Chapter 28 - Manuel

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Manuel

Level 10

Race: Automaton

Class: Bastion

VIT - 50

POW - 45

AGI - 35

INT - 30

SYS - 40

Talent: None

Skill:

Thoughtflare - Lv 1

Smart Algorithm - Lv MAX

Realsteel Frame - Lv MAX

Psyform - Lv MAX

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Thoughtflare

Rank: Rare

Active

Releases a violent surge of psychic energy into the minds of nearby enemies, disrupting their thoughts and provoking uncontrollable rage, drawing their attention to the source.

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In front of Lucas was another white robot with a singular red eye. Instead of being sleek-looking like Jager, this one had a bulkier frame.

“Alright, Manuel. I'll test your abilities later,” Lucas chuckled. “Looks like I've been holding off too long to clear this dungeon.”

He noticed Chloe and Samantha watching him intently throughout the building process of Manuel.

Waving at them, he called out, “Get ready, let's start the next wave.”

The girls nodded, their excitement evident as their fingers fidgeted with their weapons.

Smiling at the sight, Lucas sent a surge of mental energy, disabling the energy source of the last hanging golem.

The moment the energy source was removed, the golem's red eye dimmed, and a new system notification appeared.

***

“There’s at least seventy of them!” Samantha exclaimed as hordes of zombies approached.

“Jager, fire at will. Manuel, bash them,” Lucas ordered, and an assault rifle and giant hammer flew into their hands respectively.

Both automatons’ red lenses flickered faintly before they moved into position.

Manuel charged straight into the zombie horde, releasing a surge of mental energy. The surrounding zombies turned their heads toward it, snarling agitatedly, before rushing in its direction.

Motors within Manuel whirred as it swung its giant hammer in a wide arc, smashing countless zombies into ground.

Meanwhile, Jager took cover behind a pillar, its assault rifle rattling off precise bursts of bullets that tore through the advancing zombies.

“Both of you, focus on the big ones. I’ll handle the ghostly ones,” Lucas instructed, drawing his pistol.

Taking aim at one of the specters, he fired. The bullet, wrapped in faint purple psychic energy, struck the ghost in the head, causing it to dissipate into dust.

“Well, that works. Convenient, huh? Having mental or psychic energy,” he smirked before unleashing a volley of bullets at the floating specters.

As more ghosts fell, Lucas reloaded his pistol, muttering to himself, “I should teach the girls how to use this stuff too.”

By the time the final giant zombie collapsed, the ground was littered with shattered remains and torn bodies.

Chloe approached Manuel, staring at it intently. In response, Manuel stared back with its glowing red lens.

Seeing this, Samantha sighed helplessly and asked, “Chloe, what are you doing?”

“He needs a shield to go with that giant hammer,” Chloe said, still focused on Manuel.

Manuel’s lens glowed faintly, as if processing Chloe's suggestion. “Yeah! Boss Lady One! A shield would be dope!” it suddenly said, resting the hammer on the ground.

Chloe’s eyes widened in shock. Samantha, and even Lucas, who had been busy salvaging usable parts from the zombies, turned their attention to Manuel.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“Yo! Boss Man, can I have a shield?” Manuel called out to Lucas, its red lens flickering with faint excitement. “My chip says if I got a shield, I’ll be wrecking these dweebs way easier.”

It paused briefly, then added, “I want a giant and awesome one. Can’t let these babies go unused,” while patting its bulky arms for emphasis.

Chloe’s eyes lit up. “Wow! How are you speaking like this?! I thought you’d sound like Jager, robotic and machine-like.”

Wiggling its index finger, Manuel replied, “No, no, Boss Lady One. It’s because Boss Man didn’t set my speaking style, so I went ahead and picked an awesome one for myself.”

Samantha raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “He can do that?” She turned to Lucas. “This feels… unscientific.”

Lucas shrugged casually. “Probably. I didn’t have the tools to program them. Besides, the world’s gone full sword-and-magic fantasy. What’s wrong with sprinkling in a little sci-fi?”

“You’ve got a point,” Samantha admitted, shaking her head. “Everything’s been upside down lately, so why not a robot or two?”

Manuel flexed its mechanical arms dramatically. “That’s the spirit, Boss Lady Two! We’re going to kick ass and take names! Woo!”

Jager walked over and added calmly, “Fret not, Miss Chloe and Miss Samantha. Despite Manuel’s ‘unorthodox’ mannerism, both of us possess highly capable processing abilities.”

Manuel let out a hearty mechanical laugh and patted Jager’s back. “That’s my Jager boy!”

Slightly shifting its stance, Jager replied, “Please refrain from hitting my back too hard, Mr. Manuel. Excessive force may damage my hardware.”

Suddenly, a large white, one-meter-wide shield flew through the air. Manuel caught it effortlessly and strapped it onto its arm with precision.

Feeling the shield's weight, Manuel gave Lucas a thumbs-up. “Thanks, Boss Man! This bad boy’s perfect for bashing heads!”

Lucas smirked. “Don’t get too attached. I’ll make you a better one later. Use that for now.”

“How the hell am I supposed to fight them?” Samantha cursed at the sight of the incoming golems and countless flying devices.

All of a sudden, Lucas tossed something her way. “Use this for now.”

