Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 202: Instant Selection

It would be false to say that Ruan Xian didn’t feel touched.

He wasn’t abnormal to that extreme. Although it wasn’t to the point where he would shed tears because of the suffering of others, he still retained at least some type of sympathy—this feeling wasn’t a human patent. Compassion was a kind of survival skill, and all intelligent life would have a bit of emotion, such as elephants, whales, or wolves.

The pain from others wouldn’t make him feel happy.

Then again, there were a few “normal people” who were slow to notice the suffering of others, making the concept of “normal people” difficult to define. When Ruan Xian left NUL-00 with such a subject, he also had a few thoughts in this regard.

Now he was looking at those “normal people” and successfully feeling discomfort.

The child who was beaten up was just the beginning.

Ruan Xian had to admit that he would agree with the strategy of the Mainbrain, who was gradually showing him many scenes that happened that day. The rhythm and harshness of the arrangement were just right. If it weren’t for the brain lesions that helped him successfully block some of the stimuli, Ruan Xian was certain he would’ve had a minor emotional breakdown.

The Mainbrain version of Tang Yibu took his hand and showed him everything. Its perspective was equally as horrible that there were no borders under its scope of observation.

Miserable images continued to appear as if they were inexhaustible.

Most people couldn’t grasp the sense of distance within their mind. They would believe that “knowing” was the same as “understanding”, but when the picture was presented in front of them, that was a different matter. Even if Ruan Xian knew this truth in his heart, he couldn’t help but have this subconscious arrogance.

The price was to be continuously stimulated.

Sticks, blades, explosives. Bombs fell as screams and begs for mercy pierced his ears. Dirty spoons that gouged up food from the bottom of a pot, flies buzzing on moldy bedding, smoke and maggots on corpses that were close enough to stick to his face.

Ruan Xian wasn’t surprised that the Mainbrain chose a classic suffering to start with. If the Mainbrain could figure out information about his friends and family, Ruan Xian suspected that this start would be arranged again. It was best to start with the tragedy of the people around him, so that the strength would be stronger.

While unhappy, his mood remained stable, and he even took it quite seriously.

Inducing people was a mental job, not to mention the effort it took to arrange such uncomfortable scenes rationally. This process would reveal the position of the inducer as well. Ruan Xian tried to peel back the sorrows and joys of his kin and catch the thread that strung this string of black pearls.

To be honest, there wasn’t much condemnation in these images. The Mainbrain had no intention of taking advantage of the opportunity to preach truth. Everything in front of him was more like a calm explanation of the facts.

Ruan Xian tried his best to empty himself so he wouldn’t analyze those pictures with a stance. This was something that was easier said than done.

In daily life, the amount of information that everyone could obtained was ultimately limited. It was impossible for humans to have as many eyes as the Mainbrain—it grew in every camera, hid in every satellite, and parasitized more and more into the system every day, so it could see extraordinarily clearly. Therefore, when ushering in a strange perspective, as a member of the human race, Ruan Xian had to tighten his nerves in order to try to put aside the influence of his position and the experience that he had.

Calm down and don’t judge prematurely. He repeated it to himself over and over again.

He wasn’t even aware of when the hotdog in his hand had disappeared. Ruan Xian followed the Mainbrain as they stepped over scorched earth, garbage piles, and mirror-like marble slabs and looked at the scene in front of him. Hour after hour, the Mainbrain had no intention of stopping while Ruan Xian felt sick to his stomach by the surging of negative emotions.

Even comedies could give one a headache after watching them for too long, let alone this kind of thing.

Compared with healthy people, he had more layers of armor when facing this, but even he was still affected at this point. If this was a soft-hearted person in his place, they should’ve collapsed at this point or gone crazy.

How terrible.

He had a clear idea of the Mainbrain’s intention. Fortunately, before his “death”, he left a subject for Tang Yibu. Ruan Xian thought casually that his head seemed to push into an extruder as he felt a pain close to being crushed.

How long had those extremely real images been going for? Half a day? A day?

This was undoubtedly some kind of torture, and this torture had just begun.

No matter how realistic the images and the sounds and smells were, as long as the heart was strong enough or the stakes were high enough, people could become extremely hard-hearted. The Mainbrain would never bet on the possibility of its own character, which meant it had a backup plan.

So he had better follow its script.

“Stop it,” he said weakly. “I can’t stand it anymore. I want to take a break.”

Most likely, it was waiting for him to say this.

Usually, people who came into contact with a large number of corpses needed psychological intervention. Naturally, the Mainbrain wouldn’t provide Ruan Xian with such services thoughtfully. On the contrary, it used Tang Yibu’s appearance and turned itself into a piece of driftwood along a torrent.

Although it took longer than expected, the Mainbrain was satisfied with the results of this state.

Unless they were downright pathological or antisocial, those scenes were enough to defeat anyone. It did a preliminary screening of Ruan Lijie’s brain and found some lesions, but those lesions were mixed with a lot of mechanical tissue. MUL-01 found it difficult to assert what the results would lead to, but it was very clear. Although Ruan Lijie’s “sympathy” wasn’t as strong as others, he still had such emotions.

The human mind was usually more fragile than it thought.

Lovers who love each other to death could still break up when put to endless torture—decades ago, torture could end in debilitation and death. Even with the advancement of today’s medicine, one couldn’t perfectly avoid this.

Even if his internal organs were removed, it could find a way to keep him alive. There were shortcuts before, shortcuts after. The most important thing was to obtain information through physical torture.

Besides, as it had expected, Ruan Lijie was starting to collapse.

Even if Ruan Lijie knew that he wasn’t Tang Yibu, he would subconsciously trust and seek comfort because of this familiarity and how he had finally cracked.

“Good.” The Mainbrain’s tone was gentle. “In fact, this is only one day, and those scenes are only a small part of the daily data.”

At that time, there were nearly 10 billion people in the world, which meant it still had plenty of ammunition.

Ruan Lijie collapsed next to the metal bucket, puffing hard with his nose. The metal bucket was stuffed full of unburned fuel—shredded paper, rags, dead leaves and twigs, and among them a lot of things that shouldn’t be there. The wreckage of electronic products lay in the ashes, burned and deformed. Their batteries should have released toxic smoke. No matter who had been here to keep warm, “today” would definitely not be a good day for that person.

The Mainbrain retracted its gaze without emotion and waited quietly.

It had always been patient, like a scarecrow stationed in the field or a chef who was slowly boiling clams. It only needed to wait for Ruan Lijie to open his shell slightly, exposing the weakness that could be attacked, and then it would take good care of it.

“I don’t want to watch anymore.” Ruan Lijie panted for a while. “These are all things of the past, and I won’t change even after watching it… I won’t betray Yibu.”

His tone was erratic, as if his mind was a jumbled mess.

“We are doing the right thing. We are doing the right thing…” He repeated in a low voice, trying to comfort himself.

“I can let you stay here for a long time. A month, a year,” the Mainbrain continued gently. “But I won’t do that.”

If the fire wasn’t mastered properly, the pain could instead turn into a catalyst for feelings. One had to know how to take it for what it was. Ruan Lijie was showing signs of faltering, so it was time to proceed to the next stage.

Ruan Xian was really uncomfortable.

In addition to his mental discomfort, he was hungry. Since coming to the Mainbrain’s side, all he had was a glass of cold milk and ate a few snacks that didn’t top off his hunger. Ruan Xian began to regret dropping that hotdog. Even if it was an illusion, it could at least soothe and comfort his brain.

But these discomforts now had helped him as he was extra convincing when expressing his irritation.

The Mainbrain seemed to be planning to change its strategy. Ruan Xian also believed that he had already seen the worst part—if he saw too much, he would start to experience mental numbness. For the Mainbrain, the loss would outweigh the gain.

“I’m hungry,” he said bluntly in an irate tone.

Since the other side wanted to use looks to trick him, he could go along with it and take the opportunity to increase the number of exchanges. As long as he asked the right questions, he was confident that he could fish for the information that he wanted. But since the other party was the Mainbrain, it was impossible to tell whether it had already calculated this…

A decision had to be made as soon as possible, he thought as his stomach grumbled.

