The system is very abstract, fortunately I am also.

Chapter 474 I'm standing right in front of you, why are you pretending not to see me? [Seeking monthly votes]

The fog was quite thick at the bottom of the canyon, but it had thinned to almost nothing after we rose to a height of only a few dozen meters from the exit.

The entire world was bathed in daylight, the first rays of dawn spilling boldly from the cracks in the rock face overhead.

It was as if they had torn apart the once oppressive gray-white fog and pierced through the cold, damp air that had accumulated over thousands of years.

Viewed from the back, the mecha is bathed in the morning light, which gilds it with a shimmering gold edge. The cold metal armor is spotless, reflecting light, and the dark blue exhaust flames spewed from the engine burn fiercely in the air, emitting a roar.

"Holy crap!" This is the roar of breaking free from shackles, the howl of rebirth from the ashes!

In short, he's really cool!
Okay, now that we've seen the handsome back view, let's look at the front.

The mecha was in a cautious, outstretched, half-clenched position, and a lump of slime was slowly bulging out from between the mecha's fingers. With the vibration frequency of the engine, the whole thing was trembling very bouncyly, even more bouncy than Jackie Chan after using BaWang shampoo.

Sigh, it's really cool to be a hero and save a damsel in distress.

But the hero saving the slime is another story.

The aesthetic appeal has been completely ruined.

However, Lin Li quickly dismissed these thoughts, because that wasn't the important thing right now.

There isn't much time left, so the most important thing is to complete the task.

"Zhu Ning, should we scout ahead before flying out? Won't the reconnaissance drone be detected?" Lin Li asked, looking at Zhu Ning in his hand.

As they spoke, a reconnaissance drone detached from the main body and hovered in front of the mech.

The reason Lin Li asked Zhu Ning first was because he didn't understand the "black insect" creature and was worried that rash actions might cause some accidents.

Zhu Ning knew what Lin Li was worried about and nodded: "Theoretically speaking, they shouldn't deliberately linger around the canyon, let alone pay attention to it. After all, there's almost certain death after a crash, and a drone shouldn't be able to be detected."

In fact, Zhu Ning thought that it was fine for the entire mecha to fly out directly, but being cautious was certainly not a bad thing either.

Lin Li stared at the live feed in front of him, carefully operating the drone.

It deftly skirted the last few protruding, jagged rock walls, sneaking out of the Silent Canyon and bathing in the vast, somewhat pale sky of this so-called "Crystal Cluster Continent."

The camera rotates rapidly, scanning the canyon edge, the sky, and the broken earth as far as the eye can see with its widest angle.

Apart from the sound of the wind and the sand and gravel stirred up by the air currents, the view was desolate and lifeless, like the Gobi Desert in the Gobi.

The corpses of the black bugs will quickly disintegrate, and the complete mech wreckage will be collected by the black bugs as spoils of war. Even though a battle did take place above the canyon dozens of hours ago—when Zhu Ning fell—it is no longer visible now.

"No suspicious targets were found."

"This is the best-case scenario." Zhu Ning breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, I should take you home now,"

Lin Li didn't let the drone fly back; instead, he looked down at Zhu Ning.

“However, Miss Zhu, we will be leaving the edge of this canyon and flying towards your alliance’s territory. The speed will be very fast, and the turbulence and wind pressure will be great. It’s dangerous for you to stay outside like this.”

"Can you get into my cockpit? Judging from my visual inspection every time the hatch opens, there should be enough space."

"Entering the cockpit is definitely not an option. Even in our world, the cockpit of mechs is designed for a single person. Besides, this mech was designed specifically for you. If I force myself in, I will most likely damage the cockpit environmental control unit."

Zhu Ning paused for a moment, then immediately tried to offer a solution:
"But, since it is combat armor, if it is designed according to the rules of our world, it should have a dedicated maintenance and testing interface."

Please check your mech's status bar. Do you see a "Maintenance Energy Interface" cover?

That compartment is separate from the cockpit and is primarily for supplying power to external equipment, reading basic system logs, or performing emergency function resets without opening the main cockpit door. It should meet our needs, and I might be able to offer some assistance in that regard.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Li immediately searched within his neural connection field of vision.

Soon, in the complex structural diagram of the mech, a square area located below the abdominal armor and near the hip was identified. With a thought, the area covered by armor plates and with clear yellow warning stripes on the edges was highlighted in his main view.

