The Wanderer wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said,
"I'm not very clear about the situation with the Flesh and Blood Cult. Actually, if we're talking about sheer scale, the Flesh and Blood Cult is probably larger than the chanical Cult. But the problem is, what they pursue is chaos and disorder. Without a strong leader to hold them together, a gathering of a few hundred people could easily split into dozens of factions..."
"Let alone mobilizations of ten thousand, or even a hundred thousand people. You might just take a short nap, and by the ti you wake up, they'd have already killed half of each other."
Lynn: "..."
True.
If the Flesh and Blood Cult is full of Chaotic Evil lunatics,
Then leading such a group would indeed be difficult.
After all, no one would submit to anyone else. They'd probably start fighting the mont they t. Even on the battlefield, they'd likely kill more allies than enemies.
"Understood."
Lynn adjusted his monocle seriously and said,
"So, what suggestions do you have? If I encounter a combat cluster of the chanical Cult, how should I deal with it?"
The Wanderer looked at him hesitantly and said, "You're not planning to get involved in the war between those two cults, are you? If so, I'd advise against it. Although the Night Doctor faction isn't weak, compared to those two factions, there's still a significant gap."
Lynn closed his eyes and said, "That's none of your concern. Just obediently answer my questions."
The Wanderer thought for a mont, then said seriously, "Run. Don't make contact."
Lynn: "..."
The Wanderer said deeply, "I'm not joking, I'm serious! You absolutely must not think you can communicate with them. They harbor incredibly strong prejudice against non-chanical entities. They won't even try to talk to you. The mont they see a flesh-and-blood organism, they'll imdiately open fire with a full salvo until you're physically eliminated."
"Many beings who want to trade with them only do so through neutral chanical beings as interdiaries, never communicating directly. Because they know that would be suicide."
"But there's an even more important reason."
Lynn raised an eyebrow. "What reason?"
The Wanderer wiped his cold sweat and said, "They hold grudges fiercely. If you kill one of their units, your information will be uploaded to the Hive and you'll be blacklisted. What awaits you next is endless pursuit. If your priority level is a bit higher, as long as you dare expose yourself in the outside world, you can just wait for it!"
He pointed at his own cheek, still filled with lingering fear.
"Do you know how I ended up so utterly wrecked before?"
Lynn asked hesitantly, "Could it be..."
The Wanderer's face was full of terror. "The mont I left the city, a missile ca flying straight at my face! If I hadn't been experienced and reacted in ti, I would have been scrapped long ago!"
"..."
Lynn pondered, then asked doubtfully, "But I have a question that puzzles . Since the chanical Cult is so powerful, how has the Flesh and Blood Cult managed to survive until now? Take you, for example. According to your earlier logic, the fact that you're still alive is practically a miracle."
The Wanderer shook his head. "It's not that extre."
"The chanical Cult is indeed terrifying. But no matter how chaotic they are, after fighting the chanical Cult for so many years, the Flesh and Blood Cult isn't without its share of wise individuals. They've developed many counterasures against the chanical Cult, and I happen to have one right here."
He opened his bag and took out a small, intricate box.
Click—
He carefully opened it.
Imdiately, a foul and unpleasant odor assaulted their senses.
Under Lynn's gaze, a crimson protein creature slowly extended its hundreds of legs and crawled out, making its way onto the back of the Wanderer's hand.
The Wanderer held the insect seriously and said, "This insect is a type of bio-armant. It can emit a special waveform that can, under certain conditions, disrupt chanical units' targeting and scanning of you. But it's not foolproof, because the chanical Cult's various devices are constantly being upgraded."
"To survive, I spent a fortune buying this on the black market."
He sighed.
Lynn asked doubtfully, "You can actually buy such targeted items on the black market?! Doesn't the Flesh and Blood Cult worry about their research leaking out?"
The Wanderer said helplessly, "Doctor, let put it this way. If you have money, not only can you buy these little gadgets, but you can get the Transcendent bio-armant they developed yesterday, today! If the price is high enough, they'll even sell their own headquarters! Two months ago, I even saw soone selling their own mother."
Lynn: "..."
Indeed, the true Flesh and Blood Cult is one where everyone is a potential traitor.
The branch on Earth is, at best, just a group of edgy, peripheral believers.
Because they're not chaotic enough, and not evil enough.
True Chaotic Evil ans being willing to sell out everything except yourself.
Lynn nodded. "Understood. But besides running away or confronting them head-on, is there really no way to deal with the chanical Cult's chanical units?"
The Wanderer frowned deeply in thought. "If I said there's absolutely none, that would be an overgeneralization. Although the chanical Cult is extrely xenophobic, there are exceptions."
"As far as I know, there was once a master who was so outstanding in chanical modification and research, and who repeatedly helped the chanical Cult overco certain technical challenges, that he gained their attention."
"Later, that master was persecuted and had no choice but to send a plea for help to the chanical Cult. That very night, tens of thousands of chanical clusters descended upon the city where he was located and physically annihilated all living beings there."
Lynn's expression turned serious.
It seems his thoughts were correct.
Although the chanical Cult is extrely xenophobic, when it cos to technology and talent, they do show exceptional consideration.
Because Lynn could also guess that under a highly unified hive consciousness, technological developnt would inevitably face certain degrees of stagnation and limitation.
This is almost unavoidable.
Because often, the unconventional thinking patterns of so chaotic beings can lead to significant technological breakthroughs and advancents.
Just like an apple falling on Newton's head.
Deepening his thoughts, sparking his curiosity.
But if it fell on a chanical head, it might have no reaction at all, or, more extrely, the machine might just chop down the apple tree and burn it.
Starting from this line of thinking,
Within the chanical Cult, there must still exist a portion of entities that retain their own independent thinking and free will, dedicated to research and developnt in science and technology.
"What happened later? What beca of that master?"
"I heard the chanical Cult specially crafted a high-strength chanical body for him and absorbed him into their organization. For a long ti after that, the chanical Cult's various technologies did indeed see significant developnt and progress."
This indirectly confirms Lynn's speculation.
Although the chanical Cult is xenophobic, they're not mindlessly so. If I turn you into one of us, then you're no longer an outsider, right?
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