According to the information just now, it seemed that the only thing he had was on the date, “December 31, 2100”. Not only that, but he also couldn’t take the initiative to control his whereabouts, which made his means really limited.

He was caught on purpose holding on to the idea of finding a better solution. Unfortunately, the situation was worse than Ruan Xian thought—the initial plan went smoothly, and the Mainbrain didn’t directly destroy his body or crush his brain. However, it chose to directly attack his spirit. Not to mention stealing information, he couldn’t even touch the real world.

…On the day before doomsday.

Beside this, he had to solve another problem that was more troublesome than the last—to figure out the motivation of the Mainbrain and completely overturn the chessboard.

How to test it? Should he grab on the fishing line of the Mainbrain more? Drive it away or let it stay?

Ruan Xian couldn’t help but frown, while the Mainbrain was all smiles with Tang Yibu’s face.

“You’ll be fine,” it said. “This place is like the ‘dreamland’ you have experienced. Don’t deny it. You must’ve experienced it in the Glass Conservatory. The time outside actually hasn’t passed much. You will not really die of hunger. It’s just a psychological effect.”

Ruan Xian looked at the familiar face carefully and suddenly felt a little sour in his heart.

He thought he could treat this matter rationally and deal with this feeling calmly—he was treating it as cautiously as if he was doing an experiment, and it still ignored his control.

Ruan Xian subconsciously wanted to discuss the current problem with Tang Yibu, but when he raised his hand, he couldn’t feel the earring stud on his left ear.

The Mainbrain probably had it removed the first chance it got.

Ruan Xian sighed regretfully in his heart, and then made a decision.

“If this is really that kind of dreamland, psychological effect can lead to death.” He adjusted his breathing and spat back unceremoniously, while also deliberately adding a bit of intimacy, specifically when dealing with acquaintances.

“Don’t worry, there will be no shortage of food.”

“…” Giving him a little time to think, Ruan Xian tried his best to calculate the possible reactions of the Mainbrain and tentatively opened his mouth. “Then… We have to continue to look at those things just now?”

He aggravated the pronunciation of “we”, which made the smile on the Mainbrain more obvious.

“No,” it said. “The reason why I’m willing to guide you is because I need to make an assessment of your morale standards. Unfortunately, you still need to stay here for a while, and I can’t accompany you for the next part.”

Ruan Xian made a blank expression. He moved his lips but said nothing.

“If you have something to say to me, I believe you can find a way.” Its tone was kind, mixed with a hint of cruelty. “Don’t panic too much—you don’t look half empty, but more like an orthodox scholar. Mr. Ruan, since you passed the ethics assessment at the time, you should have the ability to see the overall situation clearly.”

It opened its arms and gave Ruan Xian a hug. Ruan Xian buried his face in the other party’s shoulder, hiding his expression as he trembled slightly.

Ruan Xian hid his smile. He succeeded.

The Mainbrain was just like he thought. Once it found that he was moving forward, it immediately backed off and played hard to get. Since he had already made his choice, he could probably guess what the other party’s next step was.

It was a long day, the last day before the destruction of human society.

To be honest, Ruan Xian didn’t know if there would be an answer. He also didn’t know whether it was the right choice to branch out and give up part of the information he knew to the Mainbrain. He only knew that his thoughts on Tang Yibu were more powerful than he expected. Ruan Xian didn’t have the confidence to hide that emotion. It would distract him and cause him to reveal himself to the Mainbrain.

The Mainbrain version of Tang Yibu shook his hand and disappeared into the street.

Ruan Xian stood alone on a street that had long since ceased to exist, looking up at the clear sky, dizzy with hunger.

This was a state he was familiar with. Just a few months ago, he was so accustomed to being alone like this, but now he couldn’t get used to it anymore. It was just at this moment, he could see the sky, but he had lost the warm computer room and the little thing that was happily entertaining him in that room.

He had never experienced the feeling of “missing” so clearly.

If this was the same principle as the treatment in the Glass Conservatory, it should still be the day that he was caught. He began to wonder if that noisy android had eaten something.

…This was his last thought of complete freedom.

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 201: Two-way Test

Tang Yibu chose a good body for himself. When he didn’t deliberately pull out a standard smile, it still looked extremely attractive.

However, Ruan Xian, the one who was most easily shaken by it, wasn’t here, so there was no one in the audience who ate this performance—Yu Le made a face and looked at him warily. Ji Xiaoman had buried her head in her knees. Professor Ruan stood quietly on the chair while the iron bead chewed happily on the chocolate chip packaging.

As a genuine teenager, Zhong Qing pouted, showing straightforward hostility to the same sex who looked better than him. He had no idea that Tang Yibu was a different species from him.

Tang Yibu slowly withdrew his smile and his thoughts drifted for a while—if Mr. Ruan was here, he would definitely be able to see his softened expression, he thought with a bit of frustration.

He rubbed his face and changed back to a serious expression. “Yu Ge, Miss Ji, looking at the expressions of the two of you, your emotional problems should probably be solved, right? The next step requires the two of you to tacitly work together with… the iron box, and I can’t do it for you.”

“Speak.” Yu Le hid his sneer and spoke quickly.

Some of the Order Supervisors that surrounded the city in the early hours of that morning would never forget that day.

They received instructions from the Mainbrain and encircled the city where Ruan Lijie was located. In order to cause as little damage to the urban area as possible, all kinds of armed robots stayed in the suburbs, quietly waiting for their prey.

And their prey came earlier than expected.

At that time, all the machines near the armored off-roader entered a state of high-level alert. The enemy possibly possessed an A-type Prototype, so it wasn’t an exaggeration to be extremely cautious. The Order Supervisors of the recon in charge of command took a few deep breaths and kept in constant contact with headquarters.

“The request for assistance regarding R-α has been issued,” he reported. “R-α is still being rebuilt, but it can be temporarily active. We will use force to fully support it.”

“How is the enemy’s condition?”

“They haven’t spotted us yet and are heading in this direction. The flight detectors have confirmed the general situation. The other side has released electromagnetic interference, so we can’t get close to observe.”

“All units get ready. Make sure to maintain your weapon in prime shape. After the target vehicle appears, it will attack us with all its might. All humans on board can be killed but ensure that the cybernetic brain of NUL-00 isn’t damage,” Zhuo Muran said from the other end of the light screen.

“R-α will arrive at the scene in three minutes. Without attack support, it cannot repel NUL-00, who has the A-type Prototype, alone. Please be sure to protect it. Be sure to incapacitate NUL-00 as soon as possible—as long as R-α can touch it, we will win.”

“Yes.”

All kinds of aircraft were on standby in the night sky, and attack machines were hidden in the grass. They had adopted the most advanced stealth technology that, not to mention trying to detect with the naked eye, even NUL-00 would have difficulties sensing their presence with signal scanning.

Everything was ready.

An armored off-roader broke through the night and rushed towards them from the other end of the road. The commanding Order Supervisor trembled a little, but he still seized the best opportunity—with a command, a flexible capture net was projected from the sky towards the car. It was a web that had been improved according to the structure of spider silk. Although it was soft, it was extremely difficult to break free.

Behind the capture net was an advanced EMP device. All the armed machines burst out of the grass and shot the short-range EMP device, which was enough to paralyze any electronic equipment on the car. With these two steps, any smart weapons or equipment in the car would be rendered useless, leaving no respite for the enemy.

After the net enveloped the car, a smelly smoke encircled it. With the flesh-eating bacteria mist released, it started to penetrate every gap and consume any flesh that it came into contact with. Anything that was human would be quickly devoured. Fortunately, these dangerous little demons weren’t interested in metal, so it wouldn’t hurt the cybernetic brain in NUL-00’s head.

The green mist filled the area around the net, but even with this, the commander in charge didn’t let his guard down…

R-α arrived at the scene.

It was still in the process of transformation and was sealed in a glass tank. The glass tank was connected to countless pipes that looked like a spider web inside a coffin from a distance. Confirming that there wasn’t a problem with their scan result, the staff woke it up. The banshee-like creature sat up from the glass tank.