The label next to it is indeed "Maintenance Energy Interface Module - MPC".

“Yes,” Lin Li confirmed, “it matches your description. I’ll open it now.”

The mech emitted a faint metallic scraping sound as the armor plate located below its abdomen silently slid open to one side, revealing a small space—a metal chamber containing various standard sockets, wiring, and heat dissipation grilles.

“This is it,” Zhu Ning breathed a sigh of relief. “Although it’s a bit crowded, this purpose was taken into account when it was first designed, so it’s perfect. Please put me in this cabin, Mr. Lin.”

This allows you to move more freely, and I can also extend part of my body internally to connect to a feedback port to assist you.

Lin Li had no objection. He adjusted the position of his hands and, after Zhu Ning entered, closed the hatch as she indicated.

[External device attempting to connect, accept?]

"accept."

[An "Undefined device" has requested internal communication permissions. Do you accept?]

"accept."

"Mr. Lin, can you hear me?"

Zhu Ning's voice then appeared inside the mecha, becoming much clearer.

"can."

"Okay, I'll request a few more permissions from you later. Once you grant them, I'll be able to 'see' basic parameters such as our flight attitude, speed, altitude, and energy consumption. Don't worry, all permissions are limited; you can suspend them at any time. Furthermore, if I use them abnormally, the mech will definitely notify you."

"You don't need to explain these things to me, I believe you," Lin Li smiled.

After delegating all the permissions requested by Zhu Ning, the engine's hum instantly rose an octave, and the dark blue exhaust flames at the nozzles suddenly surged and lengthened—Lin Li piloted the mecha away from the canyon.

“The mech didn’t have any maps recorded,” Zhu Ning said with a “I knew it” feeling before Lin Li could ask. “Fortunately, I should still remember the relative positions of the canyon and the Alliance outpost, Mr. Lin. The heading is about seventeen degrees southeast.”

"Okay, what height do I need to maintain?"

"The higher the better. The flight altitude of mechs in our world is limited by the environment. The upper limit of altitude is based on the mech level and the pilot's mech synchronization index. Your mech is subject to the silence field restriction, and it will probably be subject to this restriction as well."

"understood."

Lin Li nodded and, without further hesitation, steadily crossed the broken rock face of the canyon.

What comes into view is a vast expanse of dark wasteland, with cracked surfaces and huge fissures crisscrossing the rock layers.

"There really are limitations." Lin Li raised an eyebrow slightly.

When the mech had ascended to a height of less than a thousand meters, the mental control console displayed the limitations of the "Sky Field," forcing Lin Li to lower the altitude slightly.

Back when I tested my mech in the post-apocalyptic world, my mech's synchronization index was only 60, but I could easily fly over 1000.

Indeed, it is a limitation of the world.

Zhu Ning said that this was already a very high level.

Lin Li didn't maintain the highest altitude flight all the time, because he needed to come down from time to time so that Zhu Ning could see the scene more clearly and make sure that the route was not deviating.

"At my speed, how long would it take me to reach the area where your allies are located?" Lin Li asked.

"If everything goes smoothly, it should take less than two and a half hours."

Upon hearing this, Lin Li looked at the system panel and saw the number [3.17.26].

That's about right, so it seems like I'm still on track to complete the task.

"Mr. Lin, do you need any supplies? I hope to repay you as much as possible for your contributions to our scientific research," Zhu Ning asked during the high-speed flight.

At the bottom of the canyon, there was nothing she could do, but things would naturally change once she returned to her homeland.

"I guess so," Lin Li replied after a moment's thought, not refusing the offer.

"I have a limited supply of consumables that come with the mechs. For example, bullet drones and weapon modules are also scarce. You can see the mech's data now, so if you can provide me with any compatible and usable items, I would be extremely grateful."

“Okay,” Zhu Ning’s voice was actually a little excited. She was hoping that Lin Li would have a need. “I’ve already started sending and receiving messages. I hope to run into someone I know soon.”

At this moment, having gained access, she is controlling the mecha's communication system.

However, the signals sent so far have been ignored.

But that's alright, the most important thing is to make contact when you're close to your allies.

Zhu Ning knew that Lin Li's time in this world was limited, and it would be troublesome if this unfamiliar mecha was mistaken for an enemy. There was no time to waste on explanations, so it was necessary to contact him in advance, explain the situation, and emphasize the importance of the matter. The nation also had a contingency plan.

