Chapter 18: “Oriental Qingdi was meant to be my body…”
When Xiang Nanli saw so many gun barrels aimed at his forehead, his first reaction was to fold. He raised his hands, signaling that he had no weapons and was harmless.
The heavy gate rose slowly to its highest point. Rows of robots stood within, possessing highly anthropomorphic structures. Their metallic bodies had no artificial skin, allowing one to see the mechanics at every joint. Their cores spun at high speeds, and the electrical conduits within their bodies pulsed with dim light. Their heads were pure metal, featuring only vague, minimalist facial features with slightly recessed hollows for eyes.
Alpha’s voice was calm: “These robots do not have an Anthropomorphic Module* installed. Therefore, they are merely tools. And tools are born to be used.”
The Anthropomorphic Module, also known as the Emotional Cognition Module, is what allows a robot to inherit human thinking and enjoy “human rights.” It is the sole standard that distinguishes an “Omnic” from a simple “Robot.”
Countless infrared dots overlapped on Xiang Nanli’s body, marking his vitals. For half a minute, a silent battlefield raged in a dimension Xiang Nanli could not see—a war of data: attack and defense, intrusion and resistance.
The robots’ antivirus modules, designed to prevent cyberpsychosis, were powerful. Unfortunately, their opponent was Alpha. Even if Alpha were alone, the robots’ autonomous programs were slaughtered, leaving their digital “corpses” strewn across the network.
The red targeting dots on Xiang Nanli vanished.
“Welcome home, Director.” The voice emerged from the speakers embedded in the robots’ abdomens.
The system had hacked him an authorization level equivalent to a workshop director. Xiang Nanli’s heart hammered against his ribs; cold sweat soaked his undershirt. Only after confirming that the robots truly wouldn’t attack did he walk cautiously into the room.
The number of robots inside exceeded his imagination, and there were multiple models. They were arranged neatly in a warehouse-like hall, resembling the Terracotta Army, with numbered sections. In the center of the hall sat a circular device, a pillar of light piercing through the room and serving as the sole source of illumination.
He wandered through the rows, touching everything. He even bent down to inspect the production certificates on their waists. “Oh, this batch of mechanical guards is to be sent to Luoyang City. The buyer… Luoyang?”
Seeing the name, Xiang Nanli’s eyes glazed over for a moment. He was silent for several seconds before murmuring, “I don’t like Luoyang. He wanted too much. We had some philosophical differences. But he was the most suitable successor I could find at the time.”
Alpha: “Is that so?”
Xiang Nanli’s eyes were deep and profound: “I believe technology makes the world a better place. It’s not that I’m noble, but history always advances through twists and turns. Our technology and ethics constantly develop. Technology that serves only the elite will eventually lose its vitality. Capital’s pursuit of profit naturally pushes cutting-edge technology toward mass affordability, as that is the fastest way to profit.”
“He didn’t think so. He believed technology could be a tool for extracting surplus value. The pioneer takes greater risks and therefore should enjoy greater profits—even monopolies—at the cost of restricting technological development. We always argued about the promotion and use of Alpha.”
“It’s too complicated to explain in a few words. Looking at the Underground City now, the world has likely gone the way he wanted.”
Xiang Nanli lowered his gaze, looking self-deprecating, and perhaps a little sad. Why did he feel sad? Xiang Nanli didn’t know himself. Perhaps that was the charm of emotion. But he quickly pulled himself together.
Although the robots he touched were in an active state, they were docile and showed no reaction, though he could feel the engine hum beneath the metal. Andrew and Xiu were only “mechanically modified humans”, fundamentally still within the realm of “humanity.” This was Xiang Nanli’s first time seeing real robots—not pictures in a textbook, but living, touchable things. He tried to dismantle a robotic arm, but it didn’t react. Unfortunately, without tools, his limited human strength made dismembering them too difficult.
He stroked their smooth, streamlined bodies, a happy smile breaking out on his face.
Alpha’s tone was subtle: “Please do not molest the metal.”
Xiang Nanli pulled his hand back, heart racing: “Alpha, can you make them say, ‘The millennium has arrived; welcome back, Dragon King’?”
“…” It really didn’t want to answer that.
Xiang Nanli wandered around like a workshop inspector and asked, “Can you make these robots return to the surface with me?” Selling them would be a fortune. He wouldn’t have to worry about credit card debt anymore.
“First of all, via legal channels, you would have to explain where this batch came from. You would need to pay a huge tax to legally enjoy their usage rights. You wouldn’t even be able to bring them back to the Underground City through the transit station.” The security at the transit station was like customs; unregistered robots were essentially brand-new luxury goods in packaging. The inspectors would strip him clean or confiscate them outright.
“As for illegal channels, as a level-2 primitive human, I think the danger is greater than you imagine. I think you know the answer to whether it’s easier to pay or easier to just be killed.”
However, after analyzing, the system continued: “If conditions allow, you can leave them here. When you need money, dismantle some parts and sell them on the black market. Though I think it’s a waste and inefficient.”
“Then what if I use them to build a surface settlement?”
System: “You lack energy. And we don’t have an intelligent control system to operate every robot in real-time. Without it, you’d have to program them one by one. But there are many setting issues—without an Anthropomorphic Module, they can only repeat mechanical labor based on programs… wait, you aren’t trying to make me do this, are you? You aren’t afraid I’ll burn out my CPU???”
