The Record of Unusual Creatures - Chapter 720

Chapter 720: Place Not Found

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The next day, Hao Ren called everyone to the living room and told them about his experience the day before as well as the series of tests he conducted at night.

“This planet called Zorm is strange. I still can’t figure out its location in the Plane of Dreams. It’s a region in the universe that we haven’t explored before. I haven’t had time to study the sky there, but there were interferences and delays when contacting CARS from there. I think there’s a great physical distance between the two,” Hao Ren said as he sat on the sofa, divulging his suspicions. “Other than its unknown location, its mapping relationship with the Surface World seems abnormal too. You can’t bring things out to the Surface World, but you can bring things in. Activities in Zorm don’t affect the body in the Surface World. It seems that information flow is unidirectional; you can’t teleport from Zorm to other planets in the Plane of Dreams because there are no exact coordinates. And most importantly, the MDT turns into a dead body there.”

“The connection between the rest of the Plane of Dreams and the Surface World is normal. There are no changes in the parameters of the universe,” the MDT chimed in. “We can rule out the possibility of sudden changes in the Wall of Reality. Now it seems that all anomalies are within planet Zorm or the space around it.”

Nangong Wuyue was curled up like a snake next to the coffee table. She shook her body when Hao Ren and the MDT finished speaking. “Who can understand what the two of you just said?”

Hao Ren waved his hand and said, “That’s the reason why I asked everyone to join the meeting and be serious. At least there might be some progress.”

“I’d rather do something simple and crude instead of studying these things,” Lily said, slumping at the coffee table. “Like getting in on some action on the battlefield. I won’t flinch if there’s a fight,” the shameless maiden admitted.

“There are probably many occasions where you need to fight. But there, war is fought with weapons. There are no aliens and magic in that world. You probably won’t be able to do anything there.” Hao Ren shook his head. “You’re going to set off panic or become a celebrity because the humans there have never seen anyone who can transform into a five-meter husky. You’ll be a superstar.”

Lily thought for a moment and then continued to slough at the table. “I’m not going. It’s no fun.”

“Most likely, the unusual space in the Plane of Dreams is related to the goddess,” Y’zaks guessed, scratching his jaw. “Could planet Zorm be next to the battlefield where the deicide happened? Or maybe, the deicidal event brought it into some sort of vortex?”

Hao Ren frowned. “You’re saying that the impact of the goddess’ death sealed off the space around Zorm and changed the law of the universe there?”

Y’zaks nodded slightly. Despite his rugged appearance, the great demon had a scientific aptitude better than anyone else’s. He could talk about the universe like a real astrophysicist. “According to the guardian, the explosion of the Star of Creation flung the entire battlefield into a place called ‘the Dark Region’. We guessed that the Dark Region is an abnormal spatial structure. It’s unpredictable, discontinuous and incompatible with the regular universe. Although no one has seen it, doesn’t it seem similar to the situation on Zorm? Perhaps the place you went to is where the goddess fell!”

The words struck Hao Ren like lightning. There was a real sense of anticipation in him, which he found hard to ignore. But he quickly calmed down from the excitement. He had a gut feeling that the Dark Region or the “death place of God” was not a place that one could easily reach. If one could go to the place where the goddess fell by just dreaming, then the explosion of the Star of Creation 10,000 years ago was child’s play.

However, Y’zaks’ conjecture sounded reasonable. At the very least, Hao Ren was willing to believe that the state of Zorm was somehow related to the fall of the goddess. He remembered the information he had found on the Internet in Zorm. “On the planet of Zorm, legend has it that there was a religion that involved worshiping the Creator until the war broke out. As science and technology developed, they treated Creator-worshiping as purely spiritual sustenance. Regardless, the religious system remained. But puzzlingly, after the fall of the goddess, planet Zorm escaped all ecological disasters. The First Born did not find them, and the guardian giants did not come after them. I checked their data; there wasn’t even an ‘underground tentacles’ entry on the Internet there.”

Y’zaks whispered, “Even the Hollettans didn’t know there was a First Born on their planet before we went there.”

“But at least the Hollettans knew that there was a catastrophe 10,000 years ago. As long as there are survivors, it’s impossible to have no record of the event,” Hao Ren said, as he had long thought of this. “Moreover, the technological strength of Zorm before the war was significantly higher than that of Holletta’s. Their industrial system required a large number of minerals. A large number of minerals means that they would have dug deep into the ground—could it be possible for them to not bump into any tentacles of the First Born in the earth after digging for 10,000 years?”

Everyone looked at each other. No one could answer the question.

At last, Vivian sighed and broke the silence, “The samples of civilization we found in the Plane of Dreams are still too little to compare with the entire universe. We won’t be able to establish any rules at all, so we shouldn’t be surprised no matter what happens. To put it plainly, we haven’t yet reached the point where we can have an inference.”

The MDT interjected, “The job of an inspector can’t afford to work on inference alone.”

Hao Ren bit his nails and thought for a moment. Something else suddenly came to mind. “Vivian, do you think there will be anything big coming up soon regarding the vanishing hostility among the otherworldlings?”

Vivian held her arms and leaned on the sofa. “Nothing will happen even for the next one year. I’ve given my old buddies a heads up. They’ll keep an eye on the bunnies and the pups. Even the demon hunters aren’t fools.”

She continued, “And most of the otherworldly races are already very weak from starvation. Even if they want to fight, they need to get more nutrition and gain a bit fat first.”

“Thanks to the demon hunters, it seems that the otherworldlings won’t be able to make a comeback any time soon.” Hao Ren grinned. “Since nothing’s going to happen on Earth for a while, I’m going to focus my attention on Zorm for now.”

