Allen ignored Victor’s look of existential doubt, bid his master farewell, and returned to his dorm.

As he walked down the long corridor back to his dorm, Allen sank into the palace of thought constructed by DSeek.

The Spiritual Power manipulation techniques Master Mercer had demonstrated during the guidance session had already moved beyond simple "shaping" and into a realm approaching "programming."

He could compress vast streams of information into highly condensed data packets and implant them precisely into a student’s Sea of Spirit. The stability and efficiency of this process far exceeded Allen’s estimations.

This meant that the exploration of the Spiritual Domain by High-tier Wizards was far more profound than described in any textbook. And this was just a Teaching Golem. Allen couldn’t even begin to imagine how such a technique was achieved.

When he returned to his dorm, he saw Ah Fu standing by the wall in standby mode.

Hearing Allen’s return, it turned toward the door and spoke in a polite baritone, "Welcome back, Master."

Allen took off his coat and handed it to Ah Fu. Ah Fu took it, turned, and hung it on the coat rack.

"Shut down," Allen commanded.

"As you command," Ah Fu responded. Its joints immediately locked, and it stood motionless.

Allen walked behind Ah Fu and skillfully opened the Control Core’s cover plate on the back of its head.

Intricate Rune circuits were exposed to the air. In the center of the core, the universal-type Factory Servant Control Core, surrounded by a "firewall" Rune Array, was seated within.

He closed his eyes. In his Sea of Spirit, the [Cluster Link Art]—composed of three hundred forty-eight Rune nodes—floated silently, like a dormant galaxy. This was the essence of a Core Witchcraft: a super-tool solidified within one’s soul.

Allen removed the Control Core, held it in his hand, and activated the [Cluster Link Art].

With an injection of Magic Power, the three-dimensional Rune Array in his permanent magic slot activated instantly. A glowing Rune sigil was imprinted upon the core, flashed twice, and then vanished.

He closed his eyes and mobilized his Spiritual Power.

Allen’s consciousness was drawn by an invisible force, instantly penetrating the barrier of physical space.

Then, he saw the room again.

His perspective had changed in height. His familiar naked-eye vision was replaced by a digital display overlaid with grid lines and data streams.

In the bottom-left corner was the remaining Magic Power percentage of the energy bay. In the top-right corner were the current ambient temperature and other parameters.

He couldn’t hear his own heartbeat or the flow of his blood, and he had lost his senses of taste and smell.

He tried to "look" at his hands. What came into view was a five-fingered mechanical hand forged from steel. He could clearly "feel" the torque parameters of every knuckle and the current position of each drive shaft.

The sensation was utterly bizarre. His brain was telling him that his body was sitting in a chair, yet all his senses were reporting a completely different reality.

This was the direct control of the [Cluster Link Art].

It bypassed all physical interfaces, transforming the Wizard’s will directly into the Mechanical Body’s supreme command. Depending on the amount of Magic Power input, there was no upper limit to the maximum link range or the number of units that could be controlled. The Witchcraft could also be used to simply maintain the connection, issuing commands and allowing the Control Core to operate on its own.

Allen tried to issue a simple command. ’Lift left hand.’

In reality, Ah Fu’s left arm shot upward violently. He had used too much force, nearly making the entire body jump.

Allen’s perspective jolted violently along with it.

He immediately understood the problem.

He had used the "force" required to move his own arm to operate this steel body, which had a maximum output of several hundred kilograms.

Human movement is based on the fuzzy control of muscle memory and proprioception, while the movement of a Mechanical Body is based on the precise execution of energy output and mechanical transmission.

He quickly felt mentally exhausted. The vast discrepancy between his subjective consciousness and the objective feedback forced his brain to expend extra energy to compensate and correct.

’Switch to first sub-thread and transfer control,’ Allen ordered in his mind.

Almost at the instant the command was given, the dizzying sensory conflict vanished.

His consciousness retreated to his own body, but the link with Ah Fu wasn’t severed. Instead, it transformed into something akin to watching a high-definition, first-person livestream.

[First sub-thread has assumed control of ’Ah Fu’.]

[Calibrating motion model based on ’Ah Fu’s’ chassis parameters... Calibration complete.]

[Executing command: Indoor patrol and tidy the workbench.]

Under Allen’s "watch," "he himself"—that is, Ah Fu—began to move.

It turned and walked toward the workbench with a steady gait, the distance of each step perfectly identical.

It bent down and picked up a few metal scraps from the tabletop. The force control of its five-fingered mechanical hand was just right; it neither crushed the fragile materials nor dropped them from an unstable grip.

It sorted the materials into different storage boxes. The entire process was as smooth as flowing water, full of efficiency and precision.

Allen’s eye twitched as he watched.

’With DSeek’s assistance, the first sub-thread is performing far better than I, its master, ever could!’

