Chapter 108: Repairing John Wick’s Dog

Chapter 108: Repairing John Wick’s Dog

Later on, the soldiers, Leo, and Rook watched in silent fascination. The air was filled with the low hum of alien technology and the precise, metallic thud-hiss of Eddie’s tools. The small maintenance automatoid had effortlessly cut a panel on the side of one of the massive Cerberus units, a machine that had just moments ago seemed indestructible. Its small, articulated arms moved with a speed and precision that defied its size, dismantling the components attached to the degraded core with a systematic efficiency that was as beautiful as it was unnerving. The contrast between the imposing, sixty-foot-tall war machine and the diminutive robot performing surgery on it was stark and almost comical.

As they watched, Karl approached. Leo met him halfway, his eyes still fixed on the mesmerizing display. "My lord, the, uhh..." he began, at a loss for words.

Karl waved a hand, his own gaze fixed on the working robot. "Yeah, he’s the maintenance unit, alright. It would make sense why this dungeon isn’t falling apart. He’s the only one who can repair this alien technology."

Leo nodded, his mind already churning with possibilities. "If that’s the case, you could ask him to repair the mana distribution module connected to floor 8. That way, we can finally utilize the eighth floor."

"That’s exactly what I was planning," Karl replied, a smile on his skeletal face. "I’m going to turn the entire eighth floor into a distribution center and main logistics hub. That way, the current distribution center isn’t restricted to a small, cramped space. It’ll be the central nervous system for everything we produce."

"That would be a smart idea, my lord. The current system is already struggling with full storage with the influx of new materials," Leo said, his tone approving.

"I know. I realized I’m going to need a huge floor just for storing resources, weapons, and manufactured products. And with the arms manufacturing phase now in full swing, I don’t think even that will be enough, but it’s a start. We need to be prepared for both production and distribution on a massive scale."

Leo then shifted the topic, the question weighing on his mind. "My lord, regarding the arms, are you going to continue manufacturing elemental rifles? Dolrik is planning to make a prototype for a railgun on behalf of your request."

Karl shook his head definitively. "No, I’m gonna stop it right there. They’re too expensive—I mean, resource-expensive. We don’t even have a self-sufficient mana stone farm yet. I was planning to create an ecosystem for monsters to harvest mana stones, but since monsters are nonexistent in this part of the region, animals would have to do. But we’re short on space. Right now, we only acquire raw mana stones from merchants, and thankfully, the market demand for them is nonexistent, so we’re buying them low for as long as possible. Raw mana stones can be used as an alternative fuel for our dungeon or for elemental conversion for a lot of other things—machines or appliance components. Using them as ammunition isn’t efficient. It’s stupid, well, at the moment, that is."

The disdain in Karl’s voice was clear; he saw mana stones as a valuable, finite resource, not something to be frivolously expended.

Leo smiled, hearing his lord’s excuses. He knew Karl really didn’t like mana-powered weapons. He had a deep-seated preference for gunpowder and mechanical ingenuity over magic. If the Kobold had not been bold enough to sell him the sulfur, Karl would have been forced to rely on mana weapons. "Alright, my lord, but I would advise having a reserved amount of elemental rifles for emergencies. A few hundred stored away for a rainy day couldn’t hurt."

"Yeah, that would be a smart move at the moment." Karl agreed, a flicker of appreciation in his empty eye sockets for Leo’s foresight.

They watched as Eddie popped out of the dissected Cerberus unit’s belly, a pristine, glowing core in its hands. The robot saw Karl and saluted with a digital flourish. "

∠(’−’ )

Boss!"

"Oh, Eddie, what’s your assessment of the core we have?" Karl asked.

"

(ᵕ—ᴗ—)

The first containment layer of the core is severely damaged. It must be due to a sudden power surge generated by the inner core. If you had installed it, it would’ve exploded the moment it was turned on," Eddie responded cheerfully, completely oblivious to the horror it had just articulated.

