"ヽ(✿ﾟ▽ﾟ)ノ You’re back, doctor."
"（づ￣3￣）づ〜I haven’t exchanged information with that fake city lord for these 6 years, just to wait for you, you know."
"┗|｀O′|┛After I went to Ta Wei, I found a loophole in the computer. I turned a part of my thoughts into an AI and sent it to a bionic body in the Ruined World for you. In this way, even if my consciousness is in Ta Wei, I can remotely control this bionic body."
"o(*￣▽￣*)ブ Look, this is my bionic body, doesn’t it look a lot like ? I’ve built up this underground city bit by bit through hard work over the last 6 years."
"Ψ(￣∀￣)Ψ It would be great if you could praise ."
"..."
Before him, the erald-eyed girl under the colorful window kept popping up strings of emoticons above her head, just like the NPCs in online gas. The lively text and her aloof appearance ford a stark contrast.
It took Su Ming’an a while to realize—this was Bi’s bionic body.
"Can’t you speak?" Su Ming’an asked.
More text bubbled up above Bi’s head:
"(;′⌒`) Transmitting my voice across dinsions is very strenuous; it’s easier to produce this effect with text above my head, which shouldn’t affect our communication, right?"
"o(￣▽￣)ｄ Moreover, with emoticons, I don’t need to move any facial expressions at all, you know, the hardest part of Live2D is moving the facial features. This saves both ti and effort."
Su Ming’an reluctantly accepted Bi’s setup.
The girl before him was like a quiet porcelain doll, with only speech bubbles continuously popping out from above her head, which also added a bit of contrast cuteness to her.
Latter, Noah introduced Su Ming’an to the key figures of the Underground City—Sniper Cheng Luohe, an important combat power of the scout team. Biochemist la, responsible for maintaining the life of Su Xiaobi’s bionic body. Cheng Kylstia, son of Sen, in charge of leading the combat forces of the Underground City. There were also the remotely controlled army squad represented by Rimu Sheng, responsible for managing scattered players, and so old acquaintances, such as Andeveis from the Freedom Alliance, Bairde from the Tribunal, and others.
"Su Ming’an, the remotely controlled army squad will follow your commands. If there’s anything you need us to do, just say the word," Rimu Sheng stated, "I regret the departure of Miss Luna. I had a period of friendship with her. If the ti cos for us to make sacrifices, we will also fight selflessly like she did."
"Thank you," Su Ming’an nodded.
"City Lord, long ti no see, you still look so young," Andeveis said, "It’s an honor to fight under your leadership."
...The sa rhetoric as years before hadn’t changed.
Su Ming’an laughed, "I appreciate your trust."
He turned his head and glanced at la; she didn’t look as haggard as she did in the City of asurent and seed like a spirited old lady.
He rembered seeing her a few days ago in the ICU, her face contorted in pain, barely holding on to life—she was 93 years old.
The constant crossing of ti flows always made him feel as if in another lifeti.
"Bi, open the city’s distribution map," Noah said.
With a flash of light in Bi’s eyes, a deep blue three-dinsional cityscape appeared around them.
Over the last 6 years, the Underground City had gathered so many forces because a top hacker with the ID "Mu Team" had been helping them from the shadows.
"Mu Team" never showed his face. He built a free network belonging to the Underground City, established shared logs, city-state maps, red alerts, ergency communications, etc. Everyone in the Underground City was able to freely chat, trade, and transmit information. He often gave advance warnings, saving many people who were on the brink of brainwashing.
If Yasa Acto during the Dawn War period was the bright side leading humankind, then "Mu Team" was the shadowy side hidden above the network. To this day, no one had discovered the true identity of this hero.
Noah pointed at the surrounding blue three-dinsional image, bringing up the routes of the Inner City.
"Sen Kylstia was captured ten days ago for assembling troops without authorization. His public execution in the Inner City is set for tomorrow, so our ’Hephaestus’ plan must be carried out before twelve o’clock tomorrow, to ensure his rescue," said Cheng Luohe.
Now nearly fifty, Cheng Luohe was a middle-aged man with eyes as sharp as an eagle’s, showing not the slightest hint of darkness.