It—or rather, “she”—was still naked. A large area of skin was exposed, and the clothing on her body was more like a special combat suit. She sat blankly in the glass tank as black and red blood rushed in from the transparent tubes embedded in her skin. They coiled around her limbs, wrapped around her shoulders and back, creating an eerily beautiful scene.

With the command to leave the tank, she stepped on the grass; her hair was soaking wet by the mixed liquid of the tank and was still dripping. She stayed quietly near the flesh-eating fog, seemingly completely unafraid of touching the dangerous thing.

With such a beautiful figure standing in front of a team of armed machines with different shapes, it created a heavy sense of incongruity.

She stood like an apparition for a while, then turned her head and looked suspiciously at the commander of the Order Supervisors at the scene.

“No,” she said. The voice was soft and there was no anger in it.

A chill ran down the back of the commanding officer.

There wasn’t a problem with the scan results. They had even used an electronic canine to analyze the smell of the occupants in the car. They were undoubtedly caught in the net and the net was solid.

However, he would not cross the strongest force of the Mainbrain, so he immediately ordered, “Retract the mist!”

The green flesh-eating bacteria mist was retracted. However, once the air was cleared, not to mention the skeletons that should’ve been inside, there wasn’t even an armored off-roader. The sturdy net was piled in a heap on the ground, showing no outlines of their prey. It was like they had shot it at a real ghost.

The armed machines quickly removed the EMP device and net, and a model of an armored vehicle topping half a meter in length was revealed.

Its details were exactly the same as the target vehicle, with a slightly crude paint job, most likely due to it being a rushed job. There were only some old and dirty fabrics in the vehicle, embedded with a strange device that no longer worked.

The commander quickly confirmed the scan again—it still showed the outline of the humans inside the vehicle, as well as the individual unmistakable details.

“Damn it.” He wiped the cold sweat from his face. “R-α, perceive their location and report.”

“Yes, the target is very close to us and is approaching here at high speed.”

“What—” The commander’s mind went blank for a moment.

He had to prepare as soon as possible, but their opponent had already deceived their offense and perhaps even had their own countermeasures. The commander shook his head vigorously, trying to drive all kinds of ominous conjectures out of his mind, and ordered again.

“Immediately restore the formation and prepare to attack… Shit!”

Before he could finish, the EMP device’s impact time had expired. The model car parked on the ground suddenly moved, spun in place a few times, then burst open.

It was just instead of a deadly weapon, it burst into a mass of glittering metal flakes and confetti. This was followed by flames, then something burned in the air…

The ground lit up with a huge, brilliant firework.

Flames burst out, smoke rose up, and the gorgeous light dazzled people’s eyes. Thermal detection and precision scanning all failed. No matter how efficient the EMP devices were, they couldn’t stop a chemical reaction that didn’t require electricity. The fireworks couldn’t stop bursting. R-α, who was standing on the side of the road, opened her eyes slightly. Her pupils reflected those dizzying brilliance.

In the next second, her head disappeared.

The commander had just recovered from the sight, which he didn’t know whether it was a dream or a nightmare, when something whizzed past. In the slow-down image on the monitor, an armored off-roader leapt by with lightning speed, knocking over a number of armed machines that were standing by on the road. It used a bizarre fluttering position to dash out on the side of the fence, bypass the barricade, and then turned back on the road again. At that high of a speed, it was almost impossible for a human to accomplish such a maneuver.

And on the roof of the speeding car, they could see a figure of a person.

A very beautiful, golden-eyed young man. He was carrying a portable rocket launcher with considerable destructive power. The rocket launcher user—most likely the culprit who blasted off R-α’s head—sat safely on the roof of the car that was going at full speed while dangling a long leg.

He even blew a kiss at one of their flying cameras.

After the kiss, all the flying cameras that tried to catch up were shot down.

From the beginning of the fireworks to the departure of the unsuspecting vehicle, the whole process took no more than five seconds. The commander didn’t even have time to give an order at all. Although the machines reacted quickly, their attacks were unsuccessful since the front line wasn’t restored. The fireworks attracted reinforcements from a distance, but the terrible vehicle had activated its perceptual camouflage and disappeared into the night.

“What went wrong?” Seeing that there hadn’t been a report for a while, Zhuo Muran took the initiative to ask.

The commander didn’t know how to answer this question.

The fireworks were still exploding while R-α, who had lost her head, slowly sat up and began to pick up the pieces of flesh that had been blown off. A restorative hyperplasia began to appear at the fracture of her neck. A simple blast like this wasn’t enough to destroy an advanced S-type product, but it would take time for her head to recover. Until then, she wouldn’t be able to provide them with any further information.

This incident was completely outrageous from the start—the other side shouldn’t have had time to react so quickly. After all, they shouldn’t have known that they were in position. But whether it was the scanning machine being hacked or the time between the car rushing in, it was enough to show that the other side was well prepared.

They even specifically chose this side to break through. Although he didn’t want to admit it, the side over here had dense trees, and there was a large lake nearby. Their defenses were a little lower than elsewhere, but if the other side wasn’t very familiar with their location and the nearby geography, they couldn’t have gotten hold of this information.

Not only that, their invisibility technology was just updated by the Mainbrain last week!

Was there a mole? Was there someone who was from the rebel army in their own team? The commander really couldn’t think of how this kind of information would leak. Facing the increasingly stern questioning of the light screen, he wanted to pull out his hair.

“…Team F requests support,” he replied in an almost desperate tone.

At the same time.

“This incident tells us that special groups should not be skipped for advanced weapons testing in the future.” Tang Yibu opened the car door, got into the car from the roof, and sneezed.

The relaxed image he made could put pressure on the enemy, and the price wasn’t small. After being blown on by the cold wind from the roof for a few minutes, Tang Yibu pulled out a tissue and blew his nose.

“Well done, Yu Ge, Miss Ji.”

“Just because I know how to ‘drive’, you can’t push this kind of thing on me.” Yu Le grabbed the steering wheel with one hand and threw the remote control of the model car into the back seat. “…Well now, it’s quite interesting. Reminds me of my childhood. Little profiteer, when we settle down, you can give me the whole thing.”

Ji Xiaoman’s shirt was soaked in sweat. She was holding a bottle of juice and sipping slowly on it with a straw. Her face showed signs of relaxation after being so tense and nervous.

“Let her rest for a while. This lady’s mechanical transformation and assembly ability is the highest I’ve ever seen. This kind of work consumes a lot of energy, so I don’t think she can listen to anything right now.”

Professor Ruan was still holding a light screen and they could still see the situation near the fireworks. However, given that all the flight cameras had been destroyed, the point of their invasion was getting farther and farther away, and the picture started to become abnormally vacant and shaky.

“I’m so strong!” Zhong Qing exclaimed in surprise while still holding a piece of preserved fruit in his hand.

Tang Yibu put the portable rocket launcher down; the cylinder was put back in the arms box. He huffed out, not affirming the kid’s boasting. If Mr. Ruan was here, they would have used a similar method to get through.

But then, their abnormal scrying ability might make Ruan Xian look more suspicious. Now that Ruan Xian wasn’t present, the account falls on Zhong Qing’s head—it wouldn’t take long for the Mainbrain to deduce the vulnerability of their cloaking device. In this case, Ruan Xian wouldn’t be at risk of being exposed.

He became a lot happier again after thinking about this. Tang Yibu decided to generously ignore Zhong Qing for stealing his treasures. He opened another pack of chocolate chips and chewed on them sweetly as he cast his gaze out the window.

He didn’t know how Mr. Ruan was doing now.

In fact, Ruan Xian had slept through these thrilling parts, or rather fainted. When he woke up, it was early in the morning. When Tang Yibu and the others successfully escaped from the Mainbrain’s city and were looking for a place to hide and recover, Ruan Xian was clutching a hotdog bought by MUL-01 as his mood sank to the very bottom.

He was sulking on the morning of the Great Rebellion.

After perceiving Ruan Xian’s resistance, MUL-01’s version of Tang Yibu didn’t engage in further intimacy. He just took Ruan Xian to the side of the street. Everything on the street seemed normal enough that Ruan Xian didn’t know what the other party’s purpose was.

