Chapter 145 - CHAPTER 145:Daily Dungeon Strategy

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Drinking can increase camaraderie, a truth acknowledged across countless worlds.

However, with Shen He's current physique, enhanced to a level comparable to Steve Rogers' Super Soldier Body, it was nearly impossible to get drunk. No matter how much he drank, he merely felt a slight buzz. Natasha and Coulson barely touched their glasses, preferring to stay alert. Finally, everyone turned to Tony, who, amusingly, was already bragging and exaggerating his drinking feats.

"Steve." Shen He suddenly recalled something. "Now that I have some free time, about Bucky… I'll help you."

This was a promise Shen He had made earlier, and he firmly believed that the sooner it was fulfilled, the better.

"Thank you." Steve nodded solemnly.

Even though so much time had passed, and his desperation to find Bucky had tempered into steady resolve, Steve's desire to save his old friend remained unwavering.

The more important something was, the more cautious one had to be.

Besides, Steve trusted Shen He's capabilities completely.

The gathering slowly wound down. After seeing the guests off, Shen He checked the time — it was still early evening.

It was time to dive into a new dungeon.

He summoned Jeanne d'Arc. After considering the nature of the next dungeon, he decided to bring Misaka Mikoto Alter along.

"Jeanne should have already briefed you — we have daily missions in parallel worlds," Shen He explained succinctly. "I'll first help you power up. In battle, focus on maintaining your safety and adapting to the environment."

At Level 37, Shen He's total magic power had now exceeded two thousand points.

This gave him strengthening ability equivalent to "feeding" a five-star follower with sufficient materials to reach about Level 12 in a single day.

Misaka Mikoto Alter, being a highly gifted follower, was categorized as a five-star summon.

As for the "star rating," Shen He had by now formed a rough understanding: it correlated not only to a follower's inherent strength and abilities but also to their rarity in their native world. Violet, for instance — despite her extraordinary combat awareness and capability — still couldn't compare to beings like the Two Rituals, who possessed Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. As such, after their full Liberation, Violet was classified as a four-star.

Misaka Mikoto Alter accepted this without complaint — in fact, she seemed quietly delighted.

The fact that Shen He summoned her rather than the original Misaka Mikoto indicated that, in his mind, she had greater strategic value.

Now aware that she was a mirror of the original Misaka Mikoto, Misaka Mikoto Alter was even more eager to prove her existence and distinctiveness.

Shen He wasn't thinking that deeply.

After assisting Misaka Mikoto Alter's upgrade, her strength rose to Lv3 — giving her a solid baseline for independent combat.

Once she broke through the first bottleneck at Level 20, she'd likely be a proper Lv4, capable of facing more serious threats.

"Let's go."

Prepared, Shen He activated the dungeon entry.

Everyone materialized atop a ruined high-rise.

Calling it a "high-rise" was generous. The entire structure was tilted at a sharp angle, half-buried in rubble. Cracks spiderwebbed through concrete and steel. Nature had reclaimed the world: forests grew through shattered roads and buildings, with vines and trees strangling the remnants of human civilization.

The Earth had become a wasteland — the aftermath of a mechanical lifeform invasion.

Despite the devastation, clear signs of activity remained.

"Violet." Shen He called out calmly.

Violet immediately activated her IS Red Tsubaki. Crimson light flashed as the streamlined armor materialized, wrapping around her with sharp mechanical precision.

"There are approximately sixty active signatures in that direction," Violet reported crisply, pointing with her weaponized scythe.

Even without her IS detection, Shen He could already hear them.

A horde of mechanical creatures lumbered into view — constructs with telescopic, spring-like limbs, rounded heads, and cylindrical torsos. They resembled distorted Android icons from Shen He's memories of his past world.

It was an unmistakable characteristic of the mechanical lifeforms from the NieR: Automata-inspired world they had entered.

"Corrupted spawn!"

Shen He summoned the Imperial Arm [Evil-Ridden Emperor] without hesitation and led the charge.

He was genuinely curious — given that this dungeon combined features from both the God Eater and NieR worlds — what kind of loot and strengthening resources these mechanical abominations would yield.

The mechanical beasts shambled toward them, their awkward limbs swinging bizarrely.

Clang—

A sharp metallic impact rang out. Shen He's expression darkened.

His confident opening strike had been halted by an electromagnetic barrier, shimmering faintly with crackling energy.

Worse, a plier-shaped appendage connected by a telescopic tube whipped toward him at blinding speed — striking him with a tremendous pop and knocking him off his feet.

Two Rituals, dashing in from behind, managed to catch him before he hit the debris-strewn ground.

Shen He rubbed his chest with an incredulous look. Were these really just low-tier mobs?

