Forge a path to success

The cyborg hesitated for a long time, its expression becoming increasingly focused. It murmured to itself, "Only I...only we can...!"

“You’ve found the right direction.” Chu Hengkong took a sip of tea. “Now tell me, for the greater good, what should you do?”

"First, I need to perform mechanical repairs to prepare for a long-term operation... Then, I will modify the machine based on its current condition to optimize energy utilization efficiency as much as possible and ensure the feasibility of transformation." The mechanical woman began to deduce, her speech becoming more and more fluent. "As for you, you need to undergo targeted training for your heart module. We need to ensure that you transform into the 3rd particle, the Asura Heart, as soon as possible, so that you will have a greater chance of winning the final battle against the Outer Path."

"What about the other threats?" Chu Hengkong said seriously, "Those knights... the Heartless Ones... a potential crisis stirring up trouble!"

"It depends on the specific circumstances," the cyborg woman said carefully. "If there is still strength after the final battle, then begin the elimination—no; if there is survival after the final battle, then the remaining life forms will need to provide assistance—if there is survival after the final battle and more than 50% of combat strength is retained, then begin the elimination—"

“There are too many loopholes.” Chu Hengkong interrupted, “What if someone among them undergoes a transformation? Can we, two battered and bruised point 3s, win against a Dao-path point 4?”

"We'll lose," the mechanical woman concluded.

"So this premise needs to be revised again." Chu Hengkong thoughtfully added, "Only when we win, I survive, there are no Dao paths with a higher quality than mine, and there are no external paths that urgently need to be killed, is it feasible to fight."

"You're right." The mechanical girl nodded repeatedly. "Thank you for your calculation assistance."

“You’re welcome. We’re in the same boat.” Chu Hengkong laughed. “But you see, this is a negotiation. I’ve been making concessions from beginning to end—correcting your mistakes and offering you advice—but I also need to obtain certain authority, otherwise the negotiation cannot be successful.”

"Tell me, and I will judge."

“I have no expectations for your ability to adapt to changing circumstances. I believe that your unauthorized actions will ruin what was originally a smooth battle and waste the Empire’s resources,” Chu Hengkong said. “Therefore, from now on, I will decide whether to summon Imperial reinforcements.”

The cyborg woman slammed her hand on the table and stood up: "I disagree—"

“Think about my record,” Chu Hengkong said firmly. “Have I ever lost a single game so far?”

"You lost to Qingxia."

"It was you! You started the war on your own initiative, and you lost." Chu Hengkong began to let his personal emotions get involved. "If it were me, I would definitely have won!"

"I cannot transfer authority to you. I am the ultimate mechanical being, you are not!"

“You are me.” Chu Hengkong said calmly, “You are a true machine, therefore I am a true machine. Just as I am a martial artist, therefore you are a martial artist. We can continue to argue that you are a Fallen One, you are a centaur, you are a tentacle monster, but the conclusion that remains unchanged is…”

The mechanical woman's eyes began to dart around. Reason told her that the other party was utterly bluffing; the calculations proved Chu Hengkong's words to be true. Ultimately, they were one and the same. It quickly waved its hand, halting its demonic cultivation process: "Stop! Don't say another word! You only obtained this authority to avoid being annihilated by the Imperial army; you'll only use it to take the enemy down with you when you're about to die."

"When will I die?" Chu Heng asked calmly.

"You have friendly relations with multiple forces, and your death scenario is most likely when you are besieged by multiple external forces with higher than your current mass point..." the True Machine Woman said.

"Isn't it obvious to you? I'll only summon Imperial reinforcements when I'm about to die. Once the Imperial reinforcements arrive, they'll definitely wipe out a considerable number of powerful heretics. The Empire will benefit no matter what!" Chu Heng laughed. "But if we follow your original plan and send signals from Longquan Township, Shura Island, or other righteous sect strongholds... even if the Imperial reinforcements come, they'll have a hard time winning, right? Isn't that a pure waste of resources?"

"This..." The mechanical woman couldn't find a reason to refute it for a moment, "This...is indeed...but..."

The mechanical woman paced around the room, her eyes blinking faster than a hummingbird's wings, and the humming of machinery filled the tea room.

Chu Hengkong tapped his teacup, speaking sarcastically: "An imperial soldier, in order to fight for power and profit with his host, is unwilling to give up the little power he has! Truly loyal and courageous, with an iron will. I never thought that the vast territory of the empire would be carried on the shoulders of such an iron worm."

"Shut up first." The mechanical woman's words began to take on a personal touch.

Chu Hengkong sighed deeply and slumped onto the coffee table: "Alas! Seeing that the Empire's soldiers are going to make another wasted trip, I am heartbroken and grief-stricken. Our deaths are a small matter, but the waste of resources is a great matter. If anything changes in the future, I hope Your Majesty will investigate thoroughly and forgive us!"

