Doomsday Jigsaw Puzzle

Chapter 287: Chapter 91: The Forbidden Experiment and Yan Zizai’s First Transformation

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.Their sudden change in emotions struck him by surprise, he hadn’t considered that someone with Shen Ta’s abilities could experience such a thing, as Yan Zizai watched on at the banquet, the situation seemed to turn on its head.

.His expression of surprise was hard to convey quickly enough due to these unfolding events, far beyond just not thinking about them, he was bewildered, revealing an error in judgement.

... Little Bai unexpectedly realized he was part of a team plotting a murder, oblivious to this, a prideful smile crossed Yan Zizai’s face in response to his own innate abilities.

, this all happened in the blink of an eye.

. Little Bai collapsed on the ground, consciousness fading away.

. Small White Rain’s body, a target of a thousand cuts, felt as if in that instant life was about to expire, an immediate closure approaching.

... Yan Zizai, subconsciously grasping at the rice straw before him, felt like Little Bai’s voice was a life-saving rice straw.

! The two switched positions suddenly.

... Yan Zizai, who had never before seen the sky from such a perspective, made a choice, desiring life above all else.

. He was the target and could not be selected... However, it seemed as though Yan Zizai was about to choose something, like he was in the process of selecting a certain replacement target.

. Upon realization, his perceptibility was triggered greatly, detecting Shen Ta’s Heart Core Mechanoid’s immense calculation power, it was evident.

. Although this kind of prediction continued to be countered, while it could be predicted so far, because Shen Ta’s Heart Core Mechanoid provided analysis in such a short time, it was not something that was visible to the naked eye.

. Little Bai, perhaps still partly in the dark, was able to make out a vague guess; it seemed Yan Zizai might have the ability himself, even though from the sidelines it looked half-understood.

? Why would the opponent suddenly disappear?

... Yan Zizai couldn’t understand.

! There was a loud shout, and Little Bai’s heart began to panic in alarm, not knowing what to do as he watched Yan Zizai being pierced through in an instant.

"A grand feast for one!"

: The sound of Little Bai’s voice transmitted! A hair’s breadth from disaster.

. This was also the reason why Yan Zizai couldn’t find a way to see the influence of the banquet.

. The only thing that could be analyzed was the target’s perspective, for both the eyes of the observer and the sky were significantly flawed, lacking depth.

... Yan Zizai was incapable of feeling himself, reacting in a fragmented moment. On the verge of unveiling Gemo’s proprietary technology.

. Shen Ta’s Heart Core Mechanoid was thoroughly gone...

! He was about to die.

... It’s precisely because the periodic activation sequence had been reached now, and there seems to be no life left in Yan Zizai at this moment, completely the opposite, his body was severely damaged, more than burned.

"Switch places now!"

! His body, his viscera, severely burned, pierced by the molten iron beams that Yan Zizai had managed to barely dodge.

. He had made a decisive move at that very instant.

. Yan Zizai saw this outcome as well, but the risk this time could have been a stepping stone for something even bigger.

. If his own reflexes were not fast enough to respond like a death god’s stride, each attempt would be risky, with an assured peril afterward.

. Once weak, he would attack the vulnerability, immediately executing, swapping blood.

. A two-tiered position swap was initiated, though Yan Zizai was close to death, it was a form of offensive posture he had taken on himself.

. Yan Zizai could see two futures approaching, one in which he would use the "Switch places" move to narrowly dodge an incoming counterattack from Shen Ta’s Heart Core Mechanoid.

He could see the upcoming battle.

Erleipu had vanished from sight for a long time, which made Yan Zizai even more curious.

His hand blade hadn’t unintentionally caused any effective injury.

But Yan Zizai’s expression remained unchanged.

In the blink of an eye, Yan Zizai struck, relying on the molten steel threads, while Shen Ta wasn’t paying attention, aiming for the countless small holes that appeared on its back like huge, fearsome eyes.

Any part of its body could serve as a weapon, and even its back could launch a fierce attack, which would be immediately apparent to any enemy. Although Shen Ta’s body was large, it was undeniably powerful.