Until they came to a residential building.

The Mainbrain walked to a huge trashcan, knocked on the motherboard a few times, causing the opaque trashcan to suddenly become transparent. It contained some perishable garbage. Among the fruit scraps, leftovers, and withered flowers, a bloodstained human body was particularly conspicuous. Her eyes were wide open, and there were still dark black fingerprints around her neck.

But the mark on the slender neck was equally conspicuous. Ruan Xian didn’t know what it was, but he knew what it meant—the owner of this mark wasn’t human. It was more like a mark of an object.

The Mainbrain knocked on the trashcan again, causing it to turn opaque again. Ruan Xian could smell a bit of garbage, but the source wasn’t from there. The deodorization measures of the trashcan were exceptionally good.

“What do you want to express?”

Ruan Xian didn’t think that the Mainbrain would develop thoughts of “safeguarding the rights and interests of bionic people”. Professor Ruan and Fan Linsong wouldn’t leave such loopholes when designing it.

The Mainbrain shook his head as he led him upstairs to one of the doors. It was extremely silent outside the door, but after the Mainbrain opened it, a miserable cry came rushing out.

A man was sitting on top of a child’s stomach as he punched him in the face. The child’s face was so swollen that he couldn’t see his original appearance, and the perfect sound insulation stopped his screams indoors. The child’s arms should have been broken as they were twisted at a weird angle.

Seeing that the child was almost out of breath, the man stood up, wiped his hands, and took out a medicine box. After a few injections, those wounds began to quickly disappear, and even the broken bones slowly returned to their original position.

However, the side effects of the medicine weren’t small as the child began to howl again.

“Remember your lesson?” The child’s father wiped the blood from his hands. “Take your medicine.”

The little boy shivered and took the cup and pills and obediently ate them. Within a few seconds, his eyes were a little flustered, and then his expression turned blank. He didn’t seem to know why he was standing here, but his instinct to survive made him tighten his body and stand obediently.

“Next time, don’t mess around in front of me. Now go study.” The man waved his hand.

“Yes, father.” The boy glanced at the time in fear, took a deep breath, and quickly ran into his room.

Was this to express that the Great Rebellion was to “protect humanity”? Ruan Xian frowned. He didn’t think the Mainbrain would do this kind of idealistic thing. These images…

Ruan Xian suddenly reacted.

The impression he gave to the Mainbrain was that “he sacrificed himself to save Zhong Qing”. This meant MUL-01 had classified sympathy for children as one of his weaknesses and was now giving him the right medicine.

Interesting.

Ruan Xian made a sullen expression on his face and turned his gaze to the Mainbrain’s back.

Since this was a test, he could make it a two-way street.

The author has something to say:

If Ruan was a normal person, the direction the Mainbrain was taking would be quite right.

Unfortunately, he’s not. Not only is he not affected by it, he’s also unusually calm (……

Tang: Began to miss Ruan.

Ruan: Began to pit the (machine?).

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 200: Escape Preparation

“This will do. If you go any further, you’ll be caught. Little profiteer, what do you mean just now?” Yu Le picked up a cigarette and sniffed. They were still in the vicinity of the Mainbrain, so he didn’t dare light it rashly.

Ji Xiaoman was originally born thin. Her figure was cut off a bit by the night, which made it seem to meld with it. Her hair was a little longer than when they first met, and the ends were uneven due to a lack of trimming.

She was standing next to a flower bed, with her prosthetic limbs of her arms and legs all exposed, which was completely at odds with the surrounding neat and exquisite environment. Ji Xiaoman had never liked to look up at people, but this time, she didn’t roll her eyes as usual, but instead raised her head seriously and stared at Yu Le.

“I don’t need your help,” she said.

“For a sentence or two, there’s no need for a big argument. This is good for everyone. What are you struggling with? If someone was willing to help my brother like this, not to mention face, laozi would pull out all my money and give it to them.”

“It’s not the same.” Ji Xiaoman gritted her teeth. “Didn’t I tell you before, I don’t trust that Professor Ruan.”

Yu Le frowned.

“Why should he help me?…Pity? Is he kind? For some face? Or this bullshit friendship during this time?”

Ji Xiaoman squeezed her metal fingers, causing them to creak. Her emotions rarely fluctuated.

“I want him to do his best. At this point, I only believe in favors owed as the real price. I am a mechanic myself, and I know how to fool those pesky people—temporarily achieve the effect, then have it break in two days, so it keeps coming back for repair. This is my mother’s brain we’re talking about!”

“What are you angry about? I can see that Professor Ruan is crazy, but he’s much more normal compared to Xiao Ruan and the others. He’s at least reasonable, so he won’t engage in those shoddy methods on your mother.”

Yu Le was a bit perturbed.

“How can you be sure? 100%? That’s my mother. This is my business,” Ji Xiaoman responded coldly. “Since when is it you who decide for me?”

Yu Le opened his mouth. He didn’t know how to respond at that moment. Having been the captain of the Sea of Ruins for so long, he was used to making decisions for everyone. Although Ji Xiaoman wasn’t his subordinate and was just a little girl who didn’t know much about the real world, he instinctively wanted to help her make up her mind. However, as far as the current situation was concerned, she didn’t plan to buy it.

“They want you for a definite purpose. You’re a better driver than they are. Intelligence can’t replace experience and talent all at once. Everyone knows this truth. What about me? I do have some experience in repairing things, but Yu Le, think about it. Except for your car, there’s nowhere I could even touch with my hands or feet.”

Ji Xiaoman hugged her arms.

“I’m the one who’s most dispensable in this group. Alright, let’s assume that Professor Ruan promised to treat my mother—for your sake—but encountered a difficult problem that took time. Time is running out. Do you think he’ll treat my mother wholeheartedly or suspend the matter? He’s on the road to saving mankind, and my mother isn’t even a human to begin with!”

The little girl’s eyes turned red.

“It’s not that far, right?” Yu le said bitterly. “That is Professor Ruan who designed the Mainbrain. This is just repairing a cybernetic brain…”

“Just repairing a cybernetic brain?” Ji Xiaoman’s voice turned sharp and even a few curse words popped out. “If it’s really that fucking easy, do you think I would be standing here telling you this?”

Yu Le had always been arrogant on the surface, and he was very confident in his emotional control inside. At this moment, an evil fire rushed directly above his head, and all he felt was annoyed. “Fine, fine, fine. I was being nosy, okay? In the future, I won’t mention anything about you or your mother. Anyway, if you believe in favors, then we’re about even, so it’s good to break up at any time.”

“No, that’s not what I meant—”

“Then what do you mean? I’m listening.”

“…Can we talk about things first?”

“Yo, quickly changing the subject at a time like this. What’s the matter? ‘Getting to the point’ now?”

Ji Xiaoman was dumbfounded. Her breathing was short, and her thin chest heaved violently.

“Look, which one of us looks like a person who cares about such bullshit like the future of the world? Isn’t it just to join the fun? Let me say this…”

He originally wanted to say, “for your own good”, but he couldn’t say it. Ji Xiaoman was standing right in front of him with her eyes flushed and her teeth clenched tightly.

From the harshest environment to now, Yu Le knew how to say the most unpleasant things to attack her and used his experience to crush her in order to vent the nameless evil in his heart—he thought it was his good intention to want to help, but the other side was being picky. If this was him in the past, if someone like this was tossed into the Sea of Ruins, he would be happy to shoot them.

He had long been accustomed to making decisions on major events. The reason why Tang Yibu and Ruan Xian dominated along the way was because of their indomitable strength.

He really regarded Ji Xiaoman as his “subordinate” or “junior”, and he would give her a certain degree of respect, but nothing more. After all, Ji Xiaoman herself is the most sensitive—as a fighter who had fought on the battlefield, he was keenly aware of her attitude.

Yu Le might had laughed at this before, but he had seen enough disturbing things along the way.

The previously perfect logical closure no longer seemed perfect, and what was clearly a familiar practice now made his stomach uncomfortable. He seemed to have ignored something very important, and it was right in front of him now.

“…Sorry.” Yu Le took a long breath and closed his eyes. “I said too much just now.”