Then Hao Ren returned to the basement with the MDT. He connected the MDT to the hibernation pod that he was doing the tests with the day before and switched on the navigation system of the Petrachelys. He wanted to extract his spiritual navigation information on Zorm and convert it into real physical coordinates in the universe of the Plane of Dreams. With the coordinates, he could enter the Plane of Dreams physically through the Tannagost spatial rift, then fly the Petrachelys directly to planet Zorm. By then, whatever alien dimension there was would be laid bare before him.

But as expected, things were not as smooth sailing as he wanted them to be.

“The conversion failed. Place not found,” the MDT gave its simple reply.

Hao Ren was wide-eyed. “Place not found? It’s not a problem of the coordinates?”

The holographic image, which the MDT projected showed a set of complex data and graphs—it was the trajectory Hao Ren had left behind on the previous day when he entered the Plane of Dreams through his dream. “I got an outrageous coordinate. Theoretically, it’s impossible for this coordinate to exist in the material world. Following this coordinate will only lead you into a void.”

“In other words… there’s no way to get there through the rift in Tannagost, right?” Hao Ren said. He could feel his tooth aching now. “Could it be that the planet isn’t in the Plane of Dreams?”

“I’m certain that it’s still related to the ‘spiritual trajectory’. Something interfered with the route to Zorm in your dream, so I couldn’t calculate the exact coordinates of the planet.” The MDT read the report to the letter, and this time, it began to show that it could contribute meaningfully. “Since this didn’t work, I have another suggestion—the next time you enter Zorm, plant a beacon transmitter there and lead the Petrachelys using the navigation signal. If this fails, it means that Zorm is in an encrypted space that you and I can’t decode. You can then apply for a higher level of technical support.”

Hao Ren blinked. “There’s advanced technical support?”

“Of course. The Empire will provide sufficient technical support for inspectors. But usually, the technical support the Empire sends is just explosives of various kinds, and occasionally, engineers who are good at making explosives.”

“…So, in the eyes of the Xi Ling Celestials, blowing things up is the only way to solve problems?”

The MDT looked emotionless—of course, how can you expect a machine to show emotion? “Blowing the problem up is indeed an effective means of problem-solving.”

“Forget it. I’m not counting on the Empire’s technical support.” Hao Ren sighed, burying his face in his hand. “And to tell you the truth, I have a lot of backup plans myself.”

 

Chapter 721: Authorized Personnel Only

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Hao Ren’s backup plans stemmed from his boundless imagination. But first, he had to understand more of the planet Zorm’s conditions. He knew he could not be away for too long, lest Nolan and the other mercenaries got suspicious of him. Thus, he decided to return to the Plane of Dreams in the afternoon.

His inability to locate the correct location of the planet Zorm in the Plane of Dreams meant that he could not use the “stable door” of the Tannagost crack. So, he decided to use the hibernation pod in the basement. This time, he wanted to bring a few helpers so that they could spread out to gather intelligence separately. After all, he would not be able to collect much information by staying in the mercenary base.

“Sanba, Wang, and Vivian follow me.” Hao Ren selected them because Nangong Sanba was an experienced demon hunter, Y’zaks was cool-headed as well as a good fighter, while Vivian had tens of thousands of years of wisdom and alertness. The natives of planet Zorm were unfamiliar with supernatural powers, and the three of them would be able to handle any situation even without their psychic abilities. In case of an emergency, they could cut off their connection with the Plane of Dreams and return safely to Earth. After all, they were only entering spiritually.

As the hibernation pods opened slowly, Hao Ren smiled. “I have never expected this… I thought since we’ve found the Tannagost crack I don’t have to use this coffin again.”

The MDT did the setting on the hibernation pods and then stayed on Hao Ren’s shoulder. “I have issued instructions to the drones. After we arrive at Zorm and plant the beacon, the drones will capture our position from the outside. If we still couldn’t find navigation signals, then we use your backup plans.”

Vivian could not wait to be the first to lie down in the coffin. Y’zaks and Nangong Sanba were next. Hao Ren sat in the hibernation pod and left Lily some instructions. “When we are away a few days, half a month at most. We probably won’t awaken during this time. You and Wuyue, please look after the house and don’t create trouble. Got it?”

Lily patted her chest and said, “You got it, Mr. Landlord! Wuyue’s parents are watching me; I’m not going to create trouble.”

Hao Ren was not sure whether he should compliment Lily, but it seemed the husky was proud of it.

Rollie was lying beside the hibernation pod staring at Hao Ren and meowed occasionally. Meanwhile, Y’lisabet was talking to her papa who was in the other hibernation pod. The strange atmosphere gave Hao Ren goosebumps. He quickly waved them off. “Get out of here now; this is not the final journey as in the funeral. Wuyue, don’t forget to clean up the basement! At least wipe the dust off the coffins…”

Nangong Wuyue patted Hao Ren’s ‘coffin’ with her tail. “Okay, quickly lie down. Don’t say anything if you don’t know what to say.”

As the cover of the hibernation pod slowly closed, he felt a sense of darkness and the familiar phenomenon of spirit escaping the body. When all these faded away, a strong foul smell hit his nostrils. He opened his eyes and found himself standing in the corner of the slums of Black Street. The air in Black Street was so unbearable that he almost wanted to come back out.

“This is hell,” Hao Ren said, pursing his nose. He then continued without looking back. “Look, this is the place. We’re going to split up. You know this side. Eh? Where are they?”

Hao Ren turned his head and was stunned to find that Vivian and others who should have followed him were not there. He was alone on the little space.

