Forge a path to success.

Chapter 87 Singularity

It was an extremely simple method, devoid of any unnecessary sound or light. A flash of red light appeared in the true machine's eyes, and a ray of the same color as the eyes shot out. That ray pierced through rock, carved through mountains, and everything in its path vanished without a trace.

It didn't evaporate due to high temperatures, nor did it crumble under impact; it simply collapsed. It was dismantled. It was decomposed. Matter was reduced to its most basic units and then transported to the distant Imperial homeland. Regardless of hostility or malice, everything proceeded with maximum efficiency; the Immortal Machine faithfully carried out its mission, the ray being its tool.

Specialized in resource recycling; material pyrolysis radiation.

A region of literal emptiness appeared, followed by a surge of surrounding air that triggered a gale-force wind that swept into the mountains. Yingshi Town lay at the end of this wind tunnel. The Immortal Machine's gaze shifted away from the town, turning to the upper right. The Jade Fox's shadow disappeared among the jagged rocks. The detection system displayed the coordinates of each experimental subject in real time, continuing its self-checking process.

Self-inspection complete; minor damage detected.

The special coating for demons consumes 81.2% of the energy, while existing energy consumption is 15.8%.

The material splitting radiation was released in 0.3 seconds, and 79.9% of the secret reaction within the test site was eliminated.

Import environmental information and begin simulation calculations.

"Secret Envoy" Qi Su: China's Threat.

Chu Hengkong, Fan De: Low threat.

Other test subjects: no threat.

Sorting complete, begin erasure.

The logical calculations took an extremely short time; the Immortal Machine had completed its self-check and combat calculations the instant the matter-disintegrating rays ceased. Its needle-thin spikes took a step forward, echoing crisply in the empty valley. This sound, like a gong on a fighting stage, reignited the battle that had paused for a moment. A crimson wind blew from behind the Immortal Machine, and Chu Hengkong swept across the land like a shadow, his tentacles lashing out towards the tail of the True Machine.

The tentacles struck the steel with a sound like thunder. His second strike was a wide-area destructive lightning whip, using its spreading force to impact the true mechanical body. However, white rings appeared on the surface of the immortal body, and the impact of the lightning whip was wrapped by those rings, actually rushing back into the tentacles, causing Chu Hengkong to fly backward.

Kinetic energy reflective armor provides absolute defense against physical attacks.

The reflected force surged through his body, making Chu Hengkong almost vomit blood. He didn't utter a sound as he struggled to throw the flying leaf, but the attack was deflected by the Immortal Machine before it could even trigger his armor. Its body was made of a perfect alloy derived from the Empire; before this technological marvel, the flying leaf's attack was no different from an ordinary falling leaf.

The Immortal Machine traveled along the wind tunnel, its crimson eyes locking onto Qi Su within the mountains. It maintained a steady pace, tracking the fox-like shadow within the mountains. Chu Hengkong caught up from behind, unleashing a slash with greater speed and power than before. However, the rock blade, aimed at the needle-like foot, was deflected by the recoil; even the No-Return Strike could not wound the True Machine's body.

He was completely ignored; his skillful hands, devoid of ambition, were no better than the townspeople, unworthy of the Immortal Machine's allocation of combat resources!
The Immortal Machine arrived in front of a low mountain and unleashed its pincer-like forelimbs. When the pincers struck, the entire mountain trembled, and the rocks suddenly collapsed, as if tons of explosives had detonated inside the mountain, turning the rocks into dust and disintegrating.

This was not a special attack either. The Immortal Machine analyzed the structure of the mountain and could cause it to collapse naturally by using only minimal force to break through the weak points in the structure. Its computing power far surpassed that of the Bitter Staff of the same level. A single casual strike from it was more effective than the achievements of a martial artist who had trained for decades.

A white shadow flew out from the collapsing mountain—it was the battered Jade Fox. It had narrowly escaped before the disintegration ray was fired, but nearly a quarter of its body had been engulfed and annihilated. One of its forepaws was missing, and a wound piercing its chest and abdomen nearly destroyed its form. Yet it still moved, more agile than in its "previous life." Qi Su lurked within the Jade Fox's body, almost becoming a phantom, striving to merge with its own remains.

She let out an angry howl, and runes flowed from the jade fox's fur, transforming into twelve shimmering orbs of light. Each orb was a hastily created rune bead, and the orbs flew rapidly like hummingbirds, shooting out beams of intense heat that formed a net of light to encircle and destroy the immortal machine.

Jade Fox, Bu, and Qi Su raced wildly through the mountains, the Secret Beads dancing according to her will. Twelve beams of light pierced through the dust, drawing a charred chessboard on the ground. The Immortal Machine stepped into the chessboard, its six needle-like legs and various parts of its body popping out nozzles to adjust its orientation, from which pale white light streamed.

A single such device could provide ample power for the heavy industrial machinery in Dragon City, while the Immortal Machine was equipped with 265 nozzles for steering and attitude adjustment. This unprecedented configuration made it exceptionally agile, gliding across the mountains like an ice skate when the nozzles were open, its movements as light as if dancing in the dust.

