Chapter 109: The Attributes of the Second-Generation Iron Golem

"This is the second-generation Iron Golem. Its combat prowess is far beyond that of the first generation!"

"It's a massive leap forward for us! Truly worth celebrating!"

Early the next morning, Fang Zhi and his researchers arrived at the Night Watch department with the Iron Golem, hoping for assistance in conducting more realistic field tests. However, they had forgotten that the Night Watch operated at night and rested during the day. They were met with a cold shoulder and had no choice but to seek approval from Mo Fangyuan.

But Mo Fangyuan had also spent half the night grinding away...

With dark circles under his eyes, Mo Fangyuan pushed open the door.

"What do you people want now..."

Disturbing someone’s sleep was incredibly rude. Mo Fangyuan, having been pulled out of a pleasant dream, felt a strong urge to curse, but upon seeing the weary faces of the group, he held back. Forcing himself to stay alert, he asked, "What is it?"

"Your Majesty, our second-generation Iron Golem is complete, and the experimental results are excellent! Our Research Department wishes to collaborate with the Ministry of Defense for a live-combat drill..."

Fang Zhi’s eyes were bloodshot beneath his dark circles, yet they gleamed with excitement.

"Ah—this..."

After half a year, the experimental second-generation Iron Golem had finally been successfully developed through countless failures and attempts. This was a joyous occasion.

"Hmm, very well, that’s quite good..."

A second-generation Iron Golem?

The drowsy Mo Fangyuan suddenly snapped to attention.

"Second-generation? Wait! If I recall correctly, it’s only been six months since the first one was successfully developed, right?"

In Mo Fangyuan’s mind, scientific research was a long, arduous process measured in years, with every breakthrough requiring decades or even centuries of accumulated experience. He was astonished that the complex technology behind the Iron Golem had broken through its barriers so quickly.

"Er... Your Majesty, it’s not exactly a major breakthrough... more of an improvement, fixing some flaws..." a young, thin-skinned researcher said, blushing.

"Nonsense! Improvements are also technological breakthroughs! They are achievements born from your own hard work!"

"Every laborer is worthy of respect, and must be respected!"

Mo Fangyuan did not hold back his praise for their efforts.

"It was just a few minor changes... nothing worth mentioning, really..."

The researchers blushed even harder, but they felt a deep sense of pride at receiving praise from the King.

"Hahaha! Then let me see this big guy!"

After gulping down some milk to clear his [Drowsiness Buff] and adjusting his attire and crown, Mo Fangyuan, surrounded by the group, headed to the small garden in the central castle that he had converted into a training ground.

Because of the training requirements, the open garden had been enclosed with cobblestone and stone bricks, turning it into a gathering place for tough men to sweat and exert their freedom.

The experimental second-generation Iron Golem was already standing by in the arena.

"Hnn?"

Inside the small arena, the three-block-tall steel body stood firm.

"Ah—this, it doesn't look like there's any change on the outside..."

Compared to the first generation, the second-generation Iron Golem looked virtually identical.

It still looked just as dopey.

"Your Majesty, the exterior is unimportant; the interior is the key!" Fang Zhi explained.

"Hmm, let's test it then. Let me see its power."

As a friendly unit frequently seen in Minecraft movies, Mo Fangyuan held high hopes for the Iron Golem, even if its first appearance had ended in a farce.

"Bring in the monsters!"

A dozen monsters, held in cage carts, were slowly pushed into the training arena by two Field Army soldiers.

Mo Fangyuan waved for the non-combatant researchers to retreat to the perimeter and gave the order to release the monsters.

"Oooooh!"

The cage carts were opened, and zombies, skeletons, and spiders spilled out.

One zombie, feeling bold, rushed toward the Iron Golem, eager to show off its vigor.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

The Iron Golem moved as soon as it detected the monsters, its footsteps shaking the earth as usual.

"Hmm, indeed..."

Mo Fangyuan could see that the second generation’s movement speed was improved compared to the first. At the very least, it moved at a speed visible to the naked eye.

A few minutes later, the Iron Golem finally met the zombie.

Ruthless Iron Fist!

Without giving the zombie any chance, the Iron Golem struck first.

"Bang!"

The overly confident zombie was instantly flattened into a meat pancake. After dealing with the zombie, the Iron Golem immediately turned and headed toward the nearest spider.

"It is indeed more intelligent."

The first generation’s intelligence was essentially artificial idiocy; it couldn't even handle basic turning attacks. The second generation was slightly smarter.

"Thwack!"

An arrow flew from a skeleton archer's bow, followed by a clanging sound.

"Hnn?"

Watching the arrow that had struck it slowly tumble to the ground, the second-generation Iron Golem displayed the same human-like confusion as the first.

"What is that enemy doing? Scratching the iron? Whatever, finishing the master’s task is more important!"

With a single swipe, it swatted the neutral spider monster to death, then charged toward the skeleton archer with earth-shaking steps.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The skeleton archer retreated while attacking, perfectly executing a "kiting" maneuver.

"Er..."

Fang Zhi’s confident smile instantly collapsed.

"Is that even possible?"

"Well, look at that!"

"Ah, when did skeletons get so smart?"

The researchers only knew that the Iron Golem was slow and heavy, but they didn't realize the consequences. In war, mobility was an essential attribute; high-mobility forces could have direct or indirect impacts and sometimes even decide the outcome of a battle. Heavy cavalry were the "tanks of the cold weapon era."

But the Iron Golem’s speed was clearly nowhere near "fast."

Mo Fangyuan understood. In the game, the Iron Golem’s nemesis was the skeleton archer; a single skeleton could kite a "big iron dummy" to death in an open area. Perhaps there was some unknown connection between the Minecraft game and this world that caused the Iron Golem to be countered by skeleton archers once again.

As it stood, whenever an Iron Golem encountered a kiting skeleton archer, it was essentially doomed. They would need other units to coordinate and provide support.

"It seems our technology is not yet refined; we need further improvements..."

Fang Zhi knew in his heart that with the Cube Kingdom’s current technology, truly increasing the Iron Golem’s speed was impossible without some kind of miracle.

"Then could we specifically build a long-range Iron Golem to strike monsters from afar?" Mo Fangyuan asked, recalling the stone-throwing Iron Golems from *The Lost Kingdom*.

"That, Your Majesty... is very difficult!"

The Iron Golem’s attack method was closely tied to its intelligence. The smarter the Golem, the more complex its attacks and cognition. The Iron Golems the Cube Kingdom could currently build were of the lowest "dirt-tier" intelligence, with an IQ comparable to artificial idiocy.

The researchers were completely baffled by the technology needed to upgrade the Golem's intelligence; they didn't even know where to begin.

"Your Majesty, at our current level, we cannot build mechanical creatures capable of long-range attacks."

"What if we installed a dispenser inside the Iron Golem and loaded it with items that could cause damage?"

"It wouldn't work. Building and repairing an Iron Golem takes time and resources. If we put a dispenser inside, we couldn't replenish the ammo from the outside; we would have to take the Golem apart..."

Mustard sat alone in the corner of the training ground, silently pondering the questions in his heart.

*Could the Iron Golem change from a bipedal gait to a quadrupedal movement to increase speed, and then use its arms to attack only when close to the enemy? Just like a beast?*

*If the ammunition could be generated out of thin air like the skeleton archer’s arrows, would we even need external manual reloading?*

Mustard was a true genius. In just half a year, he had firmly absorbed and mastered the knowledge and experience Fang Zhi had accumulated over thirty years, and had even begun to incorporate his own ideas on top of that. Perhaps, given a few more years, he could even create entirely new branches of knowledge...