MASG chapter 140

 

“It’s fine. It’s fine.” Xia Yu used all his strength to place his hand on Mo An’s shoulder. “Don’t… don’t cry! We can’t surrender to this world.”

Mo An almost tripped while running. “Don’t talk! Preserve your strength!”

“I know.” Xia Yu pressed his hand to his abdomen and forced the bulging shape back in. Sweating like rain could no longer describe him at this moment. When pain reaches an extreme level, a person might stop sweating because the sweat glands can’t keep up, leaving only nerve transmission functioning.

The corridor lights passed by one after another. Back then, he had carried Mo An and run outward. This time, it was the other way around.

The rest of the companions weren’t idle either. They were all wrapping things up as fast as possible, racing against Nuwa. In the cultivation room, Mi Dou had already unlocked the door and was peeling off the heavy protective suit layer by layer. When he ran out, the not-yet-fully-formed Xiang Xing clung to his back and wrapped tightly around his neck. Silver Fang and Lao Gui were responsible for transporting Xia Xiaoxiao’s hibernation pod. After disconnecting it, the pod was cut off from the mainframe. The water droplets on the hatch were wiped clean, and the opaque glass began to turn semi-transparent.

Xia Yu had predicted correctly. To prove its intellect surpassed humanity, Nuwa would definitely return Xia Xiaoxiao.

After the mainframe shut down, it dimmed for a brief moment. Immediately after, threads of red light emerged from the core of the control console.

Ecological electricity! The chip was generating!

“Mo An! Hurry!” Lao Gui shouted down the corridor.

“I’m already fast!” Mo An ran at his fastest speed on land. “Ling Shi, is Area A’s door open?”

Ling Shi: [All opened.]

“Good! Thanks!” Mo An slammed his shoulder into a heavy door, his face twisting in pain. All the power on the entire floor was concentrated here. The room was as bright as an operating theatre—no, it was an operating theatre.

“There! Hurry!” Xia Yu suspected that he had blacked out from the pain for two or three seconds. He pinched his philtrum and pointed at another glass door. “Put me in there!”

Mo An’s heart was still trembling. He wanted to cry, but he had forgotten how. Xia Yu must be in terrible pain. Since childhood, he had lost organs and limbs without shedding tears. Now, something was rampaging inside his abdomen, pushing the pain level to its maximum.

No crying. Now he was a battle-hardened male sea siren who had seen all branches, seen Haisiruola, and even been to the virtual world. He was no longer the same. Mo An slammed his shoulder into the glass door again and laid Xia Yu on a bed. “How do you feel now? How do I operate it?”

“The rest… leave it… leave it to Ling Shi. You go!” Xia Yu could barely speak. He shoved him away. “You have more important… things! Go!”

Despite the severe pain, Xia Yu managed to remain rational. He couldn’t lose control. He was the only one who knew the truth. He had to survive. Mo An was pushed away. After hesitating for two or three seconds, he turned and ran with all his might back the way he came.

The corridor lights began to spark and crackle chaotically.

Sparks fell onto Mo An’s head and quickly died out. He rushed back into the research room and saw a mass of flame-like red rising slowly.

The entire building stood like a lighthouse in Yukun City, erupting with light from its top floor.

In Area A’s operating room, Xia Yu lay flat on the bed, clutching the wristband that Mo An had left behind. “Ling Shi, what place is this… begin the operation.”

Ling Shi: [Target is in a sterilization room. Preparing to initiate sterilization process.]

Ling Shi: [Program loaded. Sterilization begins.]

As soon as the mechanical voice finished speaking, a layer of white mist rose around Xia Yu. He continued pressing down on the living thing in his abdomen and urged, “Move faster!”

Ling Shi: [Sterilization is critical, Xia Yu. I can’t guarantee that the thing in your abdomen isn’t highly toxic. Once infected…]

“Don’t worry… I’m a poisonous life form myself. How could it be more toxic than me…” Xia Yu urged.

Ling Shi: [If surgery is performed immediately, you may die due to improper sterilization. This may be Nuwa’s scheme. If you die from the monster species bursting out, then it will have achieved its goal without killing you personally.]

“It… won’t let me die.” Xia Yu glanced at his abdomen. “Do it!”

Ling Shi: [Surgery begins, as you wish.]

The bed beneath him slowly rose, transforming from an operating table into a transport bed. Bright light flooded Xia Yu’s vision. The surgical lights drew tears from his eyes, refusing to relent. The mist from earlier had condensed into droplets, clinging to his skin like a protective barrier against bacteria. Whenever bacteria came into contact with his body, a ring of droplets vanished—neutralizing the threat instantly.

Ling Shi: [Surgical chamber opening. It may be a bit cold.]

Xia Yu was sent into the surgical chamber. It was cold inside, like an ice-carved chamber. Beneath him was a semi-liquid substance that submerged him up to his waist before stopping. The hatch closed at that moment, and white mist sprayed again until it filled the chamber.

“Alright.” Xia Yu let out a breath. At least this place was sealed. He could contain the monster species here. “Operate now! Immediately!”

Ling Shi: [Anesthetic preparation…]

“No need. I just need speed!” Xia Yu suddenly pressed his hand against the hatch. The movement wasn’t intentional.

It was a monster. It began to manipulate his limbs in an attempt to escape the chamber. Xia Yu bit down on his tongue to stay conscious, refusing to lose control. If he lost consciousness, he might no longer be the owner of this body—it would become something else.

Ling Shi: [Anesthetic dosage is sufficient, but we’ve encountered another problem. The surgical chamber’s automatic surgery system has collapsed.]