He froze for a moment before quickly calling the MDT in his mind. “MDT, something’s wrong. Transmission error. Vivian and the others have not come in…”

Halfway through the call, he heard Vivian’s voice on another channel in his mind. “Mr. Landlord, has our transmission gone wrong?”

He combined the calls into one channel and said, “Vivian? What about to the others? Are they with you? Where are you now?”

“Holletta, on the wasteland near the royal city,” Vivian’s voice sounded slightly distorted but was clear enough. “It’s the default coordinates of the mind. Big Guy and Sanba are with me. We are now in Holletta.”

Hao Ren froze for a moment, and then checked the surroundings as he came out from the corner. “MDT, check the parameters of the equipment, was it that their hibernation pod settings not changed?”

“The equipment parameters are fine; their three hibernation pods have the same spiritual path as you do. But for some unknown reason, the parameters became invalid during the mental dive. They have gone to Holletta following the previous default coordinate.”

It was an unexpected situation. Hao Ren immediately asked the three of them to return to the surface world, and then let the MDT remotely perform another teleportation with the hibernation pods. But the result remained unchanged: Vivian and the others had gone to Holletta again.

“Try again?” Vivian asked over the comm. “Perhaps the Wall of Reality is steady today?”

Hao Ren thought for a while and said, “Don’t try again. I’m afraid there’s a deeper problem than that. It looks like other than me and the MDT; no one could come in.”

“Are you still want to proceed with the investigation?” Vivian said, her voice sounded concerned. “Would there be problems at your side?”

“Everything is fine here,” Hao Ren replied, trying to make her feel at ease. “You three can go home and help me look after the house. Hell, it looks like the Goddess is not giving me a break yet. I’ll have to get done all by myself.”

Hearing him self-deprecating, Vivian knew that Hao Ren would be okay. She said with a smile, “Don’t complain. Now the Goddess is your boss. Be careful over there. We are going home now.”

Hao Ren exhaled after the communication ended, thinking he had to go it all alone again in this world for the next few days. But then again, he had been alone here before — no big deal. Still, the situation puzzled him. “MDT, what do you think has happened?”

“You’re the only person who could reach the planet through mental projection, and I can tag along as a ‘mental attachment’ albeit in an incomplete state. Other than that, no one else could do it.”

“What’s the key reason? Why is this happening?” Hao Ren frowned, looking up at the grey sky above. “Is there any filtering or recognition mechanism for this planet, those do not meet the conditions will be blocked out?”

“I’ve no enough information, and I can’t tell. We first guessed that there was a problem with planet Zorm, but now it seems that the problem is with you,” the MDT said, sounding happy and completely ignoring that Hao Ren’s face had turned sullen. “Think positive. Maybe it is just something wrong with your head? By the way, when are you going to let me out of your dimensional pocket?”

“Dimensional pocket?” Hao Ren froze for a moment, before realizing that the MDT had been talking to him in spiritual connection. The piece of brick had failed to come through in one piece again. He quickly checked his dimensional pocket and was surprised to find the MDT was lying in the form of a corpse inside.

“The body was indeed gone when I was in the surface world,” Hao Ren said. “But when I come to Zorm, the body appears inexplicably. The dimensional pocket is God-encrypted; no worldly power should affect its content. So how exactly this body…”

“When exactly are you going to let me out?” the MDT groaned. “I’m dying in here!”

“Stop yelling!” Hao Ren yelled back in his mind. “All your senses in the corpse have stopped working, mind you? What can you still feel?”

“Oh, maybe that’s all in my mind. You can keep exploring. Let me share with you the story of Alibaba and the forty dwarfs…”

Hao Ren shut the noisy gadget inside, leaving only an emergency channel open. Serenity finally returned to his world.

The dirty streets of the slums stretched out in front of his eyes. He knew many wary eyes were peering at him behind windows and doors. He weaved uncomfortably through the terrible streets as his mind still remembered the location of Grey Fox mercenary base. But for the time being, he was not going back there.

He wanted to explore this messy neighborhood and learned more about it.

 

Chapter 722: The Slums

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The factories in Black Street operated day and night; the dense black smoke from the towering chimneys shrouded the entire city. When standing at a higher point in town, one could even see the haze descending slowly from the sky like a veil. The smoke left a coat of gray and black soot in the neighborhood. That was one of the things that gave Black Street its name. In the modern world of the Nanomachine Swarm, many heavy industries were still unable to get rid of traditional production methods due to technical limitations.

In Black Street, large machinery and arms factories were the biggest industries.

Hao Ren exited the crowded slum and saw the towering factory buildings lining the streets. There were giant reactor towers and pressure vessels in the urban areas. He could hear the roar of the machines coming from the nearby factories as he walked along the street. Meanwhile, people were hustling along the sidewalks on both sides of the road. Most of them were the poor, emotionless and dressed in shabby clothing. They had just finished their synthetic food, and they were now flocking like ants to the factory—the mechanical beast, which engulfed and kept them alive at the same time. Some people used rags to cover their faces to protect themselves from the dust in the air. But the dirty rags were not any cleaner than the air they breathed. The atmosphere was slowly contaminating and irreversibly destroying their lungs. They had to rely on the Nanomachine Swarm to prolong their lives after the age of 30 or 40. After that, they would quickly die.

“Since the Nanomachine Swarm are still in use, why didn’t anyone think of using these things to solve the pollution problem in the city?” Hao Ren murmured to himself.

A loud, low voice came from the side. “Solve the pollution? People who thought this way had all died decades ago. Now it is an era where people only live day to day.”

Hao Ren turned his head and surprised to see Ulyanov behind him. “Hey, when did you come here?”

