Mo Liuli, having changed into another outfit, stepped out from the bushes, a faint flush coloring her face. Her hands clutched her skirt at the waist, as if adjusting the fit of her clothes underneath.
She exhaled deeply, casting a look at Wang Chen. "No goblins?"
Wang Chen shrugged, a hint of disappointment in his voice. "Seems like there are no goblins this time."
"Pervert! What are you even expecting?" Mo Liuli suddenly lunged at him, baring her teeth in an exaggerated growl. Just as she opened her mouth to bite, her gaze landed on his thick armor, and she froze, reluctantly closing her mouth.
She tapped her magic staff against his impenetrable armor, the heavy metallic sound ringing in the air. "Speaking of which, we've been through all this together, but I still don't know your name or what you look like. Can you take that armor off? It's only fair! After all, I've changed in front of you so many times. You can at least show me your face, right?"
"Seriously, is that really your analogy?" Wang Chen couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth, clearly taken aback.
Mo Liuli was stunningly beautiful, with a figure that could drive anyone wild. It was just that, well... she might have left some of her brains somewhere else.
It seemed like all the "nutrients" she received went straight into the two "assets" on her chest.
"I'll introduce myself first. My name is Wang Chen. I just graduated from high school and I'm a level 15 Mechanical Engineer," he replied, though he couldn't resist giving her a teasing smile.
At that moment, the black-and-gold mech armor he wore suddenly emitted a hissing sound, releasing pressure from within.
Hissssss!
Steam shot out, followed by the sound of intricate machinery disassembling. One by one, the armored plates slid back, transforming into glowing light before vanishing into thin air.
Wang Chen stood before her, completely unarmed.
There was no denying it after awakening his Mechanical God Heart, his body had undergone an extraordinary transformation. He was now lean, toned, and perfectly sculpted.
He had never been unattractive, but these years of relying on an artificial heart had left him looking gaunt and frail. Now, he had regained the charm and supernatural aura of his younger years. His eyes, deep and starry, held an irresistible magnetism.
"Wow… you're so handsome!" Mo Liuli's voice was filled with awe, her eyes sparkling with admiration.
She had initially assumed that Wang Chen was just an average-looking young man. Who could have guessed that this quiet, humble boy was actually... so unbelievably handsome?
In her mind, she had heard of Ren Yinian from the Ren family said to be the most handsome and powerful man in Luo Hai City. But now, seeing Wang Chen, she thought Ren Yinian didn't even come close.
Wang Chen, sensing her intense gaze, took a quick step back, raising his hands. "Wait, hold on. Let's calm down. We need to talk. You don't have any other dresses to change into, do you?"
He quickly tried to steer the conversation away, but Mo Liuli's blush deepened. She cleared her throat awkwardly, her voice suddenly more composed. "Let me introduce myself too. I'm Mo Liuli, the eldest daughter of the Mo family in Luo Hai City, and an A-class Frost Mage."
After a brief exchange of introductions, Mo Liuli couldn't hold back her curiosity. "By the way, those spiders you released earlier did they really clear out all the monsters inside the hive?"
Wang Chen grinned, motioning her to follow. "Want to see for yourself?"
Without waiting for a response, he led her to the hive.
Inside, the scene was bizarre.
Controlled by his "Invaders," worker and soldier ants surrounded the two massive queens the Ant Queen and the Bee Queen. The gigantic queens furiously raised their upper bodies, clashing their massive mandibles, sending out pheromones in an attempt to reassert control over their minions.
But despite their commands, the transformed mechanical creatures simply stared at their former rulers with cold, unblinking eyes.
These creatures, having been brainwashed, now only served Wang Chen.
They were no longer "theirs" they were his.
Wang Chen and Mo Liuli stood at the edge of the hive, Mo Liuli's face flushed at the sight before her.
The towering dead tree in the middle of the hive had two prominent roots that looked like outstretched legs. It was a strangely fitting image for what lay ahead.
