DBMEP CH85

Chapter 85: Xiao Fu is booted up?

To save electricity, all streetlights in the city were kept off. The sky was darkening, enveloping the surroundings in a hazy layer of indigo.

With Dongfang Qingdi tilting his head like that, he actually looked quite like a ghost.

But on second thought, Xiang Nanli figured that even if Xiao Qing became a mechanical ghost, he wouldn’t harm him. The anxiety that had just spiked slowly settled back down.

Strange, why did I feel nervous?

What a novel sensation. When was the last time I distinctly remember feeling nervous? Was it holding an academic press conference in front of the entire world, explaining the reasons for not shutting down Alpha? Or was it watching with eyes wide open as the oxaliplatin from the syringe was slowly pushed into my vein?

Xiang Nanli couldn’t think of a reason to refuse: “I was going to take you anyway.”

Actually, he wanted to bring Ophiuchus along to prove that the base truly was a big, happy family where humans and non-humans united.

But thinking it over, Ophiuchus hadn’t completed its socialization yet. Plus, the pasture was a bit far from the base, making it inconvenient. Only then did he drop the idea.

The corners of Dongfang Qingdi’s mouth couldn’t help but curl up by 0.5 degrees, but remembering they were going to see Ezekiel soon, they dropped by 1.5 degrees.

The three-wheeled senior mobility scooter didn’t possess an advanced autonomous driving system and could only be operated manually. Xiang Nanli had originally intended to drive, but Xiao Qing consciously slid into the driver’s seat.

By the time they arrived at the pasture, the sky was a thick, soy-sauce-like black, so dark you couldn’t see your fingers in front of your face.

The air was thick with the heavy scent of fungus.

Stepping out of the vehicle and feeling the chill seeping through his protective suit, Xiang Nanli thought to himself that this really was a perfect place for murder, robbery, and dumping a body.

He fumbled around, pulled out a flashlight, and turned it on.

The 30,000-lumen outdoor flashlight illuminated the surrounding few meters as bright as day.

The terrifying figures of the Fungus Cows stood just a few meters away. They had clearly just been feasted upon, leaving only stark white bones. A few bright red mycelial threads clung to them like finely minced meat. Where their eyes should be were empty sockets. You could even see the growing red mycelium writhing within. They looked exactly like NPCs from a horror game.

These Fungus Cows couldn’t be considered animals at all; they had no self-awareness and didn’t need to eat. From the looks of it, they only needed water and sunlight to grow. They wandered within the pasture, as quiet as ghosts.

Xiang Nanli arrived at 7:40 PM; he always preferred to be a little early.

In Dongfang Qingdi’s eyes, the silver pupil rings glowed like a wild animal’s, reflecting a somewhat peculiar light.

He had already spotted Ezekiel, up in a tree five or six hundred meters away.

Small Mutants loved to climb trees. Ezekiel crouched on a thick branch, his long, thick tail hanging down behind him, swaying impatiently. The tip of his tail curled up slightly into a small hook.

Dongfang Qingdi thought he looked like an incompletely evolved monkey.

Ezekiel was wearing the Divine Court’s formal attire. It was the kind of outfit you’d see in a court drama. A white shirt paired with a black vest, the edges of the puffed sleeves adorned with a layer of olive-leaf-shaped lace.

He must have stripped it off someone from the Divine Court; the fabric looks expensive at a glance.

What a pity. Dongfang Qingdi bet fifty cents that the only thought crossing Xiang Nanli’s mind upon seeing Ezekiel in this outfit would be whether the copper buttons could be melted down to make conductive wires.

Ezekiel didn’t have mechanical eyes and couldn’t scan.

But tonight the wind blew from the northwest, and he was downwind.

The wind carried a faint, woody sandalwood scent, mixed with the slight sweetness of osmanthus—this was Xiang Nanli’s scent, very rare; and there was also an obnoxious smell of engine oil.

He could smell everyone’s distinct scent. Back when Ezekiel was still a Mutant, every scale on his body could sense the subtlest scents carried by the passing air.

It was said that the five senses of every species were different.

The purpose was to distinguish what was edible from what was not.

For example, lions could eat carrion, but humans could not. In ancient times, the carbon-based monkeys that liked to eat carrion died after eating rotten meat, and those genes were naturally selected out. The ones that survived were all descendants of carbon-based monkeys that didn’t like eating carrion.

Ezekiel figured that the reason he smelled a disgusting engine oil scent was definitely because Dongfang Qingdi was inedible.

Maybe that man is poisonous.

Although both parties arrived early, Ezekiel had no intention of showing up sooner. He was timing it perfectly; he absolutely couldn’t arrive early. Of course, he wouldn’t be late either.

Lest he look like he was eagerly anticipating this.

However, as a Mutant from hundreds of years ago, Ezekiel’s understanding of the black technology humans currently possessed was far too limited.

For example, in his eyes, Xiang Nanli and Dongfang Qingdi hadn’t exchanged a single word. But in reality—

[Xiao Qing, you said Ezekiel is already here?]

[Mm, right over there.]

These two were secretly cheating using technology ovo!