However, it only left a shallow mark; this hand blade was sufficient to shatter an enemy.

Shen Ta’s mechanical body was indeed stronger.

If it were just an ordinary attack, even a ninth-rank lifeform wouldn’t be able to inflict a serious wound, let alone give a counterattack.

Yan Zizai launched a hand blade strike toward the back of Shen Ta’s mechanical armored body.

Yan Zizai and Shen Ta swapped positions with each other in an instant. He had only just discovered that he was behind Shen Ta.

"Could it be that you’ve even calculated my abilities into your predictions? Your calculations are quite impressive," said Yan Zizai. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

Shen Ta, seemingly sensing movement from its own body, suddenly halted mid-sentence.

"Ah! ...If there’s even a small scratch, you might just... little wretch!"

At the same moment, a beam of intense light pierced through Yan Zizai, which Shen Ta had never seen coming.

With incredible speed, Yan Zizai arrived in front of Shen Ta; no white fog could possibly hinder him.

"You should remember, on your body, there isn’t a mechanical body, unlike that unknown mechanical entity facing us," said Little Bai.

Little Bai spoke:

Right now, Yan Zizai just wanted to vent his anger. He was innately arrogant, nothing but a hooked fish. He merely thought of himself as a High-S ranking bait being used by some agency.

But unknown to Yan Zizai, Little Bai knew that "Number Zero" was just a High-S ranking lure.

Yan Zizai felt like a launderer washing away a delicate crack, a single line that could make one suffer, like a High-S ranking mission already lost.

"You three, don’t interfere. This person is my target," said someone extremely displeased. This Shen Ta, whose role was like a dishwashing kid, twisted his neck with annoyance.

"I will calculate every possible move in an instant. With the computing power of my Heart Core Mechanoid, you stand no chance of comparing with me. I am already half a god at this point, you presumptuous fools... Hahahahaha!"

"Have you never thought about your own insignificance? You’re always prattling on about your grand plans," Little Bai said, moving his arm.

"You’re an idiot, talking big like a foolish rebel without actually understanding your own position," he added.

It was indeed a good opportunity for "Number Zero" to take advantage of people’s weaknesses, which was hard to miss.

Little Bai was also uncertain. He could’ve been completely wrong in his guesses about "Number Zero," as "Number Zero" was truly a deep secret. Little Bai wasn’t entirely sure, preferring to cut things off at present.

Was this the personality of "Number Zero" who was first infected by Ulaga’s virus? Still retaining old habits... or did it mean something else?

Little Bai couldn’t help but to think that this creation, the Heart Core Mechanoid, might have been influenced by some kind of plan, although it appeared very obvious. He still remembered these words of Shen Ta, despite being contradictory.

Although Little Bai didn’t fully understand the specific entity that was "Number Zero," he was confident that Shen Ta would never touch anything that went against "Number Zero." This mission was the real truth, Little Bai was certain of it now.

"If there happened to be a shortage of the rarest raw materials for me, I would know that this is the machine city where high-ranking tower people exist. I still wonder how souls are refined, but I already know how to upgrade the core."

"One is a soul, another is a core. Possessing both grants the highest authority. In that place of the core city, it undoubtedly shouldn’t be," he said.

"So you’ve come looking for me because you want to witness the results of your experiment?"

Shen Ta was utterly indifferent to Zero’s fearsome reputation; even to the extent that it caused this confrontation.

It wasn’t that Zero wanted to see these unrestrained transformations of his mechanical body, or that he was curious about whether Yan Zizai could solve Ulaga’s poisoning with this bewitching staff. It was because, as a divine Shen Ta council member, his spiritual essence had never undergone the transformation and alteration that Zero had.

"But due to this incident becoming a taboo, no one dares to attempt it. However, if I hadn’t also conducted such experiments, my transformation wouldn’t be complete either. It’s quite apparent that, after spending only a few days, I have already mastered this not-so-complex procedure," Yan Zizai retorted.

"In the end, I’ve made something unique. This super-core heart core has now transferred and stored the entirety of their souls’ data chains, turning it into their final resting place after the complete death of these heart core souls," he continued.

