Chapter 1369: Assault

General Lambros of the R7 Fleet knew nothing of the chaos unfolding beneath Nexon’s surface.

Although the federation’s surveillance systems could track the locations and general statuses of robots like Titanfang, much of Nexon still lay beyond their monitoring range.

As luck would have it, the location where Sein and the others were happened to fall within one of those blind spots.

To make matters worse, the complete loss of communication with many high-tier robots had already worn General Lambros’ patience thin.

So when reports confirmed that another forty-one units, including Skyhold, had suffered breaches in their outer firewall, he gave the attack order without a second thought!

“The robots on this mechanical planet have been compromised by virus programs planted by a Magus Civilization infiltrator. Take down all anomalous units. Deploy both mobile suit legions—now!” he barked.

The R7 Fleet was a top-tier large federal force, fully capable of eliminating even peak Rank Six lifeforms.

Without a doubt, it represented the upper limit of non-overlord combat strength across the entire Astral Realm.

More importantly, the R7 Fleet was not made up of just destroyers. Its sheer size and composition meant that it could match the strength of dozens of Rank Four and above lifeforms when deployed across multiple fronts.

And yet, the Gallant Federation’s predictive algorithms had missed one critical issue.

The problem on Nexon was not just infiltration by enemies from the Magus Civilization. There was also the possibility of a rebellion, led by intelligent robots who had gained self-awareness and independent thought!

The idea of a “robot crisis” had been brought up before by federal scientists, but there had never been a precedent. As a result, few had taken it seriously.

It was no different from how the Magus Civilization had grown accustomed to relying on legions of enslaved creatures. If those creatures ever broke free of soul-binding control, the Magus World Army would be equally caught off guard.

Now, Titanfang and its comrades could only fight for themselves. The ordinary robots on Nexon had already been disarmed and placed on standby under General Lambros’ command.

Even the planet’s major robot manufacturing plants had been shut down.

This was the stark difference between humans and robots in the eyes of the Gallant Federation.

To them, robots were merely tools... or slaves. Their existence and fate could be decided with a single command.

The inability to protest or resist was nothing short of despair!

Only awakened robots like Titanfang could resist the deep-level command directives embedded by the federation to a certain extent.

So when over a hundred high-tier Rank Four robots burst to the surface, each seemingly ready for battle, it was Lambros and the many other generals and colonels within the R7 Fleet who were caught off guard.

Since when did robots gain the ability to disobey the federation’s orders? This must be the work of that infiltrator from the Magus World!

General Lambros immediately gave the order to open fire. He did not care that many of these robots still bore the Gallant Federation’s emblem.

If they could still be controlled, they were

useful tools

. But if the enemy had seized them, they were nothing more than

scrap metal!

The only thing that gave Lambros pause was the Rank Six robot Titanfang, who, at the head of the charge, let out a loud cry as it burst from Nexon’s surface.

The sound it emitted was the distinct “electronic voice” unique to intelligent robots, setting them apart from their less advanced counterparts.

The fleet’s systems translated Titanfang’s digital pulses into Federation code, and a message flashed across the command deck...

FOR FREEDOM!

Seeing the words displayed before them, Lambros and his subordinates exchanged confused glances.

Meanwhile, Titanfang and the other high-level intelligent robots had already engaged the federation’s frontline forces in full combat.

But with two layers of control code still intact, Titanfang and the others could only partially resist the federation’s directives. They were still far from truly free.

They could fight at only fifty percent of their full power—or worse, just thirty!

Nevertheless, the federal fleet showed no hesitation in unleashing its full firepower on the robots the federation had once created.

General Lambros, a seasoned military commander, had never imagined a day when robots would develop self-awareness.

He did not care how or why it happened. His only focus was protecting his fleet and minimizing casualties.

The moment the two sides clashed, a barrage of cannon fire tore through several high-tier robots almost instantly.

They were not weak. With restrictions still in place, they could not activate their energy shields or more advanced defense systems.

Of course, the R7 Fleet’s firepower was also overwhelming!

Even at their peak, Titanfang and Skyhold alone would have stood little chance against this terrifying fleet—more likely, they would have been shot down before making any real difference.

However, Titanfang and the others now had the advantage of numbers—over a hundred robots with combat strength equivalent to Rank Four or higher!

Even if their abilities were still suppressed by command restrictions, the sight of so many high-tier robots openly displaying aggression toward the R7 Fleet was enough to send a chill down anyone’s spine.

Titanfang and the others were risking their lives to buy time for Sein.

They would only have a chance to turn the tide if Sein could reach Nexon’s core control room, break their second layer of restraint code, and seize command of the ordinary robots spread across the planet.

Otherwise, the R7 Fleet would eventually pick off these hundred or so high-tier robots—whose combat strength was still severely limited—one by one until none were left!

As Titanfang and the others charged toward the R7 Fleet in orbit, nearly a million awakened robots across Nexon, inspired by their leaders Titanfang and Skyhold, raised their voices in support.

A million rogue units might seem small compared to Nexon’s vast robot population... but it was more than enough to deepen the R7 Fleet’s fear and hostility toward these intelligent machines.

“Sir, over ninety percent of Nexon’s robot legions still appear to be under our control. Should we mobilize them to help suppress the corrupted units?” his aide asked.

General Lambros frowned slightly as he looked toward Titanfang, who was now battling fiercely in the fleet’s central firing zone.

Two sizable destroyers and over a dozen frigates and patrollers had already fallen to its assault.

Shaking his head, Lambros replied, “Not yet. We still don’t know what exactly is going on with Nexon, and we can’t be certain that the remaining robots are reliable.”

“Have the two mobile suit legions and the landing flotilla been deployed? If we can capture that infiltrator from the Magus Civilization, we may be able to purge whatever virus is affecting these machines.”

“They’ve already been deployed,” the aide confirmed. “The vanguard flotilla led by General Omes has landed and begun its assault on Nexon’s surface.”