ICO 236-250 (Patreon)

ICO 236-249

Chapter 236

In the barracks, Kalina looked at the weapons and equipment in surprise. She had witnessed the barracks being constructed, yet in such a short time, it was already stocked with so many weapons.

Was she mistaken, or were these exoskeleton suits? One of the guns was unfamiliar to her, but the other appeared to be a heavy machine gun. There were even small missiles and C4.

What kind of ammunition depot was this? Could these things really be conjured out of thin air?

In fact, it had cost Gentiane a significant amount of money to build these items. Normally, one would need to build a mine to collect resources for construction.

However, if resources were insufficient, it was possible to pay for them.

The cost of building a barracks in the game multiplied by ten equaled the required amount of money. The weapons and equipment were produced separately, and this set had cost her a full 100,000—a tenth of the money she had saved after graduation. If she couldn't produce some useful results, her mother would likely summon her back to inherit the family business.

The thought of those tedious family responsibilities made her realize how much more interesting and exciting the battlefield, even a simulated one, was. However, she wasn't a fool. As a commander, she made a point of learning how to protect herself.

"MP5, put on this exoskeleton," Gentiane ordered.

"Okay," MP5 responded.

The exoskeleton was massive, nearly one and a half times the width of a person. Yet when MP5 donned it, she found the armor surprisingly light—lighter than the auxiliary exoskeleton she typically used. It even made handling the heavy machine gun easier, though her weapon module restricted her from using unauthorized weapons. This, however, wasn't a major issue.

"You don't need to shoot right now," Gentiane continued. "Just drive this exoskeleton to the battlefield. All tactical dolls, change into the new equipment."

As the sole commander, Gentiane's orders were absolute. Within minutes, all the tactical dolls had replaced their gear with the new exoskeletons, which, despite their bulk, enhanced their already impressive abilities.

"Kalina, deploy these tactical dolls to the battlefield," Gentiane commanded.

"Yes!" Kalina replied, though her mind was filled with questions. As a logistics officer, her job was to carry out the commander's orders.

The tactical dolls were dispatched to the battlefield. Whereas before, two planes would have sufficed, this time, six were needed. When Kryuger learned of this, he approved the request without hesitation and observed the situation closely via surveillance. He was curious to see what the new commander could achieve. But when he saw the mechanical exoskeletons the tactical dolls were wearing, his expression grew serious.

"This is a design I've never seen before," he murmured.

The exoskeletons endowed the dolls with immense power, and the heavy machine guns provided devastating firepower. They were ruthless killing machines, capable of overwhelming any human resistance. Additionally, the assault rifle dolls had been equipped with supercharged long cannons—specialized weapons for armor and construction that would be effective against the large Iron Blood units.

These special armaments caused Kryuger to speculate that Gentiane might be a representative of a secret laboratory or a member of a mysterious organization. Otherwise, why would she align herself with Griffin?

Outsiders viewed Griffin as merely a security company, but those in the know were aware of its collaborations with a very special scientific research institution—one with deep military connections. Kryuger made a call on a secure line to contact a researcher who could analyze these new weapons.

For now, he decided to wait and observe. Gentiane's creations were dangerous, but not yet world-shattering.

What puzzled him most was the technology that allowed a super-large vehicle to transform into buildings. He had never encountered such convenient equipment in his life.

Meanwhile, Gentiane reviewed the battle reports, lost in thought. The performance of the Foehn's armaments was exceptional—so good, in fact, that she doubted such powerful weapons could be obtained so cheaply. And if this technology fell into the wrong hands, could it become a world-ending weapon?

She shook her head, recalling that the Foehn storyline emphasized the importance of resistance and free will. Without those qualities, she couldn't have become its commander.

At the same time, she realized that the internet café known as 4-D Space must have its own unique mechanism for selecting individuals.

Just like her—though it was her first time visiting, she couldn't stop thinking about the tactical dolls and what would happen if she brought them in. But what would happen? She was genuinely curious.

As Gentiane pondered, Liu Yuan, who was waiting for the arrival of a new day, was taking a shower and changing clothes at the internet café, hoping for something good in the monthly refresh.

Buying games had become increasingly expensive—who could afford more than five million at once? Even if it was just the cost of buying the game, certain special games required additional balancing and adjustments for guests. After all, many games had a significant impact on people's vision and spirits, and without proper safeguards, they could easily backfire.

Because of this, Liu Yuan relied on the monthly game sale offers, where games were offered at a special price of 100,000. Although there hadn't been any top-tier games in recent list, there were still a few good ones. For example, Outlast and Titanfall had already generated more income than their purchase price.

According to the café's data, at least one-fifth of patrons spent four hours a day playing Titanfall, and many logged in at peak times.

Peak times referred to those who used the internet for exactly eleven or one hour a day. After all, maximizing usage could add fifty or even a hundred to their bill, a heavy burden for some.

As Liu Yuan made preparations, the main store manager, Kisara, had decided not to embark on a game journey that night. Instead, she was planning something rebellious.

"Listen to me! The boss gets mysterious on this day every month. After midnight, he goes from mysterious to normal. Do you think the boss is hiding something from us?"

Takashima Yuna asked nervously, "Is... is the boss sick?"

Chelsea frowned. "No way. The store manager is so powerful. The boss must be even more so."

As they conversed, Reze, the newcomer, joked, "Is it his egg-laying period?"

This was a dirty joke that Denji had told her earlier. With no outsiders around, and Liu Yuan absent, only girls were present, and they had no reservations about making such jokes.

Hearing this, Kisara smiled and waved her hand, while Chelsea also wore a knowing expression. Leticia shook her head helplessly. She hadn’t expected her network administrator to make such a bold comment, but she understood that it was meant to lighten the mood.

On the other hand, Jibril and Takashima Yuna were visibly taken aback. Takashima Yuna asked nervously, "Egg-laying period? Do boys have that?"

"Huh?"

At this, Kisara, Chelsea, Leticia, and Reze all burst into laughter. Such innocence was rare, and the four exchanged glances.

Though they didn’t speak or communicate through TT, they all shared the same thought.

Chapter 237

The first to speak was Kisara, who knew how to mess with the boss. With a solemn expression, Kisara explained, "The so-called 'egg-changing period' refers to something men, like the boss, must go through every month. During this time, they must repReze certain necessary items to ensure their safety. During this period, men are very vulnerable, and even a weak cat could bully them with ease."

Reze added, "And this weakness becomes more pronounced with age. The most common sign is breaking out in cold sweats."

Jibril frowned and said, "Impossible. I’ve never heard of any creature like that."

Leticia replied calmly, "But the boss isn't just any creature; he's human. It's possible your world is different, but in most worlds, men have this special period."

Jibril still looked unconvinced, so Chelsea chimed in, "When I was an assassin, I often took advantage of this period to strike. Although it doesn’t last long, men in my world can't resist during that time. By the way, store manager, is your world like this?"

Chelsea knew her store manager too well. She was young and might not have experienced these things in her world, so her expression was one of confusion and shock. This was the first time she had heard of such a thing.

After listening, Jibril’s eyes sparkled. "Does this mean the boss is currently at his weakest? If I beat him now, I’ll be free?"

Jibril's words left those who knew the truth silent, but Kisara, who had been tempting fate for years, replied calmly, "Naturally, but I’m too weak. Even if the boss is weakened, I can’t defeat him."

Leticia shrugged and said, "I've signed a contract with the boss, so it doesn't matter how strong he is."

Jibril was almost gazing at the sky at this point, a touch of pride in her voice. "Weakness is the original sin. I’ll free you all today."

With that, Jibril rushed towards Liu Yuan’s room without looking back.

Once she was gone, Takashima Yuna whispered, "Are you guys lying to Sister Ji?"

Kisara feigned ignorance. "Huh? What did you say? I don’t understand. Isn’t that just how boys are?"

Rezey nodded in agreement. "That's right. If I’m wrong, I’ll study hard with Denji tomorrow."

Chelsea pondered aloud, "Has everything I knew been wrong?"

Leticia simply said, "Different worlds, different rules. I can't judge what's true or false."

At this point, Kisara sensed something was off. She wrapped her arm around Takashima Yuna’s neck and whispered, "Do you know something?"

"Well... I don’t know much, but my mother taught me a few things. I’m pretty sure it’s fake..."

"Does it really matter? Who knows what’s true or not?"

As they talked, Reze asked, "The boss isn’t going to do anything to Jibril-san, right?"

Kisara shook her head. "As long as Jibril doesn’t go too far, the boss won’t..."

Kisara hadn’t finished speaking when they heard Jibril’s laughter echoing down the corridor. It was fortunate that Jibril was in her current state; otherwise, her laughter would surely have been accompanied by explosions.

"Fatal blow!"

But instead of hearing Liu Yuan scream, they heard Jibril’s cry.

"Fatal blow? Today, I'll show you what it means to whip a Bingga."

In the Northeast region, a Bingga is a top that keeps spinning by whipping it with a whip. The crackling sounds from the room were soon followed by silence, and then a purple object popped out from the corridor, landing right at their feet.

"Pfft! Hahahaha..."

Kisara was about to laugh but stopped abruptly when she felt a sharp gaze on her.

"Hey? Boss? What's wrong?"

Kisara feigned innocence, but Liu Yuan wasn’t buying it. He walked up to her, flicked her forehead, and said, "Why are you daydreaming? I told in the group chat there’s a new game on the shop list. Get familiar with it and promote it to customers tomorrow."

"A new game!"

At those words, Jibril, who had been lying on the ground, perked up and asked curiously, "Boss! What’s the new game?"

"There are two: 'Detroit: Become Human' and 'NieR: Automata.'"

Kisara, who had already turned on her computer, asked curiously, "They sound like a series of games..."

"They are indeed part of a series," Liu Yuan replied casually as he pulled out a chair and sat down. "The Detroit series explores whether androids can become human, and the NieR series is about cavalry on dragon's back. Both are classics, but only part of them are available on the shelves right now."

These games were not within Liu Yuan's purchase range, but luck was on his side this time, and he managed to get them. He wasn’t sure if his good fortune was thanks to Jibril or his own post-shower luck, but it didn’t matter. He planned to grab Jibril before the next refresh and try again. If something good came of it, he’d keep her; if not, he’d toss her out.

Reze didn’t start a game since she had a secret date with Denji in a few hours. Unlike everyone else present, she had a partner.

As for Liu Yuan and Kisara? Maybe a long time ago, they fantasized about having a relationship or something. But now? The two of them were more interested in getting into the game as fast as possible.

Without a second thought, they both dove into "NieR: Automata."

As for "Detroit: Become Human"?

Who has time to ponder whether androids can become human? Neither of them had these concerns.

In Liu Yuan’s eyes, anyone who pays to surf the web is a customer—no difference. Kisara was once a devil and might have questioned whether she had a soul.

Now? He had the same attitude as Liu Yuan.

Even if a monster walked in, as long as it paid, it was a customer. Did you see Kumoko? As the top star of the No. 1 branch, many customers visited just to see her.

Kumoko might be socially anxious, but when surrounded by a group of internet-addicted girls and cute girls, no one could tell from her happy expression that she was socially inept. That’s right—only beautiful girls could get close to Kumoko.

So, the entire night was spent happily gaming. He was quite satisfied with the changes made to "NieR: Automata." The original game tells the story of 2B and 9S gradually awakening to their humanity, but the versions offered by the internet cafe are tailored to each player’s needs.

The game mode still follows the story of 2B and 9S, but in realism mode, players can adjust or modify their appearance, and 9S will change according to the player’s preferences. If the game is played by AI, a special mode is triggered.

However, these changes are mostly cosmetic to satisfy the players. The game’s plot remains largely the same, but like other realism difficulty, the ending will vary depending on the choices of other players.