As they stared at the hive, Wang Chen's eyes narrowed something about this place felt oddly familiar. He turned instinctively to look at Mo Liuli.
Smack!
Mo Liuli slapped him across the face, her cheeks bright with embarrassment.
"Why are you getting so worked up?" Wang Chen raised his hand to his cheek, looking at her, surprised by her sudden outburst.
Flustered, Mo Liuli shook her head, quickly following him into the hive.
They walked deeper, entering a narrow tunnel. With each step, Wang Chen's strange feeling intensified, and Mo Liuli's face grew redder by the second.
Suddenly, Wang Chen reached out and dipped his finger into a pot of honey resting nearby. He took a small taste.
"What are you doing?" Mo Liuli exclaimed, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"Hm? This is a high-quality alchemical ingredient magic honey!" Wang Chen explained matter-of-factly.
"Magic honey?" Mo Liuli's eyes lit up, and she eagerly reached out to taste some herself.
Magic honey was a rare, beneficial substance for regular people to consume.
"Mmm, it's so good! No wonder it's called magic honey!" Mo Liuli couldn't help but exclaim after tasting it.
"Let's gather some and take it back," Wang Chen suggested, looking around at the abundance of the honey.
They quickly began collecting jars, but even with their fast efforts, the sheer amount covering the walls seemed endless.
"We can't possibly collect it all at this rate," Mo Liuli remarked, disappointment flickering in her eyes.
"Leave it to me," Wang Chen said with a grin.
He summoned a series of mechanical diggers that quickly set to work, scraping the honey off the walls and placing it in bags.
"Is this also part of your skill? I thought you were a Mechanical Engineer, not a lady knight," Mo Liuli said, her tone still tinged with shock as she watched the silver mechanical robots at work.
"Well, sort of," Wang Chen replied nonchalantly.
Mo Liuli, recognizing that prying into someone's abilities could be impolite, wisely kept her curiosity in check.
"They'll finish up here. Let's keep moving."
She followed Wang Chen as he led her down the straight corridor.
"This hive is... so inappropriate," Wang Chen muttered, his lips curling in amusement at the bizarre shape of the structures.
"Well, both bees and ants are matriarchal societies. Maybe it's just their innate... reproductive worship," Mo Liuli suggested with a wry smile.
"I guess we'll see." Wang Chen motioned forward.
Without warning, two black-armored ants charged forward, their massive mandibles spreading the entrance wide open.
"Monsters! Didn't you say you cleared everything here?" Mo Liuli's eyes widened in alarm as she reached for her magic staff, preparing to cast an ice spell.
"Relax, these are my subordinates. They've been controlled by my machines," Wang Chen reassured her, pointing to the silver spiders attached to the ants.
"You controlled them? You have control skills too? Not bad, you could use them as subordinates," Mo Liuli said, surprised as she lowered her staff.
"They're not just two," Wang Chen chuckled, snapping his fingers.
From inside the hive, more and more worker ants and worker bees began to crawl out, each kneeling before Wang Chen.
Ten! Twenty! Fifty! One hundred! Two hundred!
The sheer number of creatures bowing at his feet left Mo Liuli speechless, her mind spinning with disbelief.
"You're telling me you've controlled all of these?" she asked in awe, her voice trembling.
"How's that? Quite a lot, isn't it?" Wang Chen grinned.
Mo Liuli almost gasped for breath at the absurdity of what she was hearing.
Controlling just one monster of equal rank was already an achievement for most spellcasters, but Wang Chen had controlled over two hundred!
His ability could only be described as... monstrous.
The shock was so overwhelming that her breath caught in her throat, and for the first time, Mo Liuli had no words to express her amazement.
But what lay ahead no one could anticipate.
And as Wang Chen's control over the hive continued to grow, something far darker was brewing beneath the surface.
Something no one, not even Mo Liuli, was prepared for.