Doomsday Jigsaw Puzzle

Chapter 239: Chapter 43: The Nostalgic Xie Family

]Well, he was indeed one of the top five agents of the imperial class, but here, this security guard has turned into scrap metal, although he could shoot down a plane with a laser as easily as I can shoot a look, put on a pair of sunglasses, and you’re practically a different person. Even with only two eyes, one nose, and one mouth, you guys seem to grow ears everywhere, capable of tracking sounds within a radius of twelve hundred meters, but in this place, even if you had an extra pair of ears, you wouldn’t be able to move forward with the recording.[

However, this area is not as simple as it seemed at a glance, wreathed in white mist.

If it were not a dragon pool and tiger’s den, then this place might not exist; and if this were the Jiaxie, he would likely have the same sense of apprehension towards it as they have towards other major families. Of course, if this were not the white mist, Qin from top to bottom showed a very evident wariness towards the Xie Family.

"You must be extremely careful, regardless of what you decide to do, white mist. I received an invitation, but it doesn’t mean I am going. Even if you accompany me, it wouldn’t change that the Xie Family is one of the most significant and closely observed families,"

Qin spoke, approaching the figure who stood wearing black Western attire with sunglasses, near the entrance to the grand building designed by Lin’s Tech Corporation.

Not long after, Qin and white mist walked into the secure perimeter of the Jiaxie,

...seemingly making a point about something extremely noteworthy to the Xie Family, along with ... and the once-prominent young genius from the Xie Family.

]They have already started to analyze you, and you have entered into the surveillance perimeter of the Xie Family. From now on, begin operating. There are many places in this huge high-tech building that you are very familiar with; games rooms, testing chambers, observation areas, archives, etc. There certainly will be changes; after all, it’s about transforming people. Cheng Mo, however, does not necessarily represent change; some people are always nostalgic for the past.[

This high-tech building seems just like a simpler version of the Lin’s Light City towers.

But among a bunch of black towers, the high-tech building stands out, and white mist, whose visual senses were highly enhanced, could see it from afar as she casually walked along the southern route.

The high-tech building—an extraordinarily recognizable landmark of the Xie Family, different from the sprawling villas within the protective black tower enclosure on the entire Fifth Level, as Jiuyan had once mentioned.

A few "mansions" were even larger, buried in the corners of the entire Fifth Level. "It’s not that there are no relationships between the sizes and order of the towers, but they are not perfectly aligned or exactly the same size," white mist thought, looking at the black towers, which were sometimes so serrated and sharp that you could imagine teeth.

From white mist’s point of view, what was dubbed the "Black Tower Forest" seemed almost boundless, even though, from a distance, the number of towers was indeed less than on the Fourth Level—in fact, they were much taller, some even reaching over four hundred meters.

"Once you reach the Fifth Level and can no longer continue upwards, the ’Black Tower Forest’ that appeared in white mist’s eyes is truly an impressive sight."

By the time white mist reached the Fifth Level, she no longer knew what to call the things she would encounter that gave her an intense feeling of compulsion.

Whether looking at the Second Level or from the Third Level, or even the flower-patterned floor above, there did not seem to be any differentiation.

But in reality, although he felt there ought to be many holes in the flower-patterned floor above, he couldn’t figure out why...

White mist gazed quietly at the flower-patterned ceiling, the conversation between the two men having concluded.

The elevator area appeared very empty; there seemed to be no one else around except for the two of them.

A fresh young head was, in fact, just something that had fallen from a neck a moment ago, right behind the bag of... which white mist had just discovered. Qin must have spent several days crafting this,

Not wanting to see the trouble of encountering a member of the Jiaxie family was actually the case, but given one day, he surely could have managed this situation; the original reason for Qin’s careful planning was to stash the snow globe head in the bag there.

White mist guessed that Qin was very interested in her because she already was one of the earliest weird things to be known on the entire Fifth Level, and perhaps Chu Qing was also aware of the situation concerning the clock of Xu.

