Planet of Sand and Oasis of Iron

Chapter 116 115. This is how a reliable Allied intelligence officer behaves
After he introduced himself, the remaining three people were not polite either.

"Independent mercenary, flying squirrel."

"Independent mercenary, Trigger."

"Trigger's subordinate, you can just call me Z4."

It was obvious that this was not the first time for the three of them to go down there. They were all wearing protective gear for key parts of their bodies and carrying light combat backpacks.

They asked Cypher if he had prepared combat supplies, such as hemostatic gel, hematopoietic needles or painkillers, etc., and even asked Cypher why he didn't buy bulletproof armor while waiting for the elevator.

The transformation agency provides inserts and full-body bulletproof vests. If you are willing to spend money, you can even buy full-body protection. Although this will slow down the speed of action, it is safer.

In response to their persuasion, Seifer thought about it and could only euphemistically say "I'm more resistant to beatings" and "I run very fast."

The three were very skeptical, but he was the only one available who had mission experience and no team. They could only sigh and say that if Cypher became a burden, they would not lend a hand.

The elevator arrived and the four entered, then it began shaking unspeakably again.

It was in operation, and the four of them were still discussing what position each person would play - compared to the 'Flying Squirrel' and Z4, the heavy firepower used by Seifer could often achieve a surprise victory.

Because starting from the bottom of the upper layer, those "autonomous machines" are no longer satisfied with cardboard-like armor, but have replaced it with thick special steel.

Even the swarming construction machinery was different from the ones above. It seemed that the deeper they dug, the more complex the situation became.

or……

"Or, these autonomous machines aren't completely self-contained. They might be constantly encountering external attacks over long periods of time, constantly iterating their own defenses."

In the elevator, Seifer proposed this idea, telling it to both his temporary teammates and Laika who was on the communication line.

By the way, Seifer didn't see that the other two independent mercenaries had communicators.

"Now that you mention it, I do have some impression of it." After his initial observation, the flying squirrel chimed in, "They should be the pirates."

"They have no official identity, have committed crimes in and outside the node city, and cannot pass the mercenary system's review, so they can only rob merchant ships in the desert."

"This node city is actually quite large. I even suspect there are other, unofficial entrances connected to it. Those pirates secretly dig up some things and sell them."

Seifer nodded slightly. "It's possible it's not just pirates, there are spies from other companies working here. The Reformation Agency is full of treasures, and some of these companies are not good people either. They are always stealing and robbing each other."

"Well said! You're obviously a new mercenary, but you have a pretty thorough understanding of all this!"

I don't know what sentence made these guys happy, anyway, their attitude now is almost completely different from when they first formed the team.

This good team atmosphere continued until the elevator stopped working and the doors opened.

The four of them looked out under the light of the elevator - well, it was pitch black.

There was no light at all, not even emergency lights. This made Cypher curious: "Do these autonomous machines down there not need eyesight? Do they rely entirely on autonomous programs to perform maintenance?"

"How is this possible! Quick, contact the rehabilitation agency and ask them what's going on?!"

A clearly audible voice came from the communication.

The contact person from the renovation agency said in a businesslike manner, "The energy supply system of the upper area's substructure has been damaged. People in other areas are working hard to repair it. In the meantime, you must ensure the safety and normal operation of the facility as soon as possible."

"There's a spare parts store nearby the facility that can solve all your maintenance problems at the touch of a button. Don't waste your time, mercenary."

How could the automatic program be activated if the power was out? Could it be that I had to explore inside and call to activate the devices?
Such questions lingered in the four-person room, but if they didn't go out and finish their work, the elevator wouldn't be able to return—because it was set up so that you had to go down to the lowest floor before you could go up. So, if they wanted to go up the elevator or something else, they had to wait until they found the evacuation route inside.

The flying squirrel gritted his teeth and said, "I brought lighting, what about you?"

As they were talking, the three of them saw Seifer knocking on his body, and then two beams of light suddenly burst out of his eyes!

Before they could startle, the beam of light immediately spread out, covering the area in front of them. It was not very dazzling, but it was able to provide close-range lighting.

"I brought it too, but it's not on my weapon."

The three of them opened their mouths, but only Z4 shook his head helplessly. He had never imagined that a power outage would occur.

The four of them left the elevator with Cypher as the center. In the environment where light and shadow intertwined, any shadow elongated by the light seemed to be hiding a terrifying enemy.

What's more, while it's unclear what's happening here, it's not the same across the street! Those autonomous machines often have to carry out their construction activities in the dark, and their equipment is quite advanced!
Shortwave radar, infrared detection, and even a high probability of low-light night vision devices are much more convenient than human eyes.

As the flying squirrel and Trigger walked and complained quietly, everything in front of Cypher was exposed under the threat scan.

How does the saying go - I've been hanging out with people for so long that I almost forget that I actually have fundamental advantages.

He took the big gun from behind and told the three men to keep up and catch up.

The muzzle flashes accompanied by the loud noise illuminated the close-range environment, and each of Seifer's shots accurately killed the team patrolling the passage.

The two of them hung lights on their shoulders and attacked the autonomous machines coming from behind. Only the unlucky Z4 could shrink into the protective circle and take time to replenish his energy.

"How did you see that strange thing so far away?"

The formation moved forward, and the four people entered the complex environment of the production workshop from the winding maintenance passage. It seemed that this place was originally designed for refining and transporting minerals, but there was no indicator of what specific minerals were.

Okay. Now it comes down to transporting the ore needed to build those autonomous machines—as for why so much ore?
It’s because there are rich mineral deposits under this dungeon, so the prices of associated minerals naturally rise as well... But to be honest, Sefer really doesn’t know what they are.

Fortunately, there was an external brain online. Leica reminded him in time: "After the metal here is smelted and forged, the strength of this special steel is about 20% stronger than normal armor."

"Lighter mass can be traded for better protection. This is why the reconstruction agency is reluctant to abandon this node city and blow it down to the bottom."

Sefer nodded slightly, and the artillery fire in his hands did not stop. He even had to pause his advance and stabilize his situation because there were too many strange things coming.

"Pause for a moment - isn't the power out here? How are you still able to communicate so deep down?"

Leica snorted, "I'm a liaison. With the permission of the mercenary system, isn't it natural for me to directly contact the independent mercenaries who are assisting me?"

"Even if there's a power outage, it only shuts down most of the facilities. These autonomous machines can exchange information through the facilities, and even transform their bodies. Why can't I?"

It seems... that's the truth.

Feeling something was wrong, Sefer didn't think much about it. The weapon that was continuously firing suddenly misfired - oh no, the bullets were gone.

"I'm out of bullets, what about you?"

Trigger said in a deep voice, "I've picked up quite a few. As long as there are enough enemies, we can get as many supplies as we want."

So did the other two.

Then we can only look for autonomous machines that have similar weapons.

(End of this chapter)