The cyborg suddenly flipped over the coffee table and smashed it on the ground. She angrily stomped on the splinters a few times: "Fine! But if your judgment results in the loss of Imperial resources, I will forcibly shut down the machine!"

"Deal." Chu Hengkong snapped his fingers. "One last confirmation of the terms."

1. We should work together to prioritize eliminating the outsiders. To achieve this goal, we are allowed to team up with friendly units in the vicinity.

2. If there are no Dao units with higher stats than you on the current Dust Island, and there are no external Dao units that you urgently need to kill, you may display your killing intent towards the surrounding creatures.

3. To optimize resource utilization efficiency to the greatest extent, I will decide whether to send a distress signal after negotiations are concluded.

Are there any other questions?

“It exists,” said the mechanical girl. “How do units like Qingxia and Fande determine this?”

"Consider them as allies who can join forces."

"Request that Article 2 be changed to allow for the active elimination of surrounding life."

"Rejected. Any Dust Island is susceptible to invasion by external forces, and the second clause could be converted to the first clause at any time before it is implemented."

“You’re lying to me.” The mechanical woman frowned. “You can just find a safe dust island and do nothing all the time. Just survive without contributing to the empire.”

“Absolutely impossible.” Chu Hengkong said confidently, “I can be swept into a desolate wasteland just by going out to find a stone seed. The tide of fate will never let me go.”

The mechanical woman suddenly realized.

"The judgment is accepted. After negotiation, there are no further objections."

Chu Hengkong reached out his hand to it, his expression turning serious: "The truth of the Empire will endure forever."

The mechanical girl shook hands firmly and replied meticulously, "The truth of the Empire endures forever."

It transformed into a stream of white data and merged into Chu Hengkong's back.

Chu Hengkong remained expressionless, took a sip of the cold tea, and waited thirty seconds to make sure there were no further disturbances before collapsing to the ground with a thud.

"Finally done...!"

Deep down, Chu Hengkong had absolutely no confidence. Because ultimately...

He had absolutely no confidence in defeating his opponent.

The idea that winning in reality equates to winning in one's mind is pure bluffing, a "conjecture" he uttered to exploit the fact that he doesn't lie. Leaving aside the ideal situation of a multi-on-one fight in Yingshi Town, this "true mechanical woman" not only retains her former abilities but also uses all of Chu Hengkong's moves. Nearly half of his 48 previous defeats were due to her being instantly killed by a single shot. It would be a miracle if she could actually win one-on-one.

If we could really beat them, why bother talking? We would have already chopped them up and sent them to meet the King of Hell!

That's why he decided to negotiate, not only to talk but also to deceive, using every trick in the book to exploit the other party's weaknesses and ruthlessly cheat them. If the other party were truly an immortal machine, then this plan would be completely useless, but based on his previous two experiences, he knew very well that this so-called humanoid immortal machine was essentially just another "Chu Hengkong" intensified by the true machine.

The ultimate mechanical form originally had no flaws, but this true mechanical form, Chu Hengkong, was undoubtedly an accident. Because mechanical thinking is inherently rigid, and Chu Hengkong wasn't exactly a clever person. This created a flaw that the enemy shouldn't have had.

—After merging with his self, this mechanical woman has clearly become stupid!

If the other party isn't as clever as you, you can deceive them. Since you can deceive, there's a possibility of gaining more benefits. After this series of deceptions, even the most dangerous opponent will be crippled. As for what happens afterward…

"Let's take it one step at a time," Chu Hengkong muttered to himself. "Anyway, we'll inevitably have to fight with outsiders wherever we go."

The imagined tea room vanished, leaving only a silver door in the space. Chu Hengkong pushed open the door, feeling exceptionally relaxed. He only had one person left to negotiate with—a force that could never harm him.

He pushed open the door and smelled the sea breeze.

Chapter 199 Single-mindedly devoted to the enemy (The End)

The sky was as blue as a canvas, the bright sunlight shone on the deck, several birds perched on the mast, and the black sails were billowing in the strong wind, leading the pirate ship toward the horizon.

The pirate ship was an old three-masted sailing ship, a relic long since retired from the historical stage, usually only seen in museums in the 21st century. This place, however, did not belong to Chu Hengkong's memory; he had never boarded such a ship, even when he went on missions to hunt down pirates, he traveled on a speedboat provided by his family.

A sail rope dangled from the mast, and a silver-haired girl in a silver robe jumped onto the deck, pulling on the rope. This time, she wore a pirate hat with an angry Vandal painted on it.

"Looks like this is going smoothly, buddy." The girl waved her tentacles, both of which were squid-like tentacles. "But this hurdle won't be so easy for me."

