Fantasy Game: Infinite City

Chapter 709, Floor 94 (11)

Evan, Riley, and Mok rested by the astrological magic circle for about half an hour, until their energy had recovered to about 70-80%. They then packed up and headed towards the unknown passage deep within the underground waterway. Evan, still leaning on his staff, walked at the front. The faint light from the tip of his staff illuminated a small area in the dim waterway, setting the wet stone slabs beneath their feet and the water droplets condensing on the walls. Riley followed closely behind, his fingertips constantly swirling with faint phase energy, occasionally releasing a detection wave to check for any unknown dangers ahead. The previous area had been too peaceful, making them all the more wary. Mok brought up the rear, maintaining a thin layer of fel energy around him, both to guard against possible attacks from behind and to provide rapid support should anything happen ahead. The three walked cautiously, keeping a respectful distance from each other, their conversations barely audible, the only sound the faint echo of their footsteps on the stone slabs slowly spreading through the empty waterway. They ventured deeper into the passage, the walls on either side of the waterway gradually becoming mottled. Most of the magical ores that had once been embedded in the walls had extinguished, leaving only a few scattered pieces still emitting a faint, dim light. The magical energy in the air thinned, replaced by a faint, damp, musty smell. Occasionally, they could hear the faint sound of flowing water in the distance, indistinguishable whether it was the sound of naturally flowing water or the movement of some unknown creature. No one knew what was hidden deep within this underground waterway—hidden quest clues, mysterious NPCs, or unforeseen dangers. They could only follow their doubts, exploring step by step into the darkness, completely unaware that above them in the upper city, a massacre and search capable of destroying everything was silently unfolding. An extremely dangerous entity was traversing the abandoned, high-tech city, leaving behind a trail of devastation and ruins.

In stark contrast to the bustling, brightly lit areas of the neon-lit metropolis, Upper City is a forgotten ruin, a high-tech isolated city abandoned by time. Once, this might have been the heart of the city, with countless towering skyscrapers, transparent skywalks connecting them, hovering vehicles traversing the streets, and smart devices permeating every corner. Bright lights and bustling crowds showcased the pinnacle of technological prosperity. But now, only endless desolation and death remain. The city's electricity has long been shut off; without a single light, the natural light is almost indistinguishable from the dead of night, even shadows are blurred and indistinct. Most of the towering skyscrapers are now in ruins. Some have collapsed walls, revealing the intricate steel structure inside, like the bare bones of a giant. Some roofs have been broken in half, with jagged breaks and scattered debris piled up between the buildings, blocking the once wide streets. The once smooth and bright glass curtain walls are now full of cracks, most of them broken and detached, with fragments scattered on the ground, covered by a thick layer of dust. Occasionally, a faint starlight shines on them, reflecting a cold and glaring light. Most of the skywalks have collapsed, leaving only a few broken steel structures hanging between buildings like swords about to fall at any moment. The hovercars on the streets have long lost their former vitality, overturned on the roadside, their bodies covered in scratches and damage. Some have their outer shells completely torn apart, exposing the internal wiring, which is covered in rust, as if it had been wantonly ravaged by some powerful force. The smart billboards, vending machines, and surveillance equipment along the roadside are all out of control or damaged. Some screens are shattered, some shells are deformed, and occasionally they emit a piercing electrical sound, accompanied by a faint spark, which disappears in an instant, adding a touch of eeriness and unease to this desolate ruin. The air is filled with a strong smell of rust, dust, and a faint smell of blood and decay, mixed together, pungent and unpleasant, and if inhaled, it will make people feel suffocated. Weeds grow rampant among the ruins of buildings on both sides of the street, and occasionally unknown vines climb up the walls and entwine around the steel structures, as if trying to devour this once technological mecca, spreading desolation and decay little by little to every corner of the city.

