Chapter 225 The Truth About a Corner of the Ruins
Chen Qing stood stunned in front of the mechanical tree for a long time before suddenly spitting out a mouthful of blood and kneeling on the ground, trembling uncontrollably.
She seemed to have lost most of her vitality, and a sense of gloom enveloped her.
Her once jet-black hair had turned gray, and her skin had developed wrinkles and spots, but her eyes remained bright.
That moment just now was terrifying...
She seemed to have glimpsed... a mechanical civilization that had once flourished and splendidly in this world, but which had eventually faded into oblivion.
Countless chaotic memories that did not belong to her flooded into her mind, trying to squeeze out her original memories and usurp them.
That's the memory of an entire civilization. How could Chen Qing possibly contain it? Even if there were a hundred more Chen Qings, they still couldn't hold that many memories.
She will explode and die.
Even if those memories successfully invaded her territory, Chen Qing would only become a container for mechanical civilization, and she would no longer be under her own control.
The soul vanished, leaving behind a walking shell.
The reason she didn't succeed was thanks to her extraordinary abilities and the three passive skills that Lei Guang had given her earlier.
Chen Qing's extraordinary abilities are also extremely aggressive; anyone wanting to invade its territory would have to ask for its opinion first.
Only then was she able to resist the invasion of mechanical civilization memories and withdraw her mental energy in time.
Even so, Chen Qing's body was still severely damaged. Not only were all the extraordinary points he had accumulated cleared, but he also aged rapidly.
The life force she lost was entirely drained away by her supernatural abilities to resist the invasion of mechanical civilization.
However, Chen Qing finally understood what those so-called mechanical viruses were all about.
All the viruses she encountered related to the mechanical ruins were not viruses at all, but fragments of a mechanical civilization attempting to reignite from the ashes.
Actually, calling it a virus isn't a problem, but Chen Qing felt that those things were remnants of consciousness.
The latter is more terrifying than the former.
Chen Qing slowly sat down, leaning against the branches of the mechanical tree. Under the protection of the mechanical tree, the machines below could not get any closer.
The mechanical tree behind her calmed down after Chen Qing used plant affinity to sense it.
The most dangerous machine on the island is this one. As long as it doesn't cause trouble, Chen Qing will be fine.
She does have time to reflect on everything that is happening in the deep blue sea, including this war.
Connecting all the clues, the timeline should begin with the Mechanical Association's discovery of the ruins of that mechanical civilization.
They discovered the ruins and attempted to develop them, but the first people to enter the ruins discovered their problems and chose to seal them away.
It came at the cost of many elite members of the Mechanical Association and genius mechanics.
Xia Li is likely one of the people who knows the inside story, and it's possible that she was also involved.
Judging from her age, the Mechanical Association discovered the ruins probably about twenty years ago, or even earlier.
No wonder the Mechanical Association doesn't have a single capable person now; Chen Qing caught up with their decades-long progress in just a few months.
Chen Qing closed his eyes, calming his raging mental energy, and slowly unraveled the existing clues, piecing them together.
The Mechanical Association discovered the ruins, then sealed them away, only to have them later reopened by someone within the association with ulterior motives.
The mechanical ruins themselves are slowly extending their claws into the deep blue sea. What flows out of the ruins is not a gift, but rather "candy" used to paralyze the mechanics.
Those things really have no problems, and they are very powerful.
Given the level of development of the mechanical civilization relics, the possibility of the Mechanical Association sealing them away is very low.
After the Mechanical Association paid such a heavy price, it was impossible for them to replicate the sealing of the ruins back then.
However, the seal on the ruins is not permanent.
Chen Qing looked up at the lush branches of the mechanical tree. Although it was impolite to say it like that, the Mechanical Association had long been a part of the lost civilization's invasion of the deep blue sea.
Even if they didn't want it to be this way, even if they knew it clearly, they were already powerless to change the situation and could only consciously sink into despair.
Having lost a large number of its men, the Mechanical Association can only rely on the things that came out of the ruins to deal with them, a desperate measure.
Whether those who rebelled against the association truly acted out of their own good and secretly reopened the ruins remains to be seen.
Chen Qing felt that those with ulterior motives had already paid the price for their greed and ambition.
Whether they are still the same people now is hard to say.
