[1-200] THE MECH TOUCH

Chapter 185: Secrets

The Kaius lumbered over a deep pool dug out from the side. It submerged itself into the water up until it reached its neck. Doctor Jutland removed the straps holding him to his makeshift seat and jumped to the edge of the pool with practiced ease.

The man grinned at him, as if he knew what Ves tried to hide. "There will be no rescue for you here. Mr. Keller has helpfully kept me apprised of what your expedition is up to. Don't think this is my only base! In fact, I've built up over fifteen outposts! They'll never be able to find all of them! Hahahaha!"

That traitor! Ves cursed under his breath. Keller's nearsighted decision to collaborate with Jutland just ruined one of his hopes. The expedition couldn't divert too many mechs to chase around a madman, especially after he got what he wanted. The chance of rescue just dwindled down to almost nothing.

Ves could only rely on himself for now.

"Why did you kidnap me?"

"What else?! I need a mech designer, and you're the only idiot who's stupid enough to land on this planet. You're it, hahahaha!"

Doctor Jutland's hysterical laughing grated on Ves. The man acted like he constantly injected himself with stimulants. Sometimes he paused and whispered softly to himself as if he had a second personality in his mind.

When Jutland regained some clarity, he turned to Ves with a laser focus. "A mech designer only needs to design mechs! Why else have I brought you here! Finally my Kaius will receive the attention it deserves!"

The doctor whistled loudly in a very peculiar pattern. A juvenile hexapod lounging nearby sprung to readiness and approached Ves in no time. The creature hissed at him and bumped its head forward.

Through the creature's direction, Ves stepped forward and approached the lake with the half-submerged Kaius. The mech looked like a wreck stranded in water, though the darkness prevented him from spotting more details.

"It's too dark here. Do you have a light or something?"

"You pitiful baseline human." Jutland shook his head, but he started moving and approached one of the structures formed out of salvaged armor plating. Both of his hands touched a pair of twin rods poking out from the sides. "Let there be light!"

Something incredible happened. A live current emerged from Jutland's hands and transferred over to the rods. The entire cave came to life as different lights salvaged from wrecks lighted up and illuminated the breath of the cave.

Ves had underestimated the amount of hexapods Jutland gathered in his base. He could spot an entire colony of hexabats quietly resting on the roof of the cave. As for the landform hexabats, a small group of formidable adults rested near the entrance, ready to swat Ves into mush the moment he tried to escape.

Jutland's control over the hexapods had reached a terrifying height that couldn't be explained through common sense. Even if he spent decades training up the same group of hexapods, he shouldn't have been able to make them smart enough to follow orders only a sentient being could follow.

"Are the hexapods sentient?"

"Hihihihi!" Jutland erupted into giggles. "You blind fool! They are mere beasts! Can you ask a dog to cook you dinner? You can't unless you've tinkered with their genes, but then they won't be dogs anymore!"

The man rambled onwards for another minute before he inadvertently revealed something important. "The Compact never believed in my research! The nearsighted idiots at the Life branch only concentrate their funds on replicating the MTA's secrets to longevity. They've gone completely astray! We cultivate the soul, not the body! The flesh is trash!"