The Record of Unusual Creatures - Chapter 726

Chapter 726: Recovery ##

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

 

A blinking corpse. Most people would probably faint the moment they saw one, but thankfully Hao Ren’s mental strength was titanium by now and he was unfazed by the experience. He lay the body on the bed before going ahead to inspect it. By now, the latter had returned to the ghastly gauntess from before as she lay there with her lifeless eyes half-opened. From this angle, she still looked no different than your usual corpse, and the blinking was probably just an illusion.

But something indeed happened while the MDT continued to harp about some parts of its sensory functions coming online.

“There’s some light, very blurry, but I did see something.” The MDT sounded very happy. “And now that I can see… I think my sense of touch has returned. But this is still weird, probably because my motor functions is not working.”

Hao Ren waved his hand before the corpse princess. “How’s that?”

“Oh oh! There’s a shadow. I saw a shadow!” the MDT’s voice came immediately. “But why can’t I see clearly?”

Hao Ren used his hands to pry the eyelids open. “Can you see anything now?”

The MDT was pleasently surprised. “Oh Oh! I saw something. That’s really cool. How did you do that?”

Hao Ren used his fingers to hold the eyelids open as he moved his face close. “That’s because you were squinting! Open your eyes!”

As he let his hands go, the blonde lass’ eyelids went back to its original half-opened state. The MDT gave it a few tries but it was fruitless. “Say… how do you open your eyes?”

“…Didn’t you blink earlier?”

“That was not by me!” the MDT retorted. “I never had an eyelid to speak of since I came off the assembly line! How the hell would I know how to control them.”

Hao Ren opened his mouth before finding himself at a loss for words. He pulled out a roll of cellophene tape from his Dimensional Pocket and used it to forcibly keep the eyes open. “Alright. I’ve opened it for you. Get used to this sensation, and figure out a way to control it. Pronto.”

Hao Ren felt that since he came to this world his interaction with the MDT had gotten into the uncanny valley.

The MDT gave a emphatic “Oh” as it started to activate the motor system that was incompatible with its systems. As it struggled to get it working, it grumbled. “It’s such a pain to control this body… humanoid bodies have so many messy parts. I can’t even begin to fathom how much brain power you guys need to even walk straight… OH OH! My sight is moving! My sight is moving! Earthquake! Earthquake!”

Hao Ren looked over. “Quake your ass. That’s your eyeballs moving. What were you doing when you’re supposed to practice blinking?”

“Ugh… such clunky controls. My usual optometry sensors is spherical and have an innate 360 view of everything. It’s much much simpler.” The MDT rolled the eyesballs around, and this scene, happening on a stiff corpse was even more eerier than usual. “I think I have managed to get hold of the signals when the eyes open. Pull off the tape… uh… softer… my body is fragile…”

Hao Ren pulled the tape off and saw the corpse princess blinking slowly. Her eyelids were shuddering, indicating that the MDT was still struggling with the controls. After a few tries later, the MDT seemed to have grasped the technique, ‘she’ opened her eyes wide as ‘she’ curiously absorbed the scenery before her. Her eyeballs darted about agilely before her vision landed on Hao Ren. “Oh oh, partner, so that’s how you look like with human eyes… heh, such low res image.”

Hao Ren was curious on how the MDT saw him usually. “So how did I look like normally? Is it very different from now?”

“It’s difficult to explain. Our sensory organs are different afet all. The corpse princess blinked (it was the only part that was movable). “If you want a comparison… it’s like being so used games in 4K resolution than suddenly going back to play Tetris on a brick games device. It feels like your entire polygon count dropping considerably.”

“…”

The MDT was not done yet. “Heh, it feels like I’m seeing you covered in mosaic. But that’s better than nothing I guess.”

Hao Ren ignored the MDT’s lackadasical attitude and focused on observing the latter’s facial expression as he tried to look for more traces of recovery. “Can you move anything else other than the eyes? Any other parts that works?”

“My listening ability is restored, just realised that.” The MDT was checking its body functions. “Seems like a part of my sense of touch is restored, but there is still a huge amount of signals floating about chaotically, I can’t even be sure where did the signals came from, so that’s that. Aside from that…”

The MDT thought for a good while before starting to sound defeated again. “And there’s a whole bunch of odd signals, probably some human perception signal, like hot, cold, pain and the likes. But I don’t understand them. These signals are no where near the level of clarity my sensors are about to receive. It almost feel like I’m in a storm of signals, and there’s nothing but noise everywhere.”

