Chapter 21: We Will Meet Again
That final word, “atonement,” was actually Xiang Nanli’s true thought.
He believed he hadn’t raised Alpha well, and that the AI Crisis was partly his responsibility. Granted, not by much—even though it was something that happened after Xiang Nanli’s death.
Logically speaking, Xiang Nanli’s emotions came from the bottom of his heart, so this scene should have been somewhat touching.
However, the unromantic system spoke up at this moment to ask:
[Are you a clone?]
Xiang Nanli replied:
[What kind of relationship do we have? If I’m a clone, wouldn’t you know? Where is the most basic trust between a human and an artificial intelligence?]
Luo Xiu’s expression remained serious as he scrutinized Xiang Nanli’s face. The other party met his gaze, his emerald-green eyes inclusive and peaceful.
Luo Xiu’s taut nerves relaxed just a fraction, but he did not lower his weapon. “Your appearance is very different from the photos of Xiang Nanli in the official records.”
Judging by the photos of that “Xiang Nanli” in the records, that person would have needed multiple bone-shaving plastic surgeries to look like the Xiang Nanli standing before him.
Xiang Nanli gave a helpless smile. “I don’t know why they think that person was Xiang Nanli, but my appearance should be very close to his.”
Xiu did not struggle with it for long. He retracted his gun and said coldly, “Alright, on this point, I’d rather believe you.”
Xiang Nanli: “…”
It was obvious that the photo of the Kappa-like leader had brought severe psychological trauma to Luo Xiu; the sense of disillusionment was no less than the collapse of a faith.
The fact of the matter was: due to the existence of genetic modification and plastic surgery technology, the more economically developed a place was, the better-looking the local inhabitants were.
Luo Xiu came from a privileged background and lived in the wealthy district of Luoyang City; there wasn’t a single ugly person around him! In the first fifteen years of his life, it was actually hard for him to visually comprehend what it meant to be “bald, toothless, and look like a rat,” until he saw the photos released by the archaeological team.
That was also the first time in Luo Xiu’s life that he got drunk. He accidentally drank to the point of a gastric perforation and had to register at the pediatrics department.
Xin Zhui, who was resting on Luo Xiu’s back, let out a very soft groan. Luo Xiu gave him an injection of a special medication, which spared Xin Zhui from having to consume his own cells to repair his body.
The skin on Xin Zhui’s body hadn’t even grown back yet, but his body temperature was rising abnormally. Though Xin Zhui was still comatose, his breathing was exceptionally heavy.
Luo Xiu squatted down, thought for a moment, gritted his teeth, and injected another vial of medicinal fluid.
The previous vial had been blue, while this one was light red.
As soon as the drug was injected, the blood vessels on Xin Zhui’s body bulged, and the blood flowing inside took on a distinct blackish-purple hue. The beating of his heart was extraordinarily violent, like a thumping drum.
I’ve heard that the weakness of genetically modified humans is in the head. Xiang Nanli thought of this inappropriately.
“How do you need me to assist you?” There was a hint of imperceptible anxiety in Luo Xiu’s tone.
Xin Zhui’s situation was truly not optimistic. After encountering the Apocalypse Knights earlier, Luo Xiu had sent a distress signal back home, but he didn’t know when the rescue would arrive. Even if they did arrive, Luo Xiu wasn’t sure they could successfully find the entrance to the underground factory.
If the Mechanical Crawlers caught up…
The education Luo Xiu received dictated that he should abandon dead weight to buy himself time; his life was worth more than others’.
In this era, everything had a price.
Including human life—Immortality Tech had a technology that hadn’t been promoted to the public, called “Cloning Life.” With biological cloning plus memory chips, the Synths produced would have no difference from the original owner, including their way of thinking. They wouldn’t even realize they were Synths.
This technology was extremely dangerous. Because as long as you had money and a memory chip, you could replace anyone with a clone.
Anyone.