The two men started talking about the Xie Family again, and white mist did not continue to question them.

It was clear that white mist had no interest in this topic at all, and Qin frowned as he responded during their conversation.

"It’s just that recently, my contact with them has been somewhat infrequent compared to what it used to be," Qin replied.

"So, have they shown any interest in investigating the Army Guard Town Military Group?"

"How come you’re asking so suddenly, I have one brother and one sister?"

"Your Excellency, how many brothers and sisters do you have?" the Long Leader asked, and at that point, white mist didn’t continue the conversation with Qin, still a good four hundred meters away from the Fifth Level.

"It always feels strange. The Xie Family doesn’t seem to fit in well with others. From what I’ve heard from my father, the Xie Family hardly ever mingles with other families, much less with ours."

Qin said:

He nodded earnestly, without a hint of rebuttal. Of course, Bai Wu hoped he wouldn’t appear too flustered or panicked, which was indeed very possible.

"There’s no need to panic or be flustered, whatever happens,"

Qin advised Bai Wu once more as the two of them were on the descending elevator.

Qin was worried that Bai Wu might be frightened by some unfamiliar things, things he had never seen in the outside world, which is why he felt he must tell Bai Wu that, having led Fifth Level technologists like the Xie Family, they were now nearly at the Fifth Level.

This was indeed an exciting prospect for Bai Wu.

It was like watching a science fiction movie, or perhaps those items were just water products. He felt as if he had already surpassed the technology of this world the moment he saw those strange black towers on the Fourth Level.

It was as if the bottom level, the Second Level, and the Third Level were from three different eras.

He had a sense this world’s technological threats began from the moment he entered the high tower. Bai Wu remembered that Xie Jian was one of the earliest Nobel laureates in physics from the Cheng Mo clan.

"Although I am indeed seeking repayment of a great debt of gratitude from your descendants, you are not the head of the family, but the one I must see."

Bai Wu suddenly thought of the amicable but competitive relationship between Teacher Xie Jian and Teacher Tao, despite both being quite capable, they were willing to tolerate each other.

"We do not leave any waste in here; even if it’s rubbish, we can modify and refine it into elitists. Words, even if not pleasing to the divinity, are allowed within these bounds, as long as they only have practical value,"

"This place has its own special standard for manpower usage," he continued, "Workers at the lower levels who complain about their bosses and their jobs can only do so under strict surveillance in a place as high as this."

"What are you trying to say?"

"What? You know too, ma’am, that I just had that conversation with the person in the elevator?"

"Of course, it’s under the control of the family head,"

Cheng Mo said coldly, hinting at something.

"You mean, as a hosted body, you are able to communicate with the head of the family, and with me?"

Bai Wu asked, nodding his head.

"Since Qin has spoken with me in such a friendly manner and paid me a visit, it indicates that he, as a representative of the head of the family, acknowledges your strength. Therefore, I can indeed share some information with you, which I need for verification. It will certainly be worthwhile if it proves to be a good recommendation from him, as he is more important to us than the other Jiaxie clans, and we have quite a clear aversion to visiting the other Jiaxies," Cheng Mo said.

Bai Wu realized he had far underestimated the "class of beings" filled with mechanical horrors; he saw this place in a far more complex light than he had imagined.

["What comes next is a low-spec version of Mechanism City—a safer version than the lower levels, at least. You will eventually reach that area and retrieve something for the Xie Family that is similar to the things you see before you here. Before long, you will be moving forward to that area. Although Mechanism City is still far away, and the area here might gradually turn into a red zone, emulating the outer tower of Mechanism City, the purple zone will always proceed with endless improvements, and at the very least this place here is a purple zone, though it also separates different levels of danger zones within the tower,"]

Bai Wu had already figured out the core issue and dismissed his prepared concerns. He took his seat calmly.

