Free Web NovelChapter 286: Chapter 90: The Zero of the Fifth Layer and Bai Wu
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Compared to Zero’s meticulous planning, Bai Wu’s situation seemed fortuitous and, by contrast, all the more dire.
Finding the two had just been a matter of time, but it was after a tragic event that Little Bai and Bai Wu found each other, appearing to have rather good fortune.
But this time, Bai Wu had made a choice.
If Bai Wu were to make another poor choice, it would lower his rating yet again.
This test was left for Bai Wu, observing to see how many levels he could understand, what choices he would make.
Zero was likely to move north to the observation area after receiving information that Little Bai and Bai Wu were dead in the Northern District.
There were forbidden mechanical souls to be tested at the base there, in that place. By moving Little Bai and Bai Wu to the Northern District, he had half-tricked them with a mixture of truths and falsehoods.
After observing for a few days, the Tower Master might suspect something big underlying this whole affair. Were Little Bai and Bai Wu just minor characters, or could there be something more behind this seemingly insignificant event?
After all, the perfect opportunity had arisen for some high tower people to enter Mechanism City and conduct a certain experiment.
All the Tower Master needed to do was pass on some information.
Otherwise, Zero could not have remained hidden like this, acting on his own.
This event made Zero recall some of his past experiences when he was young.
The Tower Master was very interested in figuring out how Chu Qing’s spirit and mechanism could merge into this world, this combination piqued his curiosity.
They had bound together two spirits to the Heart Core Mechanoid, creating a new type of diseased spirit.
The machine body was seamless—
Although the Tower Master may find Zero’s situation somewhat annoying, he nevertheless made it one of his affairs.
Even though it was fundamentally a deception, at the very least, it allowed this little abomination to keep surviving, a piece of salvation for a part of its soul.
This little monstrosity was actually a good omen for luring the human heart, but the setup had failed in its purpose, making it lose hope.
He wanted to see whether this Tower Master possessed deeper hidden abilities, whether he was equipped to fundamentally cure the poison of Ulaga.
Zero now had a new identity bestowed by the Tower Master, who had changed his memories without affecting his original essence and had granted him no small amount of authority.
This world wouldn’t even allow Zero to be known as a deity of any sort, as the mighty and crazed beings he had once seen were all-encompassing.
Zero didn’t fully trust either of them.
To them, both the perfect world and the divine were merely lies, and this way of things could not last too long, just like this.
Yet this method was only suitable for their own benefit, not for the deep desires and impoverished thoughts of Zero, who decidedly did not need some kind of god to come and save him.
Zero had thought up some sort of method to suppress the Ulaga poison, something happening within this spirit.
The spirit of the Tower Master was extremely incendiary and spellbinding. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
Zero had just noticed an interesting soul—the Tower Master’s spirit a few days ago.
That was Bai Wu on the Fifth Level—according to Zero, if Bai Wu was on the Fifth Level, then his train of thought was certainly not unfounded.
Bai Wu disappointed him not too long ago, but the silver-haired youth simply watched Bai Wu moving forward to his outside duties, with a hint of admiration in his gaze.
The Heart Core Palace of Mechanism City could see the entire transformation of the city. The immense Heart Core City seemed to float in the sky, almost like an eye in the void.
The Palace God Mech, the Heart Core City.
...
...
But as for Little Bai, he wasn’t entirely troubled by what those great people had to say; he simply didn’t know what to do.
Bai Wu, however, said something extraordinary: only two people were selected to be capable, and everything at the banquet was managed perfectly.
"If we are to stop a certain experiment from continuing in the north district, which is ongoing without permission, the task for us is an evil mech sect organization,"
This time Bai Wu saw beyond the task at the banquet and glimpsed the true mission.
Zero had previously mocked Bai Wu, saying only the Ula disease’s cause had been discovered, yet Bai Wu could not identify the root cause.
[The mech sect’s believers are widespread in every corner, and even the body-mind integration technic is being experimented with here. However, rumors of it being approved by the Heart Core Mechanoid’s legal code haven’t even spread.]
