The system is four years ahead of schedule, but Weird is still a cub.

Chapter 562 Heart of the Furnace
As Camille's voice came, Xiao Qi's notification also rang in Shen Ge's ears: "Master, multiple high-speed moving heat source signals have been detected, approaching from the east and south, less than 300 meters from the tribe. The same energy signal as the 'Iron Guard' of the Black Mountain Base has been detected."

Sure enough, he still came.

After destroying the Black Mountain base, Shen Ge guessed that he would definitely attract the attention of the weirdo organization, but he didn't expect that they would actually have a way to find him.

Through cryptic signals?

Or were they clues along the way?
Or perhaps it was for the "celestial deity statue" of the Shilin tribe?
Regardless, now that we're "all here," we're not leaving. A cold glint flashed in Shen Ge's eyes, and without the slightest hesitation, his figure vanished from the rock in an instant.

“Enemy attack—!!!”

The sharp alarm of the Stone Forest tribe almost tore through the silent night sky in the next second. Camille, who was on night watch, remained highly vigilant. When he spotted the figure rapidly approaching in the darkness, his first reaction was to call out to Shen Ge, who was sitting on a rock not far away, "dazed".

To Camille's surprise, Shen Ge's figure "disappeared" from the rock the moment she shouted.

That speed... is terrifying.

The alarm sounded, and the tribe was thrown into chaos. People who had just been awakened from their sleep frantically searched for cover. Uncle Cheng and his mother immediately organized the women and children to take refuge behind the strongest ruins.

Camille had already drawn the phantom pistol from his waist and was giving a stern order to several combat-ready anti-phantom warriors: "Use the low wall as cover, aim at those shadowy figures, and fire!"

Several strange energy bullets pierced the darkness, heading towards the approaching shadow.

However, the attackers were clearly well-trained and well-equipped. They moved through the darkness like ghosts, easily avoiding the sparse firepower, and the leaders even let out cruel grins.

"A bunch of reckless insects! Kill them! Find that guy in the red armor!" A hoarse voice rang out in the night wind.

Ok?
Hearing these arrogant and boastful words from afar, Shen Ge, who was hiding in the distance, really wanted to ask them where their confidence came from.

Putting aside the final blow from the Ghost King, even just a few Iron Guards were like broken copper and scrap metal toys in his hands.

Did they think that the collapse of the Black Mountain base was due to the "wrath" of the Ghost King? In order to appease the Ghost King's anger, they wanted to hunt down this culprit?
Forget it.

Let's take care of these guys first.

Just as Camille and the others were preparing for the impact, their hearts heavy with sorrow—

An invisible, suffocating, terrifying pressure descended suddenly, like a tangible tsunami!
Those "hunter" attackers who had just been charging forward like ferocious demons were suddenly struck by an invisible giant hammer. They froze in place, still in their charging posture, their ferocious smiles frozen, and their eyes filled with extreme fear. Their bodies seemed to be cast into cement, unable to move even a finger!

Immovable Ghost Realm!

Shen Ge's figure appeared in the middle of the ambush squad like a ghost, so fast that it was impossible for the naked eye to catch it. He didn't even fully unleash his Ghost Domain; he simply covered the ambush squad with his Ghost Energy precisely, which was enough to completely incapacitate them.

Immediately afterwards, the rotting blood tentacles behind Shen Ge, like the scythe of death, silently swept across the frozen space, leaving behind afterimages.

No screaming, no struggle.

The heads of seven or eight elite "hunters" shot into the air almost simultaneously, the blood spurting from their severed necks forming a brief and eerie fountain of blood mist in the stagnant air, before being pressed back to the ground by an invisible force, creating a bloody and bizarre scene.

The whole process was incredibly fast, from Shen Ge's appearance to the elimination of most of the attackers, it only took a breath or two!
However, the battle was not completely over.

Boom!

A deep, muffled thud accompanied by a tremor in the ground!
On the south side of the tribal low wall, a gigantic figure crashed through the already crumbling wall like an out-of-control tank, its heavy alloy footsteps shattering the ground—

A "steel guard" over three meters tall rushed in!
"Watch out!" Camille's pupils contracted sharply, and she raised her gun and fired without hesitation. Several anti-demon warriors around her also opened fire.

The energy beam struck the Iron Guardian's thick alloy armor, only causing a few weak sparks and leaving shallow scorch marks.