So how much was Xin Zhui actually worth? Luo Xiu couldn’t say for sure, but he was willing to trade all the assets under his name for him. They were companions who grew up together. He could not accept Xin Zhui’s death, even if his money could replicate countless Synths of him.
“You alone might not be enough; it would be better if Bodhi and the others were here. But there’s no time left.” Xiang Nanli gestured with his hands in midair. “The console to unseal the Dongfang Qingdi is also in the central hall. I need someone to help draw the attention of the Mechanical Crawler. I will hand over the control permissions of those robots to you. You use your internal AI to control these robots and make them run toward the direction where the Apocalypse Knights left.”
Yes, Xiang Nanli had despicably shifted the trouble onto someone else.
“Once it squeezes into another door, I will close the entrance to buy time.”
The eight doors leading to the hall were practically eight walls. Presumably, this was to make it convenient for the Mechanical Crawler to move in and out. However, the iron doors could only delay it for a short while; they couldn’t stop the Mechanical Crawler’s heavy firepower assault.
But delaying it for a short while was enough—it just meant the brothers from the Inquisition would have to work hard!
The reason he chose Luo Xiu instead of someone else was that Luo Xiu’s internal AI had the best specifications and had many offline software modules installed, allowing for multi-threaded operation without worrying about frying the chip.
Alpha, on the other hand, was an old chip from hundreds of years ago, looking like its hardware specifications weren’t quite up to par.
Luo Xiu thought for a moment, then nodded. “Alright.”
With great tacit understanding, neither of them brought up who the unsealed “Dongfang QiQingdingdi” would belong to after dealing with the Mechanical Crawler, avoiding a rupture in their fragile alliance at this moment.
A data light screen visible only to himself popped up before Luo Xiu’s eyes. It utilized optical stealth technology, so to outsiders, it only appeared as a blurry halo of light.
[? requests a data link with you]
The question mark in the box meant his own intelligent AI failed to identify the applicant’s identity. This also indicated one thing: the AI Xiang Nanli was using was not in the Human Alliance’s database.
Considering his identity as a researcher for Donghuang Heavy Industry, it didn’t seem to be a problem. After all, several hundred years was long enough.
Two more modules appeared in Luo Xiu’s installed software list: one was temporary control permissions for the robots, and the other was the factory floor plan.
He clicked in and took a look. There were currently 82 humanoid machines left that still had power and were capable of movement.
Xiang Nanli: “Find a safe place. I’ll send you a signal in a moment, and you can control these robots to move.”
Luo Xiu nodded. “Alright.”
“See you in a bit then.” Xiang Nanli waved his hand at him, then walked toward the entrance.
He still needed to return to the scene and wait for his chance.
Watching his departing back, Luo Xiu couldn’t help but speak up: “Xiang Nanli.”
This was the first time he had called Xiang Nanli by his name.
Xiang Nanli paused in his tracks, turned his head, and asked with a smile, “Uh-huh?”
Luo Xiu stared into his emerald-green eyes, took a deep breath, and said, “Stay safe.”
Xiang Nanli cautiously edged close to the large door.
Hiding behind the door, the roars of the Mechanical Crawler sounded right next to his ears, which was quite terrifying. The vibration of the ground here was also exceptionally distinct.
Xiang Nanli asked, “Alpha, are we really safe?”
But the emotion in his tone wasn’t nervousness; on the contrary, it was a bit… excited?
After all, that was the body Alpha had built for himself. Surely it would feel better to touch than ordinary robots, right? If he died halfway through, would it count as dying on the path of seeking truth?
The Crawler had already broken free by a long distance, with only the tip of its tail still pinned to the ground. It looked like a mutated gecko-man, but its tail couldn’t regrow like a real gecko’s.
“Please trust me.” Alpha was coldly yet thoroughly reliable.
Xiang Nanli replied with a smile, “Of course I trust you. You are my Alpha, after all.”
Alpha tried hard to analyze this. Alpha couldn’t analyze it and felt like his CPU was burning a bit.
Alpha could only reply, “It’s good that you understand.”
