Extraordinary Pedigree.

Chapter 1087 Iron Fortress
Three days later.

Crystal Star II, Arctic Circle, Iron Fortress.

The Arctic Circle sky is as cold as a frozen steel plate, and the light is refracted into a metallic pale light by the thick purplish-gray clouds. The entire horizon looks as if it were welded together from iron and frost.

On this barren steel wasteland, a red and blue heavy truck and a bright yellow sports car shuttle back and forth.

Both sped through the maintenance tunnel beneath the super-network of energy pipes—huge, transparent energy pipes suspended in the air like a giant spiderweb of crystalline glass arches, traversing the entire planet. Every now and then, high-speed transport capsules would streak past, accompanied by ear-piercing supersonic crashes, instantly heading towards cities millions of kilometers away.

The Superpipeline is the most representative public transportation system in Maxwell society, consisting of giant transparent pipes and high-speed transport pods. The pipe network covers the entire planet, forming a dense spider web that connects all major cities and strategic locations. The transport pods use magnetic confinement technology to travel in a virtually frictionless environment.

Under normal circumstances, they could have reached the center of the Arctic much faster.

However, the Functionalist Committee strictly controls the main network channels, and any unregistered individual will be marked by the system as a "suspected movement of the non-wheeled class" and forcibly blocked.

Therefore, Lutheran could only lead Xia Xiu through secondary networks, avoid radar anchors, and detour through black network segments and abandoned transport branches. They traversed the planet's intricate transportation network for several hours before finally reaching the deepest part of the Arctic Circle.

The city finally revealed its outline behind the ice fog; it was Iron Castle, the capital of the Maxwell Ironmen.

Xia Xiu slowly came to a stop in the snow and wind.

The red and blue heavy truck's body contracted slightly as if breathing. It deformed, and the metal structure folded and expanded with a series of clicks, quickly returning to the shape of a humanoid iron man. Lutheran also folded and took shape next to it.

At this moment, Xia Xiu truly saw the capital of Maxwell society for the first time.

It wasn't a city in the traditional sense, but more like a mechanical holy city standing between iron and light.

The entire city resembles an inverted metal ring embedded at the North Pole of the planet, with the earth tilting towards the center, as if gravity itself has been rewritten, causing all buildings to naturally face the central temple.

The city's architectural style blends ancient mechanical civilization with high-energy engineering aesthetics.

Towering crystal towers pierce the sky, their spires adorned with energy crystals that shimmer with a pale golden light, directly absorbing reflected energy from the aurora borealis and Dyson spheres, resembling pillars that receive stars and illuminate the entire city as if it were daytime.

The main urban area radiates outwards, with the central district standing like a crown at the North Pole, where the Mechanical Temple is located.

The circular administrative district spreads outwards with a regular, mechanical aesthetic, its buildings streamlined and faceted, gleaming with a cold light. The industrial belt of the outer city undulates like waves of steel, with hundreds of meters-high mechanical furnaces constantly spewing flames.

When Xia Xiu stood in front of the city gate, he could already sense with the help of the [Shattered Fire Seed] that the entire Iron Fortress extended dozens of kilometers downwards from the ground, and that there was a huge underground network beneath the city.

At this moment, the yellow sports car Iron Man's optical lens narrowed slightly, and he began to describe the layout of the Iron Fortress to his pope:

“Your Majesty Om Messiah, let me first introduce you to the key areas here.”

Lutheran raised his arm and pointed to the west wing of the city, where the buildings stretched out like a steel mountain range, with a giant ten-sided prismatic fortress standing at its center, surrounded by countless energy towers and defensive turrets.

“That’s the Pentagon,” he whispered.

"The military core of the city's western wing is directly under the jurisdiction of the Mechanical Temple—and is also the brain that controls the military of the entire planet through the Functionalist Council."

Xia Xiu's gaze swept over it, and he could clearly feel the alarm system, combat readiness signals, and oppressive energy pulses gathered there.

Lutheran continued, “Its structure consists of ten points, symbolizing the perfection that Ironforge once pursued, and is also the planet’s most fortified defensive node. All authority over ground forces, aerospace strikes, and orbital fire platforms… originates from there.”

His voice was very low:

"At the same time, it is also the residence of the seven progenitors of the Beast faction. The source of power of the Mechanical Temple is there."

Lutheran pointed to the city center.

There stands an enormous, silvery-white dome that covers the entire central area of ​​buildings, like a sacred shield for the city; inside the dome, slender, straight pillars pierce the light and point straight to the sky, shimmering with faint blue energy pulses.

“That colossal dome…” Lutheran’s voice was filled with awe and sorrow, “is the protective shield of the entire Iron Fortress. It covers the central government district and is also the earliest political center of all our Iron Man civilizations.”

"Those towers under the dome are called the Sky Spires. That is where the Council of Elders was born, the former council hall, and a sacred place recognized by all the Iron Men."

As he spoke, his tone revealed a longing for past glories:
"The design of the spire symbolizes the Iron Man's communication with the God of Machines—each column is a symbol of 'the Lord is still watching us.'"

"Now... that place has been taken over by functionalism. The Council of Elders has been abolished, and the Mechanist scholars have been purged..."