The Immortal Machine moved freely within the light network, like a pedestrian walking into a rainstorm without getting wet. This scene was so fantastical it defied intuition; all the rune attacks were dodged, and Chu Hengkong's leaf blade was directly blown away by the beam of light from its nozzle. The distance between Qi Su and the Immortal Machine shortened during the dance, the latter's pincer-like forelimbs glowing with a golden aura. Suddenly, a cracking sound rang out, and the overflowing light drifted past Qi Su's eyes, like the afterimage of a popping soap bubble.

The golden light from the Immortal Machine's forelimbs intensified, and all twelve Mystic Beads shattered simultaneously!

"Qisu, run!" Vande screamed, "It's the force field of the Immortal Machine!"

"What?!" Qi Su didn't hear clearly.

"The Annihilation Field!" Vande cried out anxiously, poking his head out. "It's a top-tier mental attack, a guaranteed kill on all non-physical life forms. Even a speck of it will obliterate your soul!!"

Qi Su's hair stood on end. Without lingering, she turned and fled. A bright "Speed" character was branded on the jade fox's back, using the power of the runes to accelerate her speed. The wind was too strong; she hadn't actually heard Fan De's voice yet, but she could feel the threat of the golden light. If it were just a pure power attack, it would be fine, but the rune bead had vanished from her perception, as if swallowed whole by something invisible. She had a faint urge to turn and run towards the light, which was like a bonfire in the deep darkness, luring the flying insects closer. But there was no warmth in the light, only killing intent; any insect that plunged into the bonfire would be utterly destroyed.

As she ran, she glanced back; the golden light was spreading, closing in with the Immortal Machine's every step. Qi Su's ghostly body trembled; the golden light was less than 5 meters away! In another instant, she would be captured by the light, transformed into a firefly!

"Chu Hengkong, help me!"

She struck the mountain wall with her fox tail, and suddenly a section of rock jutted out, forming a giant club that slammed into the Immortal Machine behind her. The club was over 10 meters long and as wide as a giant tree; it was one of the traps Qi Su had laid earlier. The Immortal Machine adjusted its posture by manipulating its thrusters, extending its needle-like legs and crouching low to brush against the club's underside, its forelimbs seemingly about to clamp down on Qi Su's tail. But the next moment, the giant rock club snapped off cleanly from the mountain wall, another powerful force taking over the weapon. Chu Hengkong, arriving just in time, caught the rock club with both hands. He swung it like a baseball bat, the rough end spinning from the side, striking the Immortal Machine's body!

The rock club shattered upon impact, the recoil sending Chu Hengkong flying. The Immortal Machine's forelimbs grazed past Qi Su, its attack trajectory slightly deviating. Chu Hengkong's strength had increased; this was typical for martial cultivators, whose heightened morale always amplified their threat level in battle. The Immortal Machine updated its combat data and revised its predictions, its single eye gazing straight ahead.

In the high-speed battle, the straight-opening wind tunnel had reached its end. Fifty meters away lay the village of the undead, and the fox that Qi Su had transformed into returned to Ying Shi Town. It crouched before the Cherry Dragon statue, countless tiny runes converging into glowing lines, connecting the jade sculpture to the fox's body, and then condensing into new rune beads between the fox's paws.

This bead contains only one character, a simple "gun". The vertical stroke to the left of the character "gun" is strong and powerful, which is Qi Su's walking stick.

High-energy reaction detected ahead—

"The mighty Cherry Dragon, a true remnant of the netherworld. Borrowing memories to reunite, it retains its form because of hatred. Obeying the decree to punish evil, it responds to the divine punishment of the wicked!"

The fox spoke, uttering a hymn of resentment. The cherry dragon statue behind her lit up, and a phantom dragon shadow leaped from the statue, disappearing into the pearl. This was the core of the Ying Shi Town formation, a trace of divine power left behind by the ancient cherry dragon's divine path. The secret pearl then transformed, forming a cherry-colored, ancient spear with the bitter staff as its main body. The phantom of the dragon god wrapped around the hilt, transforming into lifelike reliefs on the spear's surface.

A cherry-red spear shot out, carrying the resentment of the former inhabitants and the wrath of the gods. In an instant, heaven and earth fell silent, leaving only the flowing cherry blossom color. Like exquisite cherry blossoms blooming at sunrise, even the sunlight paled in comparison to its magnificence. That beam of light traversed villages and valleys, striking the true weapon with a fleeting, breathtaking beauty.

Mystic Art: Dragon Pattern Spear!
A storm and a blinding flash followed, and as the spear struck, a cherry-red radiance erupted, like the shadow of a proud dragon. Qi Su collapsed before the dragon god statue. She no longer needed to breathe, yet now she felt an almost suffocating agony. That single shot had exhausted all her strength; even in her life, she had never unleashed such a powerful attack.

