Chapter 392: Visitors

Kai turned his attention toward the black mechanical figure and couldn’t help but remember the massive upgrade Atom had undergone in the past.

After absorbing fifty Aetherium Ores, Atom had evolved from an A-Grade Sentinel into an S-Grade Sentinel. His durability had increased tremendously, his barrier generation had become far more efficient, and his operating duration had been greatly extended. He had also gained several new functions, including an Adaptive Energy Shield, a Self-Repair Protocol, and an Overdrive Mode that could temporarily increase his combat output by 200% when Spirit Energy was channeled into his core.

The Aetherium had even changed his appearance.

Atom’s previous metallic body had been replaced by a much darker black surface that almost seemed to absorb the surrounding light.

However, there was still something that hadn’t changed.

Atom couldn’t speak.

Even after becoming an S-Grade Sentinel, he still wasn’t capable of communicating through words. Kai had originally wondered whether the evolution would somehow unlock a proper communication system, but that clearly hadn’t happened.

So when Atom suddenly began walking toward him, Kai couldn’t help but become curious.

"What are you doing?"

As expected, Atom didn’t answer.

Instead, the S-Grade Sentinel simply walked past Kai and continued toward the second truck.

Kai turned around and followed him with his eyes.

"Atom?"

Atom stopped beside the vehicle before reaching out and placing one of his black mechanical hands against its metal exterior.

Kai frowned.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then a faint glow suddenly appeared beneath Atom’s palm.

Kai immediately became alert.

"Chamber, scan it."

[ Scanning. ]

The result appeared almost immediately.

[ Aetherium detected. ]

Kai’s eyes widened.

"Aetherium?"

He quickly stepped closer.

The faint glow beneath Atom’s hand became brighter as something inside the truck began moving toward him. A few seconds later, a small amount of dark metallic material emerged from within the truck’s structure before disappearing directly into Atom’s hand.

Kai stared at the scene.

Apparently, the truck had been constructed with Aetherium integrated into some of its internal components.

He hadn’t noticed it.

Even Chamber hadn’t detected it during the initial inspection, but Atom had somehow sensed it.

The black Sentinel remained completely silent as the last traces of Aetherium disappeared into his body.

[ Atom’s aetherium absorption complete. ]

Kai looked at Atom.

"You found Aetherium inside the truck?"

Atom simply stood there and Kai couldn’t help but sigh.

"Right. You can’t answer me."

Still, Kai couldn’t help wondering whether Atom needed more Aetherium after his evolution. If the material had been responsible for his advancement once, perhaps absorbing more of it could provide additional benefits.

Unfortunately, asking Atom wouldn’t help.

Before Kai could ask Chamber to perform another scan, Atom suddenly turned and walked toward the next vehicle.

Kai followed him.

The same thing happened again.

Atom placed his hand against the truck, and after a brief moment, the hidden Aetherium inside the vehicle began flowing toward him.

Kai’s expression gradually became stranger.

"How many of these trucks have Aetherium inside them?"

Chamber immediately scanned the remaining vehicles.

[ Scanning for Aetherium. ]

A few seconds later, the results appeared.

[ Aetherium detected in Truck One. ]

[ Aetherium detected in Truck Three. ]

[ Aetherium detected in Truck Five. ]

Kai stared at the notifications.

"So they all have it?"

[ Correct. ]

Atom continued moving from one truck to another, silently absorbing the hidden Aetherium from each vehicle. There was no explosion or dramatic reaction. He simply touched the metal and absorbed the material directly into his core.

By the time he finished, all of the hidden Aetherium had been consumed.

Kai looked at him with curiosity.

"Does your core need more?... Never mind, there’s no point asking you."

Still, he wasn’t complaining. If there was more Aetherium available, he certainly wasn’t going to stop Atom from absorbing it.

Kai was about to ask Chamber to inspect Atom again when he suddenly heard the distant sound of engines.

He couldn’t help but frown at it...

Vroom!

Another engine roared in the distance, followed by several more.

Kai turned toward the road ahead...

Several pairs of headlights were approaching them. They were motorbikes!

Then, the rescued survivors noticed them as well, and the relaxed atmosphere around the trucks immediately disappeared. People who had been sitting around their coffee cups quickly stood up, while some of the stronger survivors instinctively moved closer to the others.

Well, they had picked up the various guns used by the Sentinels and Spyders a while ago, so they had something to use to protect themselves.

Meanwhile, Farrah also prepared her weapons and looked toward the approaching vehicles.

"Guys... Stay calm. Don’t shoot until we confirm if they’re hostile." Farrah reminded the nervous survivors.

She was worried that they would preemptively shoot the bikers and cause more trouble for them.

Soon, the sound of the engines grew louder as the group came closer.

There were more than a dozen motorcycles, and most of them carried two people. The riders were armed with rifles, swords, and various modified weapons.

Kai immediately understood what had happened.

The fires, lights, and movement around their temporary camp had probably attracted their attention.

The motorcycles slowed down as they approached the trucks before stopping several dozen meters away.

A man riding at the front raised his weapon.

"Stop right there!"

Kai remained where he was.

The leader looked past him and examined the trucks. His eyes then moved toward the group of survivors gathered around them.

His expression changed.

"You’ve got quite a few people with you."

Kai didn’t respond.

The man glanced at the supplies scattered around the camp before looking at the trucks again.

"Hand over your supplies and we’ll leave you alone."

Some of the rescued survivors immediately became nervous.

After everything they had experienced, the last thing they wanted was another group of armed people taking them away.

Kai, however, remained calm. These guys were actually so stupid, thinking that they could do whatever they wanted without properly assessing their strength.

"You should leave."

The leader laughed after hearing Kai’s warning...

But then, his eyes moved toward the unmoving Atom.

"What the hell is that thing?"

Atom stood silently beside Kai, his black body reflecting the faint light from the nearby fires.

The leader seemed uncertain for a moment, but the number of people behind him gave him confidence.

He raised his weapon that seemed to have been stolen from a Spyder Unit...

"Take the supplies."

Several motorcycles immediately accelerated... And Kai couldn’t help but sigh at their stupidity...

Apparently, the apocalypse hadn’t changed human nature as much as he had hoped.

He then activated Neural Acceleration.

The world around him seemed to slow as the motorcycles rushed toward them. Kai could clearly see the riders raising their weapons and spreading out in an attempt to surround the trucks.

At the same time, Atom finally moved.

The black S-Grade Sentinel accelerated forward and reached the first motorcycle before its rider could react!