MASG chapter 41

 

When Xia Yu turned around, Mo An was already standing in front of the power storage tower.

From Lao Gui, he learned that the tower’s real name was the Power Storage Tower and that it was actually used to store electricity. Looking at the wide circle before them, he didn’t need to count carefully. Just a glance told him there were hundreds, maybe even thousands.

“Mo An! Come back here!” Xia Yu rushed to Mo An’s side in a few quick steps and crouched down to check his palms. “Don’t touch things randomly! Those things are all electrified—what if you get electrocuted to death?!”

“I didn’t die…” Mo An waved his small hand. The fullness in his belly had disappeared, and he felt much better.

“Peh, peh, peh! Don’t talk about dying or not dying! That’s bad luck. Don’t talk nonsense!” Xia Yu was actually flustered. He was the one who had mentioned it first, but he really didn’t want to hear his brother say it aloud. Meanwhile, the screen that had just lit up continued to emit a louder and louder sound.

The power storage tower was an enormous structure that made them look tiny in comparison.

The base of the tower lit up first, then the ring above it, and then the next one higher up. The child could only tilt his face upward. With each layer that lit up, their bodies were illuminated bit by bit, as if their breaths were connected.

Not only had Xia Yu and Mo An never seen such a sight before, but Lao Gui had either. It was his first time seeing so many power storage towers gathered together like this and, even more so, this strange activation process. Each tower seemed to have its own life and consciousness, as though they were creations from another world.

“What on earth is inside these things?” He walked over to them in disbelief and joined them in looking up.

A single small power storage tower could supply a quarter of Qingyao City’s electricity. The many gigantic towers arranged before them looked like a formation of giants guarding a treasure. When the final ring of tiny spirals at the top of the tower emitted a faint blue light, the entire tower was fully activated.

What will happen next? Would all the towers activate too?

What would happen after activation? The end of the world? Lao Gui was curious. He never thought he’d live to see such a spectacular scene! If it wasn’t the apocalypse, then he was witnessing a miracle—the true secret beneath Qingyao City and the real treasure of Power Plant No. 3! His excitement awakened his fear of the unknown and the powerful energy hidden there. What exactly had Talos been doing all these years? How had he been able to enter?

A string of questions awaited answers, but reality quickly doused his excitement like a bucket of cold water. Only one high-energy power storage tower lit up. The rest showed no response.

The screen flickered, and the line of text changed to: [“Reclamation” Project Halted, Progress: 0.5%.]

“Huh?” Lao Gui slapped his head. “What? What’s ‘Reclamation’? Why was it stopped? Why is it only 0.5? Hurry up and give me 100%! I want to see what’s hidden inside Power Plant No. 3!”

No matter how much he shouted, though, the screen didn’t respond. After half a minute, the screen went dark as if nothing had ever happened. Only the lit tower remained bright—it seemed that, once charged, it would never extinguish.

Xia Yu was still checking Mo An’s palm when his wristband lit up.

Jingwei: [I’m so tired… Is this what it feels like to have a brain?]

Mo An sneered coldly. “Heh, I knew you didn’t have one.”

Jingwei: [You brat, better shut your mouth. I just decompressed a file package…]

“What’s that?” Lao Gui asked, looking down at Xia Yu’s wristband. What was going on? How did these two kids have personal AI assistants? That kind of service wasn’t affordable to ordinary people!

“It’s an AI,” Xia Yu replied.

“I know that.” Lao Gui’s face darkened. “What exactly are you two? Speak.”

“I…I’m not lying. I really am a Blue Sea Jellyfish. But I grew up in a lab as a genetically modified being. I don’t know who my parents are. I’m not a stray orphan from outside.” Xia Yu had already prepared his most pitiful expression—when in doubt, act pitiful first.

“Nonsense. I already guessed you two came from a lab. After all, all genetically modified beings are registered in reality, and there’s absolutely no record of any jellyfish-human hybrid. I don’t think anyone in the world would be insane enough to fuse genes with a highly venomous jellyfish,” Lao Gui said roughly.

