Chapter 130: Breaking the Brain in a Vat, The Traitor Appears

Chapter 130: Breaking the Brain in a Vat, The Traitor Appears

Inside the Eco Island's Hemisphere Building.

Lu Heng's squad began their investigation from the first floor, and their progress was smoother than that of the other Mutants.

While other Mutants were attacked by the Eco Island's robots, Lu Heng's squad not only avoided attacks but also received notifications from robots informing them of areas that required support.

When encountering other Mutants, due to belonging to different factions, these Mutants were extra cautious, but none took the initiative to attack.

Lu Heng's squad merely exchanged glances as they passed by.

As they reached the ninth floor, they encountered Huo Lingshan and Liu Liangpeng, who had started at the same location in the transport vehicle.

Huo Lingshan and Liu Liangpeng led the Mechanical Tiger through the corridor, and upon encountering Lu Heng, they initially displayed a wary expression. Then, Liu Liangpeng spoke first, "Don't attack. We agreed from the beginning not to fight each other."

They had indeed discussed this in the transport vehicle, but there was no formal alliance.

Of course, Lu Heng and the other Mutants had not engaged in combat, and unless there were special circumstances, they would not be hostile towards these two individuals.

Seeing that Lu Heng showed no hostility, Liu Liangpeng continued, "We've already searched this floor. You can go upstairs."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, we've searched every room," Huo Lingshan quickly added.

Lu Heng stared at the Mechanical Tiger beside them for a moment, then curiously asked, "Have you tamed this thing?"

"Huh? Er..."

Liu Liangpeng and his companion were taken aback, then quickly nodded and said, "Yes, we've tamed it. It listens to our commands now."

A dangerous smile curved Lu Heng's lips as he said, "So, you've seen the Overmind."

Liu Liangpeng's eyes widened, and he quickly denied, "No, we didn't find it."

Observing their poor acting, Lu Heng revealed a secret, "I spent 600 Divine Energy to repair it, and even then, I only gained its trust. In this world, you can destroy it, but no one can command it except its original master."

"Moreover, you two belong to the Central System Faction, and in its eyes, you're marked as enemies. The fact that it hasn't attacked you already speaks volumes."

Liu Liangpeng tried to argue, "I don't know what you're talking about. We received a hidden task, and this Mechanical Tiger temporarily obeys our commands."

"Is that so? Then I'll take a look inside this room." Lu Heng pointed at the room they had just exited.

"There's no need to go in. We've thoroughly searched it," Liu Liangpeng said, reaching out to stop Lu Heng as he prepared to enter. Liu Liangpeng's hand was already charged with Shadow Energy.

Lu Heng drew his sword swiftly, and with a Mountain Splitting Sword Technique, he slashed forward.

Liu Liangpeng reacted quickly, raising a Shadow Shield to block the attack.

However, he had no idea how powerful the Aurora Blade was, especially with its two special effects and Lu Heng's strength enhancement.

The Mountain Splitting Sword Technique shattered the Shadow Shield with a "Bang," and the sword light penetrated his right shoulder, slicing diagonally through ten centimeters, almost severing half of his shoulder.

The next instant, a burst of Source Energy rose from his body, and his body began to burn like a puppet made of paper.

His true self emerged from the burning puppet, gasping for breath.

It was the Tetsudaimaneku skill again.

This life-saving skill was indeed useful, automatically triggering when faced with fatal injuries.

However, even with the skill's activation, the user's body still suffered severe injuries.

Lu Heng swiped the paper puppet aside with his sword and kicked him away with a flying kick.

Almost simultaneously.

Huo Lingshan also attacked, unleashing a series of Vacuum Blasts towards Lu Heng.

Su Mu Yu immediately released the Prism Tower Shield, positioning it in front of Lu Heng to block the Vacuum Blasts.

At almost the same time.

Lin Ze Yu already had a Silver Python Revolver in his hand, twirled it, and fired a shot.

Bang! The large-caliber bullet, enhanced by the Advanced Armor-Piercing Bullet, penetrated Huo Lingshan's chest cavity.

The battle ended in a single exchange.

The combat power of these two individuals was not enough to pose a threat to Lu Heng and his two companions.

The Mechanical Tiger, on the other hand, remained still and asked, "I didn't tell you to attack them."

In the Gestalt consciousness hierarchy of the Rogue Servants, the Mechanical Tiger's rank was higher than Lu Heng's trio. Therefore, according to the rank rules, it could command Lu Heng's group.

Additionally, since they were from the same faction, the Mechanical Tiger did not initiate an attack when Lu Heng killed Huo Lingshan and his companion. Instead, it questioned their actions.

Lu Heng ignored the Mechanical Tiger's inquiry and, after killing the two men, walked straight into the room.

The room showed signs of a battle, and on the opposite side, there was an alloy door.

Lu Heng approached the door, intending to open it.

At that moment.

The Mechanical Tiger suddenly rushed over, blocking the doorway and commanding, "Stop! You don't have permission to enter here."

