Ye Chen picked up the Hundred Spirit Pill, opened the box, and saw a brilliantly colored pill resting quietly on the jade bed inside. A rich, subtle fragrance wafted out, instantly refreshing the spirit and mind.

“I wonder if consuming this will allow me to reach the second stage of the Superman level,” Ye Chen’s eyes held a flicker of anticipation as he popped the pill into his mouth, swallowing it directly without chewing.

After taking the pill, it rapidly melted, seeping into his very genes. His entire body grew warm, but otherwise, there were no immediate changes.

Ye Chen could feel the effect lying dormant inside him, being rapidly absorbed by his body. Once the absorption was complete, the Superman genes would fuse to a far greater extent.

Following that, he consumed another Qi Origin Pill. His vital energy climbed from the mid-stage of the third tier to the peak of the late-stage, just shy of breaking through to the fourth tier—the further he progressed, the greater the energy required.

A physique level of 62, combined with peak third-tier vital energy, meant he could slay monsters around level 80 despite his lower rank. If he deployed the Blood-Red Battle Saber, he felt confident fighting even level 100 monsters.

Ye Chen knew he couldn't rely too heavily on the Superman state; it was only for moments when survival was critical, and it required a full day’s rest between uses. During that interval, unknown dangers could arise at any moment. Therefore, the strength he could wield anytime, anywhere, was his most solid guarantee.

Ye Chen opened the remaining box of Blood Body Pills. Inside were about twelve pea-sized, blood-red orbs. He picked one up and swallowed it, immediately feeling his physique increase by about one level. These Blood Body Pills were of a low-grade quality; otherwise, the physique increase would have been much more significant.

He took out four pills and tossed them to Bai Long and the others. “Major nourishment.”

Bai Long and the others paused, looking at the bean-sized orbs in their hands. Without overthinking, they consumed them and instantly felt their physiques improve.

“Mine increased by 6 levels!”

“Mine by 5!”

They were overjoyed, realizing these pills were as miraculously effective as the Golden Beans from the Rune Civilization.

Because their base physiques were so low, they were not in the same league as Ye Chen, which is why the increase margins were greater for them. If they hadn't encountered Elvi this time, they likely would have gained nothing and might have even perished. Although, at the moment of crisis, Ye Chen could open the Rune Space and hide inside the starship before closing the dimensional boundary, making him impervious to attack.

However, that was a desperate measure. If they encountered a mechanical warrior on the level of the Silver Androids, he might be killed before he could even jump into the space.

“Seven pills remaining,” Ye Chen stored them safely within the starship in his Rune Space. Once taken once, the body developed an immunity; further consumption yielded no results unless a higher grade of Blood Body Pill was used.

“Where to now?” Elvi glanced at Ye Chen. She didn't stop him from taking the pills. Within the memory chips implanted in her brain, there was a faint directive: assist the person who rescued her, provided that person's spiritual power reached a "qualified" level. Throughout their journey, her subtle scans had already confirmed Ye Chen’s spiritual power met the requirement.

If his spiritual power were saturated with brutality, she would not assist but instead execute the kill order.

Of course, this qualification threshold wasn't high; anyone capable of maintaining a balanced state of mind could achieve it. If that person later descended into depravity or harmed others, she would terminate them and select a new master.

“To the Qilun Temple,” Ye Chen said without hesitation.

Elvi nodded slightly. “Then let’s go,” she said, leading the way out.

Ye Chen and the others followed.

Bai Long and the others felt somewhat helpless. They couldn't understand a word of what Ye Chen and Elvi were saying, feeling completely like dead weight—a sensation that deeply unsettled them.

After leaving the Temple of Light, Ye Chen’s group headed toward the direction of the Qilun Temple. Along the way, they saw numerous Bronze Androids, recharged and operational, busy hauling away the corpses of dark creatures that remained scattered throughout the city.

These mechanical warriors saluted as soon as they spotted Elvi.

Yet, in the vast city, there was no sign of the Atlanteans. Most likely, when this city was transported to this dimension, the inhabitants were moved to another world along with supplies like food, leaving behind only an empty shell.

They hadn't walked far when…

“Hm?” Ye Chen looked into the distance. “Is that a mechanical factory?”

Not far off stood a massive structure, only ten stories high, rectangular, resembling a matchbox, with no windows along its perimeter, save for one large entrance.

“Yes,” Elvi confirmed with a nod. “This is a Silver-grade manufacturing plant, capable of producing Silver Mechanical Warriors, though it requires a substantial amount of energy.”

Ye Chen’s eyes lit up. He had already experienced the immense power of the Silver Mechanical Warriors; they were overwhelmingly strong. If he had a squad composed entirely of Silver Mechanical Warriors, wiping out the zombies on Earth would be effortless.

It would be a complete sweep.

“Let’s go take a look,” Ye Chen urged.

