“So…tired…” A faint thought surfaced deep within Vika’s consciousness.
Almost instantly, that last spark of consciousness, in this gentle, dark green haven, fell into a deep, unresisting sleep.
Consciousness sank into a dreamless, deep darkness, as if returning to the chaotic state when it was first implanted into this body.
Outside the maintenance compartment, Victor Horn frowned, staring at a report that had just been handed to him by the maintenance supervisor.
A slightly nervous new assistant stood beside him.
The report was concise yet... jarring:
【Crimson Bulwark-7 Post-War Maintenance Assessment Report】
External armor damage: 1.8% (mainly high-temperature burn marks and slight deformation, no structural damage).
Internal transmission system: runs smoothly without abnormal wear.
Energy core: Stable output with no signs of overload or leakage.
Alchemy circuit: 100% integrity, no performance degradation.
Biological core (brain) activity: stable, neural inhibitory layer efficiency 99.99%, consciousness fluctuation at the optimal baseline.
Overall assessment: The damage level is below the expected threshold (2%), the condition is extremely healthy, no additional in-depth maintenance is required, and it is recommended to restore combat readiness after standard charging.
"Extremely healthy? Less than 2%?"
Victor's fingers tapped unconsciously on the report, making a dull thud.
His pale face showed no joy at learning that the "weapon" was intact; instead, it was filled with gloom and lingering doubt.
He recalled the "raising his arm" gesture he had made on his way home.
He recalled the terrifying impact and intense heat the back of the Crimson Bulwark had endured during the explosion—it could not possibly have caused only “minor deformation”!
He recalled the bizarre and appalling self-destruction of the "Earthbreaker" wreckage in front of the furnace—it was by no means a simple data overload protection, but more like a carefully set up intelligent trap targeting the analyzer!
He recalled the fleeting, cold, scrutinizing gaze that appeared in the Crimson Barrier's sensors after the explosion...
All of this points to a possibility that deeply unsettles Victor: the core consciousness of the Crimson Bulwark, or rather the "Vika" it carries, may have encountered some unknown variable beyond the control of Imperial alchemy.
This seemingly perfect, almost fabricated, health report not only failed to dispel his doubts but also acted like a thin layer of ice, concealing the turbulent undercurrents beneath.
“Continue the deep scan…” Victor whispered, his gaze behind his glasses sharp as an eagle, finally settling on the dark red figure silently suspended in the dark green liquid of the maintenance cabin.
"A deep consciousness scan with the highest level of authority must be performed."
His doubts not only did not dissipate, but were stimulated by the report of "extreme health" and grew wildly like vines, tightening his judgment.
"Prepare the ship, I am returning home to see His Majesty."
————
A few days later.
The cold metal bulkheads blocked out the howling of the high-altitude airflow, and the airship "Alchemist's Radiance" glided smoothly above the leaden-gray clouds.
Victor Horn sat alone in the spacious but cold first-class cabin. Instead of comfortable cushions, there were several encrypted documents, a metal data box that shimmered with a faint blue light, and his crumpled action log in front of him.
The soft alchemical light inside the cabin illuminated his pale and tired face. His monocle was removed and placed aside, the lens reflecting the gray, cotton-like clouds rushing past the window.
He closed his eyes, his fingertips unconsciously pressing against his throbbing temples, but the storm in his mind was more turbulent than the airflow outside the window.
In conclusion: A costly but significant failure...
Victor had set the tone for this operation in his mind. He forced himself to examine every detail from the most ruthless and objective scientific perspective, stripping away personal emotions:
The core objective—obtaining a physical sample of the "relic technology" possessed by Lind Truk—was barely achieved.
Although the final sample (mining machine wreckage) was completely destroyed due to an unknown self-destruct mechanism, before its destruction, the Heart of the Furnace successfully extracted and captured extremely valuable core energy structure data, armor molecular arrangement patterns, and fragments of some control systems.
The value of this data far exceeds that of a single inanimate object sample.
The prototype of the "resonance spike" was less effective than expected in weakening the target armor in a battlefield environment, and it had a fatal flaw (the "feigned death" counterattack of the target armor).
This technical approach needs significant improvements or should be temporarily shelved.
The combination of "Crimson Bulwark" and "Magic Breaker" demonstrated effective lethality against targets under specific conditions (when the armor had been weakened by the Resonant Nails), proving the tactical value of high-level alchemical weaponry in combating such "relic creations".
In particular, the "Crimson Barrier's" performance in protecting against explosions proves its reliability as a top-tier weapon of war.
Then comes the most important part.
Lind Truk's mastery of "relic technology" far exceeded expectations.
The Earthshaker's firepower, defense, and battlefield adaptability (feigning death counterattack tactics) have demonstrated the ability to overturn conventional battlefield rules.
The defensive forces of Blackrock Territory are by no means the "local armed forces" that the intelligence department initially assessed.
Although the extracted data fragments are few, the technological concepts they contain—energy utilization efficiency, material structure, and control system logic—constitute a game-changer for the existing alchemical system of the Principality of Oak.
This is not just a technological gap, it's a generational technological gap! It points to a lost, highly developed civilization.
There are also the limitations of the SARS allies.
The army of the Sass Empire suffered from low morale, rigid command, and heavy losses when confronting this unconventional threat.
Their reliability as the main offensive force is questionable.
Finally, there is the loss.
Personnel losses: Senior researcher Jason died, and several technicians were injured. The loss of an experienced core researcher is a major blow.
Equipment loss: The core analytical unit of the "Heart of the Furnace" was severely damaged, resulting in the loss of a large number of supporting precision equipment.
Repairing or rebuilding requires time and massive resources.
Moreover, the actions exposed the Principality of Ork's strong interest in and means of acquiring "relic technology" (even at the cost of intervening in other countries' wars), which may arouse Lind Truk's deeper vigilance or even direct retaliation.
Victor's fingertips rested on the cold metal data box.
What's sealed inside is the only, and invaluable, "trophy" of this operation.
Beneath its cold, hard exterior surges a torrent powerful enough to shake the entire alchemical world of the empire.
Victor took a deep breath, put his monocle back on, and his eyes behind the lens regained their usual sharpness and calmness, but deep inside burned a flame that was a mixture of shock, anxiety and extreme desire.
He unfolded a blank encrypted report template and began to construct a draft report to present to His Majesty the Emperor.
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