Chapter 389

Chapter 389: Robot: Gold Coin

Although its movements were stiff and emitted a buzzing sound from electromagnetic joints, it still felt quite different from the fluidity of the gold giant dragon’s true form. However, the original version of the robot created by Gold Coin was already quite impressive.

This robot, based on the gold giant dragon’s parts, was entirely different from those developed by humans in this world.

It had no operating system and no intelligent processing core. Its only control center was a piece of gold giant dragon material the size of a walnut, which controlled the robot’s movements and reactions through the magnetic field and electric current it generated.

To minimize losses, Gold Coin had hidden a small fragment of Split Metal with splitting abilities inside the robot’s brain, allowing it to absorb some unexpected mishaps.

The "memory" stored only basic modules and joint drives. As for the processor, although it was real, its performance was far from impressive. It was essentially a decoy, mostly inactive and unplugged. The only working core was Gold Coin’s fragment.

"I thought this would be complicated, but it turns out to be quite simple!" The robot, resembling Gold Coin, swung a steel rod around, looking like a thug on the streets trying to intimidate someone.

Gold Coin had frequently used Lin Mo’s account to purchase various special metals. Because of Lin Mo’s military identity, he could even get strict military strategic metals.

Of course, metals with nuclear radiation, such as uranium and plutonium, were out of reach. It was a stroke of luck to have obtained depleted uranium armor from the Americans’ secret military base.

Finishing the robot’s tuning and assembly so quickly left Gold Coin feeling quite proud. Having been in this world for some time, he finally managed to create something that resembled a proper robot, giving him a sense of accomplishment.

When in a good mood, Gold Coin’s appetite grew, which led to a continued depletion of Lin Mo’s bank account.

Gold Coin, now in his humanoid form, seemed to have developed a refined taste. Ordinary steel products no longer appealed to him; only various special steels and composite metals could pique his interest.

"What are you planning to do? Pretend to be human?" Lin Mo thought of this possibility and couldn’t help but chuckle, pointing at the gold giant dragon robot. He stepped closer and tapped the robot’s head with his finger, producing a crisp metallic sound.

This was no joke; no matter how well the robot was disguised, it couldn’t become human. Even if it wore silicone skin and looked just like a real person, its electromagnetic reactions and weight would easily betray it.

No matter how capable Gold Coin was, he couldn’t make himself undetectable like a non-metallic composite material. Even if many devices weren’t designed to detect him, they couldn’t avoid triggering alarms.

Human society was full of metal and magnetic detection equipment, which was certainly not good news for the country bumpkin gold giant dragon who had come from another world.

"Naturally, I’m here to impersonate your engineering robot! You have so many robotic arms and non-human machines here, so having one more or one less doesn’t matter. With the existing parts in the base and your training data, assembling a robot shouldn’t be too surprising. Besides, isn’t this what I usually do?"

The robot replied, impatiently pushing Lin Mo’s greasy hand away. The once shiny head now bore marks from nine yin white bone claws, which made the image-conscious Gold Coin furious.

From the very beginning, Gold Coin had carefully hidden by Lin Mo’s side, but now that he had the ability to split as support, his courage grew. He seemed eager to openly appear in human society without hiding anymore.

"Aren’t you afraid of scaring others? Hello, Terminator!" Lin Mo shrugged and walked to the bathroom, scrubbing away grease and dirt from his hands with soap. After cleaning up, he needed to rush to the dining hall. Although it offered 24-hour service, he preferred hot, freshly cooked meals.

Having experienced so many of Gold Coin’s new antics, Lin Mo had built up quite a bit of immunity.

Of course, this gold giant dragon was still spending Lin Mo’s money, charging things to his card. Fortunately, metals in this world weren’t overly expensive, and Lin Mo’s salary was just enough to support this guy. If it were in another world, regardless of which empire, it would be unimaginable.

As long as Lin Mo remained a reliable constant, the gold giant dragon could become as unruly as it wanted, but it still had to stay close to Lin Mo, waiting for an opportunity to indulge.

Past experiences showed that whenever Gold Coin separated from Lin Mo for more than 24 hours, it would invariably end up dodging bombs. Whether it was a coincidence or fate, no one could tell.

"What do I have to be afraid of? In Lin Mo’s name, you are my best disguise! Hahaha!" both the actual and robotic Gold Coin chortled in unison, evidently pleased with themselves.

Gold Coin was becoming increasingly skilled at controlling the splitting ability based on Split Metal. It had gotten used to using Lin Mo as a shield.

Cleaning up each other’s messes was part of their symbiotic agreement.

