Chapter 35: Eye Contact (Requesting Monthly Votes)_1

The I-3 intelligent robot, with each step it took, perfectly exemplified the beauty of human biomechanics: from lifting its leg to exerting force and then its steel foot making contact with the ground, each motion displayed the aesthetics of technology.

However, now was not the time to admire this technological masterpiece akin to a work of art, as their stun guns were recharging and would soon be ready to fire again.

Jiang Yu saw that they could easily deflect "Incendiary Grenades" and "Corrosive Grenades," so he tried tossing an "Incendiary Grenade" at the feet of one of the robots.

Limited by the arm's reach, the robot indeed failed to block this "Incendiary Grenade."

The glass bottle shattered, and the white phosphorus inside ignited upon contact with air, subsequently setting alight all the flammable liquids within the "Incendiary Grenade."

Seeing that Jiang Yu's attack was effective, Baluo and the others followed suit, and soon the area around the feet of two I-3 robots turned into a sea of flames.

The laboratory's firefighting sprinkler heads immediately sprayed out water, but instead of putting out the flammable materials, they floated on the surface of the water and continued burning.

The wiring on the robots' legs was burned, and as they fell to the ground, they crawled towards Baluo and the others with their two arms.

This reminded Jiang Yu of a scene from "Terminator," where the oppressive intensity of the killing machines arose spontaneously.

But at this moment, there was no time to pay homage to the classic. Taking advantage of the break, Jiang Yu and the others quickly crossed over the robots amidst the "torrential rain" from the sprinkler heads.

Just as Jiang Yu was about to flee the laboratory, one of the robots caught hold of his ankle, and despite his struggles, he could not break free.

Wei Si, seizing the opportunity, opened the fire hydrant box and took out a firefighting axe. With one swing, he chopped off the robot's arm causing it to malfunction, and Jiang Yu finally broke free, hurrying to escape the laboratory.

Baluo and Lisha had already escaped some distance and used "Incendiary Grenades" to disperse the crowd outside.

The four of them entered the staircase, two in front and two behind, only to find that I-3 robots were guarding the way up.

With only three "Incendiary Grenades" left, it would be difficult for Jiang Yu and the others to break through from above, so they had no choice but to run downward.

Upon reaching the second underground floor, with some distance still between them and their pursuers and no one in front to obstruct them, Baluo shouted, "Split up and run!"

Jiang Yu was planning to run alongside Baluo, who knew the place best. However, he was always a few steps behind, and Lisha, who was closest to him, had already entered the second-floor corridor with Baluo.

Jiang Yu had no choice but to team up with Wei Si, but this guy also seemed unfamiliar with the surroundings.

Running like this was not going to work, as it would be too easy to run into the enemy's search party.

Thus, Jiang Yu immediately divided his attention and let his consciousness enter the shop, using up the "hack into Sophon's monitoring system for three minutes" he had previously stocked up.

A line of text immediately appeared in his mind: What monitoring tasks do you need Sophon to complete for you?

"Monitor what's ahead according to my commands," Jiang Yu thought.

His mind was instantly filled with the image of the third underground floor corridor where, to his surprise, it was pitch-black with no one in sight!

Jiang Yu immediately pulled Wei Si into hiding on the third floor, inside an inconspicuous metal cabinet.

Although he did not know who Captain Wu had given the signal device to, he believed that the Redemptionist armed forces would soon be able to pinpoint the location of the base.

All they needed was patience to wait for support from the Redemptionists.

With a little more than a minute left of hacking into the Sophon Monitoring System, Jiang Yu manipulated Sophon to check other floors.

The fire in the ground floor laboratory had been extinguished. One of Baluo's students, after being corroded by sulfuric acid, had also suffered severe burns and was teetering on the edge of life and death.

The other student was being carried out of the laboratory by two people. The two robots that had attacked them earlier had sustained serious damage and were also being carried away by several people.

Looking at the second underground floor, Jiang Yu quickly found Baluo and Lisha hiding in an equipment room.

Lisha was looking for weapons, and Baluo, while Lisha wasn't paying attention, stuffed something that seemed like a signal detector into his pocket.

Following that, Jiang Yu found a room on the second underground level filled with numerous corpses, some of which had already started to decay.

Most of the pursuers focused on this level, searching for Baluo and Lisha.

Then came the third underground level, where Jiang Yu discovered several rooms severely damaged, as if there had been a vicious battle there.

There were only a few people on the fourth underground floor; there was an illumination line assembling new I-3 robots.

There was also a fully automated surgery table covered in blood, which gave Jiang Yu a chilling sensation.

Time to control Sophon was running out, so Jiang Yu hurried to the fifth underground level, which resembled a prison with compartments next to each other.

However, most of them were unoccupied, suddenly, Sophon entered a room with soft lighting.

The room was decorated warmly, with an Asian boy around six or seven years old packing his luggage into a suitcase.

He had a neat haircut, handsome features and facial structure, wore a shirt and trousers, and had an air of maturity that didn't fit his age.

The boy suddenly paused in his movements, looking up into the air as if sensing the presence of Sophon.

Jiang Yu muttered "how strange" to himself twice and then continued to control Sophon to browse other rooms.

In another room, Jiang Yu saw a boy meditating with his eyes closed.

This boy had distinctive features, with high cheekbones above his eyes, looking a bit like the Yuanmou Man Jiang Yu had seen in books.

The boy suddenly opened his eyes and looked toward Sophon's position.

Jiang Yu immediately felt as if he was making eye contact with the boy, "This, this isn't scientific!"

The boy said faintly, "You came again?"

Jiang Yu fled as if escaping, directing Sophon to the next level.

The sixth underground level was very dim, seemingly filled with specimen tanks of various sizes.

Suddenly, the images in Jiang Yu's mind disappeared, as the three-minute time limit was up.

Recalling the images just now, Jiang Yu was shocked; those two six-year-old boys were definitely stranger than what Baluo had described.

Just then, there seemed to be some noise outside, and Jiang Yu suddenly realized that he had the God's View with Sophon, but the enemy had pervasive surveillance!

Just as he realized this, the door of the metal cabinet was suddenly opened.

Wei Si, ready for this, swung his axe outwards, but the enemy outside turned out to be an I-3 intelligent robot, which deftly caught the blow.

It grabbed Wei Si's throat with its other hand while the stun gun crackled threateningly, ready to fire at any moment.

Jiang Yu simply threw his handgun, "We surrender."

The robot took the axe from Wei Si's hand, then released Wei Si, and said in a gentle baritone, "Please follow me."

Jiang Yu smacked his lips, "You sure have a unique way of inviting people!"

Wei Si rubbed his neck and glanced at Jiang Yu, not expecting him to make jokes at a time like this.

Jiang Yu noticed Wei Si's gaze, "Haven't you noticed? They have been trying to capture us all this time, but with no intention of killing us."

While talking, the two men, "invited" by the I-3 robot, arrived at the fourth underground level.