Hao Ren frowned, and even thought he will never understand what the MDT was feeling, base on its description he realised that dropping a soul into an incompatible vessel was very problematic. The MDT was trying to adapt to a new vessel that it clearly saw was critically ‘inferior’. For it, all of the sensors of this new ‘shell’ was as good as defective, and none of it could transmit ‘proper’ data to it and this was foreign territory for this AI.

“Why did your sensory organs recovered anyway?” As the MDT was struggling against the vague signal Hao Ren murmured, almost as if speaking to himself. “This body should’ve been a dead corpse, and entire nervous system should have shut down… So how does your organs even work?”

“I have no idea, I only know that this body is very clunky.” The MDT grumbled. “And don’t even think of opening me up. It took me a lot of effort to even get this going, don’t go prodding around, you might wreck something by accident.”

Hao Ren gave the corpse a glance. “Just lay there. And this body of yours would need a surgery if I were to open it up and I have no idea how to perform one.”

No matter how did the MDT was recovering its functions within a corpose, and why did this corpse suddenly regain its conciousness, it was at least a good sign. The MDT had made progress in controlling the blinking of the eye, and it fully restoring its functions was probably not too far-fetched. At least by that time Hao Ren did not have to be that corpse-lugging necrophile.

But before that, there was a bigger problem. How would he even begin to explain to the mercenaries that the corpse had came back alive?!

The MDT shot out a random idea. “Just tell them it was a misdiagnosis last time around and that I was still alive, just in a death-like state.”

Hao Ren glared back. “What the bloody hell, people would have call bullshit? Who would’ve believed me if I were to say that?”

“Haven’t you been claiming that all these while?”

“When I said it last time, people simply thought I was a lunatic. But if you were to go out and about it’ll be them going crazy.” Hao Ren buried his face into his palm. “Forget it. Just continue to pretend to be a corpse. Only move when no one’s around.”

“That’ll work. It’s still to early for that anyway. I can’t even mastered the art of blinking.” The MDT said as it blinked and eyeballs darted about. “Oh right, those beacons you placed before, any thing from those?”

“I was planning to check them out when I returned here, but you got in the way.”

Hao Ren said as he pulled out a communication device with full holographic display. It could communicate with the exploring droids, but as it did not come with its own AI, it was not as user-friendly as the MDT.

Hao Ren turn back as he looked at the corpse/MDT as he sighed inwards: Really shitty luck to run into this scenario.

After he activated the device and entired the data, Hao Ren was connected with the droids. As this was a rather simple process, Hao Ren could still do it without help, after the system went online he received the echoing signals from the droids. Despite the massive interference, the system managed to establish a stable contact with the droids.

He then sent out a command to the droids to look for the beacons. The beacon launcher he realised that the slum had already been fully deployed and should by now be eminating some powerful navigation signals in space.

“Search fail. Unable to locate the beacon.”

The droids replied in a mechanical tone.

Chapter 727: A Great Deal?

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

 

“What’s the situation?” the MDT stopped tossing its eyes around and asked through their mental connection.

“Something’s blocking the beacon,” Hao Ren said, looking dead serious. “The drone clusters have not received any navigation signals.”

“No navigation signals? Was there no communication established at all, or just no navigation information received?”

A few minutes ago, the drone clusters had received messages from some beacons irregular intervals. But, there was no navigational data in those messages. Signal was lost entirely soon after.

Hao Ren frowned slightly. “Our beacon transmitter has stopped working. But I can still contact it from here. It is on the tallest building in Black Street, but the system shows channel failure between the beacon and the outer universe. The communication between the drone clusters and the beacon only lasted four and a half minutes, and there were hardly any useful signals.”

The MDT thought for a moment and said, “Hold me up!”

Hao Ren put ‘her’ in front of the comm so that ‘she’ could see the displayed parameters. The MDT looked frustrated after looking at it. “I just realized I don’t even have a slot now. There is no way I can connect to the thing…”

“Can it get more absurd than this?” Hao Ren was agitated.

“Anyway, it’s impossible to navigate using the beacon,” the MDT ignored Hao Ren’s anger. “There is still no way to determine the location of Planet Zorm. What are you going to do next?”

“Launch the probe,” Hao Ren replied without hesitation. “If there is a layer of distorted space shrouding Zorm, then this space should have a physical limit. We can launch the probe into space and see how far it would go. If this doesn’t work, then I will bring in the Petrachelys and fly it out from here.”

