Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 149
Joshua opened his eyes and found himself lying naked in an incubator. The medical fluid had just drained away, leaving his hair wet and coated with the nutrient- and oxygen-rich liquid. He touched his chest, feeling no pain from his ribs anymore—his injuries had fully healed.
He looked around and noticed that the room appeared to be a medical facility, likely within a research institute. Several other cultivation tanks were lined up beside him, but they were empty, covered only in dust.
There was no one else in the medical room. Joshua vaguely remembered that after he was injured, Alois had brought him to this medical facility. The ancient, outdated medical equipment here had somehow miraculously worked. He had climbed into the incubator, let the medical fluid engulf him, and then fallen asleep. He had dreamt of nothing and slept deeply, but when he woke up again, Alois was no longer by his side.
A sudden jolt of fear surged through him, and he quickly jumped out of the tank, almost slipping as he landed. He felt as if he were in the middle of a terrible nightmare, dreaming of a world without Alois, or perhaps all the wonderful memories he had were just another dream. Waking up from that dream, he found himself alone, once again on an endless journey through darkness—the mere thought of such a possibility filled Joshua with indescribable terror.
“Alois!” he called out. His voice echoed briefly in the empty medical room.
The door to the medical room opened with a grating sound.
“What are you shouting for?” Alois walked in, carrying a set of clothes.
Joshua stared at him with an intense gaze that made Alois feel uncomfortable. “What’s with that look?” he asked. “Are you that unhappy to see me?”
“I… When I woke up…” Joshua’s throat felt dry, “and didn’t see you, so I…”
“I went to get you some clothes.” Alois lifted the clothes in his hand. “I figured you’d wake up around this time, though I might’ve been a few minutes early…”
He didn’t get to finish his sentence before he was pulled into a warm embrace. Joshua held him tightly, almost as if he intended to squeeze the life out of him. “When I opened my eyes and didn’t see you, I thought…”
Alois freed one hand to pat Joshua’s back. “I’m right here. Now, let go of me—you’re still soaking wet!”
The door to the medical room opened again, and Casper rushed in with excitement. “Good news, Alois, the central computer has been acti—” He stopped mid-sentence, almost as if slamming on the brakes, and awkwardly turned around. “Uh… it seems I’ve come at a bad time. Please, carry on—I’ll go check on the computer… but, really, work is more important, so maybe you could delay the… um, affection…”
“The central computer is active?” Joshua immediately snapped back into work mode.
“The automatic decryption program unlocked the central system.”
Joshua remembered that before heading to the medical room, he had activated the automatic decryption program. It was slower than manual operation, but at least it wouldn’t waste too much time. Now that he was healed, the program had already completed its task.
“How long was I asleep?” the assassin asked.
“A little over five days,” Alois replied.
Too long, Joshua thought. He had originally planned to crack the central system within seventy-two hours and then spend a few more hours installing the AI. His unexpected injury had disrupted all his plans, and now, nearly twice the time had passed, with many tasks still unfinished. He had no desire to linger in this place, even though it was his homeland. He preferred to revisit the past through memories rather than face the decay of Old Earth a thousand years later.
“We need to get to the central control room immediately,” Joshua said.
“That would be ideal,” Casper’s voice echoed from a distance, “but could you put on some clothes first?”
The central control room was located in the center of the fifth underground level of the research institute, like a dragon coiled at the heart of the underground city, overseeing every corner of the facility. The space was far larger than Alois had imagined, with a spherical ceiling resembling a pitch-black night sky, illuminated by lights that looked like stars scattered across the heavens. Most of the central computer was buried underground, with only a part of it visible above ground, rising like a towering spire that connected with the ceiling.
“This is the central computer?” Alois was stunned. The scene before him was far beyond his imagination—people from two centuries ago had created such an astonishing machine that not only still functioned today but also operated faster than many modern computers. Anyone who saw it would not only be amazed but also deeply humbled.
