Those who reincarnate must die.

As the scenery changed, the people of the Twelve Altars found themselves in a pristine white laboratory, the surrounding landscape shrouded in a grayish-blue hue.

"Hmm?" The reincarnator tried to move his body, but felt pulling and resistance from the liquid. Upon closer inspection, he realized that he was soaking in a huge, upright test tube, completely naked, with various tubes connected to his body.

The mission description mentioned that they would appear in the laboratory as experimental subjects, but I didn't expect them to look like this.

They tried to release the test tubes, but the catheters attached to their bodies seemed to connect to nerves and internal organs; even the slightest tug would cause excruciating pain. These catheters were also made of an exceptionally tough material, difficult to break by hand…

This is troublesome, how are we going to escape...?

Just as everyone was filled with worry, a sound of shattering glass came from the side. Looking in the direction of the sound, they discovered that Zhang Lang had broken open the test tube and escaped. Not only were there no tubes inserted into his body, but even his undergarments were still on…

The test tube malfunctioned, triggering an alarm. Several mechanical guards immediately rushed into the laboratory and attacked Zhang Lang.

These guards have a body structure similar to humans, but are taller and covered with hard armor. They carry weapons that fire high-energy beams instead of live ammunition.

However, these attacks couldn't even touch Zhang Lang's body; they were blocked by his powerful energy from a great distance. With a wave of his hand, Zhang Lang destroyed these mechanical guards.

Zhang Lang glanced back at his teammates who were still in IVF tubes; several girls instinctively covered their bodies…

Through the force of the impact, Zhang Lang could sense that removing those catheters that had penetrated deep into the internal organs and even the brain would be very troublesome.

However, since the altar issued the relevant task, it means that there is a normal way to escape the test tube.

He looked at the instruments in the laboratory.

Since it's an experimental subject, it won't stay in the test tube forever. There will always be a chance to take it out and do experiments... So normally, it should wait patiently inside until the tube is removed and it's taken out, then seize the opportunity to escape.

After realizing this, Zhang Lang was speechless. His premature escape had alerted the lab, and he probably wouldn't be able to escape normally anymore…

Sensing waves of guards rushing towards him, Zhang Lang used his internal energy to block the enemy while studying the experimental equipment...

One good news and one bad news.

The good news is that because it is directly controlled by artificial intelligence, the control panel does not have many complicated buttons and handles designed for humans, nor does it have a mess of dials. There are only a few simple switches as a safety measure in case of emergency.

The bad news is that Zhang Lang doesn't know what these switches are for. If he presses the wrong one and accidentally kills the test subject, that would be a huge disaster.

Just then, a knocking sound came from behind. Zhang Lang turned around and saw Lei Ting... who was now out of armor and should be called Cheng Siyun, clutching her chest with one hand and banging on the glass test tube with the other.

Zhang Lang moved closer, and Cheng Siyun flinched slightly, her face flushing slightly, when he got close. But she still started gesturing with one hand.

Zhang Lang quickly understood what he meant.

Once she retrieves the Thunder Armor, she is confident she can crack the system here and release everyone.

Since the mission description states that escaping the lab will allow you to retrieve the equipment, does that mean the equipment is at the lab's exit?

That would be fine, but if the equipment is actually taken away by the altar and only released after the quest is completed, then that would be troublesome...

Thinking of this, Zhang Lang sighed. He had been so focused on fighting the foreign invaders that he had neglected his own return to simplicity. If he had known his personal belongings wouldn't be taken away, he would have packed his teammates' important equipment into ammunition pouches and carried them in with him...

Regardless, let's try Cheng Siyun's method first. The mechanical lab will try to stop him, but they certainly won't harm the other experimental subjects who are still here obediently; they are safe here.

Zhang Lang touched the ground with his toes, and with the support of the tension, he floated up and drifted out of the laboratory.

The corridor was already piled with the wreckage of machinery that had come to intercept him, and a steady stream of guards were rushing toward him, firing as soon as they saw Zhang Lang.

Ignoring their attacks, Zhang Lang floated past, metal twisting and parts flying everywhere, leaving only flashes of electricity to tell the story of the mechanical guards' past valor...

With a sickening sound, a hole was torn in the thick metal wall, and Zhang Lang floated out, standing under the sky of the mechanical apocalypse.

The sky was filled with thick, dark clouds that blocked out the sunlight, making it impossible to tell whether it was day or night. The laboratory was located halfway up a mountain, a barren hillside devoid of any greenery.

Looking up, you can see a mechanical city in the distance, filled with towering steel buildings and huge, slowly moving mechanical facilities.

Zhang Lang took a deep breath. The outdoor air had a pungent smell, which didn't affect him much, but it was already considered highly poisonous to ordinary creatures.

"The first phase of the mission is complete. Return the reincarnated's equipment."

"The second phase of the main quest has begun. Find the hidden human survivors and help them rebuild their homes."

Task time limit: 15 days

"Mission Reward: 5000 points, unlocks the third stage of the main quest."

…………

With the message from the badge, Zhang Lang's coat and ammunition pouch appeared out of thin air in front of him.

"As expected..." Zhang Lang sighed. The equipment and items had been taken directly by the altar, and he couldn't collect them for others. Touching the ammunition pouch, Zhang Lang's eyes suddenly lit up, and he turned back to the laboratory.

When he returned, hope ignited in the eyes of his teammates in the test tubes.

"I can't get your equipment back, so I'll have to try my own." With that, Zhang Lang reached into his ammunition pouch, pulled out a card, threw it on the ground, and it quickly transformed into an orange-haired girl.

As an unprecedented and unparalleled killing weapon, Xiao Mo also possesses intelligence comparable to the Thunder Armor, and may be able to crack the system here.

Upon receiving the order, Xiao Mo walked to the control panel, spread her arms, and wires automatically extended, simulating suitable interfaces to connect to the equipment. Immediately, her eyes became vacant, and strings of binary code flashed in her pupils.

By this time, the Mechanical Empire had received the news and began mobilizing its army from the nearest city. Huge warships rose into the air, and hovercraft lined up and headed towards the laboratory.

These are not the mechanical guards of the past, but a real regular army, a military force that has almost wiped out humanity!

However, when this powerful army marched in a grand procession to the vicinity of the laboratory, it suddenly began to twist, deform, and explode, as if it were being kneaded and flattened by giant, transparent hands.

Even missiles that have already been launched are intercepted hundreds of meters outside the laboratory, and cannot hit the target at all.

………………