Steel torrents pioneering a different world.

My body hasn't fully recovered, my head is still foggy, and I'm in terrible shape, so I can't update more often. I'll just maintain basic updates for now! I'll rest for a couple of days, adjust my health, revise the story, and then continue to update more frequently and even with a burst of new chapters!

Thank you all for your support and encouragement, and thank you for your donations! Thank you!

At the Zhuhe Base, Li Weiguo stood in front of the Time-Space Cube, looking at the high-tech creation before him with barely suppressed amazement.

These are the two spacetime cubes that Su Mingjin and her group just sent over from another world.

Its surface is as smooth as a mirror and has a cool touch. At first glance, it looks ordinary, but upon closer inspection, it seems as if a miniature universe is slowly flowing inside.

It is captivating, and so profound it is breathtaking.

He reached out, his fingertips touching the cold casing once more, his voice trembling slightly: "It only needs charging to start?"

Assistant Wang Kaixuan nodded and replied excitedly, "Yes, Mr. Li, but its energy consumption is terrifying."

"According to the accompanying instructions, opening the time portal to its maximum extent and maintaining it open for one hour would require a full one billion kilowatt-hours of electricity."

"If we were to carry out a complete cross-sector special operation, the initial estimate would be that it would consume at least tens of billions of kilowatt-hours of electricity."

.

Li Weiguo withdrew his hand, then clenched it into a fist: "Not much. This amount of energy consumption is enough for us!"

He exuded an unwavering excitement.

"That's more than enough!"

His gaze fell on the data panel that Wang Kaixuan handed him, his eyes fixed on one line of parameters.

The maximum height of the unfolded time portal: 100 meters.

An undisguised joy instantly spread across his weathered face.

If you were to open a 10-meter by 10-meter grid, it would consume 100 million kilowatt-hours of electricity!

Even at its maximum, it only consumes one billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per hour.

This number would be astronomical for any individual, but for Industrial Cthulhu, it is not unbearable.

A set of electricity data quickly flashed through his mind—this year's total industrial Cthulhu power generation reached a staggering 8.9 trillion kilowatt-hours.

With so much electricity generated, the annual power loss due to long-distance transmission amounts to six or seven hundred billion kilowatt-hours!

Moreover, this is all under the premise that Industrial Cthulhu has not generated electricity at all.

If outdated coal-fired power plants were allowed to operate at full capacity, even more electricity would be generated.

No, even if some excess energy is temporarily diverted from the massive West-to-East Power Transmission Project, it would still satisfy the appetite of this little spacetime cube.

Even based on the largest time portal, the electricity cost per hour would exceed 300 million yuan.

A complete operation is estimated to take ten hours, with energy costs of up to several billion.

But this cost is negligible compared to the strategic advantages it brings.

The strategic threat this thing can create is almost unsolvable!

Li Weiguo's thoughts began to race, and images of the captured spoils flashed through his mind.

Imagine this: when the enemy believes their multi-layered defense network is impregnable, with every key node fortified layer upon layer, and no one can breach their lines before they surrender—

Suddenly, in their most central and vulnerable command center or logistics supply point, a door hundreds of meters high and wide appeared out of thin air.

Then, organized elite troops poured out like divine soldiers descending from the sky, instantly paralyzing the enemy's brain and heart.

The entire battlefront will collapse completely due to the sudden arrival of divine intervention.

This is truly a dragon charging into the face, a powerful piece of equipment capable of overturning the rules of dimensional warfare.

He couldn't help but think of a certain hotspot area from a few years ago.

That battle was initially successful in the fight for the strategic airfield, but the subsequent lack of reinforcements led to a regrettable outcome.

If the enemy possessed this divine artifact, there would be no need to sacrifice young warriors' lives to painstakingly chip away at those fortified fortresses.

Once the gates opened, tens of thousands of troops easily stormed the enemy's capital in a single day, appearing directly before the enemy's throne and taking control of all their nobles.

When reinforcements from all directions rushed to the scene, they were shocked to find that the king's flag had already changed on the city walls—and these so-called loyalist troops had instantly become homeless rebels.

Of course, it also has significant limitations.

Li Weiguo calmly analyzed every word in the instruction manual.

