Before Tie Jin's voice could even fade, the silver mechanoid battle armor covering his body erupted with a piercing blue light. The Star energy circuits on the armor's surface spread and interlaced like a living web of spiders.
In the next second, a pale blue energy field violently expanded with him as the center.
That was his Calamity-grade exclusive domain: "Mechanoid Dominance."
Wherever Tie Jin's domain reached, space rippled with a fine metallic texture. Within an instant, the eyes of every high-level mechanoid flared with a fierce red glow.
The high-level mechanoids, whose quantum information had originally been scrambled and forcibly controlled by Tendo's "Domain: Infinite Spacetime," were reclaimed one by one by Tie Jin.
The twitching chassis of a massive number of high-level mechanoids quickly returned to a stable state. Some of the mechanoids that had previously defected immediately swiveled their muzzles, re-locking their targeting lines onto Tendo.
"My domain has full authority to take over the core commands of all mechanoids. Your vector force field can, at most, interfere with their operations; it cannot break the neural link interface between me and my machines."
Tie Jin's voice transmitted through the armor's amplification system, carrying a cold, hard texture like grinding metal. The red light of the Star cannon on his right arm grew increasingly blinding, and the air around the muzzle distorted into watery waves from the high heat.
"Tendo Simei, hand over the Miracle Stone. I can give you a quick death so you don't have to become experimental waste for the Mechanoid Legion."
Facing Tie Jin's threat, the pale blue Star power around Tendo's body surged violently.
The vector force field and the Mechanoid Dominance domain collided fiercely, erupting with ear-piercing sonic booms that sent mechanoid wreckage on the ground flying over a hundred meters away.
Tendo looked at him expressionlessly and said in a flat tone, "The purpose of the Miracle Stone is not something you lunatics obsessed with mechanical modification can control."
As the words fell, Tendo's figure tore through the air like a teleportation.
Pale blue Star power condensed into a solid edge on the vector light blade in his hand. The blade flowed with cold, fragmented light; everywhere it passed, the air was sliced into sizzling black fissures.
Tie Jin let out a cold laugh. The pauldrons of his silver mechanoid armor immediately detached and reorganized, transforming into three sharp alloy flying blades. Enveloped in silver-white mechanoid energy, they shot straight for Tendo's face.
Simultaneously, Tie Jin manipulated three high-level mechanoids to form a triangular formation in front of him.
In the blink of an eye, the Star cannons on the shoulders of Tie Jin's mechanoids charged at high speed.
Muzzles churning with red light like boiling lava fired several thick beams of energy, pouring toward Tendo with savage force.
Almost at the exact same time, Tendo's vector force field instantly spread out into a dense defensive barrier.
The moment the beams hit the barrier, they erupted in blinding white light and deafening energy explosions. Layers of ripples appeared on the barrier's surface, deflecting every single beam.
The deflected beams slammed into the distant alloy walls, blasting open smoking craters. Shards of wall and rusted metal slag splashed everywhere, clattering against the floor.
Taking advantage of a gap between the fires, Tendo instantly drifted behind a high-level mechanoid. His vector light blade pierced accurately into the core energy interface at the mechanoid's lower back.
That was the hub of the mechanoid's Star energy circuit and its weakest fatal point.
Pale blue Star power flooded through the interface, instantly melting the internal superconducting lines.
The red light in the mechanoid's eyes abruptly extinguished. Sparks from short-circuiting internal electronics jumped within the shell, and a thick smell of burnt metal filled the air as the massive body crashed to the ground.
Ignoring the death of his "subordinate," the metallic wings on the back of Tie Jin's armor vibrated at high speed, his figure moving so fast he turned into an afterimage.
He completed a sharp turn in mid-air. His right-arm Star cannon charged once more, the muzzle diameter doubling in size as the red light condensed into a physical ball of energy.
Mechanoid · Iron Dome · Star Burst!
The energy ball whistled as it smashed toward Tendo. The sheer momentum caused the mechanoid wreckage on the ground to be instantly vaporized, and even the air along its path was baked into distorted shapes.
Seeing this, Tendo's eyes narrowed. His vector force field whirred into motion, forcibly altering the energy ball's trajectory.
The energy ball flew past his ear and slammed into a structural pillar of the factory in the distance.
BOOM!
The pillar was instantly blown to smithereens. Rocks and metal fragments poured down like a rainstorm.
Seizing this opening, Tie Jin raised his hand and pressed a control button on the chest of his armor. From deep within the factory came the heavy sound of interlocking gears and the hiss of pressurized hydraulic lines.
Dozens of mass-produced mechanoids equipped with Star machine guns swarmed out of the tunnels. The gun barrels spun at high speeds, emitting a stuttering roar as bullets coated in weak Star power swept toward Tendo like a dense rain.
