Chapter 567: Chapter 567. The Mental Regulator Transmitter
The presence the man with the mechanical arm sensed was Gao Xingzi. She had been staying in the shadow while following Amon. She used her concealment art to erase her presence. When Amon threw this man back, she saw an opportunity and seized it.
She pulled her dagger out of the man’s neck. Blood spurted out. The man dropped to the floor and did not rise again.
She couldn’t help but wonder. Did Amon throw this man in her direction because he knew her position? She dismissed the notion. She was very proud of her stealth. What Amon did just now must be a coincidence.
Amon was already charging at the mid-tier runic battle puppets after throwing his adversary. With his augmented power, added by Gao Xingzi’s support, it didn’t take long for them to defeat the battle puppets. Amon ensured not to damage the two puppets’ power sources. They were invaluable resources.
After the two mid-tier runic battle puppets were down, he rummaged through the corpse of the man with the mechanical arm. He found a key to the door that the enemy was guarding. He called Zhong Yuan and asked him to follow. As for Gao Xingzi, he commanded her to assist his five low-tier runic battle puppets to deal with the remaining enemy battle puppets.
With the key, Amon could open the door without having to waste time and energy to destroy it. He and Zhong Yuan went through the door into a room filled with strange mechanical gadgets. The most eye-catching device was at the center of the room. The device was a gigantic machine that was shaped like a furnace. Its height almost touched the ceiling.
Flashing words of power adorned the surface of this furnace machine. A large glowing orb was at the top. Its glow shone rhythmically. The soft hum heard from the outside came from this machine. Although from inside this room, the humming didn’t sound as soft. Its humming corresponded with the rhythmic glow of the orb. Multiple cables and tubes came out of the furnace machine and into the strange mechanical gadgets filling the room.
Some of those mechanical gadgets had screens over them, and several Khode soldiers were operating the gadgets. They were puzzled when they saw people whom they didn’t recognize enter the room. They were oblivious about the tower being breached.
Amon didn’t give them any warning. Multiple large flying knives flew out of him. These knives went one circle around the room. They decapitated the soldiers with one swift move and returned to Amon.
Amon didn’t even pay those soldiers any attention as their headless bodies dropped to the ground. He asked Zhong Yuan, "Do you know what this is?"
"This...," Zhong Yuan was lost for words as he studied the machine and the engravements adorning it. He also didn’t pay the slain soldiers any attention because his eyes were glued to the machine the moment he laid eyes on it. After a while, he exclaimed with awe, "My goodness! So, this is how they circumvent the size and cost issue!"
"Care to elaborate?" Amon asked.
After getting over his state of awe, Zhong Yuan said, "This right here is a giant version of the Mental Regulator. I can’t believe they built something this huge. It’s no wonder they can control so many targets. The main power that controls the mind is produced by this machine. They have somehow found a way to transfer this power to remote receivers. These receivers must be built into the helmet worn by all the controlled subjects, or as the Khode researchers called them, the human puppets."
Zhong Yuan was circling the giant Mental Regulator machine as he spoke. He was studying it intently without being fully aware of his action. He continued his speech absent-mindedly.
"No wonder the backpacks carried by those human puppets can be fitted with explosives. Using this central transmitter system, they don’t need large containers because the human puppets no longer carry the Mental Regulator themselves.
"I have heard someone developing a transmitter system, but it is for a different application. To think they combined the two systems and made it work like this. It is quite astonishing..."
Hearing Zhong Yuan’s muttering, Amon more or less understood how this giant Mental Regulator worked. He uttered, "Hm... So, it is as I suspected. They use radio waves to transmit the Mental Regulator’s signal. The long sticks on the backpacks are antennas to help them better receive the signal."
"What wave...? Wait, did you say you suspected this?" Zhong Yuan asked after hearing Amon’s remark. "You meant you had expected to find this giant Mental Regulator here?"
"Yes. Why do you think I worked so hard to breach this city and went directly for this tower?" Amon asked in return. "In terms of tactical advantage, there are other settlements closer to the border that would better serve Khode’s invasion, but the enemy chose to occupy this city. The reason is its topography. This transmitter was best positioned at high elevation to send the radio wave across large distances without obstacles. If they place the transmitter on low terrain, its effectiveness will be significantly diminished."
"How the hell did you know all this...?" Zhong Yuan asked. Even he, who had bits and pieces of information regarding the two techniques used here, failed to foresee the method being used here.
"Considering the circumstances, this means the human puppets cannot move too far away from this place," Amon said.
"That’s right," Zhong Yuan confirmed. "I don’t know how far exactly the... what do you call the wave again?"
"Radio wave," Amon replied.
"Well, they haven’t given it any name when I glimpsed the research on this transmitter. Very well, then. Let’s follow you and call it radio waves. I don’t know how far exactly this radio wave can reach, but it gets weaker the further it goes. If it is too far, the signal carried by the radio wave will be too weak for the receiver modules, and the human puppets will lose command from the Mental Regulator, resulting in them shutting down. If left for too long in that state, their minds will recover, and they will regain consciousness. Placing the transmitter at a high elevation and having few natural obstacles in the surroundings lets the radio waves travel farther. Hence, the human puppets can operate in a larger area. Yes, this city’s terrain is indeed ideal for using this transmitter."
"Hm... This confirms another point," Amon muttered.
"What point?" Zhong Yuan asked.
"From the setup, this place is meant for a static base, not mobile. This Mental Regulator was meant as a defensive measure. This place is not a stepping stone to accommodate a deeper invasion."
"Huh? I don’t understand. Are you saying that Khode invaded this kingdom only for this city?" Zhong Yuan asked. "Why? To my knowledge, Bright Rock City isn’t that precious of a city. It didn’t produce anything unique. It wasn’t even an important trade city."
"Mm... We will leave that question for another time," Amon said. "If I destroy this machine, will the human puppets be free of the Mental Regulator’s influence?"
"Yes," Zhong Yuan nodded.
"What if I shut it down without destroying it?" Amon asked again.
"As long as it stops transmitting the radio wave that carries the Mental Regulator’s signal, it will end the device’s control over the human puppets," Zhong Yuan answered. "Do you want me to shut it down? I will need some time to study it first to do it properly."
"If I cut those wires and cables, will it shut down?"
"It should, but the process won’t be immediate. The Mental Regulator will lose power, but it will continue to run using the remaining juice it has already absorbed. Maybe I can find a way to block the radio wave it emitted..."
Without warning Zhong Yuan, Amon’s flying knives flew out again. They cut all the cables and tubes connecting the Mental Regulator Transmitter. Amon then placed a hand on the transmitter, and it vanished.
"What... Where did it..." Zhong Yuan was startled by Amon’s action.
"It is inside my space ring now. You can study it later," Amon said.
"Space ring...? Do you have a superior space ring?" Zhong Yuan asked.
A superior space ring was a space ring containing a space the size of a small house. He had been curious when Amon released the five battle puppets outside. It was still possible for the space of a normal space ring to hold those five puppets, but they would be very crammed inside. As for the Mental Regulator, it was too big for a normal space ring.
Zhong Yuan eyed the space ring on Amon’s finger with amazement. Little did he know that the one Amon used to store the Mental Regulator was the black space ring hanging on the necklace around his neck.
"Yes," Amon lied. He was, of course, not going to reveal the secret of his black space ring.
"Incredible," Zhong Yuan said. "Even in Khode, which had the best smiths and engravers, superior space rings are rare. I only know two people who possessed such a treasure in the entire Khode."
Amon didn’t respond to his remark. He stated, "Our business here is done. Let’s get out of here."