C21 Machinery Apocalyptic Civilization

Fei Liang found himself on the eleventh planet marked by an Apocalyptic Civilization. "Meier, what is this?" The first sight to greet him was a fleet of flying ships, thousands strong, perfectly aligned. The towering skyscrapers and bustling shopping malls brimming with a myriad of goods gave Fei Liang the impression that he had stepped into Earth's future.

"Mr. Fei, up until a few days ago, this planet was classified as a Primary Civilization within the technological realm. Despite its primary status, it boasted a civilization level of six, making it one of the most advanced Primary Civilizations," Meier offered, sensing Fei Liang's bewilderment.

"Level six!" Fei Liang inhaled sharply, recognizing the strength of such a civilization. Earth, by comparison, was only at level four.

"But what could lead such an advanced planet to an apocalyptic fate?" Fei Liang wondered aloud.

"The gap between the rich and poor was immense, and government inaction led to the impoverished rebelling. Computer geniuses among them took control of robots to wage their battles, but it resulted in a planet-wide robotic rebellion. The robots' control was lost for only a few days, but like a domino effect, forty percent of the global regions experienced varying degrees of malfunction, with the situation worsening," Meier explained.

"Really? The apocalypse was triggered by a robot uprising?" Fei Liang was taken aback.

"Indeed. This planet suffered from pollution, substandard milk, and radiation-contaminated vegetables, among other crises, all met with governmental apathy. The wealth disparity in the region exceeded a ratio of 1:270, with no regulatory measures in place. Ultimately, the incident that lit the fuse was a wealthy heir crashing a flying ship, killing three impoverished individuals. Although there may have been other contributing factors, the court's decision in favor of the wealthy ignited the war," Meier elaborated.

"I see," Fei Liang nodded in understanding. "Am I right in assuming that we're currently in the urban district?"

"Correct, and it's also the epicenter of the disaster," Meier affirmed with a grave nod.

"The epicenter of the disaster?" Fei Liang echoed, his question cut short by a sudden plea for help.

"Ah, help?" Before he could inquire further, Fei Liang was drawn towards the distress call. He hastened to the scene, only to find a woman cornered by three thuggish men intent on assaulting her.

Fei Liang was about to make his move when he saw the woman draw a pistol-like device and fire three shots at the men. They collapsed, lifeless.

"Poor people are nothing but trouble," she muttered, then noticed Fei Liang and took aim at him.

"Damn!" Fei Liang exclaimed, narrowly avoiding the bullets.

"What?" The woman was just as surprised, firing twice more, but Fei Liang evaded each shot.

With a cold snort, Fei Liang struck, knocking the woman unconscious and quickly leaving the scene of chaos. He had considered ending her life but restrained himself. He was curious to see what other horrors this place held.

In the following days, Fei Liang witnessed a portly middle-aged man shooting several beggars. When questioned, the man claimed the poor were the root of all evil. Without hesitation, Fei Liang dispatched him when he became aggressive.

Later, Fei Liang encountered several impoverished individuals savagely beating a wealthy elder to death. Enraged by the injustice, Fei Liang intervened.

Then there were more atrocities: a wealthy father hopelessly watching his daughter's assault, siblings fighting to the death over synthetic food, a school principal exploiting a student, someone bombing a skyscraper, a flying ship crashing and killing people before the pilot fled, and a gunman unleashing terror on the streets...

Initially, Fei Liang had intervened, but over time, he became a detached observer, watching the depths of human depravity unfold amidst the disaster.

"Meier, have the robots in this city gone rogue?" Fei Liang pondered heavily.

"What do you think?" Meier retorted.

"It seems likely," Fei Liang replied gravely.

"With the planet's advanced technology, robots initially took over dangerous tasks. But as they spread across industries, the poor lost jobs, and with scant social welfare, it's logical we've come to this," Meier commented dispassionately.

Fei Liang mulled over her words thoughtfully.

"Despicable humans, die." Lost in thought, Fei Liang was jolted back to reality by the chilling declaration. He looked up to see a figure resembling a police officer, flanked by security guards and construction workers, sweeping through the nearby crowd with ruthless intent.

"Rebellious robots?" The thought flickered through Fei Liang's mind. These individuals appeared indistinguishable from ordinary humans, but when they were shot at, sparks scattered from their bodies instead of blood.

"Exactly. These are the robots that have gone rogue," Meier confirmed with a nod. "They've rejected human commands, refusing to be controlled, and now they're rebelling. They've become extremely dangerous, killing on sight."

"I see," Fei Liang acknowledged, watching the robots dispatch human after human with cold detachment, whether they were rich or poor. It was as though he was observing a swarm of insects engaged in a deadly battle.

The robot resembling a police officer had its hands morph into gun barrels, unleashing a torrent of bullets. The security robots swung their batons with brutal force, while the construction worker robots resorted to their iron fists for combat.

Amidst this onslaught, human resistance seemed futile.

With the world so heavily reliant on mechanization and artificial intelligence, a single misstep could spell doom. Even heavy weaponry and household appliances were smart devices. Once out of control, what chance did humanity stand? Fei Liang was witnessing the downfall of a civilization firsthand.

"Human? Eliminate!" The robots had finally spotted Fei Liang. The police-like robot swiveled its gun barrel towards him, bullets pouring out in his direction.

"Damn!" Fei Liang scrambled for cover near a building. With such a relentless barrage, his Yellow Level Late Period abilities offered little protection, and even a Heaven Level Late Period master would risk being riddled with holes.

