Chapter 375: Last Signal

"There’s a mission like this?" Kai didn’t expected as he saw the notification

[ Hidden Quest: Citadel Breaker - Completed. ]

"I guess this is really an achievement, huh..."

He then quickly looked at the notifications.

He had completely forgotten about the possibility of receiving a quest reward.

After all, he had entered the Citadel simply because he wanted to find out more about the machine civilization. And perhaps, loot a few more treasures.

The fact that he had ended up destroying the entire fortress had been a decision he made only after discovering how difficult it would be to reach the Central Command.

But apparently, the System had been watching everything.

Another notification appeared.

Ding!

[ Hidden Quest Evaluation is being conducted. ]

[ Performance Evaluation: Exceptional. ]

[ You infiltrated the enemy’s Floating Citadel without external assistance. ]

[ You successfully breached the Citadel’s defensive barrier. ]

[ You infiltrated the Citadel’s internal network. ]

[ You reached the primary energy distribution system. ]

[ You destroyed the Floating Citadel from within. ]

[ You successfully saved a Human City from destruction. ]

Kai’s eyes widened as he read through the notifications.

"That’s quite a detailed evaluation..."

He couldn’t help but feel a little proud.

The System had basically recorded his entire operation from beginning to end.

Then the final notification appeared.

Ding!

[ Hidden Quest Reward: 1x Legendary-Grade Gift Pack. ]

[ Additional Reward: 1x Machine Civilization Technology Chest. ]

[ Additional Reward: 20,000 Reputation Points. ]

[ Additional Reward: Title - Citadel Breaker. ]

Kai’s mouth slowly opened.

"Legendary-Grade Gift Pack?"

His eyes immediately lit up.

He had obtained countless items through his Infinite Gift Pack Talent, but a Legendary-Grade Gift Pack was still something that caught his attention.

However, there was another reward that interested him even more.

"Machine Civilization Technology Chest..."

Kai looked toward the burning wreckage of the Citadel in the distance.

If the chest contained technology from this machine civilization, then it might be far more valuable than a simple combat item.

After all, Chamber had already confirmed that the technology used by these machines was connected to a much larger civilization.

Kai suddenly remembered the question that had been bothering him ever since the Citadel appeared.

And why had they suddenly appeared above Cameron City? Do they just want to eradicate humanity? Or perhaps, there was something more, and they weren’t just aware of it.

He had destroyed the Citadel before reaching its Central Command, which meant he had lost the opportunity to investigate its main database.

However, this Technology Chest might give him another chance to obtain something useful.

Kai smiled.

"Not bad."

Then he noticed the final notification... the new title.

Just like that. Kai immediately opened the title information.

[ Title Acquired: Citadel Breaker ]

[ Effect: Damage dealt to large mechanical structures is increased by 15%. ]

Kai’s eyes widened.

"Fifteen percent?"

That wasn’t a bad effect at all.

Although it was a specialized title, there would definitely be situations where such an effect could become extremely useful, especially if he encountered another Citadel...

Kai glanced at the burning wreckage again.

There was no way he could have imagined that his decision to infiltrate the fortress would result in so many rewards.

But just as he was about to check the Legendary-Grade Gift Pack, another notification appeared.

Ding!

[ Due to the destruction of a Floating Citadel, the machine civilization has registered you as a high-priority threat. ]

Kai’s smile froze.

"Wait."

He stared at the notification.

"Registered me?"

[ Your combat data has been recorded. ]

[ Your identity has been classified as a hostile entity. ]

[ Future encounters with the machine civilization may result in increased enemy response. ]

[Ding!]

[ Special Title Acquired: Aria’s Enemy. ]

Kai stared at the title.

"Aria’s Enemy...?"

He immediately opened its information...

[ Title Acquired: Aria’s Enemy ]

[ Effect: Your actions have been recognized as a direct threat to Aria’s interests. Machine-type entities under Aria’s influence will prioritize you as a high-value hostile target. Damage dealt to Machine-type entities under Aria’s influence is increased by 10%. ]

Kai’s expression slowly became serious.

"So they know it was me. This title is a double-edged sword."

Chamber immediately responded through his wrist device.

[ Confirmed. The probability that the machine civilization has identified the individual responsible for the Citadel’s destruction is high. ]

Kai sighed.

"Of course."

He had just blown up an entire Floating Citadel in the middle of their invasion.

There was no way they would simply assume it had been an accident.

Kai looked back toward Cameron City.

The battle was still continuing below, although the sudden destruction of the Citadel had clearly changed the situation. The machines that had been deployed across the battlefield were now scattered, while several of the airborne units appeared to have lost their coordination.

However, something else caught Kai’s attention.

The twelve Ascendant Units were nowhere to be seen.

Kai frowned.

"Chamber, where are the Ascendant Units? Did they get destroyed or something?"

[ Their current locations cannot be confirmed. ]

Kai knew that those A.I. would find him.

"They didn’t get destroyed, did they?"

[ Unknown. ]

Kai looked toward the distant explosion.

He wasn’t convinced. Those machines had survived the destruction of the energy distribution junction and had even pursued him through the collapsing Citadel.

If anything, Kai suspected that the Ascendant Units had probably escaped somehow.

Still, there was nothing he could do about them right now.

He had already pushed his luck far enough.

Kai turned the Dragoon back toward Cameron City.

"Let’s go back."

[ Understood. ]

The Dragoon slowly changed direction.

Kai glanced once more at the burning wreckage of the Floating Citadel before looking at the rewards waiting in his system.

A Legendary-Grade Gift Pack.

A Machine Civilization Technology Chest and more...

Kai couldn’t help but smile.

"Looks like that little trip was worth it."

However, deep within the burning wreckage of the Citadel, something suddenly flickered.

A small mechanical device, buried beneath several layers of destroyed armor, briefly activated.

Then, a faint red light appeared.

After a few moments, a signal was transmitted into the distant sky...

Kai had no idea what it was or what was happening, but he knew that there was a problem somewhere...