Chu Hengkong was both amused and exasperated. He leaned against the railing and asked, "How did you turn into a woman?"

The tentacle girl leaned against the other side of the deck, her movements exactly the same as his.

"That's an interesting question. Why do some races have gender distinctions? Here's a premise: the older the race, the less gender distinctions there are, while younger races consider it normal."

"Who knows, I was born this way."

"The answer is revealed: this is because the later life forms are born, the further they are from the original spirit. The original information is lost and deteriorates over time, causing contradictions to arise in the harmonious whole of life, turning perfection into imperfection. Young life forms did not arrive at the right time; they cannot fully inherit the information and must make choices, losing a little here and adding a piece there, and then correcting the way the information is inherited..."

Tentacle Girl separates her two tentacles: "Information is inherited separately, the conflict is alleviated, and thus the opposing genders are born. I'm not talking about male chauvinism or female chauvinism, I'm talking about conceptual opposition. There is conflict, therefore separation."

Chu Hengkong felt an inexplicable sense of unease. Although his first three opponents had different personalities, he was able to grasp their characteristics to some extent. The Fallen Girl lacked love, the woman in red was loyal to her desires, and the True Machine Girl was single-mindedly focused on killing everyone. He naturally knew their characteristics because those traits originated from his own distorted self.

But the tentacle girl was different. Chu Hengkong was certain that no matter how twisted he was, he couldn't produce such intellect, let alone the fact that she had set up her own stage and was spouting theories that he didn't understand at all.

She is more like an independent individual.

The tentacle girl conjured a bottle of juice and sipped it: "Now let's get back to the first question. Originally, none of our faces were genderless, so why did we turn into women once the One Heart Ritual started?"

"There's a contradiction," Chu Heng guessed.

"A very, very big contradiction. A contradiction so big it's irreconcilable." The tentacle girl corrected, "Even the initial group of people with broken hearts only saw the same sex during the One Heart Ritual; those who saw the opposite sex basically all died. Heaven have mercy on me; I was supposed to be a handsome, silver-haired genius with a gigolo vibe, wearing a white coat and gesturing to you with my arm around your shoulder, but now I'm a silver-robed tentacle girl, so lame! It's all your fault, please."

Chu Hengkong laughed gleefully, unable to stop. The tentacle girl tossed him another bottle of juice: "Damn it, you're still laughing? I'm practically a woman now, and you're still laughing!"

He cleared his throat: "Really lame."

"If you know that, then get lost, you motherfucker."

"I don't know how to say it." Chu Hengkong unscrewed the juice and took a sip. "I always thought we got along quite well."

“You just soaked me in shit a couple of days ago,” the tentacled girl pointed out. “I’m still wrapped in a metal bag of shit.”

"That was your idea, and I don't believe you'd get angry over something so trivial."

"Of course I have a couple of complaints, aha, but the main event is yet to come." The tentacle girl raised her hand and conjured up her travel guide. "Let's see what the original contract says."

She turned to the title page of the large book and read aloud, each word distinct and rhythmic: "Full of knowledge, abundant wisdom! The learned Vander is looking for a travel companion. All combat is forbidden, but I'd be happy to lend a hand with my eyes and tentacles—what the hell was I writing all this crap?"

Chu Hengkong almost choked on his laughter.

"That's basically it. I, as a non-combatant, provide knowledge and wisdom. You, as the bodyguard, handle the fighting. We're traveling together to see the world and have a pleasant trip. Is that all?"

“No problem,” Chu Hengkong said.

“Then let’s look at reality.” The tentacle girl shook her tentacles up and down. “I welded your spine on; I assembled your prosthetic arm; fighting requires control, so I stepped in and used hypnosis. My manual even marked out all those troublesome relics to prevent you from dying suddenly. I’d say I exceeded my quota, right? Honestly, I’ve done enough, haven’t I?”

"I owe it all to you," Chu Hengkong admitted.

"But what about you, buddy? Where did your share go?" the tentacle girl sneered. "We just met and we agreed that you and I would travel the world together for a fun-filled trip. Look at the travel route you planned!"

Huilong City, ambition. That stupid bastard who jumps around from daydreaming to delusional fantasies.

Yingshi Town, the Immortal Machine. Thank goodness, there's only one true machine that has awakened its self, an elite of the Empire.

"Golden Leaf City! Ah! Stone Demon, your old Earth buddy, even that old bastard Olek has come in the end!"

Chu Hengkong glanced sideways without saying a word, while the tentacle girl sneered repeatedly: "So far, the fourth stop, the Despair Wilderness! You just landed and already encountered a heavyweight like Shan Shi Weng, and there's also the eager Van Salal behind you! Look at your experiences over the past six months, you're practically a Hall of Fame in the world of anime! A villain all-star!"

