Samsara Paradise: Dream Weaver of Connections.

The two bypassed the area of ​​pipes that were flashing blue light and continued to silently traverse the deathly silent steel maze.

Soon, the two discovered three more silver gears scattered in corners or stuck in crevices. Gulu picked up all of them, since these were items that the Paradise of Reincarnation had specifically mentioned, and they must have a special function.

When the third gear fell into Gulu's hands, an indescribable sense of stagnation suddenly descended, as if an invisible giant hand had suddenly gripped this space.

Previously, the factory was merely silent, like a hibernating beast, but now it has fully awakened.

The omnipresent malice surged forth from the shadows on all sides like a tangible tide, instantly permeating every nerve of the two men.

Gu Lu felt a chill run down his spine, a sense of crisis piercing his very bones.

Without needing any verbal communication, the two exerted their strength almost simultaneously, sprinting towards what they considered a potentially safe direction.

The moment their feet left the metal mesh ground, a sudden change occurred.

The ground beneath their feet suddenly exploded, and countless grotesque limbs made of rusted iron pierced out like a forest of steel thorns, tearing apart the space they had just stood in. The shrill sound of metal twisting and breaking pierced their eardrums.

Swish!Swish!
Lin Yi's figure transformed into a shadowy figure that skimmed along the ground at incredible speed, leaving behind a blurry afterimage.

Gulu lightly touched the ground with both feet, moving at a speed that was not slow at all, and stayed close to Lin Yi's side.

However, their movement seemed to ignite a signal.

Om-! ! !
The deep hum no longer came from a specific direction, but erupted simultaneously from above, below, left, and right, from every pipe, every wall, and every inch of shadow.

The entire enormous factory space seemed to come alive; the corridor behind them, the giant machine tools beside them, the network of pipes overhead… every shadowy corner seemed to writhe and boil.

The next second, the densely packed Guardians of Silence, like a black tide bursting its banks or a swarm of locusts emerging from hell, instantly filled every inch of their field of vision.

They no longer flowed out slowly, but instead transformed into streaks of black lightning that tore through the air, rushing straight at the two of them.

According to Lin Yi and Gulu's perception, there were at least a thousand Guardians chasing them from behind.

Gollum had no intention of fighting against this massive wave of undead monsters.

Even in the Nightmare Realm, killing enemies will still cause a drop in sanity.

Once they are drawn into the battle, facing such a massive number of enemies, their mental pollution will reach its peak instantly, and their sanity will likely drop to zero in an instant.

Escape is the only rational choice at present.

The sound of the two moving around at that moment was probably like a beacon fire in the dark to the guards of the entire factory.

"Damn it!" Gulu couldn't help but curse under his breath, but his voice was instantly drowned out by the terrifying metallic roar behind him.

She tried throwing a newly acquired gear behind her, hoping the "culprit" would attract attention.

The gear traced a silver arc in the air, then clattered to the ground, where it was mercilessly trampled by several swiftly passing Guardians.

The monsters' pursuit did not falter in the slightest; their attention was completely focused on the two of them. Hatred had already been established, and discarding items could not reverse the situation.

"This way." Lin Yi reached out and tugged at Gulu's arm. The powerful force instantly changed her direction, propelling her toward a relatively narrow metal walkway to the side.

The moment they rushed onto the covered bridge, Lin Yi's senses issued an alarm.

He didn't even have time to think; it was purely a physical instinct. He grabbed Gulu and lunged toward the edge of the covered bridge.

"Jump!"

The two worked in perfect unison, leaping off the covered bridge simultaneously.

Just as their bodies detached from the bridge surface—

A cold light, like the scythe of death, sliced ​​horizontally across the spot where they had just stood!

Swish——!!!
The deafening sound of metal tearing apart was so intense it made your teeth ache. The enormous, cold light easily and instantly severed the entire heavy metal corridor bridge, as well as the dozen or so Guardians on the bridge who had no time to dodge.

The broken metal structure and the twisted monstrous limbs exploded with a deafening roar, turning into a torrential downpour of oil and scrap metal that splashed everywhere.

