Two months ago, in the core laboratory of the Academy of Sciences at Panshi Fortress.
Lin Mo stood alone before a massive holographic projection, displaying a vast and intricate stream of data, like a galaxy.
The air was filled with the scent of ozone and the low hum of precision instruments; a cold blue light illuminated his slightly pale face, which bore traces of long-term sleep deprivation.
His gaze was focused and sharp, as if countless tiny gears were precisely meshing and turning deep within his pupils.
His ability was not a combat-oriented power like thunderous might or rule judgment, but something more unique, even somewhat “insignificant”—the Intellect Mechanicus.
This was not an ability that directly enhanced combat power; it granted Lin Mo logical thinking capabilities far beyond ordinary people, astonishing information processing speed, and an almost instinctive, profound understanding and affinity for machinery, energy, and code.
His brain was like a biological supercomputer, capable of easily catching hidden patterns in data, discerning the essence of complex system operations, and performing deductions, optimizations, and innovations with unprecedented efficiency.
It was by virtue of the Intellect Mechanicus that he, single-handedly, spearheaded breakthroughs in many critical technologies for Panshi Fortress:
The miniaturization of Energy Shields, the smelting of new alloys, the anti-interference enhancement of communication signals, and even the partial Analysis of some ability mechanisms…
He was the undisputed technological cornerstone of The Boulder, Commander Qin Weiguo's most trusted “national treasure.”
However, over the past few months, Lin Mo's Intellect Mechanicus, through its deductions, gradually outlined a picture that made him increasingly uneasy.
Deduction One: The Boulder's Limits.
He precisely calculated Panshi Fortress's resource reserves, population growth, defense consumption, and the growth curve of external threats.
The result was cold and cruel: according to the current model, The Boulder's defense system would reach a critical point in the foreseeable future (his model was precise to within 5.3 years).
The evolution speed of external mutated creatures (especially data collected after the Jiu'an City incident) far exceeded expectations, while the consumption rate of internal resources (especially high-purity energy cores and rare metals) was even faster.
The Boulder was like a giant ship constantly leaking, with the speed of repairs gradually failing to keep up with the rate of damage.
Commander Qin's strategy of holding fast, in the face of absolute data, seemed… somewhat tragic, even… inefficient.
Deduction Two: The Frailty of the Human Body.
He analyzed countless soldiers' medical examination data, ability users' backlash reports, and cases of physiological collapse in ordinary people under high-intensity radiation and stress.
The conclusion was: the human flesh and blood body is too fragile! Whether facing the claws of mutated creatures, the burden of high-intensity combat, or even the backlash from one's own ability, this body seemed vulnerable.
It was a shackles, limiting the heights that individuals and civilization could reach.
The power of Chu Hang came at the cost of painful rule backlash; ordinary soldiers were like paper in the face of advanced mutated creatures;
Even he himself, this body needed sleep, would get tired, would get sick, severely hindering his thinking efficiency.
Deduction Three: The Flaws of Existing Paths.
Through data models, he objectively evaluated the three known “ascension” paths:
Flesh Ascension (the path of mutated creatures): Data sources primarily included captured low-level mutated creatures and combat reports from the Jiu'an City encounter (Ling Chen's data was classified as an extremely high-risk unknown variable).
The model showed that this path offered rapid power growth but relied heavily on devouring, with consciousness easily consumed by bestial instincts, leading to an extremely high risk of loss of control, running contrary to societal and civilized values. Rejected.
Spiritual Ascension (the path of abilities): Data sources included ability users within The Boulder, such as Chu Hang.
The model showed that the upper limit of this path might be very high, but awakening was extremely random, progression was slow, and methods were unclear, heavily dependent on talent, and accompanied by various mental contaminations and backlash risks, making it highly unstable.
Too much uncertainty, difficult to serve as the mainstream for civilization.
Mechanical Ascension (his deduction): This was the path he dedicated the most effort to deducing.
Replacing fragile organs with precision machinery, inefficient biological energy with durable energy cores, and an absolutely rational data processing center with a brain easily influenced by emotions.
The model showed that this path had the highest controllability, strongest stability, immense potential (theoretically approaching eternity), and was best at preserving civilized wisdom and knowledge inheritance!
Although the initial technological barrier was extremely high, once broken through, the benefits were endless.
The critical turning point occurred approximately five weeks ago.
During a deep repair and decryption of a damaged database excavated from an old-era ruin, Lin Mo's Intellect Mechanicus captured an extremely secret, severely fragmented, yet astonishing piece of code.
After his almost sleepless, frantic decryption, a discourse on “ascension paths” that surpassed current understanding gradually emerged.
This information not only confirmed his deduction about mechanical ascension but also clearly indicated that there were at least four, not three, ascension paths in the universe!
The information for that fourth path was extremely vague, only mentioning the need for a special “key” or “medium,” but the power level it described caused even the Intellect Mechanicus to experience violent computational fluctuations—it was a power almost… at the source of rules!
This discovery, like the final straw, completely broke Lin Mo's patience with the existing system.
He saw a brighter future, a broader vision, and the current mode of Panshi Fortress, reliant on fragile flesh and uncontrollable abilities, became increasingly “primitive” and “inefficient” in his eyes.
Commander Qin's steadfastness, in his view, became a self-imposed stagnation, a waste of valuable time and resources, and an obstruction to the true evolution of civilization!
A strong sense of mission and urgency, derived from absolute rational deduction, burned within him.
The research into mechanical ascension must be accelerated!
More resources, more independent space must be obtained!
He could no longer be constrained by the military's conservatism and shortsightedness! Before external threats completely overwhelmed The Boulder, he had to find a truly reliable way out for human civilization!
His Intellect Mechanicus began operating with unprecedented efficiency, but no longer solely for the overall benefit of The Boulder.
He secretly adjusted research priorities, shifting resources towards projects that could directly enhance the strength of mechanical ascension: high-energy cores, new armor alloys, independent energy networks, AI combat unit control systems…
He used his authority to gradually marginalize older researchers with conservative ideas who might report to the military, promoting young, passionate assistants who were receptive to new ideas and almost worshipped his personal abilities.
He began consciously building a team centered around himself, fully committed to the concept of “mechanical ascension.”
He even secretly utilized The Boulder's industrial facilities to produce unregistered weapons and defensive units, quietly arming the Academy of Sciences.
All of this proceeded calmly and orderly under his absolutely rational planning. He felt no guilt of “betrayal,” because in his logical judgment, this was not betrayal, but salvation. It was leading humanity towards a higher, more correct path.
The military's control was the shackles hindering progress.
His emotional fluctuations were suppressed to the lowest level; the cold logic of the Intellect Mechanicus dominated all his actions.
Occasionally, only when a key technological breakthrough was achieved, such as a new type of mech successfully activated or a high-energy core running stably, would a flicker of almost religious fanaticism-like satisfaction flash deep within his calm eyes.
That was an ultimate pursuit of absolute rationality, eternal order, and the beauty of machinery.
Within a month, his conviction grew stronger, and his preparations became more thorough.
Until… he believed the time was ripe.
Until he believed it was necessary to show those “lost in the old-era dream” the power of “the future,” and… the insurmountable chasm that already existed between them.
Thus, the “stress test” three days ago—that controlled outbreak and the declaration of the Intellect Mechanicus—became inevitable.
This was not impulse, not madness.
This was the rational break made by a scientist with the Intellect Mechanicus, after months of rigorous deduction and preparation, the one most aligned with his logical judgment.
He saw the crisis, and he saw hope, and then… he chose the path he believed was the only correct one.
Even if this path required him to stand against the entirety of Panshi Fortress.
