A Light Contrary to the World

[You have successfully detected the "SS-Level Talent Mechanism Product - Heart of Technology."]

[Heart of Technology]: It can manifest any form of technological creation at the will of its possessor, but the level of the manifested creation cannot exceed the technological limits of the current space-time. The Heart of Technology has the ability to self-upgrade. As the shelter's level increases, the Heart will unlock new effects. After each shelter upgrade, the Heart of Technology will allow for new creations, but previous technological sequences cannot be replaced. Please be cautious when deciding whether to replace the Heart's content.

[Hidden Information]: The Heart of Technology has currently manifested as the "Tech Base" project, which includes six primary modules: "Production," "Creation," "Resource Collection," "Research and Development," "Living Quarters," and "Defense."

[Hidden Information]: The Heart of Technology has undergone one upgrade, which has unlocked an additional effect: "A-Class Tech Guard (Self-Healing) x5."

[A-Class Tech Guard (Self-Healing)]: A standard tech army unit of 1,000 soldiers (based on current base technological level). Before the next monthly apocalypse rotation, any casualties within the guard will be automatically replaced to full strength. When the Heart upgrades again, there's a chance this effect will evolve into a higher-level Tech Guard.

"Just as expected, it's a mechanism product! This must be the talent of the Guangling Commander!" Mike's eyes widened. He could clearly see that this talent was far from weak, an SS-level growing talent.

The Guangling Commander wasn't a fool either, directly manifesting the Heart of Technology as a base module. While it didn't materialize as an SS-level powerful weapon, sacrificing early firepower for the ability to maximize the talent's growth potential was a strategic move. And indeed, the first upgrade of the Heart produced an insane result—a Tech Guard! The base had suddenly grown by 5,000 soldiers!

Even though they were only A-class, the guard had the terrifying ability to automatically replenish its ranks each month, making it almost an invincible force of 5,000!

If they lost all their soldiers one month, they would be fully restocked by the next!

This was the perfect cannon fodder and assault force!

"Wait, something's not right."

"If his SS-level talent gave him the Heart of Technology, then with just this tech base, how could his shelter only have upgraded once?"

"The Guangling Commander's shelter is only level 2? That's ridiculous! Even the shelters in Jinling are mostly level 3! How could the Guangling Commander be behind even ordinary survivors?"

Mike furrowed his brow. This detail defied common sense. He felt that there was something hidden, something he didn't know yet.

After all, Mike was already at a level 4 shelter himself. It wasn't that much higher than the Guangling Commander, but that difference was because of his focus on city governance and institutional improvements.

The resource allocation, distribution of benefits, and his involvement in countless matters in Jinling and Xinchang had prevented him from advancing to level 5 yet.

Mike estimated that, had he not been so preoccupied with these tasks, he would have long surpassed level 5—perhaps even reached level 6 by now.

"Why is his shelter upgrade so slow?" Mike couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more to it.

Mike didn't believe the Guangling Commander was some virtuous leader. If he had the ability to rapidly upgrade his shelter, he would have done so. He was clearly hiding something.

While Mike pondered these details, Chen Dafeng quickly infiltrated the southeast section of the base. He discovered that the area was filled with senior personnel.

After a quick observation, Chen Dafeng found a heavily guarded room.

"Sir, there's someone in there!" Chen Dafeng whispered urgently, his eyes fixed on a distant point in the base corridor.

The corridor was teeming with high-ranking staff and gifted individuals. Over a hundred Tech Warriors and advanced combat Gifted had formed a powerful guard, watching over the room at the end of the hall. It was clear that only the Guangling Commander could afford such heavy security.

Chen Dafeng's instincts screamed that there was someone important behind that door.

"Careful, Dafeng. This is no easy place to enter," Mike cautioned, scanning the corridor. It was packed, and there were too many Gifted to get closer without drawing attention.

And there was something else troubling Mike: With security so tight, was the room hiding something, or was it a trap designed to lure them in?

If it were Mike, he would never allow such a direct security setup. He'd make the area appear to be a decoy, concealing his true location to confuse any potential enemies.

But before Mike could voice his concerns, one of the Gifted at the end of the corridor suddenly turned, his sharp gaze locking directly onto the spot where Chen Dafeng was hiding.

"Who's there!?" The Gifted shouted, and the guards immediately reached for their weapons, training them on the hidden position.

Were they discovered?

Mike froze, feeling a sudden chill as he realized the Gifted had truly seen Chen Dafeng.

"Come out!" the Gifted commanded.

In a split second, the atmosphere thickened with the intent to kill.

Before Mike could react, Chen Dafeng threw caution to the wind, ripping off his disguise and charging forward with a roar. "I'm going through, whether you like it or not!"

The narrow corridor and short distance meant nothing to him.

"RATATATAT! RATATATAT!"

A hail of bullets ripped through the air, some of them armor-piercing, others fired from mounted auto-targeting machine guns above. The corridor was filled with deadly fire.

But Chen Dafeng wasn't about to dodge.

"Peanuts trying to hurt me?" he laughed loudly, striding forward with demonic speed.

"CLANG! CLANG!"

The bullets hammered into him, making a metallic ringing sound, but none of them even scratched his skin. He didn't even flinch.

But then, the walls on either side erupted with lasers, forming a deadly network that cut across the entire passage.

In an instant, the temperature in the room soared into the thousands of degrees, vaporizing the unlucky tech staff caught in the lasers. Their bodies were sliced and disintegrated, leaving no trace of blood.

Mike's eyes widened. This Guangling Commander was ruthless! He didn't hesitate to sacrifice his own men in the face of an attack.

In the brief moment of chaos, Mike's mind wandered. He realized something unsettling: the strong leaders in this post-apocalyptic world were not just gifted—they were cold-blooded. They saw life as expendable and did whatever it took to maintain power.

The only difference between him and them was that Mike still clung to his ideals.

But was that right?

Was it worth it to keep fighting against the tide of a broken world?

Before Mike could get lost in those thoughts, Chen Dafeng's loud voice snapped him back to reality. "Bring it on! Come at me! You think you can kill me?!"

As the chaos continued, Mike looked on in disbelief. This man was truly a monster.

Chen Dafeng laughed, walking slowly through the laser grid as if it were nothing. His body, hardened like bronze, with muscles bulging beneath his skin, didn't even show a singe from the intense heat.

And just like that, he was in, slamming open the door to the Guangling Commander's office, shouting at the occupants inside.

"Get down on the floor! I've got all of you surrounded!" he roared. "Those who don't obey, I'll kill every last one of you!"

Mike stood there, stunned, realizing with growing horror that Chen Dafeng's thirst for battle and bloodshed far outstripped even the most vicious of villains.

"Dafeng… You're a walking contradiction…" Mike muttered under his breath.