With the Mechanical Tiger blocking the door, the situation became clear.

The Overmind of the Rogue Servant faction must be inside.

"I can repair you, and I can also destroy you," Lu Heng raised his palm, spread his fingers towards the Mechanical Tiger, and released the Thunder Jail.

Boom!

Hundreds of thick lightning bolts intertwined, trapping the Mechanical Tiger.

With the Mechanical Tiger restrained, Lu Heng opened the alloy door.

The three saw the situation behind the gate, and like the previous three, their faces showed surprise.

A brain in a vat floated in a glass chamber, filled with an unknown liquid.

Although they had guessed that the Overmind was here, seeing it in person was still unexpected.

Initially, referring to it as the "Overmind" was merely a habitual term, meaning the unit responsible for the primary computational functions within the Collective Consciousness.

They never imagined it would literally be a "brain."

This brain was clearly not human, but it was similar, and its size confirmed it belonged to an intelligent being.

This planet was once a resource planet for the Sylax Civilization, so this brain should belong to a Sylax individual.

Furthermore, with the Mechanical Tiger always guarding this place, this brain was likely its owner.

Lu Heng strode towards the glass chamber, stopping about a meter away.

A Sylax image appeared on the glass wall, and it spoke, "Y233501, Y233502, Y233503, I command you to guard the building and eliminate all intruders."

The three numbers it mentioned were the identification numbers of Lu Heng and his companions, specifically referring to their faction wristbands.

At the same time, a hidden task prompt popped up before their eyes.

[Hidden Task Triggered: Guard the Overmind]



[Task Objective: Guard the Overmind until the battle ends. You will receive an Energy Blessing and the power of the gods.]



[Reward: Energy Blessing]



Seeing the hidden task, Lu Heng turned to Su Muyu and Lin Zeyu, "Do you have it too?"

Su Muyu nodded, "Yes, a hidden task."

Lin Zeyu clicked his tongue, "This must be the traitor's task, right?"

"Those two earlier were probably traitors."

Lu Heng looked up at the Brain in a Vat, slowly drawing out the Aurora Blade.

The Sylax face on the glass wall tensed, and it commanded again, "I order you to immediately leave the Overmind's room and eliminate all intruders!"

Lu Heng's gaze was determined as he asked, "I'm curious, do you still have self-awareness? Isn't it uncomfortable living in a glass vat like this?"

"Y233501, are you going to betray the collective?" the brain in a vat shouted.

Lu Heng didn't respond to its words; he raised the Aurora Blade, about to smash the glass chamber.

Just then—

A wave of mental contamination spread out, suffocatingly intense.

[Mental Pollution from an Unknown Source: -10 Mental]



A direct loss of 10 mental points; the intensity of the mental pollution was terrifying.

"Ah!"

Su Muyu and Lin Zeyu both grunted, unable to bear the pressure, and they knelt on one knee.

Lu Heng had a Mental Resistance Ring on his left index finger, reducing the intensity of the mental pollution, but he was still suppressed by the mental pollution, barely able to breathe.

Seeing Su Muyu and Lin Zeyu about to pass out, Lu Heng hurriedly shouted, "Get out of here quickly!"

Lin Zeyu couldn't care less about holding on; he rolled onto the ground, using the roll to leave the room and hide behind the wall, breathing heavily.

Even so, his mental attributes continued to drop.

Su Muyu had higher mental strength, but even she trembled under this terrifying mental pollution, gritting her teeth and enduring as she turned and ran out of the room, shouting, "What about you?"

Lu Heng's ring resisted 50% of the mental pollution, but even so, with each wave of mental pollution, he lost 5 mental points.

Moreover, this mental pollution wave occurred once every second.

Continuing like this, he couldn't hold on for even 10 seconds.

Lu Heng shouted, forcing himself to stay alert, then raised the Aurora Blade and slashed down.

Clang!

An energy shield rose from the glass wall, blocking the sword.

The Sylax face on the wall sneered and spoke with an unquestionable tone, "Obey my command and become my servant."

[Mental Pollution from an Unknown Source: -10 Mental]



[Mental Resistance Ring: Reduces the effects of mental pollution.]



The abyssal contamination source that appeared here was stronger than any they had encountered before.

It could even release an energy shield that the Aurora Blade couldn't break.

Furthermore, Lu Heng was now under intense mental pressure, unable to exert his full strength.

No wonder this was a world with a danger level of 4; other mutants would find it impossible to destroy this glass vat.

A cold glint flashed in Lu Heng's eyes, and he made a quick decision, unleashing Source Essence energy and slashing with the Rift Slash.

Clang! Bang!

The unstoppable Rift Slash cut through, instantly breaking the energy shield and shattering the glass wall.

Clang!

The glass wall shattered into pieces, and the viscous liquid from the vat spilled out, covering the floor.

The unprotected brain fell to the ground, and several tubes connected to the brain were severed.

The intensity of the mental pollution instantly dropped by several levels, and Lu Heng could finally breathe, gasping for air.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end