Chapter 319: Mission Target

Chapter 319: Mission Target

"Based on the information I have, I do know of several factions researching Mechanical Devils, but their research directions differ. I can't be certain which one is your target."

Xavier Matrix, being in the field of cutting-edge technology, was indeed aware of various organizations and factions studying Mechanical Devils.

In fact, conducting research on demons in the Sikes Civilization was not illegal.

Only by studying demons could one find ways to counter them.

Therefore, researching demons itself was not an issue.

Of course, to engage in demon research, one needed to register with the Sikes Central System and obtain permission before proceeding.

This application was not difficult to acquire, so there were numerous organizations and factions in the Sikes Civilization with demon research qualifications.

Most of these demon research organizations focused their projects on understanding demons.

Clearly, this was not the target of the main mission.

Since the main mission was to investigate a mad scientist researching Mechanical Devils, it indicated that this incident posed a threat.

Moreover, the threat had likely already manifested but had not yet escalated.

Based on Lu Heng's experience, if this summons task was not completed, the harm caused by the Mechanical Devil incident would rapidly expand and might even lead to a catastrophe.

"This scientist researching Mechanical Devils will undoubtedly endanger civilization, and the threat is severe. With a danger level of 6, it's even higher than the previous Abyssal Tumor incident. Therefore, this scientist is extremely dangerous, and it's impossible that there's no trace of their activities." Lu Heng voiced his speculation.

"If that's the case, I have a few possible targets, but you'll need to investigate them yourselves. I can only assist from the side." Xavier Matrix displayed the profiles of several scientists on the light screen.

Three scientists appeared on the screen, all engaged in demon-related research projects.

These three scientists had only recently gained prominence in the Sikes Civilization.

After all, the Abyssal invasion of the Sikes Civilization had only occurred two to three decades ago, and with numerous planets in the Sikes Civilization, unpopulated planets like Ice Plain Star would not immediately attract significant attention even if invaded by the Abyss.

Consequently, the Abyssal invasion in the first two decades did not garner much concern.

Otherwise, Siks would not have needed Lu Heng's help to send a reminder to the Capital Star Circle, which still failed to elicit a substantial response.

The Abyssal invasion had only escalated in the past decade, gradually drawing more attention from the Sikes Civilization.

These scientists researching demon-related projects had also only recently become known to the public.

The three scientists provided by Xavier Matrix were all radicals with official demon research permits.

Of course, their surface research projects appeared legitimate, but it was uncertain what they were truly studying behind the scenes.

Lu Heng reviewed the profiles of these three scientists, comparing them with his memories.

Upon seeing the third scientist's name, Lu Heng felt he had found the answer.

The third scientist was named Eurston Stella, and his research focused on demon metabolism.

Lu Heng recalled the name; in his previous life, Eurston Stella was an extremely dangerous scientist in the Sikes Civilization. It was rumored that he had almost wiped out a 50-person-strong Abyssal battlefield.

This Eurston Stella was indeed studying a terrifying Abyssal organism that posed a significant threat.

Lu Heng tried to recall information from his mind and compare it with the current situation.

The information on Eurston Stella did indeed appear around April of the second year after the Abyssal descent.

Lu Heng had only awakened four months prior, so his level was not particularly high. He had not encountered someone of Eurston Stella's caliber, and all he knew about this Sikes scientist was from the internet and news.

Based on the timeline, Eurston Stella could very well be the boss of this Abyssal battlefield.

Even if this Abyssal battlefield investigation did not target him, given his dangerous nature, it would be beneficial to investigate him in advance.

Lu Heng pointed at Eurston Stella's profile and said, "Professor, I suspect this person. Display all his information and formulate an investigation plan."

Xavier Matrix showed a keen interest and asked, "Why do you suspect him? Don't you suspect the other two?"

"It's just a... hunch," Lu Heng replied, shrugging.

