Chapter 111: Interested in Overthrowing the AI God?

The Upper City coalition moved far faster than anyone had expected. In just a single day, their forces had already reached the depths of the Underground.

This time, Shaq and the others didn’t attempt the same ambush tactics as before. It was clear to them that the Upper City forces would be on guard—what worked once couldn’t be repeated.

But what shocked everyone even more was that, aside from elite psionic warriors from the Upper City and newly conscripted soldiers from the Middle City, they now faced a new and terrifying enemy—the mechanical soldiers of the City Defense Force.

Over three thousand mechanical units had joined the battle. These were the most elite troops of the Universal Corporation within City No. 14. Constructed from titanium-tungsten alloy, they were impervious to psionic firearms, and their combat programs were directly operated by the AI God itself. These machines could even simulate the attack patterns of psionic users, making them pure instruments of death.

Logically, such fearless killing machines should’ve been deployed at the very front of the coalition. Yet, oddly enough, they were positioned at the rear.

It was as if their true purpose wasn’t to suppress the denizens of the Underground—but to monitor the twenty thousand elite psionic troops from the Upper City.

The invasion had begun. Tens of thousands of Upper City psionic users poured into the Underground, steadily encroaching deeper and deeper into its territory.

In District 71, two hundred Upper City psionic users and one thousand Middle City conscripts entered one of the poorest and most remote sectors of the Underground.

Captain Buvise stood silently, his gaze sweeping across the dilapidated shantytown. Rag-clothed Underground dwellers stared at them with hatred in their eyes.

A few of the psionic users in the squad frowned. One with dyed green hair snarled:

“We’re here to liberate these filthy mongrels, and they dare glare at us with hate? I say we give them a proper lesson.”

“I agree.”

“Still don’t understand their place in the world, huh?”

But Buvise merely shook his head and said coolly, “Use the restraints. Detain them and send them to the Paradise Computing Center. Avoid unnecessary harm.”

His order immediately provoked protest from the green-haired psionic user. “What’s that supposed to mean, Buvise? You feeling sorry for these rats?”

Buvise responded with a cold chuckle. “I’m not pitying them. I’m pitying us. Today, they’re being hauled off like animals to Paradise. But our fate in the future… might not be much different.”

At those words, the faces of the Upper City psionic squad darkened considerably.

Most of them had directly experienced the recent chaos in the Upper City. Though the public was kept in the dark, they knew the truth all too well—about the AI God’s scheme.

Everyone would be sent to the Paradise Computing Center. That was a hard, unshakable fact. No exceptions.

In the Upper City, the AI’s surveillance made any discussion of such matters impossible. But here in the Underground, that omnipresent gaze was gone—and the fear could be voiced.

The green-haired psionic user clearly knew this too. But as someone from the Upper City, he simply couldn’t accept that he might share the same fate as these “mongrels.” Gritting his teeth, he muttered:

“Even in a world created by God, there’s a hierarchy. Once we’re inside, we’ll still be on top—not like these ignorant beasts.”

Buvise shot him a glance, eyes filled with disdain. His voice was calm and cutting.

“Caged livestock… arguing over rank?”

Before the green-haired psionic user could retort, Buvise waved his hand, ordering the operation to proceed.

With no interference from Underground psionic users, the arrests went smoothly. The coalition quickly reached the center of District 71.

There stood a massive castle-like structure, and even from outside, Buvise could hear the low hum of machinery within.

After questioning some locals, Buvise learned that the building had once been an underground pharmaceutical factory, abandoned for years.

But a few months ago, someone had rented it and restarted operations. Since then, supply trucks had been seen coming and going regularly.

“A few months ago? Underground pharmaceutical factory?”
Buvise’s gaze sharpened.

Ever since the last failed expedition into the Underground, he had investigated the situation thoroughly. He knew well about a special kind of elixir circulating below—Nine Dragons Elixir.

When used alongside low-grade psionic drugs, it had no harmful side effects and even facilitated natural psionic awakening.

The Upper City had long abandoned similar technology due to the costs being impractical.

But here in the Underground, not only had they perfected it, the cost was significantly lower. It had already enabled tens of thousands of psionic awakenings.

So when the locals mentioned this factory, Buvise instinctively connected it to the mysterious Nine Dragons Elixir.

However, after observing the facility, he felt disappointed.

The building was too rundown—small in scale and equipped with only basic psionic circuits. It was nothing more than a shabby workshop. No way could it produce something as advanced as that elixir.

He approached the factory doors, preparing to lead his squad in by force.

Just then, the rusty gates slowly creaked open from the inside.

Standing before them was a tall psionic user with an especially massive right arm.

“Mr. Buvise, my boss has a proposal for you.”

Quentin smiled politely, showing no trace of fear even as he faced a heavily armed psionic unit.

Buvise furrowed his brows but said nothing. The next moment, a chilling, powerful aura surged from within the factory.

“A High-Rank Psionic!”
Buvise’s pupils contracted sharply. The pressure nearly brought him to his knees.

Glancing around, he noticed the others in his squad wearing identical blank, vacant expressions—as if their very souls had been snatched away. None had even noticed his own struggle.

Clearly, this opponent’s power was far beyond anything he had encountered.

Buvise forced himself to stay composed. With strength like this, the man inside could easily slaughter them all.

But he hadn’t done so.

Instead, he’d sent an invitation.

There had to be a reason.

Taking a deep breath, Buvise spoke to Quentin:

“Lead the way.”

Instantly, the oppressive aura dissipated.

Quentin guided him into the underground factory.

Inside, Buvise finally saw him—Lu Yan, now clad once again in his green ceremonial robes.

He sat cross-legged at the center of an array, exuding an aura like a divine being. Beside him loomed a terrifying ghost god over ten meters tall, emanating an icy, deathly energy.

Lu Yan looked at Buvise, his voice calm but resonant.

“Mr. Buvise… would you be interested in overthrowing the AI God?”

(End of Chapter)