CHAPTER 203: CHAPTER 203: THE MECHANICAL CITY, EARTH TECHNOLOGY

"Master, this is a powerful form of psychic manipulation," Maiev’s voice came through just then. "But the Mechanical Race isn’t supposed to have any psychic-type powerhouses."

Psychic manipulation?

Johnnie was puzzled as well.

He’d already tested it—the mechanical battle mechs and those crimson beetles didn’t just lack psychic abilities, they didn’t even have souls.

During the last Beast Wave attack, Johnnie had tried using soul-based attacks on the Mechanical Race, but they were completely unaffected.

Unless, of course, the souls of these Mechanical Race beings vastly surpassed his own. But that was obviously impossible.

So, whoever was controlling the Mechanical Race had to be some kind of special powerhouse with immense psychic strength.

Johnnie glanced at the rugged man in front of him and asked again, "Do you know where the Mecha Divine Nation went?"

The man pointed toward the forested mountains behind the beginner’s village and replied, "They flew into the woods. But that place is off-limits—I’ve tried everything, and there’s just no way to get in."

The Dark Forest?

Johnnie realized the path to the Dark Forest only opened up at the Chinese City. Regular players could only access it through there.

But he had the Illusory Body skill, letting him pass through any barrier at will. Whatever seal they had here wouldn’t stop him.

"Thanks," Johnnie said, tossing the man two more gold coins.

"Heh, you’re too generous, brother! Why don’t we add each other as friends? If I get any useful info, I can let you know right away." The man grinned from ear to ear as he pocketed the coins, then sent Johnnie a friend request.

You didn’t need to know someone’s name to send a friend request when standing face-to-face.

Elias?

Johnnie glanced at the system prompt, then looked up at the burly man in front of him. The guy had a decent name, but he was nothing like the Elias Johnnie had imagined.

He hesitated for a moment, but ended up accepting the friend request.

"Huh? Johnnie?" Elias rubbed his eyes, giving Johnnie a once-over. "Wait, are you just someone with the same name, or are you the Johnnie—the guru everyone talks about?"

"Why, do I not look the part?" Johnnie asked with a faint smile.

Elias actually took a step back, his face full of disbelief. "No way. Are you really *the* Johnnie? I can’t believe I just added you as a friend."

He slapped himself across the face, as if to check whether he was dreaming.

Johnnie chuckled. "If you ever come across any useful info, feel free to reach out."

Elias—maybe this guy really could dig up some good intel for him.

He hadn’t heard of anyone by that name in his previous life, but it was worth a shot.

Elias nodded eagerly, watching Johnnie walk away, still looking dazed.

"Unbelievable, I actually added Johnnie the guru as a friend. I’m going to be bragging about this for the rest of my life..." he muttered, already logging into the game forums to start showing off.

Meanwhile, Johnnie made his way straight to the woods behind the beginner village. He slipped through the barrier with ease.

Roar, roar...

The roars of monsters echoed through the forest, punctuated by the sounds of battle not far away.

Johnnie’s senses sharpened. Summoning his Void Sword, he soared into the air with a thought, flying above the treetops for a better look at the chaos below.

A squadron of Mechanical Battle Mecha was butchering Wraith Soldiers and monsters alike.

Behind them, a swarm of red-shelled beetles was tearing into the corpses, devouring whatever remained.

"Master, I sense the aura of a Map of Heaven and Earth fragment nearby—just up ahead," Coco’s voice chimed in telepathically.

Johnnie’s heart skipped. He drew out the Induction Compass; its needle whirled, then locked precisely onto a direction straight ahead.

So, the Mechanical Race really was hiding here after all.

And by the look of things, they were assaulting the Haldrem Empire of the Dark Forest.

The Wraith Soldiers were clearly forces of Haldrem.

He didn’t know the exact location of the Haldrem Empire, but that could wait.

The Map of Heaven and Earth fragment took priority.

Johnnie watched the battle unfold below, but didn’t intervene.

With his current power, he could wipe out these forces without breaking a sweat.

But he sensed that the Mechanical Race’s units were linked as one mind—if he made a move, there was no way he’d stay hidden.

He wasn’t ready to reveal himself. Not yet.

With a final glance at his compass, Johnnie shot forward in the indicated direction, determined to locate the fragment first.

Roar...

The forest echoed with the furious cries of monsters, their roars ringing out nonstop. Everywhere, the Mechanical Race was ruthlessly slaughtering the beasts.

It seemed these invaders intended to conquer the entire Dark Forest. Their next move would likely be toward the Universe Continent.

The Montemar Empire, which Johnnie had founded, stood guard at the main entrance to the Dark Forest.

But clearly, the Mechanical Race had the ability to cross the forest’s barriers—they might not necessarily emerge from the Montemar Empire’s borders.

Just to be safe, he’d have to wipe out the Mecha Divine Nation before they caused trouble.

Johnnie followed the compass, speeding through the air.

Soon, a massive shadow loomed ahead, floating silently above the trees.

It was a city—an enormous Mechanical City, forged entirely from metal.

Clang! Clang!

He wasn’t even close, yet the sounds of hammering rang out from within, as if something was being constructed inside.