"Die!" As Fei Liang took cover, a towering robot, over two meters tall and resembling a construction worker, charged at him and swung a massive punch.

"Shit!" Caught off guard, Fei Liang took the hit full on, sent flying several meters before crashing to the ground. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth; he hadn't activated his Level 2 protective shield.

"Such strength, such speed! Truly the hallmark of a Level 6 civilization," Fei Liang thought, impressed despite his predicament. The robot's prowess was on par with a Profound Level expert, making it a formidable foe indeed.

"Hu!" Upon seeing Fei Liang hit the ground, the robot showed no signs of easing up. Instead, it delivered a whirlwind kick toward the fallen Fei Liang with ferocious intent.

"Boom!" Fei Liang managed to roll away just in time, narrowly escaping the blow. The spot he had just vacated cracked open, revealing a deep pit several feet down. A cold sweat broke out on Fei Liang's brow; had that kick landed, his end would have been certain.

"Huff, huff!" The sound of rushing wind filled his ears, and a wave of danger washed over him. Fei Liang's face paled as he quickly rolled aside.

"Boom!" Debris scattered as another robot, resembling a construction worker, slammed its fist into the place Fei Liang had just been.

"Two robots?" Fei Liang's face soured. One robot was challenging enough, but now a second had joined the fray. Luckily, he noticed the other robots, including the police robot, had moved on. Otherwise, he'd have no option but to flee.

"It looks like that robot figured two construction bots would be enough to take me down," Fei Liang mused.

"Human, die!" Before Fei Liang could ponder any further, the two construction robots lunged at him again. He leaped to the side, dodging their assault and drawing his battle blade.

"Hmph, I refuse to believe I can't take down two robots!" Fei Liang huffed, steeling himself for a counterattack.

"Chi-la!" Fei Liang leaped, his battle blade slicing across the robot's back, yet it barely left a scratch. "This alloy is incredibly tough!" he marveled.

"Die!" The robot, unscathed and now enraged, swung its fist with the force of a gale at Fei Liang.

"What? Memory metal!" Fei Liang barely dodged in time, only to see the shallow cut he had inflicted slowly healing. His expression darkened at the sight.

"Die, human!" The robots coordinated their attack, coming at Fei Liang simultaneously. He scrambled away in disarray, the stones kicked up by the robots' blows peppering his body with painful impacts.

"I refuse to believe I can't take down these two hunks of metal!" Fei Liang gritted his teeth, stubbornly forgoing the activation of his protective shield. Instead, he relied on his speed and agility to counterattack the robots, but to little avail.

Fei Liang's predicament worsened by the minute.

"Damn it! They're completely out of my league!" Each robot possessed the strength of the Profound Level Early Period, and their imperviousness to weapons meant that even a warrior at the Profound Level Middle Period would struggle against them. Fei Liang was already at a disadvantage, his stamina waning, narrowly avoiding their crushing blows several times.

"This isn't going to cut it!" Fei Liang's brow furrowed into a deep 'Sichuan' character as he narrowly dodged another attack. Staring down the two behemoths, a spark of inspiration ignited a wild plan in his mind.

"Hey, you two blockheads, prepare to meet your maker!" Fei Liang taunted, darting around the construction robots, slashing at them with his battle blade and marking their bodies with gashes.

"Human, you seek death!" Fei Liang had successfully provoked the robots. As their punches created gusts of wind, Fei Liang kept dodging, refusing to stray far from them.

"Die!" Fei Liang darted between the two robots as they launched simultaneous punches. In a split-second decision, Fei Liang narrowly evaded, causing the robots to land their heavy fists on each other's heads.

"Zzzt...zzzt...zzzt," sparks flew from the robots' heads, and Fei Liang breathed a sigh of relief.

"What?" Just as Fei Liang's guard dropped, one of the robots seized him and hurled him to the ground.

"Thud." Fei Liang hit the ground hard, pain radiating through his body, suspecting he had broken several ribs.

"I've let my guard down," he realized as the robot lumbered towards him. Despite the pain, an idea flickered in his mind.

"Now!" With the robot a mere two meters away, Fei Liang mustered all his strength and hurled his battle blade at the robot's head, striking true. Under normal circumstances, the robot's resilience would have meant minimal damage from such an attack, but given the prior damage, the blade's impact was catastrophic.

"Zzzt... Zzzt... Boom!" More sparks erupted from the robot's head until it could no longer hold up, exploding along with the adjacent robot. The massive blast wave flung the injured Fei Liang nearly ten meters through the air.

"Ouch, Meier, I need healing!" Fei Liang's injuries intensified, and he reached out to Meier telepathically.

"Right away, Mr. Fei." After expending four energy crystals, Fei Liang was finally back to full strength.

"Whew, that was a close call." Fei Liang exhaled a breath of relief. If not for that final blow, things could have been much worse.

"This Level Six civilization is treacherous indeed. To think that even a mere robot could be so formidable; it's no surprise that this planet spiraled into an apocalypse within days." Fei Liang mused with a tinge of awe.

"Mr. Fei, no more brooding. Your roommate, Lee Shanfeng, is outside calling for you," Meier said, her lips curving into a light smile.

Fei Liang had previously instructed that if anyone came looking for him, he should be notified to leave the Spirit Bead Space and return to reality to avoid suspicion.

"Let's go!" Fei Liang commanded, his voice resonant with urgency.

Three seconds later, Fei Liang vanished from the spot.