"This spacetime cube can only be used for inter-world teleportation and cannot be used within the local world — there is a long cooldown period after each use — a massive amount of energy must be accumulated before activation — this spacetime gate can precisely restrict the transmission of matter and life forms between the two worlds —"

Perhaps the only frustrating thing is that you need extremely detailed information about the target world, accurately pinpoint the coordinates of the teleportation node, and ensure that the spacetime of both worlds is stable and safe before you can open the door.

Otherwise, during the opening phase of the spacetime portal, it would be easy to generate terrifying spacetime ripple reactions.

He raised his head, his gaze sharp as an eagle's.

"Triumphant! Activate the energy distribution center with the highest priority and recharge it."

His tone left no room for argument.

"This thing was delivered at this crucial moment! I have a feeling we'll need it very soon."

Just as Su Mingjin and Commander Man wrote in their analysis report, if it is rapidly charged and then used for special decapitation operations against dwarves or other races, it will function even more powerfully than the Weapon of Truth.

It's worth noting that the transportation routes in this other world were very underdeveloped. There were no trains or other means of transporting supplies, so a lot of manpower and animal power were required. This meant that if the dwarves and elves wanted to wage war, they would need to do a lot of preparation.

Once humanity masters this artifact, it means that if they discover that an enemy is truly intent on attacking them, they can completely cut off the enemy's supply lines in advance!

"Yes, Mr. Li!"

Wang Kaixuan straightened his back, saluted, and quickly turned and left.

After seeing him off, Li Weiguo once again shone his light onto the cube.

A moment later, he turned around and brought up another screen, beginning to carefully review the supply preparation list for the other world. He wanted to make sure nothing was missing!

Since the arrival of the three-tailed comet, celestial conjunctions have become so frequent. A mysterious force that is currently friendly to the pioneering team has warned that the dwarves may be courting disaster, and all operations must be reinforced.

The new equipment research institute, especially the one that absorbs various new materials from another world, has made considerable progress.

The previous man-portable subnuclear bomb was the result of fusing all-nitrogen anionic salt (all the metallic hydrogen mentioned above was changed and set to have forty times the explosive power of TNT) with magic crystals and other materials.

These achievements are just one part of a systemic project.

In addition to these super-powerful individual firecrackers, other equipment has been tested on a small scale.

For example, there's the highly anticipated electromagnetic chemical cannon, the laser weapon with its power upgraded, and the exoskeleton to enhance individual combat capabilities.

Take the electromagnetic chemical gun as an example; it is considered one of the key prerequisite technologies for unlocking the later development of pure electromagnetic guns and electromagnetic rifles.

The top expert, who was revered as the Electromagnetic Manifestation True Lord, had long conducted numerous theoretical verifications of pure electromagnetic weapons, but due to limitations in materials in reality, he had to make compromises in engineering design time and again.

This makes the research and development of such weapons progress very slowly.

Problems such as the instantaneous energy supply of the electromagnetic railgun, damage to the barrel, and high-power charging and discharging capacitors have made the research and development progress extremely slow.

Getting an electromagnetic railgun to fire a single shot is simple, but getting it to fire consistently and stably as a conventional weapon presents insurmountable challenges, whether it's the barrel material or the energy source.

The electromagnetic chemical gun is an intermediate value.

First, a powerful electric current is passed through the rails and coils to generate Lorentz force, which accelerates the projectile to an astonishing speed of one to two kilometers per second.

Then, a specially made energetic substance is injected into the tail of the projectile, which is a mixture of high-energy substances such as nitrocellulose and metal powder.

These working fluids burn violently inside the barrel, producing high-temperature and high-pressure gas of three to five thousand Kelvin, which violently accelerates the projectile a second time, ultimately pushing its speed to three to four kilometers per second.

In contrast, this hybrid model has less stringent requirements for core components such as energy supply and supercapacitors.

The initial cost of artillery shells was slightly higher!

However, the prospects are bright.

Once humanity completely solves the engineering design and energy problems of the electromagnetic chemical gun, it can use this as a springboard to gradually illuminate more technological advancements.

As for directed energy laser weapons, they were already in mass production in many places, but after the new materials refined in the other world were sent to various research institutes, they immediately underwent a chemical transformation.