Su Ming’an frowned slightly—he hadn’t expected Sen to be arrested... As one of the earliest Beacon leaders, Sen held a dignity second only to the City Lord. That imposter City Lord could really do such an ungrateful and treacherous thing...
If Sen were to be executed by the hands of the City Lord himself, the forty years of human resistance would be nothing but a joke. The City Lord, having beco an "Executor of Ta Wei," would be killing the very Beacon leader who had first taken him in.
"’Hephaestus’ plan, what plan is that?" Su Ming’an asked.
Hephaestus, the Fire God, was from a legend that Noah had once shared with him.
"It’s like this..." Noah whispered, lowering his voice.
...
From high above, Yasa Acto, draped in a red warm coat, watched indifferently at the tragedy unfolding beneath him in the valley.
His chanical Army lined the edge of the valley, firing upon the soldiers trapped within.
"—We surrender! City Lord Acto, we won’t resist you anymore! We are willing to be brainwashed and beco your soldiers!" the soldiers began to plead. They had planned to assassinate the City Lord during his absence but were t with a fierce counterattack from the chanical Army.
At that mont, the desire for survival trumped their excitent for freedom.
"City Lord, they’ve surrendered," said a scholar with golden-rimd glasses standing by the City Lord’s side.
"Hmm," Acto nodded, showing no further response.
He indifferently watched as the chanical Army slaughtered the soldiers to the last. The entire valley was stained a bloody hue, the massacre turning it into a sea of red.
The scholar felt a tinge of heartache; the soldiers below were an important force that could be converted into combat power. If only he could persuade Acto to relent...
The scholar looked at the woman standing on the other side of Acto. She wore an apron, had her hair up in a red bun, and wore a seashell necklace around her neck, exuding a dignified aura.
"Yasa, they’ve surrendered," the woman reminded. "Don’t commit any more killings."
At her words, Acto’s icy deanor finally softened. His eyes trembled slightly as he turned to look at the woman, then suddenly reached out, taking her palm in his. He held her hand as if it were a precious treasure.
"Mother," Acto said softly.
The woman patted his head.
"...Mother," Acto called again, "Mother..."
Doing as requested, she gave him a tender look, patted his shoulder, and his pallid countenance soon gained a hint of color, the coldness on his face slowly thawing.
A mont later, he turned, still holding the woman’s hand, "Shaoli, order the chanical Army to cease fire, and take the survivors to the prison."
"Understood," the scholar nodded. "By the way, teacher, we’ve detected an unfamiliar presence in the Inner City, likely related to the execution of Sen Kylstia."
"How interesting, there’s still an unfamiliar presence now..." Acto paused in his step. A flicker of interest finally crossed his deep grey eyes:
"How should I address him?"
"A smuggler from the City-State?"
"An Invader from another world?"
"Player?"
"Lewis?"
"Or... Su Ming’an?"
...
"—The system of the City of Gods can cut off the energy supply to the chanical Army. Doomsday City’s central computer can dominate the information network of the chanical Army."
Before the azure blue war sand table, people gathered in a large conference room, with fifty or sixty individuals already standing below. Noah was assigning tasks to the crowd:
"Therefore, we must guess which city holds the crucial Dawn System.
If we can get our hands on the Dawn System, Su Xiaobi’s authority will allow her to control the Dawn System, altering the deploynts of Doomsday City’s chanical Army, and all our problems will be solved. Otherwise, we stand no chance."
Noah broke down every step of the plan thoroughly:
"If the Dawn System is in Doomsday City, it must be kept in the most central governnt building, as only there would have sufficient storage space and the energy environnt.
"If the Dawn System is in the City of Gods, it definitely would be kept on the rooftop of the glass building.
"Therefore, our battlefield will be divided into two parts. The specific division of personnel will depend on the real-ti activity of the internal network signals.
"As for so key figures... Dong Xu and Xu Dong will infiltrate the city-state governnt building; as legitimate citizens of the city-state, they are most suited for infiltration.
"Cheng Luohe will head to the outside world to launch probes to asure plasma density, also in charge of data relay.
"Andeveis, Bairde, and Rimu Sheng, among others, I have other plans for them.
"As for ... I will link up with Doomsday City’s intranet during the governnt building’s shift change, providing an opening for AI Yeah’s invasion.