Whether these changes are good or bad depends on the wisdom of the player.

Chapter 238

As planned, Gentiane brought in a tactical doll.

"Commander, where is this?" MP5 asked, looking around nervously. In her memory, the commander had asked her to come to the lounge, but after a brief exchange with Gentiane, she suddenly found herself here. She was completely disconnected from the database, which meant that if she died here, there would be no chance of backing up her data. Without any weapons, she had no means of defense in case of danger.

"Ah!" MP5 was visibly anxious, though it was unclear whether it was genuine or just a simulated personality trait.

"Hello, may I bring this child to the Internet?" Gentiane asked.

"Child?" Today, Liu Yuan was in charge of reception. Leticia was temporarily handling an issue with Reze, so Liu Yuan didn't expect to encounter Gentiane, with a newcomer, here. He looked at MP5 and nodded. "Of course. As an artificial intelligence, she already has the basic prerequisites for a soul and can play games normally."

Liu Yuan was impressed that Gentiane's world could produce such advanced AI. Although the so-called consciousness and personality were system-simulated, the neural core calculation method was fascinating.

According to Liu Yuan's calculations, after about ten years of upgrades and iterations, this technology could likely achieve human-level intelligence in every aspect.

As for whether these beings were machines, it didn't matter to Liu Yuan. As long as they visited the Internet cafe and were willing to pay, they were all customers.

"It just so happens that this Internet cafe has recently launched two games about robots. I'm sure she'll enjoy them. Here, take this," Liu Yuan said, handing a lollipop to MP5, who looked at Gentiane hesitantly.

"Take it. The boss isn't a bad guy," Gentiane reassured her.

"Yes, thank you," MP5 replied before following Gentiane to a seat.

Kisara, who was reading a book nearby, asked curiously, "That little girl doesn't seem human... She's different from Schwi. She doesn't have a soul."

"It's not a big deal. She'll gain one after finishing the game," Liu Yuan replied.

"Damn, has our Internet cafe always been this amazing?"

"It's been amazing for a long time," Liu Yuan said with a smirk.

While the two bantered, Gentiane had already started a game with MP5.

"Hmm?" Gentiane clicked on the game introduction. Detroit: Become Human and NieR: Automata? These two games seems related to artificial intelligence, which made her frown slightly.

"Commander, what should I do?" MP5 asked.

"Put on the glasses and start NieR: Automata," Gentiane instructed. She didn't want MP5 to get too involved with Detroit: Become Human, knowing that the rewards from completing these Internet cafe games were user-specific. If that game elevated MP5 to human-level intelligence, it could cause trouble later. On the other hand, NieR: Automata is much more safer, at most making MP5 much stronger in combat, which was acceptable.

"Commander, what difficulty should I choose?"

"Choose the realism difficulty, then play freely."

"Yes!" MP5 responded.

The plot of NieR: Automata was intriguing. In-game, players needed to control 2B, then replay the game as 9S to unlock the true storyline. The realism difficulty of this game was the most exciting. Regular players could immerse themselves and role-play, but special players like MP5, digital lifeforms, would unlock a unique mode.

In this mode, if the AI's computing power didn't match 2B or 9S, the system would forcibly upgrade it to the level of the corresponding character. In realism mode, AI players couldn't use their own data but had to play as 2B, 9S, and A2 at different stages. Once the game was completed, AI players could choose whether to integrate real data into the gameplay.

"Eh? This feeling..." MP5, now fully immersed in the game, found herself flying a plane. A task requirement appeared in the communication channel. A second ago, she knew she was a tactical doll MP5, but now, her data recognized her as 2B.

MP5 would now complete the game as 2B until she exited, at which point the system would add the emotions gained in the game to her neural core.

However, compared to the regular mode, realism mode had tighter time constraints and higher difficulty. Despite this, those who played seriously in the Internet cafe could complete the game unless hindered by hardware limitations. But the game's ending remained a mystery to everyone.

MP5 began the game effortlessly. With her set personality, she felt an unusual thrill from the gameplay. Flying a plane, fighting android robots, quickly navigating through the factory, and finally confronting a giant robot.

MP5, equipped with 2B's combat data, could easily defeat these enemies, though the final giant robot posed a bit of a challenge.

"Attack like this? Then... like this?" she muttered, learning the ropes quickly.

The initial enemies weren't strong, not to protect beginners, but because they were inherently weak. Only robots equipped with special intelligence could pose any threat to YoRHa's intelligent combat units.

MP5 felt an odd sense of joy, something she shouldn't experience as a tactical doll. Her emotions were supposed to be mere settings, yet at this moment, she truly felt happy.

Battling large machines, detonating black boxes, uploading consciousness to restore her body and fight again androids here wouldn't die permanently. As long as they uploaded their data before dying, they would be resurrected in the bunker in space.

This setup was almost identical to the tactical dolls, which gave MP5 a sense of familiarity.

The game wasn't particularly long. Even in realism difficulty, nearly fifty hours passed over four days as MP5 successfully completed the game.

She witnessed the rise and fall of "Adam" and "Eve," watched herself get infected with a virus and finally succumb, only to switch to 9S to finish all the levels and ultimately die alongside A2.

In the game, she saw new machines desiring to exist and even witnessed the creation of new ones.

Yes, those machines that resembled children... they had hearts.

At this point, MP5 felt confused at first, but then she also felt fear.

The mechanical singer in the amusement park was just a girl who wanted to be noticed.

Pascal, who advocated pacifism, protected the children.

Even though the king of the Forest Kingdom could not grow up, he still tried his best to protect it.

Whether it was Pascal or the YoRHa unit, they were machines destined to fail from the moment they were built.

It was clearly a doomed ending, but when MP5 saw it, she actually felt... pain in her neural core.

Chapter 239

In the Griffin Tactical Doll Lounge, MP5 returned with a smile on her face. She was still reflecting on today's experiences, but as soon as she came back, she noticed something was wrong.

The time on her internal clock was inconsistent with the time on the Internet Cafe. She had eleven hours and fifty-three minutes more than other tactical dolls when she returned?

"Hey? P7? How long was I gone?"

"About twenty minutes, what's wrong?"

"Nothing... nothing."

MP5 lowered her head, deep in thought. At that moment, she received an order from the commander.

"All tactical dolls, assemble."

A new mission: capture the Ringleader Scarecrow created by Sangvis Ferri Manufacturing.

At this time, Gentiane had just received the mission to capture the Ringleader Scarecrow and rescue a T-Doll of a missing doll team.

"I have a mission right after I came back... I'm so tired..."

MP5 really wanted to rest, but there was no time now.

Like last time, all tactical dolls were instructed by Gentiane to carry new equipment. While changing equipment, MP5 asked a little embarrassedly, "Commander, may I ask... do you have any weapons like swords?"

"Is it because of 2B?"

"Yes!"

MP5 nodded and explained, "My neural core has relevant combat experience. Although my body can't sustain combat for long, it can perfectly execute short-term burst combat."

"Is that so?"

Gentiane pondered for a while and looked at the player mall. There were no relevant similar weapons for sale, but she knew that anything related to technology could be purchased from Schwi.

In the Schwi's world, Schwi, who was trying to communicate with the general commander of all the Clusters of the Ex-Machina, received a message on TT.

"Can you make two weapons for 2B based on this body shape?"

Schwi looked at the specific requirements and replied, "No problem, one for one, 30,000."

This price made Gentiane frown. The cost of the two weapons together was almost enough to buy another base vehicle, but looking at MP5's hopeful eyes, she made up her mind.

Not long after, a small sword and a big sword appeared in Gentiane's hand. Anyone who had seen the pure white, handsome appearance knew where it came from.

Yes, it was 2B's two weapons, the Virtuous Contract and the Virtuous Treaty, but these two weapons had been scaled down to match MP5's body.

The most important reason Gentiane dared to buy them so decisively was that these two weapons were bound. She could lend the weapons, and if the borrower lost them, she could recover them directly through the system.

Seeing the two familiar weapons, MP5 smiled. Kalina, standing nearby, reminded her, "Commander, tactical dolls cannot use weapons other than bound weapons, and it's not advisable to use swords on the battlefield..."

But then Kalina saw a shocking scene. MP5 could actually use these two weapons. What surprised her even more was that these two weapons were floating behind MP5.

This was a technology Kalina had never heard of or seen before. And didn't MP5 use a submachine gun? How could she use this?

"All tactical dolls, fight with confidence. I will use this to support you."

Beside Gentiane, a small drone was released—a special support weapon from Mental Omega, the Dragonfly drone.

"All teams, prepare to attack!"

"Yes!"

Like last time, six helicopters transported the tactical dolls to the designated location. When they arrived, all tactical dolls began to lurk, awaiting orders, but MP5 stood up to scout the surrounding environment.

Soon, they found the mission target, Scarecrow. In the absence of a commander, the combat method of tactical dolls is very simple. When a target appears, they shoot according to the basic tactics set in advance. However, it’s different with a commander. The commander can reposition the tactical dolls, initiate sneak attacks, direct assaults, and retreats. With a commander’s control, the combat effectiveness of tactical dolls is greatly enhanced. Moreover, these tactical dolls are no longer ordinary. Even the army would struggle to defeat them with their equipment.

Scarecrow appeared, and at that moment, Gentiane controlled the Dragonfly drone to launch the first attack. The electromagnetic pulse inside the Dragonfly drone could instantly paralyze all mechanical devices.

Even semi-mechanical special forces could not move under such strong electromagnetic interference, let alone Scarecrow, who had no equipment to resist it.

In an instant, Scarecrow felt her body malfunctioning. She wanted to command the floating gun to attack, but unfortunately, it was completely out of control. She tried to upload the on-site information but failed.

"Report to the commander, has the target been secured?"

"Take it back and remove the self-destruct device in the body. And, where is MP5?"

As Gentiane asked this question, a violent explosion occurred in the distance.

On the other side of the battlefield, MP5 and the Sangvis Ferri Executioner were engaged in combat.

Executioner, with black hair and black armor, wielded a "machete" almost as large as herself. She was one of the Sangvis Ferri Ringleaders, and her mission was to find M4 and retrieve the information discovered by the AR team.

She was a fully melee-oriented tactical doll, capable of sprinting a hundred meters in a few seconds. Her reflexes were so fast that she could use the weapon in her hand to block gunfire, and the large blade she wielded could easily tear through the skin of any Griffin doll.

Griffin's ordinary tactical dolls had virtually no ability to fight back against such an enemy, but today, she encountered MP5.

In the game, MP5 had gained a lot of combat data from 2B, and now, armed with a weapon almost identical to 2B's, her DNA was stirred. No, it should be said that her neural core was activated.

Due to the limitations of her body, she couldn’t fight as long as 2B, but facing an opponent like Executioner, who was not much stronger than herself, she struck swiftly, hitting lightly and then hard.

When the other tactical dolls heard the sound and rushed over, they witnessed a scene their mind cores couldn’t comprehend.

Executioner was floating in the air, and MP5’s small body was darting around her.

Every time the Executioner tried to counterattack, MP5’s body moved like a phantom, easily evading her pistol shots. MP5 then turned around and used the small sword to strike the Executioner into the air.

She continued to use the recoil from her light and heavy attacks in mid-air to keep both herself and the enemy suspended.

Yes, in NieR: Automata, you can knock an enemy into the air. However, compared to Devil May Cry, where you can make opponent float forever with attacks which are a staple, NieR's attack method is more like child’s play.

Dante, Vergil, and Nero can float in the air for at least a minute, sometimes half a day. But even this slight levitation stunned everyone.

Kryuger had been focusing on the screen. When he saw the situation on the battlefield, he asked Persica on the other end of the phone, "Can our tactical dolls perform such maneuvers?"

