Drawn in by Torch's grand promises, DL-02 followed her to the Xinyan Research Institute.
All kinds of AI equipment filled the display cases, so much that she could barely take it all in. There was even a gun barrel more than ten meters long connected to an intricate mechanical structure. It gave off a distinctly dangerous air, though she had no idea what it was meant for.
Could this be some kind of illegal modification?
That was DL-02's guess.
She knew about underground races, but she could not imagine that a leader of Torch's standing would take part in one herself.
As she gazed at the tall figure ahead of her, Torch seemed even more mysterious.
Perhaps Torch really did have a way to let her fight alongside Derek Su.
That hope only grew stronger as she encountered more and more strange machinery.
"What do you think? Isn't my research institute impressive?" Noticing DL-02's gaze, Torch smiled and teased, "But this is only a small part of it. It's just the stuff I keep out in the open. You have no idea how often that woman Eden, who's always favoring the Techmasters' Alliance, comes by to inspect the place. And that damned Techmasters' Alliance..."
DL-02 gave her an odd look.
Torch fell silent, spat out a curse, and said nothing more.
There were some things DL-02 was better off not knowing yet.
After all, this involved conflicts between different factions. Torch needed to see where DL-02's loyalties lay before revealing too much.
"Come with me. Let's head downstairs and see the real thing."
Torch beckoned DL-02 into the elevator.
Much like Eden's operations command center, her research institute extended more than a hundred floors underground. The entire place had been designed with concealment as its highest priority.
Unlike Eden's facility, however, Torch had no sodium fiber here.
She used to be able to apply for it, but once Eden learned about her plans, she banned Torch from using any more. Eden claimed that researching AI would provoke a conflict between the Techmasters' Alliance and Mecha Island, which would only put them at a disadvantage.
As if Torch cared.
Let the whole world fall apart for all she cared.
Still, the lack of sodium fiber was a genuine problem, so she had no choice but to send her subordinates out to steal some.
It also gave her a chance to get a little revenge on Eden.
She really did love sticking her nose into everything.
...
DL-02 followed Torch to the lowest level.
They passed through a long, shadowy corridor, then through an alloy door seven or eight meters thick. Beyond it, the space suddenly opened into a vast chamber.
Yet the hall was swallowed in predatory darkness. DL-02 could not see what lay inside and could only vaguely tell that it was enormous and empty.
Torch glanced back at her.
Perhaps it was only her imagination, but DL-02 thought she saw something strange in Torch's eyes.
Then Torch switched on the lights, and everything became clear.
One light after another flickered to life deeper inside the hall, gradually revealing the colossal object within.
It stood there in silence, towering like a mountain and inspiring instinctive fear. Its sharply defined metal shell gleamed silver-white beneath the lights, as though coated in frost. Bright silver, mirror-finished armor plates were set into its chest and legs, reflecting Torch's tiny figure. A massive black visor covered its head, while two wing-shaped fins extended upward from either side, their edges as sharp as blades.
It was a twenty-meter-tall mech.
As far as DL-02 knew, machines like this existed only in science fiction.
Its enormous hydraulic arms and the dense array of gun barrels across its body felt completely disconnected from the world she knew.
There was no doubt about it.
This thing was a machine built for war.
Staring up at the mechanical giant, DL-02 found it difficult to breathe.
Human nations had already unified and formed the Human Federation. The world was supposed to be at absolute peace.
So why did a weapon like this war mech exist?
"Surprised to see it, aren't you?" Torch asked, sitting on the mech's foot.
Every Mecha Girl she brought here reacted much the same way as DL-02.
Still, DL-02 was handling it better than most. At least she had not stumbled backward in fear.
"I don't understand."
DL-02 finally tore her gaze from the mech and stared at Torch in a daze.
"What don't you understand? Why something like this exists?" Torch chuckled and rested both hands behind her head. "DL-02, the world isn't as peaceful as you think. You believe this machine shouldn't exist because there are humans and Mecha Girls protecting the world we live in."
"World-Class... Techmasters and Mecha Girls?"
DL-02 quickly understood what Torch meant, though she was still uncertain.
She had heard that many pilots and their Mecha Girls gradually disappeared from public view after reaching World-Class.
Even so, their legends and competition records continued to be celebrated.
Their images also appeared frequently on the World Wall, where newly born AI Cores studied them.
"That's right." Torch confirmed her guess.
"This is a Psychic Energy Mecha." She knocked on its metal shell, producing a dull clang. "It can only be activated by a Techmaster and a Mecha Girl together, and it changes according to their psychic energy. Think of the Psychic Energy Mecha in front of you as a mass-produced blank slate with only basic functions. Once a Techmaster and Mecha Girl pilot it together, their psychic energy gives it an entirely new form and far more capabilities."
Torch stood and walked toward a massive screen beside the Psychic Energy Mecha. It was concealed beneath a heavy curtain.
She grabbed one corner and pulled the curtain away.
A huge, savage creature appeared on the screen.
Its shape bore a strong resemblance to the mech, but its body consisted entirely of dark gray muscular tissue covered in thick scales and a heavy keratinous shell.
A hard, smooth layer of outer armor encased its skull. The armor was a deep gray, sharply distinct from the color of its skin, and its surface was covered in rough textures and uneven pits.
Dark red stains could be seen in some of those pits, making the creature look even more sinister.
Its eyes sat in unusual positions on either side of its head, angled diagonally downward. They were narrow and sharp, with pale pupils that radiated coldness and cruelty.
Its mouth was wide and twisted, the corners curling upward to expose vicious fangs. Rows of tightly packed, razor-sharp teeth filled its jaws. There was no doubt they could tear prey apart with ease, or even rip through steel.
"Void."
Torch tapped the screen, then turned to DL-02.
Her expression was more serious than DL-02 had ever seen.
"A deranged colonial race. Twisted and brutal, they live by massacre and extermination. The resource they depend on is the same one we do. Sodium fiber. For the sake of sodium fiber, the Void race would slaughter the entire universe."
Torch fell silent.
The hall instantly became deathly quiet.
DL-02 stared blankly at the image on the screen.
Her gaze slowly lowered until it rested on Torch's face.
Tears glimmered in Torch's eyes.
When she spoke again, her voice trembled through clenched teeth.
It was filled with boundless fury and hatred.
"Our former home was destroyed by the Void. We are fugitives.
"We thought we had finally escaped their hunt, but unfortunately, now...
"They've caught up with us!"
...
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