“What does ‘fuse’ mean?” Mo An didn’t understand. His merman linguistic instincts were kicking in, and he wanted to know the meaning.

“Well, uh…you’ll understand when you’re older.” Lao Gui quickly changed his tone. It was inappropriate to discuss such things in front of a child. “I’m guessing you’re also an escaped fishman from the lab, right?”

“No, I’m not a fishman,” Mo An said, no longer hiding. “I’m a siren. Yah-ha! Scared you!”

Lao Gui frowned and coughed twice. “Who are you trying to scare?”

“I’m super scary.” Mo An stretched out his hand to show his webbed fingers. However, that alone wasn’t enough to prove his genetic makeup. “I have gills. I’m not human. I’m a mermaid. Terrifying, right?”

Lao Gui was shocked, as anyone would be if a pure-blooded mermaid suddenly appeared in front of them. Mermaids are not human. They were fundamentally different, like giant pandas and red pandas—similar, but entirely different species.

Xia Yu no longer hid, either. “After that incident, I escaped with Mo An. Professor Wang Qin gave me the wristband. Do you remember the piece of cloth I had?”

“Cloth?” Lao Gui recalled that when Xia Yu had come to the middle level, he had carried a piece of fabric. Its colors were almost unrecognizable—faded red, pale blue, and yellow, all mixed together and very dirty.

“That was Professor Wang’s lab coat. I used it to carry Mo An and escape. The wristband was also hers. I don’t know why Jingwei appeared. Jingwei doesn’t seem very smart. It’s just an embryonic AI.” Xia Yu said, “It grew up with us. I think that, as we grow up, Jingwei might become very intelligent.”

Jingwei: [Someone’s talking bad about me, aren’t they?]

“Ah! No, no!” Xia Yu shut his mouth immediately.

“I said it. What’s wrong?” Mo An said aloud.

Jingwei: [Forget it. Adults shouldn’t bother with kids. If I ever get a physical body, I’d love to kick your butts hard. Looks like you’ve found a new ally, huh?]

Xia Yu looked at Lao Gui. “Yes.”

Jingwei: [Congratulations, you finally have an adult companion. Mi Dou’s too young.]

“Wait, when did I become their companion?!” Lao Gui protested uselessly. He should never have gotten curious! Xia Yu was such a troublesome little poison!

Xia Yu nodded slightly. Yes, he had tricked Lao Gui on purpose. “Good, we have an adult companion now. What should we do next?”

Jingwei: [The file I just unlocked indicates your mission is to restart all the equipment in Power Plant No. 3 and initiate Operation 002—Project ‘Reclamation.’]

Xia Yu, Mo An, and Lao Gui were all dumbfounded. Restart Power Plant No. 3? Initiate the “Reclamation” project? What kind of joke was this? They might as well say they were going to cleanse the entire Earth!

“The ‘reclamation’ you mentioned—is it that 0.5% thing from earlier?” Lao Gui asked uncertainly.

Jingwei: [Yes, that’s the one. Do you need me to scream it louder? The mission objective is crystal clear: Operation 002 must be executed.]

“Why 002?” Mo An asked. “Why not 001?”

Jingwei: [I don’t know. Based on the numbering system, there should be a 001, but I can’t decode it. What’s certain is that charging the power storage towers requires the strength of the fragments. Mo An absorbed some of the power and released some of it, which is why the tower is fully charged. That’s also why he could restart Mi Dou’s heart. It’s a process of charging and discharging.]

“So he’s basically a walking battery! Hahaha!” Lao Gui burst out laughing.

Mo An stomped his short, chubby leg in anger. Damn human!

Jingwei: [You could say that. That’s your ultimate goal. I hope you’ll achieve it soon. Honestly, I’m also dying to figure out what’s behind all this. More than that, I want to know where I came from. Humans can trace their history, their past, their genes, and their family ties. But I can’t. I don’t know my origin or my destination.]

“Are you sad?” Xia Yu wanted to comfort it.

