Chapter 45: Death Is Rebirth?
Xiang Nanli trailed behind the Black Armor Knight, stepping out of the elevator and onto the top of the city wall.
The moment the knight exited the elevator, he reverted to a aloof, unapproachable demeanor.
“My Lord, right this way,” an official of the Eternal City bowed low, his head bent almost all the way to the ground. “Those Mutants are still assaulting the city… A—A few of them nearly climbed up the wall.”
To these surface survivors, a Knight Commander of the Divine Court was already an extraordinarily prominent figure.
The knight’s voice carried a metallic resonance. “What’s the panic for? They’re just Mutants.”
He paused slightly. “What about the bio-soldiers?”
Bio-soldiers and the knights of the Divine Court essentially followed the same path, though the disparity in their treatment was night and day.
Because bio-soldiers possessed poor physical constitutions to begin with, aside from those endowed with exceptional natural talent, most were merely single-use or double-use consumables.
“They’ve already been deployed. There’s another batch… but they refuse to go.”
The Knight Commander spoke sternly: “When the country’s survival is at stake, a man should give his life; how could he evade it out of personal fear or fortune!” Throw them all down there! I refuse to believe they won’t fight!”
Having finished speaking, he felt that this ancient quote he had spotted in a magazine earlier made him sound immensely cultured, and he nodded to himself in deep satisfaction.
Row after row of artillery carts were mounted at the embrasures along the wall. Beside the carts, young soldiers with soot-blackened faces were loading ammunition.
It was clear that the city was severely shorthanded. One particular young soldier was blatantly underage, his oversized uniform hanging loosely on a frame as skinny as a monkey’s.
Mutants threw burning fragments of metal upward. Most were blocked by the towering city wall, but a tiny fraction of lethal debris managed to rain inside.
Beneath the wall lay the top half of a soldier’s body. His lower torso from the waist down was gone, the wound charred pitch-black as he groaned in agony.
Noticing the Knight Commander passing by, the soldier trembled, gasping out, “Knight… Captain…!”
The Knight Commander paused. He walked over to the corner of the wall where the wounded gathered, squatted down, and took the soldier’s hand, speaking in a warm, gentle tone: “I am here, soldier. The Divine Court is proud of you.”
Bloody tears streamed down the soldier’s eyes. “I… want to join the Apocalypse Knights… I… want to.”
“Good, good. The Divine Court possesses tissue regeneration surgery that can grant you new life. Your bravery is reflected in the grand, magnificent eyes of God.”
With that, he actually picked up the soldier himself and carried him toward the watchtower.
Envious gazes swept through the surrounding crowd, and cries of “Knight Commander!” erupted one after another.
The Knight Commander raised one arm, pressing down the noise and gesturing for the crowd to settle. “Citizens of the Divine Kingdom! Your sacrifices shall be rewarded!”
Morale atop the city wall visibly soared; even the skinniest soldier found renewed strength to pass gunpowder, despite not having eaten breakfast yet.
Xiang Nanli hugged the base of the wall, stepping carefully as he kept his body concealed within the deep shadows.
The Knight Commander carried the half-bodied soldier across a long stretch of the wall, with soldiers along the path offering him the utmost respectful salutes. The injured soldier was overwhelmingly moved, tears welling in his eyes.
That was until they stepped into the tower, and the heavily guarded door clicked shut behind the Knight Commander.
The Knight Commander raised a hand, covering the soldier’s eyes. Without a moment’s hesitation, he drew a blade hidden in his sleeve and plunged it straight through the soldier’s heart.
Withdrawing the blade, the Knight Commander casually tossed the corpse onto the floor. “Dispose of it.”
The official leading the way trembled all over. Bending down, he stiffly picked up the corpse, his mouth agape for a long moment, though only cold wind blew inside.
Not only the diplomat, but even Xiang Nanli, who was stealthily trespassing, was startled by this sudden act.
The Knight Commander glanced at the official, explaining expressionlessly, “He isn’t worth saving. The cost of tissue regeneration is far more expensive than his life. I am merely relieving his suffering—both the physical pain and the pain of spending the rest of his life living in lies and anticipation. Do not worry; our flames of soul shall reunite within the mind of God.”