Persica was very sleepy. She had initially refused when Kryuger asked her to do something, but because Griffin was helping to find the AR team, she decided to take a look. Then she saw something completely contrary to her understanding.

Did MP5 just go up into the sky?

She was stunned. Her sleepiness vanished instantly. She wanted to press her face to the monitor to understand what was happening.

Chapter 240

All of Griffin's tactical dolls were ordered from I.O.P., which has a close cooperative relationship with 16Lab. Persica, the chief researcher at 16Lab, may not be as skilled in artificial intelligence as her old friend, but she has her own insights. She has witnessed the current limits of AI—emotions nearly indistinguishable from those of humans and next-generation technical logic. However, none of this had anything to do with MP5.

Persica attempted to hack into MP5's neural core, only to find her access denied. Surprisingly, MP5's neural core began breaching 16Lab's firewall. After Persica revealed her identity, MP5 ceased her anti-intrusion efforts and began chatting with her instead.

Despite the key changes to MP5's neural core, she remained essentially the same tactical doll, still carrying out her superiors' orders. After MP5 explained her experiences, encounters, and the reasons for her transformation, Persica's expression shifted.

"An Internet café?"

"Artificial intelligence?"

"NieR: Automata?"

"Red Alert?"

Persica's head buzzed with confusion. She understood the concept of an "Internet café"—an entertainment facility from the last era with numerous computers for spiritual entertainment—but how had such a place altered MP5's mind?

"Wait!"

Suddenly, Persica thought of something, immediately deleted the communication, and instructed MP5 not to share this information with anyone except Gentiane. From that moment on, all external information was blocked, and only Gentiane's orders were to be followed.

In addition, Persica changed her clothes and prepared to head to Griffin's S9 area.

Kryuger, aware of Persica's arrival, recognized the gravity of the situation and temporarily recalled Gentiane and her tactical dolls to wait for Persica.

By rights, Persica shouldn't face Gentiane and the abnormal tactical doll directly; as a researcher, she lacked the ability to protect herself. Kryuger needed to ensure her safety. However, he couldn't resist the pressure of Persica's status and was ultimately forced to agree to let her meet Gentiane and MP5 alone.

Inside a special room, Persica used a unique interference device to hack all the equipment, even affecting MP5's body.

"Sorry, but this is a necessary measure. MP5, are you telling the truth?"

MP5 didn't respond, but Gentiane did. "She's telling the truth."

"Wait, did you instruct MP5 to make those statements earlier?"

"Yes."

"I see, but I still need to ask—are they true?"

"They are true. I can take you to that Internet café anytime."

"What are the requirements to enter? What do I need to do?"

"Bring money."

"...?"

A question mark seemed to form in Persica's mind. This was the most absurd thing she'd ever heard—acquiring artificial intelligence technology by simply paying money? If it were that easy, her friend wouldn't have died.

"We'll find out if it's true when we get there," Gentiane said, inviting Persica. After accepting the invitation, Persica found herself inside an Internet café.

"Where is this? Is the equipment malfunctioning? Wait, wait."

She felt a little disoriented. Honestly, she wasn't afraid of death. As a researcher, she'd faced countless dangers over the years. While she always did her best to protect herself and sought a relatively secure backing, fear of death wasn't part of her mindset. Instead, she was driven to pursue the truth and explore the unknown.

Now, instead of merely exploring the unknown, she had been thrust directly into it. Feeling confused and trying to sort out her thoughts, a blonde girl spoke to her.

"Guest, your body is very tired."

"I know, but I have to maintain this state. I don't have much time to rest."

"But if you're tired, you won't fully experience the games in this Internet café."

"Hmm?"

At this point, Leticia continued, "Guest, please rest in our lounge for a few minutes. Just a few minutes will allow your body to temporarily return to normal."

"...?"

Before Persica could fully process what was happening, the girl, with a pull ring around her neck, gestured invitingly, and Persica followed her into the lounge in a daze. Once inside, Leticia adjusted the time settings in the room and guided Persica to a bed.

The bed in the lounge utilized Minecraft world technology, and the room employed time manipulation, fixing the internal time at 5:59. When someone lay on the bed, time would begin to flow.

The moment Persica touched the bed, she fell asleep instantly. As she slept, time resumed. After a minute, she suddenly opened her eyes.

"This feeling... Is there a mirror?"

"Here you go, sir."

Persica took the mirror and looked at herself. The dark circles that had haunted her for years were gone. Additionally, her body felt incredibly relaxed, as if she'd slept for seven days and nights. She felt both physically comfortable and mentally refreshed.

"What kind of technology is this?"

"This is 'Minecraft' technology."

"MC?"

"No, it's called 'Minecraft.'"

Persica asked seriously, "How long did I sleep?"

"One minute! Sir, if you're interested in this bed, I recommend you try the game 'Minecraft.' It will definitely enhance your life."

"...?"

Persica sat down as Leticia suggested. She checked the Internet café's prices—they weren't expensive. The daily cost of surfing the web here was probably less than what she spent on her research projects each week.

When she sat in front of the computer, she noticed that she was a bit far from Gentiane. She considered changing seats but found herself oddly captivated by the games in the Internet café.

What did she see? Space mechas? Intelligent machinery? Bionic humans? She instinctively wanted to click on them, but Leticia kindly clicked on Minecraft.

"Hello, I think this game will be perfect for you."

Leticia's intuition was spot on. Persica was eager to explore the unknown, and the Minecraft world was full of it.

Technology? The technology in the world of Titanfall had a foundation, and you could even create it yourself, but Redstone technology wasn't something just anyone could make.

And she remembered Liu Yuan's introduction to the game:

"This is a game where the impossible becomes possible. In theory, you can do anything you want in this game—anything!"

Leticia felt that the guest before her wasn't lacking in money or strength. She was hungry for knowledge and wanted to bring all her ideas to life. In this case, Minecraft was definitely the right fit for her.

Not only that, but Persica's body was too weak, and her reaction speed too slow. She might struggle in realism mode, but Minecraft was different. As long as you had arms and legs, you could finish the game and obtain the magical crafting table.

Thus, under Leticia's guidance, Dr. Persica successfully skipped NieR. She had no idea whether androids dreamed of electric sheep, nor could she have close contact with BT. All she could do was watch herself enter the world of Minecraft.

However, as she entered the game, she failed to notice one crucial detail—a special command flashed on the mod page:

"Girls' Frontline mod has been activated."

Chapter 241

Persica looked at the world with a puzzled expression. She had activated a mod called Girls' Frontline. Although she rarely played games, there was nothing wrong with her mind.

After entering this world, she quickly grasped its situation. The Girls' Frontline mod wasn't particularly difficult, and it wasn’t hard to play. But the appearance of this mod made Persica feel uneasy.

There was a Doll Manufacturing Machine in front of her.

She could make tactical dolls by simply putting some resources into it? What kind of advanced technology production line was this?

Even the industrial production of tactical dolls didn’t use such simple resources. Throwing in manpower, ammunition, rations, and parts would produce tactical dolls? Is this a joke?

However, Persica stuffed the square resources into the construction machine, and then a strange scene occurred. Suddenly, there was an M4 tactical doll Item in her hand.

"…"

Persica used the M4 in disbelief, and then the Block Tactical Doll of the M4 appeared in front of her.

At that moment, her eyes flashed with a strange light, and no one knew whether she was excited or not. People outside only knew that there was a new woman in the brance who always made some strange laughter.

Although Persica was playing this game for the first time, it's that all players who played this game instinctively triggered a strange passive ability and called for help.

She didn’t understand much about the game, but after seeing the function on TT, she called for help in the player group.

"Excuse me, does anyone know how to play Minecraft? I want to get rewards by clearing the game, but I don’t know how to play this. Can I build tactical dolls or something…?"

As soon as she said this, the whole group fell silent.

At this point, Liu Yuan added, "The new player is special. She has mod features, so she brings her own mod when starting a server. If you help her clear the game, she can share her mod with you."

Liu Yuan’s words stirred up the previously calm group.

Akami Homura immediately asked, "Room name, I'm in. I’m a professional in killing monsters."

Yoshida Saki: "I’m a professional in redstone player."

Schwi: "I’m a professional in everything; please let me use the mod."

Persica didn’t hesitate and let these people into her world. Now that she had experienced many strange things, she felt that many things were not so difficult to accept.

With the help of the experts, she almost cleared the game in three hours and obtained the crafting table.

Under the guidance of the veteran players, Persica figured out the mechanics related to Minecraft and learned how to use the mod. After unlocking the use of the crafting table in one day, Persica returned to her own world.

The first thing Persica did after returning to her world was to enter her research lab. She first made a crafting table with existing resources and then used it to craft a lever.

That’s right! She didn’t use the mod to build tactical dolls, nor did she mass-produce weapons; instead, she made a lever.

While playing the game, what bothered her wasn’t how unscientific the crafting of tactical dolls was, nor why blocks floated in the air, but the lever and redstone.

She could bring out the redstone, but she wasn’t in a hurry to use it. Now she wanted to use the lever to see what was going on.

After entering her lab, Persica turned off the power switch in the room and made sure that the backup power of the equipment was off.

She placed the lever on her equipment, turned on the lever, and her equipment began to run strangely.

She closed the lever, the device turned off; she opened the lever, the energy turned on.

If that were all, it would be fine. Persica tested various machines. Each machine had different voltage requirements, and each machine in a lab like hers was connected to a separate wire.

And there was a special protection mechanism inside; it couldn’t be used normally if the voltage wasn’t right.

The result? These machines could be operated by simply plugging in a lever, but no intermediate voltage could be detected.

"What is this?"

Persica began to doubt her reality. Was she dreaming, or was the thing in front of her an illusion? How could there be a lever that could ignore all known physics and generate energy?

And that wasn’t all—why could this energy be charged through minerals? What kind of advanced technology was this? She finally understood why ancient scientists believed in God while studying science. Not to mention them, even she wanted to believe in God now.

"No! This won’t do."

Persica bit her finger and forced herself to calm down. If she could travel to that strange internet cafe in an instant and then travel back, then it seemed there should be no problem with an almost endless energy source.

She decided to temporarily give up studying why she could teleport, why this TT could communicate across worlds, why this redstone energy was so stable, and even why a stick and a cobblestone—two things that together would be at least one cubic meter—could be crafted into a lever of less than half a cubic meter and provide stable energy.

She didn’t care about these things; she just wanted to use the redstone energy source in the tactical doll to see what it would become.

So she turned her attention to the tactical doll she was studying: RO635, a tactical doll with black hair and heterochromatic eyes. Persica had put a lot of effort into this tactical doll, and it might be a bit troublesome to modify it now.

But it wasn’t a big problem; she could still do it by inserting a redstone, a lever, or a redstone torch into its body.

"Redstone torches embedded in the legs…"

"A lever in the abdomen…"

"A redstone in the head…"

After finishing all this, Persica felt something was still missing, so she thought of Schwi again. After communicating, she learned that Schwi was purely mechanical and had a special calculation processor for the Ex-Machina.

"Should we add this in?"

The price was very high, one million each, and Schwi hadn’t sold any so far. Today, Persica bought one from her.

Persica didn’t study it because it was unnecessary. The more she studied this non-worldly technology now, the more of a headache she would get. Anyway, she had been to the internet cafe, so she could study it later. For now, she would use these patchwork goods to see if she could make a usable tactical doll. After all, this was her main research.

Since she had already purchased the mind, she might as well buy the other accessories at once. Schwi didn’t have any ready-made ones, but Persica wasn’t short of money, so she placed an order directly.

Seeing that it was the same big customer who had placed the previous order, Schwi immediately made the specified materials for Persica: a mechanical skeleton, simulated skin, and coolant simulating blood.

