"Officer, we have reached the target airspace. According to the coordinates, it's right below us."
As soon as the quinjet pilot reported, everyone in the cabin crowded to the windows.
Below was a white World, covered in ice and snow, a desolate and uninhabited expanse as far as the eye could see. A frigid wind whipped snowflakes across the frozen land, everything exuding a pale, deathly stillness.
"My scanners show a large cavity three hundred meters beneath that largest iceberg, and... a very strong metallic signature," Tony's voice came from inside the Iron Man armor, tinged with excitement. "Jarvis, activate polar operations mode."
"Let's go down," Lin Huai commanded.
The quinjet hovered steadily in the air. As the hatch opened, a biting wind laden with ice crystals rushed in.
Natasha and Dr. Banner put on specialized cold-weather Gear. Lin Huai and Tony, clad in his armor, acted as if nothing were wrong, completely ignoring the bone-chilling cold. Using ropes, they quickly rappelled down and landed firmly at the base of the iceberg.
"Alright, leave it to me," Tony's faceplate retracted. He confidently glanced around and said, "Jarvis, initiate geological radar pulse scan. Find me the weakest entry point."
"Sir, analyzing ice structure... Scan complete," Jarvis reported. "15 meters to your left front, a structural anomaly detected. The ice density is significantly lower than the surrounding area. The edge of the cavity is directly below."
Tony strode over and stopped in front of a seemingly ordinary ice wall. He raised his right hand, and the energy concentrator in his palm lit up.
"Watch closely," he winked at Lin Huai. "Sometimes, science is the most efficient key."
A pulse of energy shot from his palm. It was searing hot but didn't explode, instead cutting a large, perfect circle in the thick ice like a red-hot scalpel.
*Clang!*
The massive chunk of ice fell inward with a thud into the pitch-black depths. A dark opening was revealed.
The fissure was dimly lit, but it didn't hinder their vision. They followed a natural ice slope downwards and soon saw the wreckage of a large aircraft lying at the end.
It was embedded deep in the ice at an angle, its fuselage broken in two, covered in thick white frost. It felt like a steel tomb sealed by time.
"Found it," Natasha also murmured with feeling.
"It appears remarkably well-preserved," Tony's armor scanned the wreckage. "Incredible. In such an environment, its alloy structure hasn't completely corroded."
He was the first to walk towards the aircraft's open hatch.
Just as Tony was about to step into the wreckage, Lin Huai's voice suddenly rang out:
"Wait! Don't go in!"
Tony paused mid-step, and the others also looked at Lin Huai with alertness.
Lin Huai's expression had never been so grave. His eyes had changed at some point, becoming so deep they seemed to see through all appearances, straight to the core essence.
"This plane... is corrupted," Lin Huai enunciated each word deliberately.
As soon as he finished speaking, the situation changed!!!
*Clang!* *Creak—!!!*
The aircraft wreckage suddenly emitted a grating sound of metal twisting! Rusted levers, tangled Piston rods, and Gears of all sizes, as if seized by an invisible giant hand, were violently ripped out of the fuselage!
They collided, combined, and assembled in mid-air with frantic, illogical frenzy!
One second, two seconds... In just a few seconds, a hulking mass of scrap metal took shape before their eyes! It possessed a rugged, steampunk aesthetic. It had no smooth outer shell, only exposed, intermeshing Gears and Pistons puffing white steam. Its two eyes were two small, rapidly spinning Gears.
It stood up, its three-meter-tall body exuding immense pressure.
"Wow..." Tony exclaimed in awe, his eyes shining behind the faceplate. "Mechanical life! Self-assembling structure! My God, I can't see any power system at all, yet it moves like a living thing!"
The scientist's curiosity instantly overpowered his caution. As he spoke, Tony was about to rush forward, wanting to touch this perfect creation with his own hands.
"Tony, get back!"
Lin Huai's warning came a step too late.
The moment Tony got within three meters of the Robot, the small spinning Gears in its eyes abruptly stopped.
An invisible wave of energy instantly swept out from the Robot.
Tony's Iron Man armor emitted a series of sharp
*clack-clack*
sounds. The Piston rods in his limb joints seemed filled with cement, completely seizing up. With a loud *clang*, he froze in mid-stride, unable to move.
"Jarvis! Report!" Tony shouted from inside the armor.
"Sir, external energy intrusion detected, blocking neural transmission commands. Seventy percent of physical transmission structures are experiencing unexplained blockage..."
The Robot slowly lowered its head. Its two spinning Gear-like eyes looked at Lin Huai, its question devoid of any emotion, as if countless metals were grinding together:
"Answer my questions, outsiders. Only by passing the trial may you take what belongs to the Church. First question: The Church has three Sacred Emblems. What are they?"
"Wait," Lin Huai didn't answer immediately. He raised a hand and asked very carefully, "Please repeat the question."
The Robot seemed to hesitate for a moment, then repeated mechanically: "First question: The Church has three Sacred Emblems. What are they?"
After hearing this, Lin Huai seemed to remember something and replied in a tone reminiscent of reciting scripture:
"Gear, Piston, and Steam Boiler."
"...Correct answer."
The Robot's voice seemed to carry a hint of approval. The Gears in its eyes spun faster.
"Second question: What constitutes a minor desecration of mechanical lubrication?"
As soon as this question was asked, Lin Huai's vision suddenly blurred.
The surrounding ice World lost its color. A Classical Academy appeared in Lin Huai's eyes. Above the school's main gate was a massive Gear emblem, and throughout the campus, various signs pointed to 0.8 MPA.
His gaze involuntarily fell on a woman studying intently. She had brown eyes and smooth black hair. She was looking down, carefully fiddling with a structurally intricate Brass Wind-up Frog she had made herself.
Beside her, an instructor with white hair and beard was admonishing her in an almost reproachful tone: "...Remember, any divine creation must be maintained with the special lubricant blessed by the Church. Using ordinary oil directly is a desecration of the Sacred Vessel!"
The vision quickly faded.
Snapping back to reality, Lin Huai answered without hesitation:
"Directly using unblessed oil for lubrication."
"Correct answer! You are a devout believer!"
The Robot before them became excited. All its Gears spun much faster, heating the surrounding air.
It asked the final question in a tone that was almost fanatical:
"Finally... the final question! There is a man who brought new knowledge to The Mechanical Church! He opened new horizons for the Church! His knowledge is hailed as sacred technology, granting divine inspiration! Who is he?"
As it asked, the two small Gears representing its eyes spun so fast they nearly left afterimages.
The Robot had barely finished speaking. Lin Huai didn't even give anyone time to react before he blurted out:
"Roselle Gustav."
As soon as the words fell.
*Clang... clatter clatter clatter...*
The massive Robot's entire body instantly disintegrated. Before everyone's eyes, it collapsed into a pile of lifeless scrap metal.
The energy binding Tony also vanished. His armor could move again.
In the middle of that pile of parts, a black metal box that had previously been shielded by the Robot made a *click* sound.
The lid slowly opened.
Inside, lined with velvet padding, lay two objects.
A rugged, industrial-style antique iron hammer, and a precisely crafted Head-mounted Dial Microscope.