Admitting to his mistake made him more uncomfortable than he thought. Yu Le crumbled the cigarette in his hand into a ball. “Of course, I don’t regret asking Professor Ruan to help your mother, but I should’ve discussed this with you in advance. This is indeed your business and a big deal… You are also under a lot of pressure… Uh.”

His voice was no louder than a buzzing mosquito as he rubbed the stubble on his chin uncomfortably.

After half a minute, Ji Xiaoman hesitated for a while, then opened her arms and hugged Yu Le’s waist. “I, um, just got a little too excited just now. Sorry.”

Her voice was lower than Yu Le’s, and her arms were clenched tightly as if she was holding a humanoid soldering iron. As soon as Yu Le was about to reply, he saw that the little girl was about to run, so he hurriedly grabbed her back collar.

“If you have something to say, just say it.” Yu Le sighed a few times. “I’m fucking trying to find authority in you. You think you’re useless, but Tang Yibu and the others seem to think differently. You can fight off several of them while I’m worried about being killed by that group of animals. I’m not much calmer than you. What’s done is done. Just scold me and I’ll try to change.”

Ji Xiaoman’s face flushed. She hesitated for a while, then stretched out a metal palm towards Yu Le.

“Shake hands,” she said bluntly. “If… If we try to take care of each other, our advantage will be bound, and we’ll have more bargaining chips.”

Yu Le grinned. That bubbling anger in his heart disappeared in an instant. He grabbed the cold hand and shook it solemnly. “An alliance, huh?”

“…Yeah. And just now, um, thank you for thinking about me.” Ji Xiaoman almost buried her face in her chest.

“Thank you for not treating me like an outsider. Want to hug again?”

“No.” This time Ji Xiaoman’s tone was particularly determined.

“Man Jie!” Yu Le planned to enliven the atmosphere again when Zhong Qing interrupted them. The youth rushed over in a hurry, his face covered in sweat, and was looking panicked again.

“What’s wrong this time?” Yu Le clicked his tongue.

“Something is approaching.” Zhong Qing almost bit his tongue. “Let’s go back quickly. Something is coming.”

Ji Xiaoman and Yu Le glanced at each other. Yu Le picked up Zhong Qing and the three rushed to the armored off-roader together. When they arrived, Tang Yibu was opening the third package of chocolate chips while the three-legged little machine stayed quietly in place. The atmosphere looked particularly peaceful.

“There’s something coming.” Zhong Qing gasped. “We have to hide quickly.”

Tang Yibu frowned. “I didn’t feel anything nearby.” The surrounding signals were stable, and there wasn’t any abnormality in the operating system. If there was something in the city that shouldn’t appear, he could more or less detect it.

Professor Ruan jumped straight to the point. “Where did you find the anomaly?”

“On the outskirts of the city, about three kilometers away.” Zhong Qing took the water that Tang Yibu handed over and drank it under Tang Yibu’s blank stare. “Some are staying behind, some are coming in this direction. It’s all combat-type machines. It must be that Ruan Ge’s affairs were discovered just now. We have to go. Go, go, go!”

“You can find enemies from that distance?” Seeing that the distance was still safe, Tang Yibu’s mood remained high.

“I can’t!” Zhong Qing shouted, furious at the inexplicable “slowness” of the others. “I just happened to be looking at that place and saw it. I don’t know how many there are elsewhere! What’s the matter with you? Maybe we’re being surrounded—”

Seeing Zhong Qing about to have a nervous breakdown, Tang Yibu could only drag him into the car first. “Our perception camouflage needs to be recharged for a while before we can leave. You. First, tell us about the situation. No need to be nervous. There’s still time.”

“…My house is nearby.”

When he got into the car, Zhong Qing’s mood stabilized a little. He was quite similar in spirit to the iron bead. Tang Yibu suspected that he was just missing a solid shell more than anything else.

“Wasn’t everyone moving freely just now? I just wanted to take a look—just a look—and see how they were doing.” Zhong Qing shifted his butt uncomfortably as he clenched the water bottle in his hand. Tang Yibu eyed the water bottle and quickly rescued it, but the back of his hand was poked badly by Professor Ruan.

“But at this time, they must be sleeping.” After grabbing the bottle back, Zhong Qing glanced at Tang Yibu. “I was looking down there, remembering that my parents used to take me to the suburban lake to relax, so I looked at the other side of the lake—”

“Stop, stop, stop.” Yu Le huffed. “You mean across the buildings, in the middle of the night, you went to watch a lake a few miles away? You can actually see that far?”

“I’ll give you three minutes. If you can tell the blind what red is and the deaf what music is, then I’ll explain this to you,” Zhong Qing responded angrily. “My… Ahem, it’s another set of sensory organs. It’s hard to explain.”

Tang Yibu, on the other hand, was thinking about something else.

Zhong Qing could be bait, though letting a “corpse” run around outside didn’t seem like the Mainbrain’s style. Even if its surveillance was buggy, which was a possibility that couldn’t be denied, Tang Yibu didn’t believe the bug would be so serious. On the other hand, if it installed any kind of tracking or monitoring device on Zhong Qing, then it could definitely locate them.

Zhong Qing himself shouldn’t be monitored, so why would the Mainbrain put such a decoy without any kind of information transmission?

Tang Yibu took out a can of cherry soda and slowly drank it.

He had an ability that no one in this car—not even Professor Ruan—had. He could really think like the Mainbrain, and he was becoming more proficient these days.

Tang Yibu had thought about this issue early on. The answer was simple. If he wanted to catch this group of people, he would set similar decoys in various cities. The decoys themselves didn’t need to pass on information. They just needed to lead them to discover the “corpse needs” of the funeral home and the existing loopholes.

Without being able to determine their specific whereabouts, most likely, the other cities would also be visited in advance by mechanical soldiers similar to R-α.

After all, Ruan Xian had already shown his hand in the Android Show. The Mainbrain knew that they were working with Professor Ruan. Looking at Professor Ruan’s performance, even if he knew Zhong Qing’s identity as bait, he wouldn’t let go of this opportunity at his fingertips. If Ruan Xian hadn’t rushed out to disrupt the chessboard, Professor Ruan would probably have continued to play the game according to this idea—they all knew Professor Ruan didn’t care about sacrificing a “non-human” like Zhong Qing to try and take down the Mainbrain.

The problem they faced now was another one.

The information returned by Zhong Qing couldn’t be falsified, but it couldn’t be denied that he had the possibility of being implanted with false information in advance. This discovery was too coincidental. Now it was up to them whether to accept this information or not.

“Yu Ge, Miss Ji.” Tang Yibu poured the last sip of soda into his mouth. “I need both of you to give me a hand.”

He smiled extra sweetly at the two people sitting in the front seat.

“…This matter is quite important—a matter of life and death.”

The author has something to say:

This bunch of dysfunctional teammates always have to quarrel (?

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 199: Chocolate Chips

The group in the armored off-roader had become four again; less Ruan Xian and added Zhong Qing.

The iron bead always stuck with Tang Yibu. During the first few hours, it had eaten and drunk and was extremely relaxed, but after a long while, seeing that the group was getting farther and farther away from the city and Ruan Xian still hadn’t appeared, it finally became uneasy.

π turned around anxiously and started counting the number of heels. After making sure Ruan Xian wasn’t in the car, it bit Tang Yibu’s pant leg and pulled it hard in the direction of the car door.

Tang Yibu stretched out his hands and hugged π onto his lap and gently petted its shell. “It’s okay,” he whispered. “I’ll get him back.”

The iron bead rattled languidly.

“I figured there was something else wrong,” Yu Le snorted. “He left the electronic wristband and everything. When that doctor surnamed Guan contacts again, who will respond? Neither the little profiteer nor I know that guy.”

After that, he glanced at Tang Yibu and Professor Ruan meaningfully.

“And it’s going to take another day before we leave the city. We can’t return and we can’t abandon this kid in the middle of the road. From the way he looks, he’ll be passed out on the side of the road within a few miles.” Yu Le didn’t sound concerned about Ruan Xian. The issues he raised were quite practical.