From the fragments of consciousness of the mechanical civilization, Chen Qing glimpsed a trace of the truth behind the civilization's destruction.
It is a conflict between humans and machines.
Machines want to control humanity, and humanity wants to break free from the control of machines, ultimately leading to the destruction of civilization.
Now, the fragments of consciousness that escaped from the ruins want to return to the mechanical age.
They want to continue what the mechanical civilization failed to accomplish.
The sword-wielding mantis and viral symptoms are among their methods.
Judging from the current situation where the Mechanical Association and the Relic Consciousness have dragged the entire Deep Blue Sea into the water, this should be the last game between the two sides.
Either you must fight to the death to survive, or you will lose everything.
This is not a trivial matter between the Mechanical Association and the rebels, but a war between the Lost Civilization and the Maritime Civilization!
I wonder if the other forces in the deep blue sea know about these things.
To be honest, if it weren't for today's unexpected turn of events, Chen Qing really wouldn't have imagined that a civilization that had been destroyed and disappeared could be revived.
Moreover, it has already invaded such a deep blue sea area.
However, Chen Qing still had one question regarding the truth behind the destruction of mechanical civilization.
Humans and machines of mechanical civilization have been locked in a struggle for so long, so how could they suddenly be so thoroughly destroyed, leaving only such a large ruin?
Apart from the ruins, not a single trace remains.
Fragments of civilization's consciousness still remain within the ruins.
The destruction of mechanical civilization seems to have another mastermind behind it.
Capable of easily destroying a civilization...
Chen Qing opened his eyes. The water in just the deep blue sea was already so murky. What must the scarlet sea be like?
The death of the great pirate Moana and the return of Lightning seem to conceal some great secret.
However, these things ultimately have nothing to do with Chen Qing.
These things are beyond her capabilities. Can she possibly fight against an entire civilization by herself?
Chen Qing doesn't have the ability, nor does she intend to do so.
Isn't the destruction of an entire civilization another form of equality for all living beings?
She was only interested in that ruin; it must be full of challenges.
Chen Qing smiled, his eyes gleaming with fighting spirit.
It would take the fragments of mechanical civilization a considerable amount of time to invade the entire deep blue sea. If they had sufficient power, why would they choose such a roundabout method?
The deep blue sea is also a place where hidden talents abound, and it remains to be seen who will win and who will lose.
After all, there are so many retired big shots; Lei Guang was still holed up in his little courtyard on Sapphire Island before.
Anyway, Chen Qing didn't intend to get deeply involved, and these things didn't interest her at all.
As for whether the mechanical civilization's victory would affect her, Chen Qing didn't care at all.
If that day really comes, then so be it.
They came to this world from Earth without anyone asking for their opinion, didn't they?
However, until that day comes, Chen Qing will still try her best to live her life.
This was something she had promised her mother-in-law.
Chen Qing raised his hand and stretched, accidentally tearing open the wound on his waist, causing blood to flow again.
She lay on the thick tree trunk as if she felt nothing, staring at the dark green metallic leaves.
"A rare moment of peace and quiet."
She murmured to herself.
Just being near this tree gives you a very peaceful and tranquil feeling; you don't need to worry about anything or think about anything.
It truly seems to be the guardian deity of this island.
Chen Qing closed her eyes, and her breathing became even.
The law enforcement officer appeared beside Chen Qing, leaning against a tree with his sword, quietly guarding him.
The battle on the island continued, but all of that was no longer relevant to Chen Qing.
...
The rare moment of tranquility lasted until Xia Li arrived. Chen Qing informed Xia Li and told her everything that had happened at the mechanical graveyard.
These are things that the Mechanical Engineering Association should be concerned with.
After all, they're the ones who caused this trouble, aren't they?
As someone in the know, Xia Li immediately understood the situation from Chen Qing's description.
She immediately led some key figures from the Mechanical Association to the deserted island in secret.
Accompanying her was Shi Fangtu, the president of the Mechanical Association.
This was Chen Qing's first meeting with Shi Fang Tu, and it wasn't very pleasant.
In a single glance, the enforcer's sword was already at the neck of Lido, one of the vice presidents of the Mechanical Association.
Faced with these intruders who disturbed the owner's rest, the law enforcement officers showed no mercy and immediately engaged them in combat.
Even the mechanical tree sided with the law enforcement.
