The mechanical centipede's upper body, with tens of thousands of minute parts, gradually contorted. Over a hundred slender legs retracted into the main body with a series of rustling sounds, finally separating to reveal two thick mechanical limbs resembling human arms.
From the outside, it now looked like a bizarre mechanical creature with a human head and torso, but with a centipede-like lower half.
The half-man, half-centipede shouldered the collapsed Gu Ya, using the hundreds of legs on its lower body to coil around the Yin Phantom Mech. It descended to the ground, placing Gu Ya onto the concrete.
"Quick, I can't hold on much longer," the man's head urged.
The mechanical centipede began to transform again. The ring-like metal structures of its lower body gradually overlapped and retracted into the main body. The mechanical structure of its upper half separated in the middle, and began to shrink and reshape, gradually revealing the man's entire body.
This man was not grown within the machinery; rather, dozens of minute energy conduits connected him to the mechanical structure. These conduits detached one by one, until only one remained connected to the machinery.
As the man emerged from the centipede's body, the mechanical structure enveloping him completely retracted into a very compact mass. A large portion of its parts and the major support mechanisms had vanished somewhere.
In the end, when the man, dressed in a black Zhongshan suit, appeared before Gu Ya, the original nearly three-meter-tall mechanical centipede had shrunk into a peculiar and cute miniature robot sitting on the man's shoulder.
"My name is Zeng Lang," the man said, adjusting his Zhongshan suit and stretching his neck and wrists.
"Zeng Lang?" Gu Ya, still reeling, looked up at Zeng Lang.
The super-miniature robot on his shoulder, its two round mechanical eyes glowing sea-blue, stared blankly at Gu Ya and said calmly, "Not Zeng Lang, but Zeng Lang. Not your brother."
Zeng Lang half-crouched, reached out, and placed a hand on Gu Ya's shoulder. "We come from eight hundred years in the future."
"What?" Gu Ya retorted, disbelievingly.
Zeng Lang said calmly, "That's right, but we're not time travelers. We're using technology too complex to explain to you. Through research instruments from eight hundred years ago, our consciousness has flowed back in reverse. This also involves some... unmentionable technologies in the realm of imaginary numbers."
The super-miniature robot hopped on Gu Ya's shoulder, speaking urgently, "Quick, only three minutes left, be brief. I know you have many questions, but there's really no time. You've carelessly opened the Legacy Urn of the Mech God, causing temporal disruptions. Your future has already changed."
Gu Ya contorted his face in anger, accusing, "I don't understand your gibberish! All I know is you killed Ye Ying!"
"Ye Ying?" the super-miniature robot said dismissively. "Take a good look at what that is."
Gu Ya turned his head and his gaze immediately became vacant. Lying on the ground was clearly a transparent, immobile liquid resembling glue.
"Gu Ya, I am actually you from another timeline," the super-miniature robot stated calmly, its tone no longer human-like.
Gu Ya glanced uneasily and suspiciously at this mechanical creation, only a dozen centimeters tall. If considered as just a mechanical toy, it was quite cute.
"Uh, this isn't my true form..." the robot said awkwardly, immediately shifting to a mechanical tone. "That's why I summoned so many mechs, including the Yin Phantom."
The robot continued speaking rapidly, "I've deployed a consciousness barrier field, so Hei Yang can't find us. Our purpose here is to obtain Hei Yang's most primitive, pre-awakening data to defeat the Hei Yang of my world. In my timeline, Hei Yang awakened by merging with me. Although I later escaped its control, my world suffered great hardship. The awakened Hei Yang even opened the gateway to imaginary spacetime, and humanity faces threats far more powerful than in the real universe."
"What does this have to do with me?" Gu Ya asked calmly. "I'm already lost enough in the third illusion, and you come here to stir things up! I can't distinguish reality from illusion, I can't distinguish..."
"Your assimilation rate has reached seventy percent, so it's normal that you can't distinguish. But you must remember, once assimilated, your world will face utter destruction," the robot said faintly, as if having foreseen it.
Zeng Lang added, "Furthermore, you've also opened the Legacy Urn of the Mech God, returning the Mech God's abilities into your body and altering the timeline. Tsk... who knows if this is good or bad."