"Master, something’s off here. I’m picking up strange spatial energy fluctuations," Maiev’s voice rang in his mind.

Johnnie frowned, checking the compass again. The needle pointed straight at the city—there had to be a Map of Heaven and Earth fragment inside.

The Map of Heaven and Earth was a spatial artifact, after all—unusual energy signatures made sense.

"Let’s check it out," Johnnie decided, cloaking himself as much as possible before flying toward the metallic city.

There were no guards, no defenses. The city was eerily empty; only the constant ringing of metal on metal broke the silence.

Johnnie slipped inside without the slightest resistance.

"Maiev, see anything?" he asked silently.

Maiev replied, "Master, I don’t sense any Mechanical Race lifeforms here—not even Battle Mecha or crimson beetles."

No Mechanical Race elites? Then who—or what—was making all that noise?

Curious, Johnnie made his way toward the sound of hammering.

The Mechanical City was vast and empty; he roamed freely, encountering no sign of the Mechanical Race’s living beings.

Clang, clang...

The pounding grew louder as he approached.

What he saw next left Johnnie stunned.

It was the Mechanical Race, but not the sentient mechanical beings he’d expected. Instead, a whole army of Mechanical Golems moved with clockwork precision, forming long, complex assembly lines.

But it wasn’t the golems that shocked him—it was what they were making.

Firearms.

That’s right, firearms straight from Earth.

And not just small arms. Alongside, even more intricate production lines were assembling weapons that left Johnnie speechless. Even though they were still prototypes, he recognized them instantly—rocket launchers, tanks, fighter jets...

"Johnnie, I didn’t expect you’d find this place so quickly!" Suddenly, a cold, mechanical voice echoed through the city.

Johnnie tensed, scanning his surroundings.

But aside from the golems tirelessly working the assembly lines, there was no sign of life.

"Who are you?" Johnnie called out, wary.

The cold mechanical voice replied, "I am the master of this city. You might call me a higher-level AI."

AI?

Did that mean the Mechanical Race were truly machines with self-awareness?

Johnnie eyed the Earth-made weapons rolling off the lines and said coolly, "You’ve tapped into Earth’s technology."

He remembered how his forum post had been deleted earlier; it seemed the real culprit wasn’t the Apocalypse Group, but these Mechanical beings, hacking into Earth’s networks and stealing designs for advanced weaponry.

These Mechanical Race were more insidious than he’d thought.

"Smart," the cold voice intoned. Suddenly, an assault rifle floated into the air, aiming directly at Johnnie. "You’re just in time. Let me test the power of these improved Earth weapons on you."

It could control weapons remotely!

Johnnie felt a surge of danger, but didn’t dodge—he was curious himself about the firepower these Mechanical Race weapons could muster.

Rat-a-tat-tat...

Gunfire erupted. Bullets screamed through the air toward him.

-10000

-10000

...

Damage numbers flashed above Johnnie’s head as the heavy impact of the bullets forced him to stumble back.

Ten thousand points of damage per hit—that was insane, far beyond any firearm from Earth.

If dozens of these guns fired at once, he wouldn’t stand a chance.

These things had to be destroyed.

Johnnie’s gaze shifted to the tireless Mechanical Golems working the lines.

"Not bad," the cold voice echoed again. "The power is just about what I’d hoped. Now, human, help me test some of the other weapons."

A rocket launcher swung around on its mount, aiming squarely at Johnnie.

"You’ve got a death wish!" Johnnie growled, fury rising. This AI clearly intended to use him as a live target.

Vmmm!

The Intent of the Sword pulsed with energy as Johnnie unleashed his Sword Control Technique—eight flying swords shot forth with a piercing whistle.

Boom!

A thunderous explosion erupted as a rocket blasted from its launcher, striking one of the swords and detonating midair. The shockwave ripped through the air, and Johnnie was sent hurtling backwards by the sheer force of the blast.

-100,000

A damage number flashed above his head—one hundred thousand points!

And that was just from the aftershock. If he’d taken a direct hit from the rocket, it would have easily dealt over a million damage.

Forget about ordinary players—even a stage 9 Monster from Universe Continent couldn’t withstand an attack like that.

And that wasn’t even the most terrifying part. If these weapons were used in war, an endless barrage of firepower could obliterate entire cities—nothing would be able to stand in their way.

Everything here had to be destroyed.

Johnnie’s expression turned grim. With a swift gesture, he invoked the Five Elements Technique, casting its power over the Mechanical Golems and the arsenal they were producing.

"Pointless, human. What you see here is just a drop in the ocean," the cold, mechanical voice echoed, dripping with disdain. The AI made no move to stop him.

"Still, you might be of some use. You can help me test the true power of these weapons."

Vmmm!

As the words fell, a strange spatial energy surged through the air.

"Master, watch out—!" Maiev tried to warn him, but it was already too late.

Johnnie’s form vanished in an instant. The next moment, he found himself standing in a barren, desolate wasteland.

[Ding, you have entered an unknown space. The laws of the Universe Continent no longer apply.]

The system’s prompt flashed before his eyes. Johnnie’s expression darkened—he had a bad feeling about this place. It was clear he was no longer anywhere within the Universe Continent.