At this point, Lutheran's tone was clearly disappointed, but he quickly composed himself and continued to introduce Xia Xiu.

To the north of the Iron Fortress stands a massive, stepped metal palace, strangely aligned with the light from the sky.

"That is the Hall of Sages. The angle of the hall is precisely aligned with the trajectory of the stars, and at certain intervals, sunlight will shine directly into the center of the hall at a certain moment. That moment is considered a symbol of the God of Machines silently watching over the Iron Fortress."

"But now, that hall is sealed off, and no Iron Man can see that light again."

His hand then pointed to the south of the city, where a huge pyramid structure, like an inverted furnace, faintly emitted the rumbling of flowing energy and metal.

"That's where the pyramids were built—our birthplace."

Lutheran gently pressed his hand to his chest:

"Countless new Ironmen came into contact with the first ray of light there, received the spark for the first time, and opened their eyes for the first time."

“That is the cradle of our race, and the most sacred furnace of our creation.”

“The Functionalist Committee has turned it into an Iron Man screening factory, where it decides—who deserves to have gears, who should be deprived, and who should be marked as wheelless.”

This time, Lutheran was not swayed by his emotions. His task now was to introduce the layout of the Iron Fortress to the Pope. So he pointed to the east of the Iron Fortress, where a huge arc-shaped harbor rose from the metal ground ten thousand meters above the ground. Its orbits and space pipes were layered on top of each other, like a door open to the starry sea.

“Central Spaceport.” Lutheran gazed at that spot. “Iron Fortress’s oldest interstellar portal.”

"This is also the place where we Ironmen once ventured into the stars. In the past, one great ship after another took off from there, carrying the Ironmen's civilization into the outer universe."

His tone was somber: "Now, it has been transformed into a military port by functionalism, and no non-military individual is allowed to get close."

After finishing his introduction, Lutheran lowered his arms.

"Your Majesty Ohm Messiah—"

He looked at Xia Xiu, the blue light in the optical lens flickering slightly:
"This is Iron Fortress... once the pride of our race, now turned into an iron prison capital by the Beast Faction."

"And the Temple of the Machines is located in the heart of this city."

Xia Xiu narrowed his eyes, his gaze piercing through the layers of spires and energy walls, landing on the extremely enclosed area in the center of the city.

That is the heart of power.

This is also the fortress he will shake next.

But before that—the founder of the Omnic faction must first be freed from the iron cage.

He turned his head and gave the order to Lutheran:
"Your mission is complete. Now you are entering my out-of-cycle period. Your safety is the most important thing."

Xia Xiu's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable power: "Find a secluded area to lie in wait for my next order."

Lutheran immediately knelt on one knee, his chest energy bar flashing with a faith-like blue light:

"Yes, Your Majesty Ommessiah."

After saying that, he transformed into a yellow sports car and disappeared into the intricate metal canyons of the Arctic region.

Xia Xiu then transformed back into the red and blue heavy truck, its surface shimmering with intricate spiritual patterns. With a throttle press, it hurtled towards the Iron Fortress like a metallic meteor that seemed to fix itself in space.

……

……

As Xia Xiu approached the city center, a massive, transparent energy screen slowly lit up. It was not a simple barrier, but a "logical firewall" constructed by the entire Iron Fortress's autonomous think tank system.

The spires in the sky, like giant antennas, emitted blue-white quantum light streams that formed a city-wide recognition barrier. In Xia Xiu's sensor field of vision, a profound virtual interface suddenly appeared before his eyes:
【Ekadna (χιδνα) – Iron Fortress Oversight Think Tank】

[Status: Alert Level]

[An unregistered Ironman has been detected.]

[Abnormal flame fluctuations detected.]

Unknown machine code detected.

Please stop immediately and upload your identification; otherwise, the deletion process will be executed.

The barrier's energy began to gather, and any further approach would immediately trigger an armed response from the main city.

But Xia Xiu didn't slow down at all; instead, he smiled slightly to himself.

"Finally waiting for you."

Even before he set off, he was looking forward to colliding with this think tank, as this was the best opportunity for him to test the AI ​​chapter.

The [Shattered Flame] blazed brightly deep within his chest cavity like a meteor exploding, and in an instant, he simultaneously activated three computational chains of the Myriad Mechanisms:
[Optical Brain | Supercomputing Domain]

His consciousness speed soared to supercomputing levels, and he could even clearly capture the scanning cycle of the think tank.

[Traffic Analysis | Information Tracking]

All scan data, logic signals, and verification protocols have their origins and destinations clearly visible.

【Dream Invasion | Core Participation in the Dream】

Direct intrusion: the sub-logic layer of the Maximian church think tank [Echidna], like invading a brain that is calculating in a dream.

His consciousness transformed into an ice-blue beam of light piercing through the sea of ​​data.

boom--!
He precisely tore through the first layer of the firewall's logic, bypassed the second layer, and the third layer was blown away like withered leaves in the wind.

For an information conglomerate possessing power exceeding that of a typical progenitor, hacking into a sub-network of [Echidna] is an easy and effortless task.