"Since a single heart core can hold only one soul, it’s possible that many of these super-core hearts were fused together due to this very reason, fearing that the surplus souls would be expelled."

"The heart core takes into consideration whether to proceed with data chain connections, becoming even more powerful, evolving into a complete mechanoid. However, when two near-synchronous heart cores attempt fusion, the souls repel each other; I can tell you, it’s a rather interesting phenomenon to witness," Yan Zizai declared.

By now, his flesh and blood were no match for his mechanical body – he already owned an invincible physique. The Shen Ta council member was clearly very satisfied with his current state and physique.

Jiaxie had to admit that this seamlessly integrated mechanical body was very well done, and it could also relate to the ancient heart cores engraved within the mechanical body.

"But I still have this physical body, which is stronger than you all. You managed to defeat an incarnation of me by relying on your sheer force, right here in the high tower," he said.

"I have already been resurrected; don’t you see that, you gods? The only reason for my demise was to grant me even greater powers. The real reason you are here is that you are familiar with my death,"

Yan Zizai thought differently.

How could Little Bai possibly be aware of these revelations in Shen Ta? What could have happened here that Yan Zizai would know?

Both Yan Zizai and Little Bai seemed rather unbothered, but Shen Ta, compared to Yan Zizai, was far more curious to know just how powerful this seamlessly integrated mechanical body was.

It was hard for Jiaxie to believe that such a person with incredible luck could exist.

"If our allied forces eliminate Shen Ta, it could be in the high tower right now, and you would recognize it," he said.

"You recognize it?"

Jiaxie looked at Little Bai, puzzled.

"Oh, how unfortunate. To die once in the high tower is bad luck enough, but to be resurrected just to die another time... Your luck isn’t very good," Little Bai remarked.

This scene was quite bizarre: although these Heart Core Mechanoids were clearly dead things, they still seemed to be alive somehow...

All these heart cores were somehow joined together to form what looked like a complete body. They were constantly pulsating, and there were numerous heart cores—I counted ten—each one looking like an individual installed in the heart chamber of this mechanical body, joined together as ten Heart Core Mechanoids.

Seeing Shen Ta with six-winged mechanical armor feathers on his back and a golden spear in hand, he looked almost like a true deity—or perhaps the prophecy of a bygone era.

There was Gemo’s heart core breastplate; Erloke’s high-tech weaponry; Erleipu’s righteous thunder; Slokou’s Eye...

Finally, the corner of the mechanical body lit up with continuous illumination.

Although it was a stranger’s voice that came through, Little Bai was certain that it was the main figure of Shen Ta speaking.

"You’ve already uncovered my task and likely possess even greater latent abilities. It’s surprising that you came this far, it seems you’ve already recognized me," the voice declared confidently.

Suddenly, the entire underground factory lit up as if adorned with twinkling lights, illuminating what seemed to be a row of discarded mechanical bodies in the pitch-black space.

Little Bai had been investigating this phenomenon at some point, looking closely at these remnants.

Little Bai stopped in his tracks, feeling a bit scared. He was thinking about the three figures in front of him. They were at the highest point of Shen Ta, after all, a significant advantage. But Jiaxie said, "We’ve got only one target."

He was a half-modified person, just like the heroic Jiaxie.

Although the Slokou’s Eye was currently in use, Jiaxie had already redeemed the high-tech weaponry of his own house; however, the Slokou’s Eye Analyzer from his brain sea was still there in his mind.

Yan Zizai cautioned, "There’s a very powerful living thing ahead."

Even Yan Zizai, with his penetrating and discerning eyes, and Erleipu, with his ephemeral white mist eyes, had both entered into a state of heightened readiness.

Yan Zizai, appearing by himself, had already been able to see Erleipu’s approaching figure through the white mist.

"Just because you will soon be meeting the strongest hand I’ve encountered so far, the one and only little ’ssoq’, doesn’t mean you can recognize the truth... It’s unnecessary, useless. You have five on two, but I am not without my means," said Yan Zizai, as he and the white mist both began to prepare for the confrontation with a line of already dead mechanoid corpses.

