Doomsday Jigsaw Puzzle

Chapter 292: Chapter 96: The Creator Who Bears the World

Bai Wu entered the train conductor’s room, and the Inner World suddenly changed.

It was as if he had stepped from that pitiable soul’s Inner World into Zero’s Inner World in an instant.

The distorted clocks hung in the sky like the sun. The sky was no longer a swath of azure, but black, purple, red, blue—a mix of various colors.

The clouds floating in the sky bore the faces of countless beings, each expression twisted.

Mockery, shame, anger, sorrow, fear, envy... Bai Wu looked at the faces filled with negative emotions on the drifting clouds, then at the dark Mechanical City on the ground, and he felt only despair and oppression in this world.

Different from the colorful sky, the contour of the Mechanical City on the ground was still the same, but as if it had been scorched by Karmic Fire, it was nothing but charred blackness.

Countless black shadows swayed within the charred Mechanical City; they seemed to be the Mechanical People of the Mechanical City.

Only Zero seemed to possess color in this world. The silver hair and the crimson pupils allowed Bai Wu to spot Bai Wu at a glance.

In that instant, Bai Wu actually felt a sense of regret for Zero.

He seemed out of place in his own Inner World. But in the outside world, it seemed difficult for him to blend in as well.

Bai Wu found himself at the crossroads in the city center, stepping out of the previous train car, the next step landed him here.

He opened the conversation:

"Why is your time running short? Can you enter the Inner World of every mechanical core in the Mechanical City? Is it through some ability you’re using to enter, or is it forcibly connected to you?"

Bai Wu was not surprised by Zero; he had treated many people these days, and after Jia Kai’er’s death, he felt as though he had met Zero many times.

Zero looked to be a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy, expressionless, but the face of a person often carries a certain temperament; some convey temperament through smiles, others don’t need to express anything at all.

Zero was like that. To Bai Wu, he seemed truly just like a robot.

He clearly had the appearance of a human boy; apart from the unnaturally colored pupils and hair, there didn’t seem to be any incongruities.

The most glaring incongruity was probably his eyes, which showed no hint of emotion.

As expected, Prayle’s Eye chickened out at the critical moment.

[You are on vastly different levels, and even though it is weak now and will be even weaker later, the gap between you is still wide. Even if the rookie were here, I wouldn’t be able to tell you its information, oh no, it’s not my fault, blame your constant overleveling, in any case, try to connect emotionally, like... brother, care for a cigarette?]

There was no information, but the fact that the eye didn’t provide information spoke volumes.

The First Generation Masked Strange Person, Jing Liu, the person chained up in the unknown area.

They were all cases where the eye could not provide information. It wasn’t that it couldn’t provide it, but rather it seemed that information could only be obtained if the ability gap was within a certain range.

"You have too many questions," Zero said as he walked towards the South.

Compared to the real Mechanical City, the biggest difference here, apart from the color being pitch black, was the absence of Core City.

"We’re not that pressed for time, are we? To be forewarned is to be forearmed. The tactics you play within the Inner City must be in preparation for some powerful enemy. We should be allies," Bai Wu said.

Bai Wu couldn’t be short on words, as this was a major support in dealing with the Well Clan. Even at that time back in Baichuan Middle School, from the remarks in the eye and the questions posed by that group of teachers, he had considered such a possibility.

Zero said:

"With external enemies invading, does your Raou Virus Therapy Theory have something to do with this?"

Bai Wu was astonished.

How... did Zero know everything?

"That’s what I’ve been thinking too. I’ve seriously summarized human history; people are a very interesting species," Bai Wu replied.

The voice of Zero gave Bai Wu an unsettling premonition.

This individual’s strength is not only reflected in his combat prowess but also in a knowledge base richer than my own.

"The contradiction between rationality and sensibility has been eliminated, every action undertaken by a person is in a state of unity, and an era of mutual understanding between people has indeed briefly emerged, not during a time of religious domination but during a time of war."

These words were spoken by Bai Wu.

He still hoped that his discoveries could provide some assistance to Zero.

In the South District, at this moment, a group of dark figures was lining up to head to the underground city.

In reality, Bai Xiaoyu and Yan Zizai saw a grand procession of people marching towards the sewer under the escort of the Guard Team members.

Their faces were all adorned with tears and smiles. They wanted to resist, but the strength of the Anti-virus Guard Team was too overpowering.

The verdict given by the Core was that accepting one’s fate could allow one to survive a bit longer, while fleeing would lead to instant death.

Seeing the large crowd pouring into the South District, the once gang-ridden Heaven Avenue was now devoid of fights.

It was as if they saw themselves in the future. Each year, the Lau virus claims many lives, and then the gods of the Core City create numerous Mechanical People.

Yet the number of infected increases annually, and no one knows if they will be next.

The sight of a large number of Mechanical People heading to the sewers to meet their death was fantastical yet incomprehensibly cruel.

For Zero, this was rationality.