In less than a second, he was already standing at the core of the [Ekadna] subnet. Instantly, the cold and solemn voice of the think tank suddenly stopped.

Then, that voice, which should have been ruthless, began to tremble like never before:
[...Verification in progress.]

[Spark Code: Not Recorded...]

[Identity Verification]

[Meets execution sequence requirements... Registered target: Aupu!]

Immediately, the energy barrier went out. The entire outer perimeter of the Iron Fortress seemed to kneel in unison, and Xia Xiu's red and blue car drove into the vanished barrier without any hindrance.

The inner gate of the Iron Fortress opened automatically for the new pope.

Xia Xiu transformed into a red and blue heavy truck, speeding along the blinding light-track avenue, the magnetic suspension interface between the wheels and the ground emitting a deep roar. Guided by the city's transportation network, he traversed command towers, energy crystal arrays, and armored barriers, finally arriving at the west wing of Iron Fortress without being detected by any detectors.

……

……

The Decadal.

This is one of the most dangerous areas in the entire Crystal Star II, the functionalist military hub, and also the iron-blooded fortress where the Mechano Temple exercises its military rule over the Iron Man class.

Xia Xiu slowed down at a distance, then activated the [Presence Weakening Mother Element - Triple Concealment] within his body.

Psychological stealth: Isolating oneself from all mental scans.

Optical stealth: Reflects external light, making it invisible to the naked eye.

Network stealth: Completely absent from all monitoring nodes.

The red and blue heavy trucks gradually blurred and eventually disappeared from the structure of real-world attention, like a shadow slipping into a steel maze.

The Pentagon was now very close.

Xia Xiu looked up, his gaze sweeping over the massive and cold-blooded structure inch by inch.

There lingered three distinct fiery fluctuations, each heavy, intense, and profound, like an ancient volcano buried beneath a metal mountain range.

That was the resonance of the primordial-level machine's spark—without a doubt, the three beast-type progenitors were stationed here, and they made no attempt to conceal their spark aura.

The security forces surrounding the area were also incredibly formidable, with the outermost layer consisting of a neatly arranged armored formation.

Those Iron Men were much larger than the three-meter-tall miners in Antarctica; each one was between seven and ten meters tall, with sophisticated transforming gears embedded in their chests, allowing for smooth multi-form transformations.

The second layer is the Iron Man in its heavy armored vehicle form.

Their leg structures are as thick as tracked armored vehicles, and their shoulder armor is covered with railgun mounting points; behind them is a compressed energy reactor, emitting heavy pulsed light patterns, like an energy heart that could burst into a torrent at any moment.

Their transformed form is the latest fourth-generation fighter-tank in the Crystal Star II military industrial system.

In the sky, there was a group of anti-aircraft mechs.
Standing eight meters tall, with paired rotor propulsion units on their shoulders and foldable long-range air-to-air missile pods on their backs, their helmets are sharp-shaped, like metal hunting birds.

Optical sensors constantly scan the sky and the ground, and immediately lock onto any suspicious energy fluctuations. Each one is a fourth-generation fighter jet of the Maxwellian military-industrial complex.

Such security capabilities would be enough to suppress even Tantross, who possessed the full strength of the Primordial Ancestor, in an instant.

However, Xia Xiu is no ordinary person. If it really comes down to brute force, he can fight these three ancestors to a standstill.

If the Gospel Holy Machine, which is currently waiting on Crystal Star II, is put down, it can suppress these three progenitors in turn.

But that would be too much of a commotion, attracting all seven members of the Beast Faction to gather, and he himself would inevitably be surrounded and beaten into a dangerous situation.

So he chose another path—infiltration.

Relying on brute force is a poor strategy; leveraging information flow is the best approach.

Xia Xiu calmly emitted a blue spiritual pulse, and [Consciousness Flow] seeped into the data sea of ​​Iron Fortress like nerve tendrils. He began to quickly search, filter, and locate among the distribution nodes of [Ekadna].

Soon, a striking piece of information caught his eye: a mechanical code indicating research authorization was approaching the Pentagon.

Xia Xiu felt a surge of joy; it was him.

A three-meter-tall iron man, its shape composed of polygonal facets and precision-engineered arms, is passing through the checkpoint. Its arms are replaceable composite tool ports, its back carries a folding experimental module, and its chest houses an analytical core that flashes pale blue pulses.

This is one of the most revered classes in Maxwell's functionalist society: the knowledge and science class.

The variant forms of this class are the Iron Man, scientific research equipment, communication instruments, and analysis platforms. They enjoy the highest level of form exemption, have the right to transform autonomously, and are not bound by functionalist classification.

In the Maxwellian social structure, the knowledge and science class was second only to the progenitor level of machinery.

The platform that Xia Xiu was currently targeting was an experimental platform with advanced scientific research privileges, and its shoulder armor was engraved with the insignia of a military rank of two bars and three stars—a rare feature in the militarized Maxwell lineage.

He was a rare free traveler across the border, with access to the Pentagon's internal research areas, making him perfect for smuggling in.

The flame on Xia Xiu's chest flickered slightly.

“Very good,” he said in a low voice, “you are my key.”