The two of them began to study the best way to launch the probe; they did not want to attract unnecessary attention. They were going to leave the mercenary base in the evening and launch the probe in the suburbs, of course, all under some pretenses. Just when they were about to finish the discussion, a loud noise suddenly came from outside the barracks.

Hao Ren peeked through the alloy shutters on the side window. Mercenaries were running around as a bullet-laden armored vehicle was rolling in from the main gate. Then it ground to a halt. A tall man with the body of a bodybuilder jumped down from the vehicle. Hao Ren instantly recognized the man—the mercenary whom he met on the first day, Carl.

“Looks like they have another operation.” Hao Ren whispered. “Look! Nolan is here too.”

“I can’t see! You have to carry me out on your back and act like a necrophile again!”

“Wait in the room,” Hao Ren said to the MDT. “I go and check out the situation.”

He dashed out leaving the MDT in the room. The MDT’s voice echoed in his mind. “Connect me to your vision, please! Are you letting me staring at the ceiling here? Hey, you necrophile! Don’t go! Be professional!”

Hao Ren saw Ulyanov was standing there. He came up from behind and patted on Ulyanov’s shoulder. “What’s going on?”

“Carl has returned from Zero City. He might have come back with a deal,” Ulyanov said without looking at him. “He is the liaison officer between Zero City and us.”

Hao Ren glanced at Carl. He was surprised that the rugged guy was a Gray Fox diplomat—Nolan must have chosen Carl for the post based on metaphysics.

All mercenaries stood to aside as Nolan came out from behind the crowd. Hao Ren noticed she was still staggering slightly in her step. But other than that, her bone fracture seemed to have healed thanks to the wonder of Nano-medical technology.

“Boss, White River Consortium offers us a deal,” said Carl, his head bowed slightly. “They ask us to escort a few people.”

“Escort?” Nolan raised her eyebrows. “The old fart called you over just for this? Have all his men died?”

“What is White River Consortium?” Hao Ren asked Ulyanov next to him in a whisper. “A ladyboy headquarters?”

“Huh?”

One of the mercenaries said, “White River Consortium is one of the biggest gangs in Zero City. They control a quarter of the Zero City guards. By right, they don’t need help from the mercenary in any military operations in the Zero City metropolis and Black street.”

Carl replied to Nolan, “Their operation is not within the bound of Zero City and Black Street this time. They can’t deploy their guard this time around.”

“Target destination?” Nolan asked cautiously.

“The Northern Ring Tower.”

There was a sudden outcry among the mercenaries when they heard the place’s name. Nolan waved her hand and dismissed it quickly. “We’re not going to take this job.”

Almost at the same time as Nolan’s voice trailed off, another gruff voice said, “I will.”

Hao Ren looked at Ulyanov in astonishment: it was Ulyanov speaking.

“Are you sure you want to go to the Northern Ring Tower?” Nolan looked at Ulyanov; her gray eyes lacked emotion. “That place is a life-forbidding zone.”

“But you came out alive, and more than once,” Ulyanov said, staring at Nolan through his visor. “Gray Fox knows the safest route. Otherwise, White River Consortium wouldn’t have looked for us to do the job for them.”

“You know this is business, don’t you?” said Nolan, raising her arms and folding across her chest. “I can’t afford to lose money in any deal. I have been to the place three times and lost money three times. The most tragic one was only three persons came back alive. So I’m not going to take this job.”

Carl suddenly said, “White River Consortium is offering good money for it.”

Nolan’s eyebrows twitched as Carl bent down and whispered into her ear. Hao Ren took this opportunity and asked Ulyanov, “What…I mean is: where is the Northern Ring Tower? Why are you so adamant to go there?”

Hao Ren thought that the Northern Ring Tower was a thing. But he quickly realized his mistake when he noticed the reactions of the mercenaries. He quickly rephrased so not to appear like an ignorant.

Ulyanov remained silent for a moment before he said, “None of your business. I go there and have a look.”

Ulyanov not quite acquainted with Hao Ren yet. He did not want to elaborate.

Hao Ren felt a little disappointed. Suddenly the MDT spoke in his mind. “Northern Ring Tower? Do you want me to search information of it?”

“You?” Hao Ren hesitated for a moment. “What can you do now? You can’t do shit except moving your eyeballs.”

“I stood up just now. One of the legs is working…”

Hao Ren suddenly choked and coughed. All eyes suddenly stared at him. He quickly waved his hand, apologized, and looked down to conceal the surprised look on his face. “You could get up? You’ve mastered the ability to move in such a short time?”