After flying for half an hour, the wasteland gradually receded, and a strange and magnificent scene began to dominate the view.

Countless giant blue-purple crystals pierced the ground, some reaching hundreds of meters in height, others as thin as spears, and still others requiring several people to encircle them. They clustered together, forming a continuous, undulating forest that shimmered with a cold, faint light.

—The crystal cluster forest that Zhu Ning mentioned, these crystal clusters are renewable resources, and are one of the most important resources in the world.

"There's still no response to the signal. It seems there's no one from the Alliance here either. Mr. Lin, let's continue to increase the altitude," Zhu Ning said regretfully.

"it is good."

"Unidentified dangerous object approaching!"

"warn!"

As the mech attempted to ascend, a warning suddenly appeared in front of it.

"At one o'clock, on the surface, three 'Stalking Impalers'!"

From the shadow of the crystal below, three pitch-black figures sprang upwards like lightning. Their bodies were like armored centipedes magnified several times, covered with thick, metallic-looking shells, and their sides were covered with sharp metal barbs.

The diamond-shaped mouthparts opened, and three thick columns of acidic liquid emitting a strong fishy smell shot out like high-pressure water jets.

Lin Li had already sensed the three "black insects" before Zhu Ning's prompting. With a thought, the mecha engine roared and the mecha rolled to the side, dodging all the acid.

Lin Li felt no panic; instead, he was more curious about the "black insect."

So this is what it looks like?

Is it considered part of the Zerg race as we know it?
Although we deliberately came down, we're still at least several hundred meters high. How can this acid spray so much?

Unfortunately, the current situation is not suitable for a fight.

"Avoid war?" Lin Li asked Zhu Ning as they ascended.

"Yes, these 'black insects' can't fly, so they can't fly any higher. But we need to be careful from now on. If these 'black insects' return to their nest and transmit information, we might be monitored the whole way."

Zhu Ning nodded, but then gritted her teeth and said.

"Then killing him would be the best course of action?" Upon hearing this, Lin Li abruptly stopped his escape.

“But getting closer is more dangerous. The most suitable weapon to kill them right now is the ion blade. Conventional firearms can cause damage, but it’s difficult to kill them and stop them from escaping,” Zhu Ning, who could see the mech’s weapon module data, said quickly.

“Maybe we don’t even need to get close.” Lin Li looked at the system. “The panel doesn’t show everything I have. I also have a sniper rifle.”

【Death's Lament Type 4: When used on a designated mech, it generates a weapon perfectly adapted to the corresponding mech. Death's Lament Type 4 is a heavy firepower armor-piercing sniper rifle with astonishing power.

Upon creation, the mech may undergo modifications without side effects, making it easier to control the weapon. It also comes with 100 rounds of ammunition.

There are two more of these things in the warehouse.

The thought flashed through Lin Li's mind, and he materialized it.

—When piloting a mech, the system can only manifest items inside the cockpit, not in the mech's hands. However, "Death Sigh" can be used after a target is designated, so it does not interfere.

A dark shadow appeared in the mecha's hand and began to compress and shape, eventually transforming into a nearly three-meter-long sniper rifle made entirely of energy.

"Where is the weakness?" Lin Li asked before Zhu Ning could comment.

"If you can hit the brain at an angle along the gap in the head of the beetle, you can kill it instantly."

Relying on the sensory fusion of neural connections, Lin Li instantly locked the gun muzzle onto the gap in the head carapace of a black insect below.

boom--!
Contrary to expectations of a large-scale sniping scene, the Death Sigh did not produce a deafening explosion, but only a muffled, soft sound, like a sigh appearing between heaven and earth.

A beam of pure purple energy, compressed to its limit, hit its target almost the instant the gun was fired.

The head of the targeted piercer, its extremely hard, dark carapace, did not even explode the moment the purple light struck it. Instead, it collapsed, disintegrated, and shattered in a bizarre manner, like a punctured balloon.

In the blink of an eye, the black worm silently collapsed and decomposed, turning into a large mass of thick, dark green liquid mixed with fragments and remains.

"Damn, that's violent." Lin Li clicked his tongue slightly. Perhaps their companion died too quickly, so quickly that the remaining two didn't even have time to react; they were even still trying to spit acid at Lin Li.

When another companion was sniped, the last survivor tried to escape, but it was too late.

"bump--"

An abrupt beginning, an abrupt end.