Bai Wu relayed the annotated notes she’d seen in Erleipu’s eyes to her team.
"What is that?"
"It’s not about getting weapons, nor sending someone to an auction. Our real objective is something else,"
"Dangerous? What for?"
Jing, who was at the banquet, didn’t understand.
"It’s very dangerous here, but we can’t give up on the mission. We don’t have to follow what the mission suggests," said Bai Wu, a glint in her eyes.
"Why are you leading me to the north district, if that’s not really what it’s about?"
"But Zero seems intent on destroying these mech cultists; they will just vanish eventually... Isn’t Shen Ta supposed to be exactly that? Yet, Zero has considered decimating these cultists,"
"That’s incorrect; Shen Ta will continue to be necessary. It’s guiding me to find an even more reliable method than the mech teachings," Bai Wu’s eyes gradually brightened as she took one careful step of thought after another.
"Zero is very strong, so strong that it could create a spirit. It isn’t a god, but it’s being troubled by the Ula disease itself... This isn’t the answer to everything here; it’s only what Zero wants me to see, because..."
"The truth is, they are false gods, nonexistent; people will soon discover that. But this is all in anticipation for a true god who can satisfy the machine tribe’s wishes completely. If not, then the Heart Core Mechanoid would hardly be a suitable long-term solution to the Ula disease,"
"The Heart Core, the inner and outer city, Mechanism City’s class hierarchy... There are many different districts and environments in the Heart Core area, not to mention that the people will ignore their own sacrifices and losses, further solidifying faith in the god figure, which is the most suitable way to guide human nature in these circumstances,"
"No... That’s definitely not a shallow solution, the answer that Zero seeks..."
For some reason, he was certain that Bai Wu had thought of a particular capability.
Even if he didn’t manage the banquet, Old Plank’s exceptional behavior made his disapproval of the surrounding reactions all too apparent.
Even Old Plank himself displayed such expressions at times when deep in thought. Jing had seen "Probably just an anomaly," he explained.
"What about him?"
Bai Wu seemed troubled by some question, almost as if he was about to find an answer, yet Jing and the banquet committee saw this as just another episode of his strange behavior.
In Bai Wu’s previous life, the sect presented the best of itself, leading people toward goodness, not overstepping but Deus Ex Machina was a falsehood.
In the end, science developed alongside human history. Religion has often been used to consolidate political power.
"...That’s not right, it shouldn’t be,"
"Is it that Zero already has a solution to the Ula disease, or is this hinting at something difficult? By having its inner conflicts, isn’t it because of this ’god’ that there are no people infected with the Ula disease here?"
"But what could Zero’s intent be, doing all this? Perhaps this person, who can access the Well’s surname, is even stronger than any villain I’ve ever encountered; he isn’t merely a powerful combatant... Zero certainly has some other purpose..."
"If Zero is not granted certain powers, he definitely can’t do that thing of moving to Mechanism City, let alone take Shen Ta with him in such a short period. But perhaps Zero has given him some kind of authority... After all, Zero could potentially be Shen Ta’s leader, the distributor of this."
"The mission Jing and I were given seems more like it came from the task deliverer himself, not just a different tone from Zero, but seemingly a completely different feeling from the heart-core experience I had with Little Bai; it’s not really the same."
"And yet, while all these come from outsiders, tasks of S-level difficulty have something in common, something potentially obtainable by anyone."
Many thoughts surfaced in his mind in an instant.
Listening to the banquet mission labeled S-level, Bai Wu thought, What does S-level difficulty mean?
Bai Wu passed on the entire report; not a single word was leaked, which made Jing feel it wasn’t shameful but just didn’t need to be voiced loudly.
Zero could only be briefed, and they had no way of inspecting the exact details of his mission, as the others in the banquet were not informed.
"Can you not restore the original unsealed mission report to me?" Bai Wu asked, observing his surroundings after a week.
Banquet remained silent, too ashamed to utter that sentence.