"The entire arm structure is composed of high-compression springs," Qi Mu Nanxiong's voice rang telepathically in his mind. "At full extension, their strike velocity approaches 100 kilometers per hour — comparable to a speeding car."

"One hundred kilometers per hour…"

Shen He's gaze narrowed as he took in the mechanical horde growing around them.

Only now did he truly understand what the "Mutation" in the dungeon's name implied.

This was a heavily amplified version of the NieR: Automata mechanical world.

Crack—

A black arc of electromagnetic lightning flashed across the battlefield as Misaka Mikoto Alter struck.

However, her blast merely skittered off the enemy's reinforced electromagnetic shields, accompanied by the hiss of discharging electricity.

Their defenses were formidable.

"Style — your turn."

Shen He turned to the Two Rituals standing beside him.

She nodded lightly and sprang into action. Shen He and Jeanne d'Arc followed right behind, spears at the ready.

The Two Rituals' Mystic Eyes of Death Perception glowed faintly.

With precise thrusts of her blade, she pierced straight through the enemy's electromagnetic barrier, severing their metal cores with chilling ease.

Shrieks of grinding steel filled the air as mechanical corpses collapsed — a shower of broken parts and sparking wires.

One fragment — a bright, gear-like object — shone among the debris.

Qi Mu Nanxiong, using his powerful mind telekinesis, swiftly collected the object.

Suddenly, the remaining mechanical lifeforms reacted violently.

"Vengeance. Revenge. Revenge..."

Their mechanical voices echoed ominously as several of them activated their spring-loaded legs — launching themselves at the party at car-like speeds.

The mass-attack weapon installed on Violet's body suddenly exploded into a cascading band of impact energy.

In the flashing radiance reflected by the electromagnetic barriers, Shen He keenly noticed that even the electromagnetic shielding on the mechanical beings who hadn't been directly hit showed signs of simultaneous weakening.

These mechanical beings were not operating independently; they shared a unified electromagnetic network.

No, on second thought—it might be a shared core link.

This realization only flashed through Shen He's mind for a moment before a plan formed instantly.

"Split them up!" Shen He shouted decisively.

His figure bolted toward one side of the battlefield, and a small detachment of mechanical beings broke off to pursue him, leveraging the hydraulic power amplification systems embedded into their limbs to accelerate unnaturally fast.

Even though the other followers didn't immediately grasp Shen He's deeper intention, they instinctively mirrored his movement. In the blink of an eye, the team had fragmented into different clusters across the ruined steel arena.

Shen He deliberately lured a dozen mechanical units away, creating enough separation before sharply pivoting to observe the results. Sure enough, the electromagnetic barriers enveloping his pursuers weakened visibly.

"It should be possible now..."

With a low breath, Shen He abruptly halted, driving the point of his carbine forward in a piercing thrust.

The spear, charged with compressed spiritual energy and Shen He's full physical force, created a shrill sonic boom as it broke through the air. Coupled with the mechanical being's own forward momentum, the tip easily punched through the weakened electromagnetic barrier, penetrating deep into its core chassis. A sharp explosion followed, scattering twisted metal debris around.

From the wreckage, a glowing mechanical gear floated upward, rotating with faint pulses of energy.

"Vengeance, vengeance, vengeance..."

The remaining mechanical lives seemed to become frenzied by the destruction of their kin, howling static rage from their voice synthesizers. But Shen He only narrowed his eyes calmly.

The next moment, a group of followers materialized around him in layered formation, having regrouped at high speed under Qi Mu Nanzi's silent coordination.

"The fewer their number, the thinner the barrier protection," Shen He explained while already lunging forward again. "Now it should be much easier."

When Shen He's voice fell, his spear had already pierced through another mechanical enemy's weakened core.

As long as the electromagnetic barrier was breached, these mechanical creatures were no better than rugged junk heaps. With their new strategy, the followers, led by Jeanne d'Arc and Qi Mu Nanzi, worked seamlessly, pulling, isolating, and annihilating.

In less than five minutes, this particular wave of mechanical enemies had been utterly wiped out.

"Master, what's this?" Jeanne asked as she knelt to pick up the floating gear, its surface inscribed with shifting runes.

"Let me see."

Shen He reached out and accepted it. As soon as his fingers made contact, an influx of information streamed into his mind.

—Mechanical Heart: a consumable item used to unlock or enhance mechanical followers.

Shen He immediately understood: mechanical-type followers couldn't be strengthened with ordinary reinforcement stones—they needed these specialized Mechanical Hearts instead.

However, it was a bit of a pity: at the moment, Shen He didn't have any mechanical followers yet. He could only wonder how potent the enhancements would be when applied.

