Apocalypse: Hero of Potato Fields

Grate Fortress.

Zack quickly found the official responsible for new arrivals. After a brief conversation and showing the letter, he and his wife were registered as ambassadors.

Lin Yi and his team, on the other hand, were registered as a visiting mercenary squad.

Fifteen minutes later, they were taken to the city center.

The vehicles here are very similar to those on Earth, but instead of liquid fuel, they use charcoal, which produces a lot of black smoke.

Of course, their designs are also different.

Vehicles on Tilian Planet are made of metal, focusing more on practicality than those on Earth.

Lin Yi and his group rode in a transport vehicle resembling a small bus, with metal seats that were very uncomfortable to sit on.

But they focused on remembering everything they saw as much as possible.

Including the types of vehicles on the road, the local people's attire, the appearance of industrial facilities, and so on.

This information might come in handy later.

It took them half an hour to reach their destination, a very tall cylindrical tower.

Strangely, there were almost no security measures at the entrance or inside the building, except that no one was allowed to bring in weapons.

Zack and his wife handed their few weapons to the guards.

Lin Yi handed his weapon to his subordinate, ordering them to wait outside.

The interior of the building looked like a high-end hotel, very spacious, pleasant environment, and a properly functioning air filtration system.

After a moment's thought, Lin Yi also took off his helmet.

On the way to the tower, he noticed many locals walking outside.

Most of them were not wearing any protective gear, and only a few of the half-mechanical people they encountered wore helmets or respirators.

He speculated that some might not have lungs installed, after all, what does a half-mechanical person need to breathe for?

He had also seen many artificial organs inside zombies on Tilian Planet, which confirmed this point indirectly.

Zack and Lira, along with Lin Yi, pretending to be their mercenary, were escorted by two armed soldiers.

After walking for nearly a minute through the winding corridor, they arrived at an elevator.

The elevator was stable and fast; it felt like only a second had passed before they reached the 99th floor.

The floors here were like a real garden, with green trees, flowers, bushes, birds, and even animals that looked like rabbits.

Lin Yi found it hard to see any mechanical traces.

The soldier silently led them through this small "paradise" to a small room near the pond.

But this was not an office or apartment, but a control room filled with numerous cables, screens, and equipment.

In the center of the control room, a man in a black vest sat in a huge metal armchair, his body connected to hundreds of cables of various shapes and sizes.

The scene was somewhat terrifying.

The man sat there motionless, his eyes closed, without any signs of life.

"Wait a moment. I'll be right with you." The man's voice came from the speaker in the room.

One of the soldiers nodded and led everyone outside, closing the door.

Just three minutes later, the door opened.

It was still the same man, but now wearing a gray robe as he walked out.

He looked about forty years old, with a medium build, and his bald head was covered with the interfaces where the cables had been plugged in.

His gaze was confident, with a goatee.

"I've heard about you, follow me to the guest room...it's not far from here," the man said in a tired voice, and then walked away without another word.

Everyone quietly followed the man.

The man walked barefoot down a stone path, humming a cheerful tune.

He seemed very happy?

Soon, they arrived in front of a one-story wooden house.

Zack and Lira widened their eyes. They had been to botanical gardens before, but they had never seen such a spectacular place!

It even had real animals and birds!

In contrast, Lin Yi was not surprised at all.

This caught the man's attention, and he lingered on Lin Yi for a while before entering the house.

The man sat down on a comfortable sofa, signaling everyone to sit as well.

"Make yourselves at home."

"Alright."

The half-mechanical couple quickly nodded and sat on the sofa opposite him.

Lin Yi walked over to a wall covered in hunting trophies, squinting slightly.

The wall had various animal heads mounted on it.

Almost half of them looked more or less like Earth animals, while the rest were bizarre and strange.

The mysterious man walked towards the kitchen.

"Would you like some tea?"

"Thank you. I haven't had a liquid in two years."

Lira took a cup of aromatic tea, looking a bit sad.

"Is Rust really that bad?"

"It's not that things are bad, it's just...the overpopulation there is overwhelming, and the surrounding areas are too dangerous...our resources have always been severely lacking."

Zack answered for his wife.

The man nodded but did not continue Zack's conversation, turning to the fourth person in the room instead.

"You're Lin Yi, right? I'm very curious why a real human would visit me."

"Hmm, how did you figure that out?"

"Hu... Humans? What are you talking about?! Humans went extinct two hundred years ago! The last remaining humans were fully mechanized!"