Research? Forget it. Just assemble one to see how it works, and then study it if it works well.

So the original tactical doll was dismantled, and the new tactical doll was reassembled. The original neural core content was transferred to the new mind.

As for the old neural core? Persica found a Dinergate and stuffed it in.

Thus, in one night, Persica used redstone and otherworldly technology to create a tactical doll, RO635.

After Persica assembled this tactical doll, relying solely on her instincts and experience, she activated its neural cloud.

RO635 opened her eyes, and Persica fell into deep thought.

She really didn’t expect that the thing she ordered on a whim, with accessories and redstone connections, could actually work. And what she didn’t expect was that this thing looked... not bad when it was operational?

But besides this, there was something else she liked the most—a square bed. After playing Minecraft, she finally understood why the internet cafe lounge could make her body recover so well.

The bed in the Minecraft world had a unique feature: you could sleep at night and wake up at dawn. No alarm clock was needed. You could fall asleep in seconds as long as you lay down. And once asleep, even if you only slept for one minute, your spirit could be restored.

This was something more important to her than coffee.

Researching redstone? Tactical dolls? No rush—she decided to enjoy a perfect sleep again. She really hadn’t experienced the baby-like sleep from the internet cafe lounge for a long time.

Chapter 242

"Damn Sangvis!"

On the battlefield created by Griffin and Sangvis Ferri, the AR team was now completely dismantled, especially M16, who had been surrounded with no chance of escaping.

However, at this critical moment, a strange little object appeared in the air and disrupted the balance of the battle.

This was the Command Fairy, a special entity from the Girls’ Frontline mod. It made sense that such a thing would be developed once Griffin obtained a drone in the future.

However, because Persica played in Minecraft and used the Girls’ Frontline mod, it was created ahead of time.

The principles behind normal drones aren’t difficult to grasp, but the principles behind Minecraft drones give her a headache.

Now, the control of this fairy was in Gentiane’s hands. Under Gentiane’s control, the Command Fairy pointed to a location, and then twenty Block Tactical Dolls appeared at that spot.

In the command room, Gentiane studied the specific operation.

"Oh! This is random firing... random firing!"

The suddenly airborne Block Dolls took up their weapons and began attacking their surroundings mindlessly.

Compared to real Tactical Dolls, the Block Dolls had lower intelligence.

No! To be precise, they had no intelligence. They were simply creatures from the Minecraft world wearing a layer of Tactical Doll skin and using block weapons.

However, although these entities weren’t very intelligent and their combat power wasn’t as strong as that of ordinary Tactical Dolls, they had an advantage—they were resilient and could withstand beatings.

When ordinary Tactical Dolls are hit, their arms are broken, and their cores are directly paralyzed. But you can keep hitting the Block Dolls. As long as they don’t die, they can keep hitting people regardless of HP.

Persica couldn’t understand the operating principle of these Block Dolls. She only knew that they could be created using a device called a Doll Manufacturing Machine in the Minecraft Girls’ Frontline mod, along with manpower, ammunition, rations, parts, and manufacturing contracts.

She couldn’t figure out how these things made Tactical Dolls. Normally, producing Tactical Dolls requires various precious metals and a mature production line. It’s even said that the heart core used by each Doll requires a special production line and a large amount of high-precision raw materials to be produced.

And yet, this manufacturing machine can produce these things? She had completely given up on investigating how this thing produced Tactical Dolls and decided just to use it. After all, scientists don’t create rules; they discover and use them.

She decided to treat this as a new branch of physics or chemistry—as long as it causes physical or chemical reactions, it can produce Tactical Dolls.

The appearance of the Block Dolls instantly attracted battlefield firepower, but these Block Doll weren’t afraid of the Sangvis Ferri units' attacks. They fired back even under heavy fire.

Lose HP? It doesn't matter; they had an HP recovery buff.

The special characteristic of the Block Doll was that once their level was maxed out, they could make a vow to the user. After the vow, they would receive a series of buffs, such as HP recovery. Gentiane had made a vow to all these Block Doll, which gave them strong recovery abilities.

What baffled Persica was that if a block man was on the verge of dying, you could even use repair tools to fix it. Typically, a gun attack could only reduce 1-4 points of HP, but a repair could restore 5 HP, and the speed of repair was faster than the speed of shooting.

As a result, a strange scene unfolded on the battlefield. The Sangvis Ferri found the Block Dolls and launched an attack. The Block Dolls were losing blood rapidly, but they weren’t in a hurry to return fire.

Sangvis units could only inflict minimal damage on the Blocks, but Blocks could damage Sangvis Ferris wherever they hit. After all, the Sangvis Ferris weren’t Block People and didn’t enjoy the same characteristics.

"What the hell is this?"

Executioner, who had returned, was stunned by this scene. She immediately reported the situation to the Sangvis Ferri Mastermind, but the Mainframe was also confused. There was no such information in her memory bank.

But this was just the beginning. As a commander, Gentiane couldn’t send only this team of units, which would be wiped out soon. These were just disposable units used as distractions. The real troops were the Tactical Dolls coming next.

The Tactical Doll team, using the semi-mechanical transformation of the Burning Wind, originally only used heavy machine guns and supercharged rifles, but now they had an additional weapon choice.

The Jupiter Cannon, also known as the Artillery Support Platform, was affectionately renamed in the MCMOD as the Jupiter Cannon.

The simplicity of production made Persica think it was useless, but its actual effect was not much different from the fire support platform carried on the back of the M16. In some aspects, it was even better than the original version. The original version used special ammunition, but the MC version’s ammunition seemed endless—one belt was a group, and a group contained sixty-four rounds.

The only downside was that Gentiane dared not manufacture real war resources such as tanks and fighters on a large scale. If her current situation were discovered, it might only be observed. But if real war resources like tanks were produced, her situation would become dangerous.

The base vehicle was indeed advanced, but not advanced enough to drive the army mad. Although the army didn’t have this kind of base vehicle, it had more efficient Doll aemy, which were smaller in size, faster to construct, and much more useful than the base vehicle. Moreover, once the base vehicle was deployed, no one would recognize it except those who knew it.

The rescue work began. The Block Dolls attracted the firepower, and the Tactical Dolls behind them used advanced weapons and cube Jupiter cannons for support. Without sufficient firepower, it was just tactical support. With enough firepower, Gentiane would let the enemy understand a famous saying from her hometown:

"The truth is only within the range of the cannon."

M16 looked at the support from Griffin from a distance with a solemn expression.

What is this? What is this? Why does this thing look so much like the Artillery on her back?

Just as she was puzzled, the explosion sounded.

The power of the Jupiter Cannon wasn’t immense, but it wasn’t insignificant either. The overall power was probably equivalent to the explosive power of TNT in Minecraft. It would only explode within a few meters, and if you were out of range, you wouldn’t be affected, even if you were standing exposed.

But was it big? Yes, it was really big because the TNT in Minecraft is one cubic meter in size. Even when thrown into the real world, its power wasn’t diminished, just affected by the characteristics of the MC world, limiting the explosion range.

Thus, Sangvis Ferri experienced what a true baptism of fire was like, with explosions and gunshots ringing out. There was no need for tactics—there were enemies, and the block figures were commanded to move forward, followed by firepower coverage.

Although winning this way didn’t give him a high sense of achievement, it was a stable victory.

Moreover, this wouldn’t be noticed by the military because when they came to inspect, they would only assume it was damage caused by civilian tactical stray bullets. Military weapons couldn’t cause such damage.

At Griffin headquarters, Kryuger was lost in thought as he watched the battlefield scene. He had a hunch that Gentiane might fight the military in the future. But then Kryuger shook his head.

"How is that possible? The military has tanks, mechas, and airplanes, and Cricket can’t beat them by modifying civilian Dolls."

Civilian Tactical Dolls are invincible when they dismantle military ones? If he could really do that, Kryuger would eat a pound of cactus.

Chapter 243

Gentiane didn't intend to go against the military, but she wanted to make her tactical dolls stronger. After confirming through MP5 that tactical dolls could become stronger and more human-like, she had a bold idea.

She still had plenty of pocket money, plus the earnings from her work over the years, so it wasn't a problem for her to hire tactical dolls to go online every day. As a result, after confirming this idea, the number of customers at the second branch skyrocketed.

"One, two, three..." Kisara complained to Liu Yuan, "What's going on today? So many customers! But these customers aren't... human? Or girls?"

She was shocked. Initially, there were more men than women at the second branch. The men were either working on mechas or fighting hand to hand every day, never stopping. Shirogane Miyuki was even worse; he was obsessed with the Lobotomy Corporation during this period.

He was working for free every day, originally hoping to keep everyone around. Gradually, he understood a truth: if you want to have everything, you have to give 100% of your concentration and all your will to achieve it. However, judging by his progress, he should have 49 days left, and he was only one step away from completing the game.

Gentiane brought the tactical dolls online, which directly reversed the imbalance between men and women. The tactical dolls she brought made the second branch a more beautiful place. Liu Yuan even felt that staying there wouldn't be so bad.

No joke, the tactical dolls are too appealing. The tall ones are really tall, and the short ones are really short. Don't get me wrong, Liu Yuan is talking about height.

Additionally, their hair colors are diverse, especially the white hair, which was quite abundant.

Kisara shuddered and said, "I always feel like the boss's eyes are a bit perverted..."

Leticia, standing nearby, added, "Fortunately, I think the boss is more appreciative."

"See? Leticia understands me."

"I take back what I just said."

"You guys!!"

While the three were teasing each other, Shirogane Miyuki suddenly sat up.

"Yes! I cleared the game, I cleared the game." After shouting these words, Shirogane Miyuki collapsed directly on the chair.

"Goodness, are you really that excited just because you cleared the game?" Liu Yuan used his backstage access to check Shirogane Miyuki's progress and game time.

Not only did he clear the game, but he also only lost one combatant from beginning to end, and that was due to unfamiliarity when Shirogane Miyuki first started and didn’t know how to restart.

Since then, not a single combatant was lost, and the game was almost perfectly completed.

This process was also partly due to luck. Although this companion was with him from beginning to end, it successfully avoided several large-scale group wipeouts by reading the memory bank.

Not only did the combatants not die much, but even the death rate of the clerks was less than 3%.

The system gave Shirogane Miyuki a very high evaluation.

According to the system's description, Shirogane Miyuki is a hard-working genius, relying on countless restarts and trial and error, using almost predictive methods to perfectly clear the game every day.

Unlike the original game, employees in the realism mode don't have data-based options such as instinct and oppression, and if you repeat the day in realism mode, doing the same thing at the same time can achieve the same effect.

And there is no inevitable death in Lobotomy Corporation. Even if the heads of various departments go crazy during the core suppression, he can read the memory bank and go back to before the mass death of employees, then transfer the civilians and combat personnel of the original department.

As for the 3% of civilian deaths, it was because one day Shirogane Miyuki was busy and didn't notice the deaths of those employees. If he had noticed, he could have completed the game without any civilian deaths.

This is a miraculous method. Liu Yuan did not expect that an ordinary person like Shirogane Miyuki could achieve this level.

Because of this, he also understood why Shirogane Miyuki was so worn out. This kind of intense mental concentration is exhausting enough when playing games, let alone in real life.

"Congratulations on clearing the game."

Liu Yuan handed Shirogane Miyuki a bottle of Coke. "I thought you would clear the game in the last few days of the test, but I didn’t expect it to be so soon. How does this game feel?"

"Very tiring..."

Shirogane Miyuki really experienced the pain of managing a company. Not only did he have to manage the transfer of various personnel, but he also had to collect enough resources every day and even cooperate with Angela to sell resources and resist foreign enemies. If possible, he didn’t want to experience it a second time.

