Before anyone could react, the Tunnel Boring Machine's demolition saw slammed hard into a load-bearing wall of the white unfinished building.
Only then did the Tunnel Boring Machine realize what happened: "Ah! Sorry, Shinshiro-kun, I was just too excited..."
Before it finished speaking, the gravity-imbalanced unfinished building crashed down onto the Tunnel Boring Machine, burying most of its body, and crushing the Remnants inside the building to dust.
The Tunnel Boring Machine looked at the ruins covering it and cried mournfully, "Shinshiro-kun! Pull yourself together, Shinshiro-kun!" Its exposed display screen showed a sad pixelated expression.
Seeing that Shinshiro-kun was completely unresponsive (though it seemed unresponsive to begin with), it began to weep bitterly: "I killed Shinshiro-kun... It's all my fault..."
Grace saw how heartbroken it was and stepped forward to comfort it: "Don't blame yourself, this wasn't your fault. Look up and look around, your Shinshiro-kun is embracing you right now!"
"Every building can only give one embrace in its lifetime. It not only gave one to you but also drove away the surrounding Remnants for you. What a gentle lover; you have good taste."
The Tunnel Boring Machine stopped crying after hearing this.
Grace struck while the iron was hot and continued, "Don't lose heart. We won't let you part with him like this. Come back with us. We will work together and rebuild Shinshiro-kun on new land!"
The Tunnel Boring Machine thought for a moment, then choked out, "Yes, I'll go back with you right now!"
So everyone stepped forward, helped the Tunnel Boring Machine clear the debris and rubble above it, and led it out of the Hollow... Two days later, the group ventured deep into the Hollow again and found a piledriver diligently carving a path in a dead end.
Ben saw how seriously it was working and couldn't help but say, "This guy hasn't forgotten its job, but I wonder what it's going to be like..."
Anton brandished his impact drill and said confidently, "It doesn't matter. We've already dealt with two 'problem children.' Whatever new ideas this guy has, we can definitely bring it back!"
Anton's loud voice caught the piledriver's attention. It slowly turned around... Suddenly, it charged violently toward the group!
Koleda shouted, "Watch out! Prepare your defenses!"
Hearing this, the others quickly adopted defensive stances.
Unexpectedly, just as the piledriver was about to hit the group, it suddenly leaped up, flew over their heads, and then quickly fled toward another corner.
Anton was instantly dumbfounded: "It... it ran away?"
Koleda quickly moved her legs and chased after it, shouting to the others, "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and follow!"
The rest quickly followed Koleda's steps. After a chase, the group finally cornered the piledriver in a dead end.
Koleda took a step forward and said, "Give up. You have nowhere left to run."
The piledriver remained silent.
Hu Tao said doubtfully, "This guy hasn't made a sound since just now. Could it be that its language module was corrupted by Aether?"
Koleda shook her head: "Impossible. It clearly understands what we are saying."
The piledriver still made no sound.
Seeing this, Koleda said helplessly, "Alright, stop playing deaf and dumb. Be frank with us. What is your identity now? What is your purpose?"
The piledriver still made no sound.
"What? Haven't you added some strange 'setting' to yourself?"
Suddenly, it roared: "Halt, you insolent wretches!"
Koleda jumped in surprise: "Huh?"
The piledriver ignored their reactions and spoke to itself: "A 'setting'? Absurd! How dare you mortals speak so disrespectfully and insult my great mission!"
"I am the Dawn's Condemner, sent by the Great Mentor to stabilize the Seal and guard this place. Retreat immediately!"
Hearing this, the group couldn't hold back. Hu Tao, suppressing a laugh, asked "IES": "Isn't this... what they call... chunni syndrome?"
Anton stepped forward and yelled at the piledriver, "That's enough! Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to run around recklessly in the Hollow!"
The piledriver immediately retorted, "You are the ones who do not understand right from wrong! The Seal is weak; if it breaks, this place will be plunged into utter misery!—Further talk is useless. Do not blame me for forcing my way through!"
Immediately after, it used the same trick as before, then sprinted away behind the group again. "Great Mentor, I am coming!"
Anton hurriedly shouted, "Big Ben, stop it quickly!"
