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“We mean no harm.” Chen Ye stared directly at the two red beams of light, while releasing a slight trace of the aura of the fragment of the Holy Spirit Heart. “We have come to restart the Holy Spirit’s Radiance and need to enter the Starry Sky Puzzle Corridor. These corrupted monsters are our enemies.”

The mechanical guard's red beam swept across Chen Ye and the fragments of the Holy Spirit Heart, emitting a "beep beep" sound from within.

"Detected... fragment of a high-level Holy Spirit origin... authority fluctuation..."

"Logic Chain Update: Assists in combating corrupted units... conforms to core instruction sub-items..."

"'Hunter III'...codename: Judgment...under reassessment..."

It paused for a few seconds, seemingly weighing its options.

"...A temporary agreement has been reached. Limited cooperation may proceed until the current corruption threat is eliminated. Warning: If hostile behavior is detected... cooperation will be terminated immediately... and the elimination procedure will be executed."

"Hunter III: Judgment"? It really is this model! And it seems to still retain some of the core instructions for combating corruption, and the logic is not completely disordered.

“Okay.” Chen Ye nodded. “Let’s deal with the last one first.”

The heavily wounded Corrupted Abomination had recovered and stared intently at Chen Ye and the Judgement with its single eye, letting out angry and painful roars. However, it did not pounce on them immediately, seemingly still shaken by Chen Ye's earlier attack.

The red beam of judgment turned towards the abomination, and the energy blade in his right hand spun rapidly once more.

"Target locked. Cooperative attack mode activated."

Before the words were even finished, it had already transformed into a dark golden afterimage, charging towards the Abomination first! The energy blade brought with it a sharp whooshing sound, aiming straight for the Abomination's injured right eye!
It roared in a rage, brandishing its intact left claw at the Judgment, while simultaneously opening its mouth to spew out viscous fluid once more.

But would Chen Ye give it a chance? As the Judgment charged out, he moved as well! He activated the Starlight Escape Technique, his figure appearing like a ghost behind the Abomination, the Wraith Greatsword sweeping across, slashing at its supporting leg joint!

A pincer attack from both sides!

The energy blade of the Judgment was barely blocked by the Abomination's giant claws, sparking a burst of sparks. But Chen Ye's sword light severed one of the Abomination's hind leg joints without any hindrance!
The abomination tilted its body, interrupting its spitting action. Only a small stream of viscous fluid was sprayed out, landing on the ground and corroding a small pit.

Judgment seized the opportunity, unleashing the power of the energy blade, which slashed away the giant claw and plunged fiercely into the abomination's throat!

laugh!
The energy blade pierced through the carapace and emerged from the back of the abomination's neck! The abomination's roar turned into a hissing sound as it deflated, its massive body convulsed violently, and finally crashed to the ground, completely still.

The battle is over.

Judgment drew his energy blade, shook off the slime, and turned to look at Chen Ye. The red beam calmly scanned Chen Ye and Jiu Feng and the others who were climbing out of the shaft.

"Threat eliminated. Cooperation terminated." The electronic voice of the ruling remained cold. "State your purpose and plans. According to the 'Emergency Response Protocol,' limited assistance or information may be provided if conditions are met."

Chen Ye felt a slight sense of relief. It seemed that the logic behind this "judgment" did indeed retain the instructions to combat corruption and assist the "authorities," and although the attitude was cold, at least communication was possible.

He briefly explained his mission, his need to enter the Starry Sky Puzzle Corridor to obtain the Star Key of Wisdom, and his ultimate goal of awakening the Holy Spirit's radiance when the starlight converges between the star cores.

“Starlight converges… Countdown: 5:45.” The Judgment seems to have a precise timing system inside. “Time is running out. The entrance to the Starry Sky Puzzle Corridor is located in the central area of ​​the second level. To get there, you must pass through the ‘Lower Energy Zone’ and the ‘First Level Outer Corridor’, and may encounter corrupted units and… other ‘Anomalous Constructs’.”

“Anomaly constructs?” Chen Ye pressed. “Do you mean ‘hunters’ like yourself? What are their conditions?”

“Incomplete data,” the ruling replied. “Since the ‘Great Collapse,’ internal communication networks have been disrupted, and each regional construct has been operating independently. Some units may be in an abnormal state due to programming errors, energy depletion, or… being corrupted by corrupting energy. The ‘Hunter’ series, due to its higher autonomy, has an even higher degree of uncertainty regarding its status. Recommendation: When encountering them, remain vigilant and prioritize confirming their IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) signals.”

This is basically consistent with the information.