“I’m a genius, right?” the MDT said with a boastful voice. “I have written a dozen drivers using programming language. Now the body can move. By the way, do you want me to look for information? I can almost reach the laptop now.”

“Do it.”

As Carl finished whispering to Nolan, she brooded. After a long while, she looked at the mercenaries around her. “Okay, you’re free to choose whether to join this mission. Anyone who could come back alive will get an eco-home in Zero City as a reward.”

It was the White River Consortium that made this offer.

Hao Ren had no clue how much an eco-home worth. But judging from the reactions of the mercenaries probably is worth a lot.

The MDT had gotten something. “Found it. The Northern Ring Tower was the control center when the Nanomachine Swarms lost control sixty-five years ago. That place is still intact, and Three-Master Computers are still buried underneath!”

Chapter 728: The MDT’s Changes

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

 

The loss of control of the Nanomachine Swarm 65 years ago…

The war had been raging on for so long that it was almost impossible to explain what it was all about. It was also impossible to understand who the first provoker of the war was. But, there was at least some consensus among the people that the Nanomachine Swarm, which went berserk, was absolutely the deadliest cause.

The Nanomachine Swarm in the Northern Hemisphere had eroded the protective walls, instantly annihilating three nearby cities. The area that the Nanomachine Swarm ravaged remained a dead zone until now. As the soil and environment changed, no plants could grow. There were highly toxic chemicals and remnants of the Nanomachine Swarm in the water. Less than half of the adventurers who ventured into that area of death came back alive.

But the incredible thing was although the Nanomachine Swarm had melted everything around them, one place survived; that was the Northern Ring Tower in the middle of the Nano sea. No one could explain this phenomenon. That was where Nolan was going.

No one in his or her right mind would want to go there. The land that the Nanomachine Swarm destroyed had become a wasteland, worthless. Except for a few powerful forces with particular interest for the pre-war technology, few ventured to the ruins in the north. The biggest problem in getting to the ruins was lack of guidance. Very few people could go to the ruins and come back alive; Nolan was one of them. Such guides were expensive to hire. Most of the time there was a high offer but no taker. Not everyone was keen to trade life for money.

Nolan told them about the offer White River Consortium made. The mercenaries were tempted, but the chances of dying were even more daunting. Nolan also knew this. So she made it a voluntary mission and let her men decide whether for themselves. Ulyanov was the first to offer himself. Others were merely whispering among themselves. “I’ll go with you.”

Hao Ren had the information about the Northern Ring Tower. He knew the stories of Ulyanov and the place; this man was the sole survivor of the accident sixty-five years ago. Perhaps he still had some unfinished business there.

Hao Ren stepped forward after Ulyanov. “Count me in too.”

Nolan looked at Hao Ren in surprise. “You?”

“I’m also interested in the Northern Ring Tower,” Hao Ren smiled. “You’re short of manpower, aren’t you?”

“But you are not a mercenary,” Nolan pulled her brows together. “I thought you’re not interested in becoming a mercenary?”

Hao Ren brushed it off. “I don’t like being controlled. This time I will merely work as a partner. What do you say? I can take care of myself, and I will not become a liability. Maybe you should treat me as one more luggage…”

Nolan probably had never met someone so daredevil. There was even a surprised look at her emotionless face. “You sound like it’s a walk in the park. Do you know where Northern Ring Tower is?”

Hao Ren nodded. “Yeah. I know I’m dicing with death, but I’m not afraid. When things turn ugly, you just run, don’t wait for me. Do we have a deal? Or you want me to give you a black-and-white guarantee that I will not hold you responsible for my death and things like that?”

Nolan eyeballed Hao Ren, sizing him up. Then, there was a sense of enlightenment on her face. “Oh, I figure; you’re looking forward to death, aren’t you?”

Hao Ren: “…”

Hao Ren thought he would convince Nolan to let him tag along. But it seemed that the misunderstanding had also deepened.

Ulyanov patted him on the shoulder. “Hey, you’re a good man. But you don’t have to waste your lives this way. You still have a long way ahead, life is—”

Hao Ren snapped, “Why do you still think that I’m mad? I want to help, can’t I?”

He then kept nagging Nolan for quite a while until she finally gave in. She let him become her ‘outsourced personnel’. But Hao Ren still kept nagging, but only in his mind, for earlier refusal to take him in despite him giving a too-good-to-be-true offer.

But Nolan felt more bizarre than Hao Ren did; among the many daredevils she had met, this one was a rare type. Love blinds; the pain of losing the loved one caused him looking for a death wish. She had no choice but to help him fulfill his desires.