Ben, who was already standing on a building beside the piledriver's escape route, hoisted his War Pillar and muttered to himself, "Sigh, if I could, I really wanted to resolve this peacefully... I apologize!"
Then, he took a deep breath, and his eyes sharpened. Just as the piledriver's engine roared and it gathered momentum for a charge, he leaped down violently from above!
"Haaah—!"
The heavy War Pillar was not thrown at the piledriver itself, but was hurled with immense force, like a perfectly aimed javelin.
"Boom!!!"
The War Pillar, carrying the sound of whistling wind, slammed violently into the ground on the piledriver's mandatory path, sinking half a meter deep!
The tremendous impact cracked the ground and sent debris flying, forming an indestructible physical roadblock directly in the path of the piledriver's charge.
"What?!" The piledriver's voice was filled with shock. Charging at high speed, it had no time to completely turn or brake, and could only violently lift its front impact hammerhead to try and leap over.
"Don't even think about it!" Anton had already circled to the side, roaring as he activated his power impact drill, aiming for the relatively weak steering mechanism joint on the piledriver's flank, and slammed into it hard!
"Bang—!"
The heavy impact caused the piledriver's massive body to swerve violently. The raised hammerhead lost balance and smashed heavily onto the ground next to the War Pillar roadblock. The entire machine shook violently, nearly flipping over.
Hu Tao seized the opportunity, flicked her wrist, and the Staff of Homa danced quickly. Several scorching lines of fire did not attack the main body, but precisely coiled around the joint gaps of the piledriver's support legs like agile snakes.
"Sizzle—!"
The high-temperature flames continuously scorched the external casing of the pipelines at the joints, producing wisps of smoke.
Although the internal structure was not directly damaged, the sudden thermal interference caused the piledriver's hydraulic system to emit a chaotic screech, making its movements instantly stiff and sluggish, as if briefly bound by invisible chains.
"Ugh—! How dare you insignificant wretches obstruct my great cause!" The piledriver roared in anger.
Driven by the engine's furious power output, its body struggled violently, attempting to break free from the interference of the flames and Anton's impact, and forcibly smash through or leap over the troublesome War Pillar.
It futilely slammed its hammerhead against the ground and air, creating a deafening roar and kicking up dust.
Yet, it was indeed trapped in place. Although not completely subdued, its momentum had been thoroughly broken, leaving it only able to struggle fiercely where it stood.
"Listen to me! I'm not lying! I heard the call of Mentor Hols! I cannot fail his expectations!"
Seeing that things were going poorly, the piledriver could only struggle in vain while emitting urgent and excited cries mixed with electronic static.
Hearing this, everyone immediately stopped what they were doing.
Koleda asked in disbelief, "What's going on? Why... why do you know my dad's name?"
The piledriver struggled and said, "I don't know what happened, but after the update, Mentor Hols's words suddenly appeared in my mind, telling me I absolutely must go to a certain location in the Hollow to stabilize the Seal!"
Koleda quickly asked, "Where is it?"
The piledriver was silent for a moment, then deflated, saying, "I don't know... I only know the general direction..."
At this point, Grace stepped forward and said, "If I can integrate the unusual parts of the logic cores of you three runaway machines, perhaps I can deduce the specific coordinates."
"So, please come back with us first, alright?"
The piledriver sighed and reluctantly said, "Fine... For the sake of the ultimate great cause... I agree to return with you."
On the way back, Koleda remained silent, lost in the recollection of past events.
When she finally snapped out of it, Ling, who had come to retrieve IES, was standing before her, looking at her with Hu Tao with faces full of concern.
Koleda's cheeks were slightly flushed, and she smiled, saying, "Don't worry, I'm fine. Thanks to you all, we were able to successfully overcome this crisis. Hu Tao and Ropemaker, thank you again for your help."
At that moment, she sensed a hint of curiosity in their eyes, so she asked, "What's wrong? You two look like you have something else to say."
Hu Tao and Ling exchanged a look, then nodded and asked, "We were just wondering, when the piledriver said the name [Hols], your expression seemed very strange, and you've been distracted until just now..."
Koleda sighed and slowly said, "You are not only benefactors but also trusted friends. So... I am willing to tell you the reason."