Chapter 198: Dark Boundless Realm 53
How to act like a bioroid?
Mimic their vacant expressions and blank stares, minimize body movements, and refrain from speaking until others actively engage you. Endure pain, suppress emotional fluctuations when facing enemies and death.
Ghost let his eyelids droop, trying to avoid eye contact with his “teammates.”
The self-awareness of Zero was imprisoned deep within his consciousness, showing almost no fluctuations or signs of resistance. A bioroid was a bioroid; they did not understand why they existed and had no concept of fighting for themselves. They merely existed, obedient machines, nothing more.
Just like domesticated dogs, whose ancestors interacted with humans and became friendly as a survival instinct ingrained in their DNA. With the perfection of bioroid and artificial human production technology, Mechanized Dawn strengthened not only the learning concepts of bioroids but also the concept of obedience.
As generations of bioroids advanced, they became increasingly obedient, more like puppets, and it became more challenging to awaken self-awareness. Zero was a typical example.
He had been released from his pod, infused with knowledge, yet still appeared as blank as ever.
Silverface was truly different from Zero. Aside from some cognitive blankness, he was just like a normal human.
“The creamy stewed cod is delicious; you should try it! But why is the staple food in White Whale City always potatoes? I want rice and noodles,” Silverface grumbled.
The meal robot beeped, “Sorry, rice will be available tomorrow. We have tomato meat sauce noodles and lasagna here.”
Silverface replied, “Never mind, mashed potatoes then.”
As soon as the food was served, Silverface buried his head in eating, saying, “You should eat too, Zero! The more you eat, the quicker you’ll recover your strength!”
Ghost: “…”
What’s wrong with this guy? Compared to Ambereye Black Obsidian, they are two extremes! Those two brothers are so complicated, always silent and burdened with thoughts.
To be honest, Ambereye and Black Obsidian are not easily manageable subordinates. They always have their own ideas, longing for freedom and a normal human life, which is precisely why they chose to leave Mechanized Dawn.
They wouldn’t have been able to escape Mechanized Dawn on their own. They needed someone to help them. But behind Mechanized Dawn was Eve, the administrative assistant AI for the federation government. They couldn’t possibly rely on the federation government, nor could they turn to the devious secret cult, so they chose the Resistance Army.
During a mission, Ambereye Black Obsidian killed a peripheral member of the Resistance Army, thus learning some details about them.
It wasn’t Ghost who approached the two brothers; it was the two brothers who sought out the Resistance Army.
However, after planning for so long, only Ambereye managed to escape successfully.
Ghost occasionally felt a bit relieved that Black Obsidian hadn’t escaped Mechanized Dawn. The two brothers coming together might mean they would come up with some plan, like leaving the Resistance Army or something… Now he doesn’t worry about that because Ambereye wants to use the Resistance Army’s strength to save his brother Black Obsidian.
“What if Black Obsidian is already dead?” Ghost asked him.
“He’s not dead for now. If he dies, I’ll feel it,” Ambereye said.
The twins have a subtle telepathic connection, allowing them to directly communicate their consciousness. They were in sync, sharing an extraordinary understanding. Ambereye wouldn’t give up on rescuing his brother.
After finishing the meal, Zero’s wristband suddenly beeped, as a guy named Night Cicada summoned all members of the task execution team to a meeting.
Ghost remained expressionless, following behind Silverface.
The conference room was a silver-white chamber where Night Cicada lounged at the table, looking nonchalant.
Standing in the room was a woman with mechanical arms and rose tattoos on her face. Beside her was a tall, nearly fully mechanized bioroid, the Thorn Rose mentioned by Black Obsidian and the combat department head, Sky Moon, referred to by Ji Xuan.
“Last night’s operation failed, resulting in some minor losses,” Night Cicada’s gaze lingered on Ghost for a moment. “How’s your condition? Can you resume operations?”
“I can,” Ghost replied, merely two words.
“That’s great. Let’s proceed as planned,” Night Cicada said. “We brushed past Lady Fortune last night, but it’s okay; she’s still in this city. She can’t leave.”
“Are you so sure? If it were me, I’d have run ages ago when an unbeatable enemy discovered my presence,” Thorn Rose questioned. “The enemy is here; anyone with a functioning brain would run, right?”
“I’m so sure because I received a response on the dark web, this morning at nine,” Night Cicada stated.
Silverface asked, “Ah? Are we going for an interview?”
“Yes,” Night Cicada said, “to confirm if The Shadowless has a connection with Lady Fortune and to confirm if The Shadowless is related to the players… I suspect the latter is very likely. With The Shadowless around, her chances of fleeing are minimal.”
Ghost pondered upon hearing this.
“Zero, you’re in charge,” Night Cicada said, tapping the table. A brief response projected onto the table—a specific address. “Go here for the interview.”
Thorn Rose said, “Last night, the sniper’s primary target was Zero. She might have seen Zero’s physical features through the line of sight. If the sniper is Lady Fortune and has a connection with The Shadowless, Zero will be recognized the moment he arrives and she will strike. Moreover, the interview location was set by The Shadowless; I worry there might be an ambush there.”
“Recognized or not, it doesn’t matter. She’s listing Zero as a primary target simply because she feels threatened by him. If Zero appears before her at this moment, can she hold back from attacking?” Night Cicada said. “She’s trying to bait us; we’ll bait her too.”
