MASG chapter 144

 

One stone stirs up a thousand waves. Even Mo An hadn’t expected that he would be a fish sent ashore by Haisiruola.

“But I went to look for Haisiruola. Why didn’t she tell me?” Mo An recalled that voice. He had no idea what Haisiruola looked like, just as he didn’t know what the Leviathan truly looked like. They had all lived for far too long—ancient gods of the ocean, existences that could not be looked at directly.

“Maybe she had her own difficulties. I believe her, just as I believe Professor Wang Ling. I unconditionally believe Professor Wang Qin—she would never harm me,” said Xia Yu, leaning back against the pillow. “Right now, all of this is just my speculation. Everything will have to wait until Power Plant No. 3 is restarted. Let’s not think too much about it. Thinking more is pointless and a waste of energy. We need to conserve our strength.”

Their conversation drew not only Talos, but also Mi Dou, who was researching Yehuai. “What are you talking about? I’ve made a major discovery.”

“Shouldn’t you be resting?” Xia Yu looked at Mi Dou’s bloodshot eyes. “Don’t stay up all night.”

“No, I can’t. If I don’t figure this out, I won’t be able to sleep.” Mi Dou brought over a small glass slide. “This is a section of an insect egg. Take a look.”

“I… might not really want to look.” Just thinking about the eggs hatching inside his body made Xia Yu break out in goosebumps and feel numb from head to toe. However, Mi Dou had worked so hard to dissect it that Xia Yu couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

“What does this mean? I might need you to explain it.” Xia Yu held the glass slide up to the light.

“Yehuai’s cells. You can’t really tell much just by looking at them like this. You need a microscope.” Mi Dou thought about how to phrase it. “Yehuai’s cells have walls.”

Xia Yu frowned. “You might need to explain that a bit more clearly because I don’t have as much knowledge as you do.”

“It means this insect is a hybrid, and it’s the source of the great species fusion in Yukun City. Plant cell walls have appeared on animal cells. But there’s something even more unbelievable.” Still at an age where he liked to build suspense, Mi Dou deliberately paused. “There are nanomachines inside it.”

Faced with this bombshell, everyone froze.

“Animal, plant, machine—it should be Nuwa’s first completed product: the first three-in-one monster species. These nanomachines are extremely terrifying, like invisible octopuses. I speculate that they are Nuwa’s first weapon. They are the viruses of a new era, attacking at the root by directly assaulting our DNA chains.” Mi Dou shuddered.

“Explain it more clearly. What exactly does this thing do?” Silver Fang pressed the question. He hadn’t expected that, even at his age, he’d still have to learn about “infectious diseases” of the AI era.

Mi Dou fell silent for a long moment, then slowly spoke. “The Plague Knight. This is Nuwa’s ‘plague.’ Hundreds or thousands of years ago, plagues were viruses. Now, plagues are nanomachines. They’re hard to detect. I believe the disaster in Yukun City was caused by them. All it takes is a gust of wind for them to be inhaled into the human body.”

“Simply put, these machines aren’t designed to kill the host; rather, they dismantle the host’s genetic chain while it’s still alive.”

“Every species has its own genetic chain. Once dismantled, it becomes countless tiny fragments. Then, these nanomachines continue working, acting like glue and sticking the various genetic fragments together. That’s how fusion bodies are formed. Because they’re machines, Yukun City has developed a strange inorganic ecosystem. However, organic life instinctively rejects this kind of fusion, so it can’t survive long.” Mi Dou finished speaking.

“So what you’re saying is…” Talos looked at the little white cats by his feet.

“That’s right. They’re not biological at all—they’re mechanical monster species.” Mi Dou picked one up.

The little cat stretched out its paw, touched his cheek, and obediently curled into a ball to be held.

“So that’s how it is.” In the end, Xia Yu shook his head. “Doudou has done another big thing—solved the long-unsolved mystery of Yukun City.”

This wasn’t just a question shared by everyone on the ship; it was a global mystery. No one knew how Yukun City was infected or wiped out. This information was extremely important. Yukun City had been transformed into a massive plague furnace by artificial intelligence. Once the method and truth of the infection were understood, humanity would have the upper hand.

“No wonder drones couldn’t enter. As soon as they went in, they crashed on their own,” Mo An recalled, remembering a mission site at the control center from years ago. “Because the drones were attacked by nanomachines.”

“Then why weren’t we attacked when we went in?” Silver Fang asked.

One question was answered, and another immediately arose. This time, Xia Yu answered without hesitation. “Because of Talos?”

Aside from the little white cat in Mi Dou’s arms, all the other white cats had gathered around Talos’s legs.

“Me?” Talos pointed at himself.

“Be honest—your ship is a monster species isn’t it?” Xia Yu had suspected as much for a long time. Even when Talos wasn’t on board, the ship sailed on its own. Talos said it was because the ship had the most advanced navigation system, but every time Xia Yu boarded, he didn’t feel like the ship was that advanced. This was even more obvious in the Black Sea. The ship clearly looked like an ordinary medieval wooden vessel.

Everyone turned to look at the captain. He’d been hiding secrets like this.

“Ah… so it’s been found out.” Talos shrugged. “Alright, yes, it is. There’s no automatic navigation system at all. It just listens to me.”

“So, you started coming into contact with inorganic monster species very early on. After entering Yukun City, the nanomachines identified you as one of their own and turned everyone around you into potential infection targets? Or maybe those nanomachines have run out of power. Once they’re fully charged, they’ll turn into plague ‘insects’ that blot out the sky.” Mi Dou wasn’t sure either. “But how did this ship come to exist in the first place?”

