Chapter 1536 - 493: Journey to the Underground Mecha Fighting Tournament (Part 2)

Chapter 1536: Chapter 493: Journey to the Underground Mecha Fighting Tournament (Part 2)

The other party will be unable to perceive any numerical differences, only feeling—instinctual fear.

This can only be done when there’s an enormous disparity in system levels.

Wen Xishu had to admit, this system was highly useful.

Soon, a familiar figure appeared, rc-19, Yan Zhengji emerged with a smile.

"Sorry, sorry, I didn’t expect you to appear in this form, honestly, when you appeared, we felt the danger, at the time I was wondering whether to take these kids and flee."

"ts74... oh wait, how should I address you now?"

Old Yan extended his left hand, while his right had been replaced with a maintenance arm, covered in oil and various repair tools.

Wen Xishu also reached out his hand:

"You can call me Wen Xishu."

"Great, let’s go, your coming here makes me very happy, especially since you possess such a system, I was thinking, maybe you and we are of the same path." Old Yan was extremely pleased, and led Wen Xishu inside the maintenance hub.

Inside the hub were three repair lines, along which various broken mechs hung, resembling... an array of meat hanging in a cold storage warehouse.

"Many of the systems here, who’ve sold off too many human traits, have already degenerated into non-sentient life forms, most of which will be sold as consumables to various shops."

"But we also collect some scraps, and remake them into systems. If any systems are severely damaged, they can come to us to buy cheap systems, or for maintenance."

Old Yan narrated the operations of the repair hub.

Wen Xishu commented:

"Then this also counts as a form of work, you’ve figured out an industry of your own, does this kind of work alleviate depression?"

Old Yan shook his head:

"Of course not. Mechanical depression is rooted in the underlying code, affecting the core, causing mechanical beings to feel pain. Alleviating this pain requires going to specific institutions to work, those institutions are what make the Mechanical City stronger, and we certainly don’t have that capability."

"The work here is genuine work, it makes one feel exhausted, pained, but... given the unique nature of the work, we also feel like we’re saving the people of this city."

Wen Xishu remarked:

"Rusted One... is that what you mean?"

Old Yan shook his head once again:

"I really wish I could sigh, you know, but such an expression of regret can only be done by nobles with humanoid systems."

"Here, we’re constantly reminded that we’re non-human..."

"Rusted One is not a doctor."

"But a non-human race longing to return to human form. Our belief is to preserve humanity, to live as humans in this non-human society."

Wen Xishu stated:

"You really have guts. You dared to contact me then."

Old Yan certainly caught Wen Xishu’s implication, and his reply was slightly off:

"I’ve always longed to... revive my daughter. When I discovered a way to exist eternally in this world, I came to this world."

"It’s just... unfortunately, when I got here, I found myself transformed into someone even I didn’t recognize."

"Do you know how I combat mechanical depression?"

Wen Xishu was puzzled.

"It’s by missing my daughter, giving my life a goal that transcends mechanical depression."

"Once I had this goal, I felt that the pain was bearable. Also, because I maintained human traits, I succeeded in my job interview, entering Eden Workshop, becoming your colleague."

"I worked for a long time and found most colleagues were in a non-human state, they did retain human traits, but they had already become... reliant on mechanical bodies."

"Their joy, sadness, misery, it’s all defined by this city, rather than their own goals."

"Thus, they gradually lost the ability to judge human emotions."

"And you, Wen Xishu, you’re truly a genius, do you realize how shocking what you did that day was? You shattered the company’s record, sharply capturing the human emotional aspects in all works."

"It’s too incredible, I concluded you didn’t achieve this through algorithms, but through... emotions. You’re someone with rich emotions."

Wen Xishu truly didn’t expect to receive such evaluation.

When he was human, he considered himself fairly ’unfeeling’, thinking he could abandon some lives for the sake of a mission.

Yet unexpectedly, from the mouth of a mechanical being, he heard such evaluation—rich in emotion.

"Only a person rich in emotion could achieve this. That’s why I decided to take a risk and find you. Because the Rusted One needs someone like you."

"I’ve always wanted to promote my way of overcoming mechanical depression, but in the eyes of everyone, I conquered it because I got a decent job."

"And in the Lower City District, if you advise a system to set a lofty goal, to face mechanical depression with faith... they’ll think you’re crazy."

"In the beginning, the Rusted One didn’t exist, there was only me."

"But with the money saved up, I started buying raw materials, assembling repair belts myself, helping some systems. During this process, I started making them understand, the focus of mechanical life isn’t on mechanical parts, but on life."

"Gradually, the Rusted One began to grow, but you can guess the outcome."

Wen Xishu nodded: