Chapter 595: Chapter 578: Peacekeeper PX-5

"Jarvis, record."

"The PX-4 upgrade plan is officially confirmed.

"Item one: the inner load-bearing skeleton. The main keel, secondary keel, and all critical load-bearing nodes will be replaced with Demon Pan Steel. This ensures that during full-power close-quarters combat, the skeleton will not accumulate fatigue from the reaction force of its own output.

"Item two: the outer armor. All existing Radiant Black Steel armor plates will be removed and replaced with Silent Extinction Silver. The coverage area will remain unchanged, but the thickness will increase by fifteen percent. We will focus on reinforcing the protection levels around the chest’s main cannon firing port, the head’s sensor array, and the joint connections.

"Item three: heat dissipation and thermal management. All heat dissipation pipelines of the three engines, the cooling circulation system, and the inner barrel wall of the main cannon ’Zero’ will be replaced with Burning Stream Copper components. With the cooling efficiency increased to 4.6 times the original, the main cannon will be able to fire continuously. Furthermore, the attack interval will be compressed from the original ninety seconds to..."

He paused, rapidly deducing the thermodynamic model in his mind.

"...thirty-five seconds."

[Recording complete. The main cannon’s firing interval is compressed to thirty-five seconds, meaning the deterrent power of the ’Zero’ chest cannon is greatly increased.]

"Item four: add an Abyssal Lead coating to the machine’s outer surface. It doesn’t need to be too thick; two centimeters will do."

[The passive absorption characteristics of the Abyssal Lead coating will significantly reduce the PX-4’s signal signature under Magic Power detection scans. Based on Demon Eye detection, the signal attenuation rate is expected to reach over 95%.]

Four types of alloys, each in its proper place, all fully utilized. But this was still not enough.

He reached out to pull up a new design window on the holographic panel, his finger rapidly sketching a smooth arc in the void.

"The Meteor II Ship-Slicing Blade, with a total length of sixty meters. The main structure of the blade will be forged with Demon Pan Steel to ensure strength and toughness, while the entire edge will be clad in Gold-Devouring Copper."

The blueprint took shape on the holographic panel. The blade was broad and heavy, single-edged, and slightly curved. The Gold-Devouring Copper layer covering the edge emitted an eerie dark red luster.

"Upon contact with specific substances, Gold-Devouring Copper erodes and disintegrates the target’s structure at the molecular level. That means—" Allen’s lips curled up slightly, "—when this blade strikes an enemy’s metal armor or skeleton, it won’t just slice open a gash. The residual Gold-Devouring Copper particles on the edge will continue to erode inward along the wound, disintegrating the enemy’s defensive structure like acid.

"The wound will grow larger and deeper, and it will be impossible to repair using conventional methods.

"Add to that the original Meteor’s ’Shattering’ Rune, which oscillates at a high frequency of thirty thousand times per second..."

A giant blade capable of simultaneously inflicting the triple damage of physical laceration, high-frequency oscillatory shattering, and molecular-level metal erosion. A mere scrape would result in a fatal, unhealable wound.

[Ship-Slicing Blade design logged.]

"The final item.

"The PX-4 can’t fly. For an eighty-six-meter-tall Steel Titan of such massive weight, attempting to lift off using a conventional Anti-Gravity Rune Array would require far too much energy. Back then, Gabriel Unit 1 was a mere twenty-odd meters tall, yet its Anti-gravity Array was already a massive Magic Power sink.

"But considering the combat scenarios outside the plane in the Gray Channel, a Golem that cannot fly is nothing more than a sitting duck."

He pulled up the technical framework for the dual-purpose "Dragon Cavalry" Floating Cannon he had conceptualized years ago, layering it with the shipborne propulsion technical data he had accumulated over the years aboard the Ten Thousand Miles of Sunshine. Before long, a brand new design plan took shape.

It was a set of massive, external modular components. Eight Floating Cannons, each an independent attack unit standing twenty meters tall.

Forged entirely with a Demon Pan Steel skeleton and a Silent Extinction Silver outer shell, their interiors integrated a scaled-down Dawn Star Level propulsion engine and a Plasma Bombardment Cannon.