Moreover, the experience yield from this "Ruined Mechanical Workshop" dungeon was exceptionally high—confirming that stronger mobs brought richer rewards.

"Alright, let's get moving!" Shen He laughed, swinging his carbine with enthusiasm. "This dungeon is ideal for practicing monster kiting. I recommend handling ten to fifteen at a time. Qi Mu and Violet, especially—you can fly, so you two will be responsible for drawing the largest groups. Everyone else, focus on survival first. Close-quarters hits still hurt."

Since this was a daily dungeon, plot immersion wasn't necessary.

Efficient monster farming was the top priority.

Thus, beginning from this day, Shen He's life started to settle back into a rhythm.

He allotted two hours daily for clearing dungeons to level up and strengthen his team, while the remaining time was divided between training, research, and enjoying life. He even fulfilled an earlier promise—bringing a pure white Persian kitten to Ryougi Shiki.

The little ball of fluff, no larger than a teacup, turned out to be extraordinarily lazy but endearingly affectionate. Shiki's mood noticeably brightened every day after the kitten's arrival.

After five days, when the double dungeon event concluded, Coulson sought Shen He out with new intelligence.

They had discovered a dormant Hydra nest at the location Jeanne had previously marked.

It was a hidden underground base, and based on the field agents' investigation, it was primarily a storage depot rather than an active operations hub.

It seemed that after taking a series of crushing blows recently, Hydra had opted to lie low again—falling into cryogenic stasis in some cases. Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier, should be among the frozen assets.

"Has Steve been informed?" Shen He asked.

"Not yet," Coulson answered, shaking his head. "The Captain spends most of his time training the city's volunteer guard force. He patrols alongside them, helping locals, foiling crime rings... He genuinely seems happy."

Despite how much the world had changed, Steve Rogers remained the boy who simply wanted to help others.

This, Shen He thought, was one of the few changes he'd inadvertently caused that he had no regrets about.

In the original movie timeline, Steve, burdened with endless black-ops missions under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s morally gray banner, had felt increasingly adrift and cynical.

Here, helping ordinary citizens had given him back his sense of purpose—one that no propaganda could ever manufacture.

"Then there's no need to tell him yet," Shen He concluded.

Just as he finished speaking, the surrounding air shimmered—and Accelerator (Yifang Tongxing) teleported in abruptly.

Only... the scene was a little off.

"...Are you wearing an apron?" Shen He asked, wide-eyed.

Though Accelerator still wore his usual simple black and white attire underneath, over it he now sported a bright pink apron with a frilly hem.

"That brat kept pestering for fried eggs," Accelerator said emotionlessly, wiping his hands—oddly, not on the apron, but on the shirt itself.

Shen He instantly realized: the apron must have been a present from Misaka Mikoto (Misaka Misaka).

Young love blooming awkwardly but sincerely.

"I have a mission for you." Shen He handed over a data tablet displaying Bucky's profile. "Infiltrate the base and retrieve this person alive. An elite squad will assist you."

"I don't need their help," Accelerator replied bluntly.

"Are you sure?" Shen He arched an eyebrow. "Your powers are still under seal—only around lv4 strength. If you mess up and die, who's going to take care of Misaka?"

"..."

Accelerator was silent for a long moment, then solemnly untied the pink apron, folding it carefully before tucking it into his inner pocket.

"If they get in my way, I won't save them."

"Good enough."

Shen He smiled faintly and nodded toward Coulson, signaling the operation's start.

Although the mission held real dangers for an Accelerator operating under sealed conditions at lv18, Shen He had prearranged a summoning ritual that would allow him to intervene instantly if needed.

Still, entrusting such missions to people like Accelerator had lifted a heavy burden from Shen He's shoulders.

As seen from his original background, Accelerator's violent façade masked a ruthlessly rational mind capable of completing delicate operations without flinching.

The preparations afterward were straightforward.

After the India operation, Shen He had become deeply aware of the vast disparity between the former S.H.I.E.L.D.'s resources and the current Chaldean setup—not only in manpower but also technological hardware.

Previously, S.H.I.E.L.D. had enjoyed unlimited World Security Council funding.

Now, operating semi-independently under a private corporate shell, Chaldea had to be more creative.

Thus, Shen He had orchestrated several "Hydra" raids: publicly attacking abandoned military depots, stealing decommissioned stealth aircraft like the KUN-style fighters, and salvaging surviving parts.

With Qi Mu Nanzi handling repairs and Tony Stark spearheading technological upgrades, the Chaldean forces rapidly modernized their hardware.

As a result, the efficiency of agent missions skyrocketed.

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