Free Web NovelChapter 135: Chapter 135: My Battle Armor
Of the methods mentioned in the *Nanomechanical Principles* Chapter "Helpful Household Tips: One Hundred and Eight Ways to Shut Down Nanomachines," the vast majority were unsuitable for Shen Feng’s current situation.
For example, forging it in temperatures of two thousand degrees for at least five minutes, soaking it in highly corrosive aqua regia for seventy-two hours, or zapping it with a strong electrical current.
Most were on par with household tips like using soda to scrub a sink—technically possible, but utterly impractical.
Only seven or eight were actually usable for Shen Feng right now.
But that was more than enough.
Aside from an electromagnetic pulse, the most convenient and fastest method available was high-frequency sound waves.
A Nanomechanical Cluster was, fundamentally, just Nanomechanical Insects interlocked with one another. The connections weren’t particularly strong. Therefore, vibrations from high-frequency sound waves at a specific frequency could temporarily force the entire cluster into a state of resonance, disrupting the fit between each individual insect.
The visible effect was that the nanomachines would enter a sluggish state, similar to a system crash—it was like hitting a pause button.
The noise gave Billy a splitting headache. He immediately clapped his hands over his ears and squatted down.
But seeing Shen Feng so easily halt the mechanical monster’s movements left him dumbfounded. He could hardly believe his eyes.
As far as he was concerned, these mechanical monsters had always been invincible!
Shen Feng cupped the Nanomechanical Robot’s motionless head in his hands. Using his Silicon-Based Brain, he began releasing powerful brainwaves, preparing to enter the robot’s connection system and locate its control core.
His eyes were wide. His Consciousness Antennae slithered like venomous snakes, licking over the Nanomechanical Robot’s various components before splitting into even finer branches to probe its internal structure.
Soon, he had discovered the microscopic structure of the Nanomechanical Robot.
Each macromolecule-sized Nanomechanical Insect possessed an incredibly comprehensive structure.
Though the nanoinsect was small, it had all the essential parts.
Energy storage, data link, solid-state interlocking gears, input-output conversion devices, and so on.
In a strong electromagnetic pulse environment, their internal structures would be destroyed, rendering them irreparable.
This was why the Nanomechanical Insects turned grayish-black and ceased to function after being hit by an EMP.
A single nanoinsect wasn’t structurally complex. But when countless nanoinsects linked together, they first formed clumps visible to the naked eye, like grains of dust.
These clumps then combined again, gradually growing larger. Once they reached a certain volume and quantity, they could receive and execute complex commands. ƒгeewebnovёl.com
And when these Nanomechanical Insects merged into the form of a Construction Machine cluster, they became capable of transforming into different shapes.
Each individual Nanomechanical Insect was a single unit. The next level up was the Nanomechanical Cluster, which operated under a unified set of commands.
Whether they formed a Nanomechanical Robot, one of those multi-legged monsters, or something else entirely, these Nanomechanical Clusters shared a single, unified name.
Construction Machine.
As the name implied, it integrated mining, conversion, and construction.
The most incredible thing about it was that it had no central control core. Every single Nanomechanical Insect could store data and issue commands. The entire body of the Construction Machine was itself a control core, connected via a cloud network.
Each Construction Machine, under the control of its core program, maintained its own distinct boundaries to hold a fixed form. When necessary, however, a vast number of Nanomechanical Insects could loosely aggregate into an even larger whole.
The Gray Tide.
At the same time, deep within the microcircuits of every nanoinsect lay a most fundamental directive: nanoinsects could not devour one another.
This was clearly a rule set by the original developers to prevent the nanoinsects from consuming each other as raw material.
After all, if you brought in a bunch of Nanomechanical Robots to build a house and they devoured each other in the process, you wouldn’t end up with anything.
Shen Feng’s Consciousness Antennae, like a virus, now invaded one Nanomechanical Insect after another, seizing control.
The machine had originally operated entirely based on its internal programming and external commands, but now it was gradually falling under the control of Shen Feng’s Silicon-Based Brain.
Soon, Shen Feng had completely seized control of the Nanomechanical Robot before him.
Or rather, this Construction Machine.
The high-frequency sound waves stopped abruptly. The Nanomechanical Robot ceased all movement, standing stock-still before Shen Feng.
To Billy’s utter shock, the Nanomechanical Robot’s eyes suddenly snapped open. It then threw open its massive mouth and swallowed Shen Feng’s head whole!
Its torso then burst open, metallic ribs spreading wide like a man-eating monster as it engulfed Shen Feng’s entire body.
"AHHH— AHHHHHH—" Billy let out a piercing shriek like a little girl. His legs turned to jelly, too terrified to even think of running.
