Cables from the abandoned mine entwined like snakes around the spirit vein crystal, and Yan Yuanxiu's data stream spread along the copper wires, weaving a transparent web on the screen. He stared at Iron Guard 7 in the surveillance footage - Zhao Kun's mecha was standing at the center of the electromagnetic lock spirit array, the gun barrel on the shoulder armor was glowing cold, and the frequency of each line was clearly reflected in the data stream.
"The logic trap is loaded." His electronic voice carried a silky, imperceptible fluctuation, and his fingertips tapped the last character on the virtual keyboard. The string of code looked like a centipede, its body was the psychic frequency of Feng Hao's mechanical arm, its feet were the BUG pattern of Chen Mohen's talisman paper, and at the very top was the data of Lin Banxia's mixed liquid.
The ground of the mine suddenly trembled. It wasn't the mechs moving; it was the vanguard mechs of the three Iron Eagle Guards stomping their feet in place, their heavy tracks pushing the ground out of potholes, but not moving a step forward. A curse came from Zhao Kun's communication channel: "No. 3! What are you doing?"
No one answered. The three mechs suddenly lifted one leg, and the hydraulic rods at the joints made a "click click" sound as if making some kind of clumsy bow. Then their electromagnetic guns began to spin randomly, and the blue light from the muzzles swept through the energy shields of their companions, sparking a string of sparks.
"Are you crazy?" Zhao Kun's Iron Guard No. 7 turned sharply, but stumbled upon by the sudden lateral movement of the No. 3 mecha. He saw a string of garbled characters flashing on the screen of the mecha, as if mocking his disheveled appearance - it was Yan Yuanxiu's signature, "Junk Alliance" written in the game code of the previous era.
Feng Hao's robotic arm suddenly heated up because it sensed an energy leak. Pointing at the group of mechs that were spinning in place, he said to Lin Banxia, "Their manual switch button is on the left side of the cockpit. The guard plate loosened during the collision just now."
Lin Banxia's mixture was ready, and the pale golden liquid was shaking in the syringe. Looking at the mechs manipulated by the data flow, she suddenly recalled what her father had said: "Even the most sophisticated machine has code that craves freedom."
Chen Mohen's talisman paper was carried by the wind and stuck to the nearest mecha shell, and the ink on the talisman paper began to flow, like a little snake crawling into the mecha's heat vent. "Yan Yuanxiu!" He shouted into the air, "Add some background music to them!"
The next second, all the out-of-control mechs suddenly started playing off-key nursery rhymes at the same time, the one Qin Tieluo often hummed, "The Scrap Song." The roar of the electromagnetic cannon, the loud crash of the mechs, mixed with the tone-deaf singing, formed a symphony of absurdity in the mine.
Zhao Kun's fist hit the console, and the screen of Iron Guard 7 went black in an instant - Yan Yuanxiu's data stream flowed upstream along his communication line, temporarily locking the weapon system of the mecha. "Thunderous!" He roared into the walkie-talkie, "Will your Lock Spirit Talisman work or not!"
Thunderous dust swirled in the air, and the red light of the lock Spirit Talisman was shattered by the blue light of the mecha. Looking at the dancing steel monsters, the old Taoist was shaken for the first time in his belief that "psychic power is supreme" - these machines, which he regarded as "boulders", could be endowed with such strange "vitality" by data.
Yan Yuanxiu's data flow condensed into a blurry shadow in the air above the mine, as if dancing for the mecha. There was a clear smile in his electronic voice at last: "The fundamental logic trap was not guarded against?"
Feng Hao had already touched the shield of the Iron Guard Seven, and the blue-purple psychic energy of the mechanical arm slipped through the gap. He heard Zhao Kun's roar in the cockpit, but was not distracted - Yan Yuanxiu's data stream was guiding him through layers of lines to the core of the mecha.
In the wind of the mine, there was an extra sound in addition to nursery rhymes and clanging. It's the free code singing, the awakened machine dancing, the outliers giving the middle finger to this rigid world in their own way.
In the cockpit of Ironguard 7, Zhao Kun's fingers frantically tapped on the console, and the double failure of psychic power and mechanical power gave him the first taste of being out of control. The warning lights on the dashboard were all on, like a group of mocking eyes, while Yan Yuanxiu's data stream was still making a funny face on the screen - outlining the iron lumps of Qin Tieluo with the blue light of the electromagnetic net.
"Manual mode! Switch manual mode!" Zhao Kun pulled off the button on the collar, and the hydraulic system of the mecha suddenly let out a shrill scream. It was Feng Hao's mechanical arm prying the guard plate outside, and the blue-purple spirit energy was like a red-hot wire, poking bit by bit into the cockpit.
In the center of the mine, the out-of-control mechs had crashed into a jumble. One of them, whose tracks had fallen off, continued to spin in circles with only three legs left, and its electromagnetic guns fired randomly into the sky, piercing a hole in the clouds. Chen Mohen's talisman paper burned on its back and turned into a light bird, diving at Zhao Kun's Iron Guard No. 7.
"Right now!" Lin Banxia injected the mixture into the energy pipe of Ironguard Seven. The pale golden liquid met Feng Hao's psychic energy and blew up a gap in the pipe. She heard Zhao Kun's muffled hum and knew that the corrosive effect of the mixture had taken effect - it was a special formula for the alloy of the Federation mecha, the last gift her father had given her before his death.
Yan Yuanxiu's data flow suddenly tightened like an invisible rope, directing the energy of all the out-of-control mechs towards Ironguard Seven. Zhao Kun's mecha suddenly swelled up and then contracted in an instant, the metal plates of its shell crumpled like crumpled paper, revealing the smoky lines inside. "You won't win!" His roar was filled with despair. "The Return Array has been activated and the entire mine will be purified!"
"Purification?" Qin Tieluo suddenly emerged from the depths of the mine, pushing a cart full of psychic explosives. "It depends on whether my old Pal agrees or not."
Pictures of iron lumps were pasted on the carriage of the mine cart, with the toilet lid turret still shining in the pictures. Qin Tieluo lit the fuse, watched the flames lick the explosives, and suddenly bowed to the dancing group of mechs - the steel monsters seemed to understand and turned to Iron Guard Seven, using their last bit of energy to prop up the barrier.
"Yan Yuanxiu, thanks." Feng Hao's robotic arm pulled out of the cockpit, clutching a still hot chip in his hand, which was the energy core key of IronGuard 7.
Yan Yuanxiu's data stream formed lines above the mine: "Logical conclusion: Friends are more important than victory."
In the next second, all the out-of-control mechs exploded simultaneously, not being destroyed by the enemy, but choosing their own end. The blue-purple light and pale golden mist interwove into an umbrella that held everyone in the center, while Ironguard 7 disintegrated in the shockwave of the explosion, and Zhao Kun's figure vanished in the firelight.
The mine fell silent, with only the echoes of "Scrap Song" still lingering in the wind. Chen Mohen picked up a piece of mecha wreckage, on which there were still dancing scratches, like a poem written on steel.