“This is not my fault…” Chu Hengkong sighed.

"I'm asking you, what happened to your promised relaxing and enjoyable trip around the world?" The tentacle girl pounded on the railing. "What about the adventure? What about the trip? What about the world tour? It's been nothing but fighting and killing the whole way. We're about to storm into the Heavenly Prison and defeat the Glory Immortal and the Disciplinary Emperor!"

"I'm telling you, I'm not getting involved in this mess anymore. I've had enough. I'm breaking off our contract. You join your allies, and I'm going to pursue my grand adventure. We're done!"

"I have to say that I can't be blamed for all this mess."

"Of course, buddy, the cause of the incident has little to do with your subjective intentions." The tentacle girl said with a forced smile, "But the process and the ending are not necessarily the same, okay? Who charged towards the Immortal Machine in a desperate charge? Who was immersed in a life-or-death duel with their nemesis? And who came here only two days ago and said they wanted to kill the Nightmare King?"

“You have no objections?” Chu Hengkong pointed out, “And what would you say if I were a coward who turned and ran away?”

Without a second thought, the tentacle girl said, "Go to hell, you soft-headed piece of trash."

"look."

"I don't want to see it. Of course, we'd be on the same page in those situations, but the problem is I don't want to go to that kind of awful place again. I don't want to fight to the death with outsiders anymore, I don't want to wake up every day on the verge of death. I just want to find a like-minded idiot to travel with." The tentacle girl pointed out of the ship, "But what about now? Look at this ocean!"

The seawater receded in all directions at her direction, like a tide ebbing away from the pirate ship. In the blink of an eye, the sea level dropped to the bottom, revealing a terrifying seabed. The bottom of this ocean had no soil, only grayish-white skeletons. The bones of humans, beasts, and heretics sank around the ship, like a forgotten graveyard.

"This ocean is my imagination, the future I yearn for." The tentacle girl turned and pointed at him, "But because of what you've done, my fantasy is about to collapse. I can no longer imagine a wonderful and joyful adventure, because traveling with you means that wherever we go will be a battlefield!"

Chu Hengkong observed the underwater graveyard and, unsurprisingly, discovered the enemies he had once slain. From Huilong City to the Despair Wilderness, every life he had killed was buried at the bottom of the sea. Along the way, his tentacles recorded the relics he had obtained and the lives he had bid farewell to.

The tentacle girl entered the captain's cabin and steered the ship with her tentacles. The three-masted sailboat stumbled and lurched through the graveyard like an off-road vehicle. Her voice was indifferent: "Our contract ends here. We've had our share of laughter and tears along the way. The mountains and rivers remain unchanged, let's part amicably."

A white mechanical bird flew across the sky, and Chu Hengkong stared blankly at the bird's steel wings.

What else could he say? You can't just pass the buck like that! You were the one who caused this mess in Yingshi Town. Half the blame for Jinye City's misfortune lies with Ji Huaisu, not me. Once we entered the Despair Wilderness, we had no choice but to fight. It's too harsh to put all the blame on me. Do you really think you're so innocent?

You know Olek, you know Good Will, and your nightmares are even the vast emptiness of the Sea of ​​Illusions. The tides of fate are there; who dares say that all the troubles along the way are unrelated to you? I have no objection to breaking off the contract and disbanding the partnership; I'm just waiting to see which great demon you'll jump into the mouth of the moment you step out the door. When you're about to be digested, you'd better not be crying your eyes out; whoever regrets it is a coward.

But he couldn't say that. That wasn't something he should say to his brother.

Chu Hengkong pinched the bridge of his nose hard and walked to the door of the captain's cabin.

“After we leave this desolate wasteland,” he said, “we’ll go travel to some interesting places.”

"Oh, I'll listen to your nonsense," the tentacle girl said indifferently.

“You choose the location.” Chu Hengkong paused. “Of course, I will continue to cultivate and pursue my goals. But I promise that at least on the next Dust Island, we will not deliberately cause trouble. It will be a pure vacation. We will go out on adventures whenever we have rested enough.”

The tentacle girl leaned against the helm, a half-smile on her face.

"Look, buddy, you still haven't grasped the key point. Even if you want a vacation, it will inevitably turn into a chaotic battle with demons and monsters in the end. Your hateful fate is destined to be like that. The conflict is rooted in the ground, and it has nothing to do with our goals or personalities. The only solution is to break up. That's it."

Speechless, the tentacle girl steered the pirate ship to the dry shore and slammed the anchor down. "That's it." With her back to Chu Hengkong, she said, "If you have nothing else to say, then goodbye. Don't worry about me in real life, we'll go together."

"besides."

"What? Tell me quickly."

Chu Heng took a few deep breaths. The next sentence was especially difficult for him.