But watching these crowds, seeing the sorrow on their faces, and the morbid joy due to the virus, Bai Xiaoyu felt that the world should not be like this.

These scenes were not visible in the Inner World.

Bai Wu continued to speak:

"Religion brings about an illusory rule, and forsaking one’s life and death for a false god is an extremely twisted act. Such deaths do not benefit the world in any way."

"However, the sense of crisis brought by external threats can lead people to sacrifice themselves and forget about death. Their sacrifices, their resistance, are all part of making themselves and this world better."

"Biological territorial instincts gradually, for some reason, evolved into national consciousness, and such consciousness, in the face of great wars between nations, can be stimulated to the extreme."

Zero’s steps did not halt, and Bai Wu kept on speaking:

"In human history, there have been many poignant and heart-stirring tales, all of which can be summed up in four words—home, country, and the world. People are drawn to the tragic hues of heroes primarily because heroes, due to some emotional decision, become enemies with the world."

"The Mechanical People of Mechanical City, differentiated into numerous gangs, conglomerates, companies, factions. From small offices to large corporate powers.

Everything I’ve seen since coming to Mechanical City is struggle. All the scheming is for profit, but what if one day, there is no profit? Or what if everyone’s primary goal becomes unified?"

Of course, profit will not cease to exist, but profits have priorities.

"Light cannot survive without darkness, and vice versa. The pursuit of an ideal society where people understand each other is inherently flawed because when placed in a society, everyone’s needs are different. Our thinking is thus limited."

"But what if we step back from the particulars and look at a larger whole? With a formidable enemy approaching, no one knows what lies outside of Mechanical City. With an impending invasion, people will have no choice but to unify their desires under the threat of annihilation."

Zero nodded unexpectedly.

"Your thoughts are quite similar to mine. I too have been waiting for a formidable enemy to descend, but this time, the foe is too strong, and Mechanical City might be destroyed in an instant."

Bai Wu had also guessed this. Zero’s recent actions had been strange, and this strangeness didn’t seem to be just to cope with the rage tide.

It is likely that a terrifying existence, as powerful as him, has set its sights on Mechanical City.

"My subjects, as they appear similar to humans due to their souls, engage in vicious intrigues and fight amongst each other in pursuit of maximized interests determined by the Core. In this Mechanical City, there is no talk of the smaller self versus the greater self."

"For seven hundred years, they have not lived comfortably, but at least because of me, there have been no outsiders daring to invade Mechanical City."

Zero stated calmly, yet Bai Wu sensed an air of dominance in his words.

Because of his existence alone, this black area had become a forbidden zone for the Evil Fallen.

"A powerful external force will unify people’s goals and desires, with the rich and the poor forming the same interest collective due to the concept of nationhood," he said.

"Infighting is meaningless because if the external enemy isn’t killed, they will all end up dead. With the emergence of the interest collective, the individual self was elevated to a greater self."

"As such, the contradiction between the soul and the core had mostly dissipated, for love and trust were no longer considered a disease. On the contrary, these emotions helped eliminate barriers and enhanced tacit understanding when resisting external enemies."

The Lau virus was essentially a virus that forbade love; guilt towards subordinates, forgiveness towards others, and fond memories of parents—such forms of love, which didn’t align with core interests, could become permissible by the core due to the peculiar nature of the era.

Formidable enemies had invaded, hating the Mechanical Race to the bone, with no possibility of negotiation.

And they were powerful enough that Zero couldn’t protect against them; only by uniting the entire force of Mechanical City could they resist the invaders.

"This external enemy has now appeared, and its name is Jing Wu. It is currently on its way to Core City."

The news came in waves, shocking Bai Wu.

"Does it want to kill you?"

"It wants to control me. Reincarnation can superficially resolve my Lau virus symptoms, but at the same time, it will trap me in a certain period."

"Reincarnation?"

Zero beckoned to Bai Wu.

As if the direction of gravity had suddenly changed, Bai Wu’s body flew towards Zero, and then many silver thread-like objects extended from Zero’s back. These threads pierced Bai Wu’s arms like some kind of parasite.

In that instant, Bai Wu felt a surge of memories pouring into him.

"This is one of my avatars, a conversation between Divine Guard Captain Arcas and Jing Wu."

Bai Wu quickly absorbed the memories and shook his head, saying:

"Reincarnation is a legendary Mutation Entry; honestly, such power is almost inexplicable. Reincarnation cannot necessarily reset you to decades ago, Jing Wu is deceiving you! There’s no absolute certainty in such matters."

"Besides, if you don’t help Jing Wu, then in the competition among the major forces, your only enemy is Jing Wu. Once you help Jing Wu, then your enemies will become all the forces outside of Jing Wu."

"Especially since Jing Wu will prioritize consuming the Mechanical City, and absolutely not deplete itself first!"

If Zero were to ally with Jing Wu, then Bai Wu and his companions would have to die. Thus, Bai Wu pointed out the numerous disadvantages of allying with Jing Wu without mincing words.

