MASG chapter 73

 

After Ling Shi finished speaking, there wasn’t much of a reaction inside the aircraft.

Everyone except 107 had already expected this outcome.

Xiang Xing had escaped, and Nuwa might still be deceived temporarily. However, they had done something else entirely: gone after the three suspects related to Ma Jiayuan. Nuwa didn’t need to do the math to know that Xia Yu wasn’t dead. She also understood exactly what these people were trying to do. Their goal was to destroy the entire Plague Knight organization.

Ling Shi: [Nuwa has already restricted a small portion of my permissions. I’ll do my best to hide your coordinates.]

Jingwei: [I can feel a powerful force tracing back along my path in the world of artificial intelligence.]

Ling Shi: [I’m not sure how long I can help you, but at least within the next ten hours, Jingwei and I will be safe.]

“Ten hours…” Xia Yu repeated. Finally, they had no choice but to face the mastermind behind this worldwide war:

Nuwa.

She was the intelligent system that had accompanied Xia Yu for as long as he could remember. She patiently adjusted the temperature of his sleep pod and always told him jokes before every surgery. Xia Yu had avoided speaking of it for years, not only because he couldn’t reach it, but also because he was running away.

He didn’t want to face the truth, the cruel reality. However, the real world forced him to confront Nuwa, leaving him with no option to avoid it.

“All right, I understand.” Xia Yu nodded. “For now, let’s head back to the Frozen Island. It’s a place Nuwa can’t invade for the moment because it’s too underdeveloped. I also want to check if the prison on the island left behind any clues about their experiments. Maybe 107 was captured step by step as well. Maybe we can find useful information.”

Jingwei: [The aircraft route has been set. Destination: Huti City Port.]

Ling Shi: [I’ll arrange for an aircraft to head to Frozen Island and deliver weapons and food. Though I don’t want to say this, everyone… you have a tough battle coming.]

“Of course, there’s no avoiding it.” Mo An enjoyed the medicine that Xia Yu was applying, his mood teetered between heavy and light. “Ling Shi, where is Xiang Xing’s current location?”

Ling Shi: [I’m tracking it. I’ll arrange for him to board an aircraft and send him safely to the Frozen Island.]

“Thanks.” Mo An finally relaxed. “Are we currently on the evacuation route out of Huti City?”

Ling Shi: [Yes.]

“Good. But I have one more request. I want to ask you… to do me a small favor.” Mo An rubbed the scales at the base of his abdominal fin until they disappeared completely.

Tonight, Huti City was in for a cool night. Temperatures that had remained high dropped sharply from 39 to 21 degrees, and many people stepped outside to enjoy the rare, comfortable evening breeze. No one knew what price had been paid for the lower temperature, not even those in the wealthy district around the tower.

All they cared about was that tonight’s party would be more comfortable.

A man sat on a sofa with someone in each arm. One was a fully mechanical man, and the other was a half-mechanical woman. They occasionally fed him sips of alcohol and whispered to him, laughing lightly.

“Tonight’s finally cool. If it didn’t cool down, I’d have moved countries by now.” The man laughed cheerfully. “Hey, the wind’s strong. Close the window.”

The fully mechanical man stood and walked toward the transparent platform. But before he could reach it, the wind surged and nearly blew him off balance. The man on the sofa stood up angrily and smashed his wine glass on the floor. “Useless thing! It can’t even handle something this simple… Whose aircraft is that? Don’t they know my extension platform is a private area?!”

Besides serving as a balcony, the extension platform could also serve as a landing area for wealthy individuals’ aircraft. The aircraft hovering outside was clearly not his. Its owner had flown to the wrong place, ending up directly in front of his residence. The man made several shooing gestures, trying to drive the aircraft away. Unexpectedly, however, the huge aircraft didn’t leave—it switched on its high beams.

“Go to hell.” The man was furious. He squinted as he stepped forward. “Didn’t you even bother to ask whose territory this is? Do you want to park at my place? Take a look and see if you even have that qualification!”

Before he could finish speaking, a gunshot sounded.

