As he mulled things over, Lin Qi vaguely noticed something odd about the sounds he was hearing.
The distant sounds seemed to be receding.
'The rescue team is moving away?'
"Based on the Zombies' strength, a single headshot should be enough to take one down. Why are there constant explosions? Why would they be using things like grenades and bombs?"
Based on the types of weapons the rescue team was using, Lin Qi sensed a clue.
The rescue team had encountered monsters other than Zombies, and regular firearms couldn't penetrate their defenses.
'Relying on my L-Class Exoskeleton, ordinary firearms in the Doomsday World can't harm me either. But if I were to run into similar monsters, I'm afraid I'd be in for some trouble.'
The offensive capabilities of Lin Qi's Exoskeleton relied mainly on its built-in firearm and the Short-Handled Tang Blade forged from A-Class Materials. Its active combat abilities were limited. After all, it wasn't a large, military-grade Prosthetic Body.
Compared to its offense, the defensive capabilities of Lin Qi's L-Class Exoskeleton were outstanding, thanks to its superior algorithms and an energy field generator.
"The Doomsday World has gotten more dangerous," Lin Qi muttered. "I need more equipment, or rather, I need more materials."
Although he hadn't brought the "briefcase" with him, as an L-level Researcher from the Red Fruit Weapon Research Institute, Lin Qi carried simple tools inside his Exoskeleton.
The efficiency was low, but if he had enough materials, he could even build a machine tool by hand.
With a machine tool, Lin Qi could build more equipment in the Doomsday World.
Hearing Lin Qi's mumbling, Xia Chu asked, "Do you want to go to the school's experimental workshop?"
Lin Qi was caught off guard by the question. He didn't know the specific experiences of the Lin Qi from this parallel world, much less where the school or the so-called experimental workshop was.
Without responding to her, Lin Qi said, "I'm going to the rooftop to check the rescue team's position."
As he left the room, Lin Qi grabbed the phone from next to the computer on the desk. This was the phone of the parallel world's Lin Qi.
This time, Xia Chu didn't notice anything unusual, simply thinking that Lin Qi felt going to the school was too risky.
Arriving on the rooftop, crimson moonlight spilled down from the Blood Moon, carrying with it dense Spiritual Particles.
After the Blood Moon closed its eye, these Spiritual Particles were harmless. They were even similar to Crimson Crystal, capable of strengthening the human body.
He waved his hand, summoning a collection robot.
There was no signal connection between the robot and the Intelligent Brain. This was a precaution by Lin Qi to prevent beings from the Cyber World, like Guang Ling, from detecting the Doomsday World's existence through the Intelligent Brain's data.
"It's time to put you to work."
The collection robot resembled an eight-legged spider. It contained an algorithm Lin Qi had personally written, granting it some logical reasoning and M-Class network intrusion capabilities.
Using the collection robot, Lin Qi attempted to access the data on the parallel world Lin Qi's phone and connect to the network.
A data cable extended from one of the collection robot's legs. The other end of the cable was a universal connector.
Lin Qi held the phone, and his thumb accidentally touched the under-screen ultrasonic fingerprint scanner.
The screen unlocked automatically.
The wallpaper on the unlocked screen was, strikingly, a photo of Xia Chu.
Seeing this photo, Lin Qi was silent for a long time.
'Is my parallel-world self even identical down to his biometrics?'
Shaking his head, he connected the data cable to the phone.
Although he could unlock it, he still needed to rely on the collection robot for information gathering.
He entered his requests on the collection robot's panel.
First, compile a history and relationship profile for "Lin Qi" based on the data within the phone.
Second, compile a map of Modu based on the data within the phone and create an intelligent model.
Third, search for a network signal at full power and attempt to access the internet.
The collection robot's computing power was no match for the Intelligent Brain, but sorting through all the data on a single phone from the Doomsday World was a piece of cake.
The first two requests were completed in short order. The data was surprisingly complete.
This "Lin Qi" must not have changed his phone in many years; the algorithm was able to infer most of his experiences after the age of sixteen.
Swiping through the panel, Lin Qi finally learned about the long history between Xia Chu and "Lin Qi."
Unsurprisingly, Xia Chu and "Lin Qi" had been deskmates in high school. With their excellent grades, both had gotten into Modu University.
And their romantic relationship had been established back in high school.
There was nothing too thrilling or deeply unforgettable. Their love was like a quiet stream flowing through the mountains—gentle and natural.
'That time really was a test.'
Continuing to browse the data on the panel, Lin Qi saw "Lin Qi's" experiences after university.
Attracted by a foreign robot combat show, which also happened to align with his major, "Lin Qi" had wanted to create something similar at school.
But "Lin Qi" had two roommates who were deeply interested in Exoskeletons. After their constant "pillow talk" persuasion, "Lin Qi" finally joined the "Iron Man Club." With his high intelligence and hands-on skills, "Lin Qi," who was only a sophomore, became a key member of the club.
The phone contained quite a few blueprints designed by "Lin Qi."
As an L-Class Researcher, Lin Qi found these designs extremely crude, but many of the design concepts unexpectedly coincided with his own.
If this Lin Qi had been allowed to continue his research, he might have actually achieved some impressive results.
'As expected of my parallel-world self.'
After that bit of praise, Lin Qi looked at the remaining data.
The Iron Man Club's experimental workshop was well-equipped and had a pile of materials.
Not only were they provided by the school, but a portion was also contributed by several club members who were Modu locals.
Lin Qi raised an eyebrow. If he could get his hands on that pile of materials, he could cobble together a small production line, maybe even enough to produce a medium-sized Mecha.
Lacking sufficient firepower, a medium-to-large Mecha was Lin Qi's top choice for combat in this world.
'I have to get to the school,' Lin Qi decided instantly.
But before that, Lin Qi still needed to investigate what exactly the rescue team had encountered.
It would be best to gather some final intelligence so that after obtaining the materials, he could design his weapons for the specific threat.
He activated his Spiritual Vision and gazed into the distance.
The current range of Lin Qi's Spiritual Vision was about 90 meters. Beyond that, it extended as an enhanced form of conventional sight, effectively giving him an eye with no blind spots.
Relying on this visual characteristic, Lin Qi identified the direction of the battle.
It was still very far away, even across the river.
'The collection robot's panel can be detached for remote control.'
'But according to the recent network environment scan, the signal is suffering severe interference despite the hardware being functional.'
'Is it because of the high concentration of Spiritual Particles? Or is there some other source of signal interference?'
'I can't use wireless transmission for now. I'll send the collection robot to record on its own, and I can check the footage when it gets back.'
He reached out and grabbed the collection robot.
Its eight spider legs began to deform, growing thinner.
With a toss, its spider legs spun at high speed, and it flew off into the distance.