Chapter 601 - Split Up

As the mechanical bees mapped the sewers, Kerry projected the map for everyone to see. The display appeared as a three-dimensional model rather than a flat schematic.

“I’ve programmed the bees to send an alert the moment they encounter a living life form,” Kerry explained.

Han Wu gave her a thumbs-up in appreciation of her thoroughness.

The map continued to fill in, but several paths stopped updating. As minutes passed, more paths remained incomplete. In less than five minutes, every mechanical bee lost its signal.

Kerry frowned and ran several diagnostic codes through the beehive to review the bees’ last footage. The recordings showed mechanical mice, roughly thirty centimeters long, charging at them to tear them apart or strike them with their mechanical tails before destroying them. The footage confirmed that the mechanical mice were the culprits.

“It seems that we’ll have to explore ourselves,” Han Wu said.

To improve their efficiency, they split into four teams. Han Wu teamed up with Luxun, Kerry took two automatons from her Black Rose Squad, Akanzor paired with one automaton, and Bart led another.

Kerry also gave each team a mechanical beehive. They could receive signals from the mechanical bees and display the map of the areas they had explored. After everything was set in place, the four teams moved out.

Han Wu and Luxun chose a path and soon heard the sound of mechanical mice. He used his senses and detected a mechanical mouse about twenty centimeters long, with a tail stretching nearly two meters. Its trajectory left no doubt that it was heading straight for him.

The distance slowly closed from a hundred meters to ten meters before the mouse finally came into view. It was baring its steel front teeth and charging at Han Wu.

Han Wu raised his left arm and activated Cable Form. His five fingers transformed into thick cables that snapped through the air. He then activated Lightning Whip. A surge of electricity flooded his arm, and the five electrified cables lashed about with violent force.

The mechanical mouse shattered under the assault and exploded into different parts. One Energy Part and one chip drifted free from its ruined body.

Han Wu waved his hand, and both items floated toward him. He stored the Energy Part in Luxun and checked the chip.

[Level 1 chip: Whip]

After appraising it, he realized that it had an 85% compatibility rating with his left arm. He equipped it and finally understood the EX rating’s importance. Machines or automatons with the EX rating could equip compatible chips without restriction on number or level.

𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Han Wu delved deeper and discovered more mechanical mice. At first there had only been one, but now he faced fifty. Still, he didn’t retreat. Lightning Whip consumed too much energy, so he relied on Whip instead. Even though it was slower and had a smaller radius, it conserved energy and could easily handle large groups of mechanical mice at the same time.

He wasn’t alone either. His supporting automaton, Luxun, fought alongside him. It fired Laser Blasts and eliminated many mechanical mice on its own.

Their progress was smooth. As they destroyed more mechanical mice, they accumulated increasing numbers of Energy Parts and chips. Luxun could store large amounts of energy but not items. Han Wu had to merge those items to increase their quality and reduce the strain on Luxun.

Unexpectedly, Luxun showed interest in the merged Energy Parts and autonomously sent a request to Han Wu. “Discovered new Energy Parts that can be replaced. Replace?”

Han Wu considered the request. Since Luxun was his own machine, replacing its parts would strengthen his own power too. Hence, he agreed.

After replacing those parts, Luxun showed no visible changes. Han Wu didn’t mind and assumed the effects would not appear immediately. He then focused on merging the other chips into three basic forms: Whip, Bite, and Rapid Walk.

Only Whip was compatible with the Machine God’s left arm. After merging them, Whip had advanced from Level 1 to Level 4. While the movement speed hadn't changed much, its power and speed had increased rapidly.

Satisfied, Han Wu decided to gather more Whip chips and raise its level even higher. He looked forward to seeing just how destructive it could become.

He continued advancing and reached another fork in the road. He expanded his senses, but something dampened them, much like in the Steel Forest. He could only extend his senses up to a hundred-meter radius.

The sewers were three-dimensional, which allowed Han Wu to sense activity fifty meters above and below his position. It also helped him in locating Ji Zhongyi faster.

As he ventured deeper, the true terror of the place became clear. Unlike the Steel Forest, which teemed with machines and steel trees that actively attacked him, this area contained only mechanical mice with simple attacking patterns. Nonetheless, this was still a restricted zone. The mechanical mice were weak, but their numbers were overwhelming.

Han Wu felt a huge swarm surging through the tunnels below him. Mechanical mice covered every inch of the passage. Anyone with trypophobia would have died on the spot. Even for Han Wu, this scene ranked among the most disturbing he had encountered.

Another problem followed immediately. Just a hundred meters away, he sensed a massive ball composed of tens of thousands of mechanical mice barreling toward him. The force driving it down the path was no joke. Getting struck by it would be like being hit by a solid steel ball.

Han Wu knew he could not handle it head-on, and he quickly chose to run away. Someone else could deal with it, but not him. He ran backward, searching for a fork in the path that would let him avoid the oncoming mass.

As he moved, he checked the beehive’s map and soon found a path where he could hide. He slipped inside, and the rolling mass passed by moments later without causing any damage.

Han Wu let out a breath of relief. He had barely stepped back onto the path when he heard voices coming from the fork ahead. He assumed that they were hunters and decided to eavesdrop on them.

“That idiot really stole the Mechmouse King. If he follows the map the bishop gave him, he should reach the core in half a day.”

“As long as his Mechmouse King attacks the core, it will awaken the guardian. Then we will have a good show to watch.”

Han Wu’s expression turned serious. He had heard of the Mechmouse King before. It shared the same name as the machine that Ji Dezhu’s son had stolen.

It seems that things have become interesting,

Han Wu thought.