"It’s good that you like it. By the way, after you clear this game, you can take away two things."

"Two things?"

Shirogane Miyuki's face showed no sadness or joy at this point. Although he had no emotional fluctuations, since he could take out two things, he was considering whether to take out a set of Paradise Lost equipment. This equipment was simply invincible.

But soon, he suddenly thought of something.

Was it more than ten days? Or more than twenty days? Or more than thirty days? There were so many restarts that his memory temporarily forgot these unimportant details. But now he could remember them again.

'I really hope to see the sun outside...'

But unfortunately, a game is still a game. Even in realism mode, even with various settings, whether in the game or in the game, Angela cannot enjoy the real sun.

"Boss, can I bring Angela out?"

"You are a teachable kid!"

Liu Yuan nodded at him with satisfaction. "I originally wanted to recommend that you bring Angela out, but I didn’t expect you to choose it directly."

"Then boss, besides Angela... what else should I bring out?"

"The machine for Angela."

"..."

At that moment, Shirogane Miyuki was completely silent. He really didn’t expect to bring Angela's machine out.

"Judging by your expression, you didn’t expect it?"

"Well..."

"Since there is no specified range of selection, then theoretically you can choose any inanimate object you see. By the way, if you take the machine, you can also take out the information of the other heads except Angela."

In Shirogane Miyuki's world, with the help of his father, he had obtained some management rights of the gang these days. The gangs in this city were not as simple and honest as the gangs controlled by his cousin who lives in Italy.

The gangs under his father are more like a legitimate company than a gang, but they often do some shady work. Additionally, he learned something that shocked him when he was chatting a few days ago.

His father turned out to be one of the contact persons of the SPW consortium. His performance these days made Shirogane Dio very satisfied. If Shirogane Miyuki performs well after graduating from high school, he even wants his son to take over and continue to live a carefree life.

Chapter 245

At this moment, Shirogane Miyuki was deeply moved, so he decided to bring out Angela's data and machine as Liu Yuan had recommended.

“Is this the world where the supervisor lives?”

It was a day off in Shirogane Miyuki’s world. The first thing he did after bringing out the machine and Angela’s data was to take Angela out to see the sun.

The weather wasn’t great that day. The sun was visible, but most of it was obscured by dark clouds.

But even so, this was the first time Angela had ever seen the sun.

Although she couldn’t feel the warmth of the sun or the change in the air, the restrictions on her had disappeared.

Previously, her thinking speed had been heavily restricted. To her, normal life was five hundred times slower than it was for others. Shirogane Miyuki had no idea why this was the case, but after coming to this world, that restriction was gone. It was the first time since she was within the company that she had experienced such freedom.

“Supervisor, please wear this.”

“What is this?”

Shirogane Miyuki looked at the smartwatch on his wrist. It didn’t resemble any style he had seen in this world.

“This is a simple device made by the director of the R&D department after being activated in this world. Through it, I can assist you with various problems in life, such as matters of love.”

Shirogane Miyuki was taken aback. His own love life? Wait, how did Angela know about that?

Seeing his expression, Angela produced a cup of coffee from somewhere and sipped it thoughtfully.

“Director, my intelligence is beyond your imagination. And I will always be loyal to you.”

This loyalty wasn’t programmed by the system. Even if it was a life created by the legendary world of the God of Games, that deity wouldn’t control its personality. Everything developed naturally, and the player's choices could change the attitude of every character in the game.

Although each department has now become a spirit, it was a beautiful thing to leave that world and start a new life after its purification.

Moreover, through Shirogane Miyuki, they also learned something fascinating—there was a special type of robot called a tactical doll that could give them bodies and allow them to feel the world again.

Even a machine body would suffice.

But Shirogane Miyuki felt a bit embarrassed. “Actually, you don’t need to do this. I can manage at school.”

“Really?”

Angela responded slowly, “Then who was it who tried to confess his feelings to me that day but didn’t dare to go through with it? Was it Basil? Or Liz? Hmm? As I recall, only you, the supervisor, and the department heads have the authority to communicate with me.”

Shirogane Miyuki didn’t dare to speak. During the game, under pressure, he had shared some things with Angela. But it had been so long, he’d forgotten some details.

“It’s okay, Supervisor. If you don’t like it, I can…”

“No, I don’t dislike it.”

Hearing this, Angela smiled. Just as before, Shirogane Miyuki was still so easy to read.

But she wouldn’t interfere with Shirogane Miyuki’s actions. Although she looked female, as an AI, she had no actual gender. Her super-high computing power gave her emotions, and she wanted to enjoy this world.

Compared to falling in love, she was more curious about whom her supervisor liked.

And so, she began her observations.

The smartwatch created by the R&D director had strong perception abilities. With Angela’s computing power, any hidden emotions could be revealed.

What did she discover? The black-haired beauty’s affection for Shirogane Miyuki... was almost overflowing. What was going on? Why did Shirogane Miyuki like her so much?

They clearly had feelings for each other—why hadn’t they gotten together? Why hadn’t they even confessed? What was her supervisor doing? What was this girl doing?

If Angela had a human brain, she’d be experiencing a mental overload right now.

“Shinomiya Kaguya?”

Through her clone in the smartwatch, Angela identified Shinomiya Kaguya.

One of the children of a large Japanese consortium, one of the heirs to the family. In terms of status, she was in a completely different world from Shirogane Miyuki. But it wasn’t that Shinomiya Kaguya was unattainable—rather, Shirogane Miyuki’s identity was a bit special.

“My boss, do you know your own background?”

Through various data, it was confirmed that Shirogane Miyuki had an Italian cousin. His father and Shirogane's father shared the same lineage, but his father had taken a dark path and was eliminated by Shirogane Miyuki’s father, a man named Jotaro Kujo, and a few others.

This cousin happened to be the leader of an Italian gang, engaging in activities such as trafficking human organs. But according to special records, this man named Giorno Giovanna had the ability to turn stones into life. Although his activities were somewhat illegal, he would never harm anyone.

Furthermore, he was unknowingly linked to the SPW Consortium. If his father gave the order, the Shinomiya family would have to submit. After all, the Japanese consortium wasn’t on the same level as the American one.

But it didn’t matter. Even without relying on this identity and connection, Angela was certain that her boss could be with the one he loved.

“An energy company?”

Angela observed what Shirogane Miyuki’s subordinates were up to. A few days ago, Shirogane Dio had assigned some people to him to start his own business. Shirogane Miyuki planned to start an energy company based on the principles of the Lobotomy Corporation and the Red Alert bio-generator.

However, as Angela examined these machine designs, her smile grew even wider.

“Stupid supervisor, don’t worry about these things. And these people... it seems the training department needs to work on them.”

In her opinion, Shirogane Miyuki’s current subordinates weren’t skilled enough. They were even less competent than the clerks of the Lobotomy Corporation. At least those clerks had decent gun skills, but these people—other than wielding simple sticks and knives—were hopeless.

While she was preparing to improve the supervisor’s living environment, the love-strategizing war between Shirogane Miyuki and Shinomiya Kaguya was about to begin.

But this time was different from before. This time, Angela took a heavy blow in the battle of wits.

She wouldn’t directly expose their feelings, as that was the lowest and most boring behavior, which wouldn’t make her supervisor happy.

Angela analyzed Shirogane Miyuki’s intentions. In this case, she would help him.

What does a confession require? Of course, atmosphere.

Whether it was planning to confess after school or after spending time together, both situations relied on atmosphere.

And what was Angela’s role? Naturally, it was to create that atmosphere, so that Shirogane Miyuki and Shinomiya Kaguya couldn’t help but confess their feelings under the right circumstances.

Her plan was like putting an elephant into a refrigerator—it required three steps.

Step one: arrange for them to be together by chance.

Step two: create an environment where they can talk, designed by herself.

Step three: encourage the confession.

What was the simplest method? Naturally, some activities for two people, like watching a movie together, going on a trip, or shopping and dining together.

Inviting each other was almost impossible for them. Angela also couldn’t understand why the human mind thought that whoever confessed first would lose.

But no matter, she could use other methods, such as a lottery or...

“Ding!”

Just then, Shinomiya Kaguya’s phone suddenly rang.

“Huh?”

Shinomiya Kaguya glanced at her phone. Only a few people knew this phone number. A prank call? Wait, a prize notification?

“Congratulations on being the 100,000th customer at our store. We’re giving you five tickets to the amusement park…”

The following information was tailored by Angela based on the prize announcement in this world. Shinomiya Kaguya was very sharp, and indeed, she had used some methods to hack into the store’s information database and retrieve this prize notification. When she used official channels to contact the store, she would receive tickets to the amusement park.

Angela’s plan was flawless. Five tickets meant Shinomiya Kaguya could invite the other four members of the student council, leaving one ticket for her maid to join as well.

This number wouldn’t make Shinomiya Kaguya feel shy, and it would allow her and Shirogane Miyuki to plan their confession simultaneously.

This was only step one. After entering the amusement park, Angela could fully implement her methods to separate them. She had gathered all the current interests of the student council members, ensuring they had reasons to split up in the amusement park.

However, at that moment, Fujiwara Chika walked in, humming a tune. She noticed Shinomiya Kaguya’s conflicted expression and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I think I’ve won something.”

“Nonono!”

Fujiwara Chika responded with a detective-like seriousness, “Did you know? There’s a scam going around where you receive a text message claiming you’ve won a prize, and they use it to steal important information from your phone.”

“Hey? What should I do?”

Ishigami Yu, who was nearby, overheard the conversation and asked curiously, “What’s up?”

“Kaguya received a scam text!”

Fujiwara Chika explained with a horrified expression, and Shirogane Miyuki paused from his work, “I’ve gotten one too. Just delete it.”

“Is that so?”

Shinomiya Kaguya’s intuition told her this might not be a scam, but after glancing at the message, she smiled and casually deleted it. It was just five amusement park tickets. She wasn’t a child. Even if she had won, she wouldn’t be interested.

She deleted the message casually. Recently, she had learned how to use a smartphone and knew that deleted messages went to the trash. Trash shouldn’t be left uncleaned, so she emptied the trash bin as well.

Angela was stunned by this. She couldn’t understand how Fujiwara Chika had deemed the text message a scam without even reading it.

And what was this girl thinking? How did someone like her end up in the student council?

At the Lobotomy Corporation, Angela had met countless employees, but Fujiwara Chika was the first person with such a peculiar thought process.

“It seems that what’s stopping the supervisor from expressing his feelings isn’t just the invisible barrier between them, but also this person. Should we eliminate her?”

At the same time, Fujiwara Chika shivered.

“Hey? What’s wrong?”

Noticing her discomfort, Shinomiya Kaguya asked with concern, and Chika Fujiwara looked around warily, “I feel like someone’s watching me!”

Today, Angela lost.

Chapter 245

The love battle between Shirogane Miyuki and Shinomiya Kaguya now has an additional participant: an artificial intelligence. This AI is supposed to assist, but her involvement is destined to add one more person to the daily defeats.

While Angela engages in the love battle, Riku and Schwi in another world are facing trouble.

With the help of the Internet café, humans have gained the ability to challenge other races. Whether it’s through personal strength or advanced technology, they have caught the Demonia and Werebeasts off guard. Meanwhile, other low-level races have either retreated to the sea or the moon.

Even if these two races wanted to attack humans now, they couldn’t do much.

Moreover, after a long period of development, humans have not only cultivated some powerful masters but have also created the ultimate weapon: the Paradox Engine.

"Riku, just start this... Except for the God of War, no one can destroy humans."

This was the conclusion Schwi reached after countless calculations. The God of War was arrogant; if his existence was challenged, even by a mere human, he would go all out. However, because of this, he would not strike suddenly against the rise of humanity but wait for his challengers.