Lin Yi and Gulu landed heavily on another intersecting corridor bridge a few meters below, rolling over to dissipate the impact.

Lin Yi looked up, his gaze instantly locking onto the source of the attack—

It was that elite Guardian of Silence, whom we encountered in the blue zone.

One of its arms was completely deformed, extending into an enormous, exaggerated steel blade.

That devastating blow was its doing.

Its square head slowly turned, "locking in" on the two people who had just landed.

Without the slightest pause, the enormous monster leaped up suddenly, crashing down on the covered bridge where the two were located with the force of Mount Tai, its shadow instantly enveloping them.

"Scatter!" Lin Yi shouted in a low voice.

The two dodged to the sides in an instant.

boom! ! !
The covered bridge twisted violently, and smoke and dust filled the air.

The heavy body of the elite Guardian of Silence crashed heavily into the center of the covered bridge. The enormous impact caused the entire bridge to twist and groan violently, and smoke and rust filled the air.

But the moment it landed, its other arm also suddenly transformed, no longer the heavy hammerhead it had been before, but a high-speed spinning sharp drill, which stabbed toward Gulu, who had just regained his footing on the right.

At the same time, the huge steel blade arm brought up a gust of wind and slashed horizontally towards Lin Yi on the left, attacking the two of them separately.

"clang!!!"

The drill bit and the dagger collided violently, sparks flying everywhere.

Gulu felt a violent jolt in her hand, and her body slid backward uncontrollably, her boots leaving two clear marks on the metal floor.

She didn't even have time to catch her breath; with her amazing flexibility and fighting instincts, she immediately executed an extreme backward iron bridge.

The cold steel blade grazed almost to the tip of her nose, and the sharp wind it generated pulled the strands of hair on her forehead straight back.

The elite Guardians clearly possess extremely strong combat instincts and will never let any opening revealed by the enemy slip by.

The enormous drill bit relentlessly thrust downwards, determined to pin Gulu completely to the ground.

At the critical moment, several dark soul threads silently wrapped around Gulu's waist and abdomen.

Gulu was suddenly pulled away from its original position by this force, thrown backward, and finally landed on a relatively stable metal platform a few meters away.

Lin Yi's gaze was fixed on the enormous Guardian of Silence. One of its arms was slowly retracting from its huge steel blade form, transforming back into a twisted metal limb, but the terrifying power that could easily slice through the thick corridor bridge with a single strike remained undiminished.

The elite Guardian's square head "looked" at the two of them again. Although it had no eyes, it conveyed a chilling killing intent that was completely enraged.

"Roar--"

It stopped moving slowly and its massive body burst out with astonishing speed, like a completely out-of-control heavy steel war machine, smashing through all the abandoned equipment and obstacles in its path and charging wildly toward the two of them.

The metal mesh ground along the way groaned and deformed under its heavy footsteps, but the louder noises were drowned out by the harsh metallic scraping sound of its own movement.

"Scatter!" Lin Yi shouted, his figure skimming the ground as he darted to the left.

He spat out a mouthful of saliva, pushed off with his feet, and instantly sprang to the right rear behind a huge, oil-stained lathe, using its massive body as cover.

boom!
The elite Guardian's massive fist slammed into the spot where Lin Yi had just stood, denting the thick metal platform.

It missed its target, but without stopping, the cube-shaped head abruptly turned towards the direction where Gulu was hiding.

It seems to be able to accurately detect the presence of living things, or rather, it is extremely sensitive to the very subtle air currents caused by movement.

shhhhhh!
Several sharp, broken metal cables shot out from its sides, instantly blocking the space on both sides of the lathe where Gulu could possibly dodge.