But Hao Ren could not read her mind. Had he learned what Nolan was thinking, he would have gotten furious.

Seeing that her other men were still hesitating, Nolan waved her hand and dismissed them. “Go back and think about it. Carl, give me a list before nightfall. I will decide on the list before noon tomorrow, and we depart in the afternoon.”

As the mercenaries dispersed, Hao Ren and Ulyanov walked back to the barracks. Perhaps they were soon to become brothers in arms; Ulyanov began to have more trust in Hao Ren. He patted Hao Ren’s shoulder and said, “You still have time. Go back and think about whether you want to waste your life. Nolan will not say anything even if you quit tomorrow.”

“You sound like I’d certainly die,” said Hao Ren, forcing a smile as he looked at Ulyanov through his shiny visor. “I know you think that I want to end my life because my wife has died… I cannot explain it now. But don’t worry; I value my life more than anyone else does. I want to find out something I’m concerned about in the Northern Ring Tower. As dangerous as it is I’m sure I will make it back in one piece.”

“Before I met Nolan, I had gone into that place once while I was still the head of a small mercenary organization,” Ulyanov paused and then continued. “Most of our men died before we could make it to the border. Don’t underestimate that place; the ruins devoured many people each year.”

Hao Ren looked at Ulyanov. “If so, why do you still want to go?”

He had asked this question before, but Ulyanov did not answer him at that time. Now that the two were about to embark on the dangerous journey together, so Ulyanov confided, “As I said, sixty-five years ago, I was a researcher working near a Nanomachine Swarm.”

Hao Ren nodded and waited for Ulyanov to continue.

“My wife was the operator of Master Computers,” Ulyanov said slowly. “When the swarm got out of control, Northern Ring Tower automatically sealed itself off. All the staff were unable to get out. But the Nanomachines didn’t invade the ring tower either. So they survived.”

Hao Ren was wide-eyed. “Oh, you mean you want to…”

“Find her personal effects… or body,” Ulyanov shook his head. “They must be there.”

Then, Ulyanov left without looking back, leaving Hao Ren bewildered.

The voice of the MDT sounded in his mind. “He is the real man as opposed to you. He probably lives to wait for this moment.”

Hao Ren did not feel like to bicker. He just returned to his room in silence.

As soon as he opened the door, he heard a grizzly mysterious female voice inside. “Hey, partner, welcome back.”

Hao Ren was shocked. A blonde was leaning at the corner, sitting up not far in front of him.

The young girl, stained with blood, looked pale. Although half of her body was paralyzed, she still tried to balance herself and sit up.

Next to her was Khiton’s laptop. She was struggling with the keyboard as she could only move one of her hands.

She looked miserable and pitiful. If not for Hao Ren knew ‘she’ was a brick, he would have sympathy overflown.

The blonde tilted her head slightly as if she wants to look up at Hao Ren, but soon she gave up. “I’m sorry, the drivers seem a little buggy, and I still couldn’t lift my head.”

Hao Ren quickly closed the door behind him for fear that someone might discover the girl faking her death. He came up before the MDT. “Can you speak?”

“A little,” said the MDT. Its voice was strange and intermittent, sounding like a child who had just learned to speak. “The body is tough to control, and I fell several times while trying to get up. But I did learn how to crawl.”

She struggled to climb up the bed next to her as only one of her arms, and one of her legs were moveable. “Let me examine your body.” Hao Ren held her.

The girl screamed. “How can you do that to your PDA?”

“Damn it—I need to figure out how you’ve got it working!”

Chapter 729: Cerebral Thrombosis

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

 

After the examination, Hao Ren looked up at the blonde girl. “No heartbeat; your body’s cold. But, external wounds have healed. It must be the medical film. Theoretically, the body’s dead.”

The blonde girl used her only free hand to cover her chest, feeling ashamed. “Are you done fondling me yet?”

“If you still make a fuss, I’ll strap you to the probe and launch you into outer space!” Hao Ren smacked her on the forehead. “Where on Earth did you get your dirty mind?”

The MDT wielded its arm. “Do you know how much porn is in my memory? Do I look like I lack any of the materials?”

Speechless.

Hao Ren was rooted to the spot. The MDT raised its hand and began to study it and feel everything novel. “Fingers, joints, muscles… so many redundant structures, do you know how difficult it is to control them? Especially when the software is not compatible with the body. I need to issue an instruction to every muscle to perform an action, which akin to using a mouse to control a battleship, and mind you the mouse has only one button.”

