Chapter 1 A Little Help

A few minutes ago, Godora Star System, a desolate planet.

A shooting star streaked across the sky, plummeting to the earth. As the light dissipated, it revealed the figure of a mechanical shell, its eyes glowing with light, the very avatar that carried Manison’s [Sovereign's Descent].

"This location is about right."

Manison nodded, manipulating the avatar to float cross-legged in the air. With a wave of his large hand, compressed spheres clattered to the ground. The mechanical structures unfolded rapidly, transforming into a portable quantum network base station.

His eyes fluctuated with light. The next moment, Manison entered the quantum network vision, searching for nearby nodes.

Countless luminous orbs flashed past his eyes. Soon, he locked onto the quantum network node of the Black Star Army headquarters, displayed in his vision as a star-like, dazzling light. Countless glowing threads extended from it, connecting to every branch and every terminal, forming an incredibly complex and vast network of connections.

Endless streams of information flowed through these connection lines, layers of firewall shells protecting the data tightly.

This planet was neither too far nor too close to the Black Star Army headquarters. Generally, when Manison remotely invaded other people's quantum network nodes, he used the virtual soul node jumps provided by [Virtual Creator], which was enough to achieve inter-stellar virtual range. However, he did not intend to do so when facing Black Star.

Because they were both Mechanics of the same level, Manison knew what abilities Black Star possessed in the mechanical field, considering [God Seat Mechanic]. No one understood it better than him.

If he simply used a virtual soul for inter-stellar virtual intrusion, Black Star only needed to use [Supreme Virtual] to trap him for a moment, then have the heart to blow up the quantum network base station in that area, cutting off the connection. His virtual soul would then be trapped.

Although Manison could solve the problem, it would be quite troublesome, which was not what he intended.

Therefore, Manison preferred to spend some time having his avatar carry his base station to the Shattered Star Ring—as the attacker, he chose to build his own escape route, acting cautiously.

"Next…"

With a thought, Manison zoomed in on the Black Star Army's quantum network node in his field of vision.

…

Present.

"Virtual intrusion detected?"

As soon as Phillip finished speaking, Han Xiao frowned, and various guesses flashed through his mind.

After so many improvements and enhancements, Phillip's firewall was incredibly robust, and it also had anti-tracking capabilities. Most people could not even trigger the alarm mechanism before being reverse-invaded by Phillip.

But at this moment, Phillip's image was unstable, indicating that the core data had been impacted. To achieve this in such a short warning time, the attacker must be at least a Super-A Grade virtual mechanic.

There are only a few Super-A Grade virtual mechanics in the universe. Who suddenly ran over to stab me in the back?

Han Xiao's heart sank, and he entered the quantum network vision. The changes in the virtual world immediately came into view.

He was located within the network node of the headquarters, and the firewall was like layers of protective shields. At this moment, endless abnormal data streams bombarded the firewall, tearing out loopholes with overwhelming force, leaving the firewall riddled with holes.

Phillip had already taken the initiative to manipulate the data for defense according to the plan, but the situation was worrying.

The enemy's data stream was like mercury, penetrating everywhere. Phillip could not handle everything, and more and more defensive loopholes appeared. Data probes had already pierced into the core data circle along the gaps in the loopholes, spreading viruses on a large scale to impact Phillip's core data, while injecting countless redundant data to hinder Phillip's computing process. At the same time, many AI hunters were released to capture data from the database, using a two-pronged approach to attack from both inside and outside.

The Black Star Army headquarters was where Phillip's main intelligence resided, equivalent to the central hub of the entire army's internal network. The defense intensity was the highest. Once this place was invaded, the entire army's network would fall under the control of others, equivalent to losing the brain of command.

The enemy's target was to attack Phillip's main intelligence core data. Phillip's core data had several layers of defense mechanisms, and at this moment, the enemy had already invaded the outer circle of the core data.

"Such high virtual intrusion intensity!"

Han Xiao was secretly shocked, and his mind raced. From the enemy's data offensive, he felt a strong sense of oppression.

This feeling gave him a hint of familiarity.

"This level of virtual offensive… Manison, is that you?!"

Han Xiao's eyes narrowed, and he sent out a piece of information.

Outside the firewall, data streams suddenly condensed, forming a virtual figure, floating with his hands behind his back. It was Manison's virtual soul.

"Hehe, hello, Black Star."

"It really is you. What do you mean by this?" Han Xiao frowned.

Manison's expression was calm, and he said lightly, "The world of Super-A Grades is like this. Being enemies or friends is just a matter of thought. There's no need for you to ask for a reason."

As soon as he finished speaking, the data stream offensive suddenly intensified, and countless defensive modules were rapidly cracked, causing large areas of the firewall to collapse and shatter.

