I Have Infinite Skill Points-Chapter 498: Mechanical Exotic Beasts

"The problem now isn’t the complete collapse of the southern region, but the whereabouts of Dongfang He and Sun Chang’an," Qiao Shan said grimly. "I’m well aware of their strengths. Even if they encountered the most difficult situations, they would definitely be able to send back key intelligence through the hummingbird. The sudden loss of contact, without any forewarning causing the collapse of the south, led me, after much deliberation, to only one possibility."

"What?"

"They were killed in an instant."

The atmosphere in the command room immediately plunged to a freezing point again.

"Before we determine what happened, the recapture of the southern region must be put on hold. I suggest sending a reconnaissance team deep into enemy territory in the south to at least ascertain what has occurred." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"That’s the only option left. Commander-in-Chief, I have a request—I want to join this reconnaissance team," Qiao Shan said resolutely.

"You? Is that really necessary?" Shen Xiaowu asked, somewhat surprised.

"Absolutely necessary. My intuition tells me something happened to Sun Chang’an and the others. For two Titled Strongmen to run into trouble simultaneously, without even being able to send out a warning... This must be an extremely terrifying situation."

"In that case, I’ll join too," Wang Lan suddenly spoke up. "If the Earth Walker’s speculation is true, then it’s definitely very dangerous for him to go. If I go with him, we can watch each other’s backs, and we coordinate well together."

"Having Wang Lan go is naturally the best-case scenario."

"Then I’ll go too!" White Dragon suddenly exclaimed, uncrossing his legs.

Looking at the lineup before him, Shen Xiaowu was slightly stunned and didn’t know what to say for a moment. A reconnaissance mission that actually required three Titled Strongmen to act together?

"Alright, I’ll leave it to you then. Maintain hummingbird communication."

Wang Lan, Qiao Shan the Earth Walker, and Bai Xiaofeng the White Dragon led the team, which included two Star Sea Stage and seven Galaxy Stage Star Martial Warriors. The twelve-person reconnaissance team quietly set out.

Jiang Xinyu was naturally one of the two Star Sea Stage Star Martial Warriors. Even though Jiang Xinyu had just broken through to the Star Sea Stage and couldn’t yet fully utilize its combat power, with three Titled Strongmen among them, they didn’t really need significant additional fighting strength.

Since it was unknown what had happened in the southern region, and their primary mission was reconnaissance, maintaining stealth was necessary. Given the strength of Wang Lan’s group, they could, of course, travel openly and fight their way through, but that would not only waste time but might also alert the enemy.

So, the problem was how to travel. Now that the southern region had been completely occupied by Exotic Beasts, whether traveling on the ground or in the air, being discovered by the beasts would inevitably lead to being surrounded.

"My Earth Travelling Skill can carry us swiftly underground, reaching speeds of up to two hundred kilometers per hour," the Earth Walker suggested.

"What good is the Earth Travel Skill? We need to infiltrate five hundred kilometers. At most, the Earth Travel Skill is good for a few kilometers; even if you have an ultra S-rank Earth Travel Skill, it can’t exceed a few dozen kilometers. It’s too slow for traveling and a waste of time. Why don’t we split up and move separately, taking three different routes? We won’t be too far from each other, so we can provide support while also making it harder for the Exotic Beasts to encircle us."

"If we’re going to do that, we might as well have one person lead a small team to infiltrate. Fewer numbers mean greater stealth."

"Can you let me finish talking?" Qiao Shan interrupted Bai Xiaofeng impatiently. "My Earth Travel Skill has a range of one hundred kilometers. But after one hundred kilometers, I need to rest for half an hour to recover my physical strength and Star Power."

"One hundred kilometers?"

At Qiao Shan’s words, everyone was shocked. One hundred kilometers in a single use of the Earth Travel Skill was beyond anyone’s imagination, especially while carrying others.

"Don’t be so shocked; it’ll make me proud," Qiao Shan said with a bit of triumph. "If it were just me alone, I could travel up to one hundred and fifty kilometers in a single subterranean movement."

"If you’re that capable, why do you need us at all? You could complete the reconnaissance work by yourself," Bai Xiaofeng retorted.

"I originally said I would go scout on my own, but all of you were eager to join," Qiao Shan replied.

"You didn’t say you could travel one hundred kilometers at once, though."

"You never asked."

"..."

All those present were left dumbfounded. With the Earth Travel Skill being such a common Star Martial Skill, was there a need to ask? Normally, traveling more than a kilometer using the Earth Travel Skill was considered a high Cultivation Level; only peak Earth Attribute Star Martial Warriors were capable of traversing several kilometers.

Even for a Five Emperors-level Earth Attribute specialist, traveling dozens of kilometers using the Earth Travel Skill was considered impressive. Yet, the Earth Walker claimed to travel one hundred kilometers. This was like trampling everyone, from ancient times to the present, underfoot.

"I hold the title Earth Walker, and this is why. Come on, everyone gather around; stand by my side," Qiao Shan announced.

The Star Martial Warriors promptly gathered around the Earth Walker, with Wang Lan and Bai Xiaofeng serving as the front and rear guards for the entire team.

A hazy white light rippled outwards, Star Power enveloping the group. In an instant, the ground beneath their feet seemed to lose all solidity, and everyone disappeared into the soil without a trace.