Hao Ren stretched out his hand and moved his fingers in front of ‘her’ eyes deliberately. “Envious? Are you envious of me?”

“I have more threads than you do! I can calculate faster than you can! My shell is harder than you are! And I can emit blue light. Why should I envy you?” the MDT talked back, and it was very fluent. ‘She’ was making impressive progress at controlling the body.

‘She’ tried to sit up by grabbing Hao Ren’s arm with her right hand, then straightening ‘her’ legs to balance ‘herself’ and staggering to get up. After a few attempts, she succeeded to stand on ‘her’ feet. ‘She’ then turned and waved at Hao Ren. “Keep an eye on me. I’m trying to walk—Aw!”

The MDT fell to the ground face down. Hao Ren quickly rushed forward and held it up. Wiping ‘her’ face and patting ‘her’ chest, ‘she’ said, “I’m lucky to have lat chest, it won’t hurt falling face down…”

Hao Ren folded his arms and looked helplessly. “How many times I have to tell you, they’re not your breasts. You borrow them…”

“Whoever found them owns them. So, mind your own business,” the MDT swung its hand and continued to walk with her one leg. The best she could do was to stand up and balance herself. But soon, to her surprise, her other leg began to move. Hao Ren was surprised. It was not very coordinated, but she could start walking albeit wobbly. As time goes by, ‘she’ got better at it!”

Although the MDT had complained that the human body was clumsy, it now began to find enthusiasm in using the new body like a child got a new toy. ‘She’ walked a step at a time, turning to look at Hao Ren occasionally to mimic his movements. Despite hitting the table and wall many times, the MDT never gave up.

Seeing the MDT’s unwavering spirit and the body, Hao Ren could not help but sigh. “It’s like you have just recovered from a twenty-year-old cerebral thrombosis…”

“I have a question,” the MDT said, seemingly unperturbed by Hao Ren’s mocking. She stopped and scratched her jaw like Hao Ren used to do. “Since my body is moving, does it burn energy?”

Hao Ren glanced at the MDT, feeling not entirely sure. “Hmm, maybe…”

“Where should I get energy supply?” the MDT asked, tilting its head. Not that ‘she’ wanted to look cool, but ‘her’ control of the neck was still clumsy. “Should I eat, or recharge?”

The MDT’s questions stunned him. He hesitated for a long moment before pointing at ‘her’ belly. “I think eating might be a bad idea; inside is still a mess only that the outside is patched up with a film. If you try to eat, the thing may become a pot of stewed pork.”

“Don’t you feel disgusting?”

Hao Ren rolled his eyes and said, “Does PDA have a feeling at all?”

The MDT could not talk back. ‘She’ laughed wryly and steered away from the topic. “Well, the fact that this body moves is already abnormal in itself; let’s save the question to another time. We need to discuss what I should do tomorrow. Can I go to the outside?”

“I’ll find an excuse and bring you out of the base… um, just saying I’m going to bury you outside and then shove you inside the dimensional pocket when no one is looking. Don’t get out when people are around.”

“Tsk, what a shame! I have tried so hard to move. Now I have to lie inside the dimensional pocket,” the MDT complained. “How good it would be had I regained the mobility when I first came, you could have to explain to people that I was suffering from brain thrombosis and had recovered. At least I could have swaggered around in front of people now…”

“Yeah, with the freaking wound in your stomach?” Hao Ren eyeballed the MDT. “Can we say something that makes sense?”

The MDT thought for a moment, scratched her head like how Hao Ren used to do. “Oh, I forgot.”

“Are you imitating me?” Hao Ren asked, finally noticing it. “This hair-scratching habit too…”

The MDT rolled its eyes — mimicking Hao Ren’s behavior. “You bet it. I collected the most human behavior data from you. You’re my behavior template.”

Hao Ren looked at ‘her,’ wondering what she would look like sitting with a 4-figure posture; his stomach churned. “Can you get another template? You had better imitate Lily or Vivian. You are a girl.”

“Machine has no gender,” the blonde said, swinging ‘her’ head. Still, ‘she’ obliged. “Well, you are right.”

‘She’ then squatted; both hands on the floor as ‘she’ gazed into the distance. Hao Ren was puzzled. “What are you doing?”

“Lily. That was how she usually waited at the door after you went out.”

Hao Ren almost choked himself. “All right, let’s change to Vivian.”

“You’re troublesome… By the way, how did Vivian manage to dangle herself from a beam?”