“I knew it…” Xia Yu had anticipated this possibility. An unused medical pod wouldn’t maintain an expensive automatic system; it would adopt a semi-manual mode instead. “Switch systems immediately.”

Ling Shi: [System switch preparing… System switch complete. Semi-manual surgical apparatus deploying. Xia Yu, have you ever performed abdominal surgery on yourself?]

“No, but I have extensive experience being ‘opened up.’ Begin immediately!” Xia Yu was almost unable to keep pressing it down.

The semi-manual surgical apparatus moved into place at once. Xia Yu’s body was immediately immobilized by the semi-liquid beneath him. It was a miraculous liquid—soft to lie on, but escaping it was pure fantasy. Two channels appeared near his arms, just enough for him to extend them. Xia Yu did so immediately.

At the same time, the compression apparatus inside the chamber descended like iron claws pressing down on his abdomen.

With this pressure, the monster species fleeing inside his body was pinned instantly. Xia Yu could feel the pressure of the metal claws kneading his belly like soft clay. A holographic screen appeared above his face. As his left and right hands connected, two mechanical hands appeared above his abdomen.

A shrill cry came from his upper abdomen!

That thing could scream! And its cry sounded just like an ordinary newborn baby’s. But, rather than evoking compassion, it only intensified Xia Yu’s fear and disgust. The gloves connected at the contact points and heat began to build up in his palms.

Ling Shi: [Link 80%… Link 90%… Link 100%. Xia Yu, you can begin.]

Xia Yu moved the fingers of his right hand.

The mechanical hand above his abdomen moved its fingers as well.

Good. Now, Xia Yu slowly controlled both hands. He used the left mechanical hand to restrain the monster species beneath the iron claws while red light emitted from the fingertips of the right mechanical hand.

“Activate the laser scalpel,” Xia Yu gritted out. “Cut that thing out!”

At his command, the red point of light turned into a straight line. A real, razor-sharp laser blade appeared out of thin air. Xia Yu continued to manipulate his fingers while staring at the progress on the screen. The moment the blade touched his skin, he felt scorching heat.

So hot—did his skin cook instantly?

Ling Shi: [Warning: Tachycardia[mfn]Tachycardia is an abnormal heart rhythm with a fast heart rate of more than 100 beats per minute at rest. It can start in the upper or lower chambers of your heart and can range from mild to life-threatening.[/mfn]. Warning: Blood pressure is too high. Proceed step by step.]

“I don’t have time for step by step.” Xia Yu knew his heart rate and blood pressure were at their limits. At that moment, a pressure report appeared on his left hand. Clear values appeared on the holographic screen—the object was struggling in his left mechanical palm.

Blood splattered onto the surgical chamber’s hatch.

The screaming grew louder, like a newborn crying at birth.

Half of the transparent cover was stained red. Xia Yu could only grit his teeth and breathe deeply. Once the skin was cut open, it was like tearing open a bag. He personally witnessed some organs—the intestines were the first to come into view. The incision continued to widen. The monster kept thrashing, and Xia Yu could only tighten his grip on its left hand.

Ling Shi: [Injecting adrenaline.]

A needle emerged from Xia Yu’s left side and pierced his waist. Remaining composed in the crisis, Xia Yu continued to cut downward, discarded the entire abdominal skin.

Meanwhile, Mo An had entered a small-scale electronic corruption zone. The air became thick and murky. He saw Zhang Mingqiao and Xia Li, but their heads were split open. Their brains were exposed, and in place of skulls were wires and chips.

“Don’t try… don’t try to fool me!” Mo An rubbed his eyes.

This corruption zone matured rapidly, indicating that the chip’s power was abundant and its upper limit was extremely high. Mo An had no time to think of anything else. He climbed upward along the mainframe’s cables as if scaling a lighthouse. While the lighthouse’s light guided sailors forward, the red flashes guided him. The closer he got to the chip, the more real the illusions became.

Zhang Mingqiao: “Mo An, you shouldn’t do this. You can’t do this. If you take the chip, this machine will never activate again. We’ll never have the chance to meet again.”

Xia Li: “Can you give us one more chance to see you? Just one meeting? I miss our children so much. Let Mom and Dad see the three of you one last time, and then you can destroy this machine completely.”

“No, I can’t do that.” Mo An shook his head again. He had already found his footing. With a powerful leap, he exerted all his force at once, like a fish leaping out of the sea. He soared high, his fingertips reaching toward the red light.

“I love you.” Mo An grabbed the chip. His body began to fall, and blue diamonds slipped from the corners of his eyes.

He seized the red light. It burned his palm as if it were punching through it. His fingers couldn’t close around the fiery mass, and the blood vessels in his wrist flared red. A massive electric current surged into Mo An’s body, and a metallic sweetness rushed up his throat.

At that moment, Xia Yu’s chest and abdomen were completely exposed, revealing his beating heart within arm’s reach. He finally saw the creature. It had countless legs, several of which tightly gripped his ribs. Though it was white all over, it had turned bright red from his blood, resembling a red worm.

He knew who it was:

It was Yehuai. The artificial intelligence had placed the Yehuai larva that had never been found into his body and was using it to nurture it.

In your dreams. Xia Yu tugged again with his left hand, but he couldn’t tear it free. Those long, thin legs might have pierced his bones, making separation impossible. If separation was impossible, then discard it all. Xia Yu guided the laser scalpel toward the ribs and cut several of them off directly!

With the bones fractured, the Yehuai larva was successfully removed.

Outside the operating room, a group of white kittens gathered curiously, licking their lips from time to time as if they had been craving this moment for a long time.