Vol-3: 115. 【Mechanical Society】Mashgegang
115. [Mechanical Society]Mashgegang
You could say that the [Aura of Kindness] helped quite a bit. Even with such a half-hearted joke, Diaran wasn't irritated.
With his mere 100 points of [Constitution], her single slap would probably shatter half his bones.
As for those clowns who harbored ill intentions toward him, Li Aozi was ready to fish for trouble, waiting for them to make the first move and initiate a duel. He would then smash them with a couple of punches, showcasing the physical power of Frost-Plated Fist to make an impression.
But Diaran scared them away with just one look.
What a shame.
Nevertheless, fewer incidents meant fewer hassles. Li Aozi proceeded to the cafeteria for lunch, and then left the Magic Application Academy's castle. He took a boat to the island in the center of the lake.
A few minutes later, the clouds parted, revealing an island where nature was in perfect harmony—mythical creatures roamed freely, and spiritual plants flourished—all coming into Li Aozi's view.
"The Natural Ecology Academy, here we are."
Li Aozi disembarked, and as soon as his feet touched the island's soil, he felt a friendly energy. The ground held his shoes firmly, without a hint of slipperiness. The air was fresh and invigorating, and the sunlight streaming through the trees felt particularly warm and comforting.
"Not bad at all," Li Aozi commented, "Looks like a great place to retire."
Although the environment was indeed beautiful, Li Aozi hadn't forgotten his purpose. He walked along the small field path across the island, passing by huts and treehouses. The number of elves and half-elves increased noticeably, both students and staff. These nature-loving races clearly loved this environment, living in treehouses and maintaining an old, simplistic way of life and work.
Elves are one of the largest biological types in the universe, mainly due to their strong genes. No matter which creature an elf mates with, the offspring are always half-elves. Furthermore, elves often only recognize maternal lineage, resulting in their actual population being much larger than imagined.
Of course, there is a vast difference in bloodlines, power, and quality between low-level half-elves and high elves.
The particular case of that not-too-bright dark elf was an exception, not the rule.
The elven faculty and students were quite friendly toward Li Aozi—maybe it was his high [Charisma]. Elves were eager to approach and communicate with him.
This was definitely helpful for Li Aozi, as the island was quite large, containing the academy's own experimental fields. It would probably take two full days to explore thoroughly.
The person Li Aozi was looking for resided in one of these treehouses. With the guidance of a friendly elf, he followed the numbered paths and finally reached his destination.
"D-8746. This is it."
The place was truly remote, deep within the forest. You had to wonder if delivery services could even reach this spot.
Li Aozi put down the information rune and knocked on the door of the cabin.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Hello, Senior Melo. I'm Leoz. We communicated on the campus wall regarding the deep memory extraction. Do you remember?"
Li Aozi said politely.
However, there was no response from within.
Not awake? Well, it was Saturday, after all. Third-year students might be lazing around.
Li Aozi waited for a moment and then knocked again.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Hello, Senior Melo, we had an appointment today—"
Perhaps Li Aozi had knocked a bit harder the last time, as the door suddenly swung open inward.
"It's not locked?"
Li Aozi hesitated, a sudden ominous feeling overtaking him. He stepped inside, walked through the entrance, and immediately saw a chaotic room—books and alchemical ingredients scattered all over, as if the place had been ransacked.
The phonograph in the room was still playing, broadcasting elegant symphonic music loud enough to drown out any noise from outside.
He adjusted his colonial body appropriately, turning off his fingerprints and biological traces to avoid contaminating the scene.
Quietly closing the door, Li Aozi crept into the room, crouching as his eyes scanned every corner.
[There are drag marks on the floor here, which seem to have been deliberately cleaned, but the water stains are still evident and won't dissipate for a while.]
He looked toward the kitchen.
[There's a cooking scent in the pot—smells like fish stew? But there's no sign of the fish.]
The living room had no tables or chairs. It seemed the owner didn't enjoy hosting guests and probably ate in their own bedroom.
It fit the image of a cerebral worker.
Several magazines were scattered across the floor—they were all related to her field, along with the academy's journal—nothing too surprising.
Li Aozi couldn't see anything strange but couldn't shake an odd feeling.
He decided to head to the main bedroom, gently pushing the door open, preparing to take a look inside.
Bang!
The door was instantly smashed open by a tremendous force.
[Racial Talent: Hypersensory Thought]
One focus point instantly consumed, and the world in Li Aozi's eyes seemed to fill with mercury. Time appeared to slow. His body quickly reacted, crouching low and twisting away, then half-kneeling to recover.
Clatter, clatter...
The wooden door shattered to pieces on the ground. Li Aozi looked up at the assailant:
Standing before him was a girl with a bizarre mechanical body. Her lower half was human-like, but her upper half was entirely made of gears, nuts, and riveted mechanical framework. Within her hollow body, a steam-driven heart puffed white smoke intensely.
The mechanical girl casually picked up a female corpse. Her electronic eyes scanned the face before replicating it on her own.
The 'girl' turned her head, her zircon eyes rotating with streams of data flowing through them, as if processing some kind of information.
[Auto-calibration complete]
[Reconnecting to the social network...]
[Connection successful. Access to cluster network authorized.]
[Jury: Machina-Soul Draphis]
"Sorry, what did you just say? I was cleaning and didn't hear you."
The girl raised her head slowly, dropping the corpse in her hand, her face feigning a gentle, mechanical smile:
"Would you mind repeating it?"
"Oh ho."
Li Aozi squinted:
"I was just saying, where have the invading lackeys of White Candle Star's society run off to?"
"...Did you just mention [Society]?"
The girl tilted her head.
In an instant, her cheeks split open, countless mechanical parts shifting and assembling into a heavy cannon aimed directly at Li Aozi.
Boom!
Li Aozi was instantly engulfed in a searing white beam. The corpse on the floor, merely brushed by the light, began disintegrating rapidly.
"[Mechanical Society]Mashgegang will soon be here!"
As the prolonged beam attack ended, Draphis, the jury member from the mechanical realm, spoke in a cold, mechanical voice.
"You carbon-based scum will inevitably decay. The end of civilization has already come."
Clang!
「Oh, really? Hahahaha!」
A longsword cut through the blinding death light. Li Aozi held the sword in reverse, deflecting the beam. Amidst Janier's vicious laughter, all the metallic materials in the house gathered together like obedient servants.
[Armed Empire]
「Why do I feel—it's just beginning?!」
The metals instantly melted and condensed into a crude set of armor.
「Crush the Citizen-Soul, drink the Society's blood!」
Draphis suddenly jumped high, raising her leg to fiercely kick the armor. Her lower leg plunged into the metal mass, quickly exploding, spraying scalding steam within.
「Come on, Leoz! Let's get wild!」
Buzz—
The intense heat quickly turned the armor a glowing red.
Li Aozi raised his hand.
In the next moment, countless red-hot metal blades exploded from the armor!