Chapter 1119 - Poaching People (1/2)
After Manison withdrew, the operation to deal with the Virtual Mutiny Virus core was finally settled.
Han Xiao dismissed his Mechanical Deity, putting away the combat troops. He only left a few maintenance teams to cooperate with the three Universal Civilizations in cleaning up the battlefield.
While he and Manison had deliberately moved away from the battlefield to prevent the troops from firing in the direction of the planet, the aftermath of the battle still had a considerable impact on Planet Magnetic Cloud.
The earth seemed to have been sanded down by a file, and its ‘skin and flesh’ that was filed down turned into sand and dust in the sky. From outer space, the surface was full of traces of falling objects as well as pits and ravines, of which the most conspicuous was the ravine left by Manison’s trident, transforming the wilderness into a large group of rift-like valleys.
The settlements of those in the Machinery Faith were affected to a certain extent, and their protective shield was dim, but it was not wiped out. It was just that there was a violent earthquake that caused a large number of buildings to collapse, as well as sinking the surrounding terrain by one or two meters. The city shrouded in the shield suddenly became an island.
Seeing this, Han Xiao had an idea and piloted his Lord’s Avatar down to the settlement.
Everyone had gone over to chase and kill the virus core, and the battle had happened straight after. While they all noticed the Machinery Faith on Planet Magnetic Cloud, there was no time to contact it. Now was the best time.
Manison had warned them before that he did not wish to see any other Beyond Grade As contact the Machinery Faith, but now that he had completely disregarded Manison, Han Xiao naturally did not care about his warnings.
Han Xiao slowly descended, stopping in the air directly outside the protective shield.
The other Beyond Grade A Mechanics also swiftly approached. Han Xiao did not restrict them; he was no Mechanic Emperor.
After a few seconds, the shield opened automatically, and Han Xiao and his group landed on top of the temple in the middle of the settlement. All the priests formed a circle around them in excitement.
“Look, it’s a Mechanical Deity, in the flesh!”
“So many Beyond Grade A Mechanics. I really want to touch them.”
“Do you think that they will allow us to take photos with them?”
Many of the priests whispered among themselves in fanaticism.
This should be heaven!
On an ordinary day, it was only the Mechanic Emperor that would contact them, and none of the other Beyond Grade As would come over, as though they had no interest in the Machinery Faith, making them feel as though these Beyond Grade As looked down on them.
The priests normally did not take the initiative to come into contact with the objects of their faith, and each individual would have their own idol of worship, so the interaction was limited. Getting to see so many living Beyond Grade A Mechanics in person made everyone happy, excited, and cautious. They wished to jump upon them but were also afraid of making their ‘gods’ unhappy.
In the end, it was the Grand Priest that took the initiative to greet everyone.
“I’m the Grand Priest of this Machinery Faith colony. Beyond Grade A Mechanics, I welcome you on behalf of the Machinery Faith.”
Han Xiao knew how to interact with them, choosing not to say anything about the scene nor give any self-introductions. He directly glanced at the collapsed buildings in the distance, asking in a tone like a commander asking over their subordinates.
“I fought a really fierce battle with the Mechanic Emperor just now. Are you guys still alright?”
“We’re fine. We all have heavy armor as protection, and the residents have already taken refuge in the flying vehicles. There were no casualties, so the loss of the city is nothing since we can always rebuild it.”
Seeing Black Star’s concerned attitude gave the Grand Priest a great boost to his spirits. His expression was one of joy. My idol is concerned for us!
I have no more regrets in this life!
“It would be better for you all to shift to another planet. The damage done to Planet Magnetic Cloud is quite serious, and there might be natural disasters in the future,” Han Xiao said with concern.
The Grand Priest vehemently shook his head. “No, no, no, we’re going to stay here and pay tribute to the traces of battle that you and the Mechanic Emperor have left.”
With Planet Magnetic Cloud already beaten to this state, a normal person would choose to move to another planet, but those of the Machinery Faith were not ordinary. They believed that having witnessed a fight between Black Star and the Mechanic Emperor, Planet Magnetic Cloud had become some sort of ‘Divine Battlefield’, which possessed a lot of commemorative meaning. They could not wait to pray to it every day.
What, moving? Out of the question!
“In this case, that’s fine too. Since I’m already here, let me help you guys.” Han Xiao pointed at the air, and a virtual screen unfolded, showing a 2D map of Planet Magnetic Cloud. He said in a kind tone, “I’m to blame for your residence being destroyed, so choose a location. I’ll help you guys to build a new city there.”
Many of the priests immediately opened their eyes wide, not daring to believe that such a superior being was actually so benevolent. “We don’t dare. How could we trouble someone like you to do such a small thing?” The Grand Priest hurriedly declined the offer.
“Don’t be so polite. We’re considered a family. I’ve always known of the existence of the Machinery Faith and heard that you guys worshipped me as a god. While you have never contacted me before, you respect me as a god, so I shall not be stingy with succor.”
Han Xiao did not beat around the bush, directly using the ‘I’m a reliable backer, so just lie on my huge and assuring chest’ logic.
Hearing that, the Grand Priest could not help but feel a little moved. Their beliefs would not be transferred because of material interests, but they also did not find it necessary to reject their god’s divine bestowal.
Everyone discussed it a bit before choosing a location for their new settlement.
Glancing at it, Han Xiao discovered that it was the rift created by the trident. He was not surprised and deliberately smiled. “Very good, this area was the spot that the Mechanic Emperor’s weapon landed after being deflected by me.”
Hearing this, the priests present all had their curiosity dug out.
They had been watching the battle between the two Mechanical Deities and discovered that they had stopped fighting halfway. Later, they heard Kant speak on the wide area channel, saying that both of them were tied. Manison left soon after, and because everything had happened so quickly, the priests were still in a state of confusion.
“Your Excellency, why did you and His Excellency Mechanic Emperor start fighting? What happened in the end? Er… if this is sensitive, then I apologize for my offense.”
The Grand Priest could not help himself from inquiring about it. While he knew it was somewhat abrupt, he felt the itchy to sate his curiosity.
“It’s no secret and will be made public sooner or later anyway. There’s no harm in telling you guys. You’ve heard of the Virtual Mutiny Virus, right?”
“Yes, yes.”
All of them nodded like chickens pecking.
“That plaything isn’t any ordinary virus but rather an information systems weapon with a core controller. It has the ability to continuously evolve and upgrade itself, and it can even phase in and out between the virtual and physical world. Us Beyond Grade A Mechanics responded to the call of the three Universal Civilizations to cooperate and kill it,” Han Xiao briefly explained.
The eyes of the priests were open wide in shock. Only at this time did they realize that the Virtual Mutiny Virus that plagued the Ancient Star Desert for many days was actually such powerful technology.
The Grand Priest was immersed in Han Xiao’s narration, hurriedly asking, “Did you succeed?”
“We caught the virus core, but we had a conflict in handling the issue. Manison, regardless of the risk, wished to keep the core and research the technology behind it on his own. For the sake of universal peace, I took the virus core and destroyed it, angering the Mechanic Emperor. He wanted to teach me a lesson, so we had a fight. I’m embarrassed to have affected you.”
Han Xiao was speaking the truth, but he slightly changed the details to highlight Manison’s ‘disregard for the safety of the universe’.
Kant and the others glanced at him, knowing that this was him trying to discredit the Mechanic Emperor, but no one stopped it as they were happy to see it happen.
“Then the result…”