169: Park old man

Tian Ming walked, accumulating samples of various alloys. But what surprised Tian Ming most about this outing was Qiu Qian's transformation. She had transformed from a delicate young girl into a powerful female warrior.

"With your advantages, if you could skillfully use firearms, you would be even stronger," Tian Ming said as he walked.

Qiu Qian smiled slightly and said, "Boss, I'm not like you. To give an inappropriate example, you can control elements, but I can't. Even with the integration of a second consciousness, what I gain is only combat power. Firearms, or energy weapons, they all have a fatal weakness."

Tian Ming smiled and asked, "Weakness?"

"Yes, I can't control elements, and the bullets I carry are limited. Even energy weapons can run out. So, cold weapons are the most suitable for me."

Tian Ming pondered; what Qiu Qian said made a lot of sense. It seemed that the second consciousness within her not only gave her terrifying close-combat abilities but also made Qiu Qian aware of many other things.

"Qiu Qian, has your second consciousness told you what she did before?"

Qiu Qian frowned, looking at Tian Ming with some confusion: "Boss, why are you asking that?"

"My ability was granted by God; he represents the rules of this universe's origin. Your second consciousness said she wanted to return, and..." Tian Ming recalled what happened that day and did not continue.

Qiu Qian's face flushed slightly as she said, "Boss, I know what you want to ask. Actually, I don't quite understand either. My second consciousness told me about the conscious entity born from the universe's primordial rules. Then, a God-level Civilization evolved. They are not one, but came from countless evolved consciousnesses. The rules are continuously subdividing, and what you have is the source of the rules. My second consciousness is the God of Combat who followed the primordial conscious entity."

Tian Ming was stunned. God of Combat? This seemed even more powerful than he had guessed.

"My second consciousness told me that she was born because of you. These conscious entities have no gender, no physical form, and are pure energy bodies. They can appear anywhere in the universe instantly."

Tian Ming silently digested Qiu Qian's words, half understanding, half confused.

Qiu Qian smiled and said, "Boss, this stuff is too profound; even I can't understand it."

Tian Ming nodded: "Don't say you can't understand it; I can't either. But what puzzles me is, why would this God-level Civilization divide into so many conscious entities instead of merging into one? Wouldn't that make them omnipotent?"

"My second consciousness said that because they are energy itself, they are within the game and cannot step outside. According to the evolution of the universe, countless conscious entities were divided to participate in the construction of the earliest intelligent civilizations. No matter how civilization develops, it can never transcend beyond this universe. So, the primordial Creator God gave up and transformed into a Red Crystal Core."

"I know this. I saw fragments of the Creator God's memory. He could manipulate rules but couldn't change them, much less control time. In a three-dimensional universe, he was a god, but he was still bound by time," Tian Ming said.

Qiu Qian nodded slightly and said, "My second consciousness is extremely loyal to the primordial Creator God. When you helped me remove the virus, this conscious energy entity sensed it and took me as her vessel."

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. It feels too far removed from us. We haven't even solved the problems on this planet; are we still dreaming of saving the universe?"

After learning the truth, Tian Ming felt a bit ridiculous himself.

Ultimately, both he and Qiu Qian were merely vessels endowed with abilities. The primordial Creator God within him might stay for tens of millions of years. Worrying about things tens of millions of years in the future was indeed a bit ridiculous.

The two walked out of the park building and entered a nearby factory. A giant metal forging machine was placed there, or more precisely, a 3D integrated casting machine capable of producing various irregular components.

Using metal powder as raw material, it could produce all kinds of parts.

This thing is good. He just didn't know if there were experts in this area in the Shelter. If so, taking it back for them to research, to manufacture weapons or other products, would be a good choice.

Just as Tian Ming was about to replicate it, a sound came from a corner of the factory area.

With a whoosh, Qiu Qian immediately drew her blade, her face full of vigilance. In an instant, the surrounding atmosphere became extremely tense.

"Click!"

A figure sped over, and Qiu Qian reacted even faster, meeting him directly.

The person swung a steel pipe, bringing it down.

Clang!...

Blade met steel, and the steel pipe was directly cut in half. The person was clearly startled, quickly retreating a few steps. He narrowly avoided Qiu Qian's blade.

"Wait, it's not a zombie!" Tian Ming said hurriedly.

It was an old man with white hair, wearing a worn-out security uniform. He held half a steel pipe, in an attacking stance, looking at Qiu Qian with full vigilance.

"Who are you?" the old man asked.

Qiu Qian gripped the hilt of her blade tightly, the tip pointing downwards, her body ready to launch an attack at any moment.

Tian Ming walked up and asked, "Who are you?"

The old man looked at Tian Ming cautiously, then at Qiu Qian, slowly lowered the steel pipe in his hand, and said, "I'm the park's security guard. Who are you?"

"My name is Lu Tianming, and I am the owner of the Shelter outside the city!"

The old man asked coldly, "Shelter? Looking at this girl's speed, she must be a mutant too, right?"

"Yes, I am." Qiu Qian put away her blade, stepped forward, and admitted it very generously.

The old man was startled, then said, "No matter what you're here for, please leave immediately. This is my territory."

"Your territory? On your territory, are you the only one?" Tian Ming found it a bit amusing.

Before Tian Ming finished speaking, more than a dozen tall men appeared one after another inside the factory, surrounding Tian Ming and Qiu Qian.

They held very crude weapons: iron rods, shields, and modified crossbows. Most of them were ordinary people, and this old man was their leader.

His situation should be similar to Qiu Qian's; after being infected with the virus, he didn't mutate into a zombie but instead gained impressive supernatural abilities.

"Leave here quickly, otherwise, don't blame us for being impolite," the old man warned again.

Tian Ming frowned slightly: "Impolite? How impolite?"

"Just leave here, don't say any more nonsense," the old man warned again.

Tian Ming ignored him, stepped forward, and they only felt their hands empty as their weapons turned into powder and fell directly to the ground.

The old man turned pale with fright, looking at Tian Ming and Qiu Qian with a vigilant expression.