041, Machine and The Boy

In Basement,

The cement floor trembled slightly, with a layer of dust swirling.

Thunk!

With a soft sound, five black metallic fingers, aligned like blades, suddenly punctured the floor!

Then, like a sharp surgical knife slicing through flesh, the metal fingers effortlessly cut through the cement floor.

They continued to extend and swiftly change direction.

Hiss—hiss—hiss—

In just a few seconds, a one-and-a-half-meter-square section of the cement floor was neatly cut out!

Bang!

The cut-out section of the cement floor was suddenly lifted upwards by a powerful force, revealing a deep, dark, neatly cut hole.

The black metallic head of Iron Man UR-025 slowly emerged, its eye sockets glowing with a faint blue light.

It easily supported the heavy cement slab with its five metal fingers, allowing its two-meter-tall metal frame to enter the basement.

Then, it slightly bent its metal torso and extended another metal arm toward the hole.

At the same time, Zaire, with an excited expression, grasped the metal hand for support.

He leapt out of the hole and, once his feet were firmly planted, looked up at the towering Iron Man with a smile and said:

"Haha, it actually worked!"

"It was a simple calculation... Nothing worth mentioning."

The Iron Man, its eyes glowing blue, slightly tilted its metal head and said calmly.

Zaire maintained his smile.

He gave a thumbs-up to the Iron Man, showing his deep appreciation.

Clearly, their relationship had progressed well...

An hour ago, when Zaire had openly shown the plasma pistol to the Iron Man as a gesture of initial friendliness, the intelligent Iron Man had understood this gesture more deeply.

In return for Zaire's brave actions, they had established a solid initial trust.

Subsequently, the two intelligent beings of different races had engaged in in-depth communication and reached a mutually beneficial cooperative relationship.

As the initiator who freed the Iron Man from the Warhammer 'sea of suffering,' Zaire was to receive all help from Iron Man UR-025, except in combat.

The pacifist Iron Man was unwilling to engage in any conflicts unless its own safety was at risk.

Meanwhile, Zaire respected Iron Man UR-025 as a fully sentient mechanical life form, not just a killing machine from the Warhammer universe.

Thus, the 'Iron Man and the Boy' team was quickly formed.

With Zaire's prompt and the Iron Man's efforts, they entered New York City's underground passages and successfully dug a tunnel leading directly to the apartment's basement.

-----------------------

At this moment.

In the basement, the Iron Man lowered its metal head, eyes glowing blue, and politely asked Zaire:

"Zaire, is this your living space? Do you need a larger and more splendid living area?"

"Uh…"

Zaire hesitated slightly, then shook his head and replied:

"This is just a basement, a temporary place for storing things... But your mention of a living space reminds me…"

"We need a secret base now. Do you have any suggestions?"

Seeing Zaire's sincere expression and earnest eyes, the Iron Man with blue glowing eyes raised its metal hand.

It pointed towards the hole they had come through.

Then, the Iron Man's cold, mechanical voice seemed to carry more emotional undertones.

"Based on the brief history of humanity on Terra and the data analysis of many human comments on the net, it may take more time for humanity to fully accept mechanical life…"

"For both my peace and Zaire's survival, building a secret base underground is the optimal choice…"

Upon hearing the Iron Man's response, Zaire's smile became even more radiant.

He quickly nodded and said:

"You're right. Human tolerance is quite low... However, I'm not well-versed in architecture, so I'll have to trouble you with that."

"Of course. That was my suggestion to begin with."

The Iron Man, with glowing blue eyes, did not refuse.

In fact, the traces left on the net had already given it insight into some of Zaire's thoughts.

After discussing the area and purpose of the secret base, Zaire left the basement with an excited and light-hearted step.

Once Zaire had completely gone, the Iron Man standing in place once again rotated its metal head.

The blue light in its eyes flickered like waves, and a mechanical voice filled with evident excitement slowly sounded.

"Cunning Terra humans, cunning Zaire…"

"Praise the Machine God, praise the Omnissiah… and also praise Zaire!"

---------------------

The first thing Zaire did after leaving the basement was to contact the landlord of the apartment to purchase the basement.

Since the basement was about to become one of the entrances to the secret base, it was no longer a place he could abandon at will.

Simple leasing posed a risk.

Buying it was the best option.

Eventually, the apartment landlord, faced with Zaire's aggressive cash offer, agreed to the sale for $150,000.

After securing the deal with the landlord, Zaire did not disturb the Iron Man in the basement.

Respect and trust also contributed to combat effectiveness.

Instead, Zaire went back home.

While devouring food from the fridge, he periodically checked the simulator's page to see the progress of the second salvage.

The terrifying rewards from the first salvage had filled Zaire with great anticipation for the second round.

Unfortunately, this anticipation lasted deep into the night.

When the salvage results were finally displayed before Zaire's eyes:

[Salvage completion countdown: Zero]

[Salvage reward: Fresh Ant Bull Canned Food (One box)]

Note: Produced by Blackstone Fortress, please torch with a flamethrower for at least two hours before consumption... Improper use may cause tears among relatives.

[Salvage reward: Unexpired Frozen Stag Beast Milk (One can)]

Note: Produced by Ferros, long-term consumption can increase toxin resistance... Stag Beast Milk, even the high lord praises it.

[Salvage reward: Unexpired Protein Bars (A dozen)]

Note: Unknown Hive production, orc-made... Nutrient-rich, plant protein.

[Salvage reward: Cold-Stored Glokkox Beast Hind Legs (200 kilograms)]

Note: Produced by an unknown planet, best wishes to meat-eaters... Fierce like a Glokkox?

[Salvage reward: Brand-New Krieg Death Korps Soldier Uniforms (Ten sets)]

Note: Thoroughly cleaned and ironed multiple times, no Krieg soldier bloodstains... Guaranteed by Krieg Quartermaster.

[Salvage reward: Unexpired Laughing Skull Brand Corpse Starch (One bucket)]

Note: Produced by the Corpse Cult, weekly recommendation... Green food definitely made by humans, clean and hygienic.

[Salvage reward: Explosive Gun Standard Ammunition (120 rounds)]

Note: Produced by the Mechanicus, standard ammunition for Astartes... Load, aim, and charge.

[Salvage reward: Laser Gun Energy Cells (Ten pieces)]

Note: Produced by an unknown planet, a lifetime companion for the Astral Army... If the opponent is still alive.

[Salvage reward: Unopened Small Refraction Field Emitter (One piece)]

Note: Produced by the Mechanicus, a military officer's birthday gift... An eternally awaited birthday gift.

[Salvage reward: Brand-New Amigadon Steel Legion Soldier Standard Kits (Ten sets)]

Note: Produced by Amigadon, if you need more... please quickly contact Commissar yerrik.

...............

If you want? You get to read the next chapters before anyone else! Just go to pateron get chapters in advance: patreon.com/THE_INDRA_