"It looks like there's no ambush." ​​Lin Li said softly, looking at the calm ground after the three black insects died.

However, he wasn't foolish enough to even bother checking. After eliminating the three who might have tipped him off, Lin Li immediately rushed into the clouds, trying to conceal himself.

……

Perhaps the previous extermination efforts were very effective.

The following period was very peaceful. After several attempts to determine the direction, we did not encounter any black insect attacks.

【00.42.23】

With only forty minutes left before the forced return, Zhu Ning's voice, filled with excitement and a touch of exhaustion, finally rang out:
“Frequency detection detected by the Alliance’s automatic sensing tower, Mr. Lin. We are at the edge of the outpost buffer zone.”

Almost simultaneously, the mech also sent a notification.

The signal source "Undefined 1" has been responded to.

Communication established.

"Zhu Ning, pilot of the 097th unit of the Third Exploration Legion of the Azure Alliance, requests identity verification and activation of the Level 1 Wartime Response Protocol!"

"Containing top-secret intelligence and S+ level strategic resources, requesting direct access to the national central command—this information takes precedence over all existing instructions!"

"Coordinates have been synchronized to the combat network. We are en route to those coordinates. Please send someone to hand over to me immediately. Repeat, the situation is urgent! Please send someone to hand over to me immediately!"

Before the other party could ask any questions, Zhu Ning quickly blurted out all her words at a rapid pace.

After a brief silence on the other end of the signal, a clear female voice came through: "Received. [Light Hub II] has been notified to proceed to the coordinates to confirm the basic information and will respond to your request."

"【Light Pivot II】has replied and they are heading to the designated coordinates."

Please stay in touch.

"it is good!"

Without needing Zhu Ning to emphasize it again, Lin Li, who had been listening in the whole time, adjusted his direction and headed toward the coordinates Zhu Ning had just sent.

Throughout the process, Zhu Ning explained the situation to the other party.

The distance wasn't far, and it took only a few minutes to arrive successfully. From afar, we could see eight mechs rapidly flying towards us.

"Mr. Lin, you can let me out now."

"Mr. Lin, your...your..." After opening the hatch and catching Zhu Ning on the ground, Zhu Ning looked at Lin Li, hesitant to speak.

"Young man, right? They're all here."

Lin Li knew Zhu Ning wanted to say something, but after glancing at the mecha in the distance and estimating it would take a while to arrive, he opened the cockpit and materialized all the liquid containers that had been stored in the "Qiankun Ring" at low temperature onto the ground.

"The smaller the number, the older it is, and the more fragrant it may be. Just kidding. After I made these, I immediately stored them in a place where time doesn't pass, so they shouldn't have spoiled."

Seeing the containers that started to emit cold air after being taken out, Lin Li returned to his mecha and reminded them:

"I've already shown you how our world preserves information about men's semen, so I won't go into detail. You know what I mean."

As for why he wanted to return to the mecha, it was purely out of a fear of death.

With so many enemies on the other side, it would be a huge waste to just shoot myself down and use my resurrection item here.

"I understand!" Zhu Ning's gaze was fixed on the standing young men, and she nodded heavily.

"boom--"

The mechs ahead had also arrived, with six of them forming a circle at a distance that was neither too close nor too far, and one of them slowly came to a stop in front of them.

Lin Li watched as Zhu Ning entered the other party's "maintenance energy interface." Although the other party had established communication with his mecha, from his perspective, it was a long period of silent silence.

It seems that when the mechs communicate internally, other mechs that have already connected to the signal cannot hear them.

A few minutes later, Zhu Ning got off the other mecha, carefully handed the young man's juice to it, and then watched the mecha take off and leave.

"Mr. Lin, how much longer can you stay?"

"Half an hour."

"There are a lot of things that we can't get from the central hub to you in time, but that's okay. Sister Yuelan has already notified the outpost to bring over as many ammunition and modules as possible that you can use."

"It's alright, it would be best if we could have it, but I don't mind if we can't," Lin Li said with a smile.

My most important and core goal has been achieved.

—Two tasks of the system.
-
return.

"call--"

Lin Li stretched.

The harvest was quite plentiful.

Inside the "Fire-Nourishing Sword Gourd," a large amount of ammunition adapted to mecha weapons has been added.

However, not all ammunition was replenished.

For example, the "Death Sigh Type IV" is a weapon that exists in the entire female world, but their weapons are physical, not sniper rifles made of energy like Lin Li's.