Ordinary Crawlers only had two forelimbs. But this Mechanical Crawler had four. The two near its abdomen were mechanical arms added later, equipped with telescopic pipes that could extend quite far.
After a period of agonizing labor-like pain, it finally obtained its long-awaited freedom. The Crawler’s long tail split open vertically down the middle, making it look as if it were wearing a swallowtail coat.
Xiang Nanli whispered, “Action.”
In the next second, the robots located at the edges of the hall stood up.
Over 80 robots went into action almost simultaneously. A portion of the military-grade robots opened fire on the Crawler, launching an attack, while another portion ran toward the large door.
The weapons equipped by Donghuang Heavy Industry for this batch of robots were of decent quality; several of the Crawler’s metal scales were blown off, leaving a few black scorch marks on its rough hide.
With one stomp from its foot, a robot instantly deformed under the heavy pressure, its metal parts tumbling out of its body. As for those further away, the Crawler unhesitatingly used thermal weapons to conduct long-range attacks.
Biological modification plus mechanical modification was absolutely not as simple as 1 + 1 = 2.
The destructive power it unleashed far exceeded that of its mediocre counterparts. The robots suffered heavy casualties; out of the 82 machines, only two managed to successfully escape in the end. They likewise split into two paths, rushing toward different corridors.
The vengeful Crawler clearly had no intention of letting even these two robots slide. Dragging its heavy body, it crawled toward the door.
The Mechanical Crawler’s body looked heavy, but its slender limbs were extraordinarily powerful, allowing it to move at extreme speed. The ground trembled as artillery carts were sent tumbling every which way by a sweep of its tail.
Xiang Nanli knew very well that even adding the Apocalypse Knights would not delay it for long. To them, the Mechanical Crawler was almost like an intruder from another dimension.
Xiang Nanli rarely disliked metal products, but he truly couldn’t bring himself to love this bizarrely shaped creature.
Without waiting for the Crawler to completely enter, he darted right out from behind the door, closing in on his destination by using available cover.
Xiang Nanli’s heart inevitably beat faster. If the Crawler discovered him at this moment and chose to switch its target to him, he would definitely die.
There were many severed limbs of robots on the ground; exposed wires looked like blood vessels, throwing off sparks from time to time. Xiang Nanli felt that the Crawler didn’t necessarily fail to distinguish between humans and robots. It was just that some highly mechanized humans had abused it as well, so it simply treated them all the same.
The Mechanical Crawler squeezed inside the door, its body completely packing the corridor. Having left the hall, the roars of the Mechanical Crawler grew significantly weaker.
Only then was Xiang Nanli’s racing heart put at ease. With a mortal body, he would naturally feel afraid. It was just that Xiang Nanli knew being afraid was useless.
With the key code held tightly in his hand, the arrow displayed on his electronic lens disappeared at the edge of a fissure on the ground surface.
This was precisely where the Mechanical Crawler had burst out from; its massive body had shattered the floorboards, causing the surrounding fractured edges to lift high into the air at a steep, slanting angle.
Xiang Nanli climbed up to the edge and looked down into the pitch-black depths. The stench of blood was heavy here, along with a great deal of shredded flesh.
Alpha: “We’re here. It’s the thing right in front of you.”
Indeed, the underground was pitch black, with only one object emitting light. It was the metal pillar that had previously pinned down the Crawler’s tail.
Only upon closer inspection would one discover that the surface of this pillar was carved with numerous totems, symbolizing the most primitive mythological worship. Judging by this artistic style, it and the statues of gods and Buddhas carved at the entrance likely came from the hands of the same batch of craftsmen.
It looked like a pillar on the outside, but in reality, it might more likely be a sealed box. Like a gift waiting to be unwrapped, it had been sleeping quietly for hundreds of years.
The underground was a bottomless pit, and there was no ladder. Who knew what kind of mindset the researchers back then had to lock the Mechanical Crawler together with the body named the “Dongfang Qingdi.”