“This is where I come often. I know the slum very well,” Ulyanov looked up at the factories not far away. “Yesterday someone reported that after you left the base, you disappeared into the alleys of the slums. Nolan let me come to collect your body. It’s a surprise to see you on the main street. Well, it looks like you have survived your first night in the dark alleys. What makes you so interested here?”

“Nothing, just mooching around,” Hao Ren knew that Ulyanov was still suspicious of him, so he answered casually. “I have told you before; I can’t always stay with you guys, I need to find a place to stay. Don’t worry; whatever I do I’m not an enemy of Gray Fox.”

“Nolan couldn’t care less. I’m just busy body here,” Ulyanov said. “It’s better not to come to this place. Many people here are no fans of Gray Fox. You’ll get yourself into trouble.”

Hao Ren gestured with his hand as if saying he understood. “Tell me: is there any additional cost for solving the urban pollution with Nanomachine Swarm? Is the thing not self-sufficient?”

“The Nanomachine Swarm is indeed self-sufficient, but the control center is costly, and the bigger cost is these—” Ulyanov said, raising his hand pointing to the poor people from the slums. “The factories don’t need healthy men to operate the machines. The city does not need the elderly. The mission of these slags is work in the factory until they are forty-five years old. The owners of the factories don’t like strong and smart workers; it would be best if the workers are illiterate and no retirement needs. So there is no need to let them live for too long. As for the factory owners and warlords, they have their own ecological houses, isolated from the outside world. They have also said that there will also be a meadow, cheap and quickl to build, for the people to enjoy.”

Hao Ren listened on, wide-eyed. As an earthling, he could not understand this thinking. “Maintain this status quo? Isn’t it a little too short-sighted?”

“Short-sighted? What is your long-term vision?” Ulyanov laughed hoarsely. “To improve the environment and To recreate a vibrant and sustainable society? I remember that many people had the same thinking decades ago. But it turned out that no one could live long enough accomplish these goals. Someone says that every regime in the world could only last for an average of four and a half years, no one will invest in business longer than this cycle.”

As Ulyanov finished, he patted Hao Ren’s shoulder. “Short-sightedness is necessary because most people cannot live beyond what they could see.”

Hao Ren blurted out. “But you live long enough…”

“Because I’m just alive,” Ulyanov turned. “Since I the injury, I could no longer bleed but only electrolyte and nutrient medium. My goal is simple—to be alive. This kind of person would live long enough.”

Hao Ren was speechless. In a world of chaos, thinkers and enlighteners might be the first to die because they were using the energy for survival in other things, such as dreams. The MDT suddenly mumbled in his mind. “This is why grasses can transcend into immortals while fruits and vegetables have not the chance to even dream: they make wishes in the morning, but people stewed them in the afternoon. Who can still have dreams when they cannot even live long enough to see dreams come true?”

Let us give credit where credit is due; as bitchy as the MDT was; it did make a pretty good conclusion.

Hao Ren followed Ulyanov back to the Gray Fox base. While they were turning into a corner and nobody was looking, he reached into his dimensional pocket and quickly yanked out a silver-gray gadget. The tiny device looked like an inconspicuous metal toad, but it landed quietly on the ground and quickly slid into a dark corner. It was a beacon transmitter that Hao Ren had produced on-board factory on the Petrachelys in the morning. The beacon would automatically find the weakest spot to unfold itself and then transmit a powerful navigation signal into space. As long as Zorm was in the Plane of Dreams, the drone clusters would be able to pick up the signal and find it.

Even it was tens of billions of light years away.

But things would get more complicated if the distance were not purely physical. And it did seem so.

He had no problem contacting CARS and the drone clusters from the planet Zorm, which meant that the data link is stable. But the problem was that he could not trace the exact location where the signal came from. It was like hiding its IP address to stay anonymous. Meanwhile, CARS and the drone clusters were unable to resolve this anonymity unidirectionally. That was why Hao Ren had to plant an active beacon transmitter on planet Zorm. He had also considered that the beacon might fail, and when this happened, he would consider releasing a probe from here to see if it could navigate its way through space and reach the regular universe, and if so, at least that meant space was continuous. If not, he could figure out the extent of the distortion. It was one of the backup plans.

After leaving the factory district, Hao Ren looked back at the towering black buildings. “This place is depressing.”

“Maybe. At least people can still live on here. The factory is the only choice for most people, the wasteland outside is worse,” Ulyanov seemed to be sighing, or maybe he was laughing silently. “The only hope for the ‘slags’ here is becoming cannon fodder for some mercenary group. As long as they can survive for a few weeks, they will be able to live like a normal human being; all their diseases would heal. You know, it is simple to cure their lung and blood diseases—as simple as a tube of Nanomachine Swarm and thirty-minute time. But this is the most precious resource of Black Street. There are limited rations. Everyone in slums is willing to trade for this treatment opportunity with all they have. So I’m still very curious about the reason for Khiton’s treachery. When Nolan pulled him out of the ghetto, his lungs were almost gone; his blood had accumulated forty years of toxins and failed, inferior Nanomachines. A typical slug, without being selected as cannon fodder, Nolan gave him the opportunity to live yet he turned out to be a traitor.”

Hao Ren remembered Khiton’s diary, which he had seen. He whispered. “Probably he was brainwashed or something.”

“The Rangers brainwashed him? Ulyanov laughed. “Yeah, maybe. He was simple-minded.”

 

Chapter 723: Nolan

Hao Ren went back to the Gray Fox base and his return did not seem to attract much attention. Only a few people he had previously come across nodded at him as a greeting. The base was still like the day before. Soldiers moved about listlessly, and the place lacked the general disciplined air of a proper military installation.

