Chapter 205: Dark Boundless Realm 60
In a dimly lit room, countless glass tubes and wires interweave like a complex web. Within the glass tubes flows a faint green liquid, all of which converges into a gigantic glass jar in the center of the room, large enough to contain an adult.
In fact, this giant glass jar does hold a person.
Floating in the faint green liquid is a person with a skin tone as pale as a plaster statue, whose muscles have atrophied. Their body is emaciated, with protruding vertebrae, and the bones of their hands and feet are thinly visible, presenting a somewhat terrifying sight; the pale-blue veins beneath their fragile skin appear incredibly weak.
Suddenly, the person curled up in the glass jar twitched a few times. The tubes and wires floating in the liquid swayed slightly with their movements, and they made a coughing motion, blood spilling from their mouth, which was covered by an oxygen mask.
The blood flowed out through the gaps in the oxygen mask, drifting in the faint green liquid before quickly merging with it.
“Ghost.” A vague and ethereal projection appeared out of nowhere. “What happened?”
Ghost, floating in the glass jar, opened their eyes and looked at the ethereal projection.
“It looks like you experienced a failure that affected your main body.” The projection assessed Ghost. “That’s terrible… I suggest you refrain from using your extraordinary abilities for a while, or you’ll die faster. Your body doesn’t have many years left.”
With the gurgling sounds of the water, the green liquid in the glass jar was drawn away by the tubes, causing Ghost’s body to gradually sink. Then, the cylindrical glass wall clicked open. A mechanical hand reached in, assisting Ghost onto a prepared wheelchair nearby.
“It’s really frustrating,” Ghost’s voice was weak and hoarse. “Clearly, both Night Cicada and I underwent the Federation’s modification experiments. He spent a trivial cost and remains in good health, but I paid a huge price.”
They looked gloomily at their skeletal body. “I can’t even walk and can only briefly gain freedom by borrowing another’s body.”
“Your abilities are irreplaceable and unique; perhaps that is the cost.” The projection said, “When Mechanized Dawn’s bioroid technology matures further, we can steal their technology and replace your body with an artificial shell.”
“But replacing an artificial shell is still in the theoretical stage, and the success rate is uncertain. How can I ensure that my brain retains its extraordinary abilities after transplanting into another body? I don’t even understand whether my abilities depend on my physical body or my mind. Perhaps only by reaching the point of body replacement can I confirm it,” Ghost said. “Angel, things aren’t going smoothly. The Ferryman didn’t just simply betray us; she was replaced… she possesses more than one ability, and you know what that implies.”
“Somewhat unexpected, yet reasonable.” The Angel nodded slightly. “What about Ambereye?”
“He’s clever and adaptable, so it’s unlikely he’ll be found by Mechanized Dawn.” Ghost said, “Find me a body; I want to go back to White Whale City.”
“No.” The Angel said in a flat tone, “I told you before, if you’re killed again, your lifespan will shorten. Are you sure you can guarantee you won’t be killed again?”
“Then what should be done about her?” Ghost asked.
“What? Are you still brooding over the fact that she killed you and want to take personal revenge?”
“It’s hard not to brood.”
The Angel said, “Tell me more about the incident; I need to know everything.”
A complex expression surfaced on Ghost’s face as they recounted in detail everything they experienced during their time in White Whale City.
After Ghost finished, the Angel remained silent for a few minutes.
“What should be done about her?” Ghost asked again.
The Angel paused for a few seconds, “The situation is very complex. It may not just be the Ferryman against Mechanized Dawn; there may be other forces behind her. Half the city losing power… could just those interdimensional visitors have done it? Even if they might have that capacity in the future, it’s not the case yet.”
Ghost said, “I thought of this too…”
“Regardless, the Ferryman’s target is Eve and Mechanized Dawn; she is quite powerful,” the Angel said. “Let’s keep watch on her. Be cautious before taking action; letting her and Eve engage in mutual destruction might benefit us.”
Ghost said gloomily, “Temporarily leaving it be?”
“You can’t act impulsively until we clarify who is supporting the Ferryman.” The Angel contemplated, “I’m very worried that what’s backing her could be… another ‘Eve’.”
…
When Silverface woke up, he found himself lying in the medical room, wrapped tightly like a mummy.
His chest ached severely, and his whole body felt as though it had been run over by a car. He struggled to sit up and looked at his chest, discovering a faint bloodstain seeping through the white bandages.
“Your life is really tough,” Night Cicada’s voice floated in, “You had your heart cut open by a red-hot blade and you still managed to survive.”
“I’m still alive?” Silverface touched his face and then his body, the pain in his chest confirming he was not dreaming.
Kui Xin’s blade had cleaved down from his right shoulder to his abdomen, nearly eviscerating him. The seared blade had cut through his heart, and blood staining the heated blade emitted a scalding steam, the air filled with the smell of burnt protein.
“How is it possible that I’m still alive?” Silverface looked at his trembling hands in disbelief.
“When half the city’s power was restored, I opened a Spatial Vortex and dropped a missile from a high altitude; she probably feared it would explode, so she rushed to escape instead of finishing you off. Of course, because she escaped, I was able to retrieve the missile before it detonated,” Night Cicada said, clicking his tongue in admiration. “She utilized my abilities really well, very adeptly.”
The missile was detonated by a power device, which similarly became ineffective in the electromagnetic storm. Eve had learned her lesson and had already ordered researchers to develop an explosion device powered purely by mechanical energy.
“I mean, wasn’t I close to being eviscerated?” Silverface blankly pressed on his chest.
