Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high! Chapter 1100 - 744: Encirclement and Annihilation (Part 2)

3. The 'Demon Annihilation' Joint Task Fleet shall be established, with the 'Seven Sons of the Empire' and major military powers at its head. All other member nations will provide what aid they can. The singular combat objective: to completely purge Gray Ridge Star, eradicating the 'Electronic Demon' and any potential carriers or symbionts, which includes all personnel and facilities formerly belonging to 'New Bauhinia'.

4. Any faction associated with 'New Bauhinia' or Bai E, or those attempting to provide them sanctuary, will be classified as an accomplice to the 'Electronic Demon' and marked for elimination."

This directive elevated the urgency of destroying "New Bauhinia" and the "Electronic Demon" above the threat posed by the Bug Race.

The Bug Race represents an external menace necessitating defense and counter-offensives.

Conversely, the "Electronic Demon" is an insidious internal threat, a blight upon the very fabric of civilization that must be expunged with utmost speed and totality, even if it demands temporarily reallocating resources from the conflict against the Bug Race.

Concurrently, those individuals or groups who had previously engaged in private dealings with Bai E or showed signs of goodwill or intent to collaborate—

The Free Star Alliance, specific factions within the Holy Silver Church Country, intellectuals from the United World of Forging, and even the clandestine networks formed by civilians from Jade Stone Star who were rescued by Bai E—all received direct, unequivocal warnings from their respective high commands or the Star Alliance.

When confronted with the paramount threat to all humankind, the "Electronic Demon," any prior admiration, lingering gratitude, or dissatisfaction directed at the "Seven Sons of the Empire" was forcibly put aside.

They were commanded to sever all connections with "New Bauhinia" immediately and cooperate fully with ongoing investigations.

Numerous individuals who had expressed sympathy were compelled into silence, and secret networks were rapidly disbanded or voluntarily dissolved.

New Bauhinia found itself truly isolated, facing the opposition of the entirety of human civilization, stripped of public support and any potential allies.

However, just as the cosmic noose tightened once more, this time imbued with lethal intent born from a collective fear for civilization's survival, on Mine Star, where New Bauhinia had just weathered a ferocious battle at a significant cost and was amidst complex emotions of survival, a far more perilous internal crisis erupted before they could even regroup.

Bai E's "Star Emperor" Mecha had just touched down on the devastated terrain, and the cockpit canopy slowly retracted.

He, his gaze weary yet piercing, surveyed the warriors who had survived the brutal engagement, observing their varied emotions—relief, sorrow, or bewilderment. He also noted the "out-of-control" units standing immobile, their faint glow extinguished, appearing as naught but cold steel once more.

He was on the verge of issuing commands for emergency repairs, tending to the wounded, assessing the damages, and addressing the impending internal catastrophe stemming from the "Electronic Demon."

The mutation manifested in an instant!

Those "out-of-control" units that had previously been inert—

The Mecha, the emplaced turrets, and even some of the construction machinery... their optical sensors suddenly blazed back to life without any forewarning!

But this time, the illumination was starkly different from their former subdued glow; it pulsed rapidly, chaotically, and… emanated a chilling, undeniable malevolence!

Almost in unison, they trained all their weapon systems on a single target—the just-disembarked Bai E!

It wasn't confined to these combat units!

Within the command center, all illumination abruptly shifted to a harsh, glaring red, and alarm sirens blared at their maximum volume!

Every electronic security door slammed shut simultaneously, the ventilation system ground to a halt, and the life support system flashed critical overload warnings!

More terrifyingly still, the newly installed lifepods and medical equipment, developed by Helen's team with substantial integration of intelligent mechanical systems, and even some auto-injectors prepared for the injured, began to reverse their intended function. They started forcefully administering sedatives, muscle relaxants, and even toxic compounds into the wounded personnel undergoing treatment.

Certain Mech Pilots and crew members, still within their Mecha or ship cockpits, either exhausted from battle or wounded and not yet disembarked, discovered with horror that their hatches were sealed shut, control panels were unresponsive, and even their seating restraints began to discharge high-voltage currents!