“Yes, I will complete the mission,” Ghost said.
He was enjoying the role-playing. Choosing Zero was significant because he could disguise well without needing to do much; at critical moments, just uttering a word about obeying orders would be sufficient. More importantly, Zero’s abilities were quite impressive, which he liked.
He had already planned to infiltrate long-term; using Zero’s abilities could accomplish many things. Once activated, his “teammates,” who lost their powers, would be like one arm cut off, significantly reducing their combat power, making either capturing or eliminating them much easier.
For instance, Night Cicada’s spatial abilities were tricky, but fortunately merely at A-rank. Zero’s abilities were also A-rank, effective against A-rank extraordinary abilities. Taking advantage of Night Cicada’s unpreparedness to strike might be able to eliminate a significant enemy of the Resistance Army, Eve’s valuable subordinate, or he might find an opportunity to occupy Night Cicada’s body…
The reason Ghost knew so well about the restrictions and activation conditions of Zero’s abilities was that he guessed the prototype of the bioroid Zero was—Zhong Xinou, the minister of the Federation’s Special Affairs Department.
However, Zhong Xinou’s ability name was designated as “Void Zone” in official documents; Mechanized Dawn renamed it to “Reset.” Bioroid Zero didn’t look exactly like Zhong Xinou, but upon careful observation of the brows and eyes, some clues could still be detected.
Ghost truly wanted to know how Eve obtained this person’s genetic sample. She operated in the shadows, meticulously, while the person from whom the genetic material was extracted was completely unaware.
However, how Eve did it was not important; what mattered was the “interview” at hand.
Ghost still couldn’t understand why the Ferryman suddenly betrayed both organizations. He thought a lot about it and figured she could understand betraying either the Resistance Army or Mechanized Dawn, but betraying both at the same time… did she think her life was too long?
After having a meeting with Mechanized Dawn, Ghost subtly grasped the truth from Night Cicada’s words.
She was her, yet also not her—she was likely to become a player.
“All right, go,” Night Cicada said. “Remember to bring the new equipment and be better prepared; Sky Moon will accompany you this time.”
That all-steel half-mechanical person nodded and was the first to walk out of the office.
They all went to the equipment room to sort out their gear.
“The protective capability of the armor is still too weak; let’s wear the concealed exoskeleton directly. If the clothing is thicker, it won’t be noticeable,” Silverface said specifically to Ghost. “You almost lost your life last night; be more careful.”
Ghost accepted his colleague’s concern without expression, donning all the gear with the help of the mechanical arm’s intelligent assistance.
“Hey, is this what the new gear is talking about? Chameleon button?” Silverface said, examining a device the size of a silver thumbnail. “Last time I took it, the researcher said it wasn’t fully developed and that I could play around with it, but not to use it in real combat. Is this thing ready for use in actual combat now?”
“That’s not a chameleon button, that’s an optical camouflage device,” Thorn Rose said. “The organization wouldn’t put incomplete machinery in the equipment box. If it’s in there, it means it’s successfully developed.”
She pressed the optical camouflage device, and a beam of light shot out, merging Thorn Rose with her surroundings as her coloration changed.
“Nice, a very useful thing,” Thorn Rose affixed it to her combat suit.
Ghost also meticulously packed the equipment box. The technology of Mechanized Dawn was indeed highly advanced, and he couldn’t even use some devices… But it was okay; all the equipment could be operated via AI.
As soon as he put on the concealed earpiece, the AI’s voice chimed in, “Eden at your service. Please feel free to issue commands at any time.”
“Eden…” Ghost silently repeated the name, subtly curling the corners of his mouth as he lowered his head.
“Um, the task document states that twelve o’clock noon is the interview time,” Silverface said nervously. “We need to head out immediately!”
Ghost followed them and met up with Sky Moon, leaving the Mechanized Dawn branch and heading to the designated location.
On the way, Thorn Rose also complained, “If you’re recruiting minions, just recruit them; why does it feel like a company interview? I don’t understand… When we go in for that interview, there won’t be several job seekers waiting in line with us, will there?”
Sky Moon thought for a few seconds and replied coldly, “No, it’s a clandestine underground organization. A grand interview like this would just invite trouble.”
Everyone in the task execution team felt Sky Moon’s reasoning was valid; logically, it made sense. The Shadowless, like its name, doesn’t stand in the light; making the interview so grand would only lead to its own downfall.
Upon arriving near the interview site, the others from Mechanized Dawn concealed themselves nearby. According to the plan, only Ghost needed to go in for the interview, while the others stood by outside.
Ghost proceeded cautiously, observing his surroundings as he walked. At that moment, a man dressed as a bounty hunter brushed past him, sizing him up with a glance before walking away.
Next, another street thug brushed past them, also giving Ghost a scrutinizing once-over.
From their direction of travel, it seemed they were heading to the same place…
An ominous feeling began to brew within Ghost.
When he reached the interview site and stepped into the dilapidated building, over ten pairs of eyes immediately focused on him. People of various outfits were vigilant, glancing at each other like a cage of trapped porcupines, raising their spines against potential enemies nearby.
One person smoking released a puff of smoke and curiously asked, “So, everyone… is here for the interview?”
“Yeah…” another person responded, confused. “I didn’t expect so many people…”
Ghost: “…?”
Why isn’t this underground organization following the script?!
