Blend In

With the new mech's high-speed operation, X iao Bai effortlessly climbed the tallest and largest mountain in this graveyard of discarded mechs. He activated the green light on his chest to scan the area while gazing into the distance, then initiated the Dynamic Perception System's scanning function.
This percep tion system was his own creation, though it was two years old and lacked any particularly groundbreaking black technology. Still, being built with Paradise Technology, its performance and efficiency far surpassed anything humans could produce on their own.
In about half an hour, two maps materialized before Xiao Bai: a de tailed topographical map covering a 50-kilometer radius, recording every scrap heap, and a real-time dynamic map covering a 5-kilometer radius, capable of precisely capturing all movements within range, even monitoring radiation levels and air composition.
"The scanning function is impressive, but why is the accompanying radar so weak? A 200-kilometer detection range? Is that a joke? Haven't humans even managed to extract small radar technology from the Paradise yet?"
The technological deve lopment of this world had taken a completely different path from that of the original Earth. Much of the unearthed Paradise Technology existed in a state of "knowing how to use it without understanding its principles"—functional but not fully comprehended.
After all, Paradise had only existed for a little over fifty years. The recovered technologies were insufficient and incomplete, unable to form a cohesive, top-to-bottom system. Moreover, Paradise Technology itself comprised several distinct systems.
This made it difficult to advance the entire technology tree. Lopsided progress and uneven development were inevitable.
As a result, even though they had fantastical creations like mecha and EMP grenades that could stun enemies without injury, many "primitive" technologies were still in use—radar, smartphones, cotton blankets, clothing, chopsticks, and so on.
"Radar definitely won't track those two 'Second Masters.' We'll have to rely on our own legs."
"Let's move out!"
Xiao Bai leaped do wn from the mountain of junk, replenished his reactor with several mouthfuls of heavy metals to fill his fuel reserves, and kicked his omnidirectional wheels into high gear. He raced southward, following the last known direction of the two vanished mechas.
B efore long, Xiao Bai had left "Good Buddy's" territory behind. The mountains of trash vanished from sight as he exited the Mecha Graveyard's boundaries. The terrain beneath him smoothed into a flat expanse, allowing him to accelerate to 180 miles per hour.
"The air quality and radiation levels haven't changed at all? So this harsh environment isn't caused by the graveyard after all, but is just the natural state of this godforsaken place. No wonder no developers have come to build here..."
Xiao Bai stared at the utterly desolate landscape before him. Though he stood firmly on land, he felt adrift in the deep sea.
"We've run so far, and there's not a single trace of green. Truly a place where not even grass grows. Is this some special rule of this Paradise?"
Every Paradise is an independent pocket dimension, each governed by its own unique Rule.
Some Rules are positive, such as 'improved sleep quality,' 'faster livestock growth,' or 'easier concentrati on.' But far more are negative, like the mysterious radiation here, or 'a low murmur of half-words permeates the air.' There are even particularly dangerous ones, such as 'Demonic Beasts can invade the real world' or 'conventional weapons are ineffective.'
With humanity's current capabilities, we cannot alter these Rules , nor can we fully explain them. We can only adapt and utilize them.
The Rules aren't written on any visible signpost; they must be discovered through exploration. This led to the emergence of specialized professions like Navigators and Investigators . Capital punishment and life imprisonment were also reformed into the more humane concept of D-Class Personnel .
Xiao Bai, recalling these basic facts, stared at the radar's response, hoping to find something useful.
Instead, he received a warning that he had been locked onto by the radar?
This meant he was being targeted by a fire control radar somewhere, and missiles might arrive in seconds...
But before the missiles came, several lines of code-level communication arrived, translated by the Main Control System into text Xiao Bai could understand:
Verifying identity...
Identity confirmed, Recycling Robot C4-621.
Awaiting request...
No request received, communication terminated.
Xiao Bai didn't fully understand this mechanical language, but he knew the lock-on had been released, which brought him immense relief.
"My plan worked. Using that Authentication Key , I disguised myself as a Recycling Robot and temporarily tricked the other party."
"I never expected such a crucial component to be a tiny part without even a hint of indication. If I hadn't been so patient and meticulous, I would have missed it..."
"Now, following the direction of the enemy radar signal, we should be able to find something."
Xiao Bai continued racing for another two hours before his radar finally picked up a signal.
"Radar identification... a cluster of large structures? It must be the base those two 'Second Masters' belonged to."
"The enemy hasn't sent any further communications. Did they not notice how fast this recycling robot is moving? Does that mean no one's watching it?"
Filled with doubts, Xiao Bai gradually approached within 50 kilometers, close enough to see the outline of the base directly. He then initiated a scan.
"This... is nothing but ruins?"
"No signs of life whatsoever, and minimal energy signatures. A mid-sized base reduced to rubble. No wonder those autonomous machines seemed so rigid and clumsy—no one's been around to maintain them..."
"What exactly happened here?"
"Wait, I should ask first: Why would anyone build a base in this godforsaken place?"
Xiao Bai quickly arrived at the northern entrance of the base, where he saw the wreckage of three heavy transport helicopters. Various parts were scattered across the ground, and broken wings stuck into the soil like tombstones.
The cockpit interior was covered in dust, but the scanning function revealed a human-shaped outline buried beneath the dust, completely charred by high-temperature carbonization.
Under the fuselage hung several motionless Ghouls, their bodies also reduced to a charred state beneath the dust.
Xiao Bai tried to salvage something, but only managed to retrieve a few scattered parts.
Unwilling to give up, he approached closer and lifted several layers of armor panels, revealing melted integrated circuits beneath.
"What happened here? Did they get struck by lightning?"
He continued forward, passing through the unmanned gate, and scanned three fading markings on a section of broken wall.
One was the familiar shield emblem of the Defense Force; the other was a microscope symbol from the Federal Academy of Sciences, indicating that this place was affiliated with these two well-known institutions.
The final one Xiao Bai didn't recognize. It resembled a human figure divided into proportional sections, with two lines of small text circling around it—
Survival of the fittest.

Chapter end