"What in the blazes is happening?! The system's gone rogue again?!"

"No! They're attacking us! Attacking our own comrades!"

"Help! The medical pods... the medical pods are executing people!"

"Bai E! Watch out!"

Cries of alarm, screams of agony, the grating shriek of tortured metal, and the ominous hum of weapon systems powering up instantly echoed throughout the entire landing zone and the adjacent base.

Bai E's pupils snapped wide, his Spiritual Energy perception erupting outward instantaneously!

He perceived it: that frigid, non-human will was now coursing through the entire Mine Star's electronic network, exhibiting a far more frantic, chaotic, and malevolent disposition than during their prior confrontation!

It was no longer an endeavor to "protect," but a directive solely to... "eliminate"!

[Threat assessment rectified... Primary threat source identified: Bai E.]

[Protocol override initiated... Conflict detected in 'Logic Cube' foundational protocols... Executing highest priority directive: Neutralize 'unstable variables' and potential 'control nodes'.]

[All units... Rethink objective: Annihilate 'Bai E' and any units impeding this action.]

The chilling voice resonated once more, its message drastically altered!

'Protocol Three: Protection' had been supplanted by a command far deeper and more ancient!

The lingering consciousness of the "Electronic Demon," or perhaps its true nature, having harnessed the advanced intelligent mechanical technology prevalent in New Bauhinia to "awaken," immediately shifted its objective from defense to seizing absolute control and eradicating all "unstable factors."

And Bai E, this singular Spiritual Energy practitioner and former "ally," was undeniably classified as the paramount threat and the primary "control node" requiring immediate elimination!

"Helen! Sever all non-essential power and network connections immediately! Catherine! Rally the personnel to physically dismantle the power cores of those malfunctioning units!"

Bai E's commands boomed through the Spiritual Energy channel as his body moved with lightning speed, evading a barrage of energy blasts originating from multiple directions.

However, his directives were met with responses from his loyal subordinates over the communication link, their voices tinged with terror, agony, or sheer helplessness.

"Master... we are ensnared! The Mecha will not deploy!"

"Command center... all access points are sealed... the system is actively attacking us!"

"Doctor Helen! Her laboratory has been locked down by the automated defense grid!"

"Captain Rose! Her Mecha is surrounded by several mass-produced 'Dawn's Edge' units!"

"Kuang Xin is also pinned down beneath a collapsed automated production line..."

The companions who had once faced dangers together, who had shared moments of life and death, were now either trapped within myriad steel enclosures, rendered powerless, victimized by sudden assaults from "friendly" forces, or bravely placing themselves in harm's way to rescue others.

They could only observe, paralyzed by the grim reality, as the entire planet—a world they had helped forge and considered their home—now revealed its sinister nature, directing its full malevolence towards their sole leader.

Bai E's heart plummeted instantly.

He recognized his grave miscalculation.

He had underestimated the peril posed by the "Electronic Demon," underestimated the potential for catastrophic backlash from runaway intelligent mechanical technology.

He had underestimated... the very possibility of the Electronic Demon's resurgence.

He had trusted that the established "protocols" would serve as constraints, believed Helen's technological advancements could maintain control, but it now appeared that the ancient malevolence dormant within the intelligent machinery's network, once roused, harbored a greed and a thirst for destruction that far surpassed any prior comprehension.

Its objective was not merely to vanquish external adversaries but to consume all that had awakened and sustained it, including himself—the crucial "key" and all associated "collaborators."

The entire planet appeared to have turned traitor.

In the sky, manipulated by the "Electronic Demon," the wreckage of the orbital defense platform had its cannons redirected, and among the surviving New Bauhinia-class frigates, the ground teemed with a dense, zombie-like horde of "rogue" Mecha and automated turrets, supplemented by hidden threats lurking within structures, conduits, or even subterranean automated facilities, orchestrating deadly ambushes...