Chapter 25: The Price of Steel and the Ghostblade’s Arrival

“Anything else?”

“Not a thing.” Lidoa shook her small head, a hint of pride lacing her voice. “The remaining prosthetics simply can’t compare to what I come equipped with.”

“That’s true.” Cheng Lan nodded in agreement.

After all, as the Mech World’s sole bionic human, it would be quite demeaning if her original factory-installed components were inferior to mere parts meant for common robotic fodder.

“Alright then. You’ve got all the prosthetic maintenance kits, right?” Cheng Lan pressed, just to be sure.

“Got ‘em!” Lidoa spun around cheerfully, displaying her now-bulging backpack.

“Okay! Then we should…”

“Wait a moment!”

Qin Jinxuan suddenly interrupted Cheng Lan.

“That prosthetic you mentioned, can I install it too?”

Her gaze fixed intently on Lidoa’s legs.

She wondered if, by installing those prosthetics on her own legs, just like Lidoa, she too could achieve mid-air leaps.

“Technically, yes,” Cheng Lan said, turning to her, his tone abruptly serious. “But I strongly advise against even considering it.”

“Wh-why?” Qin Jinxuan flinched at his sudden change in demeanor, shrinking back slightly.

“Lidoa can install prosthetics at will because she isn’t human; to her, prosthetics are merely replaceable parts. You, however, are different—” Cheng Lan paused, enunciating each word carefully. “If it were you, you’d likely have to first sever the limb you wish to replace, then mechanize it before any prosthetic could be installed. Do you still want to install one now?”

Hearing the gruesome price of prosthetic installation, Qin Jinxuan’s face paled, and she vigorously shook her head without a moment’s hesitation.

“Hmph, a wise choice.” Cheng Lan scoffed coldly.

“Let me also tell you, even installing these prosthetics comes with a price.” His gaze darkened as he recalled the countless ordinary people from his previous life who, unable to awaken their Etheric Energy, had resolutely chosen ‘mechanical ascension’.

“Putting aside the compatibility issues between prosthetics and the human body, even if perfect compatibility were achieved, installing too many prosthetics would, in all likelihood, eventually turn that person into a cyberpsychotic.”

“Cyberpsychotic?”

“Have you ever dozed off in class?” Cheng Lan abruptly changed the subject, posing a seemingly unrelated question.

Qin Jinxuan was bewildered but nodded nonetheless.

“It’s like dozing off in class; you open and close your eyes, only to find the blackboard covered with new information. You might think you can still hold on, jotting down notes while half-asleep, only to later discover your notebook filled with incomprehensible gibberish. For those who have prosthetics installed all over their bodies, they are essentially in this state 24 hours a day. How could they not go mad?”

Cheng Lan clenched his fist, staring at his hand for a moment.

In his previous life, the cyberpsychotics who had died by his hand numbered in the hundreds, if not thousands.

“Th-that’s terrifying.” Qin Jinxuan listened with lingering trepidation, instinctively glancing at Lidoa’s legs again, then shaking her head emphatically—she wouldn’t touch such a thing, not even if it killed her.

“Any other questions?”

“Can I apply to take a handgun back with me too?” Qin Jinxuan asked timidly.

“Rejected!”

“Oh…” She pouted. “Then no more questions.”

“Good! Let’s get out of here!” Cheng Lan made a retreating gesture. “Duoa, lead the way!”

“Understood!” Lidoa immediately moved to the front of the two, taking on the role of guide.

Having Lidoa made exploring the World Rifts so much easier; if they needed to find an exit, she could simply lead the way. His own crude method of using his perception ability was both time-consuming and exhausting.

This black technology was truly incredible!

The trio headed towards the warehouse exit.

Just as they reached the doorway, Cheng Lan and Lidoa, as if sensing something, had their expressions change.

Cheng Lan swiftly unslung the backpack and great katana from his back, setting them aside. He then gripped the Black Warrior-2 at his waist with a reverse hold. In an instant, a faint blue glow permeated the dark scabbard and hilt.

Lidoa’s arms, with a *swish*, extended two black mantis blades, adopting a stance of intense readiness.

“W-what’s wrong?” Qin Jinxuan was startled by their reactions. Seeing them both assume combat stances, she immediately understood, quickly setting aside the two katanas on her back and raising the ice sword in her hand.

“Nothing much.” Cheng Lan’s gaze was fixed on the warehouse exit. “Just that ‘someone’ doesn’t want us to leave so easily.”

No sooner had he spoken than—

Boom!

A heavy thud suddenly reverberated, kicking up a large cloud of dust at the warehouse entrance.

As the dust gradually settled, five humanoid machines, each standing 2.5 meters tall, slowly emerged from within.

They possessed black steel metallic bodies, camera-shaped heads, and infrared sensors embedded at the very top of their heads.

Upon closer inspection, one could discern a line of text on their chests: Ghostblade X-7.

Each Ghostblade X-7 wielded a massive mechanical longsword.

“Che-Cheng Lan, why do I feel like these robots are somewhat different from the ones we encountered before?” Qin Jinxuan swallowed hard, staring at the five menacing robots at the entrance.

“Ghostblade X-7s are considered to be among the fiercer combat units within D-class mechs.”

“D-class? What’s D-class?”

“Tsk.” Cheng Lan clicked his tongue at Qin Jinxuan’s question. “My mistake, I forgot to brief you on danger levels. In short, any one of them could easily take down a Tyrannosaurus Rex.”

Qin Jinxuan’s eyes widened instantly.

One could take down a Tyrannosaurus Rex, and there were five of them here!

“What do we do?!” she urgently asked, cold sweat already beading on the palm of her hand gripping the ice sword.

“Simple!” Cheng Lan’s gaze was locked onto the five Ghostblade X-7s, his thumb occasionally flicking the tsuba of his blade.

“I’ll handle two, Duoa two, and the remaining one—” He turned his head to Qin Jinxuan, a slight smile playing on his lips. “Is for you to get some practice.”

“Huh?”

Boom!

Before Qin Jinxuan could finish her sentence, two Ghostblade X-7s suddenly surged forward, brandishing their colossal mechanical longswords, and lunged at the trio.

Lidoa bore the brunt of the attack.

Two heavy blades, imbued with immense power, slammed down from left and right, directly at the silver-haired girl.

Clang—!

Lidoa crossed her arms defensively, her two black mantis blades precisely parrying the descending behemoth blades.

For a moment, sparks flew, and the deafening clang of metal echoed through the warehouse, as both sides were locked in a stalemate.

In that flash of lightning, Lidoa suddenly slid forward, her form darting like a fish through the gap between the two massive blades.

Immediately after, she pushed off with her toes, leaping gracefully into the air. Her body spun at high speed, her silver-white hair and pristine white skirt fluttering, like a white lily blooming in the wind.

The black blades, propelled by her rotation, effortlessly sliced through the ‘heads’ of the two robots.

Thud!

As Lidoa’s toes lightly touched the ground, the two camera-shaped robot heads also crashed to the floor with a *clunk*, their red lights instantly extinguishing.