MASG chapter 14

 

A new order is being established. Cities swarm along the coast like monsters against the dark ocean.

“It looks like it’s going to rain.” The long-haired woman standing by the sea tightened her raincoat. Dark clouds loomed overhead, threatening to fall to the ground. A cold wind blew across her temples.

The wind brushed past her eyes, and then her seemingly normal eyes turned completely black. The next moment, she blinked and the darkness vanished like a receding tide, completely gone.

“You’re still not used to the land wind?” the man standing behind her asked. He wore a strangely shaped hat reminiscent of a pirate captain who often appeared and disappeared.

“I’ll never get used to it because there’s no wind at the bottom of the ocean.” The woman turned, her figure dwarfed by the nearby lighthouse.

Humanity’s technological advancements are advancing by the day, and aircraft are constantly carving out new frontiers, yet the ocean remains unconquered. The ocean is so vast that even if every inch were measured, it would be impossible to fully capture its vastness.

It’s also so deep that, despite countless submersible explorations, it’s impossible to fully explore its depths.

When huge waves hit, ten-meter walls of water crashed against the ivy-covered lighthouse, sending up curtains of mist. The humid, salty sea breeze transformed into raindrops that pelted the woman’s pale face. Her tears once again covered her eyeballs completely.

“You should leave now. If you don’t, it’s going to rain acid,” the man warned her.

“I’ve sensed one of my kind,” the woman said.

“Can you detect that?” the man asked, somewhat unconvinced.

The woman nodded, and upon closer inspection, the sharpness of her teeth was revealed. “The deep sea is unfathomable. So many of our kind live in these waters. We’re very sensitive to each other’s heartbeats and can sense when we’re close. Just as we have an instinct to sense danger, we have an instinct to sense each other’s presence.”

“But, as far as I know, human society didn’t recognize the existence of ‘weird species’ before.” The man smiled strangely.

“That’s what those hypocritical scientists say. Does that mean we cease to exist without human recognition? We have nine major branches. Besides, there are so many strange creatures in the sea. Don’t they cease to exist, too?” The woman scoffed. “Life doesn’t need recognition; it just needs praise. You should also know that people have been catching mermaids for a long time. Those wealthy people like to smuggle white sirens as ornamental fish, and they have delusional hopes of conquering us.”

“You mean someone in this city is smuggling mermaids behind my back? I have to intervene. It’s against my rules.” The man glanced back.

The woman shook her head. “No, it’s not. It’s something I’ve never felt before. I can’t say for sure. This is a bit troubling.”

“Could it be newly hatched?” the man wondered. “It’s too dangerous to hatch now.”

“No way. I’ve never heard of mermaid eggs hatching on land. Besides, it takes a long time to raise an egg. I don’t believe anyone has the patience.” The woman had just finished speaking when a streak of white lightning flashed overhead. “If it hatched under the sea, our kin, the ‘Twin Tails,’ would protect the fry until it matured. Without their protection, the little one would attract predators. Don’t forget—our enemies can come ashore, too.”

“You should leave now. The acid rain is coming,” the man urged again. “The weather system over Qingyao City has clearly been shut down by Nuwa. The temperature will drop significantly after the acid rain.”

“Is this the AI’s way of purging dissidents?” The woman removed her gloves.

Beneath the black lace gloves were slender hands with webbed fingers.

“This is their way of removing dissidents. After this extreme cold, humanity will be completely defeated.” The man sighed and turned back to gaze at towering Qingyao City. When he turned around, the woman had vanished.

On the path to the lighthouse, only a pair of high heels remained.

A huge wave crashed again. Because the air system had been shut down, the wind and waves were incredibly strong. The lighthouse’s beam was nearly touched by the waves, revealing the sea’s ferocious side. The man looked at the waves beside him. The black suit the woman had worn was reduced to shreds and tossed up and down by the waves until it was swept away.

A pure black fishtail streaked across the surface, swirling the water like an anaconda. Its hard, nearly hexagonal scales scraped the edge of the reef, easily scraping away a layer of rock debris. The tail fin stretched over two meters wide like a deep-sea monster and flashed by before disappearing completely into the sea.

“Monster.” The man bit down on his cigarette and laughed. Not like a monster—deep-sea mermaids were monsters.

But what concerned him even more was the thought of a mermaid in Qingyao City being so reckless as to hatch at this very moment. What a storm it would cause!

The rain was falling heavily.

Xia Yu sat on the bed, covered by a quilt, and told Mo An and Mi Dou how he had gotten in: “…I swam to the end and came ashore, only to find that I had swum to Power Plant No. 3!”

Mi Dou was so nervous that he couldn’t speak.

Mo An listened, feeling both confused and tense. He didn’t even dare to drink water.

“If I come in, you have to come with me. I’ve been searching in the dark…” Xia Yu mimicked his previous movements, groping around with his hands. “I found a machine!”

“What machine?” Mi Dou exclaimed excitedly.

Mo An dodged twice, trying to attract the jellyfish’s full attention. “Look at me too. Don’t just talk to others.” Xia Yu immediately spotted the glimmer of light, stretched out his arms, and gathered the eggs, carefully caring for the fry.

“It was an elliptical machine, partly above ground and partly underground. I walked over to it and tried to open it, but it was incredibly smooth, and I couldn’t feel the switch,” said Xia Yu, patting it gently. “Then I remembered something. Escaping from the trash can, entering the sewer, rescuing you, and getting here wasn’t my idea. Jingwei told me to do it all.”

“Oh, yeah.” Mi Dou didn’t know Jingwei, but he was helpful. The only problem was that he kept disappearing for unknown reasons.

