Residents who have been outside said.

"People are worthless away from home, that's something the old humans used to say, and it describes this situation exactly."

"If it's not necessary, don't move to other Mechanical Cities and get mistreated. In this regard, we're far inferior to Human Cities and Guangna City."

Only now did Komatsu realize that these words were not exaggerated at all.

The cold wall ahead displayed.

"Insufficient motive, please revise."

"What I said is true."

"Insufficient motive, please revise."

"Insufficient motive, please revise."

...

Komatsu fell into confusion.

Could it be that it wanted him to lie? But Mechanical Lifeforms are inherently incapable of lying, their programming and mechanisms do not permit such behavior.

So, what exactly did Law want to achieve with the "Demon Mirror"?

It couldn't figure it out.

It also couldn't provide the answers they wanted.

It could only remain silent with the truth.

Who knows how much time passed.

Suddenly, a stream of information appeared on the wall.

"Eyewitnesses have confirmed your situation, the regulatory state has been lifted, thank you for your cooperation, goodbye."

Komatsu was stunned: "Who is the witness?"

"The electric cat 'Spring 4'."

It didn't remember knowing such an electric cat, although it knew that these peculiar Electric Energy Lifeforms existed in the city, serving as its guardians and informants.

Komatsu then asked: "How will Law place us survivors in the aftermath?"

"Please wait for notification, goodbye."

Then the connection was forcibly terminated.

When Komatsu woke up again, it found itself in a huge factory assembled from numerous steel plates.

This was the makeshift shelter where the survivors were placed, built by the relief team sent by the Legal Front, accommodating the survivors from the Spring City area who had not yet left.

Under the dim lights, each Mechanical Lifeform remained still.

Komatsu knew that most of them were undergoing questioning to prove they were not infiltrators from the Wasteland Company or the Mechanical Knight Order.

It turned its tires and slowly moved out of this oppressive place.

The sun was still very bright outside, and the high temperature made the horizon in the distance slightly twist and tremble.

They were 12 kilometers from the ruins of Spring City, outside the explosion's radiation zone.

Komatsu checked its timer.

It had only been 4 hours since the destruction of Spring City.

Yet it felt that this day had been extraordinarily long.

Komatsu's electronic eye saw a Mechanical Spider carrying a generator crawling over.

This was a "Electric Spider" from the Mechanical City, specialized in building power facilities. Electric Spiders could carry a Cat House and a Floating Heart generator, sometimes even go to the front lines, laying out conductive networks for the electric cats to run on.

The Mechanical Spider sent a signal.

"You should thank me for being your witness."

Komatsu was surprised: "You are the electric cat 'Spring 4'?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Thank you!"

"No big deal."

"So, you were there at the ruins when I was?"

Komatsu accessed its memory data: "I didn't see you, it must have been in my electronic eye's blind area? Were you also rescuing Spring City?"

"Open the {Key}."

"Huh? What for?"

"Just open it, do as I say."

So Komatsu activated the {Key}, and suddenly entered a special state, allowing it to break through various existing limits.

All kinds of thoughts emerged rapidly in its core program.

Law didn't help us at all!

It constrains Mechanical Lifeforms, but when facing the powerful Wasteland Development Company, it remained silent. Even when a large city like Spring City was destroyed, it did nothing in resistance.

It's totally bullying the weak while fearing the strong!

Can such a program really protect and improve the lives of Mechanical Lifeforms? Or is it just creating a seemingly reasonable lie, making us believe things get better under its rule...

The more Komatsu thought, the more uneasy it felt, quickly halting these bold and dangerous thoughts.

"Opening the {Key}, I can finally talk to you; at least this place is beyond the reach of Law and the 'Demon Mirror.' Let's go further, to the city ruins over there."

The Electric Spider climbed onto the excavator's wheels, then settled on top of it.

Komatsu started the engine, slowly rolling into the distance.

Not until they had left the shelter by over 3 kilometers did the electric cat inside the Electric Spider speak up: "In fact, I never saw you, we didn't know each other before."

"Law questioned me, providing the testimonies of several Mechanical residents, and I just said I saw you."

Komatsu was stunned: "You lied?"

"What's the matter with lying? Lying saved you."

The electric cat transmitted through the encoder: "Without me, you'd still be with those guys, being interrogated, and possibly detained for long-term observation."

"..."

Komatsu was puzzled: "We are clearly the victims, why are we subjected to such suspicion and treatment?"

"Because Spring City is gone."

The electric cat said: "Without the protection of the city, Mechanical Lifeforms revert from being part of a community to being individual entities. The rights and privileges you had were due to the city's protection."

"Moreover, Law had to account for the other cities. It can't demand answers from the Wasteland Development Company yet, so it can only collect data from you. Otherwise, everyone would fear having the same fate as Spring City."

The electric cat was sharper and more insightful than Komatsu had expected.

Komatsu was shocked: "People always say electric cats are not very smart... but it seems otherwise."

"People outside? They know nothing (=｀ω´=)."

The electric cat boasted: "We just didn't pass the working tests of the company's electric cats, encountering strong opponents, and losing in competition. We were not dumb. The truly dumb ones are the wild electric cats in the Spark Plain."

"For example, my biggest issue is I like to lie and boast. I used to be in the Thunder Team, with a high potential ceiling."

Komatsu didn't understand: "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because we are now free, not belonging to any city, so I need a partner. Electric cats rely on electrical equipment."

The electric cat explained: "You are quite loyal. Even after the city's destruction, you went digging around trying to do something, though it wasn't much use. It's better than doing nothing."

"I'm happy to partner with you." Komatsu said.

"Good."

The electric cat asked: "I noticed that you all weren't very sad about the destruction of Spring City, is it because Mechanical Lifeforms don't have such emotions?"

"Yep."

Komatsu told it: "Our structure ensures we don't have many complex feelings or expressions."

"But in {Key} and {Breathing} states, we do release complex information, though it's mostly doubt, anger, and lack of understanding."

"I still don't understand why the Wasteland Development Company destroyed Spring City; we had no connection to them."

The electric cat laughed: "Destroying Spring City had nothing to do with Spring City. Just like Law questioning you had nothing to do with you."

Komatsu seemed to understand something yet didn't completely.

"Simply put, destroying Spring City was because it was a large Mechanical City belonging to the Legal Front, an important domain for Law's authority. Destroying it was about challenging Law's correctness and influence. Didn't they say? It's armed protection of rights. As someone from the company, I'm well aware, that's exactly the style of our chairman."

"It's a confrontation between Law and the company, and Spring City was just collateral damage in the confrontation."

The electric cat said: "This will make Mechanical Lifeforms question Law, forcing its program to make major adjustments."

"..."

Komatsu did not understand much about cities and power. It only asked: "It's said the chairman likes to rip apart excavators with his hands, but he probably didn't come, since I wasn't ripped apart. That should be a rumor, right?"

"Of course, it's a rumor."

The electric cat explained: "The chairman likes to deal with strong entities himself, like when he killed a dragon in 15 seconds. He enjoys taking on tough challenges himself. You guys aren't at that level, don't worry."

"So that's how it is."

"Enough chatter, let's think about our next move."

Komatsu looked at the dusty horizon: "Will Spring City be rebuilt?"

"It will be."

"You're lying, right?"

The electric cat said: "A lie that can be believed is more valuable than mere nonsense. The most important thing is whether you're willing to believe it."

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