Tendo's vector force field tightened quickly, deflecting all incoming bullets and energy beams. The beams slammed into the distant alloy walls, blasting holes so deep their bottoms couldn't be seen.
Under the cover of the mechanoid swarm, Tendo leaped onto the head of a high-level mechanoid. His vector light blade stabbed ruthlessly into its core circuits. Pale blue Star power spread rapidly along the wiring, paralyzing the mechanoid suit in an instant.
At the same time, the alloy floor plates slowly cracked open, revealing a deep mechanical trench below.
In the next second, a giant mechanoid mecha standing ten meters tall burst out of the ground.
This mecha was entirely covered in thickened dark-silver alloy plating. The surface of the armor was covered in protruding energy patterns. Two main cannons on the shoulders pointed directly at Tendo like siege guns, and the core energy chamber in the chest glowed with a pale purple light, emitting a suffocating sense of pressure.
The moment the mecha landed, the ground shook violently. Rocks and dust soared into the air, manifesting the destructive deterrent of a mechanical colossus.
Tie Jin's armor suddenly ascended rapidly. He pressed the button on his chest again, and the sounds of mechanical operation from the depths of the factory became increasingly intense as dozens of ordinary mechanoids equipped with Star machine guns flowed continuously from the tunnels.
Meanwhile, the ten-meter-tall giant mecha also slowly rose. Its shoulder main cannons had completed their preliminary charge, their red lights pointed straight at Tendo.
This was the classic "Human Wave" tactic of a Mechanoid Star Envoy.
[Site 13 Chat Section]
"A giant mechanoid mecha! The Iron Dome family was hiding things pretty deep."
"Tendo has to face the double pressure of the swarm plus the mecha now."
"How is it going on Jing Liuli's side? Hope she doesn't get ambushed."
On the other side, Jing Liuli had snuck all the way into the third basement level of the factory through the ventilation ducts. The ducts were filled with dust and snapped Star power lines. The Spirit Fox crouched obediently on her shoulder, its eyes alertly scanning the surroundings.
Guided by the high-precision Star energy detector provided by Caroline, Jing Liuli quickly stopped at a vent.
She gently lifted the grate and looked down. Below was a spacious core laboratory.
Dozens of chip mass-production devices were operating at high speed, and quantum interface chips glowing with purple light moved in an orderly fashion along a conveyor belt.
In front of the control console in the center of the lab, two researchers from the Iron Dome family were focused on debugging parameters. The screens clearly displayed energy adaptation simulation data between the chips and the "Miracle Stone."
"So they want to adapt the chips to the Miracle Stone's energy to strengthen the Mechanoid Legion's combat power."
Lowering her voice, Jing Liuli took out the special mechanoid corrosive agent from her backpack and pointed the superconducting nozzle at the equipment lines below the vent.
The Spirit Fox understood immediately. A wisp of active factors flickered from the tip of its tongue, turning into a shimmer that landed on the control console's signal receiver. It instantly jammed the lab's alarm system, buying valuable time for the operation.
Once the agent was sprayed, it immediately turned into a pale purple mist, landing on the equipment lines.
Amidst sizzling corrosive sounds, the surface of the lines quickly turned charred black. The operating speed of the mass-production equipment gradually slowed down, and the quantum chips on the conveyor belt began to flicker with malfunctions.
The two researchers noticed the anomaly and immediately stood up to check.
Jing Liuli seized the opportunity to leap down from the vent. Dream power transformed into two "chains," instantly binding the two researchers tightly.
After subduing them, Jing Liuli raised her hand and pressed the emergency lock button on the console.
The alloy doors of the lab slowly closed, completely cutting off the support paths for external mechanoids.
"Don't move."
Jing Liuli looked at the two and interrogated them, "Where is the adaptation data for the Miracle Stone hidden? What is the deployment plan for the Iron Dome family's Mechanoid Legion?"
The two researchers turned deathly pale, but they gritted their teeth and refused to speak.
Clearly, they had security chips implanted in their bodies; if they leaked core information, a self-destruct program would be triggered.
Fortunately, Jing Liuli hadn't expected to obtain what she wanted this way.
She looked down at the Spirit Fox, which jumped onto the control console understanding the signal.
The shimmer at the tip of the fox's nose swept across the screen. A large amount of active factors seeped into the system through the lines, forcibly cracking the encrypted files.
Before long, the screen was flooded with dense data.
This data contained not only the complete adaptation plan between the chips and the Miracle Stone but also marked the locations of hidden mechanoid factories belonging to the Iron Dome family across the Federation.
"Found it."
Jing Liuli immediately transmitted the data to her portable terminal. At the same time, she grabbed a bottle of corrosive agent and threw it violently at the main server of the core production equipment.
"Done."
Looking at the destroyed core data, a satisfied smile appeared on Jing Liuli's face. She then turned and left.