The sensation of traversing underground was very peculiar, as if the soil had turned into water, but even lighter. Moreover, the soil did not produce any friction against their bodies; they moved like ghosts, rapidly shuttling beneath the earth.

JOLT—

A slight tremor occurred, and the group’s underground travel abruptly ceased.

"What happened? Have we reached a hundred kilometers?"

"No, we’ve only gone fifty kilometers." The Earth Walker looked rather chagrined; he had just arrogantly claimed he could traverse a hundred kilometers underground, only to face embarrassment on his first attempt.

"This is the Geo-crystal Region, a special stretch that can block all Earth Attribute Star Martial Skills," Wang Lan explained with a smile, helping the Earth Walker save face.

"We can only travel aboveground for this section. Let’s go up."

The Geo-crystal Region was no secret to Star Martial Warriors pioneering in the Cloud Sea Pioneer Space, and everyone knew about a deadly area for Earth Attribute wielders in the southern region. But the Earth Walker, who had just come from the Pioneer Space in the northwest, was of course unaware of this.

The group ascended to the surface. The land beneath their feet was somewhat similar to the black obsidian at Ice Cliff: pitch-black and shiny, reflecting a metallic luster. The Geo-crystal Region spanned roughly one kilometer, and within this area, it was surprisingly occupied by a type of semi-mechanical Exotic Beast, the Mechanical Armored Beast.

Mechanical-form Exotic Beasts were a first for Wang Lan. Most of the Mechanical Armored Beast’s body, and even some organs, had been replaced with metal machinery. It was the size of a bull, with a horn on its forehead resembling that of a rhinoceros.

Of course, these Exotic Beasts were not originally from the Geo-crystal Region but had invaded during the most recent beast swarm.

Initially, Wang Lan and the others were very cautious, sneaking past the Mechanical Armored Beasts. But before they had even walked five hundred meters, they were completely surrounded by a group of them.

The Mechanical Armored Beast has a half-mechanical face. A red light flickers in its left eye, which is shaped like a camera lens. From an evolutionary perspective, such a creature shouldn’t exist. But Exotic Beasts completely defy evolution.

Moreover, seeing the Mechanical Armored Beasts reminded Wang Lan of Cybertron Planet. It was located far outside the solar system, tens of light-years away from Sky Blue Star. The mechanical life there had already produced small mechanical animals with highly symmetrical and rational evolved structures.

At this rate, within fifty years, there should be mechanical life that Wang Lan could use in warfare.

Compared to the adorable life forms on Cybertron Planet, these Mechanical Armored Beasts seem far less friendly.

After completing their encirclement of Wang Lan and his group, they suddenly opened their huge mouths, revealing cannon barrels within.

BOOM—

Dozens of shells fired simultaneously, instantly bombarding the group.

"Gate of The Underworld—"

Wang Lan slammed a palm to the ground, and three gigantic Gates of The Underworld rose up.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!—

The shells smashed against the Gates of The Underworld, roaring explosions echoing one after another. Wang Lan’s figure flickered, passing through the gates like a ghost, his form transforming into fluttering butterflies.

Each butterfly landed beside a Mechanical Armored Beast. Wang Lan’s figure flickered like a phantom, appearing instantly beside each beast.

A flash of a blade, and, without warning, dozens of Mechanical Armored Beasts stiffened as the red light in their eyes flickered and died.

In one second, the beasts were evenly split in two down the middle. Wang Lan curiously crouched down to examine the internal structure of the Mechanical Armored Beasts.

Strangely, their brains and organs are biological. However, their mouths, bones, esophagus, and even stomachs are metallic. Their body tissue is a mix of mechanical and biological components.

Studying these mechanical Exotic Beasts for clues on how to create artificial robots seems utterly useless; their design is completely illogical.

"Stop studying them. Although I’m also curious about mechanical Exotic Beasts and haven’t seen many in my lifetime, we should focus on pressing ahead. The explosion earlier has already alerted the other Mechanical Armored Beasts."

Only then did Wang Lan stand up and proceed with the group. However, as they made their way, Wang Lan’s brows remained furrowed.

"Wang Lan, what are you thinking about?" Jiang Xinyu asked gently, coming over to him.

"I’m wondering how these half-mechanical, half-biological Exotic Beasts achieved such perfect integration. Don’t their fundamentally different life bases conflict with each other?"

"Is there any scientific basis for the existence of Exotic Beasts? If this world were governed by science, then the Demon Clan wouldn’t exist," Qiao Shan said with a chuckle.

"That’s not necessarily true. Our inability to scientifically explain something only proves that science hasn’t advanced that far yet. Anything that exists can be considered scientific.

"Take this Different Dimensional Space, for instance. Who can say for certain that it isn’t part of Sky Blue Star? There’s a hypothesis, isn’t there? It suggests that Different Dimensional Spaces are formed from countless stitched-together fragments. The creatures within these fragments would then be the evolutionary products of their original worlds, from before those spaces shattered. Right?

"Perhaps, in the Mechanical Armored Beast’s world, life is evolving from carbon-based to silicon-based. Our universe is endless; who knows what strange evolution might take place in some corner? Not to mention, these fragments might not even come from our universe; they could be related to a Parallel Universe."

Bai Xiaofeng spoke with an air of expertise, but aside from Wang Lan and Jiang Xinyu, it was doubtful anyone else understood.