Chapter 1218: 386. A sitting duck
[System Information:]
[You have been affected by the “Death Code Virus.”]
System text appeared in Noland Lee’s mind as he raised his eyebrows.
When there were no Death Steel Soldiers, his “status bar” only displayed the negative effect of the “Annihilation Field.”
But as soon as the Death Steel Soldiers emerged from the underground, the “status bar” showed the negative effect of the “Death Code Virus.”
It seemed that the Death Steel Soldiers were the carriers and sources of the “Death Code Virus,” and those defined by the system as “Human Torches” do not spread the virus.
...
Noland Lee felt that there was some deeper meaning, but unfortunately, his understanding of things like “Death Steel” and “Human Torch” wasn’t profound enough to articulate the reasons.
Now was not the time to lament the absence of the Assassin Angel by his side. Having witnessed the Death Steel Soldiers emerging from the subway entrance, Noland Lee had some speculations waiting to be verified.
“Nolin, let’s enter the Underground Tunnel. With my Invisibility Magic, the Mechanos won’t be detected.”
“Okay, sir.”
Nolin gathered the Mechanos scattered around the Urban Area and grouped them next to Noland Lee, covering their entry into the subway entrance.
At the start of this journey, Nolin engaged Noland Lee, who theoretically had never experienced urban life, in a discussion about various facilities in the Urban Area.
Buildings, rooftop water storage tanks and solar facilities, telecom equipment, roadside wires and transformers, and more—all unfamiliar to Noland Lee, were introduced one by one by Nolin.
For instance, the subway entrance they were now entering was described by Nolin as a type of railway for rapid underground transit, except that the vehicles on this railway were not trains but electric cars.
Noland Lee listened patiently, not dismissing Nolin’s kindness.
As they walked and talked, Nolin slowly noticed that the Mechanos she controlled were acting abnormally.
“Sir, there’s something odd about the Mechanos; they seem to be not responding well.”
After pondering, Noland Lee nodded and checked using the Deconstruction Technique, and said:
“It’s the ‘Death Code Virus’ acting up. This virus is transforming the metallic Mechanos into Death Steel Soldiers. However, the non-metallic Mechanos are not showing these symptoms.”
“So what do we do now? Should I destroy all the metallic Mechanos?” asked Nolin.
Noland Lee waved his hand and said:
“No, it’s not a problem for now. I estimate that the metallic Mechanos will still be reliable for about three hours and won’t be completely controlled by the virus.”
Nolin felt somewhat reassured.
Looking around, the subway’s ticket hall was dimly lit by only a few decrepit wall lamps.
There were no signs of battle in this place, thick dust lay everywhere, and the floor was marked with neat footprints left by the Death Steel Soldiers, devoid of any small animals or insects. noveldrama
The dust in the air floated slowly under the light, wriggling like countless small bugs.
Under the protection of the “Veil of Different Worlds (Imitation),” Noland Lee and the nearby Mechanos did not stir the dust and passed straight through this area with off-the-charts PM2.5 levels, down the stairs to the platform.
On one side of the platform was the train Nolin had described as a subway train.
Similarly, this train with a white exterior was severely damaged, not a single piece of the windshield was intact, and the carriages were littered with broken glass and dust.
From the footprints on the ground, all the Death Steel Soldiers patrolling the ground-level Urban Area were all seated in the first five carriages of the train.
After disembarking, they went directly upstairs without lingering.
Noland Lee sensed the conditions inside the remaining carriages and his heart raced slightly.
The other fifteen carriages were filled with Death Steel Soldiers.
They were sitting mutely on the bench seats on either side, as still as a log.
The Death Steel Soldiers from carriages six to ten were just standard issue, but from the eleventh carriage onward, the Death Steel Soldiers visibly grew larger, resembling small mountains squatting on the benches, with one taking up at least three seats.
Looking at carriages fifteen to twenty, they no longer contained Death Steel Soldiers, but were filled with ammunition, firearms, cannons, and projectiles.
“Is this train here to inspect the Urban Area, or is it a troop transport?”
Noland Lee was puzzled; he couldn’t find a route map on the platform.
To say this train was for inspection, its firepower seemed excessively strong.
To say it was a troop transport, why would it come to roam around the Urban Area where the Root Server was located?
Noland Lee couldn’t quite understand the internal arrangement of the Death Steel at that moment.
He really wanted to find a suitable target, crack open their metal skull, and unleash the Deconstruction Technique on the Death Agreement Magic Cube inside to obtain Deconstruction Results like the “Order Book.”
But the negative impact of the “Annihilation Field” dissuaded Noland Lee from acting recklessly.
Noland Lee stood outside the train pondering for half a minute, then decided to find a suitable spot on top of the train to wait and see where the train would take him.
After waiting for about three minutes, Noland Lee slapped his forehead, realizing he was being a bit foolish.
The ground patrol might need an hour or more to survey the entire Urban Area.
Rather than waiting here for an hour, it would be better to walk along the railway to the next station.
Noland Lee and Nolin discussed and each controlled a batch of Mechanos, heading upstream and downstream along the railway, splitting up but keeping communication constant.