Robots don't have instincts; for computers, results are binary, and the process of reaching a conclusion is always clear.

If the calculation process is unclear, it means the problem is unsolvable or beyond the computational capacity.

If a choice is made without calculation, it's called random selection.

Therefore, Xavier Matrix lacked instincts, but he knew that organic life possessed them and understood their meaning, though he couldn't comprehend what they were.

In his cognitive framework, "instinct" was a process of reaching a conclusion through "unknown means," distinct from "random selection."

Xavier Matrix commented on Lu Heng's answer, "I dislike reaching conclusions without a calculation process."

Lu Heng shrugged and said, "Perhaps that's the difference between life and machines."

Xavier Matrix suddenly became intrigued by the concept of instinct, "If a robot developed instincts, would it be closer to life?"

Lu Heng was also curious and casually replied, "Maybe."

Xavier Matrix noted this, "This is an excellent research direction. Does the Black Feather Spirit have instincts?"

Yuan Yaoyao raised her hand and answered, "The Black Feather Spirit doesn't, but I do. My instincts are spot-on."

Xavier Matrix decided on the spot, "Good. Next time you come, we'll conduct research on human instincts."

In truth, Lu Heng had already realized that Yuan Yaoyao had likely traveled to the Sikes Civilization more than once.

For her, the Sikes Civilization had become her second world.

This was a promising development direction.

Cultivating one world, gaining more power within it, and using that power to acquire strength—this was the way.

Of course, when choosing to cultivate in a world, one should consider their innate talents and skills to select the most suitable world.

For instance, Lu Heng would not choose the Sikes Civilization, as his talents and skills were unrelated to machinery, and cultivating in this world would not significantly enhance his combat power.

Yuan Yaoyao was different. She followed the mechanical enhancement route and possessed the extremely rare initial talent, [Mechanical Heart].

All skills revolve around obtaining machinery.

Moreover, on her first Summoning Event, she encountered Xavier Matrix, a top scientist of the Siks Civilization, and acquired the Black Feather Spirit, a perfect start.

If Lu Heng were her, he would also choose to deeply cultivate the Siks World and establish a strong bond with it.

However, this strategy of deeply cultivating one world also has its drawbacks.

For instance, Yuan Yaoyao is now deeply tied to the Siks Civilization. If one day, the Siks Civilization is swallowed by the Abyss, most of her previous efforts would be in vain.

This is especially critical for the mechanical enhancement route.

If the Siks Civilization were to perish one day, Yuan Yaoyao's Black Feather Spirit would become unmaintainable. Without anyone to repair it once it's damaged, it would soon become obsolete.

Once she loses the Black Feather Spirit, her combat strength would be halved.

Therefore, while deeply bonding with a world can provide resources, it also requires contributing to that world and fighting against the Abyss.

...

Lu Heng looked at Yuan Yaoyao's youthful face, his mind filled with thoughts.

Yuan Yaoyao waved her hand in front of Lu Heng and asked, "Brother Lu, what are you spacing out about? The professor said that Ertsong Strala is indeed on Queen Star. When are we going to investigate him?"

Lu Heng snapped back to reality and replied, "Um, we'll discuss the action plan, and then we can get started."

Before taking action, they also needed to gather all the other Summoned individuals and hold a meeting to discuss the plan.

Lu Heng asked Jane Qing to notify all the allied Summoned individuals to come.

After sending someone to make the arrangements, Jane Qing asked, "Are we gathering everyone now because we've confirmed the target?"

Lu Heng nodded and said, "We've made a preliminary confirmation, but this mission is very dangerous, so we need to be extra cautious."

Jane Qing took a deep breath and said, "After discovering the Creator Organization's Pillage Team, I realized that this Summoning Event brought not only your super squad but also another one of similar strength. The actual difficulty might even be higher than a level 7 mission."

Since Lu Heng hadn't explained to her that he wasn't summoned, she assumed that Lu Heng's team and the Creator Organization's Pillage Team were both summoned.