"Do you have a structural diagram of the second layer? Or do you know the shortest safe path?" Chen Ye asked.

"The data module is partially damaged. A fragmented structural diagram and the current dynamic threat distribution in the area can be provided." A small opening appeared on the side of the adjudicator's head, and a silver data chip the size of a fingernail popped out. "Connect to a compatible device to read it."

Chen Ye took the chip and tried to contact it with the "Star Key Resonance Disk". The patterns on the surface of the disk lit up slightly, reading the chip information and projecting a fragmented but "fresher" structural diagram of the second layer and surrounding area than the repair station's database. Several flashing red dots were also marked on it, representing the approximate location of the "high-threat targets" recently detected by the adjudicator.

"Thank you." Chen Ye noted down the information. "What are your plans next? Continue patrolling here?"

"Core directive: Clear all corrupted units in the area, protect critical facilities (some are already damaged), and await further instructions or takeover by authorized personnel." The ruling replied, "Current area clearance: 63%. If your actions contribute to clearing a wider area of ​​corruption threats, or meet the highest priority objective of 'Rebooting the Holy Spirit', limited escort or tactical support may be provided according to the agreement until reaching the corridor entrance."

This is an unexpected bonus! Having a "hunter" familiar with the tower's environment and whose strength has reached the late Golden Core stage (or even higher) to assist will greatly improve both safety and efficiency.

“We need to get to the entrance of the Starry Sky Puzzle Corridor as soon as possible,” Chen Ye said. “We would be extremely grateful if you could provide escorts and directions.”

"Request accepted." The red beam of judgment swept over the group. "Assessment: The team's overall combat strength is acceptable, but it lacks specific countermeasures against the environment inside the tower and corrupted units. Recommendation: Follow me, remain vigilant, avoid unnecessary combat, and aim for a quick passage."

"clear."

"Route planning complete. First segment: Through the abandoned pipeline network of the 'underlying energy zone,' avoiding the main corrosion accumulation area. Estimated time: 15 minutes. Depart."

After delivering the verdict, he turned and walked to the wall on one side of the platform, extending his metal fingers to press a few times on a certain spot on the wall.

hum...

An ordinary-looking metal plate on the wall slid inwards, revealing a narrower, dusty, cobweb-covered pipe passage. The passage was only about one meter in diameter, requiring one to bend over to pass through.

“This is a maintenance pipeline that leads deep into the energy zone, a place that corrupted units typically don’t go.” The adjudicator was the first to go inside.

Chen Ye and the others exchanged glances and followed in turn. The pipes were dark and damp, filled with a strong smell of metal and machine oil. The Judgment led the way, its red beam sweeping across the path like a searchlight. Its metallic body moved with remarkable agility through the narrow pipes, making almost no sound.

Chen Ye followed behind, keeping a watchful eye on what was behind him while processing the information he had just received from the verdict.

This "Hunter III: Judgment" clearly retains a considerable degree of logical functionality and combat capability, and exhibits a clear hostility towards corrupted units. This might suggest that similar entities may exist within the tower. If they could unite, they would undoubtedly form a formidable force.

But the warnings in the logs and the "potential threat" markers in the database made him uneasy. Had these highly autonomous constructs undergone unforeseen changes over time and with the erosion of energy? Were their definitions of "authorized users" and their loyalty still the same as they were initially?
We can only proceed one step at a time and remain vigilant.

The pipes meandered, sometimes going up, sometimes down. Along the way, they passed several places where the pipes had broken, revealing larger spaces outside, where roaming corrupted mechanical insects or even more grotesque monsters often roamed. However, Judgment avoided these places in advance or signaled the group to hide, so as not to disturb them.

About fifteen minutes later, light and a larger space appeared ahead.

The judge stopped, signaling everyone to be quiet, and then carefully peered out of the pipe to observe.

Outside was a massive "energy hall," filled with enormous pipes and energy converters. A broken lighting system cast a dim, flickering light from the ceiling. Damaged equipment and parts were scattered on the floor, and the air was thick with the smell of ozone and a faint stench of decay.

In the center of the hall, between several enormous energy converters, a dozen or so corrupted monsters of various shapes and sizes were gathered! There were corrupted abominations that we had seen before, more agile "corrupted swift beasts" that resembled hunting dogs, and even two "corrupted ghosts" that hovered in mid-air, constantly releasing dark red energy ripples!
The auras of these monsters ranged from the early to late stages of the Golden Core realm. Among them, the largest Corrupted Abomination was exceptionally large, with its carapace covered in strange purple patterns. Its aura had reached the peak of the Golden Core realm and even faintly touched the threshold of the Nascent Soul realm!