Just as Evan and his companions stepped into the depths of the underground waterway, a strange figure silently appeared at the very edge of this forgotten upper town. It was a humanoid object, about 1.85 meters tall, with a well-proportioned build, but without any distinct facial features or hair. Its entire body was composed of a liquid metal-like substance, silvery-gray in color, smooth on the surface, yet constantly in a slow, flowing state, like molten metal or solidified mercury, radiating a cold, piercing metallic luster. Its body had no fixed form, yet it always maintained a general human outline, with a clearly discernible head, torso, and limbs, yet constantly changing in subtle details. Occasionally, the flowing liquid metal would form tiny ripples on its surface, then quickly return to calm, as if it had never existed. Its simulated head, lacking eyes, nose, mouth, or any other facial features, would occasionally turn left and right, the movements small yet remarkably agile, as if vigilantly observing its surroundings or searching for something specific. Its movements were mechanical and stiff, yet possessed a chilling precision. Its appearance was without warning, without sound or light, as if it had materialized out of thin air. Its feet trod lightly on the dusty, gravelly ground, making no sound whatsoever, only the extremely faint hissing of flowing liquid metal, so faint it was almost swallowed by the surrounding silence. Its speed was not fast, as if it were moving steadily, each step roughly the same distance, its pace even and without any haste. Yet nothing could obstruct its path. Overturned hovercars, piles of building debris, out-of-control mechanical sentinels, and ferocious bio-mechanical hybrids all became mere stepping stones in its way, easily destroyed and torn apart. This, in turn, accelerated its movement, allowing it to traverse this desolate wasteland unimpeded.

This liquid metal humanoid entity, from its very appearance, exuded an extreme sense of oppression. It was devoid of emotion, made no sound, uttered no language, no roars, and even lacked a breath; it was as if it were merely a pure killing machine, an existence born solely for searching and destruction. Its body structure was extremely unique, combining the fluidity of a liquid with the hardness of a solid. This unique structure gave it an absolute advantage in the face of any attack. Attacks that would be fatal to others fell upon it like punches hitting cotton, unable to cause it any effective damage. Physical attacks are almost meaningless to it. Whether it's a sharp blade slashing, a heavy blunt object impacting, or a high-speed projectile shooting, it can only cause its body to deform briefly. When a blade slashes past, its body will split to both sides like liquid, avoiding the blade's attack, and then quickly close up to return to its original shape, leaving not a trace. When a blunt object impacts, its body will soften instantly, wrapping around the blunt object like cotton, completely absorbing and dissipating the impact. Then, the liquid metal will rapidly contract, squeezing and crushing the blunt object into a pile of scrap metal. When a projectile shoots at it, it will pass directly through its body without any obstruction. The bullet holes on its body will be filled by the flowing liquid metal the moment the projectile passes through, instantly restoring it to its original state, as if it had never been hit.

It also possesses extremely strong defensive capabilities against energy attacks. Whether it's the laser beams and energy blasts released by the out-of-control mechanical sentinels, or the energy shockwaves unleashed by the bio-mechanical hybrids, none of them can cause it any substantial damage. Some of the energy is directly absorbed by the liquid metal flowing on its surface, converting it into its own energy to sustain its activity and attacks; the other part is reflected back by its body, retaliating in the direction of the attack's origin. Often, the attacking enemy suffers the consequences of its own actions, being struck by its own released energy and instantly destroyed. This unique energy defense mechanism allows it to thrive in this ruin filled with energy attacks, needing no concern for any energy threats, focusing solely on advancing, searching, and destroying.

Unlike its defensive flexibility, when it attacks, the liquid metal, which was originally in a flowing state, instantly solidifies and hardens, becoming almost indestructible. Its hardness far exceeds that of any known metal. Whether it's steel, alloys, or hard building materials, they are as fragile as paper before its hardened body, easily torn and destroyed. It has no ranged attack methods, nor does it release any energy attacks. All its attacks rely on its unique liquid metal body, unfolding through slashing and blunt force strikes—simple, direct, yet extremely lethal. Each attack brings devastating consequences. It can transform its arms into sharp metal blades, reaching lengths of over a meter, with incredibly sharp edges that gleam with a cold, icy light. Whether slashing out-of-control mechanical sentinels or tearing apart the bodies of bio-mechanical hybrids, it's as easy as cutting tofu. It can even easily sever thick steel bars and hard concrete walls. It can also transform its arms or fists into heavy blunt weapons, expanding in size several times over, carrying immense impact force. A single punch is enough to smash an overturned hovercar into scrap metal, create a huge hole in a solid building wall, or even directly pulverize the body of a bio-mechanical hybrid, sending bones and mechanical parts flying everywhere.