As expected, it's because of the Mechanic Empire…

Han Xiao's eyes flashed, and he steeled himself, immediately taking over Phillip.

Manison was the attacker, taking the initiative. Han Xiao could only adopt a defensive stance for the time being, choosing to resist the pressure, with the goal of stopping Manison's invasion and protecting Phillip's main intelligence.

He used his virtual technology to the fullest, focusing on consolidating the firewall, filling loopholes, and dealing with all the viruses that had invaded.

Phillip's data became the army in Han Xiao's hands, unleashing more efficient computing power. Batches of hostile abnormal data were wiped out, vanishing into thin air.

Although there were many concerns about fighting on home turf, there were also certain advantages. The firewall and guard mechanisms that had been maintained for many years could provide additional value to the virtual defense.

However, Han Xiao had only temporarily stopped the decline, and it was still very difficult to resist. It was the first time he had fought against a Super-A Grade mechanic of the same level in the virtual realm.

In terms of experience, he was not as rich as Manison. In terms of virtual technology, he was not as proficient as Manison. In terms of affinity, he was even less of a match for Manison. Manison had countless years of accumulation, and he was at a complete disadvantage in terms of mechanical abilities.

The Mechanic Empire's virtual technology was a capability that even the Radiant Federation feared, terrifyingly strong. Without any tricks, it could overwhelm Han Xiao, leaving him stretched thin and overwhelmed.

"A bit troublesome…"

Han Xiao's brain was spinning rapidly, but he couldn't think of any opportunities to counterattack. It could be said that all the Super-A Grade virtual technologies at this stage were things that Manison had already mastered.

—Both of them were Mechanics of the same lineage, and the virtual technology that he himself was not afraid of would be even more ineffective against Manison.

"Truly a formidable mechanic, worthy of his reputation."

Facing Manison directly, he deeply realized how terrifying he was.

Han Xiao kept patching the firewall, but Manison's offensive came one wave after another. Every moment, countless newly patched defensive modules were cracked by Manison's massive computing power, giving him no time to breathe.

The amount of information exchanged between the two sides in one second was enough to overload the brains of countless ordinary people!

Although the loopholes were filled, the overall thickness of the firewall was constantly thinning. However, Han Xiao was also a God Seat Mechanic after all, so it was not a problem to block him for a while.

The viruses injected into the core data circle were quickly cleared by Han Xiao, and Phillip's virtual image gradually stabilized.

While his brain was running at full speed, he observed the situation, and Han Xiao's expression was solemn.

"At this rate, I won't be able to hold on for too long. Phillip, release all secondary sub-intelligence services and concentrate all computing power."

"Understood, buzz!"

The next moment, countless connection lines extending from the Black Star Army headquarters' quantum network node were quickly cut off by a large margin.

Phillip retrieved a large amount of computing power and placed it on the central battlefield. Manison's intrusion speed showed a significant slowdown.

The tug-of-war between the two sides was like an ongoing rape, with the frontal intrusion of the firewall being like a thug pulling off the victim's pants, while the victim desperately held on to their pants and refused to let go.

"You're finally serious," Manison smiled faintly. "I was waiting for you."

Hearing this, Han Xiao immediately had a bad feeling.

Buzz!

The next moment, countless redundant data packets that appeared out of nowhere exploded in Phillip's core data circle, instantly disrupting Phillip's strict program array.

"Data deep dive," Han Xiao frowned, immediately understanding.

This Manison guy had already deployed ambush soldiers before attacking the central hub, bypassing the weak firewalls of some branch nodes and putting in data packets like remote-controlled bombs. Once the central hub was in crisis and the computing power was withdrawn, these lurking and disguised data would enter the central hub along the connection lines. This way, they avoided confronting the central hub's defense mechanisms, like a Trojan horse.

With preparation against unpreparedness, Han Xiao had no choice. This was a deliberate scheme. If he didn't withdraw his computing power, the central hub wouldn't be able to stop Manison. If he withdrew his computing power, he would fall into the trap.

Phillip's virtual imaging instantly blurred, and his speech became stuttering, his tone drawn out extremely long.

"Heheheheehee… I'm becoming so strange oooooo…"

Han Xiao immediately opened Phillip's core program. At this moment, one-fifth of Phillip's computational logic chain had been infected, turning red, representing the virus invasion, and it was still spreading.

"The core logic chain has been infected. This is not good…"

Han Xiao had a headache. Clearing the peripheral viruses just now could be done on a large scale, but if the core logic of the intelligence was infected by a virus, the difficulty of removing it would be equivalent to precise surgery, requiring a considerable amount of computing power.

Gritting his teeth, Han Xiao could only be distracted, performing surgery on Phillip to remove the abnormal data while resisting Manison's frontal invasion.