Magical materials such as fine gold and mithril, which are like works of art, were carefully mixed into the core of the energy gathering unit, the heat dissipation unit, and the scarce control unit.

This has led to a leap in the heat dissipation and power supply efficiency of laser weapons, enabling them to withstand longer periods of operation without overheating, resulting in a significant improvement in overall performance and a substantial reduction in energy consumption.

Furthermore, due to improved heat dissipation, the frequency of weapon attacks has also increased significantly.

The technology remains the same; the core change lies in the optimization and enhancement through new materials.

Even so, the weapon systems that the pioneering team now possesses have been significantly enhanced.

Not to mention the special exoskeleton that shone brightly in previous battles.

Those exoskeletons are indeed far from being fully protected powered armor, but in the last battle, they gave the pioneering team soldiers the ability to fire 12.7mm heavy machine guns by hand.

If the warriors didn't have enough 12.7mm caliber weapons to fire at them, dealing with those green-skinned orcs with their own WAAAAGH energy fields would be extremely troublesome.

With the availability of 12.7mm caliber bullets, the individual battlefield lethality and suppressive power of the pioneering team were elevated to an extremely high level.

The pioneering team, which was initially troubled by the exoskeleton's exorbitant cost, has now repeatedly urged the logistics department to expedite the production of these exoskeletons, which could revolutionize individual combat tactics.

Li Weiguo is really looking forward to seeing those exoskeletons completely evolve into power armor!

Another world, a range of mountains.

From a high altitude, it appears no different from the surrounding wilderness, seemingly unremarkable.

However, this was merely a carefully orchestrated illusion.

Dwarves have a natural fondness for digging tunnels, and the seemingly tranquil mountains are actually a massive defensive fortress with a loose exterior but tight interior defenses.

If you zoom in, you can clearly see the elite dwarves hidden among the rocks and trees.

They wielded magical fire weapons inscribed with runes, with heavy tower shields standing beside them that could cover their entire bodies, their eyes scanning every corner warily.

Even the dwarf scouts who took turns resting in the caves were not completely relaxed.

Many of them yawned, their eyelids heavy, yet they still clung tightly to their weapons, remaining constantly vigilant.

For the dwarf troops, who usually appear somewhat lazy, this level of dedication is quite unusual.

Just as all the dwarf troops were performing their duties and turning this mountain area into an impenetrable fortress, in a secluded corner, the space was rippled almost imperceptibly.

A faint, ethereal blue light flashed for a moment like a spark, then vanished.

Where the light dissipated, a figure quietly appeared, its appearance and figure exactly the same as the dwarves patrolling around.

This is Lin Li's special projection clone that arrived here.

As soon as he stood firm, he looked around to make sure it was safe. Then he immediately crouched down, took out a high-powered telescope and a printed map from his bag, and began to carefully survey the surrounding environment.

"This is indeed the place. I didn't expect the defenses here to be so tight! Things are getting complicated!"

Lin Li put down his binoculars and rubbed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache.

"Laplace's Demon, if I were to launch a full-scale attack right now, is it possible to wipe out all the dwarves? A no-damage victory?"

Meow~

The cat that had followed Lin Li here meowed.

Then, a thought tinged with disdain resounded directly in his mind.

Subsequently, there was a clear signal demanding more spacetime source matter.

"You want that much spacetime essence? Ha, you're too greedy! Don't even think about getting that much spacetime essence from me!"

Lin Li replied inwardly, not wanting to deal with this greedy bastard who needed to consume spacetime essence no matter what he did.

Spacetime Origin Material is so precious, he would never give it to the other party.

I was the same. I shouldn't have summoned it in the first place. After summoning it, not only did it give rise to some unrealistic ideas, but at a crucial moment, I even thought about getting this Laplace's demon for free!

He refocused his attention on the fortress in front of him, pondering how to find the weak points in the enemy's defense system.

Just then, he suddenly sensed something unusual.

That was the anomaly in the spacetime cube he was anchoring to.

The spacetime cube left for Li Weiguo is now receiving a massive influx of energy.