“Mercenaries are a carefree lot, and you’ll never be able to instill the same military discipline in them.” Ulyanov pointed at the wandering soldiers. “Of course, there are companies that operate like standard military units, but us Gray Foxes don’t bother too much about that. We are few in number, but each of us has been tempered by the fire of combat, and everyone is a skilled killer. The battlefield is the best training ground, and all who have survived so far are elites, albeit… a bunch of very troublesome elites.”

As he said this, Ulyanov turned to face Hao Ren. “You have combat experience with the military, you’ll fit right in.”

“You’re still trying to get me to join?” Hao Ren grinned. “Alright, I’ll consider it. If there’s no other way to earn a living other than fighting, I’ll be a mercenary myself.”

Hao Ren just said it in jest and Ulyanov could not tell whether Hao Ren meant it or not. The old mercenary still patted Hao Ren on the shoulder. “I really hope we’ll have a chance to fight together someday. You’re pretty good, but I’m not sure of your skill with the gun.”

Hao Ren smiled before noticing a commotion from the empty field. It seemed like there was quite a crowd there. Hao Ren looked over and saw that a group of mercenaries had gathered around. “What’s over there?”

“The training grounds… seems like Nolan is beating some sense into the newbies.” Ulyanov quipped nonchalantly. “Aren’t you interested in Nolan? Let’s go have a look.”

Hao Ren’s interest was piqued and since he had nothing else better to do, he followed Ulyanov to see what was up.

There was a flat ground in the camp that was cordoned off by a wired fence. This was where the mercenaries train for melee combat or other things. While it is by definition a training area, for the listless mercenaries this was the place where they pass their time; either an old timer drilling the greenhorns, or a bunch of drunkards beating each other up. This was the training ground’s real purpose. Regardless of what happened, the bored soldiers would converge on the area to join in on the fun; and today’s fun was much more interesting: Nolan was beating sense into a few headstrong new bloods.

Hao Ren and Ulyanov made their way through the crowd and just as they reached the front a black silhouette flew towards them. The crowd immediately backed away and a bull-like bloke rolled before Hao Ren’s leg. He appeared fine, and it seemed like he had been thrown over.

Nolan’s crisp voice followed, “You’re base is not stable enough. That’s you falling over yourself again.”

Hao Ren looked up and saw the 17-year-old mercenary captain standing smartly in the middle of the field. Nolan was wearing a dark green military tank top and her gray hair was tied into a single ponytail. Her frame was lithe, but it exudes strength beneath, plus that she was slightly drenched in sweat, she looked even more imposing. Before her lay a few strong-looking men on the ground. They did not seem to have any injuries, but their egos were probably very well bruised.

Nolan was expressionless and seemed a little bored. “Are you guys done? If you are, then go park your ass back in the brig.”

A soldier got up from the ground and seemed like he was not done. After kicking the air for a bit, he charged towards Nolan again.

The gray-haired lass just looked at the soldier in an impassioned manner and only stepped aside at the very last moment before the soldier collided with her. At the same time, she jabbed her finger into the bumbling idiot’s joint. Her accuracy was impeccable. The latter let out a odd yelp before losing his balance and tumbled forward.

The whole process was akin to seeing an adult toying with a child, but the roles were seemingly reversed. The one being toyed was a 30-year-old muscleman, and Nolan was a teenage lass.

“A technical type.” The MDT had used Hao Ren’s eyes to witness the scene as it started mumbling in his head. “Her attack is impeccable, her accuracy and timing were down to the millisecond. Not sure if it was due to her strengthening. Even that, she would need to be very experienced to pull that off.”

Hao Ren raised his eyebrows. “And you’re suddenly a combat expert?”

“I have a repository of tomes beyond time, and I’m well versed with everything under the sky, from astrology to geomancy, mere human knowledge is…”

“Speak the human language, or I’ll hurt you.”

“Lily has used me to download some 60 Kungfu movies…”

Hao Ren and the MDT chatted another bloke was floored by Nolan. The soldiers forming the crowd then started jeering. “Know your place! Even 10 of you are no match for Big Boss!”

“Stop making a fool of yourself, even the second generations are no match for her!”

“There’s no one here who had survived Big Boss…”

“She’s been that good all this while?” Hao Ren turned to Ulyanov.

“I’ve never seen anyone defeated her in CQC before. In fact… I’ve never seen her lost in anything before.” Ulyanov shook his head. “Fighting techniques, shooting skills, driving even programming and some other miscellaneous stuff, there was nothing that she did not know. The automated system in this base was first designed by her and the security AI was written by her. She was even the first doctor and machinist. Aside from raw strength, there’s no one that could beat her.”

Hao Ren frowned. “A main character archetype.”

Ulyanov was stunned, and at the very moment, Nolan had also noticed Hao Ren’s presence. She motioned for the roughed up soldiers to leave as she walked towards Hao Ren. “You’re back? I’d thought you’d be dead somewhere in a hovel.”

“Heh, thanks to you, I’m doing rather fine.” Hao Ren rolled his eyes. She really did not hold back when she speaks. “Never thought you’re that good.”

Nolan pursed her lips as if trying to suppress a smile. “Are you itching for some as well?”

Hao Ren was taken aback and wanted to decline. He knew his body was beyond mortal, and he will not be able to hide it once in contact. But as Nolan spoke, the soldiers started cheering. These group of scoundrels had always been like this, as long there was fun to be had, they did not care who was on the receiving end of their Boss, and there was a new challenger, and more fun to be had. Nolan did not step back when she saw the reaction. Patting Hao Ren on the shoulder. “Alright. Let’s roll then. I remember you’re rather capable.”