The Iron Guard's cold electronic eyes locked onto Camille, and the huge mechanical arm swept across with a terrifying whooshing sound. If this blow landed, Camille would definitely be turned into a pile of minced meat!
Camille turned pale and rolled on the ground to narrowly avoid the attack. Debris exploded around her, intensifying the barrage of fire from the monster warriors. However, this only managed to slow down the Iron Guards' advance and did not cause any effective damage.

Another warrior was unable to dodge in time and was struck by the edge of the Iron Guard's giant arm. He screamed and flew backward, his fate unknown.

Ignoring the attacks from the others, Iron Guard lunged at Camille again with a clear objective, his heavy steps carrying a devastating sense of oppression.

Just as Camille felt despair and prepared to fight to the death—

"It's noisy."

A cold voice sounded above her head.

Shen Ge appeared directly above the Iron Guard at some point. He fell like a meteorite, his right fist clenched, crimson blood instantly covering it and forming a gauntlet, with a violent, strange energy compressed on his fist!
boom--! ! !
Shen Ge's fist, carrying immense power and terrifying erosive energy, slammed into the unsuspecting Iron Guard's head!

Click——!
A piercing, snapping sound of metal twisting and breaking erupted!
Iron Guard's heavy alloy helmet, which was strong enough to withstand magical weapons, collapsed and cracked inwards instantly, like an eggshell being hit by a 10,000-ton hydraulic press.

A tremendous force pierced through, and the armored structure of the Iron Guard's entire upper body groaned under the strain, with the sounds of dense wiring bursting and hydraulic oil gushing out from inside.

Iron Guard's massive body stiffened abruptly, as if its spine had been ripped out, before it crashed to its knees, its huge metal knees slamming into the ground and creating a deep crater. The red light in its electronic eyes flickered wildly a few times before going out completely.

The bizarre flesh and blood were squeezed into a pulp inside the iron armor, flowing out through the twisted gaps in the armor and instantly spreading all over the ground, which was extremely disgusting.

Another instant kill! From the moment Shen Ge appeared to the moment he dealt with all the attackers and this Iron Guard, the entire process took less than ten seconds—an absolute crushing defeat!

The tribe was deathly silent, save for the crackling of the campfire and the suppressed groans of the wounded. Everyone was speechless, stunned by the overwhelming and devastating power.

Camille stared at the massive, utterly destroyed Iron Guard wreckage kneeling before him, then at Shen Ge standing atop the wreckage, his aura heavy and serene like that of a demon god. His heart was still pounding, and his back was soaked with cold sweat.

Shen Ge's gaze swept across the battlefield and landed on the only attacker who was still "alive".

This guy was a little further away and wasn't immediately beheaded by the blood-corroding tentacles. Instead, he was pinned to the ground by the "Immovable Ghost Domain," like an insect sealed in amber, unable to move, his face filled with extreme fear and disbelief.

Shen Ge landed in front of him, and the putrid tentacles easily wrapped around him, lifting him into the air.

"Where is your hideout? Besides the Black Mountain Mine, do you have any other bases?" Shen Ge's voice was originally very calm, but to the man's ears it was like a cold polar wind, devoid of any emotion, and sinister enough to send chills down his spine.

The attacker was terrified, his crotch instantly soaked, and he begged for mercy incoherently: "Don't...don't kill me! I'll talk! I'll talk! It's...it's ten kilometers west of Black Mountain! There's an underground base called 'Heart of the Furnace'! It's...it's the main research facility! The ore mined from the mines...all goes there for processing and refining! I...I'm from the outer patrol team...that's all I know! Really! Don't kill me, don't kill me!"

"Heart of the Furnace? So your boss is a giant magma snail?" Shen Ge remembered the name.

"Huh?" The attacker looked at Shen Ge with a blank expression, clearly not understanding his joke.

"Master, the core processing unit of this Iron Guard doesn't seem to be completely damaged; there's a weak signal leaking out. Should we try to connect?" Xiao Qi's voice rang out.

Shen Ge glanced at the kneeling remains of the Iron Guard and nodded: "Give it a try."

Several extremely fine, hair-like, putrid blood tentacles extended from Shen Ge's fingertips as if they were alive, precisely drilling into the cracks in the Iron Guard's helmet and the gaps in the armor.

Crimson, putrid blood spread rapidly along the damaged wiring and interfaces, invading its internal systems like a virus. A dense crackling of electricity and slight popping of components erupted from within the Iron Guard wreckage; its massive body began to convulse violently and erratically, its joints emitting a piercing metallic grinding sound.

Next, Xiaoqi began to inject strange flesh and blood into the Iron Guard's body using the "Endless" effect of the Red Mist Armor. After about ten seconds, the convulsions stopped.