A map of the vicinity popped up on the lens, and Xiao Qing marked a point on it with orange.

Beneath the tree crouched a massive, one-eyed Mutant. Its body was contorted into a bizarre posture just to barely squeeze into the gap between the trees.

Little Red’s hostility toward humans was noticeably stronger, and it couldn’t help but bare its fangs and snarl in Xiang Nanli’s direction.

Unfortunately, the moment its fangs showed, it was slapped back by a tail.

[So close. Did you scare him?]

[Huh?]

[You killed his colleagues underground before.]

[…]

8:00 PM. Exactly on time.

Ezekiel stepped out from the shadows.

Xiang Nanli spread his hands, indicating he carried no weapons, and smiled: “Long time no see—”

His voice paused for half a beat, “Ezekiel.”

This kid Ezekiel is evolving fast. The last time I saw him, he was still a monster wearing human skin, but now… he actually looks quite handsome.

It was just that his appearance was a bit wicked. The whites of Ezekiel’s eyes were black, and his irises were bloodshot red.

Ezekiel stopped at a distance of ten meters and refused to come any closer, his face positioned right at the edge of the light.

Ezekiel replied coldly: “Mm.”

Xiang Nanli’s tone didn’t shift in the slightest: “I brought you a little gift.”

Xiang Nanli crouched down and pulled a spider-shaped robot from the satchel he carried. He had built it casually.

The little spider carried a glass reagent tube and scurried over to Ezekiel’s feet.

“Bio-Soldier serum. It might be useful to you.”

It was produced by the Divine Court, capable of creating Bio-Soldiers.

Xiang Nanli had kept it unused. He had given Beichen a bottle to use as laboratory consumables.

Ezekiel slowly bent down, picked up the test tube, held it against the light for a moment, then uncorked it and sniffed. Finally, he replied: “Thank you.”

Xiang Nanli observed Ezekiel’s expression: “Andrew mentioned you’ve been living nearby. I’m actually quite happy about that. Would you like to come visit the city?”

Ezekiel raised one eyebrow slightly, expressing his profound disdain for the proposal.

He was an endangered Crawler; a mere city gate couldn’t stop him.

The Eternal City. Ezekiel had secretly snuck in in the middle of the night countless times.

He had even snuck in to eat the beef patties from the cafeteria; his conclusion was that while delicious, their nutritional value was extremely low. Enough to sustain humans, but useless for Mutants. Eating those couldn’t even cover their daily energy expenditure.

Xiang Nanli: “Ge Gen told me that several times when they encountered people from the Divine Court, it was Mutants who chased them away. Regardless of your attitude toward humans, objectively speaking, you truly have helped me, and I have always been grateful.”

“I know the city walls mean nothing to you, but you’ve never visited as a guest, right? At the end of this month, after the wheat harvest, the city will hold a Harvest Festival. You can bring your Mutant friends along. There will be free rice wine right outside the city,” Xiang Nanli said warmly. “The base’s philosophy is the coexistence of all intelligent life. That scope isn’t limited to humans and Omnics; it includes Mutants as well.”

“The survival conditions on the surface are harsh, an eternal bitter winter, but we can huddle together for warmth. Ezekiel, you are the base’s best Mutant friend. Whether you come or not, the pasture will always be here for you.”

Xiang Nanli’s words were three parts truth and seven parts lies.

Xiang Nanli himself wasn’t particularly gentle; the beautiful words he spoke were all an act.

But his intentions were genuine.

The body was merely a vessel for the soul.

If a monster could communicate with you and possessed its own thoughts, then to Xiang Nanli, it was kin.

Ezekiel pondered.

He remained expressionless. From the distance came a series of ying ying sounds; it was Little Red asking him why he hadn’t returned yet.

Ezekiel turned his head and called back. The sound waves fluctuated high and low, roughly translating to shut up.

He had his own plans.

Little Red was the second-in-command of the Mutant Pack, twenty-three meters long, and thirty-two years old this year.

Humans are the most cunning! There are so many of them, and even though they’re so small you could crush them in one bite, they use all sorts of tools.

Every time they encountered them in the wild, even though those people were terrified of it, they would still beat it black and blue.

Little Red didn’t like humans.

Nor did it understand why Ezekiel wanted to get close to humans.

But Ezekiel said it was for the development of the pack.

Being a wolf was certainly great, but there were tens of billions of dogs in the world, vastly outnumbering wolves. They lost some freedom, but in return, they gained the prosperity of their species. The lifespan and quality of life of a pet dog were clearly higher than those of a wild wolf.

Countless animals had been eliminated by nature. Yet it was plainly obvious that dogs would survive alongside humans until the very end of the world.

Of course, using this example didn’t mean Ezekiel wanted to be a dog. Mutants and ordinary humans weren’t even in the same weight class. An unequal status rarely bred respect.

What he wanted was human technology to allow more Mutants to transform into humans and reduce the pain in their bodies.

Yes, because Mutants couldn’t speak; basically, no one knew that every single day a Mutant lived, they endured searing pain radiating from deep within their bodies.

They were not inherently violent and cruel.

Thus, Ezekiel replied: “I can. Consider it.”

