Chapter 169: The Fugitive Faction's Contact Method

Chapter 169: The Fugitive Faction's Contact Method

After escaping the Mechanical Arena, the trio finally witnessed the bustling Cyber City.

It was a stark contrast to the Cyber Wasteland they had seen before.

The tall buildings in the Cyber Wasteland were dilapidated, and the entire city was shrouded in a hazy mist, with even the blue-purple neon lights exuding an air of decay.

However, the planet they were currently on was the second Gaia Star in the capital star cluster of the Sykes Civilization, one of the most prosperous planets in the Sykes Civilization.

The city was filled with skyscrapers, and vehicles were not limited to ground travel; many flew overhead.

Su Muyu and Lin Zeyu were amazed to see vehicles flying above their heads for the first time.

Lu Heng, on the other hand, remained calm, having already experienced this in his previous life.

"Are those flying vehicles? How can they fly?" Lin Zeyu's mouth was wide enough to fit an orange.

"Anti-gravity technology, a 2.0 stellar civilization technology, has been mastered by the Sykes Civilization. However, ground vehicles have not been completely abandoned, as anti-gravity equipment is very expensive," Lu Heng explained.

The Sykes Civilization had indeed unlocked the anti-gravity technology tree, but this technology had just begun to be commercialized, so the number of flying vehicles was not significant.

"Do you think the Blue Planet will become like this in the future?" Lin Zeyu found everything fascinating.

"If humans can develop into a stellar civilization, it will probably be something like this," Lu Heng replied, though he wasn't entirely sure, as he had never witnessed human civilization reach the 2.0 level.

The current human civilization was only at the 0.8 level, far from the 2.0 level.

"Where are we going now?" Lin Zeyu felt like a question-asking machine, completely bewildered by this "future world."

"This time, we only have 15 days in the Abyssal Battlefield, and there's a lot to do. We can't waste a single day, so we must find a faction to help us," Lu Heng had already decided on their course of action.

"How do we find them? Should we capture a faction leader, hold a gun to his head, and order him to do our bidding? What do you think of this idea?" Lin Zeyu asked with a smirk.

"Not a good idea," Su Muyu immediately shot down his suggestion. "The moment you draw your gun, you'll be blown to pieces by a mini fusion bomb."

She had also witnessed the mechanical beast fight and the battle between the Winged Demon Overlord and the mechanical beast while exploring the arena's architecture.

A Winged Demon Overlord of the same level had been so powerful in the Demon God's Graveyard.

Yet, after being captured by the Sykes Civilization, this powerful Overlord-level demon had become a toy in the arena.

"What's a fusion bomb?" Lin Zeyu hadn't considered that possibility.

"A nuclear bomb," Lu Heng answered.

"What? Can nuclear bombs be used casually?" Lin Zeyu's eyes widened in surprise.

"Controllable nuclear fusion is a 1.0 technology. For the Sykes Civilization, nuclear fusion is as common as TNT for humans," Lu Heng explained.

"Is it that powerful?" Lin Zeyu regretted not studying harder, as he couldn't imagine that the nuclear bombs humans feared so much were considered conventional weapons in the Sykes Civilization.

He still found it hard to believe: "No, aren't they afraid of radiation?"

Lu Heng smiled and said, "They are, but not too much. Moreover, the mini fusion bombs manufactured by the Sykes Civilization have minimal radiation residue, and the Sykes Civilization has very advanced radiation cleanup technology.

"Even if there is radiation residue, pushing a machine over to sweep it will clean it up.

"However, these aren't the most critical factors. The most crucial aspect is that the Sykes Civilization has completed mechanical body transformation, and 99% of its citizens are mechanical bodies, so they aren't afraid of radiation."

Organic life forms are the ones truly afraid of nuclear radiation, as it can cause qualitative pathological changes in organic life forms.

Mechanical bodies are different; if radiation damages a part, it can be replaced in a factory.

Therefore, the use of mini nuclear weapons has become normalized in the Sykes Civilization.

"That's crazy," Lin Zeyu finally understood how dangerous this world was. "So, how do we proceed? Where do we go now?"

"Follow me."

Lu Heng led the two along the streets, searching for a way to contact a faction.

Without visas, the three of them were considered unknown alien species in the Sykes Civilization's city, and if discovered, they would be arrested by the mechanical guards.

Fortunately, they had the Mechanical Tiger.

The Mechanical Tiger was a genuine mechanical beast with a Sykes citizenship.

Mechanical beasts were toys for the upper-class nobility, so their "citizenship" level was very high.

Therefore, when they encountered mechanical guards checking their credentials, the Mechanical Tiger's high status smoothed things over.

...

After walking through several streets, Lu Heng found a computer terminal that could connect them to a faction.

In fact, Lu Heng had already made contact with a faction of the Sykes Civilization in his previous life—the Fugitive Faction.

After the Abyssal Descent, factions began to emerge within the Sykes Civilization.

The three most influential factions were the Descent Faction, the Salvation Faction, and the Fugitive Faction.

The Descent Faction believed in the power of the Abyss and chose to accept its baptism, thinking they could gain power beyond the limits of civilization.

The Descent Faction's purpose was to welcome the Abyss's arrival and even willingly hand over their civilization to Abyssal rule.