A naive girl inside her was raising her arms in triumph, proclaiming victory. But her reason told her that victory wouldn't come easily. She didn't aspire to destroy the immortal machine in one fell swoop; she only wanted to inflict damage. Even if it was just delaying its movements, even if it was just penetrating its armor…

As the light faded, Qi Su struggled to her feet, hearing the joyful shouts of the townspeople behind her. In the dissipating dust, a strange, insect-like figure emerged. A scorching scar ran across its pure white body; nearly a quarter of the Immortal Machine's frontal armor was charred black, and sparks danced among the exposed internal wiring.

A surge of unbelievable joy welled up within Qi Su. It was injured! Even the armor of an Ultimate Mech was far from invincible before the power left behind by a high-quality point expert. With its wounds, it was no longer perfect; it could be injured, and thus, it could be defeated. Even the slightest scratch meant there was still hope in this battle!
At that moment, a flash of white light appeared at the edge of her vision, scattering like shimmering pollen. The powder came from the surface of the Immortal Machine, brushing over its wounds and erasing the man-made damage. Like flesh growing back, like tender shoots sprouting, the white armor multiplied autonomously, repairing the wounds in an instant. Before the cheers of the townspeople had faded, the Immortal Machine's wounds were completely healed.

The previously damaged machine seemed like a despairing illusion. In reality, the white worm stood unharmed, still cold, still perfect, still flawless, shattering the hopes of the dead with absolute rationality.

Repair complete, self-check in progress.

The special coating for demons consumes 95.7% of the energy, while existing energy consumption is 38.8%.

There are no longer any threatening individuals within the area.

Begin large-scale annihilation.

Its forelimb rose, smashing the Jade Fox's head and destroying the Sakura Dragon statue beneath it. Like bursting a tattered sack of flesh, a torrent of blood mixed with mechanical debris gushed from the headless corpse, staining the plaza's paving stones crimson. This sacred ground, cherished by the town, was now stained with the blood of the people of the divine kingdom themselves.

The last resistance of this land was shattered by this nameless blow.

The little girl's spirit stood amidst the devastation; this town held no more memories for her. She saw the Jade Fox's corpse fly backward due to inertia, smashing her workshop on the north side of the square; she saw the townspeople rushing towards her in panic, trying to buy her some time; she saw the assassin silently approaching from afar, throwing a punch at the Immortal Machine's leg. But before the Ultimate Mech, all of this was meaningless. The Immortal Machine raised its right pincer, and the Ghostly Annihilation Field slammed into her head.

Then, the mechanical limbs crashed into the ground, brushing past the undead just inches away.

The strange white insect's body sank eerily, tilting to the right and almost tipping over. The shift in its center of gravity caused the entire machine to nearly lose its balance, as one of its needle-like legs sank into the ground…

Because of the faulty stitch, Chu Hengkong punched it into the ground!

The crimson pupils darted sharply to the right, a momentary miscalculation causing the Immortal Mech to change its target. One of its spikes swelled and thrust out, a lightning-fast flash resembling a pure white crack. No room for error, certain death; all calculations proved this completely exceeded the target's reaction time. However, Chu Hengkong sidestepped and leaped, easily dodging the thrust. He spun in mid-air and kicked out, his instep striking the Immortal Mech's frontal armor, instantly sending it flying over a hundred meters away!
The atmosphere trembled, the earth shook. The retreating immortal machine carved several fine cracks in the ground, its body flying through the air and crashing into the mountainside, triggering a new wave of turmoil. The calculation result had too large an error; multiple system alarms were triggered. The silent assassin approached step by step, his tentacles once again igniting with blue flames. Internal alarms sounded in succession. The program was corrected, information was gathered, calculations were verified, and the system restarted.

Chu Hengkong, Fan De: Low threat...Medium threat...High threat...Extremely high threat...

Extreme danger! Hostile entity identified as Singularity Z-3000-3. Existing combat records contain serious logical inconsistencies. The verification system must be restarted immediately!
The Ultimate Machine has no emotions, but the sudden appearance of multiple serious warnings plunged the Immortal Machine into a kind of "confusion" similar to that of humans. All Singularities are at the top of the battle sequence, and only between Singularities can there be a hierarchy. In more than 100,000 simulations, the probability of the enemy defeating the Soul Vessel is as high as 37.9%. It is for this reason that it applied to be upgraded to an Immortal Machine, and it is for this reason that it consumed a lot of resources to create the anti-demon coating against the "Flame of Ambition".

Everything was for the sake of achieving the most efficient victory, ending Experiment Z-3000-3 as soon as the battle began. However, in its previous calculations, it chose to prioritize fighting Qisu!
This is illogical. This is a serious programming flaw. It's a logical contradiction. It's a logical inconsistency. A self-contradictory premise cannot lead to a perfect result. Checking the history, the contradiction begins at…

It saw a malevolent eye, and a maniacal laugh emanated from the pocket of the Suicide Hand. The Immortal Machine understood the truth. He had been attacked in the very first second of the battle. The think tank's calculations had failed; the recorded "hypnosis" was not ghostly interference. It was a ghostly alteration attack powerful enough to affect a true machine!

Intense alarms consumed computing resources; in reality, the assassin had already arrived like a phantom. The stone blade was drawn, creating a sharp whistling sound; a swift, dazzling slash pierced the reflective armor, leaving a second, ugly scar!

(End of this chapter)