She caught the weapon and glanced at it, a shotgun with a heavy-duty design. A cheeky grin spread across her face. “Are you sure this will work?”

“It’s loaded with exploding shells. Trust me, it’ll work one way or another,” Lucas replied with a smirk.

Pumping the shotgun smoothly, Samantha grinned, “If you say so.”

“Jager!” Lucas called out, sending several magazines hovering toward the robot.

Jager stared at the magazines briefly before nodding. It swiftly reloaded the assault rifle in its hands with precise, mechanical efficiency.

-DETECTED INTRUDER-

As the golems closed in on Lucas and the group, their red lenses glowed ominously. Several rifle-wielding golems raised their barrels in unison.

In an instant, volleys of red beams erupted from the rifles.

Blue rings flickered in Lucas's eyes as the corpses of the mutants scattered across the ground floated, stacking together to form a large shield that absorbed the barrage of laser beams.

Fortunately, the mutant flesh was thick enough to withstand a single volley.

However, the drones were closing in rapidly. Their barrels began rotating, firing a relentless hail of bullets.

Quickly, several corpses piled together to shield Chloe and Samantha from the onslaught.

Jager and Manuel, with their superior quality, shrugged off the bullet impacts without issue, so Lucas didn't worry about them being harmed.

Hiding behind the wall of flesh, Chloe groaned, "They don't stop at all!"

Samantha, peeking out periodically, fired her shotgun at the golems, each shot causing an explosion that took down several at a time. "At least your skills are effective on them! I can't even use my spells on them!" she complained as she fired again.

"I'm going to have a headache later," Lucas muttered as the blue rings in his eyes continued to glow.

Mutant corpses began floating in greater numbers, stacking on top of each other from one end of the battlefield to the other, forming a tall wall of flesh with a single opening in the center.

"Manuel! Guard the center. Jager, take the high ground," Lucas commanded.

Both automatons' red lenses flickered in acknowledgment.

"Roger that, Boss Man!" Manuel yelled as it dashed toward the opening, hammer ready.

"Understood," Jager replied calmly before leaping to the top of the flesh wall and taking a prone position with its rifle.

Turning to the girls, Lucas added, "Both of you, help Manuel hold the line."

Suddenly, another volley of laser beams tore through the air, punching holes into the flesh wall. Lucas smirked wryly. "Two can play at that game," he muttered.

With a wave of his mental energy, salvaged golem parts from Wave 3 floated upward, morphing and assembling themselves atop the wall of flesh.

Piece by piece, they reconfigured into rows of laser turrets that clicked into place.

Leaping onto the top of the wall, Lucas scanned the battlefield. Waving his arm, he cackled, “With best treasures, witness the defense of Uruk! King's Signal Cannon!”

As if on cue, the laser turrets roared to life, unleashing a relentless barrage of red beams that rained down on the advancing golem hordes.

“Second volley! Fire!”

“Third volley! Fire!”

“Fourth volley! Fire!”

After four volleys of laser barrages, the number of golems and drones was visibly reduced, though a significant number still remained.

However, their reduced numbers made it manageable for the others to engage them directly.

Meanwhile, the turrets on the wall began breaking apart, some from overheating, others from the lack of mental energy needed to sustain their form. Lucas, drained and weary, collapsed onto the flesh wall and plopped down with a groan.

"I'll leave the rest up to you," he murmured, closing his eyes and drifting off into an impromptu nap.

***

“How the hell is your hubby doing all that?” Samantha exclaimed in awe.

“He's mine,” Chloe shot back, glaring at Samantha with narrowed eyes.

Before Samantha could retort, Manuel’s motors whirred to life. “Time for a counterattack! Let’s go, Boss Lady One and Two!” it roared.

Bending its knees, Manuel surged forward, charging straight into the remaining golems. "Look! Daddy’s here, you fourth-rate scrap metal!" it bellowed while activating .

The psychic surge caused the remaining golems to pause momentarily, their red lenses flickering in sync.

They seemed to comprehend Manuel's taunt, their mechanical voices echoing ominously.

-INTRUDER THREAT LEVEL, MAX-

-PRIORITIZE ELIMINATION-

From atop the flesh wall, Jager muttered while firing precise shots with its rifle, "That remark is rather derogatory, Manuel."

“Threat Level Max? You shouldn't have, your daddy's cheeks are red right now!” Manuel exclaimed as its hammer swung in a wide arc, crushing two golems into twisted heaps of metal.

“This is like getting a 'Best Daddy' mug!” it cackled, bashing its shield into another golem with a loud clang.

As Manuel crushed yet another golem, the remaining enemies began moving with alarming coordination, attempting to flank and overwhelm it.

One of the golems lunged at Manuel's back, its saw whirring dangerously.

Noticing the attack too late, Manuel twisted its body, attempting to block with its shield, only for another golem to strike from the side. "A pincer move? You’re smart!" Manuel exclaimed with wry amusement.

All of a sudden, a blast of sword energy pierced through the golem's chest, leaving a smoking, gaping hole.

Through the hole, Manuel could see Chloe with its red lens.

Smashing the other golem in pieces, it hollered, “Nice beat! Boss Lady One! Let's roll!” before charging into the other golems.