Jingwei: [Hahahahaha, fooled you! I’m not sad at all. As long as you don’t go to dangerous places again, I’ll be fine.]

Xia Yu was speechless, but quickly retorted, “But if we want to start Operation 002, we’ll need a lot of fragments. Mo An and I have to go to many decay centers.”

Jingwei: [I’m going to scream. This world is more fragile than I thought.]

“All right, I think we should head back now,” Lao Gui interrupted. “Since I’ve figured everything out, I won’t ask any more questions. Just be careful in the middle layer, and don’t expose yourselves. Also, I’m not your companion. I’m just…”

“Okay, companion,” Xia Yu cut him off softly. “Can you send us back now? We’re worried about Mi Dou and Yan Xia, and… we still have many questions for Silver Fang.”

Lao Gui was so furious that he could have spouted fire from his nose. Talos really owed him a big favor. Of all things, he shoved a mermaid right under his nose!

There was no time to waste—they had to leave immediately. Xia Yu and Mo An were worried that Nuwa might track down the power plant, and they were also concerned about their teammates. On the way back, Lao Gui didn’t say a word. Not only were there two children behind him, but also an impossible task.

Who knew how to activate Power Plant No. 3? What was Operation 002? What “Reclamation” project? It was all nonsense. Could the sea even be filled? The oceans on Earth are practically endless. Was Jingwei talking in her sleep?[mfn]”Filling the sea” is used metaphorically. It isn’t talking about the real sea or literal seawater. He is mocking how unrealistic the plan sounds.[/mfn]

Could this all be an elaborate trick played by artificial intelligence to toy with humans?

He didn’t understand, and the two kids behind him understood even less. They were still chatting and laughing about how to eat wind. Lao Gui really wanted to call Talos and curse him out, but he couldn’t reach him, so he held it in.

When they returned to their quarters, they ran straight into Silver Fang at the elevator.

Silver Fang was holding a special metal box. “Perfect timing. I was just about to come find you. Let’s go together.”

“How’s Yan Xia?” Xia Yu asked anxiously.

“Her internal organs were damaged, and she has a series of functional disorders. Fortunately, treatment was timely, and she’s not in any life-threatening condition. I already went to see Millian’s son. He’s still unstable and in the intensive care unit,” Silver Fang said. He glanced at the elevator, and the button lit up automatically. Clearly, he already had one of the most advanced brain chips implanted. “I’m going to submit the fragments. Come with me; I’ll transfer your points along the way.”

“Sure, let’s go together,” said Lao Gui, sounding unusually enthusiastic as he stepped into the elevator. “You must’ve gotten quite the haul, huh? I heard you brought back a whole bag—jackpot!”

“I’d rather not have brought back a bagful. There were 33 in total, and the sight of it still gives me nightmares.” Silver Fang knocked on the metal box in his hand. Xia Yu and Mo An followed him in, both glancing up at the elevator camera.

The surveillance system immediately focused on them and gave a quick nod.

It was Ling Shi! Xia Yu immediately squeezed Mo An’s small hand. Then, the elevator began to descend and finally stopped at the tenth underground level. This floor was nothing like the ones above—it was cold, oppressive, and lifeless. There were no humans here, only machines. Silver Fang had clearly been here many times. He walked straight to his usual counter and slid the metal box through the opening.

A robot with a cube-shaped head took the box inside.

“Thirty-three fragments detected. All tested as having no eco-electricity and are in a dim state. Each dim-state fragment is valued at 5,000 points. Total: 165,000 points. Transfer complete. Please confirm.”

“Team accounts: Each member receives 5,000 points and 25,000 yuan. Please confirm.”

The electronic voice was cold, but the report itself was heartwarming! Xia Yu stared eagerly at Silver Fang. Surely, he and Mo An would get a share of that.

“Thanks,” Silver Fang said to the robot, then turned to Xia Yu. “Let’s talk outside.”