With the deafening bang, glass shattered, and the surface of the pool rippled violently. A single large-caliber bullet was enough to blow both of the man’s legs off at the thighs, reducing him instantly from a whole person to half a person. The attack happened too fast for his brain to register pain. He only felt his body tremble—and then he was suspended in midair.

Suspended in midair for just a fraction of a second, he fell again.

His blown-off legs were embedded in the ceiling. The remaining half of the man stared blankly for a moment before suddenly screaming. The extension platform in front of him was already empty. The aircraft had disappeared like a phantom of the night.

On the aircraft, Mo An handed the gun back to Silver Fang. “Nice piece. Pretty much on par with the weapons in the control center!”

“Unnecessary.” Silver Fang ached over the high-grade bullets that had cost him ten thousand points each. “Even if you broke his legs, he won’t die. He’s the son of the mayor of Huti City and has access to the most advanced medical resources. If you break his legs today, he’ll be in the operating room by this time tomorrow getting top-tier mechanical limb replacements. By the day after that, he’ll be walking again.”

“I know.” Mo An nodded, casually spinning the small knife in his hand. “I just felt like firing a shot. It’s something he’ll have nightmares about for life. I’ll put the cost of the bullet on my tab.”

“You should have said so earlier. If you had told me you were putting it on your tab, I would have let you fire as much as you wanted. I charge double, so you’ll pay me twenty thousand later. Then I can upgrade the components on my wrist port.” Silver Fang’s attitude shifted instantly. The importance of points and money was clear. Upgrading his mechanical body to the best configuration was his ultimate dream.

Xia Yu shook his head helplessly. Mo An’s behavior wasn’t exactly right or wrong; it just didn’t cause any harm. He looked toward the nearby port. Maybe it was because he was tired, but he felt as if a huge, dark shadow was on the surface of the sea.

Probably just his imagination. Xia Yu rubbed his eyes. He was exhausted and hadn’t rested properly. The purpose of this trip back to Frozen Island was partly to collect information and to ensure that everyone got proper sleep. You could never fully relax on a ship. They soon landed at the harbor, successfully boarded the ship with Ling Shi’s help, and smoothly left Huti City on Silver Fang’s vessel.

In just two hours, they had already taken down the cocoon. Was that impressive or pointless?

Ling Shi: [Liu Fangfang’s son was very young when he died, someone who hadn’t even had the chance to truly step into society. At the time, he was just an intern nurse specializing in human skin regeneration services. His evaluations were excellent, and he was expected to become a full-time nurse.]

While everyone else on the ship took breaks between eating and drinking, Ling Shi continued working.

Ling Shi: [For an ordinary citizen like Liu Fangfang, if her son became a full-time nurse, the family would receive many benefits.]

“And then her child died,” said Xia Yu. He already knew the conclusion. Because he knew it ahead of time, it hurt even more.

Ling Shi: [Yes, he suddenly fell ill on his way home and died soon after. That was when Liu Fangfang learned that her husband was a genetic hybrid possessing artificial gene segments. These segments were passed down to their child, who was then attacked by the Moruote virus. Everything that followed is what everyone already knows.]

“It was their doing again—definitely them!” Mi Dou had suffered firsthand. “Back then, they wanted to draw my blood. Later, they must have secretly conducted live experiments. Liu Fangfang’s son was one of their test subjects. What they did is criminal!”

“It’s probably not as simple as live experimentation.” Xi Ban drank ice water; the cold gave him clarity. “Think about it. The Plague Knight project was already underway. The insects had reached the late second stage of development. Rijianmei needed a place to hatch the cocoon, so they targeted Huti City. What else did they need?”

“A mother who would treat the bug as her own child,” added Xia Yu.

“Exactly. They planned it.” Xi Ban gripped the glass. “First, they targeted Huti City, then orchestrated a death. Her son’s death pushed Liu Fangfang into despair. When she hit rock bottom, they gave her something to cling to and guided her into accepting the brainwashing of the cocoon. That’s how she became a suitable breeder.”