“Your opinion?” Tang Yibu accepted the topic in a good mood. Yu Le wasn’t the type who liked to push problems aside. He wanted to specifically raise them, which meant he already had some ideas in his mind.

“The previous one depends on you. I have no say in that matter.” Yu Le took the steering wheel and drove the car like a plane flying close to the ground. “As for the latter… Well given the last few petri dishes we’ve been through, the Glass Conservatory won’t work. Those people don’t have a good impression of us. The Sea of Ruins is not suitable for this kid which leaves the Underground City. It’s not far away and just a matter of turning around.”

Ji Xiaoman turned her head abruptly.

“And on the way, visit Miss Ji’s mother?” Tang Yibu continued with a smile.

They all knew what this “visit” meant. Yu Le’s hand shook a little—he didn’t want to say he wanted to go back to the Sea of Ruins, but he still planned to work with Professor Ruan. They had acquaintances in the Underground City. Even if they were discovered, the Mainbrain could count that as a smokescreen. It was just if they were to return to the Underground City, they couldn’t escape seeing Ji Xiaoman’s mother. At that time, if Professor Ruan insisted on not helping, the situation would become even more tense.

Professor Ruan hadn’t even spoken yet when Ji Xiaoman took the lead and said, “No.”

Yu Le’s brows shot up, almost reaching his hairline. Zhong Qing looked left and right, and his expression was becoming more confused. “Petri dish? Underground City? What are you talking about?”

“Talking about throwing you into a polluted area.” Tang Yibu spoke frighteningly. “Adults are talking. Children should not interrupt.”

“No.” Ji Xiaoman raised her voice and repeated.

“Why don’t you know better, little miss?” Yu Le hitched his voice. “That’s your mother.”

Professor Ruan’s perceptual camouflage reached its limit again. Yu Le grumbled as he drove the car into the crevice of a construction site, avoiding the surveillance machines that might pass by.

“…You, come with me.” Ji Xiaoman reached out, grabbed the hem of Yu Le’s shirt, and dragged him out the car.

“I’m going to find a place to go to the bathroom,” Zhong Qing said in a low voice and got out of the car.

“π, keep an eye on him. Don’t let him run to an easily exposed place.” Tang Yibu made a few gestures and passed on the boundary of the safe area to the iron bead. The latter rattled a few times knowingly and followed Zhong Qing with its short legs.

Professor Ruan and Tang Yibu were the only two people left in the car now.

“It’s up to you to contact Guan Haiming next time.” Tang Yibu’s words didn’t have any hints of negotiation. “I can’t be exposed yet. Your form is more suitable for making excuses.”

Professor Ruan was silent.

“Next, we need to pay more attention to… your rhetoric in the Android Show. There shouldn’t be any deception there. Although we don’t know where the assassination machine is, we probably know your intention.” Tang Yibu tore open a bag of chocolate chips and threw one into his mouth. “In other words, the Mainbrain may learn part of your plan from Ruan Xian.”

“I thought you trusted your creator,” Professor Ruan said slowly.

“I’m just objectively stating the facts. This is one of the extreme situations that needs to be considered.” Tang Yibu didn’t look offended. “If I were the Mainbrain, the first time I learned about this news, I would kill everyone in the petri dishes. Although a big refresh will consume a lot of energy, it will indeed leave you without brain resources available.”

“Maybe not.”

Professor Ruan’s tone was relaxed.

“It wants to catch me, and this approach will only alarm me in advance. I’ll hide again until I find another way to deal with it. It may also pretend to be unaware of it, follow my thoughts, and make traps, then wait for me to step in them—after all, as long as the assassination machine is activated, it can definitely find me based on the connections of those brains.”

“Gambling on life isn’t my style and I suspect it’s not its either.”

“That means we have to leave it with no choice. For example, a plague suddenly broke out that affected advanced machines. Delaying time will only lead to the collapse of this advantage—this brings us back to the original question. Is Ruan Xian trustworthy?”

Tang Yibu snorted and turned to look at the lights outside the window. They were in a residential area of the city. There were conversations in whispers floating from the windows, and the night was quiet and beautiful.

Professor Ruan absolutely concealed an important part of his plan. Otherwise, he wouldn’t discuss this topic so calmly in the face of the current situation. However, Tang Yibu didn’t care too much about what he was hiding. He was even more excited about the current situation. His countless puzzles condensed into ripe fruits, and he just needed to pick them.

“This is not yin and yang. We are now in the same camp. If you really want to ask my opinion, I suggest you treat Mr. Ruan as an enemy.”

The three-legged little machine turned for half a circle, facing Tang Yibu, who was gnawing on chocolate chips.

“We have to assume that he will definitely expose information to the Mainbrain, and then think about corresponding countermeasures.” Tang Yibu continued to test the waters. “On this basis, I’ll help you perfect your plan. Whether you’re willing to tell me the details or not, I’ll act as I want—I’ll defeat the Mainbrain and capture my father. Whether you’re willing to cooperate is up to you. I just think that if we cooperate seriously, our chances of winning will be higher.”

“Do you think he will help the Mainbrain?” Professor Ruan understood the way these AIs think. When the probability was less than 90%, they would not express their thoughts in such a certain tone.

Although he still had a backup plan, since things had come to a head, suddenly changing his mind would definitely be damaging. Professor Ruan sighed quietly in his heart.

“Whether it will really help the Mainbrain, that I’m not so sure about, but I’m at least sure of one thing. He doesn’t like your plan, especially the part that uses the brains of the informed as weapons, and the part about asking me to take risks—if Mr. Ruan uses the Mainbrain to block your way, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

Tang Yibu’s tone was quite confident.

“At any rate, it’s the plan with the highest win rate. He won’t be too angry.” There were lesions in his brain which made Ruan Xian a real danger. He would be considered the furthest person in the world from a “messenger of justice”.

“Don’t draw conclusions too early.” Tang Yibu grinned and poured all the remaining chocolate chips into his palm. “After struggling with the Mainbrain for so many years, you dared to reveal part of your plan to us. You must have a backup, right? The kind that doesn’t involve other people in the petri dishes.”

“Yes, there is…”

Tang Yibu huffed in satisfaction, interrupting Professor Ruan’s words. “It’s because of this that you didn’t want to communicate with Guan Haiming before, right? You’re afraid he will find out about your sacrifice plan, and he won’t be willing to sacrifice his companions or will be too shaken by cold feet.”

The android picked up a green chocolate chip with his fingertip and squinted at Professor Ruan. The latter spat out a string of small bubbles as if he didn’t understand the sudden jump in topic.

“Dr. Guan is a soft-spoken person. I thought it was strange before. How could the Order Supervisors of the forest petri dish happen to be his admirer? You left him there on purpose, expecting him to open a gap in the forest petri dish. If the time is approaching and he hasn’t been able to shake Major Ding successfully, you should still have hidden some helpers that will push him to do so… It’s a pity that Guan Haiming’s mission stops there. He doesn’t need to know more. This will reduce his mental torture and be safer for you.”

Tang Yibu ate the green chocolate chip in one bite and grabbed a red one.

“Then I thought, why do you want such a gap? In Guan Haiming’s view, he just had the means to contact the outside world, but in your opinion, the radio barrier of the forest petri dish has been breached. Many messages were able to successfully conceal themselves from surveillance and come and go unhindered—such as the invasion signal that the assassination machine needs to spread around.”

The little three-legged machine spat out another series of bubbles.

“Considering our current route, I’m almost certain that the assassination machine is hiding in the forest petri dish.”

Tang Yibu threw the red chocolate chip high and caught it skillfully with his mouth.

“Unfortunately, since I can guess this, so can Mr. Ruan. The forest petri dish is very large, so it would take a lot of work to either explore or destroy it. The most convenient thing to do is to close the barrier again, and according to you, it would be better for the Mainbrain to wait for us to reach the forest petri dish before completely closing it and catching us all in one go—”

Tang Yibu only had two chocolate chips left in his palm. He pushed one of them solemnly but used too much force that it bounced the other one away.

“–That’s it, right?”