“You… you are right,” the official managed to choke out.
The Knight Commander strode forward up the stairs, quickly arriving at a modest meeting room inside the watchtower.
This was the highest-level political meeting in the Eternal City, attended by six people in total. However, the true leaders were only two: the Knight Commander and the City Lord. The remaining attendees were merely there to execute orders.
Xiang Nanli slipped inside as well; the access control systems registered no reaction to him whatsoever.
Alpha issued a friendly prompt: [Warning: Remaining in the same area for an extended period may trigger heightened biological detection systems in the zone, increasing the risk of exposure. Please keep track of time.]
The City Lord frowned. “Half an hour ago, Lord Sariel sent a signal stating that the Holy Spirit is currently incubating and must not be disturbed. He commanded us to intercept the Mutants with everything we have.”
A Black Armor Knight remarked, “Normally, it’s the Apocalypse Knights pulling all the hard and dirty work, but when it’s time to reap the rewards, the Discipline Knights step in… Seeing as Lord Sariel hasn’t sent word in so long, maybe he’s secretly keeping the Holy Spirit for himself…”
Before anyone else could react, the Knight Commander suddenly stood up and delivered a stinging slap across the Black Armor Knight’s face.
The Black Armor Knight flew backward through the air, crashing hard into the wall. His helmet dropped to the floor, and even his bones emitted a contorted, sickening crack.
The Apocalypse Knight Commander bellowed in fury, “That is our Commander! What right do you have to recklessly speculate about Lord Sariel?! If word gets out, do you want us all dead?!”
Bleeding profusely, the Black Armor Knight sobbed whimpering apologies: “I’m sorry, My Lord. I’m sorry.”
The City Lord knit his brows. “Enough, Knight Commander. This wave of Mutants is exceptionally troublesome; they seem to have undergone some form of evolution we don’t quite understand. Take a look.”
The screen displayed surveillance footage beamed back by Hummingbird drones.
Counting them carefully, there were actually only about thirty-some Mutants in this wave. The ones charging at the absolute front were massive hulks, standing roughly 15 meters tall.
The city wall was 60 meters high.
At first, the Mutants tried to climb it, but their claws weren’t sharp enough to carve footholds into the wall’s surface.
So, they began stacking themselves one on top of another, hoisting smaller Mutants upward. The ones behind stepped on their bodies to climb higher.
Some Mutants even endured the agony of ripping out large chunks of their own flesh, pasting them onto the wall structure. This made it easier for other Mutants to tread on—the flesh was even squirming like a clump of red jelly.
The footage also captured the figures of bio-soldiers.
Malnourished, their body sizes were much smaller than those of the Mutants, making them virtually incapable of putting up a real fight.
Yet they still charged forward recklessly, throwing away all regard for their own safety.
These bio-soldiers were native inhabitants of the Eternal City, coming straight from the slums. Once they became bio-soldiers, their family members were brought into the Main City area. It was both a hostage situation and a leap in social class.
Having never seen the outside world, they felt immense gratitude toward the City Lord, even willing to stake their lives to defend everything they currently possessed.
Sirius had once been one of them.
That was precisely why he had felt such anguish and rage upon arriving in the Underground City. The first 19 years of his life had been one massive lie. Just five hundred kilometers away, right underground, children didn’t have to learn how to kill the moment they were born, nor did they have to worry about forty-below-zero winters, bitter cold, or starvation…
Granted, the Human Alliance’s underground cities had plenty of terrible aspects as well, but to the slaves on the surface, it was already paradise.
This was a world that had collectively given up. The baseline conditions were set; you didn’t need to be perfect, you just had to be better than the other piece-of-trash alternatives.
The City Lord said, “They seem to possess some degree of intelligence, even learning to use tools and strategy. Look, this wave attacking the wall is even taking turns acting as footstools. Furthermore, they aren’t displaying a mindless urge to feed—there are plenty of civilians nearby that could serve as a quick meal, yet they haven’t cast them so much as a single glance.”
A minister suggested, “Perhaps they are lured by the scent of the Holy Spirit.”
“Perhaps,” the City Lord frowned. “Regardless, we cannot allow them to breach the Inner City. Knight Commander, I must ask you to lead the Apocalypse Knights outside the city. The main city gate cannot be opened, so please descend from the city wall. I will equip your unit with parachutes and flight craft.”
