In a single breath, Nash was hurled violently onto the hard concrete floor, utterly defenseless.
The moment he hit the ground it felt as though every bone in his body had shattered.
At the same time, his beloved gun met an equally miserable fate.
A gigantic steel foot came crashing down and crushed it into twisted scrap metal.
Immediately after, a Mechanical Sage of the Golden Core Stage stepped forward.
From its outstretched hand, a razor-sharp metallic probe extended outward.
It shot toward the back of Nash's neck with terrifying speed—precise, cold, and merciless.
"Fuck—!"
The sharp pain forced a scream out of him.
"Don't be afraid, little mouse."
The Mechanical Sage let out a dry, unsettling laugh.
"This only hurts a little."
A pause.
Then its voice turned even colder.
"But don't worry…"
"It's about to hurt a lot more."
Hehehehe—
A faint electric current surged down Nash's spine and pierced straight into his brain.
The sensation was like a steel spoon gouging into his skull, digging frantically through his memories.
"Good."
"Let me see who you're working for."
Its voice sounded like something crawling up from the depths of hell.
Its consciousness flooded into Nash's mind like a torrent, tearing through every fragment of memory.
Forgotten images.
Old faces.
Buried details.
Things Nash himself had long since forgotten were effortlessly dragged back into the light.
Yet after a thorough search, the Sage's expression turned cold with disappointment.
Nothing.
Nothing but useless trash.
The Mechanical Sage kicked Nash aside without another glance.
"Take this garbage to Sage Auderson."
"He'll be very interested in such a durable toy."
With that order given, it turned and moved toward the second floor to continue the purge.
But the moment it stepped onto the staircase—
a fully armed cyber-enhanced human lunged out from the shadows.
A mantis blade snapped out from the attacker's arm, gleaming with murderous coldness as it slashed straight toward the Sage's head.
The speed was lightning fast.
To an ordinary person, it would have been nothing more than a blur.
In the blink of an eye, the blade was already inches from the Sage's eye.
"Die—!"
The attacker's face twisted into a savage grin.
Victory seemed certain.
Then—
the world froze.
Time itself seemed to stop.
Everything became still.
Only the Mechanical Sage remained capable of movement.
Crack—!
A crisp sound rang out.
The mantis blade split cleanly in two.
Then the scavenger's body split apart as well.
A massive power axe had cleaved straight through him.
Oil.
Artificial-limb coolant.
Blood.
Bile.
Stomach acid.
Half-digested food.
Every fluid sprayed out in a grotesque burst—
only to hang motionless in the frozen world.
Then time resumed.
Everything crashed back into motion.
Red.
Green.
White.
Black.
Yellow.
Liquids of every color splattered across the laboratory.
In an instant, the underground facility was transformed into a scene straight out of hell.
And this was only the beginning.
The Mechanical Sage advanced with a host of Cybernetic Apostles, plunging themselves into a blood-soaked slaughter.
At the same time, more guards rushed in, raising their weapons and firing wildly in every direction.
The researchers on the third floor had already learned of the attack.
Panicked screams echoed through the halls.
They frantically packed up valuable data and attempted to escape through the rear exit.
For a time, the entire underground laboratory descended into chaos.
To buy themselves time, they released every cybernetic monster from the cultivation pods.
Each of those creatures possessed terrifying power.
If even one of them made it into the city, the resulting disaster would be unimaginable.
But faced with overwhelming numbers, the Cybernetic Apostles showed not the slightest fear.
In direct combat, neither guards nor robots lasted even a single second.
They were carved apart almost instantly by the members of the Mechanical God Cult.
Only the cybernetic monsters managed to slow the Apostles' advance.
And even that was only because these creatures had once been their own modified comrades.
The cult sought to capture them alive.
Otherwise, the battle would have ended in moments.
The abandoned factory had already fallen the instant the Mechanicus entered.
Mechanical guards fired desperately, bullets raining down in all directions.
It was useless.
The rounds couldn't even pierce the Apostles' defenses.
Some guards, driven into total mental collapse, threw down their weapons and cried out in terror, begging for mercy.
It made no difference.
Blades like giant executioner swords and bullets trailing fiery tails tore mercilessly through their bodies.
Limbs and flesh were shredded apart.
Bodies collapsed in pieces across the floor.
In the blink of an eye, the underground laboratory was reduced to ruin.
The once spotless and orderly facility was now drenched in a horrifying red.
Blood seeped into every corner.
In the silence between screams, the sound of liquid dripping echoed clearly.
Drip.
Drip.
Like the laboratory itself was weeping.
The remaining researchers fled desperately.
It was useless.
Every Cybernetic Apostle had gone completely berserk.
They were like a pack of madmen, carrying out a one-sided massacre, venting the fury burning in their hearts.
At the very front, the Mechanical Sage noticed several researchers piling into the emergency elevator in an attempt to escape.
It raised its hand once more.
Then snapped its fingers.
Snap—
A faint electromagnetic pulse erupted from its body and instantly spread through the entire factory.
"Cyber Virus: System Restart."
Zzzzt—
Blue electric sparks flashed at the necks of every researcher in the building.
One after another, they collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
The Mechanical Sage issued its final order without hesitation.
"Clear the area."
"Take back anyone useful."
"Execute the useless on the spot."
"Offer them to the God of All Machines."
With that, it departed alongside its modified comrades, seeking to salvage what remained of their shattered minds.
"Yes."
The Cybernetic Apostles responded in unison.
Then they began cleaning the battlefield.
After the Sage's departure, only a few dozen Apostles remained in the factory.
They spread out and began sweeping every corner for survivors.
Whenever someone was found curled up in a dark corner, trembling in fear, a brief inspection followed.
If they were deemed useless—
or a future threat—
the Apostles raised their blades without hesitation.
And cut them down.
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