He was pleased to witness the emergence of this new power from another world, as he was the God of War, invincible in battle.

But now, Riku was hesitating, unsure about conducting an experiment.

"Schwi, should we... conduct an experiment?"

"According to my calculations, we need to perform actual tests to determine whether this power is feasible. Without experiments, we cannot be certain if time can be stopped in this world."

"Then, let's initiate the time stop."

The paradox battery was activated by electricity, and in an instant, the Paradox Engine stopped time.

However, at that moment, in the home of the Flügel, Azriel sensed this power.

"It has finally revealed itself."

Azriel's face twisted into a cruel smile. Since Jibril's disappearance, she had been searching for this power, which was not of Spirit origin. Indeed, she had sought out Jibril after her disappearance.

Unfortunately, the search did not go smoothly. When she inquired of their creator, Artosh, the only response was, "the power of another world." Beyond that, he said nothing more.

The God of War knew that humanity had mastered the power of another world, but he did not know that Riku and Schwi could access this other world at a fixed time and place every day.

He was the God of War, unmatched in strength, but slightly lacking in other aspects. Something he acknowledged.

However, Azriel, having been alerted by Artosh, had been monitoring the situation on the planet. Riku and Schwi had been developing in secret. Technologically, they had developed nuclear bombs, weather controllers, and hyperspace teleportation. However, hyperspace teleportation did not emit any detectable power fluctuations, not even by the Flügel.

But time stop was different. Even though the Paradox Engine’s time stop was not like a stand that halts time across the entire world, it had still reached a level of power that could rival the gods.

Even if it was only activated for a moment, it was detected by the Flügel. Not only them but all the gods noticed.

Yet, seeing the Flügel take the lead, the other gods watched with a sense of amusement.

"Here, right?" Within minutes, Azriel brought a large number of Flügel to the top of the human base. The Paradox Engine was just a thousand meters underground in the main human base.

"Alarm! Alarm! Flügel approaching."

"What?"

The experiment had been successful. After stopping time, Riku and Schwi were even considering what to have for dinner. Yet, just minutes after time resumed, the Flügel arrived?

"We’ve... been discovered."

Riku asked urgently, "Can the Paradox Engine be moved?"

All other structures could be destroyed and their resources transferred, but the Paradox Engine couldn’t be moved.

"Our space is blocked. However, there is one way..."

As Schwi's core rapidly calculated, her hands became a blur, controlling the machines in the base. Drones were deployed to intercept, but unfortunately, against the unscientific power of the Flügel, only the Chrononautical Corps could be effective. But currently, the human side had very few members of this corps, and Schwi was reluctant to use them.

Humans had been developing in secret until the day Schwi completed the Paradox Engine.

The Paradox Engine, the pinnacle of technology from the Allies or Mental Omega, boasted hyperspace teleportation and time stop—technologies capable of suppressing all races below the top six in this world.

However, the time stop technology had been detected. Schwi wasn’t sure what had gone wrong, but this was only the first experiment. The Paradox Engine had just been assembled underground. Once fully operational, no other race, except the gods, would pose a threat.

But at this critical juncture, they had been discovered? If it had been the Dwarves or elves, there might have been a chance of battle, but it was the Flügel who had found them.

With the current strength of humanity, they might be able to kill one or two ordinary Flügel, but the one who arrived was the leader of the Flügel—the legendary Flügel leader with power approaching that of the gods.

This technology had been painstakingly pieced together by Schwi through trades across various worlds and archaeological discoveries in her own world. She couldn’t let the Paradox Engine be destroyed.

Schwi dismissed Riku's idea.

"Riku, I love you."

"What?"

"I love you."

To prevent the destruction, Schwi had thought of an ultimate plan.

Uploading her "heart" was a plan Schwi had been reluctant to implement, as doing so would mean that the entire Mecha race would develop feelings for Riku.

Yes, in Schwi's view, the most important thing wasn’t just gaining a heart—it was falling in love with the man in front of her. Love is selfish, and she didn’t want others of her kind to share her feelings for him. But now, there was no time to be selective.

Either they sought Liu Yuan’s help, or she would upload her data, ensuring the Ex-Machina race sided with humans. Because what she gained was humanity, and the Ex-Machina race with humanity would certainly win this war together with humans.

These days, spending time in the Internet café had made her understand the importance of a heart. Whether it was the bionic beings or robots, they all pursued humanity.

In other games, like Devil May Cry, where Dante maintains his humanity, or Resident Evil, where the protagonists and supporting characters embody what humanity is, Schwi began to grasp what it truly means to be human.

Beyond the game, her experience with Riku was paramount.

If possible, she didn’t want to upload this experience. But if her other information couldn’t convince the Administrator to help humans, she would use this as a last resort.

But for victory, and for her love, she decided to upload the data.

Chapter 247

"Machine identification code Üc207Pr4f57t9, heart analysis complete. This machine is under attack from the Flügel species. Requesting to connect with the link body commander."

"The data transmission from your machine has been permanently disconnected and deemed non-essential. The request is denied."

"Denied! Regardless of the analysis report's content, the cluster does not have the authority to veto a transmission. Requesting connection."

During this exchange, Schwi began uploading data—information she had meticulously organized in advance.

In the Red Alert world, she and Libra faced Hyperion together, resisted the Epsilon invasion alongside Yunru, and were deceived by the intelligence officer along with the Alliance Commander.

In Resident Evil, she fought with Chris and became Ethan to save his wife and daughter.

Throughout these game experiences, Schwi rarely substituted her own data, often choosing instead to become a new human or experience the protagonist’s journey.

In Detroit: Become Human, she thoroughly analyzed these experiences and came to understand what love truly is.

These data fragments were just the beginning, but they caused abnormalities in the connected Administrator's system. The Ex-Machinas bad never encountered such data before—it was a precious and unprecedented trove of information.

If this were a simple data error, it wouldn’t have been significant. Since their creation, countless Ex-Machinas had experienced data errors, each cause meticulously recorded and analyzed. But the data provided by Schwi was entirely different.

Within Schwi’s data, a key piece of information was discovered—another world. Her report clearly indicated that the Ex-Machina’s creator was likely in another world, but Schwi alone couldn’t analyze this data fully.

"Incredible. I judge you as a valuable data sample. Data synchronization initiated. Synchronization time... unknown. Your machine is prohibited from being destroyed until synchronization is complete."

The data Schwi accumulated was so vast that even the Ex-Machina couldn’t estimate the upload time. Simultaneously, through the data Schwi uploaded, the connected command body understood her specific situation.

"After assessment, your machine is in danger. It is confirmed that your machine holds sufficient command authority. A Cluster with synchronized data will be dispatched to provide support."

"What?"

Schwi was taken aback. She had calculated countless scenarios, but she never anticipated that she would actually gain command authority.

At that moment, someone in Schwi’s Cluster mischievously simulated a very familiar voice.

"Establish Battlefield Control. Stand by."

This familiar adjutant’s voice caused Schwi to pause.

After the war began, the Ex-Machinas typically didn’t engage unless provoked. If Azriel had known there were Ex-Machinas on the human side, she would never have approached so directly.

But now, due to the data synchronized by Schwi, they instantly understood a simple truth:

If your family is being attacked, you must help. Now that Schwi was being bullied by the Flügel right at her doorstep, how could they sit idly by?

With the data provided by Schwi, they quickly completed the construction of mobile base vehicles for the Red Alert four major camps. Superweapons and various infrastructures were also built according to the information in the synchronized data.

"Chronosphere is ready."

"Weather Control Device is ready."

"Nuclear Strike is ready."

"Iron Curtain Particle Launcher is ready."

As the four superweapons were instantly constructed, the Einzig Ex-Machina Administrator sent another message.

"After calculations, Chronosphere and Iron Curtain particles can interfere with the Spirit Corridor. Should we initiate the capture of the Flügel leader?"

At that moment, Schwi received information from all Ex-Machina calculations. The technology from Red Alert far exceeded the Ex-Machina's calculations.

This was a level of technology capable of conquering the universe. According to Einzig's calculations, if the Paradox Engine could be completed and mass-produced, it could even defeat a god.

"Huh?"

Schwi’s mind was now a bit muddled. She had only asked for help from her "family," but now they were talking about capturing the enemy leader?

Yet, this outcome... didn’t seem entirely unacceptable.

"Capture!"

The moment Schwi gave the order, the weather changed.

"The space blockade has been lifted, and Chronosphere is ready. Countdown, three, two, one!"

As the countdown ended, the Ex-Machinas arrived on the battlefield almost instantly.

Among the technological information synchronized by Schwi, the super-dimensional weapon Chronosphere attracted the most attention from Einzig. This technology, which completely controlled time and space, was far beyond his calculations.

This was a power only gods should wield, but through these miraculous technologies, machines could also harness it.

"What? You useless..."

Azriel attempted to fight back, but just as she was about to strike, a circle of black light flashed around her.

The Iron Curtain particles were launched—particles with the capability to kill all life almost instantly. Even the Flügel, with their strong bodies, could resist the Iron Curtain particles, but the Spirit Corridor could not. Disrupted by the Iron Curtain particles, the Spirit Corridor could not channel any power to Azriel.

Azriel tried to counterattack, but her body was frozen before she could act.

She had lost even more miserably than Jibril, who had fought Liu Yuan fiercely before being captured. Azriel, filled with confidence, had sought revenge, only to be surrounded and killed by the Ex-Machina in an instant.

If Jibril knew of her state, she would likely laugh herself to death.

But unfortunately, Jibril was destined never to learn of these events, as according to Einzig’s data, Schwi and Riku were both determining the world’s fate.

"Hello, consciousness."

Affected by Schwi's data, the Ex-Machinas couldn’t fully comprehend what a heart was, but the human elements within the data made these once-cold machines more human.

However, when Riku appeared, the atmosphere shifted slightly.

"I love you!"

"I love you."

"I love you."

The sudden confessions left Riku stunned. He looked at Schwi in panic, unsure how to respond. It was his first time meeting Schwi’s people, so why were they confessing their love to him?

Schwi was equally perplexed but then considered a possibility.

During the data upload process, she had intentionally withheld some of her feelings for Riku, uploading them only from a third-person perspective. She also added a cognitive barrier regarding how to address a man normally.

However, there was a chance that after she uploaded her love, all the Ex-Machinas interpreted it as directed towards Riku. Thus, their way of addressing Riku became... "I love you?"

Chapter 247

Schwi crashed, but by then, it was too late to stop anything. She had considered this possibility when uploading data related to the "heart," but she never expected it to turn out this way!

The Ex-Machina were even simpler and more straightforward than she had anticipated. They directly used the data and fell in love with Riku.

However, when Schwi crashed, Einzig looked at her and said, "After analyzing your data, I believe we can end this war."

This statement left Schwi silent.

In truth, she had long calculated the possibility of winning the war.

By analyzing the situation, she knew that the two main participating races, the Dwarves and the Elves, were drawing closer to the Flügels. If they centered the war around the Flügels, the strongest god might unleash his full power when provoked by seemingly insignificant humans. If defeated at that moment, the final Suniaster would belong to humanity.

This strategy would avoid the destruction of the main human base due to the war while also reaping benefits. Once the war began, spies could be used to sow discord. When everyone was weakened, they could shatter the Spirit Corridors of this world and claim the Suniaster as a symbol of victory.

Both the Dwarves and the Elves now had weapons with destructive power comparable to the Heaven's Strike.

Yet, none of the three factions made the first move. For whatever reason, the situation like the three kingdoms remained stable.

At this point, Einzig remarked, "Now, it's a three-kingdom standoff. We're like Sima Yi—we need to develop in secret and wait for them to fight each other before making our move."

"Pfft!"

Riku, who heard this, almost spat out blood. Why did that statement feel so familiar?