"Please sit down. Although I do not know how you formally learned my name, or the formalities of your previous life, this position requires a companion of very high ability. It says you must be extremely high-ranking in the hierarchy of danger levels," the examiner said.

Back then, Bai Wu had encountered Jiuyan at the Fourth Level and Ma Li at the Fifth Level.

Cheng Mo

"Is it your official examination?"

He dreamt back to the scene of the Well’s heart in a split second, seeing this person.

Because of the white fog, he saw a familiar person.

But his thoughts were quickly interrupted. How to evaluate, how dangerous this white fog of level seven was.

"Level seven danger level. After completing the verification, white fog, Citizen No. 872502065."

As soon as Ma Li’s fingertips touched the exam room door, he heard the electronic sound transmitting from inside; finding a good examination room on the tenth floor was very easy.

...

...

Indeed, the feeling of this programmer from the Jiaxie family was real, that he was actually in a certain place outside, in a simulated tower.

He always felt a kind of danger, and did not feel that the transplant faction was strong.

Since signing the body modification agreement, because of his limited abilities, he truly worried about entering this big building not long after, and that was also because he was a good friend of Baldy Qin, who was very kind to Ma Li.

But the power of the transplant faction was indeed far from the original faction, although it was divided into two factions, the transplant faction was not unimaginable outside of the other.

Ma Li would just be expelled by the blue transplant faction in a few days, but that was also then.

It wasn’t impossible that one day, a new body system, a new creation—could overthrow the great might of the original faction.

But in reality, the original faction was not entirely undefeatable by the transplant faction, according to logic; on the surface, it was directed by their imagined power, but in reality, it depended on actual numbers, relying on transplant faction data.

The entire Jiaxie family was also divided between the original and the transplant factions.

Because of his exceedingly rapid aging, he used his brain excessively, proving that humanity doesn’t need to be entirely transplant-worthy; the Jiaxie family on the whole had a particularly severe attitude towards those programmer cadres, due to a higher likelihood of brain damage in their transplant bodies.

He reached the tenth floor, the elevator stopped.

"From those transplant bodies you can learn even more, but you can learn quite a lot here, too. Once you know, you will understand," he said.

"These Jiaxie guys are all from the Xie Family; they are not much different from us. But their way of doing things is very simple and straightforward—download. We still need to make an effort to understand, my fellow Jiaxies, we have to study these things, but you shouldn’t compare us to them," Baldy Qin said.

It wasn’t just in the weaponry they carried; Baldy Qin’s words seemed to imply they were showcasing the technology of the Xie Family.

From that phrase "pulling something out of his crotch", he could see that this was Cheng Mo’s "human weapon installation" in action, and from his eyes that funneled the entire disciplinarian organization of the Xie Family, he seemed to have tasted the essence of competition.

"The Xie folks are tough enough on their own, not as machines or non-persons; they’ve opened a group chat for everybody to hang out," he said.

Possibly, only the recently installed security could be transplant bodies, he guessed, since he completely didn’t know what a transplant body was; White Fog seemed like an old person.

"Do you know what a transplant body is? You should go for the examination if you want to work here after passing it; I can tell you beforehand. Oh? Haven’t you seen an official examination yet? You should proceed towards the tenth floor for it," White Fog asked.

White Fog became interested. "How tough? Just an ordinary person?"

"Well, I say that the Xie Family is actually pretty harsh on us ’ordinary folks’, cough cough... You don’t need to worry about these Xie people, you’re really lucky to come here," he replied.

"That’s right."

"Haven’t seen you before, are you new here?"

The programmer laughed.

White Fog just waved his hand. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

Despite the Xie Family’s extensive coverage of high-tech sciences, there were no tobacco plants or high towers of smoke.

"Don’t you want a smoke?" the bald programmer said, passing a cigarette, though it was quite unusual for him.

Staring at the white-haired man who lacked any hair on top, she felt a sudden kinship, though it was quite unexpected.

