Survival on the Internet: A Bizarre Start at Sea

Just as he was carefully sensing it, the dim red light in the humanoid puppet's eye sockets suddenly flickered extremely faintly.

A broken, mechanical female voice, filled with a lot of noise, suddenly rang in Su Zhisu's mind.

The connection seemed to be forcibly established through some remaining communication array:

"...Warning...Intrusion...Leave......"

The voice was weak, yet carried a mechanical, formulaic quality that hinted at urgency.

Su Zhisu's heart skipped a beat, and he tried to respond using his mental power: "Who are you? Liliana Thea?"

"...Unauthorized...access...activates...defense..."

The red light in the puppet's eyes flickered a few more times before finally going out completely.

The sound disappeared as well.

"Is it just a remnant of the defense system? Or is it...?"

Su Zhisu seemed to be deep in thought.

"It seems there are indeed still 'living' things in the workshop, perhaps a more complete puppet, or..."

"Is it really her?"

He inspected the out-of-control magic circle and confirmed that it was not at risk of exploding for the time being, but it had strong energy interference and was of little value.

He retreated to the main corridor and continued exploring downwards.

The deeper you go, the less damaged the workshop seems to become, but the oppressive feeling grows stronger.

Some relatively intact wall lamps began to appear on the walls. Although most of them were already off, a few still emitted a dim, flickering light, illuminating some blurry murals and text labels on the walls.

These murals seem to depict some kind of alchemical process, from the purification of materials to the guidance of energy, and finally to the formation of the structure.

The script is not a universal language; it is more like an ancient script, which also contains a large number of alchemical symbols.

Su Zhisu could only barely recognize a few words such as "energy core", "soul fragments" and "stable form".

"Soul fragments... Master Amadeus's research has indeed delves into forbidden territory."

The corridor ahead widened, ending at a huge, double metal door.

The gate was cast from some kind of dark alloy, etched with intricate gear and puppet patterns, but one of the doors was now tilted, revealing a gap large enough for a person to pass through.

A low, rhythmic mechanical hum, along with a humming sound of scorching hot air, came from inside the door.

Thorne's pocket watch vibrated violently here.

Su Zhisu squeezed through the crack in the door.

Behind the door is a huge space, as if it were built by hollowing out a part of the mountain's belly.

"It seems this is the [Puppet Core] area."

The workshop is over ten meters high, and the surrounding walls are covered with various suspended tracks, cranes and operating platforms.

In the center of the workshop was a huge, sunken circular refining pool. The pool walls were made of a high-temperature resistant black material. Although the pool had cooled down, dark red burn marks and solidified metal blocks still remained.

Scattered throughout the workshop are numerous semi-finished or scrapped alchemical puppet parts, ranging from simple gear joints to complex multi-jointed arms.

At this moment, next to the refining pool in the center of the workshop, stood three complete alchemical golems.

Their designs were far more refined than the wreckage outside, with a dark silver color and streamlined bodies inlaid with energy conduits that emitted blue light.

One wields a massive sword, another has rotating chainsaws on both arms, and the last carries an energy cannon with an astonishing caliber.

The moment Su Zhisu entered, three pairs of scarlet electronic eyes locked onto him.

【Amadeus' Guardian Puppet - Sword Guard】

Category: Alchemy Creatures

[Level]: Lv.11

[Status]: Activated, executing the clear command.

[Information]: A standard defensive golem from Amadeus Workshop, possessing strong melee capabilities and energy resistance. Its attacks have a certain armor-piercing effect.

【Amadeus' Guardian Puppet - Sawblade】

Category: Alchemy Creatures

[Level]: Lv.11

[Status]: Activated, executing the clear command.

[Information]: Specializes in rapid advances and continuous attacks; chainsaw attacks can cause sustained tearing damage.

【Amadeus' Guardian Puppet - Artilleryman】

Category: Alchemy Creatures

[Level]: Lv.12

[Status]: Activated, executing a clear command. Charging in progress.

[Information]: Ranged unit with powerful energy cannons, but the charging time is long, so be careful to dodge.

"Three...and one of them is Lv.12."

Su Zhixu gripped the curved blade tightly, the Night Watch Heart Flame burning quietly on its surface.

Without any further warning, the battle broke out instantly.

Sword Guard and Sawblade rushed in from the left and right, like two silver lightning bolts!

The sword in the guard's hand slashed down with a sharp, piercing sound!

The chainsaw lowered its body, roaring as it sliced ​​towards Su Zhisu's legs.

Meanwhile, in the distance, the muzzles of the artillery were beginning to glow with a blinding white light.

Su Zhisu's eyes narrowed, and he shifted his stance, his [Scimitar Towards the Storm] meeting the slashing sword.

"clang!"

Sparks flew everywhere!

A tremendous force came from the blade, and Su Zhixu's arm went slightly numb, but he remained firmly in place.

His second-tier physical attributes gave him the ability to confront opponents head-on.

At the same time, he pressed his left hand against the ground, and a [Alchemy Purification] array instantly appeared beneath his feet, its silvery-white light intertwining with the Night Watch Heart Flame.

The blade flashed again, colliding with the chainsaw and sparking a series of fires. The purification mark was already imprinted on the saw blade.

Surrounded by three puppets, Su Zhisu moved like a petrel in a storm, dodging and weaving.

Using the huge parts scattered throughout the workshop as cover, Su Zhisu dodged the intermittent bombardment from the artillerymen while fighting with the sword guards and saw blades.

The swordsmen's strikes were powerful and heavy, while the chainsaws on the serrated blades were cunning and ruthless, their movements perfectly coordinated.

Although the artillerymen recharged slowly, each shell forced Su Zhixu to move significantly, disrupting his rhythm.

"We have to take out that ranged attacker first! Otherwise, we'll be too passive under continuous firepower!"

Su Zhisu's mind raced as she considered countermeasures.

Forcing their way through would be too risky; the Sword Guards and the Sawblade Guards are very tight in their interception.

"Emotional shock? That should be ineffective against a mindless alchemical golem..."

The thought had barely crossed his mind when he caught a glimpse of a remnant of a mural on the wall out of the corner of his eye.

Among the blurry text symbols above, the words "soul fragments" caught the eye.

"Soul fragments...Amadeus's research..."

"Are these puppets... merely pure alchemical mechanical creations?"

A bold guess flashed through his mind like lightning.

Without further hesitation, in the instant he used the force of another clash with the sword guard to leap backward, he grasped the [Blank Core of Obsession] in his hand.

He quickly pressed an [Emotional Crystal (Pain)] into his core, and strange power was poured into it!

"Buzz—!"

A strong and pure emotional surge originating from "pain" spread outwards like an invisible tide, centered on the core of obsession!

This fluctuation directly affects the spiritual and soul level.

Su Zhisu looked at the three puppets, waiting for their reaction.

"If I'm not mistaken..."