Chapter 68 Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland 31

Do I need to buy another teleportation scroll?

She glanced at the countdown still ticking on the holographic projection.

【00:03:15】

Three minutes left.

Let's give it our all!

Let her see whether her "spear" is sharper or her "shield" is superior!

A gigantic, jet-black claw rapidly enlarged in her vision, tearing through the air with a piercing shriek as it viciously clawed at her head! She mustered her remaining spiritual power, gripped the Boundary-Breaking Shovel tightly, and prepared for a final desperate attempt.

At this critical moment!

"drop--!"

A crisp, loud alert sound, unlike any other alarm, echoed throughout the workshop from the manufacturing platform behind her!

[Manufacturing complete!]

[Power Armor 'Guardian Type 1' is ready!]

[Please put on your clothing, host!]

As the notification tone faded, the precision manufacturing platform, which had been operating for seventy-two hours, emitted a series of "clattering" sounds.

The platform's outer shell, like a blooming metal lotus, unfolds layer by layer. A dark silver powered armor, with sleek and powerful lines, stands silently in the center of the platform.

On its chest is engraved an emblem of a soaring eagle, its shoulder armor is slightly raised, and the joints reveal a complex hydraulic transmission structure. The helmet's visor is a deep black, as if it can devour all light.

Zhou Jue's eyes lit up instantly! She didn't even look at the giant black claw that was already within reach.

She channeled the spiritual energy she had just mobilized into her legs, and with a powerful kick backward, she shot straight into the powered armor like a cannonball!

"Buzz—!"

The moment her body touched the armor, the entire suit seemed to come alive. Breastplate, backplate, armplates, legplates… all the components opened simultaneously, like a steel embrace, enveloping her completely.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

With a series of rapid locking sounds, the visor slowly closed, and Zhou Jue's vision was instantly replaced by a stream of dark blue data.

[Neural connectivity synchronization...10%...50%...100%!]

[Synchronization complete! Welcome to the 'Guardian Type 1' power armor!]

[Vital signs are stable.]

[Energy core output power 100%.]

[Weapon system self-check... Miniature shoulder-mounted electromagnetic cannon, fully charged. Arm-mounted light prism blade, activated.]

[Environmental scanning system activated...]

Countless data points flashed across her retinal projection. An unprecedented, powerful sense of strength, strong enough to tear everything apart, surged from every corner of the armor into her limbs and bones.

The muscles that were sore from exhaustion were now replaced by a powerful exoskeleton system, making her feel like an indestructible war machine!

"boom--!"

Just then, the enormous black claw finally slammed down. It didn't hit Zhou Jue, but instead slammed down on the manufacturing platform that had just completed its mission.

The expensive and sophisticated manufacturing platform was instantly smashed into a pile of twisted scrap metal by this violent blow!

Fortunately, after Zhou Jue finished dressing, the system put the portable "Power Armor" manufacturing plant into the Starry Sky Box, otherwise she would have been heartbroken.

The next instant, Zhou Jue was already standing on the platform's wreckage. She slowly raised her head, her black mask facing the three-meter-tall nano monster.

"You...are you done?"

A cold, synthesized voice came from the armor's speakers.

"So……"

Zhou Jue paused for a moment.

"It's my turn."

Before she could finish speaking, the hydraulic power steering system under her feet suddenly activated!

"Bang!"

With a deafening roar, the ground beneath her feet cracked inch by inch, and she transformed into a silver afterimage, charging forward instead of retreating, towards the nanobot! Her speed was more than ten times faster than before!

The nanobot seemed to have been caught off guard; its prey, which had been in such a sorry state just moments before, would suddenly unleash such terrifying power. It roared and swung its other claw at Zhou Jue.

Zhou Jue neither dodged nor avoided the attack; she simply raised her right arm.

"Buzz—!"

On the arm armor, a meter-long light prism blade instantly popped out, with blue arcs of electricity leaping wildly across its edge.

The silver phantom and the black behemoth collided with a deafening roar under the watchful eyes of countless puppets!

There was no earth-shattering noise, only a soft "plop" sound.

Zhou Jue's figure passed behind the nano monster and landed steadily ten meters away. She maintained her sword-wielding posture and slowly straightened her body.

Behind her, the arrogant nanobot froze, a thin blue line stretching from its head down to its crotch. The next second...

"Splash—"

The enormous monster was neatly split in two, turning into two puddles of writhing black liquid that crashed to the ground.

One strike, instant kill!

Zhou Jue didn't look at the two pools of liquid trying to reassemble. She turned around, her black mask sweeping across the thousands of puppets surrounding the entire workshop.

The puppets seemed to be stunned by this shocking scene, and their movements froze for a moment.

"Brother Tong, switch weapon mode."

【Received. Miniature shoulder-mounted electromagnetic railgun, switching to scattering mode.】

On Zhou Jue's right shoulder, a sleek cannon barrel slowly rose, its muzzle gleaming with a blinding blue light.

"Clear the area."

She uttered two words coldly.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

A dense, thunderous roar echoed wildly throughout the workshop!

Countless visible blue electromagnetic beams shot out in all directions like a shower of flowers! Each beam accurately struck the head of a puppet.

The puppet that was hit had its entire head explode instantly, like a watermelon smashed by a heavy hammer!

This is not a battle.

This is a one-sided massacre!

Zhou Jue stood motionless, letting the shoulder cannon unleash its firepower relentlessly. Vast numbers of puppets fell like harvested wheat; in a mere thirty seconds, the thousands of puppets that had flooded into the workshop were wiped out!

The entire workshop fell silent instantly, leaving only the wreckage scattered on the ground and the acrid smell of burning in the air.

Zhou Jue slowly lowered his arm.

The crisis has been resolved.

But she knew this was just the beginning. She dealt with the puppets here, but there were still hundreds of thousands in the base.

She destroyed the nanopolymer, but the "Hive Consciousness" that controlled it all still lurked in the shadows.

The source of the "Grey Gu" that came from the Titan Industrial Park is also a potential hazard.

"Brother Tongzi, scan the energy distribution across the entire base."

[Scanning...]

Soon, a three-dimensional map of the base structure appeared on her visor display. On the map, most areas were white, representing conventional energy, but two places were different colors.

One was the direction of that office building she had seen before, marked by an ever-expanding, deep black area representing the "Grey Gu".

The other one is located at the deepest part of the base, on the fifth underground level.

There, a colossal, crimson orb of light, radiating an ominous aura, beat slowly like a heart.

[Warning: Ultra-high density information flow and bio-energy field detected on the fifth underground level.]

[Preliminary assessment indicates... this is a core node of the nanovirus's 'hive consciousness'.]

Zhou Jue stared at the red dot, a cold smile curving his lips beneath his black mask.

Found it.

Without any intention of resting, she strode forward, ignoring the mess on the ground, and headed straight for the passage leading to the underground area. Wearing the "Guardian Type 1" power armor, each step she took caused the ground to tremble slightly, exuding an unparalleled sense of oppression.

She was going to go and personally drag out that thing hidden in everyone's minds from its lair!