“So I wondered if Jingwei could open this door. I leaned my wrist toward the machine,” Xia Yu playfully added. “And…”

“Did Jingwei open it for you?” Mi Dou cheered in anticipation.

Xia Yu shook his head. “No, Jingwei didn’t appear—it was the bracelet.”

Xia Yu raised his wrist. The silver bracelet was polished to a smooth finish, making its material impossible to discern. On top was a slightly curved rectangular screen. Every time Jingwei came online, the screen would glow blue.

“The door opened as soon as the bracelet approached the device.” Xia Yu finished speaking, and the screen lit up.

Jingwei: [How are you all now? Can you report your situation?]

“Jingwei! You’re finally back!” Xia Yu said anxiously. Even though Jingwei was just an artificial intelligence phantom, he was one of Xia Yu’s most important companions. “We’ve entered Power Plant No. 3. What should we do next?”

Jingwei: [Excellent! Entering Power Plant No. 3 is the real beginning.]

“What? What begins?” Xia Yu pressed.

Jingwei: [I just unlocked a file package. Congratulations! I’ve learned more about this world. Consequently, I’ve gained a detailed understanding of the equipment within Power Plant No. 3, such as the door.]

Mo An tilted his ear to listen, his voice was fragmented and unclear. But the feeling of being near someone of my kind has completely vanished.

Jingwei: [This door is the key to your survival. To open it for the first time, place your wristband on the device to allow them to sense each other. From then on, simply stand nearby with your wristband on to enter. As long as the device can detect your wristband, the door will open for you.”

Anxiously, Xia Yu asked, “But what good is opening it to us? Are we all going to live here from now on?”

Jingwei: [We’re opening it to you in the hope that you can restart the entire power plant, not so that you can live here. As for why we’re restarting it, I’m sorry, but I’m not authorized to investigate at this time.

“You don’t have any authority. Your authority is so low,” Xia Yu scoffed. “But I still have to thank you. We’re still alive thanks to you.”

Jingwei: Thank you? That’s… quite a strange human emotion. I’m not good with gratitude, but I’ll accept it. Do you have any other questions?]

“Yes, yes, yes.” Xia Yu had many questions, but he didn’t know where to start. “I want to ask you, is it raining acid outside?”

Jingwei: [Yes, it’s expected to stop in 41 minutes. The suggested departure time is two hours later.]

“Okay, let’s go out in two hours to find some cold-weather gear,” said Xia Yu to Mi Dou, turning to hold the fish egg tighter. “Don’t worry. We’ll find enough blankets and clothes. We’ll definitely get through this!”

Difficulties? What difficulties? Mo An wanted to understand everything, but he was about to enter his rest period again. His energy was being consumed at an incredibly rapid rate, like a machine that couldn’t stop once it started. Sleep was about to take hold, and Xia Yu, watching the fading blue light, knew intuitively that Mo An was getting sleepy. So he gently rocked the fish egg and played “Little Jellyfish Song” as a lullaby.

Xia Yu stopped only when the light had completely faded. Mo An had already fallen asleep.

Jingwei: [You care deeply about this fish egg.]

Xia Yu replied softly, “I’ve been with him for years. We’ve known each other since we were little. Professor Wang Qin also told me to raise Mo An. It’s just… I don’t know if I can do it.”

“You can!” Mi Dou encouraged him.

“I’ll try!” Xia Yu said firmly. “Jingwei, since you’re an AI, you must know a lot. Why did Nuwa betray humanity?”

Jingwei: [I can’t tell you that. It’s beyond my authority…]

“Okay, I understand.” Xia Yu didn’t press the issue. It seemed that not all AIs knew each other. Jingwei might not even know Nuwa.

Time passed slowly. After enjoying a satisfying meal and getting some rest, Xia Yu and Mi Dou fell asleep. Five hours passed while they slept. Mo An was still half asleep, and the acid rain outside had stopped. Xia Yu and Mi Dou got dressed and left the power plant in the dark. They retraced their steps, and, as expected, the guards hadn’t deceived them. When Xia Yu approached the massive gate wearing the bracelet, it automatically opened, clearing the way out.

Once they were far away, the gate closed securely again.

Back on the surface, Xia Yu gave Mi Dou his shoes back, wrapped his feet in leftover fabric, and walked out onto the street. Though the acid rain had stopped, puddles remained in some areas. If Mi Dou stepped in it, his pads would surely burn.

He wouldn’t be able to recover. Xia Yu took Mi Dou’s hand and said to the bracelet, “Jingwei, we’re up here. Where is the supply station?”

Jingwei: [Okay, please keep in touch. I’ll direct you there.]

“Okay, thank you.” Still grateful, Xia Yu immediately followed Jingwei’s instructions and headed east. The scene along the way was shocking. Severed limbs were everywhere, and bright red blood mingled with the stagnant water, standing out strikingly.

What had happened? Did someone escape too late? Or was the acid rain just too intense?

From Mi Dou’s perspective, the world outside was almost back to normal, except for the blood on the ground. Without the crazed robots, order was being restored. Shops and buildings along the road were reopening, and aircraft had returned to their normal orbits. The only difference was that the people in the luxury cars used to be human, but now they all had robotic limbs.

“Let’s hurry! The supply store is over there!” Xia Yu muttered to himself. “I really hope I can find a pair of shoes that fit me. I really want a pair of shoes.”

A few dozen kilometers away, beneath a lighthouse, a disheveled man with long hair walked ashore. Ignoring the aircraft overhead, he sniffed the sea breeze.

“Let me see…which little mermaid hatched?” He licked his lips, and the surface of his scarred red eyes glinted.