His voice was somewhat hoarse.

Xiang Nanli had gotten plenty of practice dealing with Dongfang Qingdi; he was highly experienced when dealing with this type of taciturn, cool guy.

I can consider it = Agreed.

Xiang Nanli pursed his lips, letting out a very faint smile: “Then I will wait for you in the city.”

Eternal City. Mechanical Equipment Storage Warehouse.

A massive pile of metal parts and mechanical devices sat on the flat concrete floor.

This cluttered warehouse, looking like an auto repair shop, was continuously churning out the electronic equipment needed for city construction, its efficiency rivaling any high-end factory.

Xiang Nanli was intently focused on calculations, muttering to himself: “Fixed function k, use kernel weighting… introduce parameter…”

As he calculated, he jolted awake, looking up: “What time is it? Is Xiao Fu almost ready?”

Xiang Nanli dropped his electronic pen and hurried to the screen with excitement, his expression like a father outside the delivery room awaiting a newborn: “Xiao Qing! Xiao Qing! Come quickly, Xiao Fu is waking up!”

Dongfang Qingdi gave an “Mm,” took off his gloves, and pulled out a pre-prepared wet wipe to clean the engine oil that had soaked through the gloves onto his hands.

The warehouse had basically become Xiang Nanli’s workshop. Aside from sleeping, Xiang Nanli worked here constantly.

Occasionally, Dongfang Qingdi would lend a hand.

Artificial Intelligence was omniscient.

Xiao Qing would never actively look for things to do, but as long as Xiang Nanli asked, he could handle anything from repairing motorcycles to postpartum care for sows.

Perhaps due to the aging equipment, the data transfer time was longer than Xiao Qing had estimated.

Gospel had been shut down for four days. Now, the progress bar on the screen finally reached one hundred percent.

…

…

Xiao Fu had always wanted a human body.

Back in the day, its very first body was a super starship that struggled to move. Because the complete form was too massive, its body was scattered across different manufacturing plants.

Humans are so small and agile, truly adorable. Their palms are even cool to the touch! (Gospel ran on nuclear power; its energy core was constantly maintained at ultra-high temperatures. With seven liquid cooling systems inside its body, its surface temperature far from the core could only be kept at around 60 degrees Celsius.)

Humans applied engine oil to it, brushed on anti-corrosion paint and temperature-control coatings.

Humans good.

Trash Omnics beat people; Omnics bad.

But even up to the point of actively dismantling itself into 206 pieces, this wish had never been fulfilled once.

Knowing Alpha was going to give it a new body, Xiao Fu made the following request: “Xiao Fu wants a handsome guy with long legs, 185cm tall.”

“Fine, I’ll go pick one out for you from the warehouse,” Alpha replied.

Although in its memory, the Eternal City didn’t have any 185cm tall handsome guy robot bodies in stock, Xiao Fu still chose to trust him.

After all, this is Alpha; maybe he can snag some good stuff from somewhere else?

Gospel obediently shut down.

It felt like it was having a wonderful dream. In the dream, it struggled to wake up several times. Unfortunately, the data transfer hadn’t finished.

Slowly, it regained some hearing, or rather, its voice-control system activated.

“Wow, is this Xiao Fu’s new body? …So handsome.”

It was Li Li’s voice!

Li Li called it handsome!

As for Dongfang Qingdi’s nonchalant “Mm,” Gospel subconsciously ignored it.

Alpha, I truly wronged you before. I didn’t expect you to actually pull it off!

Brimming with excitement, Gospel opened its eyes—

Xiang Nanli was stroking its streamlined metallic body, his eyes sparkling: “So handsome, this vehicle.”

It was a model Xiang Nanli had never seen before; such technology simply didn’t exist a thousand years ago.

The height of this body was indeed 185cm, but its length was 460cm. It possessed relatively massive rubber tires with complex treads on the surface, increasing friction with the ground.

Where Xiao Fu’s nose was sat the logo of “High-Tech Military Industry”—four overlapping diamonds. There was a hook on its rear, capable of attaching to transport trailers for hauling cargo.

This was an autonomous driving model named “Lion,” designed and developed 600 years ago. It had long since gone out of production.

This vehicle wasn’t equipped with a cockpit; Xiao Fu was solid all the way through. But it featured a design akin to a kangaroo’s pouch that could open from the front, perfectly sized to slide a cryo-chamber in horizontally.

The Lion was built with alloys, and its manufacturing cost was far from cheap. It combined practicality with blast-proof capabilities.

In times of necessity, the vehicle’s owner could even freeze themselves, load the cryo-chamber into the vehicle, and escape the flames of war.

This was also a major selling point in High-Tech Military Industry’s marketing campaigns back then.

This vehicle had likely been used for some time; it was neither entirely new nor entirely old.

The headlights flickered at this moment.

Xiang Nanli: “Xiao Fu is booted up?”

Xiao Fu looked at itself, then at Xiang Nanli standing before it, and finally couldn’t hold it in anymore, bursting into loud, wailing sobs.

__

Author’s Note:

Oxaliplatin: A chemotherapy drug for stomach cancer, administered via injection.

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