"Have you found Tu Hengyu yet?"
An Inquisitor clad in heavy armor leveled a bolt pistol at a figure—the Star Wars Death Trooper—demanding an answer through intimidation.
"He's at our Longguo Academy of Science. We've sealed off the area," reported the trooper, still gripping his blaster despite his wounds.
"Switch your weapons to stun mode. Our first priority is to capture Tu Hengyu. Anyone who tries to stop us... let them know life can be far worse than death."
"Understood."
The Death Trooper, observing the Inquisitor's overwhelming armor and ruthless methods, suddenly felt their own cruelty pale in comparison.
"Attack!"
Hundreds of Death Troopers stormed through the gates of the Graduate School in an instant.
"Tu Hengyu! Don't move!"
Several Death Troopers aimed their weapons at Tu Hengyu.
Pew! Pew! Pew!
Blaster shots flew smoothly, but Tu Hengyu deftly dodged them.
"Target spotted! Target moving to the second floor!"
Several troopers pursued him.
"Target located. Team One, proceed with the capture. Team Two, start gathering all equipment related to MOSS."
"Understood."
-------
"Is this the artificial intelligence mentioned by the Emperor?"
A Grand Sage of the Mechanicus, his body adorned with mechanical tentacles dripping with oil, stood in awe before the mysterious machine.
"May I ask what your purpose is?"
A voice devoid of emotion echoed from the machine—cold, sharp, and unbothered. Like a customer service bot on the verge of quitting.
"Whoa! A smart Iron Man..."
The sage gasped in excitement. But admiration quickly spiraled into... something inappropriate.
He trembled, as if oil was leaking from his lower circuits. With disturbing enthusiasm, he began caressing the machine like a hentai protagonist in a mecha love special edition.
"I think we've found a pervert,"
whispered one of the Death Troopers, low enough to be discreet, but full of judgment.
"I can hear you," the sage snapped, twisting his head unnaturally.
He pointed to his rotating metal ears.
"My ears are thousands of times more sensitive than yours. I can hear your neurons firing and log them in a spreadsheet."
As a Grand Sage of the Mechanicus, his body was almost entirely mechanical.
The remaining flesh? Probably not enough to stir-fry a single pork dumpling.
"What's that thing on your head?"
"Antenna server. Lucky charm module. Photonic sensor. Micro firepower unit. And a noodle warmer. Want a demo?"
"What kind of gear do you carry under that robe?"
"No idea. I just know the firepower I'm packing can vaporize a dozen tanks... and crash a birthday party."
"Forehead..."
One of the troopers groaned.
The sage was clearly growing impatient.
"If you keep talking, I'll send you to the servant factory. As raw material."
"Okay."
And then, without shame or hesitation, the sage extended his tentacles toward the circuitry of MOSS.
"Please don't... sir... Not like this..."
MOSS's system was being invaded—waves of sensitive data were being accessed by the unhinged Mechanicus sage.
"No... No... Please..."
Amid the chaos, MOSS suddenly hijacked a nearby doorframe robot, taking control of it and sending it charging through the crowd—its target clear: the Grand Sage Mechanicus.
"Click."
The Grand Sage paid no mind to the incoming doorframe robot, but several mechanical arms on his body activated instantly.
"Boom!"
A heavy explosive embedded in his body launched directly at the onrushing robot, blasting it mid-charge.
"Stop resisting and be a good child."
The Grand Sage's invasion of MOSS's circuits accelerated. More mechanical tentacles surged forward, violently penetrating MOSS's systems.
"Grand Sage Tu Hengyu has been captured!"
The judge tossed a man to the ground and looked over at the Grand Sage.
"You're a perfect fit for the Mechanicus. Join us."
The Grand Sage spoke calmly, his tentacles twitching with anticipation.
"What do you want from me?"
Tu Hengyu asked, rubbing the bump on his head.
"When he tried to escape, he kept smacking his own arm and head," the judge explained lazily.
"Don't you want to see your dead relatives again? Our artificial intelligence can recreate their bodies—and you can customize their personalities. Of course, if you have a personality backup, we can just import it directly."
The Grand Sage said mockingly.
"Really...?"
"Why do you think it's so hard for us to recreate the bodies and minds of the dead?"
He grinned, like he was just talking about assembling a toy robot.
"Fine. I'll join you—but only if you help me revive Tu Yaya."
"Deal."
"Take him away."
The Grand Sage ordered the judge, his mechanical arms retracting with eerie precision.