The primary consciousness carried the inertia of human thought and emotional interference, whereas the sub-thread was purely a logic-driven execution unit.

After coupling with DSeek, it had no vague concepts like "I think I should use this much force." It only had precise data, like "Target object mass is approximately 120 grams; applying a quantified clamping force."

’It seems that in future large-scale swarm combat, the primary consciousness only needs to handle strategy. All the specific micromanagement can be left to the sub-threads,’ Allen decided, gritting his teeth.

After all, a Control Core could only make a Mechanical Body follow rigid instructions and couldn’t handle situations beyond its preset scenarios. The [Cluster Link Art], however, turned the operator into a "pilot," allowing the Mechanical Body to move as the user willed.

With the test complete, Allen severed the link. He leaned back in his chair and began to conceptualize a design for the upcoming "Black Tower New Star Cup."

The theme of the competition was "Urban Pacification."

DSeek broke this keyword down into several core design parameters:

1. High Mobility: Adaptable to complex, narrow, and obstacle-filled urban terrain.

2. High Stealth: Capable of lurking in ruins and shadows to launch surprise attacks.

3. Precision Strike Capability: Eliminate targets while adhering to a "low collateral damage" requirement.

4. Cost Control: Total production cost must not exceed one thousand Low-Level Magic Stones.

Tracked and wheeled structures were ruled out first; they had poor mobility in rubble.

Although a humanoid form is flexible, its high center of gravity makes it prone to imbalance on uneven terrain. The body should be designed to be smaller for easier concealment and to conserve materials.

Allen’s thoughts drifted back to his past life, to the units and models that had accompanied him for countless days and nights on virtual battlefields. One after another, they surfaced in his mind. Finally, a spider-like mechanical creation crystalized in his thoughts.

The Terror Drone from *Red Alert*.

Its design philosophy was a perfect match for the "Urban Pacification" theme.

Its multi-legged structure offered unparalleled terrain adaptability, moving with ease whether climbing walls or traversing ruins. Its small size made it easy to hide, and its swift pounce-and-kill capability was exactly what was needed for urban street fighting.

’DSeek, use this as a prototype and establish an initial model.’

[Initializing model ’Arachnid Combat Golem’... Building...]

[Structure: Arthropod chassis, low center of gravity, high stability.]

[Weapon System: Multiple high-output piercing legs.]

A three-dimensional model rotated in Allen’s consciousness. Soon, DSeek provided a prompt.

[Pure melee configuration does not meet the ’low collateral damage’ requirement. Close-quarters combat with the target is highly likely to cause the target to lose control or result in environmental damage. Furthermore, melee combat increases the risk of battle damage.]

Allen had also considered this.

The Terror Drone’s attack method was to pounce on vehicles and dismantle them, which was far too close to the enemy.

The core of low collateral damage was a long-range, one-shot kill.

His gaze fell upon the "Adjudicator" sniper rifle he had designed previously. Its cost was too high, but its core design philosophy could be adapted.

’Design revision,’ Allen’s thoughts raced. ’Keep the spider-type chassis as a mobile platform. Replace the weapon system with a modular design. Main weapon: a miniaturized, low-cost sniper module that prioritizes single-point penetration over explosive damage.’

[Reconstructing model...]

[The recoil from a sniper weapon will pose a severe stability challenge to the lightweight spider chassis. There is a high probability of it tipping over upon firing.]

’Add a deployment mode,’ Allen immediately offered a solution. ’During normal movement, the sniper module is stowed on its back. Upon entering attack mode, ground spikes extend from the tips of the six legs, anchoring it firmly to the ground to form a stable firing platform. At the same time, the chassis can be adjusted to pivot for precision aiming.’

[Proposal is viable. Calculating...]

[Added ’Ambush Pounce/Sniper’ dual-mode switching. In Ambush Mode, the body contracts, lowers its profile, and suppresses Magic Power fluctuations, suitable for movement and stealth attacks. In Sniper Mode, the body deploys and anchors to the ground, activating the weapon system for long-range precision strikes.]

Allen’s line of thought grew increasingly clear.

This Mechanical Body would be a phantom hunter in urban environments. It could traverse ruins as silently as a spider, find the optimal sniping position, and then deploy itself, transforming into a silent turret to precisely eliminate targets from hundreds of meters away.

After completing its mission, it would retract the sniper rifle and disappear back into the shadows.

To handle unexpected close-combat scenarios, the front two pairs of legs would also need to be fitted with hardened blades for parrying and attacking.

[Model update complete.]

A brand-new Mechanical Body design blueprint materialized before Allen.

When contracted, it looked like a lump of iron. When deployed, it was a killing machine filled with a deadly beauty. Its six long legs were plunged into the wall like spikes, and the sniper module on its back rose slowly, glinting with a dangerous light.