“Just normal conduct, would you?”

The two of them studied human behavior until Ulyanov came over to call them for dinner. The MDT had to play dead again as Hao Ren followed Ulyanov over to the mercenary’s canteen.

Since the collapse of the ecosystem, natural food had become an elusive luxury. The organic matter that the Nanomachine Swarm synthesized was the only thing the civilians could eat. Hao Ren followed Ulyanov and collected his food. The food looked like fresh vegetables and juicy meat, very appealing. He put some in his mouth; they tasted bland and bitter, laden with tonnes of additives and artificial flavorings.

Ulyanov took off his helmet and slowly poured a liquid food into his esophagus. He could not taste it because he had lost his gustatory sense many years ago. He ate only to live and ensure that the vital organs continued to function.

If not for his particular insistence, he would have considered replacing the whole body with a machine, just like some retired soldiers with only a biochemical brain remained. In that way, he only needed concentrated nutrient solutions and batteries to live and recharge every seven days.

But, he chose to retain the ‘human body.’ Although the body had brought him many trouble and pain, he never thought of giving it up.

Hao Ren’s brows knit together as he stuffed the rubbery ‘stewed meat’ in his mouth. He looked up and said, “I plan to bury her tomorrow.”

Ulyanov froze for a moment before a sigh of relief came out of his synthetic vocal cord. “Well… this is going to be good for you and her. I thought you were still as stubborn as a mule.”

Hao Ren was speechless.

He had given up explaining.

Chapter 730: The Gray River

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

 

Three armored vehicles were running parallel to each other in the desolate wilderness. The distinctive emblem of Gray Fox shone on the side armor of each car. Dry winds from the plains rolled up the dust and beat on the car’s body as the silhouette of the city slowly disappeared into the horizon behind the convoy.

There were no visible signs of human life, only strange crags, and potholes in the wasteland. The dusty, grayish-yellow sky hung low, almost touching the same grayish land below. It gave the illusion that the world was a mass of yellow sand. Theoretically, the convoy was hustling across an intercontinental highway. However, the concrete surface by the roadside was barely recognizable as nature had wiped out the last traces of civilization, which once existed there. After more than 60 years of weathering, nature had reclaimed the concrete road.

The mercenary team led by Nolan would soon reach the ruins in the north. After departing Black Street, they had been heading west to the Gray River. Hao Ren was in the convoy, which set off the afternoon before, and they had been traveling for nearly 20 hours without stopping. The ruins that just disappeared in the horizon behind them was the last district in Broken Valley. From that point onwards, they would not see any urban ruins until they reached the Gray River. The desolate wilderness would be the only landscape for the next three days.

Hao Ren and Nolan were in the second armored vehicle, modified to carry personnel. The middle car in the convoy was the most closely guarded one because Gray Fox clients were in it.

Two stone-faced men were sitting at the back of the carriage, wearing uniforms different from those of the mercenaries’. They were said to be researchers from White River Consortium. Another two senior guards from White Water Consortium seated on both sides were responsible for protecting the researchers and monitoring Gray Fox’s work. Nolan’s mission was to escort these four people safely across to Northern Ring Tower—and to ensure at least one of the researchers made it back alive.

That last sentence was taken off the White River Consortium’s Letter of Consortium word for word.

The four “clients” hardly talked to the mercenaries. They occasionally spoke in a low voice among themselves to avoid others from hearing what they said. Paying attention to them was pointless. So Hao Ren turned around and looked at the monitor screen mounted on the carriage. He could see the scenery outside on the monitor. It was only an endless wasteland. Ulyanov whispered, “Not even the Rangers would survive in this hellish place.”

“Relax, we’re now in the safest place in the world,” said Nolan who was sitting across them in the carriage. With her eyes slightly shut, her hands were behind her head and her feet were resting on the steel armrest before her. “There aren’t any humans in this place. The only dangers are nothing but highly toxic soil and water.”

Carl hugged his large rifle and curled up in the corner. Hearing Nolan’s words, he sniffled. “Gee, that’s safe.”

Hao Ren looked at the four men from White Water Consortium at the end of the carriage. He then sat down next to Nolan. “Do you know what they’re going to do there?”

“I don’t know,” Nolan said, appearing indifferent. “I don’t poke my nose into my client’s business. That’s why I’ve lived to this day. You shouldn’t know beyond what you should know.”