Lin Li was surprised, then his consciousness instantly rose, switching to a high-dimensional perspective that was beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

In his perception, scenes from the real world appeared rapidly.

Then, he clearly saw—inside a huge power plant filled with modern industrial style. Multiple thick cables were deployed like giant pythons, directing a tsunami of current to the same destination.

There, two cubes were suspended in the air, like two greedy and thirsty gluttons, desperately devouring the vast energy transmitted through the line.

"Meow, meow meow————"

Hearing the Laplace's demon's narration in his mind, Lin Li smiled and said, "I know, I'll share it with you, I will! The source material that was sent this time has solved my urgent problem."

Lin Li finished his high-dimensional perspective and returned to the projection clone he was controlling, a smile playing on his lips.

Although half of the spacetime source matter converted from this electrical energy is used as food for Laplace's demon.

But the remaining portion was enough for him to perform some bold maneuvers that were previously impossible.

Based on previous inferences, besides the simplest functions of strengthening itself, transforming and learning spacetime knowledge, spacetime source matter also possesses powerful spacetime repair capabilities and can open some spacetime channels.

As long as Lin Li has enough spacetime source matter, he can truly become someone who can go wherever he wants!

Just as he was thinking about what to do next, he suddenly saw dwarven warriors escorting prisoners of various races appear in the distance.

The dwarves' captives included not only humans, but also elves and even some lizard-like creatures.

Their faces were filled with fear and unease.

Lin Li had already seen captives such as humans and elves.

But Lin Li didn't expect that there were other strange and unusual races among the prisoners.

"Green skin, a lizard-like head, a tall stature, and human-like but not completely atrophied webbed hands. Nearly three meters tall...tsk tsk—I never imagined this world had a race like lizardmen?"

Lin Li watched as the vicious dwarf soldiers drove them, whipping and beating them, into a cave in the mountains. Then, he looked around with his binoculars, searching for a way to enter the cave.

Until he discovered a rather imposing dwarven complex—that must be the dwarven nobles' residence?

"This looks like a key point!"

Nestled deep within the mountains, it is constructed with exceptional sturdiness and grandeur, possessing remarkable artistic appeal while also boasting excellent military protection capabilities and the ability to collect external light.

Dwarven structures that can collect outside light are rare.

The elves say that the dwarves built all sorts of roads in the caves mainly to escape the endless threats this world poses to their hostile race.

Because this world is teeming with all sorts of strange and wondrous races, the dwarves possess formidable mining and cave-building skills. Aside from their iron-smelting abilities, the dwarves now devote almost all their energy to digging and constructing military fortresses.

Some buildings that also take into account artistic merit are definitely for nobles or temples.

After carefully confirming that the area was a high-value target complex, Lin Li took the opportunity to sneak into the interior of the dwarf cave.

The tunnels inside the dwarf's mountain were more complex than he had imagined. The air was filled with the cold smell of rocks and the metallic odor, and occasionally he could smell the stench of urine and the smell of something burning.

Despite being a backward medieval race, they built things that are more impressive than those of some industrial-era humans.

Take the fortress in front of us, for example. It was originally a border defense stronghold, and it was also near a sealed forbidden area where the heavens and earth converged. Over the years, the interior of this mountain was almost hollowed out, forming a mountain kingdom that integrates functions such as living, forging, defense, and water storage.

Countless tunnels crisscross like a spider web. Even if foreign enemies besieged this place for years, they could not destroy the dwarves. This place forms the foundation upon which the dwarves depend for survival.

In the land of the forsaken gods, there is an ironclad rule of war: you can choose to fight the dwarves anywhere—plains, mountains, or even water—but never in their caves.

Any intruder who dares to venture deep into it will taste what true despair is, and will die without even knowing how they died!

After exploring for quite a while, Lin Li felt like he was about to get lost.

At this moment, on a high platform inside the castle, the commander in charge of the military defense of this place, Ras Ironhammer, was drinking fine wine while looking down at the new batch of sacrifices being escorted into the cave below.

His rugged face showed no sign of joy, and his brows were furrowed into a knot.

Nearby, a similarly stout dwarf was drinking with his companions.

A dwarf who looked like a high-ranking member of the elite took a swig of ale and then let out a burp.