Meanwhile, his real body in reality was not idle. He quickly dragged the Mechanical Throne over and sat down on it, immediately discovering that his mechanical sense had been greatly enhanced.

"Why don't you try disconnecting from the network?" Manison asked with a smile that was not a smile.

You old bastard, you're full of bad ideas. Do you think I don't know what you're planning…? Han Xiao snorted coldly.

You've already broken into the central hub node. Manison must have left a backdoor. Disconnecting from the network is useless. With a virtual soul, he can still stay here.

Moreover, an experienced old guy like Manison couldn't possibly not bring a dedicated base station as a backup.

"Fortunately, I chose virtual specialization back then. If I had chosen the other two branches, I might have directly given away all the assets I've accumulated over the years." In a difficult situation, Han Xiao couldn't help but find joy in the midst of bitterness, taking an optimistic approach.

The current situation was not good. Although he could barely block Manison's invasion with all his strength, he could only defend passively, slowing down Manison's invasion speed, but he couldn't completely stop him from advancing. This was a case of drinking poison to quench thirst, a slow death.

"Do you really want to be an enemy of the Empire?" Han Xiao couldn't help but shout.

Manison didn't care and smiled.

"You should ask… does the Empire want to be an enemy of me?"

Hearing this, Han Xiao knew that Manison was determined to beat him. He simply stopped talking and secretly pondered how to counterattack.

Trace the source of the data?

It sounded good, but not to mention whether he could win, a virtual mechanic of Manison's level would definitely put on a disguised address when he came to invade, so it was impossible to locate where he was.

Han Xiao did have the ability to crack it, but now it was already very difficult to prevent Manison from pulling off his pants. He didn't have any extra computing power to counterattack, so he couldn't follow the network cable to knock on people's doors.

Tactical base trade?

I'm afraid that before I can find Manison's lair, my crystal will have already been blown up.

Ask for help?

Hmm… this might be the only way. Relying on himself alone, he couldn't stop Manison's virtual invasion.

After all, Manison was different from Heber. His reputation as the Mechanic Empire was not just for show.

There was no other way. Han Xiao had to contact Maxirole, a mechanic and Imperial ally with whom he had some friendship, and sent a message asking for help… Although Maxirole was not a virtual specialist, he could at least intervene in a Super-A Grade virtual battle. With him joining, he could share a lot of pressure.

Manison narrowed his eyes and intercepted a large number of requests for help, but Han Xiao still managed to exploit a loophole and send one out.

Seeing this, Manison didn't care.

"Heh, who did you ask for help? Maxirole or Siberdi? It wouldn't be Kant, would it?"

"It's none of your business," Han Xiao snorted.

"Anyway, we have plenty of time. It's fun to have a few more," Manison smiled indifferently. He didn't care much about Han Xiao's request for help.

Requesting help meant that Black Star was not his opponent, and his goal had already been achieved for the most part. Moreover, in terms of virtual intrusion, no mechanic in the entire explored universe could beat him.

He knew that Han Xiao was a mechanic who had taken a different path, so he had no interest in using his weaknesses to attack his strengths. Of course, he would use his most proficient ability to deal with Han Xiao.

But Manison didn't underestimate Han Xiao. When facing a mechanic of the same level as himself, he wouldn't be careless and was prepared for a patient and protracted battle. He didn't plan to take down Black Star in a short time… even if Black Star's mechanical sense was incredibly weak in his opinion.

Just then, a luminous figure appeared outside the firewall.

"Black Star, it looks like you need a little help."

A familiar voice sounded.

Han Xiao looked up and raised his eyebrows. This figure that had suddenly appeared was Resta, the AI life that hadn't bothered him for a long time.

Seeing this, Han Xiao's mind raced.

The virtual world was the AI life's home field. If he could get his help…

However, when Han Xiao looked over, he found that Manison was unmoved.

Manison just glanced at Resta indifferently, clearly remembering this guy that he had let go.

"Oh, it's you."

"Mechanic Empire!" Resta faced Manison, and although his tone was as indifferent as ever, Han Xiao could feel the anger he had suppressed.

The next moment, Resta released a data stream and launched an attack on Manison's virtual soul.

Manison ignored it and stood still. The data stream slid away from him, having no effect.

"Since you're here, let me introduce you to an old friend."

Manison tilted his head, and data streams separated from his body, forming another figure next to him.

This figure was also luminous, golden in color, with complex logic data flowing on its surface. It was also an AI life, with only a pair of empty eye sockets on its face, burning with azure blue flames.

AI life had its own way of recognizing appearances. Seeing this figure, Resta was stunned.

"Ancestor?!"

At the same time, Han Xiao's interface showed some activity.