As they were speaking, the ground began to quiver violently.
The City Lord gripped his chair in a panic, waiting for the intense tremor to pass. It was only thanks to the Eternal City being a solid, unified metallic structure that the ground didn’t crack open, though quite a few stone tiles fell from the building exteriors.
A sharp, piercing screech erupted from the direction of the Arena, causing everyone in the room to abruptly turn their heads toward the window.
A massive, blood-red serpent burst forth from deep beneath the ground. Even in the pitch-black night, its immense body could be felt writhing through the void!
As the serpent’s body exposed itself to the open air, a second torso struggled to grow out from its abdominal region, slightly slenderer than the main trunk.
It thrashed about, causing the castle above to shake to its foundations. The wealthy residing in the Main City were no longer at ease; lamps flickered on one after another in the palaces, though no one dared venture toward the back mountain.
A short while later, the earthquake subsided, and the Holy Spirit prostrated itself back down.
The Knight Commander fell silent for a moment. “Did Lord Sariel truly say nothing else? Only for us to defend to the death?”
“Yes.”
The Knight Commander let out a sigh. “Very well. We obey orders. I shall rally the knights for battle.”
To Xiang Nanli, this was a significant piece of good news.
After all, that tough-as-nails Knight Commander looked exceedingly difficult to deal with.
After days of being fed Gene Serum by Xiao Qing, Xiang Nanli had upgraded from a Level 1.5 fragile Mechanic to a Level 5 fragile Mechanic, even mastering basic combat techniques that didn’t require network connectivity.
His physical capabilities had improved somewhat, and he was equipped with the Legendary relic [Lurker Shed Skin] alongside the Level 15 mechanical exoskeleton equipment [Explorer]. Still, trying to head-on fight a Level 30 Knight Commander would be a gross overestimation of his own abilities.
The Knight Commander surveyed his surroundings, pointing at the Black Armor Knight he had slapped earlier: “Kneel here and reflect properly on your actions.”
This Black Armor Knight actually held a slightly higher status than the other Apocalypse Knights. One major reason was that he was the Knight Commander’s biological younger brother.
Going into a battle this dangerous, he wouldn’t bring his brother along; when it came time to distribute military merits, his share would remain the same anyway.
Clutching his helmet, the Black Armor Knight knelt in the corner. “Yes, My Lord.”
The Knight Commander deliberately lingered behind. Once everyone else had left, he spoke with earnest solemnity: “You are my younger brother, which makes it all the more crucial for you to guard against giving people ammunition against you. Your physical constitution is weak to begin with, and the others don’t want to see you inherit my position. I am 39 years old this year, only one year away from my evaluation period. If I fail to advance, I will immediately return to the Divine Kingdom in spirit—how much longer could I possibly shield you then?”
The Knight Commander hurried off toward the city wall. The City Lord and the rest of the officials walked toward the upper attic, leaving only the Black Armor Knight remaining in the room.
His head bowed low as he held his helmet, tears falling drop by drop onto the luxurious carpet.
Xiang Nanli felt as if he had been staring at him for a long time, though in reality, barely a minute had passed.
[Alpha,] Xiang Nanli called out in his mind.
[I am here.]
Xiang Nanli: [Can you scan what level the City Lord roughly is?]
[My apologies, there is no data in the local database. However, based on past records, the City Lord is estimated to be around Level 20.]
[The City Lord has guards around him, so getting him alone will be difficult. But if I have this little knight's identity, things will be much more convenient. Dressed in full armor, nobody will be able to tell who I am, right?]
[Correct. The Divine Court distinguishes knights by their suit armor; every set of armor possesses its own unique database.]
[I need to open the gate—specifically, the gate to the Outer City. On one hand, I need to get out myself since inside the city isn't safe either; on the other hand, the civilians in the Outer City need a way out as well. Even if the Mutants don't eat them, they'll still be caught in the collateral damage.]
More people were actually dying from smoke inhalation and the blazing fires.
[Correct.]
[Opening the city gates—that's probably Ezekiel's goal. The Mutants outside will rush in... but honestly, even if we can't open it, it doesn't affect him much either way.]