During their time at Night, Lin Mo had accumulated a mound of various electronic components and mechanical parts, which must have weighed at least hundreds of tons.

With a wide array of recognizable and unrecognizable mechanical components and parts, it was fortunate that Night’s underground facility was part of the national ultimate defense system, providing enough space for Lin Mo to stash everything. As for assembling a robot, it could be considered acceptable, although if someone took it too seriously, holes might emerge.

"Don’t worry, don’t worry. Human-like robots aren’t nonexistent here. People are more likely to accept robots than to cope with seeing a dragon from another world."

Gold Coin unexpectedly pulled out a tungsten alloy rod, about the thickness of a finger, filling the room with a harsh metallic tearing sound as it played with the object.

“Alright, if you get dragged away for target practice, don’t blame me!” Lin Mo said, his lips twitching slightly as he washed his hands in the bathroom. Gold Coin was like an extremely curious child, eager to stick its head out and explore this world, never discouraged by repeated failures.

Perhaps Gold Coin felt jealous that Lin Mo could smoothly and effortlessly integrate into this world while it had to endure the humiliation of relying on providing protection for food, which was incredibly frustrating for the proud dragon.

Humans in this world had mastered the application of metals to an incredible degree. While it wasn’t entirely intentional, the limitations on Gold Coin as a gold giant dragon were significant.

Thus, while immersing itself in the learning of this world’s technological civilization, Gold Coin was also seeking ways to blend into society.

Having received a deep lesson from revealing itself as a gold giant dragon, Gold Coin knew that appearing like that could lead to severe consequences—almost getting beaten into a pulp by humans in this world.

The experiences in the South China Sea showed that hiding was not an option. If it weren’t for the Americans’ reluctance to use strategic-level weapons in Chinese territorial waters, a nuclear weapon would have been dropped, leaving the poor dragon either dead or severely damaged.

Despite having a natural affinity for metals, the gold giant dragon could still not defend itself against humans, who had their own means to deal with metals. Just a single splash of aqua regia could spell disaster for Gold Coin.

Well, after facing several setbacks, Gold Coin finally wised up and decided to change its approach, but it hoped it wouldn’t truly end up like Lin Mo suggested—dragged away for target practice.

After all, the Terminators often found themselves in that situation.

“Shall we go out for a walk together? Let everyone meet you?” Lin Mo suggested as he watched Gold Coin munching eagerly. He rubbed his belly, deliberately teasing the dragon.

Teasing? Why did Gold Coin have a mischievous grin on its face as if Lin Mo was flirting with it?

Regardless, Lin Mo knew this resilient creature would not easily be defeated.

Everyone had to admit that both the man and the dragon were audacious by nature.

“Let’s go if we’re going!”

Though Gold Coin’s words sounded stubborn like a tough duck, it felt a bit uneasy inside. The base’s defense systems were formidable; during its previous stealthy explorations, Gold Coin had already identified at least three types of automated defense weapons that posed significant threats to it.

Gold Coin stood from the couch and leaned against the table, transforming into a "Fire Seed" component module. This object was inconspicuous in the base, well-known to everyone as something Lin Mo liked to collect. He had quite a few of them.

The security and technical departments had thoroughly inspected it, discovering it to be only a collection of components—perfectly safe. They were already accustomed to finding "Fire Seeds" mixed among Lin Mo’s belongings.

Lin Mo led the way, with Gold Coin’s robotic form following closely behind, openly making its first appearance in the "Night" base corridor. Who knew what might happen?

“Lin Mo, do you really think I won’t get dragged away for target practice?” The robot’s voice began to sound more natural, but it couldn’t disguise the trembling in its core. Even though it was a fragment, if destroyed, it would still hurt the gold giant dragon deeply.

“Let’s just wait and see! It’s too late to be afraid now!” Lin Mo stood tall and walked ahead.

As they approached, a lieutenant from the Staff Group was focused on his tactical tablet. When he saw someone walking towards him, he instinctively looked up to check the rank before standing at attention and saluting, “Good day, Major Lin!”

“Uh-huh, Lieutenant Ma! How are you?” Lin Mo returned the salute.

It seemed Lieutenant Ma, still holding the tablet, didn’t notice the robot behind Lin Mo nor did he look closely, as he redirected his focus back to the screen and simply walked past, completely unaware of anything unusual.

“What’s up with him? Didn’t he see me?” Gold Coin asked, turning its head in confusion to look back at Lieutenant Ma. The unexpected reaction left it feeling ignored, despite all its preparations, never anticipating such a situation.