With two super teams involved, how terrifying would this mission be? Although Jane Qing misunderstood the circumstances of Lu Heng's appearance, being cautious was never wrong.

Moreover, this mission was indeed dangerous.

The Creator Organization's Pillage Team was already wanted by the Siks military, indicating that they were unlikely to participate in the main mission.

In an Abyss Battlefield, if the main force doesn't engage in the mission, how could the other, relatively weaker teams handle the final boss?

If it weren't for Lu Heng's team, this Summoning Event would have required Jane Qing to lead the mission directly, facing the dangers herself.

With Lu Heng's involvement, it doesn't mean the mission will be simple.

Lu Heng's team is merely replacing the duties that the Creator Organization's Pillage Team should have fulfilled, essentially substituting one super squad for another.

...

Due to Jane Qing's background with the Daxia military, she held a high level of prestige among Ability Users.

These summoned Ability Users, even if they didn't acknowledge her combat strength, would still choose to believe in her character.

After all, the Daxia military had already conducted a strict review of this "Wind Marshal's" ideological and moral qualities, so there was no need for concern in that regard.

In the Abyss Battlefield, the choice of allies wasn't based on their combat strength but on their trustworthiness.

Clearly, Jane Qing was the most trustworthy person in the entire Abyss Battlefield.

Allying with Jane Qing might not bring significant benefits, but at least there was no need to worry about betrayal.

Therefore, during these ten days, Jane Qing established connections with many teams.

Surprisingly, five teams, totaling twenty-one individuals, showed up for this gathering.

After everyone had arrived, Jane Qing introduced them, "Everyone, this Abyss Battlefield has reached its final stage.

"There are only five days left until the return time, but so far, we haven't completed the main mission.

"The purpose of gathering everyone here is to prepare for the final action.

"Before we begin, let me introduce someone.

"Even without my introduction, I believe everyone already knows him.

"This Summoning Event was fortunate to have three Dragon Valor Commanders, and for the upcoming actions, I will follow Commander Lu Heng's lead. I hope everyone can follow suit."

Usually, Lu Heng maintained a low profile and rarely appeared in Ability User circles.

However, there were numerous legends about him within those circles.

Perhaps some hadn't met Lu Heng in person, but everyone had heard his name.

When they heard that Lu Heng had also been summoned, these Ability Users had mixed feelings.

Initially, they were delighted, as having a powerful Ability User leading the team meant they could follow behind and provide support, reducing the pressure on themselves.

However, this also brought another issue.

When a super-powerful team appears in an Abyss Battlefield, it indicates an extremely dangerous situation.

In the first ten days, these Ability Users were unaware that such a strong team had been summoned.

Seeing Lu Heng's team suddenly appear, those present adjusted their expectations for the dangers of this Abyss Battlefield.

Lu Heng stood up and took over the conversation, "I won't waste time with pleasantries and get straight to the point.

"The main mission this time is to investigate and research the mad scientist of the Mechanical Devil. I know that all of you have been investigating Xavier Matrix during this period.

"I suspect that your investigations have yielded no results because you've been looking in the wrong direction.

"I won't explain the process and reasons; I'll just give you the answer.

"The target of this mission should be this demon researcher, Ertsong Strala."

At this point, Ertsong Strala's information appeared on the light screen.

Lu Heng continued, "Of course, I've only found some general information about Ertsong Strala so far, and it hasn't been verified.

"Based on the current clues, I'm 80% certain that Ertsong Strala is the target of this main mission.

"Next, we need to verify the accuracy of this information.

"First, investigate Ertsong Strala's whereabouts and the project he's working on.

"Find the location of his laboratory and uncover the Mechanical Devils he created.

"Finally, execute the action plan, destroying the Mechanical Devils and Ertsong Strala's laboratory.

"This is the current action plan, and the specific details still need to be discussed together."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end