As a result, within the Sykes Civilization, the Descent Faction was aligned with the Abyss.

The Salvation Faction, on the other hand, aimed to save civilization from the Abyss's quagmire and firmly believed that their technological prowess could easily counter the Abyss's invasion.

The Salvation Faction is one of the most supported factions, indicating that the majority of Sykes Civilization citizens have not lost their minds.

The Exodus Faction, on the other hand, is a unique group that believes the Abyss is unstoppable and advocates for fleeing the current stellar system before it's completely devoured by the Abyss, seeking refuge in another stellar system.

Sykes Civilization is a 2.1-level civilization that has taken its first step towards a galactic civilization and indeed possesses interstellar travel capabilities.

If the Exodus Faction's plan of fleeing is chosen, Sykes Civilization does have the ability to preserve the seed of its civilization.

However, choosing to flee would mean abandoning their homeland, a decision most Sykes citizens are reluctant to make. Therefore, the Exodus Faction had a minimal number of supporters during the initial stages of the Abyssal invasion.

...

Within Sykes Civilization, these three factions have other nicknames.

The Descension Faction is considered "Extremists," the Salvation Faction is called "The Arrogant Ones," and the Exodus Faction is mocked as "Cowards."

In his previous life, Lu Heng was once recruited into Sykes Civilization and, unfortunately, joined the Exodus Faction.

Thus, Lu Heng is familiar with the Exodus Faction's internal communication methods.

Lu Heng urgently needs the support of a faction, and even though the Exodus Faction has fewer members, it is still sufficient for his current needs.

After all, it's impossible to truly control a large faction in such a short time.

Lu Heng uses the computer terminal to contact the Exodus Faction's regional manager through their internal communication method, arranging a meeting time and location.

The meeting is set for the evening, at the bank of the artificial river.

Evening.

The entire city is bathed in blue-purple neon lights, creating a unique beauty.

Lu Heng, Su Muyu, and Lin Zeyu arrive at the bank of the artificial river but don't immediately go out to meet; instead, they observe from the shore.

The banks and levees of the artificial river are illuminated by neon lights, resembling a winding blue-purple light dragon, an awe-inspiring sight.

Su Muyu leans on the railing, marveling, "How beautiful!"

Indeed, it is beautiful, but the artificial river carries treated industrial waste, more like a giant water channel for waste disposal than a river.

At 9 PM, a cylindrical robot appears on the riverbank.

Upon reaching the precise coordinates of the meeting spot, the robot's head begins to rotate 360 degrees, searching for the contact person.

Its position is accurate to the centimeter, not deviating from the agreed-upon coordinates.

"Is that the robot?" Su Muyu asks.

"It should be," Lu Heng replies. "I'll go and meet them. You two stay here, and if anything seems wrong, retreat."

Although Lu Heng had joined the Exodus Faction of Sykes Civilization in his previous life, he decides to be cautious and goes alone.

"Okay," Su Muyu nods, activating the Invisibility Cloak to conceal the Mechanical Tiger and Lin Zeyu.

Lu Heng strides towards the riverbank and stands before the cylindrical robot.

The robot is approximately one meter tall, legless, and moves on wheels.

Upon seeing Lu Heng, the cylindrical robot emits a scanning beam, scanning him from head to toe, and then asks, "What kind of being are you?"

Lu Heng calmly replies, "Human, from another civilization."

Cylindrical Robot: "What's your purpose in contacting us?"

Lu Heng had prepared his response beforehand: "I have deep knowledge of the Abyss and believe that Sykes Civilization should plan to preserve the seed of its civilization. That's why I wish to meet with the leader of your faction."

While the faction is commonly referred to as the "Exodus Faction" in everyday speech, they do not use this term to refer to themselves internally.

The faction has an official name: "Seed of Civilization Continuation Plan."

Cylindrical Robot: "You need to provide more information for us to assess your eligibility to meet the leader."

Having been a member of this faction in his previous life, Lu Heng is confident that he can convince the faction's manager if given enough time.

Just as Lu Heng is about to respond, dozens of mini-missiles appear in the sky, shooting towards them at supersonic speed.

Lu Heng's gaze sharpens, and he immediately uses the Source Essence skill Shadow Walk to vanish into the shadows upon seeing the mini-missiles.

These mini-missiles are incredibly fast, breaking the sound barrier, and in the blink of an eye, they strike the spot where Lu Heng and the cylindrical robot were standing.

Boom! Boom! Boom...

The intense explosions instantly plow dozens of large craters into the ground.

The cylindrical robot is reduced to ashes in the blasts.

Su Muyu and Lin Zeyu, watching from 300 meters away, are on the verge of shouting in anxiety.

Fortunately, the next moment, Lu Heng bursts out from the center of the explosion.

Su Muyu quickly controls the Divine Feathered Eagle to fly over and release the Invisibility Cloak, allowing Lu Heng to enter stealth.

As soon as Lu Heng enters stealth, the area he was in is bombarded by a barrage of mini-missiles.

Then, over a dozen Mechanical Guards rush in, searching the area.

The three regroup and immediately retreat from the riverbank area, evading the Mechanical Guards' pursuit.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end