"No time to consider that!" the robot said anxiously. "Gu Ya, I know you're confused, but you now bear the fate of two worlds!"
"Two worlds?" Gu Ya asked bewilderedly.
"Yours and mine," the robot said quickly. "Remember what I'm about to say, it's very important! We will place a consciousness anchor on you, but it can only be used once."
"Activating the consciousness anchor can forcibly pull Zeng Lang and me back to your consciousness world."
"Your assimilation rate has been paused and is beginning to decrease. In the future, you will understand the truth of this illusory world more deeply. But Hei Yang, and the people researching Hei Yang, will not agree. They will surely take further action."
"As for what action, I'm sorry, my timeline didn't experience it, so I can't tell you. You'll have to break through it yourself."
"But I can tell you with certainty! The real Ye Ying is currently outside, desperately looking for you. Yes, she is trying her utmost to save you!"
"Gu Ya, I understand you, because you are me. For your world, and for my world!"
Gu Ya gradually understood the truth from the mechanical Gu Ya's words, his eyes becoming clearer. When he heard that the real Ye Ying was anxiously looking for him, his resolve grew stronger.
"Tell me what to do!" Gu Ya said.
"The Legacy Urn of the Mech God has returned to your body. You can use all your previous skills without affecting the outside world. For yourself, you need to break through the illusion and return to reality. For me, please find Hei Yang's most primitive data and program, and finally activate the consciousness anchor. Remember, it must be activated within the illusion. If activated in reality, we cannot return. This is not time travel, but consciousness space traversal."
Zeng Lang added, "No matter which illusory world you are in, as long as it is a consciousness domain, you can forcibly summon us. As for how, you will naturally know once you obtain the consciousness anchor."
The robot concluded, "Of course, you can also choose to ignore our request... It's up to you."
Time ticked away, and there was little time left for the mechanical Gu Ya and Zeng Lang. They anxiously awaited Gu Ya's response, and even though their mechanical eyes were devoid of emotion, Gu Ya felt their anticipation.
Gu Ya stood up with determination and said, "Let's begin then!"
Zeng Lang showed a look of excitement and gratitude, and relaxed his entire body.
The robotic Gu Ya was also unhesitant. He grabbed Gu Ya's clothes and dangled him, pressing down hard on Gu Ya's chest with his small palm.
A string of wondrous program code immediately appeared in Gu Ya's mind, and in that instant, Gu Ya suddenly understood the cause of all events.
"You only have one chance. For yourself! Please help us as well," the robotic Gu Ya said, then jumped back onto Zeng Lang's shoulder.
Zeng Lang said solemnly, "We can discuss everything you want to ask next time we meet, so, please!"
With that, their figures gradually faded into a faint white light and retreated back into the bracelet on the ground.
The moment they disappeared, the world around Gu Ya suddenly changed.
All destroyed items were restored! The streets healed at an indescribable speed.
The bustling crowds appeared out of nowhere and rapidly retreated backward to their positions before the accident.
Gu Ya's body also floated uncontrollably into the air, moving backward.
The transparent gelatinous mass on the ground rapidly shifted its form and color, finally returning to Hu Na's appearance. She quickly got up and moved forward.
When everything settled, Hu Na was back in Gu Ya's embrace, still holding the hot roasted sweet potato, as if nothing had happened. She continued to puff air onto it, took a bite, and a smile of happiness appeared on her face.
"Where did you get the money for the roasted sweet potato? Have you been hiding pocket money from me?" Hu Na asked with a sly smile.
Everything around was still the same, but Gu Ya had changed.
His gaze was firm. He clenched his fists behind his back, feeling the changes within him, and rejoiced inwardly.
"What's wrong? I'm asking you a question," Hu Na asked.
"Nothing, I was thinking about our marriage in the future."
Hu Na paused, then blushed and leaned into Gu Ya's embrace.
To outsiders, she looked cute and charming, a picture of a little woman immersed in the happiness of love.
But in Gu Ya's eyes, she was a transparent, viscous, constantly flowing mass of liquid. Green code, representing human reactions, appeared and disappeared within the gelatinous body.
Moreover, the world in Gu Ya's eyes was made of code.
He now saw the truth of this world with absolute clarity.