Hao Ren was flustered. “Can we not? I’m just here to say hi…”

The crowd cheered even louder, and it seemed like there was no escape.

At the same time, the MDT spoke.,”Go a few rounds with her.”

“Why?” Hao Ren had no idea what was on the MDT’s mind.

“Data collection.” The MDT was serious. “I want to calculate how strong can the ‘Evolved’ in this world be. And see what is different with Nolan. From what others had said, it seems like her abilities are beyond natural. And with her age, it is difficult to believe that this is purely a result of effort. So she is probably hiding some superhuman ability.. or she had been exposed to supernatural powers.”

Hao Ren immediately got serious. “You mean to say…”

“Remember Hilton’s diary? It mentioned that Nolan is the ‘Heart of the Lie’. He’s probably discovered something. Perhaps this lass had a brush with the guardians before, or she is probably a ‘ Prophet’,” the MDT theorized calmly. “Regardless, aren’t you interested in her?”

“What’s wrong?” Nolan noticed that Hao Ren was spacing out and asked out of curiosity.

Hao Ren immediately recovered and from Nolan’s clear, distant eyes, he could not find anything that indicates she was touched by the madness of the First Born. Any mortal that had a brush with the First Born or the brain monsters would not be able to stay sane. And from this, he doubted that Nolan was a fanatical follower of a guardian. But her distant eyes was not something a teenage girl should have. The MDT was right. She was a person of interest.”

“Nothing… Let’s get on with it.” Hao Ren smiled as he headed into the ring.

---

 

Chapter 724: Everyone Has Their Own Secrets

Hao Ren and Nolan stood face to face in the ring, and a crowd of mercenaries surrounded them.

Hao Ren did not know how things developed to this point, and to be entirely honest, he did not like being the center of attention in a crowd. He had enough of that, and all he wanted was to investigate things peacefully. But what the MDT said was right, this Nolan girl had many suspicious traits to her, and even if she did not look like someone touched by the guardians, she was well-equipped with abilities beyond her years as well as stature.

Melee combat was the best way to test things out. If Nolan was ever touched by supernatural powers before, Hao Ren was confident he could tell it right away. He was by now a “regular” with his meetings with the guardians.

Yes, he wanted to test her. To see if she would display any sort of superhuman strength under duress.

Nolan held one of her hand out in an inviting motion. “You’re the guest. You start first.”

Hao Ren frowned as he pondered how to not let Nolan discover his unusual strength and abilities while forcing the young lass to unleash her hidden powers. He came to the conclusion that he needed to turn off his Steel Membrane Shield first. He would be hard-pressed to explain things if sparks started to fly when combat was in full motion.

After turning off his shield, Hao Ren stepped forward swiftly and carefully as he led out a straight jab. He had never received any proper melee training, but his bio-enhancement had improved his ability to control every ounce of his strength like a proper grandmaster. He too had a reaction and speed that is beyond normal humans, and the experience gained from the past year under various dangerous situation; Hao Ren was not your run off the mill newbie, he was pretty certain he could take on Nolan with his superhuman body.

But the very next motion, Hao Ren found out to his dismay that Nolan had dodged his attack with an almost impossibly precise angle, and at the same time, he felt a sudden pain under his arm: Nolan had used the very moment when Hao Ren’s jab blocked his line of sight to launch a sneak attack and hit him under the arm with a knife-edge finger stab.

As the pain bit into his arm, Hao Ren immediately recoiled backward. The pain dissipated almost instantly. While Hao Ren had turned off all his defensive techniques, his enhanced body was not something Nolan could harm with mere fist and kicks. Hao Ren reckoned that even at full strength she would only inflict some momentary pain on him. Yet, Hao Ren was surprised. With just a few swift exchanges, he discovered something really scary: Nolan’s melee combat ability was terrifying, almost to the point of precognition. His every movement seemed to have been read many times in Nolan’s mind, and just as he had raised his hand, she was already preparing a counter-move!

Was this pure technique? Or was it some sort of precognitive ability? Or was it simply experience?

Nolan too looked at Hao Ren rather suspiciously. She did not detect her opponent’s unusual physical attributes, yet from her experience, she knew he was a relative newbie in terms of melee combat. Despite his very fast reaction and reflexes, and that he could probably intimidate most by presence alone, this did not work with Nolan. She knew from a glance Hao Ren’s weakness underneath the shroud of his other abilities.

Was he a real Natural?

The soldiers, of course, could not tell what was going on. They were simply yelling at the top of their lungs to cheer for their leader. Some even stared jeering after seeing the rather mundane fight. Yet Nolan and Hao Ren quickly refocused. Hao Ren knew now that Nolan was not as easy a target he originally envisaged and Nolan was beginning to be suspicious of Hao Ren’s ‘Natural’ status.

No Naturals that had not undergone some form of body reconfiguration had that sort of reaction ability and physical strength.

The two got into position again and started to exchange blows. This time around, both of them did not hold back and the ring immediately rang with a crescendo of clashes. Most of the sound was not due to direct contact, rather it was the burst of air when a strike failed to land. Both of them realized that their foe was not your usual fighter, and was trying their best to avoid a head-on clash. While their exchange was swift and colorful, there was very little physical contact. The rowdy crowd too had gone quiet: The fight was quite beyond them now.

One with a superhuman physique and another a monstrous veteran; a real fight between this two was not something your usual grunts would be able to comprehend.

They only saw Hao Ren and Nolan darted around the ring, neither with a specific style or moveset. But every attack or defense was swift and crisp. There were no telegraphed attacks, only a simple strike after some misdirection. This was a technical fight without many crowd-wowing moves, but it was the most practical thing to do in a fight. Some of the mercenaries could not appreciate that, while a few more senior ones started mumbling amongst themselves.

