This is really not mechanical ascension
Chapter 726: Revised - 378 Hunting Dimension Life Forms

Chapter 726: Revised: Chapter 378 Hunting Dimension Life Forms

"Tch, did you really think I was running away? I was looking for the boss!" Robbin finally sprang out, shouting angrily, "That guy scared the hell out of me for nearly a month. I’m so pissed!"

"Why... why weren’t you eliminated?" The scar-faced man gasped, glaring intently at Robbin.

"Eliminated? What are you talking about?" Robbin frowned.

The scar-faced man gritted his teeth, "You... leaked the secret, brought in others to interfere with the hunting program. Why were you not eliminated by the Observer?"

"Because he was being threatened." A purple skull floated out slowly from Robbin’s backpack.

"Me? Threatened?" Robbin’s confusion deepened.

Crack!

The scar-faced man’s energy fluctuations dissipated, and an identical purple skull emerged from the pouch at his waist, floating upwards.

"Anchor failed. Transition failed. The Inheritor is already at the brink of despair. Eliminate!" The purple skull spoke coldly.

Li Ming reacted swiftly, grabbing the object. It thrashed like a bomb in his mechanical hand, the purple light leaking through the gaps of his fingers.

Robbin’s purple skull released a stream of data, quickly integrating with it, gradually calming the turbulence and restoring peace.

Li Ming opened his palm to find the skull had gone dormant.

[Manager--Special Type: AI mechanical bodies left behind by the Titans, constantly seeking an Inheritor.]

[Control Conditions: Seventy million metal energy.]

[Control Ability--Selection: Designate a life form to participate in the Titan Trial.]

"Seventy million? That’s even higher than what the Butler needs?" Li Ming was faintly astonished.

"At the brink of despair? Elim... eliminate?" The scar-faced man looked as if he’d been struck by lightning, then laughed miserably, tears streaming down his face. "Haha... and here I thought I’d at least been carefully selected..."

"Who knew that failure would lead directly to elimination."

Robbin’s expression shifted, and he silently clenched his fists.

Li Ming threw the scar-faced man to the ground, reverting from his Venerate King Form. The man looked dazed, his spirit crushed.

Li Ming weighed the dormant skull in his hand and asked, "How long until this thing recovers?"

"Three months," the Butler replied.

Hearing this, Li Ming stashed it away without hesitation. This thing would be of great use in the future.

Robbin looked deeply shaken and asked bitterly, "Butler, if one day I faced the same situation, would you also eliminate me?"

Li Ming glanced at him, then crouched next to the scar-faced man, "I have some questions I need answered."

The scar-faced man mustered his strength and said grimly, "Make him tell me why he was allowed to interfere without being stopped by the Observer."

"Logically, the Observer should’ve prevented him from coming after you."

Li Ming turned to the Butler, curious about the same question.

The Butler floated over, his voice warm and even, "Our program contains one supreme directive. Unless the hunting program is activated, under any circumstances, we must ensure the Inheritor’s safety. If caught in a deadly situation, preserving the secret takes precedence."

"Li Ming uncovered my identity and, under the Azure Dragon’s threat, we could not leave his side. Otherwise, we would face pursuit."

"The Azure Dragon’s threat level has now been identified as the highest. Should I have stopped him from intervening, the Inheritor’s safety would have been at risk."

Li Ming was slightly surprised. Did this AI just acknowledge its own loophole?

Wait, was this a hint for me?

Robbin remained silent. As expected... Li Ming knew everything. He had anticipated it long ago and now appeared to care little.

The scar-faced man’s face froze in disbelief. After a moment, he snapped out of it and stared fixedly at the Butler. "You... you’re not like my Observer."

The Butler responded, "We are the same."

Li Ming resumed his interrogation. The scar-faced man, spirit crushed and unwilling to endure further torture, answered every question without resistance.

After about ten minutes, Li Ming sent him on his way. Similar to Robbin, the scar-faced man’s purple skull had come into his life at a very young age.

This wasn’t his first hunt. He had already killed another Inheritor and been rewarded for it.

The Combat Armor on his body, the blade on his back, and even the Super Compressed Hand Cannon were all A-level weapons.

Additionally, after a successful hunt, his own skull absorbed the other Inheritor’s skull.

So, the control requirement increased to seventy million?

"Are you really selecting an Inheritor for Terrax?" Li Ming stood and looked at the Butler. "Isn’t this method far too cruel?"

He then added, "And if you don’t answer me directly, I’ll kill Robbin."

Robbin’s mouth twitched.

The Butler did respond as expected, "From the information available, we are indeed selecting an Inheritor for the Terrax Civilization. However, there can only be one final Inheritor, and the weak have no chance."

"Have you been doing this all along? Or just recently?" Li Ming pressed.

"This batch was awakened thirty years ago."

"This batch? So there are more?" Li Ming asked in disbelief. Judging by the developmental potential of these chosen individuals, they couldn’t have all been nobodies.

"Unknown."

Li Ming pondered for a moment, "What exactly does inheriting the Terrax Civilization mean? It can’t just be an empty title."

The Butler replied, "Currently unknown."

Li Ming continued to ask many questions, receiving some definitive answers but mostly vague or unknown responses.

Specifically, Li Ming inquired about the Holy Castle left by Terrax, learning that only after an Inheritor becomes an X-level life form, equating to a transcendent-level Terrax, would the information be unlocked.

Lord Level corresponded to S-level life forms, Transcendent Level to X-level life forms, and Dominator Level likely referred to the Ultimate Life Form.

"Tch..." Li Ming frowned slightly. He estimated that even if he were to control and enlighten the skull in his possession, it would still be difficult to obtain relevant information.