In the blink of an eye, the Nanomechanical Robot had completely enveloped Shen Feng, and its form began to ripple and flow like a silvery-gray liquid.
The facial area suddenly parted, revealing Shen Feng’s face.
Shen Feng looked at Billy with curiosity. "What’s all the screaming about? You practice that falsetto?"
Billy’s mouth opened and closed, but for a moment, no sound came out.
The scene was just too damn horrifying!
Shen Feng looked down at the cluster of Nanomechanical Insects now encasing his body under the control of his brainwaves, and a satisfied smile spread across his face.
’With this thing,’ he thought, ’I’m on a whole new level.’
It was a full suit of Nanomechanical Armor. It could conceal his identity and boost his physical abilities—incredibly convenient.
It was just a little bulky.
With all this material clinging to him, his frame now stood nearly two meters tall.
Besides, if he maintained this liquid state, he wouldn’t look like the other Nanomechanical Robots, which would make him an easy target for any human survivors.
’I need to come up with a different look...’
’What should I turn into... A big guy, over one-point-nine meters tall, all muscle...’
’Got it!’
Shen Feng let out a sly chuckle. He commanded the Nanomechanical Insects to cover his face. His entire body rippled as the surface changed in color and sheen, taking on the appearance of black skin.
He had transformed into a bald, powerfully built black man.
"B-Boss Mike!?" Billy’s eyes went wide in disbelief.
Luckily, he had seen sci-fi movies like *Terminator* and understood that this had to be technology similar to, or even more advanced than, the liquid metal in the film.
But the movies had also taught him that the more advanced the tech, the more brutal and twisted the thing using it was.
He was now even more terrified of the young man before him.
Maintaining Mike’s appearance with the Nanomechanical Insects, Shen Feng looked down at his new hands, nodded in satisfaction, and grinned.
"Let’s go."
Then, he snatched Billy up, tucked him under his arm like a chick, and broke into a sprint!
His own enhanced body was already extremely strong in its combat state. Now, with this nanomechanical exoskeleton, his strength had multiplied several times over. He was practically a human vehicle.
Shen Feng found what looked like an atrium and abandoned the stairs, leaping vertically between the floors of the mega-structure at a speed many times faster than before.
Billy clung desperately to Shen Feng’s arm, the wind roaring in his ears. The whole experience felt like a dream.
He couldn’t help but recall a quote from Arthur C. Clarke he’d read in his youth: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." frёewebηovel.cѳm
This nanomechanical technology was just like magic!
Just then, Shen Feng’s voice sounded beside him.
"Billy, what were you sentenced for?"
Billy froze, his body trembling violently. He had no choice but to confess everything.
"I... I raped and murdered... three times... and I set fire to a school. I burned... burned seventeen people to death..."
"Hm," Shen Feng replied coldly, saying nothing more as he continued to climb.
After climbing for a bit, he began to figure out other ways to use the Nanomechanical Cluster.
’This thing is an absolute treasure!’
By gathering a large number of Nanomechanical Insects in his legs and changing their construction mode, he could sprout numerous small, spring-like mechanical feet that gave him immense propulsion.
By controlling the Nanomechanical Insects on his back, he could extend mechanical tentacles and spider legs to grip the atrium’s surrounding structures, providing even more lift.
Not only that, but if he wanted, he could make them perform all sorts of tricks. He could even form them into a pliable metal battle suit with no problem.
Iron Man, Masked Rider, the Power Rangers, Star Wars Clone Troopers—he could cosplay as anyone, anytime.
If he had to make a comparison, it was a bit like Iron Man’s nanotech Mark 50 Bleeding Edge armor, and also somewhat similar to the Venom symbiote.
After discovering all these new uses, Shen Feng was deeply shaken. This was exactly the kind of thing he had always dreamed of!
He muttered to himself as he continued to climb with Billy in tow.
"I’m so foolish, really. I only knew that Liquid Metal could be shaped into all sorts of awesome things, but I never expected a Nanomechanical Cluster to be this much fun... What they show in the movies is real. Iron Man’s armor is real..."
Just then, Jingwei’s voice rang out.
"Look at you, acting like you’ve never seen the world. Just a reminder, this thing’s about to run out of power."
Hearing that, Shen Feng executed a sudden flip, landing with Billy on the floor he had just reached.
THUD! His feet hit the ground with a heavy, muffled boom. He casually set Billy down on the floor like a doll.
Billy’s face was chalk white. He looked at the monster-like young man before him, first forcing out two shaky thumbs-ups. Then, unable to hold it in any longer, he lunged for the nearby railing and began to vomit violently.
"Blegh..."
