Chapter 195: Monster Breeding Center
After the adventurers acting as scouts entered the ruins, the Goblin Mechanical Army also prepared to depart.
The Earth Goblin wearing a tank helmet nimbly climbed into the cockpit of the Spider Tank, fastened his seatbelt, checked the instrument panel, and then forcefully pulled the air valve switch, allowing fresh air to flow into the dormant steam engine.
With the influx of fresh air, the Magic Horn Tree blocks, which were only faintly glowing red in the low-oxygen environment, were reawakened. Flames erupted, releasing even higher temperatures. Within two or three breaths, the water boiled, generating a large amount of steam that poured into the cylinders, pushing the tightly packed pistons out and back in a repetitive rhythm that accelerated continuously, like an 18-year-old youth.
The steam transformed into power, infusing the Spider Tank with renewed vigor. The tank, which had been lying dormant, rose on its six legs and, as the Earth Goblin driver pressed the pedal, began to move forward.
Amidst the swirling steam, the Spider Tank, animated by the pistons’ movements, surprisingly entered the ruins with considerable agility. It seemed that Flame Empress’s optimized design, coupled with the Gremlins’ craftsmanship, was truly remarkable, making steampunk look quite impressive.
After the Spider Tank started, the Bear Goblin infantry, their steam nail guns already charged with ample steam, followed closely behind the tank, ready for battle.
However, the first floor of the ruins had already been explored, and Lantern Grass had been planted in most areas. It couldn’t be said to be brightly lit, but there were no excessively dark places either. It was no longer dangerous, so the adventurers who had entered earlier headed straight for the second floor.
These adventurers had frequented the second floor quite a bit. After all, no matter how large the first floor was, under the repeated looting of so many adventurers, there wasn’t even a copper coin to be found now. Therefore, more and more adventurers set their sights on the second floor. Even if they just salvaged a few parts from a Modified Puppet to prove they had killed one, they could exchange it for a meal at the Great Tree Hollow Tavern. So who would waste time on the first floor?
Facing the scattered adventurers, Beast General, as the commander, didn’t mind.
Adventurers were inherently uncontrollable, so he simply set the task and didn’t care how it was accomplished. Moreover, Beast General’s mission was not easy.
After entering the second floor of the ruins, Beast General’s objective was very clear: the first thing to occupy was the Monster Breeding Center.
The path ahead had been mostly cleared by the adventurers, and the Goblin Mechanical Army smoothly arrived at the vast Monster Breeding Center. However, from here on out, it was up to them; adventurers wouldn’t accept the task of a siege battle.
The Monster Breeding Center looked like a large-scale sewage treatment plant, or perhaps a place where Fukushima wastewater was stored. Green pools of thick liquid were neatly arranged, creating a rather impressive sight.
However, there wasn’t a single person here, only oddly shaped Modified Puppets busy maintaining the facilities, such as repairing leaking pipes and retrieving dead embryos.
Whenever an underdeveloped embryo, due to a broken nutrient tube, floated to the surface and twitched, a Modified Puppet would retrieve it and, while it was still fresh, toss it into a machine resembling a soybean milk maker. After being crushed, settled, and mixed with some additive, it would turn into a familiar green thick liquid, then poured into the pool as nourishment, providing more nutrients for the embryos at the bottom.
So, even though these pools of green thick liquid resembled a sewage treatment plant handling Fukushima wastewater, they were actually a magical version of artificial wombs. The technology or magic level contained within was not low at all. At least, Owen’s world before transmigration couldn’t achieve such large-scale biological cultivation.
This was also the reason why hundreds of adventurers couldn’t kill all the monsters in the underground ruins, because this place was still operational.
The previously captured Black-Backed Ratmen, Magic Horn Goblins, and other monsters had their Life Seeds extracted, and then they were rapidly bred in these pools, wave after wave. As long as the nutrients weren’t exhausted, the fighting would never end. Therefore, the primary target of the Goblin Mechanical Army was here.
The Monster Breeding Center was a crucial part of the ruins’ defense mechanism, with a high alert level. Therefore, after sensing the threat brought by the Goblin Mechanical Army, the emergency mechanism immediately activated.
Because it was unmanned, according to the pre-set emergency mechanism, a large amount of stored nutrients was injected into the pools. At the same time, special growth-promoting ingredients were added without regard for dosage, causing the embryos to twitch violently. Some couldn’t withstand it and died directly, then were salvaged and turned into fermented juice.
As the nutrients in the green thick liquid pools were rapidly consumed, the gestating monster embryos began to mature quickly. The Black-Backed Ratmen, being the easiest to cultivate and with the shortest growth cycle, crawled out of the pools like rats from a sewer, covered in slime. They then numbly picked up the weapons already prepared beside the pools—metal bars with a slanted edge, similar to watermelon knives—and charged forward without hesitation. The entire process required no thought, just like a pre-programmed sequence.
In reality, this method of monster cultivation had flaws: short lifespan, low potential, no consciousness. They were no different from Flesh Puppets.
However, these cultivated monsters weren’t meant to be used like this; they were just semi-finished products. Only after being modified in the Puppet Factory would they become finished products, capable of serving as the foundation for maintaining the ruins’ operation.
“Prepare to fire!” Facing the tide of Black-Backed Ratmen, Beast General showed no intention of fighting himself, issuing orders with an impassive expression.
The Bear Goblin infantry, who had been standing in formation, immediately twisted open the steam valves on their power backpacks, allowing more steam to flow into the high-pressure cylinders, increasing the power of their shots. At the same time, the exoskeletons on their bodies also received greater power output with the influx of ample steam.
Once the Black-Backed Ratmen entered effective range, the Bear Goblins, lined up in a row, pulled the triggers. With hissing sounds of air pressure release, the wave of Black-Backed Ratmen came to a halt as if hitting a reef.
The steam nail guns were equipped with 150-round drum magazines. As the triggers were continuously pulled, eight-millimeter nails, propelled by ample air pressure, flew through the barrels, easily piercing through the Black-Backed Ratmen with their excellent armor-piercing capabilities. Sometimes, more than one ratman was pierced at once, demonstrating that steam-powered firearms were not weak, capable of penetrating even a knight’s plate armor.
However, this powerful force was provided by the pressurized air in the high-pressure cylinders, and it couldn’t last. As the air pressure in the cylinders decreased, the range and power of the nails also declined.
At this point, the Bear Goblins unhesitatingly opened the intake valves on their power backpacks, allowing more air into the combustion chamber, increasing combustion efficiency and generating more steam. However, this inevitably led to a rapid rise in the temperature of the power backpacks.
Fortunately, the Bear Goblins had good physiques and commendable willpower. Even drenched in sweat, their hands remained steady as they continued firing until their drum magazines were empty.