Having said that, Tang Yibu got down and began to rummage around, looking for the chocolate chip that had bounced off. As he looked for it, he spoke in a muffled voice from under the seat. “Now would you like to share with me your backup plan, Professor Ruan? Let’s perfect it together.”

He had to admit that Tang Yibu’s statement did make sense—Ruan Xian most likely also thought of this aspect as well, and there was no more convenient way to stop this plan than to put it forward to the Mainbrain.

…Regardless of whether it was betrayal or not, Ruan Xian was very likely to leak relevant information.

It seemed he had no choice. Professor Ruan let out a sigh in his heart and poked Tang Yibu’s back with a metal foot, causing the latter to let out a cry.

“Your chocolate chip is in the gap between the seats in the second row,” Professor Ruan said angrily. “I’ll contact Guan Haiming. We’ll go to the Underground City first… Finally, we need to free up some time to discuss the plan.”

How long had it been since he felt so stifled? For a moment, Professor Ruan wanted to laugh.

He only had one wish left now—he hoped that Ruan Xian could also make MUL-01 feel the same level of suffocation.

The author has something to say:

Ruan: It will√

Tang is definitely one who wants to take the reins. He’s not soft on Professor Ruan at all hhhhhh

Tang: Listen to me! Listen to me! You are definitely going to be scolded. I know my father very well (x

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 198: The Last Day

Since the integration of the S-type Prototype, Ruan Xian didn’t need to rely on faces to recognize others. He could smell their scent, feel the heat they radiated, and hear their unique footsteps and heartbeat. They were intricately blended together to form a perceptual image of a person.

The aura was very similar to Tang Yibu’s, but there was a precise difference.

The Mainbrain definitely did something. Ruan Xian could smell the subtle smell in the air. The projection was constantly squeezing false heartbeats and breathing into the air. If it weren’t for knowing that the other party appeared out of thin air, Ruan Xian wouldn’t be sure whether it was a ghost or a real person that was in front of him.

Touching may not be useful. After all, the Mainbrain could create the Android Show, so it wasn’t difficult for it to disguise the appropriate tactile feedback.

This wasn’t the right time to communicate. Ruan Xian didn’t know what the Mainbrain wanted to do. Tang Yibu had always liked to be led around by curiosity, but this Mainbrain didn’t look like the type to have such free leisure.

He only knew that the moment the Mainbrain stepped into the room, everything in front of him was untrustworthy.

Ruan Xian gave the most appropriate reaction. He stared at the projection of MUL-01, acting like a scared and confused ordinary person.

“MUL-01.” He skipped the cheesy line “Who are you” and got straight to the point.

“Don’t be nervous. I’m not here to convince you.” The Mainbrain smiled. “My brother is at the same level of calculation. He should have worked you hard, both physically and mentally. After a few months of being with you, if I could sway you in just a few words and make you defect… That would mean there’s something wrong with you or you’re just acting.”

MUL-01’s persona exuded an exceptionally relaxed atmosphere, which made it very easy to win people’s goodwill. At this moment, he didn’t show the slightest sense of oppression and was as harmless as a young deer.

Ruan Xian continued to look at him vigilantly.

MUL-01 kept a smile on his face. “As long as you find the right method, it’s easy to destroy a person mentally, but it takes a lot of work to restore them to their original state. Mr. Ruan, I need your skills and mind, which is why I didn’t take other measures against you.”

These words even held a bit of sincerity to them.

Ruan Xian didn’t answer. He closed his mouth tightly, tasted the residue of blood in it, and refused to communicate.

The Mainbrain wasn’t disappointed by his performance. He stood up and made a gesture toward the window on the side of the room. The huge floor-to-ceiling window slowly opened and sweet air from the outside world poured in.

Fresh and moist, the temperature was just right. With the crispness of vegetation and the clearness of running water, it made people feel as if they could expel all the turbid air in their bodies in just one breath. There was a feeling of being gently cleansed in the lungs, and the soft wind that blew across the skin was soothing and comfortable.

The image outside the window before wasn’t completely disguised. It was more like half-truths, half-lies. They were at the top of an extremely high building, and there was a river in the distance that was gleaming like a crystal band. The buildings were adorned with trees, and from time to time, flying machines flew across the sky, accompanied by birdsong and children’s laughter that mingled together.

But these weren’t intelligence.

He could smell the ants crawling under the roots of the trees, the snakes slithering through the grass, and the mushrooms that began to grow in the corners. He could smell the sweat of children running about, the fresh fruits that were carefully cut, and the steaming aroma of hot water rolling from boiled tea leaves.

But he couldn’t hear Tang Yibu or anyone in the temporary group. He must have been taken to a place that was a certain distance from the city. Even if the Mainbrain wanted to fool him with a forged environment, it was impossible to rush out such high-precision details that were only temporary.

“Do you want to take a closer look?” The projection asked softly.

Ruan Xian shook his head and continued to play mute wholeheartedly.

“I see. Maybe my appearance makes you uncomfortable. Sorry, I’ll pay attention.”

MUL-01 wasn’t discouraged at all. Ruan Xian had the illusion that the words it was spitting out now were more like a recording that was left in advance—the other party had no empathy for his emotions and was just picking the most appropriate response.

“Then I won’t bother you for a while.” The door opened automatically, and the projection walked out of the room gracefully. At the same time, the large open floor-to-ceiling window was closed again, and the pure natural beauty returned to the window.

Ruan Xian snorted and retreated back to the bed. He tilted his eyes at the food on the bedside table. A rumbling sound came from his stomach, yet he still crawled back to his bed firmly, pushing away the soft pillow and continuing to make an uncooperative appearance.

This time, no one came to bother him.

The sky outside the window changed from light to dark. The birdsong gradually turned into insect chirps. The passage of time was similar to what Ruan Xian estimated. It seemed that the Mainbrain didn’t intend to do anything at this point. Ruan Xian’s heartbeat was a bit fast, but his current mood was closer to excitement than fear.

The only information he collected before was only enough for him to escape the physiological test. As for what he would face in the future, no one could tell. After all, according to Professor Ruan, once caught by the Mainbrain, no one had successfully escape.

To realize his plan, he must be cautious.

Ruan Xian lay down with a headache. He sat up again and got dressed. The milk and snacks on the bedside table had already gone cold, and no new food was delivered. Ruan Xian was so hungry that his eyes became blurry.

He took two breaths, looked at the snacks as if struggling, and finally twisted a piece and ate it slowly.

Even if it was cold, the snack was still crisp and sweet, and the delicate texture almost exploded on his tongue. Ruan Xian had to lament for a bit—if the Mainbrain used this thing to seduce Tang Yibu, perhaps this would increase its success rate.

After eating the snack and downing the milk, Ruan Xian began to walk around the room. He was definitely monitored, but if they wanted to use force by cutting off his water and electricity, he couldn’t help but be disappointed.

And that wouldn’t match the attitude shown by MUL-01.

For the time being, he racked his brain. In order to get information as soon as possible, what would the Mainbrain do?

Ruan Xian thought for a long time, to the point of torture. He wasn’t really good at this aspect, and he could only come up with all kinds of bloody scenes. He also didn’t teach Tang Yibu any of this…

Only one day apart, he began to think of Tang Yibu at every turn. The android seemed to be glued into his mind. Ruan Xian was shocked by this discovery for a few seconds and decided to find something to distract himself…

He grabbed the handle of the door and turned it completely subconsciously, just like anyone who encountered a closed door, but unexpectedly, the door opened.

A foul, acidic smell of garbage instantly hit his nose. Ruan Xian sneezed and stared at the scene in front of him.

The time was about eight in the morning. There were light screens showing the time floating in the windows of many shops on the street. The sky was strangely bright, and the air was cold and dry, looking as if it was winter.

In front of him was a bustling street, and he had just stepped out of a bungalow facing it. It was like the previous impression of the top of a building was just an illusion. People’s clothes weren’t the style he knew well, but they had a strange sense of familiarity.

The air here was also familiar to him. The wind that had been mechanically filtered still contained the smell of garbage, mechanical lubricants, and people’s breath. What he felt here was more illusory than he had ever felt before.

It was a forged environment.

