Card maker? No, I'm a mechanic!

"Let's go."

With a thought in mind, Li Kai turned around and led the way.

The other two followed closely behind, while Jiang Zhe's henchmen spread out in a fan shape, subtly protecting everyone within them.

The journey that followed was like an incredible magic show.

Despite the complicated road conditions, under Jiang Zhe's guidance, they miraculously avoided all the patrolling puppets.

Several times, Zhang Yuan clearly heard heavy footsteps coming from the next passageway.

You could even feel the ground shaking.

But the mechanical dog walking beside it always manages to change direction a step ahead.

Even if they take a longer route, they can still precisely position themselves behind the blind spots of those puppets.

"Is this... really that outrageous?"

As Zhang Yuan wiped his sweat, he couldn't help but look at the silent puppet that was guiding the way, his eyes filled with shock.

But only for a moment, after he realized the key point, his expression changed slightly.

"Since the puppets within the ruins can communicate and provide support in some way..."

"So, Jiang Zhe, who controls these moles, doesn't that mean...?"

He swallowed hard, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

"He hacked into the internal network of this ruin and used a full map cheat!"

Li Kai, who was standing to the side, was clearly aware of this as well.

His face was terribly gloomy, and the suspicions in his mind sent chills down his spine.

If Kang Chul really can discover everything through the other puppets.

Doesn't that mean that from a very early time, their every move, even every micro-expression...

All of this happened right under that guy's nose?

The feeling of being watched by an almost omniscient and omnipotent gaze made him feel like he had a thorn in his side.

It was even more unsettling than facing those self-destructing puppets.

"wrong."

Just then, the Licker who was leading the detour suddenly stopped.

The red light in its eyes flickered a few times, as if it were hesitant.

"Why did you stop?" Leia asked, puzzled, still holding a cookie she was munching on as a snack.

"There's nothing ahead."

The Licker opened its mouth and emitted Jiang Zhe's somewhat distorted, smoky voice, tinged with a hint of doubt.

At this moment, in Jiang Zhe's eyes...

The surveillance footage that was originally so dense that it required filtering suddenly had a large gap in front of them.

No puppet's perspective could cover that area.

Even the mere presence of a licker can cause some disruption to the mental connection.

"Signal shielding zone?"

Jiang Zhe frowned slightly.

Is it a restricted area like the previous passage entrance?

"The path is right."

But Li Kai simply pointed to the area ahead, his tone incredibly firm.

"The thing is inside, I'm sure of it."

"Let's go then," Jiang Zhe said without much hesitation.

Although the surveillance is temporarily gone, their team's equipment is by no means inferior.

Moreover, his independent "network cable" is not so easy to cut.

The procession continued forward.

After passing through a severely damaged metal gate, the once quiet environment became noisy.

"Bang! Boom..."

Explosions and the screeching sound of metal clashing kept coming from the area ahead.

"Are people fighting? It's quite a scene!"

Leia clenched her fist excitedly. "Is it those cowards from Whitestone City?"

"It doesn't look like it."

Zhang Yuan shook his head, listened intently for a while, and his expression became somewhat strange.

"Those two from Shiroishi City don't have this kind of fighting style, and they don't have that kind of fluctuation that triggers cards."

Puzzled, the group cautiously crept over and peered out from behind a boulder.

A fierce battle was taking place in the plaza ahead.

Looking around, all one could see were densely packed battle guards and various kinds of puppets.

Although these puppets look exactly the same, they are now acting like madmen, frantically killing each other.

One mechanical dog tore open another's throat, only to be blasted to death by a heavy-armored guard.

There were no signs or any communication.

It was all like a battle taking place in a mirror.

"This... has the puppet gone mad?"

Leia stared blankly, and the cookie in her hand fell to the ground.

"How could they turn on their own people? How can they tell who's who?"

"No, they can tell the difference."

Just as everyone was wondering, Jiang Zhe's voice came from the Licker's mouth.

He keenly sensed that although they all looked the same, there was a strange order within the chaos.

One of them is rather rigid, like a machine with its programs locked.

Meanwhile...

They are more agile, know how to use cover and focus fire on weaknesses.

Just like... those puppets he controlled.

"Zhang Yuan, that one."

While he was thinking, he gave another order, pointing through the Licker's claws at a mechanical dog that was hiding behind the ruins, ready to launch a sneak attack.

Although he looks ordinary, in Jiang Zhe's eyes, this guy's behavior logic is clearly on the smarter side.

"Sneak attack and capture him, try not to cause any damage."

"Huh? Me?"

Zhang Yuan pointed to himself, his expression somewhat panicked.

"What are you afraid of? Leia will help you."

"Leave it to me!"

Before Jiang Zhe could finish speaking, Lei Ya rushed over without saying a word.

The surprise attack training over the past few days has clearly been very effective.

Taking advantage of the chaos of the battlefield, she moved like a ghost to the back of her opponent and severed its energy node with a precise strike.

"Gah..."

Just as the mechanical dog was about to struggle desperately, Leia caught it like a chick and threw it to the ground.

"Leah, hold him down first."

"Then Zhang Yuan, take out your tools, and I'll tell you what to do."

"Cut open the carapace...yes, that red rune...sever it..."

"good……"

Under Jiang Zhe's remote, nanny-like guidance, Zhang Yuan's hands were trembling a little.

However, thanks to his solid basic skills, he successfully completed the physical modifications.

"Buzz... All done!"

Without hesitation, Jiang Zhe unleashed his spiritual power from his physical body.

"Buzz..."

An invisible wave flowed along the Licker base station and surged wildly into the paralyzed mechanical dog's body.

The mechanical dog, which had been struggling, paused for a moment and finally stabilized.

"boom!"

The moment the connection was established, countless new perspectives and images, each carrying a unified will, flooded his mind.

That was a completely separate...new local area network!

"really……"

Jiang Zhe endured the throbbing pain in his head and quickly began to analyze the images.

The next moment, he saw even more intelligent puppets.

They were seen launching an organized offensive and occupying other areas.

"Was this the traitor's wet item dried?"

Jiang Zhe instantly had a guess in his mind.

"Not only did it run away, but it also built its own army and is now vying for control with its former owner."

"The signal jamming in this area is probably to cut off the original puppet's visual connection, making it easier for it to trap and defeat it."

"but……"

After figuring everything out, Jiang Zhe couldn't help but smile slightly.

"Too bad, your methods can't affect me."

After all, he controlled the puppet through the connection between the floating cannon and the coffin.

In other words, he bypassed a large-scale signal blockade.

He built a bridge that belonged only to him between these two hostile networks.