"Lord Rice, we only managed to gather a thousand slaves this time, which is 90% short of the number the King requested. This meager offering is simply insufficient to meet His Majesty's demands within the forbidden area!"

As Rice Ironhammer drank, he pounded his fist on the stone railing, causing lime to fall in a shower.

The other dwarves spoke up: "Lord Rais is helpless too! We've already sacrificed tens of thousands of lives for this damned forbidden ritual. Even the slaves our clan keeps are almost all gone."

"Yes, the price of slaves has skyrocketed in the overseas market, and the problems caused by the celestial convergence are extremely serious. Unless we go to war, we will no longer be able to obtain large numbers of slaves as sacrifices!"

"So what do we do now? There are so few of them, should we just throw them inside?"

"What else can we do! Even mosquito meat is meat! His Majesty the King needs them to sacrifice their lives!" Rice said irritably.

The other dwarves complained, "I don't understand! Why doesn't His Majesty send his bloodthirsty guards to do this kind of work, but instead sends us?"

The dwarf beside him curled his lip and muttered, "Who knows? Maybe His Majesty's guards are in the forbidden area, hacking away at enemies while waiting for these ancestors to arrive, and drinking heartily?"

Rice grabbed the wine flask and took a big gulp. The slightly cold liquid burned down his throat, but it couldn't quell the restlessness in his heart.

He watched as the captives from different regions and races below were driven like livestock toward the deep cave entrance, whipped by dwarven warriors.

"Alright, enough talk, it's time for us to get going!"

"Sigh, okay."

Several dwarves, drunk, began to put on their rune armor.

It was a grayish-brown metallic armor, with runes engraved on it shimmering faintly in the dim light, its color almost blending into the surrounding rock walls.

The dwarves were already used to the darkness in the caves, and their eyes had evolved the ability to see at night, allowing them to move freely even in the pitch-black tunnels.

As soon as they stepped out of the castle gate, the dwarf's guards immediately approached.

"Lord Rice, where are we going?" a captain of the personal guard stepped forward and asked in a deep voice.

"Send those sacrifices to complete their final mission, clear the way!" Rice's voice sounded somewhat muffled beneath his helmet.

"Yes, sir!"

The captain of the guards signaled his guards to clear the way, while he, along with his fully armed dwarf guards, followed steadily behind Rice and his group.

Heavy footsteps echoed through the empty cave, and from time to time, the dwarven guards could be heard cursing the other dwarves, telling them to get lost and not to block the way.

Their actions were like those of ancient emperors, who would pave roads with yellow earth and sprinkle clean water on the streets every time they went out, to the point that even some villagers were not qualified to see them.

Besides the fact that many parts of the dwarf cave are quite narrow, there's also the dwarfs' ostentatious attitude and their desire to appear superior.

Just as they were shooing the others away and setting off, a dwarf emerged from the darkness around a corner.

Lin Li had been searching for a long time and almost got lost.

Upon arriving here, he explored his surroundings and realized he had almost gotten lost.

As time slipped away, he was worried about which unlucky guy to find and interrogate him. Unexpectedly, after walking around for a while, he found an important clue and discovered an important person.

Judging from how imposing those dwarf commanders were, they must know far more than those patrolling soldiers.

Those who work in vehicles, boats, shops, and even as prostitutes, should be killed even if they are innocent!

These people actually captured so many prisoners from other races. It seems they weren't going to use them as laborers, but rather as expendable resources. Lin Li felt a chill run down his spine.

With all their actions, they could wipe out all the dwarves in this fortress, and it's unlikely they could find anyone innocent.

"Laplace's Demon, tell me—if I tie up that leader dwarf and take him in for interrogation, when will they find out about all this? What if they get discovered?"

In my mind, the cat's lazy thoughts echoed again.

This time, the other party seemed indifferent, but there was a hint of excitement at watching a good show.

Lin Li smiled upon hearing the other person's story.

"You look down on me! Wait till I go ahead and scout things out!"

Lin Li watched as the group of dwarves completely disappeared into the dark cave entrance. He then moved and began to deploy the small items he had left behind in the area.

The main point is that if you push him too far, he can create any kind of chaos he wants!