“Seems like Big Boss was not even serious with us?”

“I think she is serious in handing my ass to me…”

“Nonsense, you’re only serious when you are getting your ass handed to you.”

Ulyanov silently looked on as the bout continued. His masked obscured his expression. “Is this guy really a Natural?”

Sweat covered Hao Ren’s covered, but he was much more nervous than he let on. He knew now the gulf in experience and technique between him and the young lass. While he knew not how she managed it, Hao Ren had to go all out while trying not to activate his supernatural abilities under Nolan’s relentless onslaught. He was wholly reliant on his supernatural strengths to even keep pace with her, and his raw strength and speed was his only weapon against the difference in skill level.

He could not read her moves and he relied on sheer instinctual reaction to keep up with Nolan. That was the situation Hao Ren was in.

Nolan too was sweating, but her face expressionless as ever. Any surprise she had was well hidden away under her icy stares. Her ponytail had come undone during the fight ad her drenched hair was sticking on her face. She, however, did not have the luxury to tuck it back. It was not the first time she had made contact with her opponent, and her strikes were targeted at the joints and nerves, places that could immediately incapacitate someone. But neither of the attacks worked against Hao Ren. Nolan had no idea why, but she could only fight on to find out.

A few feints later, Nolan tried for another attack. This time she was determined to bring Hao Ren down and she suddenly lashed out with a powerful back kick. Hao Ren was not prepared for the move, and subconsciously the word “defense” sprang in his mind.

Just as it did, a faint glow appeared all over his body.

“Shit!” Just as Hao Ren cursed, Nolan’s kick was already upon him. He quickly tried to disengage his barrier, but it was too late.

A solid thud later, Hao Ren was sent backward while Nolan was teetering as she lost her balance. Only at the very last moment, she managed to stabilize herself, her leg hanging awkwardly.

None of the soldiers knew what happened, the exchange happened so fast that no one saw what happened.

Hao Ren immediately went forward to give Nolan a hand. He saw that she was wavering and feared that she would fall. Just before Hao Ren could offer his hand, Nolan had placed hers on his shoulder. To the others, it seems like a normal greeting after a bout, and she used this opportunity to maintain her balance.

“It’s a draw,” Nolan said, impassionately to the rest as she waved her hand. “I’m done for today. Dismissed.”

A commotion rang through the crowd but the Big Boss words still carried weight, and the beaten grunts left after some grumbling. Only one person remained in the ring, it was not Ulyanov, but a brown-skinned, middle-aged lady. A doctor.

“Bring me over there,” Nolan whispered to Hao Ren as she pointed to a pile of discarded metal not too far away.

The two came to the resting place and the ‘doctor’ followed without a sound. Nolan still kept her undiscernable expression and even as she struggled to walk she kept the dignified air about her. But as she sat down, she finally let out a hiss of pain. The ‘doctor’ did not say anything as she pulled out a syringe and injected a vial of restorative nanomachines on the base of Nolan’s foot. It was clearly swollen by now.

“A light fracture. It’ll take about 15 minutes to heal,” the doctor said after injecting Nolan before leaving without asking anything further.

“What was that?”

Nolan’s voice rang next to him.

---

 

Chapter 725: Change ##

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

During the last bout, Hao Ren had deactivated his Steel Membrane Shield just at the very last minute. He believed that the sudden flicker would look like sweat reflected under the sunlight. However, without a doubt, Nolan had noticed that something was off: She kicked into a shield, which felt harder than titantium.

Looking deep into Nolan’s eyes, Hao Ren was suddenly overwhelmed by a feeling of being seen through. He could not believe the girl before him was merely 17 to 18 years old: Her eyes gave out a sense of pressure that would not pale in the face of a serious Vivian. But he quickly calmed himself down and pretended to relax. “What’s that?”

“You’re sure bad at changing the topic.” Nolan said bluntly. “What was that? That was not something possible even with bio-enhancement. And you are a Natural.”

Hao Ren suddenly remembered a fool-proof excuse that he read from the novels. “Have you heard of Qigong Kungfu….”

He was just about to weave a story that he was a undercover professional, a skill learned from a master stemmed from a favour given long ago, but Nolan reacted even faster than he could. “Qigong? I’ve heard of that. I’ve also sparred with masters of the martial arts before, they were indeed really good, but that was definitely not Qigong. I saw my kick landing on a light screen.”

Nolan’s expression was no different than a rock as she said that. It was obvious she was not buying it. Hao Ren was at loss for words. Wasn’t this a fool-proof excuse? Apparently the lass actually defeated a Qigong master before..

Her observation too was sharp, and the presence of the shield did not escape her thus trying to pass it off as some sort of combat technique is now not possible. Even the most accomplished masters in this world would not be able to produce a barrier out of thin air. Thus Hao Ren shook his head. “Alright, alright. It’s actually some technological equipment, a barrier generator of sorts.”

“An equipment?” Nolan frowned. Seemed like she could at least buy this now. “Why have I not heard of this?”

“No Naturals asked to be born weaker than an Evolved.” Hao Ren finally found something that he could weave his bullshit. “The city I’m from are researching for equipment that could improve the combat capabilities of the Naturals. I took a set when I left. But don’t bother asking, we don’t know each other that well yet, I won’t give it to you.”

As Hao Ren bullshitted he tried to run through the various possible scenarios that he might encounter. One after another ran through his mind and he did not plan to dwell on things if she did not buy it. But he never expected Nolan to have so little to say on the matter. “Oh, so it seems. That means technology is still advancing…”

Hao Ren immediately swallowed whatever he was about to say down as he discussed with the MDT in his mind. “Did you record Nolan’s movements earlier? What you think?”

