Soul-Slaying Maiden: Master Of Ancient Divine Weapons

The interior of Titan City was even more prosperous than what they saw from the troop transport ship.

It was like a true city of technology, a cyber metropolis, completely out of place in the insect-infested post-apocalyptic world.

Under the illumination of blue and purple neon lights, most of those walking on the streets were robots.

These robots had various shapes, representing different jobs: transportation, security, law enforcement, and other activities. Only a few resembled humans, but they had mechanical prosthetics attached to their bodies, appearing strange by human aesthetic standards.

There wasn't much time for Han Zhan to observe. The black magnetic levitation transport vehicle carried them directly to the mechanical research institute.

The induction gate opened immediately, and they were escorted into the institute.

Han Zhan noticed that as the transport vehicle arrived, Wang Chunyu gradually moved backward.

This small gesture didn't attract much attention as everyone's focus was firmly locked on the exterior.

Han Zhan also took a few steps back with him. At that moment, the vehicle door opened, and octopus-like mechanical arms surged in.

They flexibly grabbed the transported slaves.

Accompanied by screams, these mechanical arms retracted abruptly, disappearing to unknown locations.

Seeing this, Han Zhan became even more certain that Wang Chunyu had been to the mechanical research institute before. Otherwise, how could he explain it? Did he possess some kind of foresight?

Wang Chunyu, at this point, was unaware that Han Zhan had started suspecting him.

His promise was merely to lead these people to a place of painless death; nothing more was within his commitment.

The mechanical arms continued grabbing people, and the chaos lasted for a while. When most of the individuals around them had been taken, only a few were left standing there, surviving by luck.

"Move!" Wang Chunyu suddenly turned to Han Zhan and urged before quickly rushing out of the vehicle.

Han Zhan, realizing what was happening, hurriedly followed. The two left the confused others behind and started running deeper into the mechanical research institute.

"When did you figure it out?" Wang Chunyu asked without looking back as they sprinted.

"I'm not one to trust easily. Anyone who offers kindness without reason is treated as having ulterior motives," Han Zhan replied, catching Wang Chunyu off guard.

All Wang Chunyu could muster was a muttered response, "That's a good habit."

"This way. Those mechanical arms have a set range for grabbing, radiating outward a kilometer from the transport vehicle. Once we leave that range, we'll be safe for now."

"How do you know this? Who are you really?" Han Zhan demanded.

Wang Chunyu didn't answer. The two quickly traversed the corridor.

Indeed, after running out of the kilometer range, the mechanical arms no longer targeted them.

New arms, large and snakelike, slowly emerged from behind various doors, deftly grabbing the remaining survivors.

Han Zhan finally had the chance to observe closely.

The arms emerged from silver-white doors scattered like honeycomb cells throughout the surroundings.

Looking upward, each level had at least a dozen such doors, with fewer as the levels rose higher, forming an inverted cone shape.

The higher levels, due to intense lighting, were no longer visible.

The sequence of arm activations was evident: the higher levels started first, followed by the next, layer by layer.

"It's essential to escape the capture zone before the last layer finishes grabbing people," Wang Chunyu reminded.

"Capture zone? Didn't we already leave the kilometer range?"

"The kilometer range is just the warning line. When no slaves remain within that range, the program defaults to releasing poisonous gas to cleanse the entire capture zone, leaving nothing—down to the smallest speck of dust—untouched."

While speaking, Wang Chunyu stopped at a peculiar door.

This door differed in color from the others, which were all silver-white. Only this one was gray.

At a glance, the door was tightly shut, indistinguishable from the surrounding wall except for its faint seam.

Wang Chunyu confidently activated a translucent keypad, inputting a quick sequence. When the correct code registered, the gray door opened instantly.

"Hurry up! This door only stays open for ten seconds; it's an emergency escape hatch," Wang Chunyu called, motioning to Han Zhan.

Seeing this, Han Zhan grew more suspicious. "Are you with the CanShang Company? How else would you know about this hatch or its password?"

"I'm not. There's no time to explain. Get on the elevator now, and you'll understand when we arrive." Wang Chunyu's hurried tone left little room for doubt.

After a few moments of thought, Han Zhan stepped forward.

No sooner had he entered than the escape hatch sealed shut.

Through the door's viewport, Han Zhan saw dark purple mist engulf the entire capture zone.

This mist spread quickly, covering every inch.

Han Zhan realized Wang Chunyu had been truthful, but questions about his true identity lingered.

When the elevator door reopened, the scene outside was no longer a gray wall but a silver-white corridor.

The corridors crisscrossed in all directions, leading to various areas.

For someone new to this place, navigating this labyrinthine hive to find an exit would be nearly impossible.

Yet Wang Chunyu seemed at ease, leading Han Zhan through twists and turns until they reached a peculiar room.

Han Zhan looked up at the plaque above the door: "Research Project - Mechanical Ascension."

Seeing this name, Han Zhan felt a growing sense of foreboding.

But Wang Chunyu had already opened the laboratory door with practiced ease.

Contrary to expectations, no ambush awaited inside.

The only sound was the faint beeping of instruments in the room, which was otherwise eerily quiet.

Han Zhan lowered his guard and followed Wang Chunyu inside.

"The CanShang Company dogs have absolute confidence in their tech. The Mechanical Research Institute is one of their core projects, so it's relatively under-guarded. The only way in is by becoming a test subject slave," Wang Chunyu explained without looking back.

"This was your destination all along?" Han Zhan asked, scanning the room. His gaze quickly locked onto something.

A massive transparent cylindrical tank stood in the room, filled with an unknown pale green liquid.

Inside, a young girl, her body pierced by countless tubes, floated silently.

Her eyes were closed, and the tubes connected her body to a massive electronic device nearby.

On the device's monitor, a graph resembling an ECG displayed slow, rhythmic fluctuations.

When Wang Chunyu raised his head to look, the girl in the tank suddenly opened her eyes.

A mechanical synthesized voice echoed from the device:

"You're here."

The graph's fluctuations became erratic.

"I'm here," Wang Chunyu rasped in reply.

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