The waiting process was torturous.
Wen Xishu wasn't sure how this group would fare without him.
His worries were somewhat justified.
The team was indeed in trouble now.
...
...
Unknown area.
It's hard to imagine that in a place full of ruins, such a well-preserved high-density mechanical district could still appear.
Hiding in the cargo unloading area, avoiding the cameras, the group hadn't even started fighting, and they were already in a dispute.
"The commander is doomed; you don't actually think he can survive, do you?"
"The Balance Curse... by the end of it, even if a fly flew in, someone was bound to die from the curse."
"I've seen the power of the curse in my hometown. I don't believe he can survive."
"What are you all thinking?"
Hacker Borg looked at the group.
The three shook their heads, denying his words. Colonel Devon said:
"What you need to do now is hack the cameras here quickly to avoid us getting gunned down. As for the commander, we trust him."
Borg had to admit, the final farewell scene was very striking, but he was used to independent thinking and had truly felt the power of the Balance Curse.
"I think he's a good commander, but he made a mistake. He shouldn't have taken the curse for you."
Devon said:
"If I could die for him, I wouldn't mind dying. The choice has already been made. What we need to consider is how to coordinate together to break through this area."
"And not to question the commander here."
Devon took out the Compass:
"The commander also gave us the Compass; this is his guidance. I believe if we follow the Compass, we can find critical information."
The Compass gave direction, a direction that made Borg question again.
Borg said coldly:
"Alright, you guys know nothing. Did you see the robots in this area just now? They're all animals."
"Here, animals seem to be the highest evolved beings. Humans have become slaves. These animals are not lacking in firepower, each possibly armed to the teeth."
"What we need to do is avoid them as much as possible. Fortunately, the device on my computer can scan their positions."
"The direction the Compass points to is wrong; that side clearly has more enemies. We just need to traverse this area to find the door."
"I think you'd better come with me. Trust me, the key to this level is about using me, isn't it?"
Devon suddenly understood.
Why Borg became so non-conformist once away from the commander... the commander's unique leadership ability, which Devon did not possess.
Here, the leader's charisma was also a quantified attribute.
He pondered, knowing the options were either violent coercion, compromise, or trying to persuade with words.
Devon didn't waste time:
"I'm sorry, Borg. I'm not a good captain; I can't make you trust me unconditionally. But please, trust the commander, trust him!"
Devon bowed:
"We need your strength. In a direct fight, we are sure to lose, but with you, we can avoid direct combat."
"The area the Compass points to is indeed dangerous, but Borg, rest assured, the three of us will protect you with our lives."
"Please!"
Elsa and Cavendish almost wanted to lose their temper earlier, because to them, following the Compass was a settled matter.
Suddenly backing out, suddenly questioning was not supposed to happen.
But seeing Devon like this, they followed suit:
"Please!"
Borg sighed:
"Alright, since you've all said so, what can I do? Let's go."
A crisis of internal conflict was thus resolved through the unity of Devon and the others.
The journey afterward was not peaceful.
Devon and his group encountered mechanical patrol dogs and even a giant, fully steel-covered mech gorilla.
Indeed, the area had already been dominated by animals, but all of them had evolved into mechanical beings for some unknown reason.
They deeply loathed humans, opening fire on sight.
Their mechanization massively increased their strength, speed, and defense, in addition to the barrage of gunfire and explosions...
If it weren't for Devon's freakish physique, if not for Cavendish's sharpshooting always finding the weak spots, they would have nearly died several times.
Even so, under the intense barrage, everyone, including Borg, got injured.
Devon had an arm blown off. Even Elsa, the doctor, got shot.
Borg was the least injured; he was the one heavily protected, and his computer was of utmost importance.
Because of this, they managed to continuously defeat the enemies.
Because Devon, at critical moments, established a connection with these mechanical creatures, reversing their controls and disabling the support sonar.
This level, without Borg, would require extremely strong combat power, but with Borg, by following his chosen path...
They might not have been injured at all.
Because the path differed from the one pointed by the Compass, and had nearly no guards.
Upon finding a resting place midway, Borg complained again.
And the one-armed Devon said:
"In military operations... only unimportant areas have weak defenses. Our goal isn't just to complete the level, Borg..."
"Our goal is to resolve the problems, isn't it?"
"At critical moments, I can die... but we don't know how many levels are left. If someone more important than you shows up, are you going to die too?"