Walk carefully, and plan a surprise.

As the ever-changing dwarves moved, they precisely placed wristwatch-sized, timed, and remotely controlled detonating devices—stories they'd acquired from the pioneering team—in the cracks of the rock face and the shadows of corners.

These devices can be activated by a wireless remote control or set to detonate automatically after several hours.

"Meow~" Laplace's figure appeared and then questioned Lin Li.

"What do you care if what I did was immoral or not? As long as it works, that's all that matters." Lin Li said, but his hands didn't stop moving at all.

Soon, a powerful wireless repeater was deployed after he scheduled it.

The signal interference inside the cave was too strong; this thing is mainly used to provide wireless signal transmission in complex environments.

If it is in an open area, it has a signal relay range of 50 kilometers.

Unfortunately, in this cave, going more than a kilometer would probably be too difficult.

Lin Li checked the signal strength in his hand and, after confirming that he could detonate the signal, breathed a sigh of relief.

If his precious projection clone is surrounded, Lin Li can manually detonate it to create chaos.

Of course, we could wait for the automatic timer to detonate, giving those dwarves a split-second explosion. But that's the worst-case scenario; it's best to avoid taking action if possible.

After deploying his backup plan, Lin Li's gaze was fixed on a patrol team that was changing shifts not far away.

The dwarven guards were clearly distracted; the clanging of their armor was sparse, and one of them even let out a big yawn.

It's now!

After the patrol passed the shadow of a huge boulder, a figure quickly appeared at the end of the column and naturally blended into the group.

These were the projected clones standing side by side. Their height, build, and even the rhythm of their steps were exactly the same as the dwarfs next to them.

Even the way his beard was braided was imitated perfectly on his rugged face.

"To avoid alerting the enemy, I have no choice but to humble myself and play the dwarf," Lin Li thought to himself with a self-deprecating smile.

This bug-level camouflage ability is enough for him to easily infiltrate any heavily guarded area.

If he hadn't accidentally discovered, while organizing intelligence on the Mithril Clan, that the dwarves possessed some kind of alchemical equipment capable of detecting spacetime fluctuations, and hadn't been afraid of being silently surrounded, he would have already used a portal to jump right into their faces, instead of going through all this trouble.

His caution proved to be correct.

At each specific location, the leading dwarf would take out a palm-sized rune stone tablet and press it onto a specific rune node on the wall.

"drop."

With a soft sound, the stone slab lit up with a faint magical light, and the runes on the wall flickered in response.

"This is patrol check-in—no, there were magical fluctuations nearby just now, probably also conducting exploration magic," Lin Li realized. "Luckily, the projection clone completely transformed me into a dwarf, so even if I'm scanned by magic, they'll mistake me for one of their own!"

Thinking of this, he glanced at Laplace's demon, which was following him.

Perhaps this cat possesses some strange and unusual ability, as it is able to easily evade the dwarves' sight and even use magic to detect them.

These dwarves' patrols in the core area were basically just a formality.

They had absolute confidence in their mountain and stone kingdom, which they had managed for thousands of years, and simply did not believe that any foreign enemy could infiltrate this place.

As they activated the magic device, a dwarf in the group muttered, "This godforsaken place hasn't been invaded by any other race for centuries! We patrol every day, can't we just save some magic stones and exchange them for more wine?"

"Shut up! These are turbulent times! If your words get overheard by the higher-ups, you'll be thrown into the forbidden area." Another dwarf retorted irritably.

Upon hearing that he had been thrown into the forbidden area, the dwarf shuddered and said no more!

Lin Li followed behind and overheard the entire conversation, feeling extremely puzzled.

Throw it into the forbidden area?

Following the patrol team through twists and turns, passing through one heavy stone gate after another, the space ahead suddenly opened up, and at the same time, a peculiar smell of blood faintly wafted over.

However, when the well-traveled Lin Li saw the scene before him, his breath caught in his throat for a moment.

The interior of the cave built by the dwarves must have been completely hollowed out.

An unimaginable underground palace!

The dome was at least 250 meters high and probably close to 1,000 meters wide at its widest point, far larger than any underground base built by humans that he knew.