Karl was stunned, a chill running down his spine. He took an unconscious step back. "I’m glad we found you. Otherwise, it would’ve been hell." He remembered Libera’s report about the Cerberus unit going berserk. "Eddie, do these Cerberus units normally go ’berserk’?"

"

(ᵕ•ᴗ•)

No, boss. But if one of them was specifically modified to level 3 threat aggression, then it’s possible."

"Hmm... then it must be that," Karl said, the pieces clicking into place. "When they took its eyes out, they said the core turned red, and the Cerberus unit became faster and more aggressive. But without its vision, we successfully led it into our trap and took it down with just sharpened wooden logs."

"

(✧Д✧)

Ohhh! That’s quite amazing!" Eddie said, a digital star shining in its eye. "But usually, these guys don’t get that easily damaged." The robot tapped on the Cerberus’s metallic silver panel. "

(╭ರ_•ˊ)

It’s impossible to even get a scratch on these guys, unless their power connection to the external defense module is cut off."

Everyone was surprised. "That wasn’t even its full capability?" Karl asked, stunned.

"Yes, boss," Eddie said, its voice a synthesized calm. "Their armor has tiny modules of localized shield generators that are nearly impossible to notice. They are powered externally through the external defense module that distributes power to all armor. If the connection or the module itself is damaged, then one can easily pierce through its metal since it’s made of soft and flexible material."

Karl’s eyes widened as he tapped the massive, sixty-foot-tall Cerberus unit. The metal felt as hard as diamond under his phalanges. "This is made of soft, flexible material?! It doesn’t look like it."

"Yes, boss! It’s made from mineral uru, found in an asteroid field near a black hole. It’s formed when a single comet orbits a black hole and successfully slingshots away without getting dragged in by the gravitational field. The minerals inside the comet, usually iron and lots of exotic minerals, get stretched enough and turn into uru."

Karl was speechless, his mind reeling from the sheer scale of the information. Black holes? Then the owners of the dungeons must be an advanced spacefaring civilization.

"

ദ്ദി(｡•ˋ,<)✩˜‧+​

Of course, boss! I can check the other Cerberus units’ degraded cores to see if their first containment layer is intact."

"Alright, Eddie, I’ll leave it to you."

"Yes, boss!"

Karl, Leo, Rook, and the other soldiers walked out.

"If you don’t mind me asking, my lord, what’s your plan with the orc brothers?" Leo asked.

"It’s good you brought that up, because honestly, I don’t know," Karl admitted. "Although I promised them an army and weapons, we’re even short on manpower at the moment. I was just going to make them feel at home and wait for us to gain political momentum and reputation. That way, we can establish contact with the orc tribes in the northeast and unite them against their own kin to the south. We’ll have them use our flintlock weapons as a way to advertise our new product to the region. Sometimes the best marketing is a direct demonstration on the battlefield—combat-tested, reliable, and durable, though you have to deal with the foul smell of gunpowder."

"Actually, my lord," Leo said, "Simon has already asked me for help. He’s been surprisingly proactive."

"Oh?" Karl was intrigued.

"He asked if I could request information about a certain orc tribe from the visitors and caravans. I was quite surprised by his initiative."

Karl scoffed. "Yeah, he’s quite smart, too. He’s gonna make a good puppe—ehem, I mean leader. Their ambition is a powerful tool. All I have to do is point them in the right direction."

Leo chuckled. "Certainly, my lord."

"So did you give him what he asked for?"

Leo nodded. "Yes, my lord. I shared information about the orc tribes. Although we lacked more intel about the names of these tribes, he recognized it straight away."

Karl felt relieved. "I’m glad. I wouldn’t force them to act on our behalf; it would be an insult. All in all," he said, a maniacal smile spreading across his face, "I’m just glad we can get this thing started."

Leo simply facepalmed, a resigned smile on his face. Here we go again.