“It’s nicknamed the ‘Tower of Babel’,” Joshua explained. “A tower from mythology, built by humanity before their languages were confused, reaching the heavens and the gods.”
Joshua walked slowly and reverently toward the central computer, like a devout pilgrim. He had only seen the “Tower of Babel” once, during a brief glimpse led by Kester. The memories from his childhood resurfaced, and he recalled how astonished he had been. He saw the greatest scientists of Old Earth gathered here, exploring the deepest mysteries of the universe beneath this tower leading to heaven. The Tower of Babel—the name given to this computer by those brilliant minds. What a glorious and mad era it must have been when they, on the eve of their downfall, finally stepped into the realm of the gods, creating life and worlds like the gods themselves, mastering time and space, only to fall at dusk, never to rise again.
“Where’s Leo’s chip?” Joshua asked, gazing dreamily at the towering structure of the “Tower of Babel”.
“Oh, I have it,” Alois replied, pulling out the thin chip from his inner pocket. A backup of Leo was sleeping inside it, soon to be awakened in the place of his creation, like a messenger of the gods finally returning to heaven—
A laser beam shot through his hand!
Alois cried out in pain, the chip and his blood scattering on the ground. At first, he thought that there might be more of the cyborg Faraday lurking in the central control room, ambushing him. But he quickly realized that the attack hadn’t come from an enemy—it had come from his own ally!
Casper Shannon stood with his gun raised, aiming at the chip on the ground. He pulled the trigger again.
Alois reacted in a fraction of a second, trying to kick the chip away, but it was too late! The beam struck the chip, and after sparking briefly, it shattered.
“Casper! Are you crazy?” Alois also drew his gun, the sudden turn of events leaving him no time to consider his chances of winning a shootout with Casper. Casper had always been a better shot than him—he had never won against him.
“I’m really sorry, Alois,” Casper said, his face glowing with the joy of victory. “If you want to live, don’t move. I don’t want to kill my friend.”
“Friend?!” Alois gritted his teeth. “You still remember you’re my friend!”
“I’ve always considered you my best friend, Alois.”
Casper pressed his free hand against his collar, where a button disguised as a button was hidden.
The floor shook violently. A rumbling explosion sounded from below—it seemed Casper’s button had triggered some explosive device.
“You…”
The central computer’s screen flashed with a dangerous red light, indicating that some part of the research facility had been completely destroyed. Joshua glanced at the screen and nearly had a heart attack. “The field generator has been destroyed!”
“Why did you do this?” Alois shouted. “Are you a spy sent by the Duke? Didn’t you say you were loyal to the Empire and the Queen? Was everything you said a lie?”
“Those were my true feelings, my friend.” Casper closed his eyes as if basking in a divine light. “I am indeed loyal to Her Majesty the Queen.”
He then turned the gun on himself, aiming at his temple, and pulled the trigger.
……
Federation Capital. Council of Nine.
“Word from Epolyne: the doctor and his creation have failed. She has already dealt with them,” 1 announced.
The light for 4 turned red. “Our most elite forces couldn’t stand against the doctor’s cyborg, yet he was easily defeated by the Yasha.”
4’s words plunged the remaining seven members into silence. If their most terrifying weapon couldn’t defeat the Yasha, then what could possibly stand against that ancient monster? Were they doomed to never destroy Yasha?
“Perhaps…” 6 hesitated to speak. “9 was right… It’s a shame he’s gone now…”
As soon as he finished speaking, a sharp noise filled the meeting room. Amidst the noise, a powerful voice roared, “Submit!”
“Submit!”
“Submit!”
“What’s happening!” 2 shouted. “Someone has breached our secure channel! What’s going on!”
Eight lights formed a circle, but one corner of the circle was missing. The light representing 9 had remained off.
Now, it lit up.
9’s voice echoed in everyone’s ears:
“Now, submit! I will spare your lives! Bow your heads, bend your knees, and offer your loyalty—to me, to the Yasha, to the ruler of time and space!”
<<< || Table of Contents || >>>
Kinky Translations 