“My mother gave it to me, but she never told me where it came from. She only said that, as gargoyles, we must honor our agreement to guard Power Plant No. 3 and the lighthouse, and that we cannot leave Qingyao City for too long.” Talos dug at his ear. How had this ended up involving him again?

It was sounding more and more complicated. Xia Yu really wanted to sort everything out, but he was too dizzy. He rubbed his eyes wearily. “Everyone, don’t rush. I believe that once Power Plant No. 3 is restarted, we’ll have answers. Jingwei, how long will it take to reach Qingyao City, Port A?”

Jingwei: [If everything goes smoothly, 20 hours.]

Ling Shi: [One piece of good news and one piece of bad news. Xia Yu, do you still prefer to hear the good news first?]

“Yes.” Xia Yu asked, “Nuwa has started moving, hasn’t she?”

Ling Shi: [790 armed robots are on their way to Port A, and 1,200 drones are approaching. If you don’t take another route, it’ll be impossible for you to dock successfully. But the good news is that everyone was right—Nuwa has begun sealing off all routes to Power Plant No. 3.]

“So it’s actually scared?” Silver Fang asked. “It can feel fear?” The more scared it is, the more it puts on a show. Yan Xia, can you help us on your end?”

Yan Xia waited a moment before speaking. “Among all of us right now, I’m the one with the highest clearance. But once we officially start fighting, everything has to be finished within three hours. I can only hold things here for three hours.”

“What do you mean? You’re not coming out to rendezvous with us?” Silver Fang asked.

“Don’t joke around. If I leave this building, who’s going to help you land?” Yan Xia asked, holding an electronic cigarette in her mouth. Her expression shifted in the light and shadow cast by the screen. She quickly glanced at the surveillance cameras behind her, then closed her eyes and spoke slowly but firmly. “I’ll stay here until you enter the power plant. Once you’re inside, the external firepower won’t be a threat anymore.”

“Then what about you?” Silver Fang unconsciously raised his voice.

“From the moment I made up my mind, my life stopped belonging to me. But in this world, someone has to finish certain things. I’m not noble—I just want to do what I want to do. This world shouldn’t be like this. I hope I’ll have the chance to see its rebirth.” Yan Xia tapped her e-cigarette. “If we’re lucky, we’ll meet again.”

“Hey! What are you talking about?” Silver Fang grabbed the communicator.

“You all get some good rest. Prepare to enter port in 20 hours. Xia Yu.” Yan Xia called out to him at that moment.

“I’m here,” replied Xia Yu.

Yan Xia’s fingertips trembled slightly before she closed her eyes. “You must reach the power plant as quickly as possible. If you can cut off the mainframe, I’ll be able to live.”

“I’ll be as fast as I can. Take care of yourself—I promise. I believe this land will one day return to warmth. When that day comes, we’ll meet again,” said Xia Yu.

The communication ended there. No one knew if Nuwa had cut it off or if Yan Xia had severed the link herself. There were now only two paths laid out before everyone: never go ashore and live forever on Talos’s ship or strike straight into the heart of the power plant and accomplish something significant.

There was no need to ask—everyone chose the latter. Because they had no other choice. Rather than barely surviving under the oppressive rule of artificial intelligence, they would rather gamble everything.

They had 20 hours to prepare. Silver Fang and Lao Gui were responsible for replenishing the ammunition, and Talos was responsible for maintaining the hull. Docking and landing would certainly be difficult. The others could only rest and prepare themselves for the fight ahead, without causing trouble for anyone else—and of course, that preparation included “sacrifice.”

With 15 hours remaining, Xia Yu lay on the bed and took a deep breath. “Mo An, would you like to lie down and rest for a bit?”

“I’ll just sit here.” Mo An was loading ammunition into a gun. These bullets were high-powered, signal-jamming rounds capable of disrupting drone signal feedback. Drones were Nuwa’s eyes, and they needed to blind those “eyes.”

“Lie down for a while. Come on.” Xia Yu made room for him.

Mo An put down the gun and instantly understood Xia Yu’s meaning. They had only just reunited, yet they were already facing such a decisive mission. They were both in turmoil, yet neither dared to show it. They were the core of the entire plan and the research subjects of the X series. Even if others chose to withdraw, they would have to persist.

They weren’t afraid of hardship or pain; however, after everything they’d been through, they both feared separation.

Mo An lay down beside Xia Yu and gently pulled him into his arms. “It feels like… I haven’t spent much time with you. How did I grow up in the blink of an eye? I grew up too fast.”

“Time passed too quickly, didn’t it?” Xia Yu deeply regretted being too strict with Mo An when he was young and losing his temper at him sometimes. “If I could go back, I definitely wouldn’t have said those hurtful things to you.”

“Forget it. You should have said them; otherwise, I’d be spoiled beyond control.” Mo An buried his face in the hollow of Xia Yu’s neck, expressing his dissatisfaction with an extremely tender gesture. “I really don’t like fighting and killing.”

Xia Yu patted his head. “I don’t like it either. Look, I can control the toxin now. Once this is over, let’s find a place to settle down and bring Xiaoxiao and our friends. Then…”

“Then we can live an ordinary life,” Mo An smiled.

“You seem a lot more mature,” said Xia Yu, turning and smiling at him. “When you were little, you always liked doing earth-shaking feats.”

“No, I don’t like that anymore.” Mo An withdrew one arm, but his other hand rested on Xia Yu’s back. “I’m past that stage. I don’t like weapons, I don’t like being a hero, and I like risking life and death even less. I’m just a mermaid. A mermaid should live like a mermaid.”

Xia Yu tightly held his hand. “What kind of life is that?”

“Being a happy fish with the one you love,” Mo An replied softly. “Promise me—no matter what happens, protect yourself first. Don’t leave me without a home.”