Alpha’s tone actually sounded panicked at the end, because it felt like Xiang Nanli was exactly the kind of person who would try that.
Xiang Nanli thought for a moment and shook his head: “Forget it. Compared to this batch of military-industrial robots, the system is more important.” He scanned the hall. “Alpha, where is the exit?”
The warehouse hall was huge and square, with doors on all sides—eight of them in total. He had entered through Gate 1; the others all looked identical.
“Where is the exit…” the system repeated mechanically. “You asked me earlier why I brought you here… I will answer you now, Xiang Nanli: I want a body.”
Xiang Nanli froze, running the information he had gathered over this period through his mind. “Oriental Qingdi?”
The system replied: “Yes.”
“Why?” Xiang Nanli arched a brow. “You know, that’s top-tier gear. It’s a body prepared for the Alpha of the Omnic Legion. Many people want it. With our current situation, isn’t it a bit… foolhardy?”
Even so, he didn’t express clear opposition. He was also curious to see how far Alpha could lead him. Oriental Qingdi—a body created by Donghuang Heavy Industries for Alpha, rumored to be a disaster-level mechanical device. It was truly mouth-watering.
System: “If it were just us, of course it would be impossible. But I have already completed the most difficult part for you.”
“A network security breach?”
“No,” the system replied bluntly. “I stole the key to Oriental Qingdi from Luo Xiu.”
Xiang Nanli was full of question marks: “…?? Wait, you mean the necklace?” He didn’t even have the mood to ask why Xiu’s surname was Luo. He fumbled in his pocket and found the so-called key. It looked like a simple metal disc with no technological aesthetic, but in reality, it contained an incredibly advanced encryption chip. It required no authorization—it was, without a doubt, the final key.
The system explained: “Back then, the Director of Donghuang Heavy Industries took it to defect to the Black Cross Inquisition. But they could never find the location of the factory. Luo Xiu stole this key from the Knight Commander of the Apocalypse Knights. They had been looking at the wrong address, thinking the industrial town nearby was the secret factory.”
Xiang Nanli’s mouth twitched: “So the most difficult part was completed by Luo Xiu?! Wait, how exactly did you steal it? And how is it so coincidental? How did you know I would grab that necklace??”
The system corrected him: “You didn’t grab it; I attracted it. You can understand it as a special electromagnetic wave band that created a magnetic attraction with the key.”
Rumble.
The ground suddenly trembled. Xiang Nanli’s pupils constricted. One of the doors nearby was opening. His heart raced, and he ducked under a row of military-industrial machinery—a large, garbage-truck-like cleaning machine. It was low to the ground and offered decent concealment.
Lying under the vehicle, he could vaguely see legs through the gap. He recognized them: the investigator team, but not a full squad. Only Xiu and Xin Zhui.
“Finally opened it. Luckily, the code hasn’t expired.” It was Xiu’s voice. “Hmm, why aren’t these robots attacking?”
Xiang Nanli was delighted for two seconds, then awkwardly remembered that he had just stolen their key—it wasn’t exactly convenient to come out and say hello.
Soon, Xin Zhui’s voice arrived: “They aren’t in an active state; out of energy, perhaps. We finally found the central control console, but unfortunately, the key has been stolen. If Xiang Nanli appears here, he is definitely a spy sent by someone. I will immediately execute him.”
Xiang Nanli’s heart skipped a beat. Damn, this Xin Zhui. A few days ago, he was all smiles; now it’s kill-on-sight. Truly, men couldn’t be trusted.
Simultaneously, a huge roar came from elsewhere. Before the door was even fully open, Xiang Nanli heard the roar of a Lurker—”Hiss!!”
The Apocalypse Knights hadn’t entered yet, but the Crawlers had already darted into the hall through the cracks in the door. They had found their enemy. The next moment, dazzling electricity erupted, dimming the surrounding lights. Xiang Nanli smelled the stench of burning flesh.
The main gate opened fully. Xiang Nanli struggled to roll over on the other side of the vehicle, seeing rows of black military boots. The number wasn’t huge—the Knights must have split up underground.
Xin Zhui’s voice was full of irritation: “Luo Xiu, stand back.”
A cold, icy laugh came from the other side, followed by the steady, rhythmic tramping of boots: “Found you, little mice.”
Xiang Nanli felt he shouldn’t be under the vehicle. But if he appeared now, he would surely die—executed by Xin Zhui or hacked to death by the Knights. It was a hell of a choice.
The system’s voice lacked emotion: “It seems we can’t get out for the moment. Have you considered it? Xiang Nanli.”
Xiang Nanli didn’t think for long. His emerald-green eyes were deep and unreadable: “I can agree to it, but I have one question. Alpha. Tell me, who exactly are you?”
Xiang Nanli’s hand balled into a fist, sweating with tension. He had a vague answer in his heart, but he didn’t dare to truly hope for it, or rather, the answer he was thinking of was too unbelievable. Even if they were both named Alpha, how could it be? If it weren’t the case, how else could he explain the system’s anomalies? Why did it want that mechanical body?
One second, maybe three. It wasn’t long, but Xiang Nanli felt like he had been waiting for this answer for a lifetime.
He heard Alpha say slowly: “Six hundred years ago, I was the main control AI of Donghuang Heavy Industries. Oriental Qingdi was meant to be my body.”