At the same time, the battlefield on the surface had reached a fever pitch.
Tendo's vector force field continued to expand, deflecting the main cannon beams of the giant mecha.
His vector light blade slashed again and again against the mecha's alloy armor, leaving deep gouges.
However, this mecha was clearly a cutting-edge product of the Iron Dome family. Even Tendo couldn't find its weakness in a short time to threaten Tie Jin inside the cockpit.
With no more worries about the rear, Tie Jin manipulated the giant mecha to press forward step by step.
The mecha's iron fist, carrying the weight of a thousand tons, smashed toward Tendo. Tendo dodged instantly, and the ground beneath his feet was immediately cratered. Rock fragments flew like rain, and dust filled the air.
"Are you wondering why your domain has no effect on it?"
Tie Jin spoke while controlling the giant mecha, letting the red light condense once more in the shoulder cannons.
"That is because this 'Zenith Mecha' is equipped with a portion of the authority of the 'Miracle Stone: Law'."
As Tie Jin's words fell, two giant red energy beams whistled toward Tendo.
This time, Tendo's vector force field could only barely alter the beams' trajectories.
A portion of a beam grazed Tendo's shoulder, leaving a scorched wound.
Tendo retreated a few steps, his pale blue Star power fluctuating slightly. He looked down at the wound on his pauldron, his eyes filled with surprise and... curiosity.
Just then, his portable terminal received a message from Jing Liuli.
After reading the information sent by Liuli, Tendo knew there was no need to continue playing.
Because the important "research data" was already in hand.
Thinking of this, a cold arc curled at the corner of Tendo's mouth. The vector force field around him suddenly shifted forms.
The vector force field was no longer limited to deflecting attacks; instead, it transformed into fine threads of Star power, specifically penetrating the Star energy circuits inside the mecha to launch precise interference.
In the next second, Tie Jin's Zenith Mecha shook violently. Its internal Star circuits were scrambled by the vector force field, causing the red light of the main cannons to flicker and the mecha's movements to become sluggish and stiff.
Sensing the mecha's abnormality, Tie Jin's face changed drastically. He tried desperately to control the machine, only to find that the connection link between his Mechanoid Dominance domain and the mecha had become chaotic, causing severe delays in command transmission.
"Impossible! How can your force field interfere with my Star energy circuits?"
"Did you think only the Iron Dome family understood the fusion of Star power and mechanoids?"
Tendo's figure flashed, leaping onto the mecha's head. His vector light blade gathered all the Star power in his body and stabbed ruthlessly into the sensors at the mecha's eyes.
That was the core perception module of the mecha and its weakest point through the armor.
BOOM!
Realizing that the giant mecha had reached its limit, Tie Jin decisively pressed the final button.
In an instant, a blinding white light erupted from the mecha's core. The internal energy fluctuations became savage, and even the surrounding air began to vibrate violently.
Tendo immediately leaped off the mecha while simultaneously activating the terminal's emergency evacuation signal. He spoke into the comms: "Liuli, evacuate."
Receiving the signal, Jing Liuli quickly splashed the last bottle of corrosive agent onto the console and jumped into the ventilation duct, with the Spirit Fox following close behind.
The moment the two evacuated the lab, the Zenith Mecha exploded violently. A massive shockwave swept through the entire factory, and dust soared into the sky, completely blotting out the heavens.
As the dust gradually settled, Tendo stood at the edge of the ruins.
Jing Liuli arrived quickly with the Spirit Fox, asking curiously, "Tendo, how are you? Where is Tie Jin?"
Tendo shook his head and cast his gaze deep into the ruins. A faint mechanoid signal remained there; clearly, Tie Jin had used the explosion as cover to escape.
"He got away."
"He got away?"
Jing Liuli gave Tendo a suspicious look. She didn't believe there were many people in the New Federation who could escape Tendo's grasp.
Unless he did it on purpose.
Tendo didn't seem to want to explain much either. He spoke: "Let's go. It's time to head back."
"Oh, okay."
The two quickly boarded a small stealth flyer hidden in the ruins. The flyer immediately activated its stealth mode and spatial jump engines, hurtling toward the base.
Deep within the ruins, Tie Jin crawled out of his damaged mechanoid armor, covered in blood with mecha shards embedded in his flesh. However, a mad rage burned in his eyes.
On the flyer, Jing Liuli synchronized the core data with Caroline and Yun Meng. On the terminal screen, the locations of the Iron Dome family's hidden mechanoid factories across the Federation, their troop deployments, and their general offensive plans were now clear at a glance.
Tendo gazed at the deep starry sky outside the window, his pale blue Star power flowing slowly as it accelerated the healing of his shoulder wound.
He knew that the confrontation with the Iron Dome family had only just begun. This war, concerning the fate of the Federation and the Miracle Stone, was destined to stir up an even greater storm.