CHAPTER 706: CHAPTER 427: DRASTIC CHANGES IN THE SIKES CIVILIZATION

Upon hearing that the Mechanical Demon had been successfully researched, Lu Heng was momentarily stunned.

In the memory about the Sikes Civilization’s large-scale appearance of Mechanical Demons, it was the third year of the Human World’s invasion by the Abyss.

According to Sikes World’s timeline, the Mechanical Demon event should have appeared two years later in their world.

Unexpectedly, the timeline has shifted earlier.

Reflecting carefully, the first discovery of a faction within the Sikes Civilization researching Mechanical Demons was already twelve years ago.

Twelve years is not surprising for research results to emerge.

In fact, among the many worlds invaded by the Abyss, the Sikes Civilization has one of the slower invasion progresses.

From the time Sikes Civilization’s scientist Lakrini Sikes discovered the Abyss invasion, thirty years have passed.

In other worlds, thirty years would have been enough for the Abyss to completely devour them.

However, the Sikes Civilization has just entered the mid-phase of the Abyss invasion, if not considering this instance of the Second Gaia Star, it previously only lost an Ice Plateau Star without a permanent population.

The reason the Sikes Civilization has been able to persist for so long during the Abyss invasion is not because they are inherently advanced, but because of their unique form of civilization.

The Sikes Civilization was already in the late phase of mechanization, with almost all undergoing mechanical transformation.

Abyss Energy has a feature that it only affects living beings.

Only living beings will undergo mutations when absorbing Abyss Energy.

Theoretically, lifeless stones and metals, when in contact with Abyss Energy, won’t undergo special changes, the fastest would be simply damage.

And the citizens of the Sikes Civilization are mechanical entities, thus minimally affected by the Abyssal Aura.

If mechanical limbs are damaged due to Abyss Energy erosion, they can be directly replaced, without affecting mobility.

Precisely for this reason, it seems the Abyss has little way of dealing with the Sikes Civilization, resorting to eroding planetary surfaces and corrupting the environment.

But the Mechanical Civilization has limited demands on the environment, unlike cellular organisms.

If humans were to live in an environment corrupted by the Abyssal Contamination, life would be unsustainable.

Mechanical units are different; if the environment gets polluted, it’s mostly mechanical bodies being corroded, increasing maintenance frequency without major issues.

However, this is just a superficial phenomenon.

The Abyss has an even more terrifying trait, which is to adjust adaptively to the target world.

The influence of Abyss Energy on mechanical bodies is indeed minimal, so it uses conscription rules to drive evolution.

The successful research of the Mechanical Demon seems like a victory for a fanatical research organization within the Sikes Civilization, but it is in fact a marker of Abyssal evolution.

After the successful research of the Mechanical Demon, the Abyss gained the ability to erode mechanical bodies.

In the future, when encountering mechanized civilizations, the Abyss can use similar tactics to quickly devour mechanical civilization worlds.

Given the Sikes Civilization’s Abyss invasion progress, the emergence of Mechanical Demons marks the transition from mid-phase to late-phase.

This also signifies that the Sikes Civilization no longer can afford arrogance in confronting the Abyss.

When Lu Heng was first conscripted to the Capital Star Circle of the Sikes Civilization, the attitude of its upper-class nobles towards the Abyss was extremely arrogant.

At that time, the Mechanical Arena in the Capital Star Circle would host battles of Mechanical Beasts vs. High Rank Demons to entertain the upper-class nobles.

This clearly showed the Sikes Civilization’s reliance on the uniqueness of mechanical bodies, not taking the Abyss Demon seriously.

However, the appearance of Mechanical Demons will make the Sikes Civilization realize they no longer have the privilege of arrogance.

The destruction of the Second Gaia Star also profoundly taught the Sikes Civilization a lesson.

Lu Heng was uncertain of the future path for the Sikes Civilization, even their greatest scientist couldn’t avert the destiny of civilization, what impact could an outsider truly have?

In truth, Lu Heng hadn’t done nothing.

Concerning the progress of Abyssal invasion, Lu Heng had once deeply chatted with the Xavier Matrix.

Yuan Yaoyao, as the pilot of the Black Feather Spirit Mechanical Angel, sent back all accessible information to the Xavier Matrix.

Thus, the Xavier Matrix knew everything it needed to know.

The Xavier Matrix tried to alter the course of civilization, but evidently a mad scientist wanted by civilization lacked the capability to change its fate.

...

Lu Heng reached out to touch Yuan Yaoyao’s head, soothing her with a few words, then asked, "How about Professor Xavier? Is he alright?"

Yuan Yaoyao’s expression was tense as she replied, "The Professor’s machine body was destroyed while ensuring my retreat."

Lu Heng furrowed his brows and asked, "Was there a consciousness backup?"

Yuan Yaoyao nodded and replied, "The Professor already uploaded his consciousness backup to the servers on another planet, but all mechanical units developed on the Second Gaia Star were annihilated. The Professor now dares not build a new machine body for fear of being discovered by the military; the strength he currently wields is no match for the military."

When Xavier Matrix was on the Second Gaia Star, his ability to move freely despite being wanted by the Sikes Military was largely due to his long-term establishment on that planet.

On the Second Gaia Star, he had numerous secret bases scattered around, capable of summoning mechanical units to do his bidding.

Now, with the destruction of the Second Gaia Star, his clandestine operations painstakingly expanded over many years have all been obliterated. Although he transmitted the consciousness backup, the strength he commands has been critically weakened. If the official Sikes Civilization discovers him, he would immediately be apprehended.