The Inverted Mummy

Xiao Bai had originally envisioned that this behemoth would yield a wealth of weapons, powerful engines, a Heaven-Defying reactor, and a vast array of raw materials to squander.
Yet, he only managed to salvage one type of weapon, a modest number of basic components, and just over a million units of materials. How could this be enough? After all, an ordinary family car contains around a hundred thousand parts.
By comparison, this hulk was like a crab in winter—all shell and no meat.
"Maybe it's because the thing's been neglected for so long. Most of the weapons are completely wrecked, and it took a devastating shot to the chest. That's probably why there's so little salvageable."
"The 'Factor' and 'Cube' are unexpected new discoveries, though. They feel like black technology from Paradise."
Xiao Bai didn't rush to inventory his haul. The Plasma Cannon was fully charged, and it was time to clear the final area. He decided to harvest all the resources first, then return to sort through his loot at his leisure.
Before setting out, he briefly glanced at the newly acquired missile launcher:
Multi-Domain General-Purpose Biological Armor Tracked Missile Launcher: A 50-cell ve rtical launch system created by a Lost Civilization. Equipped with compact, lightweight, and agile biological armor tracked missiles, it features multi-domain jamming resistance and is capable of handling air defense, surface, and maritime strike missions.
The small text read:
"Fire all! Fire all! Fire all!"
Xiao Bai tried to reload the weapon and discovered that it not only consumed 1 unit of large-caliber ammunition and electronic components, but also 3 units of chitin.
The final projectile loaded into the weapon was only a littl e over three meters long and less than 50 millimeters in diameter—remarkably compact. Yet, based on the destructive effect during their recent clash, it seemed to match the impact of a 155mm howitzer shell. Moreover, it was fast and had a long flight time.
"It feels like the chitin was used for some kind of magical reaction, making its flight time and e xplosive power disproportionate," Xiao Bai remarked. He then stored the new weapon in his Storage Space. The thing, when slung over his shoulder, looked like a heavy shipping container, severely hampering his mobility. He'd only take it out when necessary.
Next, he soared back into the high altitude and flew toward the final district.
This final district was relatively far away, already at the outskirts of the city.
Beyond lay the boundary of this "Paradise": an endless void of darkness, marked by an invisible barrier, like an "air wall" in a video game, seemingly impervious to any means of destruction or penetration.
This spot was perfectly aligned with the rising sun. The first rays of dawn dispelled the surrounding darkness, revealing a glimpse of the abandoned city like the tip of an iceberg.
The ground was littered with the "corpses" of mecha of all sizes. There were five large ones like the one Xiao Bai had encountered earlier, and over a thousand smaller and medium-sized ones.
Xiao Bai's heart had initially tightened, fearing he'd be shot full of holes. But upon closer inspection, he realized these mecha seemed to have no intention of "coming alive."
Moreover, regardless of their size or type, all of them maintained a uniform posture: one knee bent, heads bowed, as if participating in some kind of ceremonial audience.
From appearances, they seemed perfectly intact, save for rust and moss growth, showing no signs of damage.
However, their "eyes"—or whatever sensors or observation devices they possessed—were all destroyed. Judging by the residual damage, it looked like they had suffered internal explosions.
Further ahead of these mecha stood the last remaining mutants. Completely ignoring Xiao Bai's approach, they too assumed a bowed, kneeling posture with their deformed bodies, arranged in a fan-like formation as they worshipped the rising sun.
As if sensing something, Xiao Bai gradually slowed his pace, adjusted his stance, and tilted his head to gaze into the distance.
There, suspended in the air, was a colossal behemoth.
At a glance, it ap peared to be over a hundred meters tall, vaguely humanoid in shape but with limbs that were grotesquely disproportionate. Its surface resembled weathered, yellowed bandages, giving it a dilapidated appearance, like a mummy freshly unearthed from a pyramid.
Its bent hands were crossed over its chest, as if suspended upside down in mid-air. A slender, spiral finger extended from its right hand, pointing ominously at the city behind Xiao Bai, radiating an indescribable aura of malevolence and evil.
Xiao Bai couldn't help but stare a little longer, a chill creeping up his spine. Every fiber of his being trembled, overwhelmed by a primal fear that awakened the deepest, most primordial dread etched into his soul.
He quickly averted his gaze and muttered under his breath:
"What the hell is this thing? Why is the scanner completely ignoring it?"
"Are those mecha and mutants down there actually worshiping this... Precious Thing?"
As he spoke, he adjusted his course, tracing an arc to position himself alongside the colossal entity.
He narrowly avoided collidi ng with Paradise's invisible boundary, catching only a glimpse of the Precious Thing's impossibly smooth, vertical edge. It looked as if the massive creature had been sliced in half by a razor-sharp saber, then hung upon the very edge of Paradise's domain.
"The cut is so smooth, almost like the escape room back at the base. Did they just slice through space itself?"
"The mecha below might have come to subdue it, but for some reason, they suddenly knelt down. Then they used some kind of space-cutting weapon to finally take down this Precious Thing?"
"So what's the point of kneeling when facing a strong enemy? It's not like we're playing basketball..." Xiao Bai muttered sarcastically.
Suppressing his fear, he raised his head, aimed at the remaining half of the colossal creature, and resolved to finish off this relic of the Lost Civilization.
The plasma cannon fired with a roar, and then...
Not a scratch?
He had clearly hit the target, yet the creature didn't even flinch.
Refusing to believe it, Xiao Bai charged forward, raised his chainsaw sword, and swung with all his might.
Clang!
With a sharp crack, the invincible chainsaw sword snapped in two.
"You're wearing biological armor too?" Xiao Bai demanded.
He tried every weapon at his disposal, but none had any effect.
The creature remained motionless, offering no reaction, as if mocking his insignificance.
In desperation, he finally lowered his gaze to his own chest...
Since the opponent remained motionless, Xiao Bai decided to try direct absorption.
The green light of absorption swept over the figure, scanning back and forth.
Xiao Bai immediately heard the roar of a fan and the rush of liquid from the back of his mind—his chipset's cooling system was running at full capacity. A warning about the Main Control Chip being overloaded instantly popped up before his eyes.
The viscous liquid in his Brain-in-a-Box began to bubble and gurgle, as if boiling.
This was like overheating his "CPU" until it smoked, and his "brain matter" was boiling.

Chapter end