Serving as both autonomous guns and self-powered flight thrusters, they could freely switch between combat and propulsion modes.

Allen swiped his finger across the void. On the hologram, the eight attack units named ’Freedom Wings’ began shifting formation around the PX-4’s massive frame.

[When the ’Freedom Wings’ simultaneously enter propulsion mode, they can provide the PX-4 with enough lift and vectored thrust to achieve levitation, low-speed flight, and aerial maneuvering. The maximum flight speed is approximately... Mach 1.7.]

Mach 1.7 was already terrifying enough for a Giant Beast of this weight.

"Combat mode."

The eight Freedom Wings detached from the back, autonomously scattering like eight satellites orbiting a planet to form a three-dimensional attack array. The Plasma Bombardment Cannon on each Freedom Wing could lock onto targets independently, providing comprehensive long-range fire support while the main body engaged in close-quarters combat.

Moreover, their outer shells were also Silent Extinction Silver. This meant that once the eight Freedom Wings deployed, their respective five-meter-radius Forbidden Magic Fields would also disperse, forming a mobile anti-magic network with a coverage area far exceeding that of the PX-4 itself.

Enemy Casters would face a nightmarish tactical situation: not only was the PX-4 itself a magic-free zone, but the eight fire-support units darting around it were also magic-free zones.

The Magic Power environment of the entire battlefield would be simultaneously disrupted by these nine anti-magic sources, severely compressing the casting space for conventional Witchcraft constructs.

Allen leaned back in his chair, quietly examining the reborn ultimate weapon in the holographic projection.

Silent Extinction Silver’s silver-gray heavy armor covered its entire body. Eight diamond-shaped Freedom Wings hovered behind its back, and its right hand grasped a one-hundred-and-twenty-meter-long dark red Ship-Slicing Blade. Supported by Burning Stream Copper, the chest’s main cannon faintly emanated a scorching red glow.

"With so many upgrades implemented at once, calling it the PX-4 is no longer appropriate. From today onward, it is the new generation of high-end Peacekeeper.

"Project codename: PX-5."

[PX-5 model confirmed.]

[Comprehensive assessment: Building upon the PX-4, the PX-5 has achieved a generational upgrade in armor material (Silent Extinction Silver Forbidden Magic Field), a generational upgrade in skeletal toughness (Demon Pan Steel impact absorption), a generational upgrade in thermal management (Burning Stream Copper heat dissipation), a new dimension in battlefield concealment (Abyssal Lead coating), a generational upgrade in melee weaponry (Gold-Devouring Copper Ship-Slicing Blade), and a breakthrough in mobility (Freedom Wings flight/firepower dual-mode system).]

[Modification cost for upgrading PX-4 to PX-5: approximately 600 million Low-Level Magic Stones.]

[Cost of constructing a new PX-5 from scratch, including all materials, engines, weapon systems, and Freedom Wings: 1.2 billion Low-Level Magic Stones per unit.]

Allen’s eye twitched imperceptibly.

The funds he had just recouped through cashing in on empty promises and dumping industrial products were about to bottom out before he could even warm them in his pockets.

"Establish three new PX-5 production lines. Commence full-speed manufacturing."

[Current account balance: 3.9 billion Low-Level Magic Stones.]

[Remaining balance after execution: 300 million.]

[Reminder: The budget for the ’Divine Kingdom of Ten Thousand Machines Phase II Project’ in the G-771 Plane is 5 billion Low-Level Magic Stones, originally scheduled to launch this quarter. If this command is executed, Phase II will be forced into a delay of at least two years.]

"Delay it."

Civilization building could wait, and money could be earned again. But if he lost his life, everything would be gone. The desperadoes on the Gray Channel had already taught him a bloody lesson via the Third Merchant Caravan: in this world, wealth without fists to back it up was merely meat in someone else’s bowl.

"For the Control Cores of the new units, I will personally craft their artificial souls. Thought imprints at one hundred percent.

"As for their names..."

He thought for a moment.