“Many of my modules are still offline, so I couldn’t scan her energy signatures, but based on her combat ability it was within the realms of normal human mbeings. Her strength and speed is humanlike, but she have reached the pinnacle in terms of skills and experience. She seemed to be very well versed in any form of combat, and her poise shows that she is very experienced in facing foes.”

“I think she is really all skill and experience.” It was a rare moment when Hao Ren concurred with the MDT. “I did not sense any supernatural abilities earlier either, so Nolan probably has nothing to do with the Guardians. Her abilities are humanlike, with a few add-ons and enhancements.”

“Therein lies the problem. She’s only seventeen.” the MDT reminded Hao Ren. “Even if she started learning kungfu in the womb, and practiced Muay Thai from birth, she should not have skills of this level. Even if Lily was here, and both of them were to fight on the same terms, that husky would be on the losing side.”

Hao Ren’s gut immediately tightened. “That strong?”

“I have records of all your combat data. While my sensors are down, I can still calculate and simulate things.”

Nolan noticed Hao Ren was deep in thought and prodded him with a casual question. “What’s wrong?”

“How are you that strong?” Hao Ren asked.

He knew that Nolan needed a few more moments before she fully recovers. Even the potent nanomachine rejuvenants could not heal her immediately. So Hao Ren decided that now was a good time to better understand Nolan, and asked her whatever he could.

“Must there be a reason for being strong?” Nolan looked apathetically at Hao Ren.

Hao Ren shook his head. “Unless your combat ability is directly downloaded from a brain chip. But as far as I know this world doesn’t have that sort of technology. Even the second generation Evolved could only temporarily store what they’ve read in their minds and not directly translate them into experience. Where did you learn how to fight like that?”

“There’s no need for me to answer that.” Nolan stood up, slightly wobbly as she seemed to have lost interest in the topic. “I still have something to do, you…”

Hao Ren was caught off guard and immediately called on Nolan. “Wait up. I have something to pass to you. I found this in Hilton’s room.”

As he said that, Hao Ren’s hand ruffled his chest pocket and pulled out from his Dimensional Pocket Hilton’s diary and passed it over to Nolan. “What’s that? Hilton’s diary?”

“While I don’t know Hilton, this was probably the reason of his betrayal.” Hao Ren pointed at the diary. “Look at the last few pages.”

Nolan frowned as she opened the diary, and after a few flips she closed the book. A flash of doubt appeared on her face. Looking at Hao Ren, she asked. “Have you seen what’s in the book?”

“Yes.” Hao Ren nodded. “But I didn’t understand anything, seems like a madman’s rambling.”

“Madmans…” Nolan muttered. “Perhaps it’s quite the opposite. He probably got too close to the waking world.”

Hao Ren raised an eyebrow at Nolan. “What does that mean?”

“Nothing. Nothing to do with you either.” Nolan shook her head as she kept the diary. “Thank you for bringing this to me. But keep it a secret from others, this will cause unnecessary trouble.”

As she said, Nolan turned to leave. “Do you know what’s actually going on?” Hao Ren called from behind.

Nolan kept silent as Hao Ren continued his question. “What is the nightmare that Hilton talked about. Is it a mental echo, or something real? He said that this world is fake, is there an actual ‘real’ world? Are you…”

Nolan suddenly turn around and looked at Hao Ren straight in the eyes. “Do you know what you were doing in your past life?”

Hao Ren was dumbstruck by this odd question, and answered by instinct. “This… How would anyone know their past life?”

A light within Nolan’s eyes quickly faded away and she turned away. “You should know. Using your imagination to escape reality is not a reliable refuge.”

As she said that, the grey-haired lass walked on and left the place.

Hao Ren looked as Nolan’s figure disappeared into the distance. He rubbed his chin as he muttered to the MDT. “Actually.. I’m guessing that…”

“Samsara? A system reboot? You’re suspecting that this world is trapped in a continuous cycle? Or you’re suspecting that Nolan is the herald of those nanomachines?” The MDT knew what Hao Ren was thinking, but it did not agree with ‘guessing’. You can place thousands of possible guesses to explain something, but without solid proof, do not entertain the ‘guesses’ to much as it may cloud your perceptions.”

“I know. I still remember what’s in the Inspector’s handbook.” Hao Ren let out a breath. “Section seven, line five. There’s always an explaination to everything, but before the truth is known do not explain anything. Lets leave that behind and go fix that body of yours.”

The MDT immediately let out a defeated voice. “I don’t like that topic at all.”

Hao Ren almost instantenously rolled his eyes. “Oh stop complaining. You’re just laying there while I’m out here doing the hard work.”

“I still don’t like that topic.” The MDT let out a very human sigh in Hao Ren’s mind. “My body is now vulnerable, and if not for existing laws you might do something funny to it.”

“…Like your mother I would!”

The two bickered as Hao Ren made his way back to his quarters. As as he expected, no one had went into the room since the day they left.

And naturally, no one realised the disappearance of the corpse princess.

Hao Ren started looking around as he stepped into the room, and after a while only did he manage to find the droid that he had left behind. The droid seemed to be a stunned stupor since it was left there and only belated reacted and went back into the Dimensional Pocket after Hao Ren motioned to it. Hao Ren then threw the corpse back on the bed as he tried to check for any changes to the body.

“Wait a minute!” The MDT roared as it was thrown. “I… I think I saw something.”

Hao Ren did not need the MDT’s protest to remind me of the change that he witnessed. As he pulled the blonde girl out from the Dimensional Pocket, he saw the latter blinked so ever slightly.