The afterglow of the setting sun cast a tragic golden-red hue over the ruins. On the dilapidated street, a group of people walked slowly but resolutely toward the building.

"Be careful, everyone!" Mu Xue lowered her voice, gripped the steel pipe in her hand, and stepped into the building's entrance first.

A musty smell wafted in, a mixture of dust and rust, making one involuntarily frown. The interior of the building was dimly lit, with only a few rays of the setting sun shining through the broken windows, outlining the blurry contours of the surrounding objects and adding to the eerie atmosphere.

"It seems like no one has been here for a long time," a team member said in a low voice, his voice echoing clearly in the empty hall.

Mu Xue remained silent, cautiously observing her surroundings. The hall was a mess, littered with scattered debris and overturned furniture. Cracks and stains covered the walls, silently testifying to the ruthlessness of time and past calamities.

"Captain, look!" a team member shouted in terror, pointing to a pile of bones in the corner.

Mu Xue walked over and examined it closely. She found some tattered clothes and weapons scattered next to the pile of bones, which were obviously left behind by people who had been here before.

"It seems this place isn't safe." Mu Xue's heart sank, and an ominous premonition welled up inside her.

Just then, a strange sound came from the depths of the hall, like the sound of some kind of machinery operating, low and regular, which sounded particularly jarring in the silent environment.

"What's that sound?" The team members immediately tensed up, gripping their weapons tightly and looking around warily.

"Watch out!" Before Mu Xue could finish speaking, the walls on both sides of the hall suddenly cracked open, and one after another, metal mechanical puppets emerged from them. Their eyes flashed red, and they held various sharp weapons in their hands, approaching the crowd.

"Damn it! What is this thing?"

"Attack now!"

The team members unleashed their superpowers, bombarding the mechanical puppets with fireballs, ice spikes, and lightning. However, these attacks only caused sparks when they landed on the puppets, failing to inflict any real damage.

"Their defenses are very strong, and our abilities are ineffective against them!" a team member shouted in terror.

Mu Xue made a decisive decision: "Retreat first!"

A metallic storm swept through the entire hall, and the team members scattered in all directions as the mechanical golems pursued them. Fireballs traced scorching arcs through the air, and ice spikes whistled through the air with biting cold, but these attacks only left shallow marks on the mechanical golems' metal shells, doing nothing to stop their advance.

"This won't do, we'll be picked off one by one!" a team member exclaimed. Before he finished speaking, a teammate next to him was struck by the sharp blade wielded by the mechanical puppet, screaming as he fell to the ground.

"Ah Yong!"

"Cover me, I'm coming to save him!"

The two team members struggled to drag their injured comrade to a relatively safe place, but the mechanical puppet was already close and about to launch another attack.

"Get out of the way!" Mu Xue rushed forward, the steel pipe in her hand whistling through the air, and slammed it hard into the mechanical puppet's head. The metal clashed, producing a piercing roar. The mechanical puppet's movements faltered for a moment, but it quickly resumed, swinging its sharp blade and continuing its attack on Mu Xue.

Mu Xue fought and retreated, her heart filled with anxiety. These mechanical puppets were tireless, fearless, and possessed astonishing defensive capabilities; ordinary supernatural attacks were completely ineffective against them. If this continued, they would eventually be exhausted and become victims of the mechanical puppets' blades.

"Mu Xue, over here!" Amid the chaos, a voice rang out. Mu Xue looked in the direction of the voice and saw a half-open metal door in the corner. Several team members were desperately resisting the mechanical puppets' attack, buying time for her and Ning Yu.

"Run!" a team member shouted hoarsely as the mechanical puppet's blade pierced his chest, staining the ground with blood.

"No! I won't leave!" Mu Xue's eyes were bloodshot; she couldn't abandon her companions and escape alone.

"Don't worry about me, quickly take Ning Yu away from here and find a way to wake the captain up!" With his last bit of strength, the team member shoved a chip into Mu Xue's hand. "This is... this is what I found on the mechanical puppet. Maybe... maybe it will be useful to you..."

Before the words were even finished, the mechanical puppet's blade fell again, tearing the team member's body to pieces.

"Ah!" Mu Xue let out a grief-stricken roar. She knew this was not the time for sorrow; only by escaping with Ning Yu could she repay the sacrifice of her comrades. She gritted her teeth, picked up Ning Yu, and rushed through the metal door.

Behind the metal door was a narrow passage, dimly lit to illuminate the way ahead. Mu Xue carried Ning Yu as they ran, the deafening clanging of metal and the desperate cries of their teammates echoing behind them.

"Hold on, we will definitely find a way..." Mu Xue murmured softly, her gaze fixed on the chip in her hand, the hope that her companion had given her life for.

After running for an unknown amount of time, the passage finally came to an end, blocked by a heavy metal door. Mu Xue took a deep breath, inserted the chip into the control panel next to the door, and the door slowly opened, revealing a spacious room.

In the center of the room, a massive control panel emitted a faint blue glow, with countless wires connecting it to every corner of the room. Clearly, this was the core area controlling the entire building.

"It seems that to find a way to wake Ning Yu up, we must unlock the secret of this control panel..." Mu Xue muttered to herself. However, just as she stepped toward the control panel, a strange sound suddenly came from under her feet.

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