The TBM’s cutter head spun rapidly, grinding the Rat Speaker elder’s body into a meat paste that splattered across the ground.

The entire tunnel boring machine then drilled out of the earth below, landing on the station platform.

It was nearly ten meters long with a diameter of two to three meters. In the Iron Country, it was an absolute behemoth.

Toothed rollers covered the machine’s entire body, allowing it to move in any direction.

"CRACKLE... CRACKLE..." The sudden sound of a Geiger counter rang out. Shen Feng glanced at it—the reading was over two hundred.

’This tunnel boring machine is powered by a nuclear reactor!’

This type of miniature reactor technology was typically used in nuclear submarines. It was the first time Shen Feng had ever heard of one being used in a TBM.

Right now, however, the TBM was like a child with a new toy. It rolled back and forth over the puddle of gore that had been the Rat Speaker elder, coating its gears and cutter head in crimson. Only then did it slowly turn to face the surrounding humans.

Like a cat toying with a mouse!

Shen Feng held his breath, his eyes fixed on the machine. He focused, trying to send out brainwaves with his Silicon-Based Brain to scan the TBM’s operating system.

He finally understood where the new tunnels in the subway system had come from.

This TBM had been digging all over the place, hollowing out the underground until it resembled a worm-eaten apple!

It was precisely because of this machine that the Iron Country was able to continuously expand its territory and become a self-contained world underground.

’What in the world is driving it?’

As the TBM’s head swung toward him, Shen Feng’s expression grew grim. The hair on his arms stood on end as he readied himself to either fight or flee.

This was the first time he had felt true fear since entering the Iron Country.

The TBM’s cutter head could pulverize Granite. Even with his body petrified, he would only be marginally more difficult to slice through.

He had no idea if the TBM’s programming had gone haywire or if someone was controlling it. If it turned hostile...

"The Mighty God... It’s the Mighty God..." Firefly murmured, her eyes glazed over as she stared at the TBM that had burst from the ground.

Her gaze held a mixture of the traditional reverence an inhabitant of the Iron Country had for the Mighty God, and the rational understanding of ancient civilization she had gained from Shen Feng’s teachings.

’Mighty God?’

Shen Feng frowned, immediately noticing the TBM’s striking resemblance to certain male anatomy.

Clearly, the tribespeople of the Iron Country had given the TBM a name born of phallic worship, based on its shape, and truly treated it as such.

The few dozen remaining Rat Speakers, however, were prostrated on the ground, screaming wildly at the TBM before them like devout believers encountering their true god.

"We beg the Mighty God for purification!"

"Mighty God, take me to Heaven!"

"I want to live in the ancient Age of Heaven!"

Their cries succeeded in attracting the TBM’s attention. The massive cutter head whirred, and the machine’s front turned toward the Rat Speakers.

The Rat Speakers had completely forgotten about Shen Feng and Firefly. With feverish excitement, they cracked their long whips against the ground, creating a tremendous racket.

Like a curious child, the TBM was drawn over, seeming to want a closer look.

The instant its body moved over them, however, the spinning blades pulverized the Rat Speakers into a red mist, leaving nothing but crimson stains on the ground.

A chill went down Shen Feng’s spine at the Rat Speakers’ fanaticism.

Beside him, Firefly stood in a daze, muttering under her breath as she took two steps forward.

Shen Feng immediately yanked her back and, with a sharp SLAP! SLAP!, struck both her cheeks. "It’s a machine, not a god!" he said sternly.

He then grabbed Firefly, scrambled up onto a high ledge on a nearby wall, and watched the TBM below.

He could easily understand Firefly’s reaction.

After all, to the people of the Iron Country, the TBM could "create" space out of thin air. In their eyes, such power was no different from God creating the world—it was a miracle.

This precious, newly carved-out space was a necessity for the long-term survival of the Underground People.

To them, space was as vital as water and food—a matter of survival.

Over hundreds of years, through generations of legends, the TBM had been thoroughly deified, becoming the Mighty God of the Iron Country.

’But how could this thing operate continuously for hundreds of years? A miniature reactor might explain the power, just barely, but who’s been repairing it when it breaks down?’

’What is its purpose for constantly digging?’

’Or is it all just random, aimless movement?’

"It... it really isn’t a god?" Firefly asked in a daze.

In all her years in the Iron Country, she had been taught about the Mighty God since childhood. In her heart, she truly saw it as a powerful Divine Spirit, second only to the Great God Jingwei and the God of the East Wind.

A living Divine Spirit, no less!

But after spending this time with Shen Feng, she had also come to understand how machines worked, which plunged her into a state of deep conflict and confusion.

The TBM seemed to have had its fun. Its massive toothed wheels began to spin, and its body bored into the earth below, tunneling straight down.

Shen Feng had made his decision. He put Firefly down, glanced at the tunnel the TBM had just carved out, and said,

"The place it’s headed is most likely the ’Kingdom of 0.’ Let’s follow it!"

As he spoke, he leaped into the newly formed tunnel and began sprinting down the incline toward the TBM’s rear.

Firefly gritted her teeth and followed him.

As the TBM dug, it compressed the excavated earth into brick-like blocks and used them to line the tunnel. Its pace wasn’t breakneck, but it was by no means slow.

Following behind the TBM, Shen Feng could even make out the blurry "Sany" logo on its frame.

After following for over ten minutes, he confirmed that the TBM had no sensors on its rear; it was completely unaware of their presence.

His Silicon-Based Brain was running at full capacity as he tried to use his brainwaves to hack into the TBM’s control system, hoping to find information or even take direct control of the Underground People’s Mighty God.

However, the radiation emanating from the machine’s exterior was causing interference, making it difficult to breach the system.

Shen Feng and Firefly stuck close behind the TBM as it roamed throughout the Iron Country. They passed through the territories of one tribe after another. Sometimes the machine would stop to accept their worship and a feast of fresh blood; other times it would plow straight through with disdain.

There was the Che Tribe, who lived in abandoned train cars; the Lizard Tribe, who crawled on all fours; the Water Tribe, who were experts at collecting groundwater; the Fierce Beast Tribe, who hunted other tribes for food; and many more.

Each settlement of the Underground People was an eye-opener for Shen Feng, and each made his skin crawl.

He couldn’t begin to imagine his own world becoming like this. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Soon, Shen Feng noticed a change. The TBM no longer paused, but drove relentlessly downward, almost as if it were intentionally leading him somewhere.

About a day later, the TBM broke through another barrier, drilling down into the passage beyond.

Shen Feng and Firefly leaped in after it. Just as they were about to exit the passage, a large white net dropped from the entrance above, entangling them completely.

A group of slender Underground People swarmed toward them. Their bodies, all female, emitted a soft, fluorescent glow in the darkness, their movements possessed of a wild, radiant sensuality.

In the center of the cavern stood a stone pillar shaped like the TBM. It seemed to be a totem for these Underground People, and it was hung with sacrifices.

"Mother," Firefly said, looking at the glowing, exquisitely-figured woman in the lead.