The electronic eyes of the Iron Guard wreckage suddenly lit up, no longer a cold red light, but a soft, crimson glow unique to putrid blood.

It clumsily and tentatively moved its only remaining, barely functional, left arm, and then... to everyone's astonishment, this war machine, which had just been incredibly ferocious, slowly and laboriously knelt on one knee, facing Shen Ge's direction, and lowered its damaged head.

"Master, intrusion complete. The unit's core logic has been overwritten, and low-level permissions have been obtained. Some functional modules are severely damaged, but basic operational and defensive capabilities remain, and it can serve as a temporary protection unit," Xiao Qi calmly reported.

Shen Ge nodded. Having a guard controlled by Xiao Qi in the camp would indeed greatly enhance the camp's defenses.

The fact that this "new technology," which combines bizarre flesh and armored warriors, could be turned by Xiao Qi means that if the hunter's base still has such a thing, Shen Ge could obtain a "personal guard" without lifting a finger.

Then, Shen Ge looked at the still-shaken crowd, his gaze finally settling on Uncle Cheng, Camille, and York, and said, "Uncle Cheng, Camille, the camp is in your hands. Little Seven will stay here; it will control this Iron Guard to assist in the defense and protect everyone."

Not only Iron Guard, Shen Ge also had Xiao Qi control the secondary armor and stay at the camp. With Xiao Qi there, it could easily handle most threats unless the Ghost King attacked.

Shen Ge planned to go to the "Heart of the Furnace" alone. Firstly, it would be more efficient to act alone, and secondly, it was only ten kilometers away from the Black Mountain Base. It might even involve the Ghost King underground, so there was no need to bring Cheng's mother and the others along for the trouble.

"Shen Ge, are you going alone?" Cheng's mother called out worriedly.

"Okay. I'll be right back." Shen Ge didn't explain further. His gaze swept over the prisoner, who was wrapped in rotting blood tentacles and looked ashen-faced, and he tossed him into the modified jeep beside him.

The prisoner was terrified. Although he had seen many strange people, he had never imagined that a "normal person" could have tentacles that could extend from their body, and that these "tentacles" could even... drive a car?
Guided by the prisoner's incoherent ramblings, Shen Ge quickly pinpointed the direction: ten kilometers west of the ruins of the Black Mountain Mine, in a seemingly ordinary area of ​​scorched, black hills.

The prisoner pointed to an inconspicuous crack entrance half-hidden by a huge rock, his voice trembling uncontrollably: "It's...it's here...the entrance...behind the rock...there's...there's a password and an iris scanner...Sir, please let me go, I'm sure I'll be...I'll be thrown into...the furnace if I go back!"

Shen Ge didn't bother with any of that. He released the prisoner, his rotting blood tentacles instantly knocking him unconscious, and casually tossed him aside.

Then, the Ghost Eye attempted to penetrate the rock and soil to "see" down to the place where the Ghost Energy reaction was strongest. Through the Ghost Eye, it could see a hidden alloy gate and a complex defense system.

Shen Ge activated his three properties, "Invisible + Silent + Traceless," and then used "Collapse" to enter the passage below.

As he approached the alloy gate, he intended to pass through it directly via the "collapse," but as soon as the invisible eerie domain unfolded, he sensed the strange "lock-on" feeling from the Black Mountain base once again.

The Ghost King? It's nearly ten kilometers from the Black Mountain Base to here. Could the Ghost King underground be that huge?

Shen Ge found it somewhat suspicious, but what surprised him even more was that he was currently in a state of three characteristics, yet this state could still be "locked"?
Although this "lock" was slightly different from the lock at the Black Mountain base, and had a faint, almost imperceptible feel, he still noticed it.

Shen Ge thought for a moment and decided to let Xiao Qi try to crack the password door first. Crimson blood spread from his palm like a living thing, quickly covering the scanner and password lock area on the door panel. Then, the crimson patterns spread and penetrated on the alloy surface.

"Master, please wait a moment. Attempting to crack... High-strength bio-encryption lock detected. Simulating capture of biological information. Crack successful. Access granted." Xiao Qi's voice rang out quickly.

Chi-

With a sound of air pressure being released, a small metal door opened next to the alloy hatch, and then an alarm began to sound in the passageway.

A team of "Hunter" defense personnel arrived and searched the surrounding area in confusion, but found nothing. They were immediately baffled and reported to their superiors.

The conclusion was finally reached that "the system malfunctioned," and the hatch was opened, unaware that the "culprit" had already entered the control area.

(End of this chapter)