Humans may build large bases in the mountains, but it is extremely rare to see one as open and spacious as this.

Countless sturdy steel pillars support the dome. Although the pillars are not thick, they are covered with densely engraved runes that shimmer faintly. They blend into the cold rock walls, demonstrating the dwarves' unparalleled skills in architecture and alchemy.

The sense of relief Lin Li felt from the successful infiltration was instantly washed away by this magnificent, almost insane creation.

There's a guard every three steps and a sentry every five steps.

He finally understood why the dwarf patrols were so lazy, as if they were strolling through their own backyard.

In such an impregnable mountain range of steel, who could have imagined that a foreign enemy would silently intrude?

Who—could possibly break in?

But why is there such a strong fishy smell here?

"Meow—meow meow—"

In his mind, Laplace's demon sent him thoughts of craving and how to manipulate it.

Even Lin Li could sense the tremor in the other person's voice.

However, Lin Li ignored it. He looked around, his mind drawn to the thing in the center of the dwarf cave.

It was a huge spacetime rift suspended in mid-air.

It's like a space that's been shattered and then forcibly pieced back together, with the light at the edges strangely distorted and folded, presenting an extremely unstable ripple-like appearance.

At the other end of the rift, a ceaseless surge of crimson mist rose, like a gruesome wound from another world, yearning to spill into this one.

"hiss----"

Lin Li frowned deeply; he was all too familiar with this spacetime rift.

But he had never seen such a huge, stable crack before, one that even seemed to emanate a faint life force from the opposite side.

What made his scalp tingle even more was the arrangement around the crack.

Dozens of enormous, dark gray steel structures, each with a unique shape and covered in runes, guarded the crack in a ring.

At this moment, the runes were flashing a scarlet light at a fixed frequency, and streams of solid energy, as if drawn by an invisible hand, were continuously poured into the spacetime rift.

Lin Li's pupils contracted slightly.

Is this the seal guarded by the dwarves?

Why do I have this feeling that the other party is feeding something to this spacetime rift?

"Laplace's Demon, what are the dwarves doing?"

Lin Li communicated with the materialized cat demon through his thoughts.

Meow~~~

"It's indeed supplying energy to a spacetime rift? And it's also a form of sealing?" Lin Li was astonished. Then, his gaze turned to Laplace's demon. "Wait, why are you suddenly so generous in telling me this information?"

Meow~

"I knew it instantly!"

Upon hearing this thought, Lin Li gritted his teeth and looked around in the direction the cat was pointing.

Because the dwarf was short, it took him a while to follow the patrol team around before he could figure out why such a large place could have such a strong, fishy stench!

He also confirmed what the dwarf commanders intended to do with all those sacrifices they had brought here!

The other side of the spacetime rift is obscured by the interference of the spacetime gap, making it impossible to see clearly.

Around the well-constructed, large arena, a large number of elite dwarven soldiers watched with indifferent eyes.

One by one, the prisoners of other races captured by the dwarves were lined up and pushed onto the arena.

Lin Li saw a jumble of weapons being thrown in front of the prisoners by the bloodthirsty dwarf warriors.

As he had done countless times before, Ras Ironhammer, the leader, spoke: "Want to live? Then defeat the enemy across the ring! Use his head to please my god!"

"Of the eighty-eight warriors, only the last eighty-eight will survive to the end!"

After saying that, Rice and the group returned to their seats.

Below, dwarves shouted, "Offer your skulls to the skull-bearing throne, sacrifice your blood to our gods!"

"Offer your skull to the skull-bearing seat, offer your blood as a sacrifice to our gods!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Li narrowed his eyes and gripped his weapon tightly.

A soldier from a nearby dwarf patrol said—

"These slave soldiers haven't had a proper meal or rested properly; they're probably not in good shape."

"No, hunger and thirst are also one of the criteria for selecting warriors. Those who can survive in such an environment are all brave warriors among slave soldiers!"

"Those lizardmen will benefit."

"No, they're fighting themselves!"

"Oh, that makes it fair!"

"Hehe, when we have completed the final sacrifice with their blood, we will open the ancestral seal, and our race will regain its glory!"

Lin Li, who was listening to the dwarf's words, gripped his weapon tighter once more!