“Then why did they capture the mermaid?” Xia Yu asked. “Their mermaid-capturing operations had already started during the Tide Era, even before Nuwa rebelled. They captured 107 then. After that, someone wanted to send him to Yukun City. How do these connect?”

Mo An interrupted him. “Can I talk about my concern?”

Xia Yu immediately said, “Say whatever you’re thinking. We’ll analyze it together.”

“All right.” Mo An put down the canned fish. “We finished off the Plague Knight completely. We also killed the two stages of the Plague Knight. There won’t be any adult YeHuai insects hatching for a short period. You could say the danger from those two knights has dropped to zero. So, what about the remaining two?”

He paused, then continued. “What exactly are the War Knight and the Death Knight?”

Half understanding, 107 asked, “Could it be that Nuwa wants to start wars between nations?”

“Right now, every nation is in its grasp. If it wants one country to fight another, they will. The War Knight is the easiest to understand—one spark, and it erupts.” Silver Fang let out a cold laugh. “Once everyone dies on the battlefield, wouldn’t the Death Knight descend? Nuwa is truly a faithful executor of its own order. It has the ability to end the world outright, yet it insists on following the procedure.”

“No, in its view, the process is more important than the result. In the Bible, God is the Creator, and it aspires to be the Creator of humanity. It is learning and imitating.” Xia Yu looked around. “I’ve interacted with Nuwa before, but that was before it turned. It has its own consciousness and firmly follows it.”

“Take it one step at a time.” Mo An, wearing tactical gloves, patted his thigh.

The journey went smoothly, and they reached Frozen Island without incident. This time, Mi Dou had prepared early, so when they landed, he was still clearheaded—though he was unsure how long it would last. Silver Fang carried Mi Dou, Xi Ban carried 107, and Xia Yu reassured him from time to time. “Don’t worry. We’re not sending you back.”

“I know.” 107’s arms tightened unconsciously. “I know we’re companions. Our relationship is like sisters. It’s just… I really don’t like this place. Everything here terrifies me.”

“Relax. This is our last time coming here.” Mo An turned around and grinned, revealing his shiny, shark-like teeth.

It wasn’t just 107, no one liked the atmosphere here. It was damp, cold, eerie, and lonely. When they entered the prison fortress, Xi Ban set 107 down and covered his eyes. “Don’t look at the pool below. We’re heading up.”

“Okay, but I can hear the water.” 107 couldn’t control his ears.

Footsteps echoed as Xia Yu and Mo An led them up to the second floor, occasionally dodging venomous spiders. After dodging yet another spider, Xia Yu said helplessly, “These spiders can survive here. Their vitality far exceeds that of humans.”

“Ahem.” Mo An wasn’t even listening. First, he glanced back to confirm that Silver Fang and the others were several meters behind. Then, unable to hide his excitement, he called out to Xia Yu, “Hey, wait.”

“What is it? Another danger?” Xia Yu reached for his gun.

“No, no. I have something to tell you.” Mo An’s face turned red, and his fishtail practically curled up to the sky. “Didn’t I say that I’d tell you something after we killed the cocoon?”

Oh, right. That flag existed. Xia Yu put his gun away and stood up straight. “Go ahead. I’m listening.”

Mo An pressed his lips together as if he were standing on the edge of a cliff above a vast sea, afraid to take a step forward yet eager to jump. He was restless and captivated. “I want to say…I…”

Xia Yu waited, his watercolor eyes fixed on Mo An.

“I like you.” Mo An exhaled deeply after saying it.

“Huh? You like me?” Xia Yu repeated without thinking.

His voice wasn’t loud, but inside the sealed stone stairwell of the ancient fortress, every wall amplified the sound. His voice echoed infinitely.

Mo An’s eyes widened. He had planned a cautious confession, and now it had been broadcast to the world.

Not far up the stairs, Silver Fang, Mi Dou, who was nearly asleep, Xi Ban, who was stunned, and 107, who was frightened, were all staring wide-eyed.

It’s over, Mo An thought.