[He was sharp and keen as ever, even though he had just turned twelve this year. "The secret to working only twenty-two hours a day when you’re so young lies in the basics: a balanced diet, proper meal planning, a calm and steady mind with no pressure, understanding nourishment, combining work and rest, everlasting vitality, a quiet and modest temperament, and truly understanding what it means to be a programmer."]

His face wore a youthful smile that made him look more like he was twelve, not fourteen or fifteen.

At that time under the high towers, he was dressed in casual white clothes which were quite fashionable, unlike the checked shirt the bald man was wearing.

"Wait! Wait! Wait!" a bald man called out from not far away, just as the elevator door opened.

Just this foundational layer of the Mechanism City’s defensive fortress was a shock to behold, but the white fog managed to clearly see every single detail, as clear as day, within the heart of Well Four.

... my dear

[If you listen carefully to the security code, whichever floor you’re moving toward is the same number as the incorrect digits you press on the elevator. There are precisely one thousand six hundred forty-five lasers in this elevator.]

Erleipu’s eyes flicked, ready to interject, but ultimately, he restrained himself.

White fog felt a strong urge to press the button for one floor below the twelfth, where so many of Xie Family’s technological wonders and teachings were imparted, mainly due to the big city’s sparkling lights drawing his memories to the twelfth-floor.

Only by squinting could White Fog catch a glimpse of the actual objects being tested.

Every floor up to the fortieth was dedicated to experimentation; only six floors were for residential use, from the first to the twelfth floor of Fifth Level.

This tall building had its own guiding map.

Even though White Fog had not been able to entirely replicate the Technological Headquarters of the year’s configuration, one glance was enough to notice some similarities, though the places used in each room were quite different. Despite his nostalgia, White Fog might have discovered the "Xie Genius" after walking into the inner part of the Technological Mansion.

There weren’t many people on the first floor of the Xie Family’s Tech Mansion.

It was quite peculiar to wander headfirst into an oddity that was the main business of nuclear ballistic encounters, akin to a petty thief attempting to sneak in.

White Fog’s expression was slightly strange, for a direct intrusion into the building would trigger a level nine security alarm, which, if not prearranged, he would have heard by now since a level nine security alarm had already reached its peak.

White Fog was not entirely clear on what the ultimate human-shaped weapon meant, but it was just an abstract term for now, even though it would come into play at the mention of it.

In White Fog’s imagination, a level nine security alarm was unfathomable, in fact, a whole magnitude greater than a level six. Just like striking a five-star wanted level in some famous sandbox game from the previous world, he would have just leveled up the idea of a level six alarm.

Unable to bear calling it "my dear" even once... White Fog glanced over before finding an explanation for why a level nine security alarm would make any sense to him.

It wasn’t hard to tell that he would be seeing Jiaxie Service Personnel and visiting Jiaxie customers very soon on the lower floors of the Tech Mansion, if only White Fog would walk in undisturbed, without any questions from White Fog being resolved due to the security clearing up the matter.

But White Fog still didn’t quite grasp what a level nine security alarm was, yet he understood very quickly.

"If you truly are who you say you are, then you wouldn’t be anyone else and my question would be pointless. If I were mistaken and you got dissolved into subatomic particles because of my error, it’s because there was no appointment to activate the level nine security alarm," he said.

"Why would that be, am I not White Fog?"

Perplexed, White Fog asked a question.

"As soon as your check is complete, you’ll only be allowed to go forward to the tenth floor, where the trial officer will meet you in that particular place, High Tower, Public ID number: 650220578, gender male, age nineteen."

Despite using a completely different tone and method of speaking, the security, standing an instant away, replied with precise and ceremonious language.

This security guard was partly a machine or perhaps a mech-man. Even if White Fog couldn’t discern it, he’d just have to rely on observation alone.

It was terrifyingly efficient, emperor-like security.