The group approached the manufacturing facility. Elvi opened the massive door, revealing the interior scene to everyone. Inside, countless tiny robots, about the size of a fist, were working in the workshops, meticulously crafting individual components. The technological sophistication of every robot was extreme; no part could be treated carelessly. Additionally, some medium-sized robots, standing nearly ten feet tall, were responsible for assembling the larger structural sections.

This workshop was normally sealed, with vacuum cleaners built into the surrounding walls to maintain absolute cleanliness. Even a minuscule speck of dust falling onto a component could cause a tiny gear to slip its track, leading to the robot's disintegration during combat. The smallest gears measured only about 10 micrometers—nearly invisible to the naked eye.

Currently, these robots were assembling a Silver-grade Mechanical Warrior. Many small robots finished specific parts and placed them on a workstation, passing them to the next robot in line. Each robot was responsible for one sectional part. After one full cycle, they had assembled one-third of the internal mechanism of a robot’s arm.

Ye Chen observed that the factory floor housed five workshops, situated closely together. Transport robots brought parts from the smelting facility to these assembly units, with each workshop handling a specific section: the head, the chest, the two arms, the two legs, and the final assembly station—five stages in total.

“Huh?” Bai Long suddenly pointed to an area nearby, looking surprised. “What is that?”

Everyone followed his gaze.

On a metal table lay three flat, thick metal plates, looking quite similar to Earth’s mobile phones. Elvi smiled faintly. “Those are Silver-grade Nuclear Light Mines. Their explosive power is quite formidable.”

“Nuclear Light Mines?” Ye Chen was momentarily stunned, then recalled that such an item did indeed exist in the Atlantean civilization, possessing immense power capable of obliterating a level 1200 monster; they were single-use consumables.

Ye Chen paid little attention to the mines and looked at Elvi. “Can this mechanical factory detach itself from the city structure?”

Elvi nodded. “It can. What are you planning?”

Ye Chen pondered. “Do you have any large internal cavity layers or anything similar? I want to take this factory with us. This city will soon be occupied by those besieging forces outside. I am not aligned with them, so this facility needs to move with me.”

Elvi understood immediately. She shook her head. “There isn’t a space cavity layer, but if you wish to remove it, I can sink the entire factory beneath the city’s foundation and then deliver it to you when you are ready to take it.”

Ye Chen sighed, giving a wry smile. “I suppose that is the only way.”

His Rune Space didn't possess a large enough storage area; this was an entire factory, spanning too vast an area.

"It seems that to truly claim these assets for myself, I need to leave the Huaxia Base City and construct an entirely new base city somewhere else. Otherwise, there won't be enough room to utilize so many resources," Ye Chen mused internally, then let the thought go.

The overpopulated Huaxia Base City, burdened by too many residents, was inconvenient in certain situations. In the coming Ice Age, those lower-class people would starve—if even the high-ranking figures had no food, what hope did the common folk have?

At that time, a larger population would become a greater liability, unless the powerful figures made the ruthless decision to slaughter the city’s inhabitants, processing them to survive the Ice Age.

That was not the outcome he desired.

Moreover, with Elvi’s cooperation, although the Huaxia Base City appeared to be the occupying power, true control rested firmly in his hands.

Subsequently, under Ye Chen's guidance, the group retreated from the factory. Under Elvi’s control, the metal supports beneath the facility retracted, causing the entire structure to sink out of sight. A metal plate then extended across the gap, sealing the opening perfectly, leaving no trace that such a massive factory had ever existed there.

“Let’s go,” Ye Chen turned and headed toward the Qilun Temple.

They hadn't walked far when Elvi’s brow furrowed slightly. “There are people approaching rapidly from behind, not far away. Given that they are from a later civilization, I have not yet commanded the mechanical warriors to eliminate them.”

Ye Chen paused, then frowned. “Send a mechanical unit to stall them. I do not wish to encounter these people.”

Elvi nodded. The command information transmitted instantly through the gold elements in the air into the surrounding mechanical systems. Immediately, one Bronze Android set down the dark creature’s corpse it was carrying, terminating its cleanup task, and charged toward a distant street.

Hua Bu Luo proceeded cautiously along the street, bending down at every corner to press his ear to the ground, listening intently for any movement. He knew that running into even one mechanical warrior meant certain death.

Yet, the thought of the numerous treasures hidden within these ruins made him uncontrollably excited, driving him to abandon the military and search alone.

Thump, thump, thump.

Suddenly, heavy, rapid footsteps rushed toward him.

Hua Bu Luo’s face changed instantly. He swiftly turned and dashed into the distance, but the footsteps were incredibly fast, catching up to him in just a few blinks of an eye. Seeing a Bronze Android several meters tall before him, Hua Bu Luo was utterly dumbfounded, his face frozen in shock, followed by a feeling of utter despair.

He had hit rock bottom.