In addition, when the enemy is at a certain distance and cannot be directly attacked with its arms, it can also demonstrate extremely high mobility, quickly making a short-range dash. During the dash, its body instantly transforms into a silver-gray liquid stream of light, moving at incredible speed, covering several meters in an instant to appear in front of the enemy, then instantly solidifying to launch a fatal blow, giving the enemy no time to react. This ability to dash short distances allows it to quickly eliminate scattered enemies one by one, giving them no chance to regroup and counterattack. It also allows it to quickly approach any suspicious target during a search, efficiently completing the search mission.

The ruins of the Upper City are not merely desolation and decay; they are also home to countless out-of-control mechanical sentinels and a vast array of powerful enemies, hybrids of biological and mechanical beings. These enemies, perhaps originally the Upper City's defense forces or experimental subjects, have lost control after the city went out of control and the power was cut off. They have become exceptionally violent and ferocious, engaging in endless slaughter and a struggle for survival. Their numbers are immense, scattered throughout every corner of the Upper City. Whether on the streets, among the rubble of buildings, or inside abandoned structures, their presence makes this already desolate ruin even more dangerous and eerie.

The out-of-control mechanical sentinels come in many varieties and forms, but most maintain a roughly humanoid silhouette, standing between 1.5 and 2 meters tall. Their bodies are constructed of hard alloy, covered in a cold metallic sheen, and equipped with various weapons and equipment. They are among the most common enemies in these ruins. The most common type is the basic mechanical sentinel, whose head is a square metal box equipped with a fire control system with a scanning module and a laser emitter, allowing for precise target locking. They have thick limbs with mechanical joints, making them agile and fast. Most wield an alloy longsword or are equipped with small energy cannons capable of releasing weak laser beams and energy blasts. While their attack power isn't extremely strong, their sheer numbers and large groups often pose a significant threat to the enemy. In addition to these, there are heavy mechanical sentinels, which are much larger than the basic mechanical sentinels, reaching over three meters in height. They have robust bodies covered in thick alloy armor, providing extremely strong defense. Wielding heavy alloy hammers or equipped with large energy cannons, their attack power is astonishing; a single hammer blow can create a large crater in the ground, and the energy projectiles fired from their cannons can easily destroy building wreckage. They are among the most threatening enemies in these ruins. There are also reconnaissance mechanical sentinels, relatively small in size, less than one meter tall, extremely agile, and incredibly fast. Equipped with advanced reconnaissance equipment, they can quickly search their surroundings and pinpoint target locations. Although their own attack power is weak and they lack powerful weapons, they often operate in groups. Once a target is detected, they quickly send out a signal, summoning a large number of basic and heavy mechanical sentinels to surround and attack the target, making them difficult to defend against.

The powerful enemies created through the hybridization of biological and mechanical forces are even more ferocious and dangerous than the out-of-control mechanical sentinels. They are products of the fusion of biological and mechanical technology, possessing both the agility, resilience, and ferocity of living beings and the hardness, precision, and powerful attack capabilities of machinery. This fusion of strengths makes them the apex predators in this wasteland. These bio-mechanical hybrids vary greatly in form, most appearing extremely bizarre and grotesque. Some resemble giant insects, their bodies encased in mechanical armor, their wings transformed into mechanical wings enabling flight, their mouths spewing high-temperature flames or energy blasts, and their legs transformed into sharp metal blades capable of easily tearing apart prey. Others resemble colossal beasts, enormous in size, their bodies covered in hard scales and mechanical armor, their heads equipped with mechanical sensors, their eyes transformed into red cameras capable of precisely locking onto targets, and their limbs thick and powerful, equipped with mechanical joints. Claws transform into sharp metal claws, capable of tearing prey to shreds in a single bite; tails become mechanical whips, capable of swiftly striking enemies with astonishing power. Others retain a roughly humanoid outline, yet possess a biological body and mechanical limbs. Their heads are those of a biological creature, but equipped with mechanical eyes and energy emitters. Their bodies are covered in mechanical circuitry and alloy armor, allowing them to move and attack with the agility of humans, while also unleashing powerful energy attacks using mechanical strength. Their defensive and offensive capabilities are both extremely formidable, making them among the most difficult enemies to deal with in this wasteland.