Indeed, Shen Ta was not a long-term goal for Yan Zizai; rather, he intended to leverage it just once, like this one time, to secure a position, wealth, and fame within the city, long enough to allow himself to become the inner city’s leading Heart Core guardian first.

This was not a long-lasting state, as both Zero and the white mist knew.

This was exactly how Shen Ta eliminated the spear-and-shield approach, benefiting from the illusion of faith and belief to establish a seamless unity, enticing people into believing in the practical benefits of faith.

Only after analyzing the Heart Core Mechanoid could one conclude that progress was necessary, indeed, imperative for Heart Core, in order to acquire more comprehensive information.

This was almost a spiritual dimension within itself, where true devotion to the divine will allow them to enter into a new and beautiful world.

The sentence actually had two parts, where the first part was about making people believe in the benefits of faith, and the latter was about the benefits of illusion.

The Shen Ta religious congregation loudly proclaimed, "Once your Heart Core has undergone one step of transformation, you will lead us to another world!" and without any true fear or reverence for Zero, they abandoned their resistance.

Not impeded by anything, their bodies were perfect in entirety, as the Heart Core had already been extracted from them.

They lined up on both sides, looking like ethereal sculptures, welcoming the arrival of their King, and also resembling a prized collection of antiques.

These bodies included those of the mighty Erloke, the thunderous Gemo, the watchful eyes of Slokou, and various company executives of Locke’s caliber, rich and poor, old and young alike.

Without a soul, to the white mist and others arriving at the toxic waste disposal factory, each of those bodies looked like a cold ice sculpture.

The lower caste, who dare not even think about such matters, must not allow them to act in this way; it was as if someone’s social code dictated it.

Since he had already experienced the Heart Core fusion, he began to yearn for the improvement of his own Heart Core, so much so that he almost believed he deserved an upgraded Heart Core first.

Zero didn’t hold any genuine respect for the Shen Ta religious gatherings, who falsely exalted themselves as gods; in contrast, Zero had not allowed his personal ties and recollections to be tainted with the customary respect for the preceding Heart Core rituals.

And this Heart Core modification was an absolute taboo within the Heart Core City, as it was the Heart Core Mechanoid that bound the spirits of the mechanoids.

Zero was the one who employed the fifth-generation Heart Core, overseeing the Mechanism City task force, representing the prestige and appearance of the Heart Core City; they were simultaneously the anti-virus medical response team and the divine guards.

Few mechanoids had a third-generation Heart Core; a second-generation Heart Core was the most widely available at the moment.

Only a very few souls had the chance to exchange their existing Heart Core for an even more advanced Mechanoid Heart Core before they died; a large number of people had a first-generation Heart Core.

However, only the Heart Core City possessed the craft of Heart Core Mechanoids.

This sentence was no exaggeration. According to a phrase in Mechanism City, even a complete fool could cause wind and water to rise up if they possessed a fifth-generation Heart Core.

The Mechanoid Heart Core was just like a disposal unit, the more powerful the Heart Core, the more things it could calculate, and the more precision it could achieve; the more beneficial the outcome.

And so, the social strata of the mechanoids corresponded with the levels of the Mechanoid Heart Core.

— But mechanoids of the second or third generation weren’t necessarily organized according to the limbs and body parts they possessed; the scientific advancement of the mechanoid race had already reached extraordinarily high standards.

Worth mentioning is that even the original human species could potentially employ such configurations, as brought forth by Jiaxie and Zero, which seemed to be a kind of armor. Moreover, even with Shen Ta’s spiritual connections,

in the end, a good body machine is overall a better composition. This basic principle echoed the many electronic brain kits that were comparable to Ulaga’s historic pre-white mist era.

The best configurations were the protective casings for the Heart Core of Gemo, the Thunderous Righteousness eyes, and the body of Slokou’s watchful eyes.

Those bodies, lacking organs, eyes, ears, noses, and limbs, could all potentially be replaced, strictly speaking, in the context of the mechanoid race.

The ground of the toxic waste disposal factory was, after all, a place of taboo experimentation.