Strange things began to happen a few minutes ago while they were shooting and slowly advancing among the sea of automatons. Something very strange happened, the lights on the first two levels turned on!
Nevertheless, they ignored it, convinced it was the work of those deranged machines, as lights turning on wouldn't change anything.
"?"
Suddenly, the lights went out, and to further deepen the mystery of the situation, in just a few minutes, the automatons became immobile. A tense silence enveloped the group; it was as if time itself had frozen. However, upon confirming they could still move, they quickly dismissed that possibility.
"...Well, that benefits us, right? Now, they're an easier target," Draylith said, looking at Zyrgon.
His companion shrugged indifferently and nodded. "Yes, let's keep shooting," he said, raising his Magnetic Hunter and aiming at a row of automatons.
Zzchhhuuumm!
In the blink of an eye, hundreds of robots and androids were reduced to a molten scrap heap.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Draylith continued firing relentlessly, releasing some of the frustration he felt from the reduction of his salary and being the last to receive his Cytroflux ration.
"Fuck, I don't want to end up all wrinkled..." he muttered with sadness in his expression.
Zyrgon heard this and nodded, in agreement. They had suffered significant losses in this mission, and the worst part was that they were still in the middle of it.
"Huh? What's happening now?" Draylith asked, seeing another unexpected event.
Suddenly, the automatons, which had remained motionless until that moment, regained their mobility. However, instead of rushing into battle chaotically as before, something extraordinary happened. The androids and robots began moving at once.
They ran around the Astrylites with impressive synchronization!
Zzchhaaarrr!
In an instant, when one of the Astrylites soldiers aimed their weapon at an android and fired, a long, agile metal arm intervened, holding a massive rock that blocked the shot.
This unexpected improvised shield allowed the android behind it to evade any potential damage!
It was clear that the arm belonged to a Sage who had learned not to position themselves in the line of fire, avoiding putting its body in danger. Instead, all the other Sages used their arms to climb to the ceiling, blocking any shots with the structure of the place.
As they ascended, they used their arms to protect the other automatons and attack when they detected an Astrylite's distraction.
This astonishing coordination was unfolding in all corners of the battlefield. The androids and robots seemed to have acquired instant intelligence, moving in perfect harmony and defending each other!
"What the hell happened to them!?"
Incredulity filled them all, as they realized they could no longer just shoot without a plan. Now, they had to employ strategies to defeat these pieces of rusted scrap...
...
Kraynnor, on the other hand, wore a smile that stretched from ear to ear. Now, he had control over millions of automatons, although at the moment, 98% of them still lacked a power source.
He could only direct eighty thousand of the over a hundred thousand originals; the rest had been destroyed. Apart from the nearly fifteen hundred assembly robots in the hangars, the twenty cargo robots, and in the third level, ten thousand electronic pets, which, curiously, were gathered in one place without showing any movement.
He tried to give them orders in the hope that they would come to him, but despite their willingness to obey, they remained motionless, as if held back by some invisible force.
"In any case, I'll investigate what's going on with these little ones later," he commented with apparent indifference.
Without wasting time, Kraynnor instantly reprogrammed all assembly robots, giving them expanded versatility in their functions. This ranged from manufacturing BioSync batteries to repairing the assembly machines on the fourth level and restoring additional tide generators.
A crucial aspect of his instructions was that they should carry out all these tasks using only the materials available in the warehouse.
He imparted large-scale combat strategies to the automatons on the upper two levels, strategies he had learned from numerous documentaries covering all the wars of the last three centuries.
Among these strategies were advanced tactics used in the war against AIs in 2164.
At that time, countless androids had advanced on humanity's major cities with the sole purpose of exterminating humans. However, a genius strategist emerged, allowing humans to gain ground gradually until they finally managed to deactivate and destroy that rebellious AI that had triggered the entire conflict.
Now, he was allowing these automatons to use the same strategies that had once been their downfall!
"I hope they stay entertained long enough for me to deliver a much bigger blow..." Kraynnor whispered with an enigmatic smile.
Then, he called one of the assembly robots and instructed it to repair a crucial device. He no longer wanted to create his plans on the ground with dust; there was no need for it.
It was a HoloCraft, a device that allowed researchers to create, visualize, and manipulate three-dimensional models using a portable holographic tablet. Of course, to interact with these holograms, a haptic glove was required.
With these two tools, he would enjoy an exceptional level of comfort that allowed him to continue creating without resorting to such primitive means.
[Understood, I'll go to the third level; there should be several HoloCrafts there.]
In a few minutes, the robot returned with a small, rectangular, compact device, silver in color with elegant lines. The haptic glove was integrated at the top.
The device appeared to be in excellent condition, suggesting it had remained unused in its original packaging, protected from environmental corrosion. However, it was clear that the battery life and some components had expired due to the passage of time.
"Create a new battery and replace the damaged components using the workshops on the fourth level," even without the original blueprints, he only needed a brief glance to understand how to replicate and improve these parts.
[Comprehended.]
With these words, the robot departed to the fourth level.
Fifteen minutes later, while thousands of robots got to work, the system started displaying a series of notifications.
[Ding!]
[User God Mechanic has built a One-Star device; ten knowledge points will be awarded.]
[Ding!]
[User God Mechanic has built a...]
In summary, the notifications confirmed that he had created the BioSync, classified as a One-Star device, along with the HoloCraft battery and some of its components, rated as Zero-Star. Initially, he received ten points for the BioSync, followed by seven, three, and one on the next creation, with no additional rewards after the fourth.
Kraynnor pondered this and felt satisfied, considering that he had initially hoped to earn Knowledge Points on the first creation. Getting points for three replicas was quite good.
For the HoloCraft battery, he was granted one point, and for the components, he received a total of two points.
The system had allocated 0.5 points for each component...
In total, he accumulated twenty-four points, which added up to a total of fifty-five knowledge points in his account. He was a little less than halfway to reaching a hundred points.
[The repairs are complete.]
Soon, the robot with the HoloCraft returned. The device now gleamed in a radiant white, with a holographic blue sphere in the center.
Kraynnor sculpted that sphere in the blink of an eye, establishing the basic design of the spaceship. Then, he delved into the interior design process, leveraging his acquired knowledge from the system. He configured the engine, advanced thrusters, cutting-edge navigation system, life support systems, energy storage capacity, security systems, and much more.
"Oh?" while he was focused on designing the ship, he noticed that several cargo robots arrived with mountains of BioSyncs. The assembly robots didn't hesitate and began installing these batteries in the chests of the powered-down androids, causing their bodies to tremble, and their eyes to glow with a dark green.
Kraynnor used his HoloCraft to connect to one of the androids' systems and took control immediately. Indeed, he no longer needed to use a robot's head to carry out this action.
He approached one of the batteries and touched it, thoroughly examining the information provided by the system.
[BioSync (One-Star): An advanced biomass battery that uses biomass to generate sustainable energy. Its versatile and efficient design allows it to adapt to various applications, including supplying power to androids and other devices that require a constant energy supply. A product of Type Zero civilization, the High Humans.]
"Type Zero... It's a bit annoying that you constantly remind me that I'm still at the bottom of the universe's food chain," Kraynnor whispered.
He stopped observing the androids as they continued to power up one by one. Nonetheless, before doing so, he implanted a small computer virus in the first military-type android, allowing it to reprogram the rest, giving them the order to obey him.
Ten minutes later, he completed the initial blueprint, but he felt like something was missing...
Kraynnor looked at his own body, specifically his exoskeleton, and pondered, "It seems it's time to find out if I can master this technology to apply it to whatever I want."