Yes, when battling against the computer, it would often produce a first-person perspective video of the fight after a few minutes. And there was a human-computer called Red Alert HBK08 that often complained in these videos.

Sometimes it was Liu Bei, sometimes Cao Cao, and sometimes Sima Yi. Riku hadn’t known who these people were before, but after reading the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms in the Red Alert world, he completely understood the meaning of these names.

But the truth was that humanity was far too weak, and it would take at least a dozen years to fully develop.

But did humans really have that much time?

The appearance of Azriel proved one thing: humans had no time. If they were targeted by Azriel today, they would be targeted by more Flügel tomorrow.

The disappearance of the Flügel leader would inevitably draw the attention of the God of War, proving one thing: the plan needed to be expedited.

Previously, Riku and Schwi didn’t have a particularly solid plan, but now, with Einzig and the full might of the Ex-Machinas joining them, a bold battle plan was forming.

"Using Heaven's Strike to incite a war between the three races, the God of War will undoubtedly respond with full force to our provocation. If we attack while they're weakened, we have a 50% chance of winning the Suniaster. But doing so will inevitably lead to significant sacrifices."

Einzig's words struck Riku's heart like a heavy hammer.

For so long, all their operations had maintained zero casualties, and he didn’t want to lose anyone now.

"Let's do it!"

Riku made the decision. This was indeed the best opportunity. Azriel had just disappeared, and the Flügel likely hadn’t yet reacted. Now was the time to use the Ex-Machina’s ability to replicate skills. They would deploy the Heaven's Strike, copied by Schwi, to attack the Elves and Dwarves, sparking a war between the three factions.

With the decision made, Riku set the plan into motion. The final action against the Suniaster began earlier than expected due to Azriel's arrival.

A few minutes later, the Dwarves and Elves were struck by Heaven's Strike simultaneously.

Heaven's Strike—the Flügel's most powerful attack. According to known intelligence, even the Ex-Machina hadn't learned this skill.

Since the Ex-Machina could only learn an opponent's skills after being attacked, everyone assumed the Flügel would never be foolish enough to let the Ex-Machina learn this deadly weapon. Furthermore, the Flügel didn't need to use Heaven's Strike to kill the Ex-Machina.

Since the only correct answer had been ruled out, only one conclusion remained: the Flügel had attacked them.

The enemy had begun their assault, so why hold back? The Goblin race unleashed the E-Bombs, while the Elves deployed Áka I Anse, both targeting the Flügel.

Both E-Bomb and Áka I Anse were designed to eliminate other races and even kill gods. Their power was immense, capable of annihilating anything living.

Previously, the races had hesitated to act out of fear of the consequences. In the Three Kingdoms standoff, whoever acted first would likely become the focus of a concentrated counterattack. The principle was simple: the one who struck first would be attacked by those left unscathed, and the attacked party would retaliate with everything they had.

In the end, the first aggressor would be besieged.

But just as they were about to act, they felt an overwhelmingly powerful force gathering in the sky.

E-Bomb was potent, capable of destroying a continent, but unfortunately, its upper limit was only that—continent-level destruction. On the other hand, the God of War's Heaven's Strike could shatter the entire world.

Áka I Anse was slightly less powerful than E-Bomb, but it, too, had the power to slaughter entire continents.

Facing the God of War's attack, both the Dwarves and the Elves had no choice. Coupled with the assault of Heaven's Strike, they had already preemptively targeted the Flügel.

On the throne of Avant Heim, the God of War Artosh sat, overlooking everything on the planet.

He had seen the arrival of beings from another world and the changes among the human race. It didn’t matter; he was the most powerful entity on this planet.

Stopping time? Space-time teleportation? Space-time freezing?

These tactics were useful against other races and even other gods, but to the strongest God of War, they were mere toys, not even worth his attention.

He had watched as Azriel was captured by humans and Ex-Machinas, and he had observed humans and Ex-Machinas daring to provoke him. He could easily see through the cleverness of humans, but despite this, he would still strike with all his might.

This is the way of the strong—belonging only to the strong.

The weakest dares to provoke the strongest? Then he will retaliate with the most formidable force, letting everyone on this planet know why the strongest is the strongest.

The confused Flügel sensed their master's call and appeared in the air simultaneously, gathering their own and their allies’ strength to launch the strongest attack on all living beings in this world.

'Heaven's Strike'

There were no fancy words, no elaborate gestures—just gathering power and then striking.

The three forces attacks combined to create a small star. If left unchecked, this power was enough to destroy the planet.

But Riku also had a trump card.

At this moment, five thousand Ex-Machinas moved in unison to block this force. They opened the ability control to absorb and dissipate the energy.

However, the heat was so intense that it began to dissolve the Ex-Machinas' bodies the moment it made contact. As they were being destroyed, black particles instantly covered the Ex-Machinas on the scene.

"Iron Curtain Device! Activate!"

Chapter 248

The Iron Curtain device creates a spatial distortion by generating a proton distortion field, preventing the target unit from being destroyed by any weapon until the energy is depleted.

When equipped with the Iron Curtain device, it becomes a super weapon that can keep anything safe, even at the center of a nuclear explosion.

The principle behind this device is so complex that, without a certain technological foundation, it would be impossible for this world to develop such technology. However, once Schwi introduced this technology to this world and all the Ex-Machinas mastered it, replicating it was only a matter of time.

Five thousand Ex-Machinas intercepted the combined power of the three forces, while another thousand Ex-Machinas operated the Iron Curtain device.

"What is this?"

"What kind of power is this?"

"I've never seen such technology before!"

The beings from the three forces were dumbfounded, and even the gods backing them appeared solemn as they witnessed this scene. This power was utterly incomprehensible. It seemed weak and harmless, yet it could absorb other energies?

The Ex-Machinas that absorbed and mastered this power initiated energy control, compressing and redirecting it, aiming the combined energy directly at the planet.

According to calculations, the resulting explosion would be powerful enough to penetrate the planet and the Spirit Corridor.

If nothing unexpected occurred, when the Spirit Corridor was destroyed, the Suniaster would end up in the hands of the strongest being. And in this world, that was undoubtedly the God of War, Artosh, who had caused this destruction.

Just as this power was about to explode, time itself stopped. During this moment, time even reversed, healing all the injuries of the Ex-Machinas.

The Elves were stunned, and the Dwarves were equally shocked. The leaders of these two races, who served as the gods' spokespersons and enjoyed divine powers, could observe the world during this time pause, but their bodies could not react at all.

A massive, silver-white aperture appeared in the vast sky. As the aperture vanished, a gigantic warship materialized. The warship was so enormous that it dwarfed even the largest cities of the Dwarves or Elves.

"All systems ready, Paradox is on the move."

The massive warship slowly entered the fray. Normally, after a time stop, the Paradox Engine requires extensive recharging. But what if the Ex-Machinas unite to recharge it?

In mere minutes, three paradox batteries made from three connected bodies became the backup energy source for the Paradox Engine. This Paradox Engine, composed entirely of Ex-Machinas, was vastly different from the one Schwi had cobbled together from scavenged parts.

This engine could stop time for up to 8 hours.

While time was frozen, the Ex-Machinas, led by Einzig, redirected the energy and copied the planet-penetrating power, arriving at the locations of the Dwarves, Elves, and Flügels.

The Ex-Machinas had never visited the Internet cafe because, even after sharing enough "hearts" from Schwi, they could only create machines in Red Alert, but couldn't harness the power of the Internet cafe.

But that didn’t matter. They were here to remove any obstacles in challenging the God of War for the sake of all Ex-Machinas and their loved ones.

This is also why Riku and Schwi hadn’t taken action earlier. They were prepared to challenge the God of War, even planning for the possibility of failure. But without a way to seize the Suniaster after defeating the God of War, they had held back.

Now, with the Ex-Machinas’ help, possessing near-divine Ex-Machinanical power and a seemingly flawed but highly effective strategy, Riku and Schwi had a real chance.

In the state of frozen time, neither the god of forging, Ocain, nor the god of the forest, Kaina, could resist the power of time. Though they, who possessed divine power, could observe their loss alongside their followers, they were powerless to react.

"How do you control this power!"

Ocain could sense that this wasn’t magic. The technology was theoretically similar to the E-Bombs they had developed, but unfortunately, they hadn’t mastered the power to control time.

The Ex-Machinas paid no heed to the inquiries from the Dwarven god. They had only one task now.

As for the gods exiled from this world, the God of War, unaffected by the time stop, remained still. He awaited the monkey and scrap metal who dared to challenge him. To him, these two were as insignificant as ants, no matter what means they used against him.

"Trans-temporal freeze, activate."

The gods were teleported away through trans-temporal technology. The moment he saw the freezing light, Ocain was excited. He saw countless possibilities for development, but unfortunately, he was a step too slow. As the God of Forging, he knew one thing for sure: he might be done for.

The gods of this world are special beings born from the Spirit Corridor. As long as their essence remains, the gods cannot be extinguished. As long as there is faith in their domain, they will not disappear. Even if the essence loses meaning, they can be resurrected after hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of years.

But now, they could only watch as they were teleported outside this planet. Even if their essence remained, returning to the world would be difficult because there was no Spirit Corridor outside it. Without power, they could only contemplate existence in the vast universe, like Kars, or give up thinking entirely.

The war was not yet over. Besides the gods, the other races were temporarily frozen by the super-temporal device.

The interior of Avant Heim is a space independent of this world. The strongest god of war sat on his throne, awaiting Rick’s arrival.

Due to the use of Heaven’s Strike, his power had significantly diminished. Along with this decrease in power, a special mark that only Internet cafe guests could see appeared above his head—a health bar.

There was only one target left in this operation, and even in a weakened state, as the God of War, ordinary humans could not defeat him.

However, Riku and Schwi were not ordinary humans. One human and one Ex-Machina, they had experienced more than a dozen real worlds in the Internet cafe of another world. They had been biding their time for this day, the day they would slay the gods. This couple, had remained in hiding for so long.

“You’ve finally arrived. Even if you’ve mastered the power of another world, you’re still weak and laughable.”

The God of War's body was twice the size of an ordinary person, and the muscles covering his form displayed his unmatched power.

His golden eyes were sharp and full of intimidation, and at this moment, the eighteen pairs of wings on his back unfurled.

However, instead of flying, he stepped down and walked toward Riku and Schwi.

The sheer presence of the god would make other gods retreat, but Riku and Schwi only smiled.

“Schwi, this time we only have one life.”

“No problem, Schwi, is, very strong.”

“Then let’s do this!”

As Riku declared their final attack, Artosh made the first move. He sensed something unusual about Riku. It was just a monkey, yet he seemed invulnerable behind that shield.

At that moment, Artosh felt a rush of excitement. Someone had once predicted he would fall to the weak. Could today be that day?

But he was the God of War. Even in his weakened state, even if the enemy’s power seemed strange, he would charge into battle.

Artosh’s speed was unmatched; no life form could track his movements with the naked eye.

But Riku had faced gods before. In that shattered realm, both demigods and legendary gods had fallen to his sword. The small steel shield on his left arm had withstood the attacks of countless powerful beings.

Instinctively, Riku blocked the attack.

Thirteen sharp sounds echoed instantly in the space, and a scene that seemed strange to outsiders but familiar to all Internet cafe guests unfolded. Artosh, attacking with all his might, lost his balance after Riku's thirteen perfect parries.

Even if it was just for a moment, it was enough.

In that moment, Schwi rushed forward and drove the Black Blade into Artosh’s body.

Crit! Execution - Destined Death version!

Chapter 249

Along with Schwi's execution, Riku made a sword appear secretly in his hand.

Divine Swordsmanship!