"Grandpa, with your help in this plan, our chances of success will increase from 40% to 70%. We need you to reach out to those deceived by the impostor, such as Xi, such as Anjie, such as Anita. With their help from within and with the assistance of Hacker Mu’s team, I believe we have the capability to overthrow Doomsday City’s regi."
Su Ming’an shook his head.
"What’s wrong, is there a problem with the plan?" Noah tensed.
Su Ming’an raised an index finger: "100%."
The crowd was stunned for a mont before they realized Su Ming’an was talking about the success rate. With him involved, the plan was 100% certain to succeed. This confidence was all too familiar to them.
"Okay, 100%," Noah nodded with a smile.
Su Ming’an’s simple speech had stirred the fighting spirit of the people, yet he himself was not optimistic.
He could guess the identity of that impostor city lord—it must be that rry deity. He speculated that as the invasion deepened, the consciousness of the deity had embedded into Acto’s bionic body, thus seamlessly switching out Su Ming’an who had withdrawn from Caius Tower years ago.
Competing against such a character put a great deal of pressure on Su Ming’an. Only those who had truly heeded the whispers of a deity knew how powerful a deity’s wisdom could be. His only advantage lay in the death rewind, and this gamble had to be won; there was no room for retreat.
"Everyone." Su Ming’an looked up.
At the sound of his voice, everyone imdiately fixed their gaze on him. They knew that the man before them was the city lord who had led them in battle for forty years.
"Words about ideals and beliefs are unnecessary at this point. The fact that you are standing here shows that you possess the resolve to overco any adversity,"
"I’m relieved that you have not been blinded by personal cultism. I also promise that I will never easily give up on any one of you. There’s no need for long speeches. I will only make a formal declaration to you..."
"After tomorrow."
"We will kill that self-proclaid thief of Acto and liberate this long-oppressed city."
As his words ended, one by one, the people bowed their heads to him. So placed hands on their chests and bowed slightly. The armor and tal plates on their bodies shone brightly.
"Chief."
"We are at your service."
Their expressions were solemn and grave, all conveying emotions of not being able to lose him. Even if so had just t him for the first ti, or had only a passing acquaintance. Yet they were able to trust him so quickly, so unhesitatingly.
Almost no one knew that the young man with black hair housed a nineteen-year-old soul beneath. They regarded him as being on a par with Yasa Acto.
Su Ming’an suddenly discovered, for so reason, he was still able to manipulate people’s "Source."
His powerful ntality Points gave him the ability to preside over all directions; he could sense people’s breathing. Yuan Guang floated around him like snowflakes.
In his soul, there seed to be a vague calling, as if a dark fire was burning in his chest.
...Lead them.
...Save them.
...Do not let more people die, let civilization carry on.
He finally realized that this eerie empathy didn’t co from Acto’s body, but from within himself. He didn’t even know what had happened after the Century Catastrophe.
Perhaps, it had to do with becoming Yasa Acto.
"—There’s new information!"
Suddenly, an urgent voice ca from the door, and a flax-haired girl burst in:
"Yasa Acto is hosting a dinner in the Inner City, and he has specifically requested the presence of our new leader!"
The faces of the crowd turned pale. Their Underground City had used the spatial technology of little Bi and had never been discovered by Doomsday City. But such an invitation from the impostor was a clear indication that they had been found.
"We cannot go," Noah said imdiately.
"No, this is a good opportunity." Su Ming’an, having received the TE4 progression prompt, knew he had to attend this dinner: "If I can enter the Core Area directly, AI Yeah’s invasion will proceed more smoothly. I’ll be able to divert his attention, and besides... I am the most suitable person to confront him."
After so thought, the crowd realized that if Su Ming’an attended the dinner and survived, it would be an advantageous situation.
"You always do this; I can’t stop you," Noah said with a resigned look. "It was the sa in Zone Eleven, going to the City of Gods... and now still..."
"It’s okay." Su Ming’an patted his shoulder:
"There are things I simply must do."
It is said that under extrely cold conditions, one can actually perceive warmth.
Perhaps he mistook this lethal warmth for a love of the world. But even knowing it’s an illusion, that nothing belonged to him, he could not turn back.
Human life struggles against destiny and yet is swept along by it.
He felt no regret.
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