Soul-Slaying Maiden: Master Of Ancient Divine Weapons

When Han Zhen woke up, his head still throbbed painfully.

He instinctively raised a hand to rub his temples, then realized something was wrong and abruptly turned to look beside him.

Not far away, Wang Chunyu sat slumped on the ground, looking much older and more haggard than before.

"Tell us your purpose here, and we will provide any help we can offer," Shang Xiaoyun's mechanical, synthesized voice rang out again.

That same emotionless, synthesized voice had deceived Han Zhen earlier, overwhelming his mind with an explosion of information and causing him to pass out.

But it seemed they hadn't taken advantage of his unconsciousness to harm him.

Hearing Shang Xiaoyun's words, Han Zhen quickly pieced things together.

"You've already figured out who I am?"

"Because of the two-way nature of consciousness transmission?"

This was a lapse in his judgment.

Still, it wasn't a total loss—within the torrent of memories and information Shang Xiaoyun had poured into his mind, Han Zhen had managed to locate the large warehouse storing the energy bricks.

With the location in hand, he now had a clear goal instead of wandering aimlessly.

Faced with Shang Xiaoyun's goodwill, Han Zhen hesitated briefly before responding honestly,"I infiltrated Titan City for the energy bricks."

At this, Wang Chunyu, who had been sitting despondently on the ground, suddenly looked up.

"As expected... That's the choice you should make," Wang Chunyu muttered before trailing off, seemingly recalling something painful. His expression turned somber again.

"You should leave here immediately. Every twenty-four hours, someone comes to check on my vital signs and restore my life functions. If you're still here when they arrive, it'll be impossible for you to leave," Shang Xiaoyun urged.

Wang Chunyu exhaled deeply.

He pushed himself to his feet and brushed off his clothes forcefully,"Let's go. Follow me. I know an escape route that leads directly out of here and beyond the mechanical research institute."

"And what about her? What happens to her?" Han Zhen asked, gesturing toward Shang Xiaoyun. "If possible, we should escape together."

"It's useless. All those tubes attached to her are transmitting neural signals connected to the terminal. If the connection is severed, the merchants will notice immediately, and none of us will make it out."

So, Wang Chunyu's original plan had been to trick Han Zhen into coming here and use him as a scapegoat to free Shang Xiaoyun.

What changed his mind? Was it because he discovered I'm Han Zhen?

Han Zhen fell silent, unsure how to evaluate the situation or what to say.

"Let's go. This isn't your fault," Wang Chunyu suddenly said, forcing a smile and regaining his usual demeanor. "I had selfish motives and tricked you. If I can get you out safely, we'll call it even."

He turned to look at Shang Xiaoyun one last time. His gaze was filled with reluctance and bitterness, but he quickly looked away.

"Xiaoyun, if we miss this chance, there will be another. I'll never give up on you."

With that, he strode determinedly toward the door.

"Do you regret it? If you do, it's not too late to reconsider. We can come up with another plan," Han Zhen asked as they walked.

"Regret? Of course, I regret it. I regret not realizing who you were when I picked you. If it were anyone else, Xiaoyun and I would already be out of Titan City." Wang Chunyu chuckled bitterly.

"But maybe this is fate, huh? Fate decided I wouldn't succeed this time. Still, being able to help my idol—it's not a wasted trip to Titan City."

Forcing a tone of optimism, Wang Chunyu quickened his pace, and the two of them continued navigating the hive-like labyrinth.

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP!

A sharp alarm blared.

In the Skynet command center, a lifeless human face appeared on a large screen.

On closer inspection, the face was composed entirely of binary code—strings of 0s and 1s.

It stared down at the staff below and spoke:"Activate a level-three alert. Two rats have escaped from the mechanical research institute. The number of uploaded experimental subjects doesn't match the number that entered."

After speaking, the large screen began rapidly cycling through images.

Soon, photos of Wang Chunyu and the man whose identity Han Zhen had assumed appeared on the screen.

"It's these two. Capture them."

"Understood!"

With the highest-level directive issued, the Skynet staff sprang into action, pulling up surveillance footage from across the mechanical research institute to track the pair.

It didn't take long for them to reappear on camera.

"How do they know the access codes?"

Watching as the two moved confidently through the complex maze, opening door after door with ease, the staff were baffled. Could there be a mole?

"Request to escalate the situation to level two. Contact the security team immediately and have them surround the mechanical research institute. Capture these two alive—I need to know where they got the access codes."

Orders were relayed one after another.

Meanwhile, Han Zhen and Wang Chunyu remained unaware of the impending danger.

The mechanical research institute was vast, and navigating its hive-like maze had already cost them considerable time.

"So, my capsule bomb was also extracted using the same method?"

"Yes."

"And the bomb itself? Where is it now?"

"The bomb… Oh no. I left it in the lab!"

"We don't have time to go back for it. The round trip would give the security team enough time to respond."

Realizing his oversight, Wang Chunyu gritted his teeth and pressed on with Han Zhen.

They hadn't gone much farther when the entire institute erupted in alarms.

Suddenly, all the corridors were bathed in flashing red warning lights.

Previously opened pathways began to seal shut, with heavy doors dropping into place, cutting off each area entirely.

Seeing this, Wang Chunyu's expression darkened.

"This isn't good. They've found us."

"I knew the Skynet mainframe wouldn't be so easily fooled," Wang Chunyu muttered, quickening his pace toward their final destination: a vertical escape shaft.

This shaft would lead underground and out of the research institute, forming the crux of Wang Chunyu's escape plan.

But when they reached the shaft and peered down, they saw it was already teeming with security robots.

Their sleek, silver bodies gleamed under the lights, exuding a menacing aura.

Wang Chunyu pulled back and looked at Han Zhen,"Change of plans. Looks like we'll need a new route."

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