Chen Qing's previous communication with the mechanical tree seemed to have given the mechanical tree some wrong misunderstanding.
"What's going on with this thing?!"
Li Duo's expression and demeanor changed drastically upon seeing the law enforcement officers; their gazes became extremely unfriendly.
Having just emerged from the mechanical ruins, Li Duo is now at a point where even the slightest disturbance can startle her.
The law enforcement officers gave her the feeling that they were machines that had emerged from ancient ruins.
She subconsciously assumed that Chen Qing was already a member of the Blue Team.
"Chen Qing wouldn't also—"
"Won't."
Xia Li shook her head. Chen Qing looked down on Yulandi and her group, and of course, she looked down on them as well.
"What's up?"
Chen Qing stood on the trunk of the mechanical tree, looking down at the crowd below, and asked in a cold voice.
"I need to ask you some questions."
Upon seeing Chen Qing appear, Li Duo ordered the law enforcers to sheathe their swords and step aside, her tone softening slightly.
However, she still sounded rather impolite, speaking as if it were perfectly natural.
Perhaps it was because he had been in a high position for a long time, but apart from Xia Li and another vice president, everyone else gave Chen Qing a feeling of being superior.
It's as if talking to her is a kind of reward for her.
If the Mechanical Engineering Association is full of people like this, then it deserves to be destroyed.
Chen Qing did not answer Li Duo's question, but looked at Xia Li instead.
Xia Li sensed something was wrong the moment Li Duo spoke, and sure enough...
She was also quite helpless.
The disaster at the mechanical ruins not only caused the association to lose most of its core members.
Along with the then-president and vice-president, many of the mechanics from different schools, and even the Cangming mechanics, all perished.
This has led to a shortage of qualified personnel in the Mechanical Engineering Association.
Just like the Water Clan of Emerald Island, the power transition was not smooth, and the successor simply did not have enough ability.
Compared to the previous leaders of the Mechanical Association, Shi Fangtu and her group were indeed far inferior.
Xia Li and Shi Fangtu could be considered fellow disciples, as they were all students of the former president.
However, if we had to say, Shi Fangtu and the others were the old president's personal disciples, while Xia Li was just an ordinary student.
After the old president passed away, their relationship improved considerably, and Shi Fangtu listened to all the advice given by his junior sister Xia Li.
This may be related to the dying wish left by the former chairman.
However, they were not on the same path after all, so Xia Li could only offer them some advice.
When the older generation was around, the mechanics and the Mechanics Association were quite strong in the Deep Blue Sea, and had a good reputation. They were capable of competing with those established families.
These mechanical families are now completely suppressed by the association.
If the old chairman hadn't died, Xia Li might have taken over some of his power, or gone to the Crimson Sea.
Instead of staying on Sapphire Island as a resident mechanic like Chen Qing did when he first met Xia Li.
Xia Li glanced at Shi Fang Tu, offering a silent reminder.
"Lychee".
Shi Fangtu received a warning look from Xia Li and coldly called Li Duo back.
Chen Qing looked at the group of people below and found it quite interesting.
Their positions clearly indicate their factions; a group of only seven people managed to divide themselves into four factions.
The Machinery Association is really a disorganized mess.
"Chen Qing."
Shi Fangtu looked up at Chen Qing, his voice still indifferent.
"On behalf of the Mechanical Engineering Association, I thank you for everything you have done for the Association, and I hereby confer upon you the title of Honorary Mechanical Mentor of the Mechanical Engineering Association."
"don't want."
Chen Qing was equally indifferent, showing no desire to have anything to do with the Mechanical Association.
If she hadn't been on slightly better terms with Xia Li, Chen Qing wouldn't have notified the Mechanical Association.
To be honest, the full mechanization of mechanical civilization is not only not harmful to top-tier mechanics like Chen Qing, but actually has many benefits.
Chen Qing jumped down from the tree and landed steadily on the ground.
"They're gone."
After saying that, Chen Qing nodded to Xia Li and left.
"you--"
Li Duo wanted to mock Chen Qing as soon as she opened her mouth, but Shi Fang Tu's glare made her freeze in place, and she didn't dare to say anything more.
When Chen Qing left, the law enforcement officers naturally followed her.
But unexpectedly, the mechanical tree and the other mechanical creatures on it also followed Chen Qing.
"Wait a moment."
"You can't take this guy with you!"
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