TCPUAAV Chapter 58

 

Without saying a word, Ruan Shiqing returned home and went straight to his workshop.

 

Bringing up a virtual screen, he opened the outer city map and marked two red points—the locations of the first and second murders.

 

Both crime scenes were within one kilometer of the repair shop, and the second victim had been a customer who had just left the store.

 

This couldn’t be a coincidence.

 

It strongly suggested that the killer was lurking nearby.

 

A ticking time bomb could be hiding right next to the shop, ready to strike again at any moment.

 

Ruan Shiqing’s expression darkened further.

 

Right now, the cubs were still away training, but once they returned, they would be going to school, playing outside, walking back and forth daily.

 

What if one of them was targeted next?

 

He couldn’t live constantly on edge, waiting for the next attack.

 

Instead of passively worrying, it was better to eliminate the problem at its source.

 

His eyes turned cold.

 

He called 09 into the workshop.

 

Since the bodies were always discovered in the morning, the killer must be operating at night.

 

And during the day, the best place to hide was the scrapyard, with its complex terrain and endless piles of junk.

 

Ruan Shiqing retrieved several miniature panoramic cameras, disassembled their outer shells, and modified them into small tracking devices.

 

Each tracker was camouflaged to blend into junk piles or the ground, making them nearly invisible.

 

Once they locked onto a target, they could move swiftly, providing 360-degree surveillance and live video feeds.

 

It took him half a day to modify thirty trackers.

 

Afterward, he handed them to 09.

 

“Find a way to scatter these quietly. Focus on a one-kilometer radius around the repair shop.”

 

If the killer moved again, Ruan Shiqing would be able to immediately pinpoint their location.

 

Although he had always avoided killing, that didn’t mean he was afraid of it.

 

A sharp glint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes.

 

Before 09 left, Ruan Shiqing added, “Don’t tell anyone for now.”

 

The golden robot nodded.

 

Leaving the workshop, he hopped onto a hover bike and drove off.

 

Meanwhile, Ruan Shiqing headed to the warehouse to gather weapons.

 

After partnering with Marlin, he had been researching more powerful, more stable, and lower-cost weaponry.

 

He had drawn countless blueprints and built numerous prototypes—but many first-gen models had defects that needed improvement before mass production.

 

Those unfinished first- and second-gen prototypes had piled up in the warehouse, gathering dust.

 

But even if they weren’t mass-production ready, their firepower was still more than enough for individual use.

 

Ruan Shiqing picked out five plasma torpedoes, two mini plasma rifles, and two handheld plasma cannons. Then, after some thought, he also rolled out a recent project—A light armor walker.

 

This was his first functional prototype, built from a retired large fighter jet.

 

He had stripped away all non-essential components, keeping only the central computer system, the cockpit and its weapons.

 

He then reinforced it with thick armor plates and attached four massive mechanical legs for ground mobility.

 

The once scrapped fighter jet was now a walking steel beast.

 

Using advanced computation, a gyroscopic stabilizer, and ground sensors, the walker’s four mechanical legs could mimic natural movement, allowing it to traverse even rough terrain at high speed.

 

In his original plan, these light armor walkers would patrol factories and conduct reconnaissance and serve as combat units when necessary.

 

The walker had thick armor plating, resistant to anything but heavy turbine cannons. It was also armed with a heavy turbine plasma cannon, twin-linked plasma guns and a plasma torpedo launcher.

 

The upgraded energy storage unit provided greater stability, ensuring sustained firepower.

 

Ruan Shiqing had planned to present the prototype to Marlin once he returned from his business trip.

 

But now—It looked like he would be the one to test it first.

 

Once everything was in place, Ruan Shiqing returned to the workshop.

 

A tiny hand clutched the hem of his shirt, following closely behind.

 

Ever since the murders, the cub had become noticeably more anxious—And even clingier.

 

He refused to let Ruan Shiqing out of his sight, following him everywhere.

 

Even when Ruan Shiqing went to the bathroom, the cub would wait outside the door.

 

The delicate tendrils on his forehead twitched constantly, and his large eyes never left Ruan Shiqing’s figure.

 

Now was no exception.

 

Ruan Shiqing scooped him up and placed him on a small chair beside him.

 

Then, he opened the AI terminal, set it to the children’s channel, and placed it in front of the cub, to keep him occupied.

 

Ruan Shiqing silently returned home and went straight to his workshop.

 

Bringing up the defense system interface, he began fine-tuning the trackers that had been deployed. Since they were integrated with the security system, he could monitor and adjust them remotely at any time.

 

Meanwhile, 09 rode his hover bike around the outer city, carefully scattering the thirty-plus trackers throughout the area.