["O God, please grant me purification, I beseech. Your followers are on the road, having embarked on a sacred journey to deliver us to our blessed destination. Welcome, arriving with cheers of joy.]
— His brow furrowed following that declaration; Banquet continued to prepare the mission review but was still uncertain.
Banquet was right there in this wastewater treatment plant, the location of the rendezvous that he and Little Bai had been enlightened about per the mission directive.
"How could these people looking up to you have weapons? Are you sure this is the rendezvous point in here? They’re poorer than the two of you," said Thank you.
Indeed, Bai Wu would not be inclined to simplify the question again, but he felt he was on the verge of understanding something, despite having received just one lesson.
Do these mechanical tribe souls really lack any semblance of humanity, without any contradictory nature?
Isn’t it difficult for these people to form a uniform thought, both emotionally and logically?
Looking over these strange beings, he realized they might indeed not be infected with the Ulaga disease - something worth contemplating.
Bai Wu felt there were certain unfathomable things; always having had a sense that Mechanism City might not be able to achieve such a feat on its own, if it was solely reliant on the Shen Ta.
This expansion rate was certainly indicative of divine intervention, wasn’t it? How long had he been dead?
"We will welcome the mechanical deities! The Heart Core Mechanoid leaders will guide us onward. Blood and flesh are weak; rise, mech - our mechanical god assemblage shall cleanse the Carapace Bugs, the sea thieves, the Ulaga disease. We must greet the protection of the mechanical gods!"
— This was the broadcast he heard upon just arriving in Mechanism City; the memories immediately came flooding back.
"Indeed, this disease is a very vicious one. It’s certainly some kind of disease."
Bai Wu said, watching the scene unfold before him.
If they can’t assimilate, they would be seen as a heretical cult and could be rapidly replaced by mechanical tribe followers from outside, drawing in these disparate groups.
Each significant power in this area, this circle of good friends here, began interacting with each other, telling each other about their convictions about the divine homeland.
They only had followers; there were no boundaries of clan membership.
The boundaries of gangs had become quite blurred, or perhaps it was no longer just a gathering of Shen Ta, a god assembly, since the beginning of the Shen Ta festivity.
It’s no longer the same Heart Core mechanoid assembly.
"What’s with these mechanical tribes? Is this some new type of disease?"
He came to understand.
Bai Wu caught a hint of intention in that sentence, deliberating about it with Thanks after the dissolution of Shen Ta.
The Shen Ta meetup might indeed pose some risks for Bai Wu, implying a certain meaning.
]But while you have no shared destiny with him and it’s not conclusively certain that he’s dead, you might encounter his territory shortly, as you are just about to step into a new realm.[
— An instant thought of Erleipu, who had once given him a message, passed through his mind as he watched this congregation of mechanical tribe devotees performing their reverent homage. The sight was too intense, and Bai Wu’s brow furrowed.
Visiting this place wasn’t exactly appropriate for him. He knew there was too much Chaos here, after having come across the North Market with Thanks.
They had constructed a fictitious deity, satisfying every single benefit people could desire from it.
This new member’s thought virus is spreading exponentially, even more dangerous than Ulaga disease.
He saw a figure that looked very young among the new members of the Heart Core Mechanoid Assembly, which had grown several-fold in the past few days.
Sure, belief was strong, but the original Heart Core Mechanoid Assembly was essentially about mechanical worship. Now, it belonged entirely to them.
They might not appear now, but the mechanical tribe would certainly re-strategize, dividing into many factions, having once associated with these corporations and gangs.
Was it another underhanded decision of Slokou’s eyes? Locke’s Heart Core Mechanoid Assembly? The righteous thunderstorm roll?
It was a grand scene of divine academia, replaced in its stead by another era.
But this scene no longer existed.
These Han Lang Liu had designated this space as a staff dormitory, capable of striking directly against the Heart Core Mechanoid, even though it had once been a high crime area. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
Many Han Lang Liu liked to hang out here. This place, which had been the actual sewage factory, was now nothing but an empty shell, as the industrial zone had long since moved to the west side of the city.
