"Hold on, Chief!"
Seeing Muria acting as if he were treating the base like a shopping mall, Alvin hurried forward, trying to stop him. However, as soon as he moved, he felt something restraining him. When he turned to see what was pulling him back, he found the giant lord-level beast that Muria had brought with him, staring at him with eyes larger than a human's, examining him curiously.
"Uh, Chief, could you... perhaps ask your companion to let me go?" Alvin stammered, his voice shaky as he was lifted into the air by Mysha's wind. In such proximity, Alvin felt that only this mysterious and powerful tribal leader had any chance of restraining the lord-level beast.
"Mysha, play with him for a bit, but don't harm him," Muria ordered after glancing back at the curious Mysha, who was eagerly exploring its surroundings. Everything here—this interstellar civilization's forward base—was new and intriguing to Mysha, who had only ever lived within the confines of the Ayare Forest.
Mysha had no malicious intent, but with its immense power, even its smallest actions could pose a grave threat to lower life forms. It was similar to how humans walk along a road and might accidentally crush ants beneath their feet without even realizing it.
"Chief, please stop! The area ahead is a military zone. Ikong people aren't authorized to enter without permission." As Muria continued forward, eight soldiers in exoskeleton armor blocked his path, weapons drawn.
These armored soldiers, now towering even above most Ikong people, were about the same height as Muria in his current form.
"Yours? A military zone?" Muria repeated the soldier's words slowly, then burst into laughter. "When did this land become yours?"
"Who gave you permission? Or granted you the right?" Muria's eyes began to glow brightly. His figure, originally only a head taller than an ordinary Ikong person, became illuminated with brilliant light. His skin, exposed outside of his clothes, shone with radiant, pure white divine runes.
"This land belongs to the Ikong people! Only other Ikong have the right to deny me entry. You outsiders have no authority to stop me from going anywhere!"
The eight armored soldiers looked at each other in confusion. They weren't shaken by Muria's words but by the overwhelming aura he now exuded.
"Get out of my way!" Muria thrust his hand forward, and a white shockwave spread from his palm, flinging the eight heavily armored soldiers over a hundred meters away. They crashed into the ground, sparks flying, and wisps of smoke rose from their damaged suits.
This act seemed to trigger some defense mechanism within the base. Accompanied by mechanical noises, laser and pulse cannons rose from various points around the base, their barrels aimed directly at Muria.
"Warning: Cease your attack on our personnel, or you will be subjected to military force!" A cold, mechanical female voice echoed throughout the base, clearly addressing Muria.
"Zero, I order you to halt all attacks and disable the weapons systems!" Alvin, still being toyed with by Mysha, paled as he heard the alarm.
The base had already thrown everything it had at these invincible Ikong warriors outside, with no success. Now that they were inside the base, continuing to attack them was utterly foolish. Whoever programmed this base's AI clearly lacked common sense, and if Alvin survived, he was determined to deal with whoever was responsible.
"Due to your current state, you are suspected of being under duress. According to wartime regulations, I refuse to carry out your command."
Hearing the AI's reason for refusing his order, Alvin felt like he might cough up blood. Glancing at the lord-level beast that was still toying with him, he swallowed his urge to curse.
But there was nothing he could do now. As the base's weapons locked onto Muria, the Phantom Knights who had accompanied him into the base drew their javelins.
As the energy weapons began to charge, the Phantom Knights, without needing any instructions from Muria, each locked onto a turret and hurled their javelins.
Boom! Boom!
No one could prevent this second clash. One by one, the turrets were obliterated by the Phantom Knights' attacks, efficiently and cleanly destroyed.
"Detected: Base weapon systems have been destroyed. Initiating protocol 172: Activate combat robots to eliminate all non-human entities within the base!"
A sharp alarm sounded throughout the base. Deep within the underground warehouses, steel doors slid open, and glowing red eyes and pale blue energy flickered to life in the darkness.
"Chief, if you don't want your people to get hurt, please ask your companion to put me down!" Alvin's face turned ashen when he heard the AI's announcement.
If the Ikong people were slaughtered, it would be catastrophic for the base's reputation. Not even a total massacre was necessary—if more than half of the Ikong people died, the three years of efforts by this base would go up in smoke. The Ikong would never trust them again, and relations would turn hostile.
Fortunately, this time Alvin's plea worked. Muria seemed to understand the broadcast, and he signaled for Mysha to release its new toy.
"Zero, I command you to cease all attacks!" Once Alvin's feet touched the ground, he quickly issued the order.
"Command accepted. Ceasing all combat operations," the AI responded, and all combat robots powered down.
"Interesting!" Muria remarked, smiling. He didn't understand the broadcast, but he could guess what had happened. It seemed the base's artificial intelligence had temporarily gone rogue.
"Chief, I sincerely apologize for the unintended attack. It wasn't our intention to harm you!"
"Enough with the apologies. Show me some real sincerity!" Muria waved dismissively. He wasn't one for empty words—he preferred actions.
With that, Muria, accompanied by his knights, continued toward the nearest building. When he encountered a metal door that refused him access, he simply kicked it down.
"If you ever come across a door like this that won't let you in, just do what I did!" Muria told his Phantom Knights, teaching them with a grin.
"Come on, let's see what's inside!" He motioned for his knights to follow him as he led the way inside, acting with the confidence of an ancient professional.
"Whatever catches your eye, show it to me first before taking it. I'll appraise it for you."
His voice echoed outside the building, leaving Alvin and his soldiers speechless. A tribal leader, native to a primitive civilization, was acting as though he were an expert in their technology.
...
"Commander Alvin, we've got a problem! That tribal leader dismantled our AI!"
Not long after, a soldier rushed over to Alvin, panicking as he delivered the news.
"He just smashed the AI's display screen? That's nothing—a small loss," Alvin waved him off, unconcerned about a mere screen.
"No, sir, he dismantled the AI's mainframe!"
"Huh?" Alvin's face froze. The AI's mainframe was so well hidden—how did a tribal chief even know where to find it? It didn't make sense.
"Should we stop him, sir?" the soldier asked.
"What do you think?" Alvin shot a glance at the purple-black giant beast dismantling a transport truck nearby.
"I'll follow your orders!" the soldier quickly replied.
"Smart move," Alvin muttered. "Since the AI's mainframe is already gone, let him take it. We can't stop him anyway."
"Commander Alvin, we've got another problem! The tribal leader's dismantling our tank depot! He's trying to take one of the tanks!"
"Commander! The hangar has been dismantled!"
"…The energy room has been dismantled…"
As more and more soldiers rushed to report the escalating destruction, Alvin's cheeks twitched involuntarily, and he couldn't help but show a defeated expression.
"Let him dismantle whatever he wants. Just watch. The higher-ups will compensate for all the losses from this operation."
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