrying a strange device, presumably a power supply.

The remaining constructs surrounded Lin Wei like loyal guards.

But their black and red color scheme, their featureless black masks, and their mechanical, lifeless movements made the scene somewhat eerie.

"What… what is this?"

Anna was speechless.

Although she knew what Lin Wei had gone to do, this overly punk style was a bit much.

But regardless, everything had gone smoothly. That was all that mattered.

Anna comforted herself.

Lin Wei, oblivious to her shock, smiled, pointing at his masterpiece.

"Overwhelming firepower, the perfect counter to human wave tactics!"

He thought to himself, How does that saying go?

Námó Gǎtèlín Púsà, liùgēn qīngjìng pínyóudàn; [Homage to Gatling Bodhisattva, six senses pure, depleted uranium rounds.]

Yīxī sānqiān liùbǎi zhuǎn, dàcídàbēi dù shìrén! [One breath, three thousand six hundred revolutions, great compassion, great mercy, saving all sentient beings.]

"Anna, step aside, don't want to hurt you."