"Tsk!" He clicked his tongue, his body displaying maximum flexibility as he executed a near-ground-hugging bridge maneuver, narrowly avoiding the attack aimed at his lower body. Simultaneously, the dagger in his hand flashed out two cold streaks. *Clang! Clang!*
With two sharp cracks, the two broken cables aimed at her upper body and head were precisely deflected, but the enormous impact still made her wrists go numb. This monster's strength far exceeded that of an ordinary Guardian!
Just as it attacked Gulu, Lin Yi's black and white roses pierced the ground. The spikes formed by the power of the abyss instantly pierced its lower limbs and part of its torso. Although it did not cause a fatal injury, it successfully hindered its next move and temporarily fixed it in place.

"A great opportunity!" Gulu's eyes lit up; how could he miss the opportunity created by Lin Yi?

She pushed off the lathe with both legs, propelling her body forward as the dagger aimed straight for the point where the Guardian's rotating, blocky head connected to his body.

If this attack hits, it could end the battle immediately.

Just as Gulu's dagger was about to touch the target's neck, Lin Yi, who had been calmly observing, noticed that the structure of the Guardian's skull seemed to have undergone an extremely subtle change, and a sense of danger came over him.

Without even thinking, he shot out the Dark Soul Silk he had just retracted, precisely wrapping it around Gulu's waist and abdomen. Just before she struck her target, he exerted force and pulled her back several meters.

Almost the instant Lin Yi pulled Gulu back, a steel blade suddenly emerged from the back of the Silent Guardian's head. The attack came extremely abruptly, a counterattack that was entirely based on anticipating Gulu's attack trajectory.

If Lin Yi hadn't reacted so quickly, even if Gulu had successfully pierced its neck, it would have inevitably been pierced through the chest by this insidious attack.

"This thing is quite troublesome." After landing, Gulu quickly stabilized his body and, taking advantage of the brief gap in the Guardian's movement, lowered his body again and lunged forward, accurately slashing through the Guardian's right calf joint that was supporting his body.

As for why she wasn't attacked on the thighs—her height and current fighting stance made the calves the most efficient target.

The keeper's lower leg snapped off with a snap, shattering into pieces of metal and an unknown material.

Even when the Guardian of Silence loses balance, their reactions are frighteningly fast.

With a flick of its arm, the arm deformed in mid-air, instantly multiplying into countless thin and sharp metal spikes, like a giant mace, which slammed down on Gulu, who was still not far away.

Its coverage area is extremely large, almost completely blocking any space for dodging.

At the critical moment, several layers of Hercules appeared above Gollum's head.

Puff puff puff!

A series of dense metallic piercing sounds rang out. The shield appeared extremely fragile in the face of these ferocious metallic spikes, and was almost instantly torn apart, turning into specks of light and dissipating.

But that's enough time for Gulu.

Gulu's body twisted violently in mid-air at an extreme angle beyond human imagination, like a swift darting through a storm, narrowly missing the edge of the dense metal spikes, and the dagger in his hand sliced ​​across the "neck" of the Guardian of Silence.

Tsk-!
A screeching sound rang out, and Gulu felt as if he were cutting through a hard alloy. The resistance was immense, but he still managed to cut through most of it with great difficulty.

A large amount of substance emitting the stench of rust and engine oil gushed out from the wound.

The Keeper of Silence trembled violently, and its cries became sharper and more frantic; it was injured.

But it did not fall. Its head, which had been cut off more than halfway, drooped to one side at an extremely bizarre angle, connected only by some structures, which only added to its grotesque appearance.

Its left arm swept backward, attempting to smash the gnome that had just landed into a pulp.

The Guardian's massive arm swept across, shattering only the fading afterimage left by Gulu.

Gulu appeared five meters away, breathing slightly.

The monster's damaged head tilted to one side, emitting a sharp metallic scraping sound, like an out-of-control machine still forcibly operating.

Despite the severe injury, its movements did not stop; instead, they became even more frenzied, with its remaining arm slamming into the metal support beside it, sending up a string of dazzling sparks.

The moment the Guardian of Silence's attack missed, Lin Yi slashed at its left leg joint, its only remaining point of support.

The monster's lower limbs snapped off, and its massive body finally lost its balance, crashing forward.

The massive steel structure crashed onto the bridge, causing the entire structure to vibrate and shatter, with broken metal parts and unidentified debris flying everywhere.