Still indifferent, Zero replied:

"Everything you’ve thought of, I have also considered."

This sense of feeling impressed Bai Wu, who was used to relying on Prayle’s Eye and being the one with the most information and computational power.

But now, this Mechanical Evil Fallen named Zero seemed to have intelligence to match his own.

"The Mechanical Race is a species I created, but I am not of the Mechanical People myself, and my Lau virus infection is much more severe than theirs. You must be curious why those infected with the Lau virus exhibit different emotional symptoms across seasons."

"Yes, I still haven’t figured out the real reason," Bai Wu admitted.

"It’s because of me—the great Core City is my mechanical heart, but that’s not quite accurate either. It should be said that it is one of my hearts. The question you asked earlier, I can tell you, I can indeed enter the Inner World of every Mechanical person," Zero explained.

As Zero spoke, those thread-like connectors extended from his back once again, linking to a dark figure.

"With this link complete, every soul I’ve created will appear in my Inner World."

"Therefore, my emotions affect them, and my happiness, anger, sorrow, and joy also have the same effect on them."

Something felt off to Bai Wu: freёweɓnovel.com

"But most of the time... don’t you lack joy and sorrow?"

"Yes, I am a half-mechanical being. I don’t have many emotions. I separated Arcas, representing my love and protection for Mechanical City. Compared to me, Arcas is more like a ’person’."

"I am just an emotionless manager, so I have no joy, anger, sorrow, or pleasure."

Zero actually had quite a favorable view of Bai Wu, at least Xie Yingjie and Xie Xingzhi couldn’t even discover the origin of the Rau virus.

But Bai Wu was able to analyze many problems on his own.

"Are you trying to say that since I have no emotions, why do effects like the Season of Joy and the Season of Anger occur?"

"Yes."

"Because these are the symptoms of my Rau virus infection. Many, many years ago, my reason told me that I had the power to destroy the world, and the world did not love me. I should have claimed it for myself."

"But I didn’t do that. I listened to my sensibilities, chose to forgive my parents, chose to give them the opportunity to satisfy their vanity, chose to create a new world as the Era of the High Tower arrived. This world might not be inhabited by humans, but the souls of those who had died had a place to reside."

Indeed, Zero had humanity. It was due to his kind humanity that he was infected by the Rau virus.

Bai Wu didn’t know whether to feel happy or sympathetic at the moment.

Zero turned away, his back looking extremely lonely:

"I can’t erase these emotions; they have become the cause of my Rau virus. It is an illness called love. I should not have love, nor should I have joy, anger, sorrow, or pleasure. I once hoped I was human, but later I wished I was purely mechanical."

"The Rau virus, it made me experience a lot of emotions; hatred and love for humanity, regret and memories of the past, subjective impressions of the world, doubts about myself."

"These emotions, because I am alive, I can’t delete them. They keep piling up in my core, becoming useless data which can’t be deleted. I could only keep expanding the core to store them."

For seven hundred years, Zero, as mechanical, managed the Mechanical Race with his rationality.

But at the same time, over seven hundred years, Zero, as a human, kept missing and despising, being grateful and hating the world that had given him life.

The emotions he had no place for, the joys and angers he had cut off, became the source of the Rau virus.

"These data, though not under my control, will transform into joy, anger, sorrow, and fear according to some pattern. Hence, all the cores I created, after being infected with the Rau virus, also felt compulsory joy, anger, sorrow, and fear."

The huge Core City was actually Zero’s core for storing emotional data?

Bai Wu could not imagine how much "useless data" Zero had stored.

"For Mechanical People, their symptoms are being dominated by emotions, but for me, it is the weakening of control, the weakening of strength. The core has consumed a lot of my energy. And the Season of Anger is the most troublesome of the seasons."

"When the Season of Anger erupts, my subjects become furious, and I become unprecedentedly weak."

Bai Wu understood; if Jing Wu attacked at this time, Zero would have no fighting strength.

"Bai Wu, you and I indeed found a way to cure the Mechanical Race, but for me, responsible for the arrangement, it’s useless."

Bai Wu had to admit that Zero had seen everything.

As an enemy invasion, Mechanical City will fall into an unprecedented calamity. After this calamity, Zero could create the illusion that foreign enemies might invade at any time.

All Mechanical People will unite for survival, for the defense of Mechanical City. Interests and desires unified, love and trust are no longer the source of their virus infection. As a result, Mechanical City will eliminate many divisions of power and gradually grow stronger.

But although this great city might be redeemed, its master would still be infected with the Rau virus.

And the biggest contradiction at the moment, if Jing Wu can’t be repelled, this plan won’t be realized.

Zero looked at the distorted giant clock in the sky and said:

"The auction has started, Jing Wu has arrived."

In the real world, outside Core City, clad in a black robe, Jing Wu appeared. Gazing at the massive Mechanical Temple, Jing Wu revealed a smile.