 

One by one, thumbnail video feeds began popping up on the virtual screen until the entire interface was filled with live surveillance footage.

 

Ruan Shiqing systematically checked each one, ensuring they were functioning correctly before exiting the interface.

 

Now—It was just a matter of waiting.

 

With another gruesome murder, the tension in the outer city had risen sharply.

 

Even the homeless drifters, who usually roamed freely, had found places to hide, unwilling to risk staying out in the open.

 

But there were always a few bold—or desperate—souls who thought otherwise.

 

Some figured that, with everyone staying inside, they had a better chance of scavenging for unclaimed loot in the scrapyard at night.

 

Under the cold white moonlight, a man rummaged through a pile of metal debris, his elongated shadow stretching behind him.

 

The rustling of trash masked the faint scraping sounds creeping up from behind—Until a sudden gust of icy breath brushed against the back of his neck.

 

His body froze, and his eyes darted nervously, staring at the ground.

 

The moonlight cast an enormous, looming shadow over him.

 

A skittering, clicking sound echoed at his ear, making his skin crawl with fear.

 

Holding his breath, he slowly shifted his gaze sideways—And caught a partial glimpse of the creature behind him.

 

Thick, bristly appendages twitched in the air, razor-sharp and densely covered in fine hairs.

 

At their base, a hardened exoskeleton gleamed under the moonlight.

 

A massive insectoid creature loomed over him, at least three meters tall, its flat, armored body lined with twelve pairs of long, sharp limbs.

 

Terror gripped him.

 

His hands and feet went stiff, and his voice caught in his throat, unable to scream.

 

Only his wildly dilated pupils betrayed his sheer panic.

 

Behind him, the insectoid monster shifted, its appendages brushing against his skin.

 

Images of shredded corpses flashed through his mind.

 

His instincts screamed at him to run, but fear had paralyzed his body.

 

Then—

 

“Duck!”

 

A sharp voice cut through the still night like a blade.

 

The man dropped down instantly, his survival instincts kicking in.

 

A piercing hum rang in his ears, followed by the heavy thud of something crashing to the ground, and then, the sound of a creature thrashing violently.

 

Shaking, the man turned his head, and saw the Zerg writhing on the ground, struggling to get up.

 

Its head had been blown open, a gaping wound leaking thick green fluid onto the metal debris, where it sizzled and smoked upon contact.

 

The man finally broke free from his paralyzing fear, scrambling away in a panic.

 

“Zergs! It’s a Zerg!”

 

His horrified scream shattered the silence.

 

From the shadows, Ruan Shiqing and his team emerged, their expressions grim.

 

Steadying his handheld plasma cannon, Ruan Shiqing kept the weapon trained on the writhing insectoid.

 

“09 and I will handle this. Take him back and alert the others—confirm if there are more of them.”

 

His last sentence was directed at Xiong Yuanyuan, who had come along.

 

Zergs.

 

There wasn’t a single citizen in the Galactic Empire who didn’t know of them.

 

The history of war against the Zergs was woven into the very fabric of the Empire’s history.

 

It was only through the blood and sacrifice of countless imperial soldiers that the Zerg menace had been pushed to the front lines, securing peace in the Empire’s core regions.

 

But now—

 

A Zerg had appeared on B3024.

 

This was completely unexpected.

 

When investigating the murders, Ruan Shiqing had considered many possibilities—different species, different motivations.

 

But he had never expected the killer to be a Zerg.

 

These creatures were strong, vicious, and incredibly resilient.

 

One Zerg alone wasn’t a major threat—

 

But what truly made them terrifying was that they never acted alone.

 

They always moved in swarms.

 

Expression icy, Ruan Shiqing fired another plasma blast, ensuring the creature was completely neutralized.

 

Then, he climbed into his light armor walker.

 

“09, sweep the area. See if there are more hidden insectoids.”

 

09 activated his anti-gravity thrusters, hovering above the scrapyard to scan for threats.

 

Ruan Shiqing engaged the walker’s infrared detectors, methodically searching the junk piles.

 

As he ventured deeper into the scrapyard—A cluster of red dots flickered onto his virtual screen.

 

Ten… Eleven…

 

Ruan Shiqing’s gaze turned steely cold as he analyzed the positions of these heat signatures.

 

He had guessed correctly.

 

The Zergs had been hiding right near the repair shop all along.

 

On his screen—

 

Eleven Zergs formed a perfect encirclement around the repair shop.

 

 

---

 

We finally get the Zergs involved directly omg…

 

Thanks for reading!

For every three ko-fis, I will upload a bonus chapter~