Lira was shocked, stuttering, almost spilling her tea.

The man smiled, internally breathing a sigh of relief, seemingly pleased that both sides hadn't collaborated deeply.

"That's right, but this Lin Yi is not from our world... Lin Yi, there are scanners all over the city that can detect biological organisms, so I know you're a real human..."

"You're not from Tilian Planet?!" Zack gasped.

Lin Yi remained very calm, still sipping his tea.

"I'm from Earth, here to discuss an alliance, but not with you personally."

"Then who are you allying with?"

"With this planet, an alliance between Earth and Tilian Planet."

Lin Yi looked directly into the surprised eyes of the half-mechanical person: "I will help you as much as possible. It's worth mentioning that your tea is really nice."

"Interesting... very interesting... So what is the purpose of this alliance?"

"To prevent the world from being destroyed. I will also protect both worlds from invaders."

"Invaders?" Zack asked.

As the leader, the man obviously knew much more than Zack, and he explained.

"Yes, those aliens who hunt our species, they destroy cities and fortresses."

"So they're the ones who destroyed Megagler City?!" Zack shouted.

The man just nodded.

Lira murmured to herself, "Not just the virus? Now there are aliens too..."

"Please be quiet for a moment." The man tapped the table.

He gazed deeply at Lin Yi: "Then are you... also an invader?"

"I am a Guardian..."

Lin Yi sighed.

Invaders can choose multiple locations to set up teleportation gates, and can earn rewards just by killing locals, sometimes even getting extra benefits.

But Guardians... can only earn rewards when they kill invaders, and they only have one teleportation gate that randomly appears somewhere in your world.

He was thrown into the middle of the desert...

Nearly starved to death!

But perhaps because he had already chosen to be a Guardian, the man did not doubt Lin Yi's words.

He crossed his fingers under his chin.

"Then how can you help us, and how can we help you?"

"Well... in the field of robotics technology, I'm very interested in your mecha. As for us, we can provide you with fuel, water, food, and military support within reasonable limits."

"Mecha, right... maybe, maybe..."

The man murmured to himself, fingers tapping on the table. He thought for a while, then a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

"If we can reach an agreement, you will definitely get mechas, I admit we urgently need fuel, but not just any fuel will do.

Our mechas only use... high-quality liquid fuel. But we are also willing to purchase raw materials like oil, as for food and water...

Most of us... can't eat or drink, and those who can only do so for enjoyment. But boosting morale isn't a bad thing either.

In other words, I agree to the alliance!"

The man suppressed his inner joy, his expression calm yet very calm, which depended on the mechanical structure of his body.

He was glad that Lin Yi's first stop was Grate Fortress, compared to other camps, this gave him a better advantage.

He stood up and extended his hand.

Lin Yi also smiled and shook his hand.

[Alert! You are no longer locked by the system.]

Calculating total Experience Points and achievements obtained...

Compensation calculated.

You have gained two Attribute Points.

[Shelter features are now available]

He noted the notification information, Lin Yi was momentarily stunned.

The man noticed.

"Is there a problem?"

"No, do you mind if I talk to my people and prepare some samples of our goods?"

"Of course not, I—"

The man's words got caught in the mechanical tubes, he was shocked to see two items suddenly appear in the ally's hand.

Lin Yi put on the walkie-talkie and the headset.

Melanie's anxious voice immediately came through the radio on the other end.

"Boss! Are you alright?"

"Of course I'm fine, what could happen to me?

The mission is complete, I need samples of biofuel, bio-ethanol-based fuel, water, meat, and various types of food... Twenty pounds each."

"Yes, boss! Also... how long do you think it'll take for you to come back?"

"Hmm... I guess a few hours."

After the call ended, Lin Yi looked at the three half-mechanical people in front of him, speechless from shock.

He asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

"Your language is interesting, but I'm more amazed by your ability. Can you create anything you want, or just small items?"

The three people's eyes were fixed intently on Lin Yi.

Lin Yi smiled, waved his hand, and an omnivorous rabbit appeared on the table.

Lira's eyes widened.

"It's so cute!"

"If you want, you can hold it. They're very docile when full. Also... do you want to have a bite together? I haven't had a good meal in a long time."

Lin Yi teleported several pots and some plates from the canteen, the food on top was a bit cold since they had just finished lunch at the shelter.

He didn't wait for the others, serving himself a large portion of food, trying to take more meat and less vegetables.

The other three, seeing this scene, said nothing more and quickly joined the feast...