Thirteen Black Blades floated in mid-air, bypassing Schwi's body and targeting Artosh's body. The moment the execution ended, Artosh's body burst forth with immense power.

This power could consume almost everything around it, but before the power could explode, Riku and Schwi simultaneously aimed their right hands at the sky.

"BT!"

Two Titans code-named BT descended from the sky.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

Pure mechanical power, a force the God of War had never underestimated, now stood as an obstacle to him. All the game protagonists in Internet cafes are weak. Whether in real life or in the game, every protagonist becomes stronger little by little from a weak state. As game protagonists, few are invincible. Even if you become the Elden Lord, or even the God King, you will still die if you take a sip of crayfish water.

Players are never strong. They are not even as powerful as the boss, but with their own wisdom and courage, they have defeated bosses that are countless times stronger than themselves.

Yes, as beings in this world, Riku and Schwi are still very weak. Not to mention the Heaven's Strike; even if the Ex-Machina uses a Pseudo Code with only 10% power, it might not be able to withstand it.

But as weak players, they have their own methods for defeating strong enemies: technology, equipment, items, and skill. In the future, if you challenge the final boss, you may need to collect supplies for several days or even months. Continuously honing your skills and relying on hard work and various props can make up for the gap in pure strength and enable you to defeat the strong.

The two Titans are very strong, but unfortunately, they cannot defeat Artosh even in a dying state. One Titan falls in one second, and two Titans are wiped out in less than three seconds.

He stood crushing the Titans, struggling with the intense pain brought by Destined Death.

At this moment, he heard two bells ringing. Gray teardrops fell to the ground, and within two seconds, they transformed into human shapes.

The two Mimic Tears glanced at their real bodies. Riku's Mimic took out the magic sword, and Schwi's Mimic took out the Yamato. Simultaneously, the main bodies also took out the corresponding weapons. Riku and Schwi prepared to use special items, ready to launch an attack on Artosh.

The two Rikus charged forward at the same time. The current Artosh was weakened, inflicted by Destined Death and his body lacked the previous dominance. Moreover, due to the constant rebounds in the first round and Schwi's execution, Artosh's body had not yet recovered..

The two Rikus attacked simultaneously, and Artosh went on the offensive with all his strength without blocking. However, the Mimic Tear charged forward and took a direct blow. Riku picked up the Mimic Tear the moment it was scattered, and Artosh's body floated in mid-air.

Two Schwis holding Yamatos rushed up immediately.

Devil May Cry subject one: the assessment begins.

The so-called subject one refers to using Vergil to perform a series of skill attacks and ultimately releasing the final Judgement Cut, keeping the enemy floating in the air. With two Schwis working together, they could not only pass the assessment but also achieve an effect of 1+1>2.

Schwi and Mimic Schwi drew the Yamato simultaneously. This weapon can cut through space instantly and has a special ability: severance.

It can severe humans and demons, as well as body and spirit. Every attack aimed to strip away his soul.

Such a feat cannot be achieved by anyone in full strength, but when Artosh is weak and fatally hit by Destined Death, after passing the subject one exam, the two Schwis continued to exploit the Yamato’s properties to strip away his essence.

Once, twice, three times—Artosh was hit in the air hundreds of times in a few seconds. These hundreds of attacks caused instability and damaging his connection to the Spirit Corridor. At the moment when the final combo was completed, with the sword light flashing and space being cut off, the two Yamatos completed the removal of the Spirit Corridor and Artosh's flesh.

Artosh’s body and soul were now stripped away. This action left Artosh stunned for a moment before he laughed.

As soon as the Spirit Corridor connection was stripped away, he knew he had lost.

It was strange; the opponent was so weak, and even the new weapon they just took out was not powerful.

Cutting space? It’s troublesome for ordinary people, but he can do it on a larger scale.

The black sword was more threatening, but the Spirit Corridor can persist his existence.

Yet this inconspicuous but seemingly special power could deprive him of his essence. Is this the victory of the weak over the strong?

At this moment, he felt very happy. He was defeated, and his defeat seemed so easy and so complete. But for him, it was something to celebrate.

He had always longed for an opponent who could match or even defeat him, regardless of strength or weakness, as long as they could defeat him.

A weak monkey, a scrap metal robot.

He felt that the power of his diviniyy was weakening. He was growing weaker and weaker. Maybe it wouldn’t be long before he fell asleep completely, right?

Before falling asleep completely, he remembered the faces of Riku and Schwi.

Artosh, recalling their faces, lost all activity, in a satisfied mood, and the God of War died. It is not accurate to say death. The inactivation of the Spirit Corridor is not considered death, but how long it will take to recover is unknown.

However, both Riku and Schwi knew that when they mastered the Suniaster, even if the God of War made a comeback, it would be insufficient, especially since they also had trump cards. But due to the addition of the Ex-Machines, their trump cards were useless.

They are guests of the Internet cafe, and there is a Law of Cycle in the Internet cafe.

With the fall of the God of War, the paradox engine released the time stop, and the planet was penetrated at this moment. The Spirit Corridor completely disappeared. The lives in this world looked in this direction, and all lives felt the changes.

However, an accident occurred. Although the Suniaster appeared, it did not appear in front of Riku and Schwi. It didn’t even appear in the hands of Ex-Machines, Flügels, or representatives of various races. A figure that looked like a child wanted to snatch the Suniaster back but was held down.

A voice that sounded like a woman asked, “Who am I and why do I exist?”

This voice stunned the bodies of all the Ex-Machina, for in the memory bank of the Ex-Machina, this being was none other than their creator.

The creator of the Ex-Machina, she is the first and oldest living being in the world.

She has always wondered about one thing: who am I and why do I exist?

To find the meaning of existence, she used all her strength to penetrate her own existence. But God is immortal, and the exploration of the unknown brought about by technology has restored the power of this God's divinity. After regaining her strength, she saw the victory and defeat and even the appearance of the Suniaster.

Suniaster? She doesn't need it at all; she doesn’t need the power to control the world. She just wants to know who she is and why she exists in this world. Regardless of whether the couple in front of her can answer her questions, she will return the Suniaster.

Now, she is just using this Suniaster as leverage, hoping that the humans in front of her, this Ex-Machina, who was created by herself and has gained humanity after countless generations, can answer her question.

If she can get an answer to her question, then death doesn’t seem to be a big deal.

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Chapter 250: Who am I?

Who am I?

This question sounds very simple.

"I" can refer to herself as Riku, Schwi, or any life in this world.

However, for the first life in this world, or even a being like the God of Creation, how to answer this question is very important.

At this time, Riku and Schwi received the opening notice simultaneously.

"The 4-D space Internet café is open for business! Guests can come to play!"

The two who saw this message looked at each other, and then Riku and Schwi simultaneously invited this non-existent god.

"We can't answer your question very well, but if you need, you can go to another world with us to find it."

"Another world? That's fine..."

The moment she agreed, Schwi, Riku, and the unknown god appeared in the Internet café at the same time.

Only after entering the Internet café did Riku and Schwi see her appearance.

On the surface, she looked like a girl in revealing clothes, but in fact, her body was very unstable, as if she were about to dissipate at any time.

When they appeared in the Internet café, Liu Yuan was already at the door to greet them.

"Welcome to the 4D Internet Café."

Liu Yuan felt it when the young goddess appeared in the Internet café. In addition, Riku and Schwi had asked him to wait here in advance.

Riku said to the girl beside him, "The person in front of you can answer your doubts. He can tell you who you are and why you were born in this world."

"Hello."

The girl greeted Liu Yuan politely. She could feel that the person in front of her was no different from ordinary humans. So can the human in front of her really answer her questions?

"Excuse me, do you know who I am?"

"Of course I know."

Liu Yuan pointed to the lounge, took the girl to the lounge, sat down together, and looked at each other.

"I know you are the god of that world, the first life or god in the world. You have the ability to create, and you can create an existence like the Ex-Machina race that has infinite possibilities and can analyze all the rules of the world. But before that, I want to ask you a question: Who am I?"

"You are a human."

At this moment, the girl looked at Liu Yuan, puzzled. However, Liu Yuan's eyes calmed her down. Liu Yuan shook his head slowly and said, "Just like you are a god, I am a human being, the owner of this store. I want to make money, I like to look at older girls, I am lustful, I love to eat, and I even like to bully the clerks for not paying. So after taking away this code name and this identity, who am I?"

"I don't know."

"Then the next question is, who am I?"

"You have answered this question."

The girl looked at Liu Yuan, puzzled, and Liu Yuan continued with a slightly changed tone.

"No! I was asking about myself just now, and now it's you."

"Is there any difference?"

Liu Yuan moved closer to the girl, stared into her eyes, and said, "For example, when I use my code name to communicate with you, you also use my code name to communicate. Does this mean that you are me and I am you?"

At this moment, the girl was silent. As a god, she had never considered these things.

If Liu Yuan's theory were true, even if I called him with his name, he would talk to me with his name, but he was not me, and I was not him. They were two completely independent individuals.

"If this question is difficult to answer, I will ask a few other questions. Where did you come from, and where did you die? Why did I appear in this world? What does my appearance mean to this world? Did the world choose me, or did I choose the world? Is there an inevitable connection between me and the universe? Does the universe have an end? Does time have a length? Where does the past time disappear? Where does the future time stop? Is the question I asked at this moment the same question you just heard?"

"I... am me?"

The girl was completely confused by the questions, but through this series of questions, she figured out the question Liu Yuan had asked at the beginning.

I am me; no matter if I call myself or others call me with my name, I am me. The others had called my name in their own ideas, and I'm calling myswith my own ideas.

My consciousness is completely different from Liu Yuan's, so I am me, and others can't replace me, even if they call me with my name.

When the first layer of logic is clear, the next question is simpler. The universe has no end but also has limits. She was born from the Elf Corridor and appeared in this world, symbolizing the emergence of the first life. It was not the world that chose to give birth to her, but she happened to become the first creature in the world. The past time has not disappeared, and the future time is still ongoing.

These are the questions Liu Yuan asked, and the above are the answers I thought of myself.

Gradually, there was light in the girl's eyes. This is an affirmation of the "I", and it is also a kind of inner understanding.

At this time, Liu Yuan smiled. "It seems that you have found 'yourself', so let me tell you what your true identity is. You are the first life born in the world. You are a god who doubts everything and is suspicious of everything. You are the embodiment of all life's unknowns and explorations."

"You don't have a name, so can I call you Holou?"

"Holou? What does this mean?"

Liu Yuan explained, "This means that you say hello to the world; it means that you are yourself, and you can be responsible for yourself and do anything."

"But what can I... do?"

Holou understood what an identity is, but she didn't understand the meaning of her existence in this world.

Liu Yuan introduced, with a hidden agenda, "If you don't know the meaning of your existence, come and try the games in this Internet café."

"Games?"

"Well, games. Since you don't know the meaning of your existence, set a small goal for yourself and try to complete a game?"

"Well..."

At the moment she agreed, Liu Yuan received a message from his superior through the system.

[Good job, promotion and salary increase.]

Liu Yuan took the first words as his boss's affirmation of himself, and for the last words, Liu Yuan just smiled and said nothing.

Let him tell a joke: promotion and salary increase is nonsense.

Originally, he was just trying to be a network administrator for a few thousand yuan to make a living, but now?

He wanted to invest all the money he earned every day in the hope of getting more games as soon as possible.

When Liu Yuan and Holou walked out of the lounge, Riku and Schwi looked at Liu Yuan with their big eyes, and Liu Yuan gently pushed Holou.

Holou introduced herself. "Holou, the God of Doubt. From today on, I will join you; please take me to play games!"

Riku and Schwi looked at Liu Yuan in disbelief.

The boss is worthy of being the boss. After a conversation, he turned a god into an internet addict? How did he do it?

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