Chapter 2638: Chapter 1775: Flesh is Weak
People gathered under that bizarre machine, kneeling and praying, as if it were not just a machine, but a deity.
But that was not all.
"Aaaaaaaah!!"
Suddenly, screams of agony emerged from the crowd. Duanmu Huai and the others could clearly see, amidst the crowd, some people began to scream, their bodies trembling, and then starting to swell and rupture. Gears and metal burst out from their skin, spinning and tearing into the flesh, engulfing it.
"Mmm———!"
Seeing this, Hei Chuan Chi Yin hastily covered her mouth with her hand, afraid she might scream out loud. She could see the skin and the clothes worn by these people gradually being absorbed into their bodies by the relentless rotation and stirring of the gears. However, despite the miserable screams escaping their mouths, their expressions were unbelievably excited and thrilled, as if what was happening to them was not painful, but something that brought them immense joy!
When they stood up again, these people had completely lost their human form and had become machines entirely! Their skin turned to brass, their eyes resembled protruding cameras, and everywhere at their joints, gears and springs could be seen spinning.
Just by looking at them now, no one would think that not long ago, they were still humans—or at least appeared to be.
But this was not the end.
After those people completely transformed into robots, they let out jubilant cries and then raised their arms high, running forward. Hei Chuan Chi Yin could only watch helplessly as these robots rushed into the giant machine they worshipped, swiftly being crushed and blended into it by the machine’s ruthless operation.
"What, what, what on earth is happening?"
Despite having witnessed many unimaginable things since following Duanmu Huai, the absurdity of this scene was still beyond Hei Chuan Chi Yin’s comprehension.
She glanced at Duanmu Huai, whose expression remained unchanged, calm, and even... somewhat resigned?
"Does the Tribunal also encounter such things?"
"Or rather, if it requires us to act, it typically has nothing to do with normalcy."
Saying this, Duanmu Huai made a gesture to those beside him.
"But don’t worry, as long as we make it normal. Go prepare what I need, we’ll take action anytime."
"Yes!"
Duanmu Huai remained still, the others also stood in place, only a few Night Guards departed. As for Roster, he just sat there on the ground, staring blankly at the scene before him, utterly at a loss for what to do.
"What are we going to do now?"
"Wait."
Duanmu Huai glanced around, then pointed to the side.
"Go wait over there."
"???"
Though unsure what Duanmu Huai meant, Hei Chuan Chi Yin obediently followed him, leaving the plaza and heading to a hillside of a nearby small hill. There, Duanmu Huai simply lay down on the ground, turned on a terminal, and began issuing commands. As for Hei Chuan Chi Yin, she merely sat by his side, dazedly watching the gigantic machine and the crowd around it in the distance.
The Night Guard continued to silently guard around them.
Time ticked by slowly.
The plaza, capable of accommodating tens of thousands of people, became increasingly desolate. Every person transformed into a robot instantaneously, and with joyful cries, plunged into the enormous machine, only to be crushed by it.
Moreover...
"Mr. Duanmu, that machine seems to be getting bigger?"
At first, Hei Chuan Chi Yin thought it was her imagination, but after comparing, she was quite certain that the massive metal machine’s body seemed to be growing larger by absorbing those robots!
"Hmm, I see it."
Duanmu Huai raised his head, glanced at the machine, then lowered his head again.
"Shouldn’t we do something?"
"What we need to do now is wait."
Duanmu Huai swiped through the terminal, much like one might with a phone, and spoke.
"By the way, what do you think this is?"
"Huh?"
Hearing Duanmu Huai’s question, Hei Chuan Chi Yin was momentarily taken aback, then began to ponder.
"Umm... I believe you mentioned, Mr. Duanmu, that our main adversaries are the Evil Gods? Is this also the handiwork of an Evil God?"
"Yes, and no."
"???"
"Our primary adversaries are the Four Great Evil Gods hidden in Subspace. Of course, they are primarily the focus, and you’ve already seen the Star Gods. But humans have more enemies than just these."
Duanmu Huai stared at the screen and spoke.
"If you read the novels written by Mary, you’ll know that beyond the Evil Gods lurking in Subspace, there exist entities known as The Ancient Dominator and Outer Gods. Not only do they exist within the Milky Way, but they roam the entire universe as terrifying monsters."
"Are... there so many?"
"Indeed."
"Why do they target humans?"
"There is no why."
Duanmu Huai shrugged.
"Think about wiping down a table, clearing some land, or building a road. Is it because you harbor malice toward the stones, sand, insects, or crew? Of course not. You might not even know they exist. Yet, when you trample over them, they also perish—a similar relationship exists between humans and Evil Gods. Often, it’s not about humans doing something or Evil Gods intending to harm them. It’s merely bad luck for humans, just like this thing here."