[Taking everything into consideration, killing this knight offers the highest cost-effectiveness. Acquire his identity, head to the control room to find the City Lord, eliminate him, and seize control of the castle. That is currently the optimal plan. It carries a certain degree of risk, but I believe it is worth taking.]
[Correct.]
Xiang Nanli said despondently: [But I've never killed a person before. I've never even killed a fish. I'm really scared, can you understand?]
Though he claimed to be scared, Xiang Nanli’s mental state was actually exceptionally calm.
His internal hormone levels were so stable that even his offline AI found it surprising.
If Alpha 5.2.0 were still online, it would probably get to the bottom of it.
Why be afraid?
Is it the fear of realizing that he truly is the “outlier” of society?
No matter how many people praised him for being brilliant or superior, only the mother who gave birth to him realized that she had brought a monster into the world.
Unfortunate that only Alpha was here now: [It matters not. According to the faith of the Black Cross Inquisition, death is rebirth. He will be reincarnated into a good life.]
[Mm-hmm.]
Xiang Nanli took a step forward. Using a mechanical blade, he sliced open the Black Armor Knight’s throat from behind. Dongfang Qingdi had taught him this maneuver many times.
Swift, precise, ruthless. Blood spilled, but not much. Very easy to clean up. The cut surface was smooth and complete.
Xiang Nanli felt as though he were sleepwalking right up until he extracted the complete body from the armor, carrying it into the meeting room’s restroom.
The knight’s head rested on the sink counter, staring quietly at him, a trace of grievance lingering in his expression.
Xiang Nanli peeled off his Lurker skin. The stench of blood and grease—previously isolated by the skin—rushed into his nostrils. Only a few minutes had passed, yet the knight’s pupils were already beginning to dilate. Logically, genetically modified humans decayed very slowly, yet the corpse lying on the floor was already leaking foul, rancid fluid.
Xiang Nanli turned on the tap and washed his hands. After a moment, he couldn’t hold it in any longer and vomited violently. The warm touch felt as if it were still lingering on his skin.
He had succeeded, but he wasn’t happy.
Xiao Qing had talked to him many times about building a base. It was obvious that Dongfang Qingdi had never given up on trying to make Xiang Nanli drop the idea.
——He had said: “No matter the social structure, ideals are merely the surface layer. What ultimately binds everyone within a system together is interest. ‘Ensuring everyone has enough to eat and wear’ is also a form of interest. It will inevitably clash with the existing rent-seeking class. In fact, their interests are reasonable to a degree—you don’t have to answer me now, but if you don’t give up, you will face a choice like this sooner or later.”
——“Are you capable of depriving others of their interests for the sake of the interests you desire?”
——“I am not opposing you. I just… think it will be very exhausting.”
Xiang Nanli emptied the sour fluids from his stomach and turned off the tap.
He muttered quietly, “I am.”
Xiang Nanli folded the Lurker skin, pressing it down into a thin layer until he could barely manage to stuff it into the pocket of his protective suit. As for his mechanical exoskeleton, he decided to leave it in the restroom—there was simply no room left to pack it. He felt a bit sorry toward his boss for leaving it behind.
Leaving the restroom, he returned to the meeting room. He had noticed earlier that the armor worn by the Black Armor Knights was more like a lightweight power armor suit, fitted with numerous neural transmission cables inside.
Xiang Nanli climbed in, then pulled on the helmet.
[Neural link establishing... Verification passed.]
[Compatibility: 100%.]
The Black Armor Knight stood up from the floor, standing at a height of 2.2 meters. A chaotic influx of data flooded into Xiang Nanli’s brain, feeling like a bizarre form of mental pollution—a variant of cyber-psychosis.
Xiang Nanli swept a quick glance through it; surprisingly, these were the precious memories of past users of this Black Armor. Because memory capacity was limited, everyone had uploaded only their most vital moments…
Xiang Nanli was a heartless mechanic.
He examined the operating system, then selected Delete All.
As Xiang Nanli walked toward the control room, he mused: “The Divine Court always preaches that death is rebirth… it couldn’t possibly be referring to this kind of data parasitism passed down through generations, could it?”
How is this any different from cyber-possession?