"Corruption Node..." the judge's electronic voice lowered, "Energy has accumulated here, attracting a large number of corrupted units. Forcing your way through is extremely risky. Alternative route: detour around the cooling tower's perimeter, but this will take an extra 25 minutes and may involve other unknown threats."

Chen Ye estimated the time. The detour would take 25 minutes, and they only had less than five hours left. Every 25 minutes was crucial.

"Can we estimate their sensing range? If we sneak past the edge..." Chen Ye asked.

"The Corrupted Wraith possesses energy perception capabilities, with a range of approximately fifty feet. The Corrupted Swiftbeast has a keen sense of smell and hearing. The probability of successful stealth is... less than thirty percent," the judge calmly analyzed.

"Then... create chaos to distract them?" Jiufeng suggested.

"How is it made?" asked the Jade Void Taoist.

Chen Ye looked at the verdict: "Do you have a way to remotely trigger certain devices here? For example... to create an energy overload or an alarm?"

The red beam of the verdict swept across the equipment in the hall.

"Feasible. The third energy buffer tank in the southeast corner has unstable internal pressure and an aging structure. If its pressure relief valve is impacted with precise energy, it can trigger a controlled energy leak and explosion, producing a bright light, a loud noise, and energy turbulence, which is enough to attract the attention of most corrupted units and last for about fifteen breaths."

"But the explosion could also attract attention from further away or from higher levels," the ruling added.

"Fifteen breaths...that's enough." Chen Ye looked at his companions. "Once the explosion occurs, we'll quickly pass through the gap on the west side. Judgment, you're in charge of triggering the explosion and monitoring for any survivors or new threats. Jiu Feng and I will clear the way, Senior Yu Xu and you will provide support from the center, and Senior Dong Xu and Zhi Yin will watch the rear."

"Agreed." There was no objection to the ruling.

The group prepared themselves and quietly moved to the west side of the pipe opening, pressing themselves against the wall.

Judgment then moved to the other side of the pipe opening, raised his right arm, retracted the energy blade, and deformed the front of his arm, extending a slender gun barrel with an energy emission port.

It locked onto the huge, rust-covered energy buffer tank in the southeast corner.

"Three, two, one... trigger."

call out!
A thin but concentrated beam of blue energy shot out from the muzzle and accurately hit an inconspicuous pressure relief valve on the top of the buffer tank!

*Swoosh—Boom!*
First came a sharp hissing sound, followed by the detonation of unstable energy inside the buffer tank! A blinding blue-white light, accompanied by a deafening explosion, swept across half the hall! The violent energy turbulence spread like a hurricane, blowing the nearby corrupted monsters off their feet!
"Now! Let's go!"

Chen Ye shouted and charged out of the pipe, transforming into a streak of golden-red light as he sped toward the western opening! Jiu Feng followed closely behind, her spear like a dragon, sweeping away the rubble and debris blocking her path.

Yu Xu, Dong Xu, and the others also unleashed their full speed to keep up.

In the center of the hall, the corrupted monsters were disoriented by the sudden explosion, roaring angrily as most of them rushed towards the center of the blast. Only two corrupted wraiths and the largest Golden Core peak Abomination seemed to sense the anomaly, casting their "gaze" in the direction Chen Ye and the others had left.

But the ruling has already stood in their way!

Its arms transformed once more into spinning energy blades, its dark golden body resembling the Grim Reaper in the dimly lit hall, while a red beam locked onto the largest abomination.

"Your opponent... is me."

The cold voice fell, and the verdict took the initiative to charge!
Chen Ye glanced back and saw that the Judgment was already fighting with the Abomination at the peak of the Golden Core stage and two ghosts. Its dark golden figure darted through the afterglow of the explosion, and energy blades, claws, and energy ripples collided fiercely!
Without pausing, he led everyone through the gap at top speed and into another, relatively safe passage.

Behind them, the aftershocks of the explosion and the roar of battle gradually faded into the distance.

“Judgment it…” Jiu Feng said with some worry.

“It should be able to handle it,” Chen Ye said. Although he wasn’t entirely sure, he believed that the cold, mechanical guard had its own calculations and control. “What we need to do now is reach the entrance to the corridor as quickly as possible and not waste the time it has bought us.”

According to the incomplete map provided by the ruling, passing through this passage and then going up a flight of stairs will lead to the outer corridor on the first floor, where you can then find the main staircase leading to the entrance to the second-floor corridor.

Hopefully, things will go more smoothly from here on out.

There are less than five hours left. (End of Chapter)