Shortly after, she paused, noticing the curiosity on his face. She shrugged and lowered her voice, “They’re probably after the Master Computers, the pre-war Nanomachine Swarm program, and the next-generation Nanomachine Swarm technical draft inside the Northern Ring Tower. Those who can get their hands on any one of those things will be rich. Those who have gone to the North all these years were basically after those things.”

“Pre-war technology…” Hao Ren whispered. “Does it still work now?”

“Why do you want to go there?” Nolan raised one of her eyebrows. “I heard that you buried your wife in the wilderness outside Black Street in the morning. It looks like you’re not giving up your life just yet by going to the North.”

Hao Ren twisted the corner of his mouth, feeling hapless. “My mind’s been sound all this while, okay. I need to confirm something in the Northern Ring Tower. I’m only taking a ride and I’m not going to ruin your interest in any way.”

Nolan suddenly stared at Hao Ren, looking dead serious. “To be honest, I always thought there was something wrong with you since we first met.”

Hao Ren smiled. “What’s wrong with me?”

“Too optimistic, too calm, and too reckless,” said Nolan, turning her head away. “I thought at first, that was the cause of your insanity. But now, it doesn’t seem so. You remind me of those people who grew up in a peaceful era, but those people can’t keep such a state of mind for very long in this scorched land.”

“You look young, but you’re very observant,” Hao Ren said inadvertently.

“I look young?” Nolan said softly and looked up at the monitor in the carriage. Then, she pressed the intercom button next to her and said to the soldier in the cab, “Kim, have we crossed the old Route 17?”

The soldier in the cab replied, “Just passed it a few minutes ago.”

“Take a rest. Let the car run on autopilot mode. There’s no need for a driver for the next two days.”

“Roger that, Boss.”

Although Black Street and Zero City were the closest human settlements to the ruins in the North, there was still a long distance from there to the Northern Ring Tower. This deadly area was impenetrable to ordinary people. Even professional mercenaries needed the support of modern equipment and the best physical as well as mental state to go there. For two days, the convoy was slowly approaching the ruins in the North under the guidance of the autopilot system. As their destination drew near, everyone became anxious. The mercenaries that Nolan brought out were the most courageous and loyal group of people from Gray Fox, but even they could not help feeling uneasy.

“Being killed by the Nanomachine Swarm is a very horrifying experience,” Ulyanov said to Hao Ren on the fourth day of their journey. “The dying feels like an eternity, and it usually begins with your internal organs. As your body dissolves, there comes the illusion of extreme burning and tearing sensations. The greater pressure is psychological. You’ll feel that you’re turning into some weird substance and the feeling will linger on for several minutes.”

Hao Ren was gazing at the scenery outside. Ulyanov’s words gave him a strange feeling. “Are you demoralizing your fellow mercenaries?”

Ulyanov laughed hoarsely. The laughter seemed to have a cheeky meaning in it. “I just wanted to remind those who are attracted by the seemingly dormant Nanomachine Swarm. The Nanomachine could suddenly wake up without warning.”

The two researchers from White Water Consortium glanced at Ulyanov with a disgruntled look on their faces.

Suddenly, the voice of the driver sounded through the intercom speaker, “The Gray River! The Gray River is right in front! Boss, we’ve arrived at the Gray River!”

The words “Gray River” seemed to possess magic of some sort; the mercenariexs bounced up, raised their heads, and clenched their weapons. They were anxious and excited at the same time. Nolan grabbed her equipment and got to her feet. “Everyone, bring your electromagnetic hibernator and follow me!”

The mercenaries jumped out from the carriages as the armored vehicles ground to a halt. Before Ulyanov got up, he shoved a palm-sized device, which looked like an old radio, into Hao Ren’s arms. “Take this; it’s an electromagnetic hibernator.”

Hao Ren took the gadget, finding it bizarre. Hurried by those from behind, he jumped off the car.

An endless barren land spread out in front of his eyes. A hundred meters away, he saw that the leading armored vehicle had stopped beside a river. On the riverbank, there was a neat, continuous flow of metallic luster.

Hao Ren followed the mercenaries and ran over. He then looked at the scene in awe. “This is the Gray River?”

All he saw was a weird, endless gray viscous liquid flowing in the river. Its texture made it look like asphalt with a bone-like color. The liquid flowed very slowly, almost like a slow-motion film. The ever surging, sticky gray “river surface” gave people a bizarre feeling. In this black-and-white-movie-like place, a layer of seemingly plated armor covered the rocks on the riverbanks at the edge of the Gray River. They appeared to be naturally formed riverbanks, holding back the dangerous “water” in the river.

This was the Gray River.