It was just a sewage factory left outside in p district.
What stood there was a six-meter-tall sculpture, a pile of countless pieces of waste, which was now called a mechanoid god statue.
In the blood warehouse district of North City p district, where various major powers replenish their blood fluid, this sculpture was worshipped with great devotion—a sacred place for the mechanoid clans in the numerous alleys.
"There are still junkyard "war trenches," as well as countless billboards, all sorts of mechanoid carcasses, and the ruins of crumbling low-rise buildings."
"This is a divine sign! My Ulaga’s illness has been completely healed ever since the descent of the mechanoid god!"
"May you eternally govern us, oh great, righteous, and glorious, immortal Mechanoid God!"
"Then this vow of mine is the word of God."
"Ah, God, please look at me, cleanse my tainted soul!"
"Let the god of all power guide me!"
A significant change occurred in North City p district, leading to the whole area recruiting a new person since several days ago, Erloke disappeared.
Just a few days ago, the most recent findings of their newly lost research project could have allowed any other Heart Core Mechanoid to witness hallucinations of new invasive installation of the Heart Core.
Yet, despite not being fond of any particular faction, many covert operatives and master assassins were quite eager to try their hands on the equipment of Lei Ting Righteousness, which looked quite formidable. However, it usually required fifty seconds to lock on, a relatively long time for such a power device, especially when not in combat. Thus, the Heart Core Mechanoid could directly handle the opponent’s Heart Core.
Once the Lei Ting Righteousness’s newest model was installed into the mechanoid body, it could command any other Heart Core Mechanoid to close down its firepower.
Lei Ting Righteousness excelled in developing offensive weapons, Gemo Company excelled in developing defensive armaments, and Erloke Company excelled in developing various progressive attack weapons.
In North City p district, this competition of various powers had formed a recruitment ground, while the Southern City outskirts had indeed become a battleground for different factions.
In this area, a group of poor Han Lang Liu, who desired nothing more than the latest fuel oil, a new piece of meat from a female mechanoid to enjoy at any time, or even more so, a contribution to provide data access, were all eager to offer more.
p District.
Right here, at the intersection of Erloke Company and Lei Ting Righteousness, which marked the mission guidance point, there were six large districts in North City.
With each passing journey, the endpoint changed, and thus the journey itself seemed to become silent, a good thing for the four travelers who now quietly proceeded.
Ziyan felt like he had unintentionally cracked the code to this external quest out of sheer curiosity.
In just a few days, with dark-night decision-making taking place behind the scenes, two anonymous figures rose from nowhere to fame, making numerous enemies along the way.
Everyone knew that this big deal at Ziyan’s banquet was a ruse by Little Bai and Chu Qing who had been playing the kind-hearted deities for several days.
It left many people wondering whether these two illustrious slayers, a pair of supreme assassins, were actually intrigued by the weapons company’s tasks, as many people were thinking about them.
This auction could certainly add quite a few chips to Slokou’s eye, given that these two were Slokou Eye banner’s ultra-level hitters.
Quite a few unusual circumstances would transpire, although it was an era of pure signal transmission.
Not only did this place brim with extravagant architecture and densely packed materials, attracting a lot of visitors, but the sheer surface area of the high-rise towers and the disparity with Mechanism City was also staggering.
In this fog, Bai Wu could only feel a little noise; the joy and sorrow of the people did not resonate with him. Ziyan had nothing to say.
"You guys must have heard about the recent double supreme killers, the two top sharpshooters under the Slokou Eye banner, known as the dark-night judges—Zheng and the team leader, right?" Bai Wu said. Even though he could cheat Ziyan, now that his task was complete, he had managed to find the team leader.
But today, your luck is really terrible, Ziyan.
Even though it came as a sudden surprise, this Old Plank was a figure who appeared to be very solid and stable.
Bai Wu knew what was in Ziyan’s heart.
(Progress 61/001 completed, the white-silver alliance machine can no longer be applied)