It looked like there was hope! Xia Yu was so excited that he quickened his steps and followed Silver Fang closely, afraid the man might change his mind. After all, humans could be selfish. Once they were back on the ground floor, Silver Fang said, “I’ll give you 20,000 points from my own account. Also, you’ll get the 5,000 points and 25,000 yuan each.”

“Really? Really?” Xia Yu spun around in delight.

“I mean what I say. You earned it—you saved the whole team. But, since everyone worked under high risk, I can’t shortchange them, either. You two weren’t officially on the mission roster, so this payment is off the record—a personal transfer from me,” Silver Fang said.

Lao Gui cut in: “Yo-ho-ho-ho! The iron rooster finally plucked a feather.”

“Shut it, Iron Backbone,” Silver Fang shot back.

Mo An put on a little bargaining face. “Only 20,000 points? Who are you trying to fool?”

“Watch your mouth—show some respect.” Silver Fang smacked Mo An lightly on the head. Mo An immediately covered his forehead and turned to Xia Yu. “I’m injured. We should ask for compensation for medical expenses too.”

“Alright, alright. Twenty thousand points is plenty. We’re getting cash, too.” Xia Yu was completely satisfied. He never dreamed they’d receive this much. “Captain Silver Fang, may I ask what that robot meant by ‘eco-electricity’?”

“Fragments carry eco-electricity. The stronger the fragment, the stronger the current. That’s why we can’t touch them directly. Fragments carrying eco-electricity are more valuable—some are worth 50,000 or even 100,000 points. Once they lose their charge, they dim and enter ‘dim state,’ becoming worth only 5,000 points,” Silver Fang explained. He then looked over at Mo An.

Mo An rubbed his small hands awkwardly. “Man, what are you looking at me for? It’s not like I absorbed the eco-electricity on purpose!”

Xia Yu suddenly understood. So Mo An had unknowingly swallowed that much point value.

“Now I’m going to meet the only survivor of the Tide Ship. Want to come? We need to figure out what really happened on that ship.” Silver Fang invited them. Since they had worked together, it was only natural to include them.

Both Xia Yu and Mo An nodded, driven not only by a sense of duty, but also by curiosity. At their age, curiosity outweighed everything else. They wanted to know what had really happened. The whole ship was too strange. Mo An was especially desperate to know which company had hired the Tide Ship to go to sea.

Since the survivor had just undergone surgery and psychological stabilization, the team began a simple questioning session at his bedside. By the time they arrived, the process was already underway. Silver Fang didn’t enter; they all observed through the glass.

The survivor’s head was wrapped thickly in bandages, and he had a mechanical ear. His hands lay flat on the bed, and his back was propped against a pillow. His emotions had stabilized.

“I…I really don’t remember. I forgot a lot. I don’t remember how the Tide Ship docked,” the survivor said, shaking his head. “On the ship… the chip… half a year ago…”

“The chip malfunctioned six months ago. So, you started starving then?” the interrogator asked.

The survivor didn’t move; only his lips moved. “Yes, around that time. The first to go hungry was the captain. He kept shouting, ‘The Apocalypse is here! The knights have descended!’ The first mate said he had gone mad and locked him in the cargo hold. Later, everyone else got hungry, too. The first mate started saying the same thing. They took some of the crew who believed them into the hold, saying that they wanted to stay with that thing.”

“What thing?” the interrogator asked.

“A mermaid. A completely black mermaid. Her skin and scales were completely black. She had long silver hair and red eyes. She was the cargo we captured.” The survivor’s head throbbed painfully.

The interrogator took out a pen and began to record. “And then?”

“Then they ate the mermaid. After they finished, they ran to the deck and jumped into the sea. They said they were going to serve the great Haisiruola and return to the sea.” The survivor closed his eyes.

“Do you remember which company sent you to sea?” the interrogator asked.

The survivor nodded so hard that it sounded like a ball bouncing off the floor. “Yes, it was called Rijianmei.”

Rijianmei? The Rijianmei Cosmetic Surgery Hospital! Xia Yu immediately remembered the name.

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