You said mechs were going to fight monsters, but instead you're destroying stars with your bare

Chapter 143 The Familiar of Zero
Li Zhe's gaze swept over the introduction.

He took a deep breath, his armored body standing tall on this hostile land.

He didn't summon any mechs or armored vehicles, but instead prepared to experience the local customs and culture in the purest form.

He took out the Star Compass and held it in his palm.

The compass needle in the center began to tremble violently and spin wildly, as if it had been subjected to some kind of intense interference.

But ultimately, it still pointed in one difficult direction—

The deepest part of the fortress.

"Looks like there's something good there."

Li Zhe put away the compass, took steady steps, and walked in the direction the pointer indicated.

However, he hadn't taken more than a few steps.

[WARNING! High-density data stream attack detected, rapidly approaching!]

The AI ​​system's alarm suddenly went off.

Li Zhe suddenly stopped and looked around warily.

The surrounding scenery remained unchanged.

But he could clearly feel an invisible torrent of information, full of malice and chaos, rushing into his brain from all directions!
Then, in his field of vision, the cold mechanical walls around him began to twist and deform like melting candles.

Countless data streams composed of pure "0" and "1" stretched out from the wall like ferocious tentacles, trying to completely devour him!
Li Zhe encountered the "native inhabitants" of the core area—the "data ghosts".

This is an invisible monster composed of pure data streams.

They have no physical form, are immune to all physical attacks, can directly infiltrate mech systems, and create deadly hallucinations in the pilot's mind...

"Fuck-"

A piercing electrical sound exploded in Li Zhe's mind, as if tens of thousands of red-hot steel needles were piercing his central nervous system.

[WARNING! Mental link compromised by unknown data stream!]

[Sensory system encountered a critical error! Forced reboot in progress... Reboot failed!]

The scene before my eyes began to flicker and distort wildly, like an old television with a poor signal.

The cold, mechanical fortress, intertwined with all sorts of bizarre illusions, forms a strange and chaotic picture full of madness.

Sometimes it's a bloodbath on the battlefield, and sometimes it's a childhood home filled with warm memories.

Sometimes it was the gentle call of two ship spirits, and sometimes it was the frenzied roar of countless ferocious monsters...

These illusions are difficult to distinguish from reality.

It constantly challenged Li Zhe's perception, attempting to completely tear apart and shatter his will.

"Commander, this is a mental attack by the 'Data Ghosts.'" The AI ​​system's voice became distorted, filled with chaotic electrical noises. "They are trying to tamper with your core data and assimilate you into their system! You must immediately sever all external sensory links and guard your mind!"

Li felt like his brain was a balloon about to burst, with countless chaotic pieces of information and emotions colliding wildly inside.

It's that kind of thing again—intangible and impossible to crush with a fist.

An opponent with no weaknesses, one that cannot be destroyed by weapons.

This is a war fought purely on a spiritual level.

"You think you can get rid of me this way?"

A cold glint flashed in Li Zhe's eyes.

He recalled his experience in the illusion of the "Killing Stone".

He suddenly sat cross-legged and closed his eyes in this chaotic place filled with data storms.

Having abandoned all useless external senses, I immersed all my consciousness into the vast and boundless sea of ​​my inner self…

"Disperse!"

He roared, and the absolute power that had been tempered in the illusion, a fusion of humanity, desire, and iron will, erupted!

A monstrous wave surged within the sea of ​​his heart!

Those "data ghosts" that tried to invade his mental world were like ants encountering their natural enemy under the impact of this pure and domineering will.

They let out a silent shriek, trying to retreat, but it was too late.

"Come and go as you please? Do you think my brain is a public square?!"

Li Zhe's will transformed into an invincible sword, fiercely slashing at those invisible invaders.

"Format it!"

There were no fancy moves, no dazzling lights or shadows.

Only the purest and most direct confrontation of wills.

Li Zhe's inner sea transformed into a vast, constantly spinning "formatting" program, ruthlessly crushing, erasing, and reassembling all external data streams filled with malice and chaos!
"aaaaa——!!!"

Countless shrill screams seemed to echo in the air.

Those "data ghosts" suffered an unprecedented defeat in this war of "idealism".

Their attacks not only failed to shake Li Zhe in the slightest, but instead became a whetstone for tempering his will, making his already firm Dao heart even purer and stronger.

After the last data stream was completely "formatted," Li Zhe's inner sea returned to its former tranquility.

He slowly opened his eyes, and in those deep eyes, it seemed as if the stars were rising and falling, and all things were in the cycle of life.

The surrounding scenery returned to normal.

It was still that cold and lifeless mechanical fortress, as if the thrilling mental battle that had just taken place had never happened.

[Ding! You have successfully resisted the mental attack of the "Data Ghost," and your willpower has been greatly enhanced!]

[Ding! Congratulations on obtaining a special loot: 12 Source Data Streams]

[Source Data Stream]

[Quality: Epic]

[Type: Special Enhancement Material]

[Effect: A special energy entity containing pure information and the power of rules, which can be used to enhance your mech system]

"Enhancing mech systems? Interesting... This is the first time I've encountered this kind of material."

Li Zhe looked at the twelve clusters of data streams in the maintenance hangar, which were like miniature nebulae, and a playful smile appeared on his lips.

He could clearly sense that these "source data streams" contained an extremely large amount of information.

Not only does it contain information about the underlying structure and operating logic of this mechanical fortress, but it also includes some... fragmented memories from other mech pilots.

It seems that before me, quite a few unfortunate souls had already become prey for these "data ghosts".

"Commander, should we upgrade your AI assistance system immediately?"

The AI ​​system's voice rang out, carrying a hint of barely perceptible longing.

"of course."

Li Zhe made his choice without hesitation.

He injected one of the "source data streams" into the AI ​​system.

"Om-"

A massive torrent of information instantly flooded into the system's core.

[AI-assisted system upgrade in progress... Estimated time: 10 seconds...]

【Upgrade completed! 】

Congratulations! Your AI assistance system has successfully evolved into—"Tactical AI (Unnamed)!"

"Unnamed?" Li Zhe raised an eyebrow slightly upon hearing the name. "Then I'll call you... Zero. Zero, what new functions do you have now?"

"Commander, after the upgrade, my computing power, information processing efficiency, and tactical simulation capabilities have all been improved exponentially."

AI systems... should now be called zero.

Zero's voice seemed to have become more "human" and fluent than before.

"I have successfully cracked and taken over some of the underlying permissions of this mechanical fortress, and can provide you with limited environmental control and intelligence support."

"And...I seem to have...awakened a completely new function..."

Its voice paused, tinged with uncertainty.

"I... I think I can... 'eat' now."

"eat?"

“Yes, Commander.” Zero projected a brand new interface.

The text displays various "edible" data types.

“I can evolve and upgrade myself by consuming and parsing these ‘source data streams,’ just like you.”

Li Zhe couldn't help but chuckle at the sight before him.

Good heavens, have I unearthed an "electronic glutton"?
He looked at the remaining eleven "source data streams" and the mechanical fortress filled with unknowns and dangers, his eyes gleaming with an unprecedented light.

"In that case..."

A bloodthirsty smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Then let's... treat this place like a buffet and eat to our hearts' content!"

(End of this chapter)