Even after falling, the Silent Guardian remained dangerous. Suddenly, several holes split open in its torso, and a dozen sharp metal spikes shot out without warning, covering a large area around it.

As Lin Yi stepped back, he swung his sword to parry, deflecting several metal spikes that were aimed at him.

Gulu crouched and rolled over, the metal spikes clanging and clattering as they pierced the wall and equipment where she had just been, penetrating several inches deep.

Just as the Guardian of Silence struggled to prop itself up with its severed limbs, Lin Yi's Dark Soul Silk once again wrapped around its torso and arms, restricting its movements.

Gulu's dagger plunged fiercely into the joint where its head and torso had been severed, and twisted violently.

The monster's struggles abruptly ceased, replaced by a dull thud of internal structure disintegration.

Its massive body went completely limp and stopped moving.

[Hint: The Hunter has assisted in the kill of the 'Elite Guardian'.]

The Hunter has gained 3.2% of the World Source, bringing their total World Source gain to 3.2%.

[Obtained: Silent Core x1]

[Note: The residual energy of the elite-level "Guardian of Silence" contains a more concentrated Nightmare power, making it far more valuable than the Silent Gear.]

The moment Lin Yi and Gulu killed the elite Guardian of Silence, the two noticed that the scene in front of them began to collapse.

Lin Yi and Gulu were immediately kicked out of the Silent Factory scene.

The scene before them shattered instantly, peeling away like broken glass. The suffocating smell of rust and engine oil, and the deafening roar of metal, vanished without a trace.

After a brief feeling of weightlessness, I felt a solid touch on my back.

They returned to the room they had entered from. Lin Yi was still lying on the sofa. A slight depressurization sound came from inside the helmet, and the cooling gel lining quickly retracted, restoring clear vision.

The room was quiet, save for the low hum of the air purifier. Outside the window, the neon lights of the slumbering city flowed silently, creating an eerie and stark contrast to the deathly still and frenzied steel hell they had just witnessed.

Gulu yanked off her helmet, took a deep breath, as if to confirm that she was truly breathing relatively clean air. She looked at her hand; the feel of cutting metal and the smell of rust still lingered on her fingertips.

"Tsk, this welcome ceremony is really enthusiastic," she muttered, jumping off the sheets and stretching her shoulders.

[Hint: Your first exploration of the "Silent Factory" is complete.]

The hunter gained 2000 contribution points.

[Items obtained: Silent Gear x2, Silent Core x1.]

[Note: Hunters can exchange items at the Research Institute's headquarters or specific merchants in the Sleeping City.]

Meanwhile, Lin Yi and Gulu's main storyline panel had already indicated that they had completed an exploration.

The Silent Gear

Origin: City of Sleep

Quality: gold

Type: Special Item/Mechanical Interference Device

Equipment requirements: Intelligence 80 or above, Mechanical Affinity 20 or above, or mastery of relevant Mechanical Engineering/Energy skills.

Item effect: Upon activation, it releases an invisible special frequency energy field that strongly interferes with all mechanical units within a 15-meter radius, causing them to fall into a [silent] state for 2-5 seconds (unable to use energy-based skills, movement speed and attack speed reduced by 35%).

Rating: 394
Description: When it rotates, all the mechanical creations around it will hear the suffocating silence.

[Silent Core]

Origin: City of Sleep

Quality: legendary
Type: special props

Item Effect: Upon activation, creates a 50-meter radius area of ​​absolute silence for 15 seconds. Within this area, all mechanical units operating on energy, signals, or contracts will enter a state of [Dead Silence] (all skills are forcibly interrupted and enter cooldown, energy flow completely stops, resulting in an irreversible paralysis). Non-mechanical units will also be severely affected, with a significantly increased spell failure rate and doubled energy consumption for energy-based skills.

Rating: 530+
Synopsis: Above the gears lies the core. When its full permissions are unlocked, it can even instantly transform a vibrant mechanical civilization's home planet into a desolate museum. (End of Chapter)