Lin Li naturally understood that the reason he had become like this was due to the adaptive function in the system description.

However, as a result, they were unable to provide the corresponding ammunition.

The system was indeed more powerful than them, because Lin Li originally wanted to ask if they had anything like "repair crystals" or "charging crystals," but after taking out the samples, he was met with even more shocked and disbelieving looks from them.

The result is predictable.

In addition to ammunition, a large number of detachable weapon modules and tool modules have been added.

Although some of them were not particularly compatible with Lin Li's A+ armor, the entire female world taught him how to fish, providing him with the materials, tools, and methods for modifying the interface—they also wanted to help Lin Li modify it, but time simply did not allow it.

When Lin Li inquired about the time required for the modification, which was calculated in days, he gave up on the idea of ​​going again, because it wouldn't be fast enough and would cost 200 system currency.

But I accepted it anyway, thinking it might come in handy later.

In return for this, Lin Li gave them some modern supplies from the gourd, and also gave them some blood, hair, and dandruff as additional research samples.

Finally, they also gave him a "charging crystal".

Because they directly transported the entire charging base station adapted to their mechs, along with the energy reserves of half an outpost, plus Lin Li had two "charging crystals" in stock. Even if Lin Li's conscience was eaten by Bai Bufan, he would feel bad if he didn't send them.

In addition to these gains, he also had brief dialogues with the country's high-ranking officials and central leadership, establishing good diplomatic relations until his disappearance.

To be honest, when the slime is being serious, it's actually quite unserious.

In any case, this series of events that felt somewhat urgent this month has finally come to an end.

I don't know if we'll ever have the chance to meet again.

I looked at the clock. Although ten hours had passed, in reality it was less than ten minutes; it was still a little past six.

Lin Li, who was getting up to go to the bathroom to shower and wash his hair, picked up his phone and opened "Three People and One Dog".

"Lin Li: @Chen Yuying, @Ding Sihan, @Qu Wanqiu, @Bai Bufan"

Lin Li: Why am I not an administrator and can't @everyone? It's so annoying.

Ding Sihan: ?

Qu Wanqiu: ?

Bai Bufan: ?

Chen Yuying: What's wrong, "Little Bear Peeks Out"?

Bai Bufan retracted a message.

Bai Bufan: What's wrong, "Little Bear Peeks Out"?

Chen Yuying: ?

"Lin Li: How about we send out lucky red envelopes, and the luckiest person keeps sending them?"

Ding Sihan: What a boring game.

Lin Li: So, are you going to play or not?

Ding Sihan: Play.

Lin Li: I can tell you're really bored. Staying home tonight?

Ding Sihan: Yeah, you're quite the chatterbox, aren't you?

Lin Li: I went to play mahjong with my mom.

Bai Bufan: I remember your nickname is Mahjong.

Lin Li: Idiot, I was just watching from the sidelines. Tsk, is everyone just killing time? If so, why don't we find another game to play?

Bai Bufan: Whatever.

Qu Wanqiu: Either way is fine.

Chen Yuying: Playing for a while is fine, but I'm going to visit relatives with my family later.

Lin Li was unhappy.

Everyone else has time, why are you being treated differently?
After leaving the group chat, Lin Li decided to message this unsociable woman privately.

Lin Li: Can I not go?

Chen Yuying: "Question mark."

Lin Li: Can I? Can I? Can I not go? Can I not go? Can I not go?

Chen Yuying: Okay.

Lin Li: Okay, let's go back to the group chat.

Several seconds passed.

Chen Yuying: I'm going to put on makeup.

Lin Li: You're so vain, you even put on makeup when you're alone at home.

Chen Yuying: Hmm~

The girl, having gotten the result from her little test, smiled slightly and walked excitedly towards her room.

After taking a couple of steps, the girl turned back and said, "Mom, I'm not going. I'm supposed to go out with Sihan and the others tonight. Can you tell Dad?"

Upon hearing this, Song Xin looked up, her ordinary smile turning meaningful after a second, and then nodded to her daughter: "Okay."

After her daughter entered the room, Song Xin turned to Chen Zhongping sitting next to her and said, "Did you hear that? Yingying isn't coming with us later. She asked me to tell you something."

Chen Zhongping: "..."

Wait a minute.

It suddenly occurred to me.

I'm sitting right next to you, aren't I?
(End of this chapter)