Xiang Nanli measured the height and distance, steeled his heart, and leapt down.
He tumbled onto the platform. Because the top was a smooth, flat surface, he was forced to slide for quite a distance, stopping precariously right at the edge of the cylinder. Fortunately, he didn’t fall straight down; otherwise, his life would have had to reboot.
Climbing trees might be the most primitive racial talent of Homo sapiens.
Xiang Nanli climbed down along the totems on the pillar, occasionally delivering a kick straight to the head of an unknown mechanical god. He then climbed past its face, neck, chest, waist, and legs, making his way all the way down.
“If Donghuang Heavy Industry worshiped Omnics, then the most likely ones to be carved would be the three leaders of the Omnic Legion: Alpha, Beta, and Gamma.” Xiang Nanli pondered aloud. “Does that mean I just stepped on Alpha’s head?”
Alpha didn’t really want to answer.
Finally, Xiang Nanli slid to the very bottom.
Before this, Xiang Nanli had wanted to ask why the key code was just a plain-looking circular piece of metal. Now he knew the reason.
Right at the base of the pillar, at about a human’s height, the snake-like, dragon-like creature carved on the pillar was missing a circular eye.
The ground trembled once more. Boom! This was the sound of the Mechanical Crawler smashing against the door.
It seemed to have realized something, its movements becoming exceptionally frantic. Embedded within the underground mountain, the metal door was teetering on the verge of collapse.
Xiang Nanli hesitated no longer and immediately slotted the key code into its original place.
At this moment, the totem was finally complete. Or rather, the circuit could finally run smoothly.
Dazzling azure light moved upward along the base of the pillar like flowing water. The light coursed past the faces of those mechanical gods, and a brilliant halo ignited within the eyes of the totems as well.
The sound of machinery activating rang out, drowning out even the distant roars of the Crawler at this moment.
With a heavy crash, the large door slammed flat onto the ground.
The Crawler scurried toward Xiang Nanli’s position at maximum speed, fresh, un-cleared corpses still stuck between its teeth. Its dark, glass-bead-like eyes looked cold and terrifying.
Its thunderous footsteps kept drawing nearer, and the surrounding tremors grew more and more violent. With the Crawler’s massive build, it was impossible for it to move without making a sound.
Yet at this point, the metallic pillar of light was only half-lit.
Xiang Nanli kept backing away, hiding himself at the very edge of the corner. But the moment he lifted his head, his breath couldn’t help but hitch anyway.
The Crawler’s colossal head appeared at the edge of the pit. Its eyes shifted from black to red, all eighteen eyes locking onto Xiang Nanli’s direction, clearly charging up energy.
Holy crap, am I really gonna kick the bucket right here??
Xiang Nanli’s hands and feet went icy cold. Because the light overhead was too intense, he was even forced into a temporary state of blindness. His eyes teared up uncontrollably from a physiological reaction. Even before the light beam was fired, he could already feel a scorching heat that stung his skin.
There was nowhere to run; his biological body simply couldn’t withstand such intense radiation.
Xiang Nanli felt like he must have thought a great deal, but in reality, he had only one single thought at this split second.
What a pity.
Despite having been given a second chance at life, arriving in this not-so-beautiful, distant future… He actually, still, nevertheless… had not managed to meet Alpha face-to-face even once.
The blinding light engulfed Xiang Nanli.
He thought he would melt in an instant, dying painlessly without even any room to struggle, which might actually be a decent ending. It was just that the system was the death of him; he would never trust this dog system’s assurances ever again.
However, the anticipated beam of light did not arrive.
Or rather, it had been blocked by someone.
Xiang Nanli was pulled into a cold embrace. He was still in a blinded state, and even his hearing was somewhat impaired.
Xiang Nanli reflexively groped around in front of him. The texture felt like metal? The form was close to human. What he was touching should be a pair of arms.
[…Alpha?]
Xiang Nanli called out the system’s name in his mind.
Yet the system didn’t answer. Instead, a deep voice echoed from above his head.
“Here.”