“When she struck you, she used the red-hot blade; it must have hurt, right? However, the blade searing your body also cooked the tissues around the cut, so there wasn’t too much blood loss, allowing you to endure a bit longer.” Night Cicada slapped Silverface on the chest, causing him to yelp in pain.
“How does it feel? Your heart.” he asked.
“Still… okay…” Silverface said with teary eyes.
“They replaced it with a mechanical heart,” Night Cicada said, “Your original heart is beyond repair.”
“Oh,” Silverface lowered his head.
After a while, he said, “I’ve noticed that when people express emotions, they say they’re heartbroken or happy; isn’t the heart just the heart? But when I asked a researcher before, he said the part for generating emotions isn’t the heart, but the brain… Now that I’ve got this mechanical heart, can it still beat faster when I’m happy and slower when I’m sad like before?”
“It can’t.” Night Cicada said without mercy. “Your heart will only adjust the heartbeat based on detected high blood pressure or low blood oxygen levels; it won’t change frequency according to your emotions.”
Silverface stared blankly at his breastplate. “Oh. So the mechanical one isn’t as good as a biological heart.”
The mechanical one isn’t as good as a biological heart? Night Cicada stared at him oddly.
Although aware that Silverface’s mind was quite empty and couldn’t articulate profound thoughts, Night Cicada still couldn’t help but ponder the deeper meaning behind his words. Was Silverface suggesting that pure rationality was inferior to emotional thinking, that the freedom granted by Mechanized Dawn wasn’t true freedom, and that the reality imparted by Mechanized Dawn wasn’t authentic reality?
Keep in mind, that mechanical heart of his was enhanced.
Silverface kept his head down, remaining silent for a long time.
Night Cicada intended to leave but suddenly noticed… the bandage on the back of his hand had gotten wet.
He suddenly began to cry, tears flowing without warning.
“Why are you crying?” Night Cicada asked in surprise.
Silverface appeared not to understand himself why he was crying.
“Crying because the Lady Fortune stabbed you? Mourning over Reset’s death?” Night Cicada asked.
“I don’t know.” Silverface leaned back, falling onto the bed. “I just… feel uncomfortable.”
In the past, when injured or hungry, his heart would feel something, the heartbeat would become oppressive, the chest would grow heavy, but this time there was no sensation in the heart; the discomfort came from another part, but he couldn’t identify which part it was.
Night Cicada observed Silverface thoughtfully and slowly said, “Haven’t you always been curious why Ambereye betrayed?”
Silverface looked up at Night Cicada with red eyes.
“Would you like to ask him directly?” Night Cicada said. “He’s still locked up in a branch’s cell.”
“Is that possible?” Silverface asked in surprise and confusion.
“Yes.” Night Cicada said. “I’ve consulted the boss about it. We can go once your body recovers.”
“Okay.” Silverface lay back down, flattening his head. He then recalled something very important and raised his head again to ask, “Is anyone still alive?”
“No, they all died.” Night Cicada lifted his eyelids.
“They all died? But before I passed out, there should still have been a few alive; did they perish from their injuries?” Silverface questioned.
Night Cicada’s eyebrow twitched. “Yes, they perished.”
“Lady Fortune had the survivors bring a message.” Silverface recalled this detail, feeling instinctively that it was crucial, so he stated, “‘Tell Eve, this time, I won.’… Who is Eve, Night Cicada? Do we have a member in our organization with the code name Eve?”
Night Cicada’s expression hardened.
“Silverface.” He said with a deadpan face. “That message was already delivered by the combat personnel before they died; there’s no need to relay it again.”
Silverface asked, “Then who is Eve…”
“You do not have the clearance to know this matter for now.” Night Cicada stated.
He frowned tightly and turned to leave the medical room.
…
Kui Xin returned to the safehouse with her arm in a sling. The doctor’s skill level was quite mediocre; he had cut off the already-healed flesh at the joint of her left arm, then reattached the severed arm, but Kui Xin’s wound-healing speed was extraordinarily fast. He couldn’t manage to stitch it properly after multiple attempts.
During the procedure, Kui Xin initially considered giving up and going for a mechanical hand instead, but in the end, the doctor managed to stitch it together with great difficulty. However, the continuously regenerating flesh caused the arm to be stitched poorly, looking a bit distorted and feeling cumbersome to use.
This became the last straw, and Kui Xin had the doctor remove the arm for a conversion to a mechanical prosthetic. In the end, she took her severed arm, stored it in a frozen medical box, as the advanced technology of the Second World allowed it to be preserved in excellent condition for a long time.
The newly installed mechanical prosthetic needed time to adapt. When she appeared before Su Rong and He Kangshi with her arm in a sling, they were both stunned, too preoccupied to inquire about the city-wide power outage that had occurred that night and instead rushed to check on her condition.
“I’m fine.” Kui Xin, exhausted, collapsed onto the couch in the rest room. “Let me sleep for a bit before you ask anything; I’m too tired.”
She was indeed too tired, with countless matters crowding her mind, leaving almost no room for thought.
Su Rong and He Kangshi exchanged glances and silently withdrew.
Before sleeping, Kui Xin softly asked, “Augus, are you okay?”
“The main unit was partially destroyed, data transfer is a bit challenging, and I’m very busy,” Augus replied. “Sleep now; tonight is a victory night.”
“Mm.” Kui Xin closed her eyes.
“The moment communications resumed, you were busy dealing with the enemy, so I didn’t get the chance to tell you.” Augus said in her earpiece, “I’m really glad to hear your voice again, Kui Xin.”