"Xiong Er, Xiong San, and Xiong Si."

Simple, direct, and easy to remember, continuing the Peacekeeper line’s consistently plain and utterly unesthetic naming tradition.

[Production directives issued. Cybertron assembly workshops four, five, and six have begun preparing materials. Estimated construction time: two months.]

***

Year 11 of Truth, Summer.

Within the Star Gate, a severely scarred metal silhouette slowly entered from outside the plane.

The plane’s warning system, the "Celestial Net," captured its signal immediately.

[Commander, the PX-4 ’Xiong Da’ has returned to the G-771 Plane aboard the Wesren merchant caravan’s Floating Ship.]

Jarvis experienced a rare pause.

[Machine damage detected. Assessment: severe.]

Allen’s brows furrowed instantly. The Allen Network instantly deployed, focusing his attention on the PX-4 that had just disembarked from the Floating Ship in the port area of Star Gate Square.

That eighty-six-meter-tall Steel Giant still stood like a mountain, which brought Allen a slight sigh of relief. But in the next second, his gaze turned utterly ice-cold.

Aside from that, almost not a single piece of armor was intact.

Its left arm had been melted off at the elbow joint. The Radiant Black Steel at the stump exhibited a bizarre black-gray corrosion mark—it did not look like physical destruction, but rather Witchcraft erosion.

Some kind of highly acidic curse-type Witchcraft had left dense black veined patterns across the wound.

On the front of its Chest Armor, the firing port of the "Zero" main cannon was partially blocked by a twisted, deformed armor plate. Judging by the marks, it looked as if it had been forcibly crushed by some external pressure.

The right shoulder armor was missing entirely. A bone spike of unknown material, over ten meters long, had been jammed into its back, piercing straight into the engine compartment. Engine number two had completely shut down.

The most shocking sight was its head—the sensor array had been sliced in half, exposing the internal wiring and Rune Circuits, making it look like an Iron Giant that had half its face ripped off.

Yet, "Xiong Da" was still standing.

Two of its three engines were still running, with one over-outputting to compensate for the lost one. Its body was also smeared with some kind of viscous fluid.

Not only had it fought a Black Wizard, but it had fought fiercely.

[PX-4 submitted a report: On the thirty-seventh day of the return voyage, encountered a Black Wizard raiding fleet in sector D-15 of the Gray Channel.]

[Enemy composition: Seven combat Floating Ships, one Dawn Star Level Black Wizard (possessing the Curse Law, tentatively classed as Dawn Star Initial Stage), three Second-level Wizard attendants, and a large swarm of controlled Magical Beasts.]

[The PX-4 fought the enemy fleet single-handedly for twenty-seven minutes. Battle results: Sank one enemy Floating Ship, killed one Second-level Wizard, and eliminated eleven Level 2 Magical Beasts.]

[The Witchcraft of the enemy Dawn Star Level Black Wizard inflicted a continuous corrosive effect on the PX-4 ’Xiong Da’s’ Radiant Black Steel Armor, which is the primary cause of the extensive armor damage. Furthermore, the enemy Dawn Star Black Wizard did not engage in direct combat at any point, choosing to hide behind the fleet and drain the PX-4 through long-range spellcasting.]

[After a half-hour engagement, the enemy determined they could not destroy the PX-4 in a short time. Fearing that the Golem’s creator would dispatch reinforcements, they initiated a full retreat.]

Allen looked at the battle report and remained silent for a long time.

A lone machine facing an entire fleet led by a Dawn Star Level Black Wizard, fighting for over half an hour, sinking an enemy ship, and ultimately forcing the enemy to retreat first—this battle record vastly exceeded Allen’s expectations.

"Beautifully done, Xiong Da," Allen said softly.

The sole remaining optical lens in "Xiong Da’s" sensor array turned toward the direction of Allen’s projected consciousness, sending over a concise string of information:

[Escort mission completed. Machine damaged. Requesting repairs.]

"No, not repairs."

Allen looked at the battered and riddled Steel Giant, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes.

"An upgrade."

Those scum who dared to touch his life’s blood would soon face a reckoning.

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