Shadow of Mechanical Soul

The Great Escape

The source of interference in the sky was actually three large flying saucers, but one of them was destroyed by a light beam shot from the ground. The small light spots that flew out afterwards were small flying saucers the size of bathtubs. These flying saucers were not doing anything good. Tom's detection capabilities clearly told him that the metal balls dropped by these flying saucers were not only destroying the relatively intact carriages on the ground but also hunting and killing any animals that could still move. Tom "observed" that they didn't even spare a rabbit in the wilderness.

Realizing the danger of the situation, Tom knew that running away in such a desolate place would only make it easier for those small flying saucers to find them. Besides, he had two saviors by his side, and he had to save them no matter what. Despite his rough experiences, Tom was, at the end of the day, just an ordinary man, albeit with a relatively strong will. Perhaps the many hardships had made him indifferent, but subconsciously, he still wanted to save the two who had saved him.

Without hesitation, he once again endured the pain to consume his reserve energy. This time, the ability he used was also a kind of disguise, creating an infrared interference zone in the surrounding small space to block the infrared detection of the flying saucers. It seemed to have a good effect, as the flying saucers hadn't detected them even when they were so close, but this interference zone could not prevent the transmission of sound waves, which is why he was so cautious.

Siping stopped struggling and nodded upon hearing his words.

Tom slowly let go of his hand, and Siping eagerly wanted to check on Fang Xu's condition on the ground, but his trembling hands didn't know where to go.

"He has a fractured right lower leg and a head injury, causing temporary unconsciousness, but there should be no life-threatening danger." Tom had checked on him when he carried him out of the carriage.

Tang Xieyong felt Fang Xu's breath and found that he was still breathing, which slightly eased his frightened heart. It was then that he remembered that he didn't even know the name of his savior.

He turned around and awkwardly smiled, saying, "Thank you for saving us. What's your name?"

"Tom! What about you two?" Tom saw that the flying saucers were no longer approaching and casually opened an alloy box while speaking, hanging the "earphones" inside on his arm.

"Oh! I'm Tang Xieyong, and he's Fang Xu..." Tang Xieyong suddenly remembered that the business he was involved in might not be suitable for revealing his real name, but when he saw Tom's action, he immediately widened his eyes, wondering if this person was in the same line of work as him.

Tom was like a bear blundering through a cornfield. The "earphones" didn't stay on his arm for more than 10 seconds before he threw them away and put on a new pair from the newly opened box. Tang Xieyong found Tom's behavior particularly strange and wondered if he was mentally ill. He was so preoccupied with figuring out this person's bizarre behavior that he forgot to ask what was going on.

Tom was helpless. Using the detection and interference functions had depleted part of his energy reserves, and now that the opportunity to replenish was right in front of him, he wouldn't let it slip.

"Your friend is injured. How do you plan to leave?" Tom was alone, and his home was in Shanhaishi. Although he believed that nuclear bombs might not necessarily be dropped on Shanhaishi, he had to be prepared for the worst and had no plans to return for the time being. As a man with no money and no support, he had to plan for the future.

Tang Xieyong's leg was feeling better than before, but his mood was low. "Someone will meet us at Heifengkou. Right, I'll ask him to come pick us up."

He reached for his phone to make a call, but after dialing several times, he couldn't even hear the waiting tone. Looking at the phone, he realized there was no signal at all.

"What's going on?" Tang Xieyong exclaimed anxiously.

Tom patted his forehead and said, "Oh! I forgot to tell you." He pointed to the sky, "Those things are emitting strong interference, so wireless signals are completely ineffective now."

"What should we do then? What are those things flying around?" Tang Xieyong's fear reignited upon hearing the news, and he asked anxiously.

Tom shook his head slowly, indicating he had no idea. His hands continued to work, absorbing energy, but his mind was made up – even if it meant death, he would not be captured again, not be someone else's experimental subject.

The frequency of flashes in the night sky grew slower, now appearing only once or twice in a long while. The UFOs flew aimlessly like headless flies, seemingly searching for something.

Tom noticed movements from the invisible large UFO hovering low in the sky. It descended slowly to the ground, and something emerged from its belly. Meanwhile, the number of small UFOs flitting about in the sky gradually decreased.

Due to the distance and numerous obstacles, Tom couldn't discern what those things were, only knowing that the newly emerged entities were all converging towards the train carriages, seemingly searching for something.

To conceal the three of them, Tom activated the jamming function rather than the stealth mode, as stealth could not simultaneously cover three individuals. If they inspected each carriage, they would surely uncover the trio hiding behind the hillock.

Tom snapped at Tang Xieyong, who was lost in thought, startling him. "Can you still walk?"

Tang Xieyong instinctively touched his left leg, nodding, "Yes, I can."

"Listen, something's started searching on the ground. We must leave now."

Tang Xieyong looked miserable. "What about Brother Fang?" He didn't think he could carry his companion.

"I'll carry him."

Tom struggled to hoist Fang Xu onto his back and glanced at the many 'earphones' left unabsorbed, feeling a twinge of regret. Still, he instructed Tang Xieyong to pick up two alloy cases.

"Let's go that way. Five kilometers ahead, there's a road that leads to Heifengkou. Once we find Brother Fan, we can get a car to take Brother Fang to the hospital."

Tang Xieyong pointed in a direction, and the two set off together.

Had the sky still been filled with UFOs, the two would have been impossible to avoid detection, no matter how cautious. But with less than a quarter of the small UFOs remaining in the air, Tom, through his AI, roughly estimated their range of movement, allowing them to sneak closer to the road.

Though it wasn't the dead of night, it was past eleven, and vehicles were scarce on the mountainous road. Occasionally, passing cars saw the two disheveled men carrying an injured person and dared not stop, fearing entanglements that might leave them with no time to regret. The men dared not flag down cars openly either, for they were not far from the train attack site, and occasional small UFOs flew by. Being hit by one of those metal spheres emitting intense light would be suicidal.

So, the two walked along the road towards Heifengkou.

Carrying over a hundred pounds, Tom found that the energy consumption was only slightly higher than walking alone, which reassured him. However, Tang Xieyong struggled, carrying two alloy cases totaling less than forty pounds. The night's terror had drained him, and the long journey was taking its toll. He felt like giving up.

Tang Xieyong longed to drop the cases, but seeing Tom carry Fang Xu faster than him, he gritted his teeth and clung tighter to the handles, persevering.