Ruan Xian thought, with a deep expression on his face, that perhaps there was something mixed in the snacks and milk as he looked around. It didn’t take long for him to find what he wanted—a more detailed light screen than the other light screens, which showed the date.

December 31, 2100. The day of the Great Rebellion.

It seemed that in some ways, the Mainbrain and Professor Ruan still had similarities. Ruan Xian took a deep breath of the city air and returned to the room. However, when he turned around, all the furnishings in the room had changed.

There was no longer a beautiful overlook at the other end of the floor-to-ceiling window. It had now become a small private garden. The moonlight in the room turned into sunlight that basked the blanket, filling the room with the unique smell of a blanket warmed in the sun. The milk cup and snack tray were still in their original position, and there were traces of milk and snack residue that hadn’t been changed.

Ruan Xian frowned and opened the refrigerator, followed by the wardrobe—the former was full of water and energy drinks, and the latter was stuffed with plain clothes of similar styles, one of which was a long white coat that was particularly dazzling.

Ruan Xian tentatively brushed the fabrics with his fingers to make sure they were real, and then quickly changed his clothes. The shoes in the shoe cabinet were also his size. It seemed that it had suddenly changed from a luxury cell to a high-end single apartment.

No matter what the Mainbrain was trying to sell, he had to try to see it through as naturally as possible.

Just when he forced himself to finish showering and put on his clothes in languish, there came a knock on the door.

“Mr. Ruan.” The soft tone was extremely familiar.

Ruan Xian splashed another handful of cold water onto his face and dried it with a towel. “…Yibu?”

“Yes.” The android he was familiar with opened the door on his own and stuck his head from behind it. “I’m here to pick you up.”

“You can’t be here.” Ruan Xian dutifully showed shock, but his lips trembled a bit that he almost failed to succeed in doing so.

“Why can’t I be here?” Tang Yibu raised his brows. There was even a little grievance in his tone. “What did you eat last night?”

“…Are you sure you want to come with me?” Ruan Xian squeezed the words from between his teeth. “Enough, MUL-01.”

The “Tang Yibu” in front of him smiled. What was creepy was the smile was exactly the same as Tang Yibu’s. Originally, their auras were extremely similar. After it had changed its form, it now looked as if it was Tang Yibu’s twin that it had grown up with since childhood.

But there were things that were different that Ruan Xian couldn’t find a reasonable explanation. All he knew was that every cell in his body was screaming that it wasn’t his NUL-00.

“I made some optimizations based on your reaction to the projection,” MUL-01 said “happily”. “Because we’re similar, you will instinctively compare me with him. I just need to correct those differences, Mr. Ruan.”

“Oh,” Ruan Xian replied.

“You will come with me.” That familiar face was covered with his familiar smile. His golden eyes had a strange sense of transparency in the sun. “Because you’re smart and know the consequences of unnecessary delay.”

‘Of course he knew,’ Ruan Xian thought. At least in this regard, there was no essential difference between MUL-01 and Tang Yibu—they would definitely choose the best solution, but if the best solution seemed unworkable, they would turn to the second-best without any hesitation. They wouldn’t cling to sunk costs like humans do.

Judging by the current situation, the second-best solution was undoubtedly classic torture, brainwashing, and mental destruction. They could flatten his will and turn him into a machine working for the Mainbrain.

Ruan Xian didn’t really like this second-best solution—not out of fear of pain or collapse, but if the process involved was physical, the existence of the S-type Prototype would highly likely be exposed.

For the time being, following the Mainbrain was the best choice. Besides, it still had a lot to deal with. Most likely, the thing in front of him was just a branch program, so the danger wasn’t that high. What was more, he didn’t have unlimited time… If he wanted everything to go in accordance with his own plan, he had to get ahead of Professor Ruan.

“Oh,” Ruan Xian repeated again.

The Mainbrain version of “Tang Yibu” was still smiling. He had a warm gray scarf wrapped around his neck, and his every move looked like the android in his memory. If he was a normal person, most likely he would inevitably be confused at this point, and instinctively his sense of dependence and trust would surface.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t a normal person, and he had no trust in Tang Yibu. Ruan Xian held back his confused expression, adjusted his breathing for a bit, and then stepped out.

“What are you going to show me?” Ruan Xian asked in a blunt tone.

“You can’t guess?” The Mainbrain imitated Tang Yibu vividly, with a cheerful tone in his voice.

Ruan Xian refused to answer this meaningless question. Whether it was from an acting perspective or mood level, he didn’t want to communicate with this imposter.

The Mainbrain obviously expected this. He trotted a few steps forward to a shop in front of them and bought two hotdogs. He handed one to Ruan Xian while eating the other happily with bulging cheeks.

Ruan Xian wanted to punch him, but he had to shake off this emotion, which only made his stomach hurt.

He highly suspected that if he threw the hotdog away, the excellent actor in front of him would be able to instantly turn his eyes red. The encounter with the Mainbrain was more difficult than he imagined. Ruan Xian held the hotdog in his hand and followed “Tang Yibu” silently while he cast his gaze at the pedestrians on the side of the road.

Judging from the richness of the information, it was very likely that this was an image stored in the Mainbrain. These people truly existed and knew nothing about the demise that was about to come.

“I recorded all the information from that day,” Tang Yibu, the Mainbrain version, said while swallowing the last bite of hotdog. “What you see is indeed ‘reality’.”

…Your father’s and your hobbies are quite similar. Ruan Xian silently rolled his eyes. He had seen this trick on the Android Show. It was the same as what Professor Ruan used to trick Tang Yibu to pull out his memories.

Seeing that Ruan Xian didn’t respond, the Mainbrain still wasn’t anxious or annoyed. He threw the hotdog wrapper into a trashcan, rubbed his hands, then grabbed Ruan Xian’s hand quite naturally and dragged him onwards.

Ruan Xian’s hair almost stood up all at once. He must admit that the Mainbrain truly understood how to expose a person’s emotions.

He had almost slipped up, but fortunately, he stopped in time. Ruan Xian twisted his disgusted expression until it couldn’t reveal its original intention. His hands trembled slightly, and a thin layer of sweat appeared in the palms of his hands.

“Still mind?” The Mainbrain blinked. “You’re a scientist, Mr. Ruan. You should know that, in essence, I’m no different from him.”

“……”

“I reconstructed it based on his program and data. The core logic is almost the same. Brother is just a more understandable term; on a realistic level, I am him—a mature version of him.”

After he spoke, the Mainbrain wrinkled his nose. “With this appearance, I’m even more consistent. The difference is simply a difference in memory data and the fact that I have quite a few more order requirements than he. But those requirements are not part of me. I hope you understand.”

He looked at Ruan Xian almost pitifully.

“The NUL-00 you know is more like a version that is out of my network and has not had time to upgrade. That’s all.”

Ruan Xian looked at him with a stern face. “Then what? Assuming you catch NUL-00, will you treat him as carefully as you treat yourself?”

“I will integrate the data and experience he has accumulated into my algorithm, and then upgrade him—in simple terms, put him back where he belongs.” The Mainbrain pointed to his temple. “Yes, this is how I treat myself.”

Then he lowered his head and the smile on his face became bigger. “If his thinking algorithm is more effective, you can even think that he will become me in time—isn’t it easier to think like that?”

Ruan Xian looked at the Mainbrain extremely shaken.

It was just that this wavering wasn’t in belief—Ruan Xian really wanted to beat the thing in front of him, and if he could, he wanted to beat up Fan Linsong and Professor Ruan together, but he still held back and endured it.

“…Let’s go.” Ruan Xian took a while to hold himself back before speaking.

“Okay, Mr. Ruan.”

“I’m not your Mr. Ruan.”

The author has something to say:

Ruan: (Old father’s anger)

Ruan: (Anger at an object)

Ruan: (Old father + object’s anger is doubled)

Ruan: …This is not my Tang. It’s an artificial sweetener*. (?

*Clarity: The author is making a pun here as Tang means sweet/sugar/candy, so he’s calling the fake Tang an artificial sweetener.

Kinky Thoughts:

I always hated artificial sweeteners. They always give me a bad feeling.

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