Chapter 45: Passing a Charm Test

After passing through the long tunnel, the group finally reached the deepest part of the mining area.

"Wow, this is spectacular…" March 7th couldn't help but widen her eyes.

What lay before them was a massive geocore vein.

Countless orange-yellow geocores glowed faintly, mixed with the rocks, forming enormous columns that stretched across the entire mining area, connecting the dome to the underground.

"Seeing this vein up close makes it feel even more impressive," Bronya murmured, looking up at the geocore vein.

"I wonder if the underground can hold up until it's completely mined out…" Seele said coldly from the side.

"Look, there are people ahead," Stelle pointed towards two figures in the distance.

Seele squinted, her eyes flashing with cold light. "Hmph… finally found the main target."

...

A girl in a red coat was gazing at the geocore vein ahead, murmuring to herself, "This vein… everyone fought over it…"

The girl had long white hair, a slender frame, and a gentle, fragile aura that instinctively evoked a protective instinct.

Her white legs were bare, her feet unshod, stepping directly on the ground, making her look like a little fairy from a fairy tale book.

Beside the barefoot girl stood a tall robot.

It wore a black coat and pants, with a steel armor body. Its mechanical single eye glowed with a cold red light.

The intense pressure it exuded was incomparable to the previous battle mechs.

There was no doubt; it was the Swarm they had heard so much about.

"Mr. Svarog… many wanderers and miners were injured because of this vein. Can you help them?" the barefoot girl asked Svarog.

Svarog looked at the girl. "The problem has been solved, Clara. I have halted the conflict between the factions and temporarily controlled the mining area. Evaluation: within thirty days, no sudden variables, no large-scale conflicts."

His voice was a cold synthesized tone with a hint of static, devoid of any emotion.

Hearing Svarog's response, Clara seemed a bit anxious and quickly said, "I understand Mr. Svarog's intentions! But… Clara thinks it's not enough. The mining teams and the Firekeeper members still don't understand Mr. Svarog's purpose… if we could do more for everyone…"

There was no doubt that Clara and Svarog had a close relationship, with bonds and trust akin to family.

But Clara's words were not enough to change Svarog's thoughts, or rather, his "programming."

"My task is to protect the lower levels. The trust of a few samples is redundant in the calculations," Svarog replied. "Human behavior always deviates from rational calculations… their presence here is proof."

He turned to look at Gu Tang and his party approaching.

"Svarog! We still have unfinished business from last time," Seele shouted at Svarog angrily.

Being a mechanical being, Svarog naturally wouldn't be angered by Seele's tone.

He calmly scanned Seele and said, "Seele, affiliated with Firekeeper… your resistance is futile. The calculation is clear: staying in the lower levels is the optimal survival strategy."

"Scanning? We can do that too, Sage," Gu Tang snapped his fingers.

Sage stepped forward. "Svarog—an ancient relic of the old world, an autonomous control unit left from the era of the geocore exploration team. Unlike most mindless machines that follow orders, Svarog has complex thinking abilities.

Svarog can control all mechs in the lower levels and has extremely high combat capabilities, capable of summoning highly dangerous mechanical arms for support.

Clara—human female, no combat ability."

March 7th marveled, "Wow… you're more like a robot than the robot."

"Listen, I don't have time for your long-winded speeches! Get your underlings out of here, or don't blame me for being rude!" Seele continued.

Bronya looked at Seele, thinking this guy's negotiation skills are on par with Gu Tang's.

"You see, Clara, even in extreme survival conditions, humans can't avoid division and conflict," Svarog said.

Without a tone, it was hard to tell if he was mocking or simply analyzing.

"But Mr. Svarog…" Clara tried to prevent the fight.

But Svarog's calculations were complete.

"Humans attempting to overturn the calculation results are a significant threat to the survival strategy of the lower levels. Calculation complete, conclusion clear: using force to make Firekeeper and its allies comply is the most efficient solution."

He swung his arm.

Two massive mechs emerged from behind.

Slender bodies, hard shells, and menacing chainsaws on their right arms that could easily cut a person in half.

Two auto-mechs, O Wolves, followed by a large group of other types of mechs.

"Hey, I'm tired of beating up small fries. Finally, a real challenge—I'll play with you!" Seele licked her lips and picked up her scythe.

"Not easy to deal with…" Bronya raised her gunpowder rifle.

At this moment, Stelle tapped her temple. "You all think about brute force too much. We need to use wisdom to win."

March 7th and Dan Heng were both shocked to hear Stelle say that.

It was hard to imagine those words coming from Stelle, the natural battle maniac.

"Are you okay, Stelle? Normally you'd be the first to charge in," March 7th asked worriedly.

Dan Heng nodded in agreement. "Yes, I thought you'd charge in with your bat the moment they said 'the problem has been solved, Clara.'"

Seele: "That would be too early! We haven't even made our entrance yet!"

"You guys are too young and inexperienced," Stelle shook her finger. "Do you remember the crucial information Sage mentioned?"

The crucial information Sage mentioned?

March 7th: "Can summon highly dangerous mechanical arms for support?"

Bronya: "Can control all mechs in the lower levels?"

Dan Heng: "Has complex thinking abilities?"

Stelle shook her head, denying all of them.

Then she revealed the correct answer: "Clara—human female, no combat ability."

"...Uh?"

Everyone's reaction was surprisingly consistent.

"Clara is a human female, meaning if we have Gu Tang, who has the highest human charm, go up and charm her, we can win without fighting," Stelle explained her plan.

Seele looked at Gu Tang doubtfully. "I admit this guy is handsome… but will it go that smoothly?"

"Hmm… since Stelle suggested it, let's give it a try," Gu Tang nodded.

Then he took a few steps forward, struck a flamboyant pose, smoothed his hair, and winked his right eye.

Gu Tang used charm.

Clara: "?"

The girl across looked unaffected.

At this moment, one of the Wolf mechs couldn't help but tremble.

It stepped forward, joining Gu Tang's side, and raised its chainsaw to confront the other Wolf mech.

"...Well, as long as the result is good," Stelle nodded.