The Lock Can't Save You

Jie La Er's movements were incredibly fast.

It wasn't until the severed arm rolled twice on the ground that Ocott came to his senses.

"Aaaaaaah!"

He desperately clutched his wound, letting out a scream like a pig being slaughtered.

"Jie La Er! Your Heart Lock has indeed failed. You have now betrayed Lyra ..."

He endured the pain and roared at Jie La Er with all his might, but Jie La Er didn't give him a chance to finish speaking. He pulled out the metal bar and slashed at Ocott's other arm.

"Clang"!

With a crisp sound, Jie La Er's metal bar struck a small mechanical arm, sparks flying.

Jie La Er looked up and saw that the robotic arm was extending from behind Ocott.

At this moment, Ocott's back was throbbing wildly, as if something was trying to break free from his body.

Jie La Er sensed something was wrong and launched an attack directly at Ocott's head, while the suddenly appearing mechanical arm began to block it.

Clang, clang, clang!

A series of clanging sounds echoed as sparks flew across Ocott's forehead, but he didn't even glance at them. He simply clutched his head tightly, as if suppressing something.

A moment later, he let out a terrible scream, his expression even more painful than when Jie La Er had cut off his arm. At this moment, the throbbing behind him reached its limit, and one after another, tiny mechanical arms emerged from behind him, the tearing sound making it unclear whether they were tearing clothes or flesh.

In a very short time, Ocott had changed dramatically.

He went from an ordinary person who didn't appear to have undergone much metal modification to a monster with eight mechanical arms hidden inside his body, which, when fully extended, made him look like a tall spider.

Then Ocott manipulated the eight mechanical arms to stab at Jie La Er. Jie La Er immediately retreated, and the mechanical arms left hole after hole in the floor in front of him.

After temporarily forcing Jie La Er back, Ocott once again clutched his head and gasped for breath, clearly finding the eight mechanical arms a considerable burden on him.

At this moment, Jie La Er finally had time to express his astonishment—he hadn't expected Ocott to turn out like this.

"It seems that I am not the one who betrayed Lyra," Jie La Er said slowly. "You are the most direct evidence. Such modifications to you are absolutely not allowed."

Upon hearing Jie La Er's words, Ocott immediately burst into laughter, his face contorted with pain, making him appear exceptionally ferocious. "I'm sorry, Jie La Er, your understanding is outdated. Lyra introduced a new law three years ago that allowed some previously prohibited mechanical modifications... just like what you see here."

Jie La Er narrowed his eyes slightly.

He did know about the new bill that Ocott was talking about.

According to Lyra's past rules, metal prosthetics can only be added when they replace an existing prosthetic, not added to an intact body. Simply put, a new prosthetic can replace a former flesh arm, but it cannot be added out of thin air, creating a "third arm".

This used to be a strictly forbidden red line that no one could violate.

However, the bill passed three years ago moved this red line slightly backward, but at most it only allowed "five fingers" to become "six fingers".

And someone like Ocott, who simply adds eight mechanical arms to his body...

"You've crossed the line," Jie La Er said. "By a lot."

"Yes, yes, I did cross the line, I don't deny that." Ocott was still smiling. "But what is the punishment for crossing the line? Lord Jie La Er, let me tell you, the rules for punishment under this plan are not yet mature, so you may not know. But the punishment for crossing the line under this plan is... a fine of three thousand silver coins, but it does not require the removal of the part that crossed the line. Unfortunately, I have already paid the fine of three thousand silver coins."

Ocott's smile grew wider, and his eight mechanical arms simultaneously pointed at Jie La Er.

"So, having paid the fine, I did not betray Lyra. And you, Lord Jie La Er, you had no authority to punish me... yet you still attacked me. You have broken the 'lock' in your heart. You are the one who betrayed Lyra, you are the traitor!"

Jie La Er couldn't refute Ocott's words because he knew Ocott was right.

The "lock" in his heart had long since disappeared.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to get Carol's information from the archives so easily today, nor would he have been able to dislocate Ocott's arm so smoothly as before.

He is now a true... rebel.

Ocott remains a Lyra citizen.

As he looked at Ocott, the image of Carol's death involuntarily surfaced in his mind again, the family photo he cherished so dearly, along with his life, destroyed beyond recognition.

Jie La Er gripped the metal bar tighter and tighter, his fingers, which hadn't been replaced by metal, bleeding profusely from the sharp metal strip.

"When did Lyra become like this?" Jie La Er asked softly. "Is it because of you guys?"

Ocott still looked at Jie La Er with a mocking expression, but he remained wary of the Knight had unlocked the "lock of the heart".

"Well, it seems that guy was right." Jie La Er slowly raised the metal bar in his hand, pointing it at Ocott. "Sometimes, I need to do things that I couldn't have imagined before."

Ocott frowned slightly.

That guy?

Who are you referring to?

Jie La Er didn't offer any explanation; he simply leaned down slightly.

"Don't worry," Jie La Er said. "I'll pay the fine after I kill you."

The Tower of Babel.

The young man, sitting alone in his office, opened his eyes, looked at the setting sun, and suddenly asked, "Why hasn't Ocott returned yet?"

An old man had just pushed open the door when he heard the young man's words. He immediately bowed and said, "Lord Yongxin, Ocott is on the Gear Train heading to Fifth District. According to his report, the Knight of the Evening Star did something out of line today. He went to deal with it, and then an accident happened."

Then, the old man told the young man everything that had happened that day.

The young man was silent for a moment, then said softly, "Jie La Er's heart lock really is broken."

"Yes," the old man replied. "This is the first time in ten years that he has entered the archives and the first time he has done something 'out of line'."

"...Interesting." The young man said with a smile, "For the past ten years, we have been trying to stop and get rid of him by claiming that he has been corrupted, which has made his 'Heart Lock' unstable. We all know that's a lie. But now... his 'Heart Lock' has really broken."

The old man was silent for a while, then said, "This is indeed very surprising. What exactly caused the 'lock' in his heart to break?"

"Ten years. That Heart Lock has kept him locked for ten years, which is beyond our expectations," the young man said. "That's why we arranged for him to go to the Rhine, hoping to truly put an end to him... Unfortunately, he was quite lucky, or rather, the Archbishop of the Rhine wasn't so lucky, which caused our plan to go wrong."

After saying this, the young man fell silent once again. He looked at the sun in the distance, which was already halfway down. From his angle, the sun looked as if it was about to be swallowed up by the steel city of Lyra.

The old man waited for a long time, but the young man showed no sign of speaking, so he couldn't help but ask, "What about Ocott's side..."

"Hmm?" The young man seemed to suddenly wake up. "What?"

"He said he felt like he was being watched, which is why he went to Fifth District," the old man said. "What do you think he's being watched by?"

In the old man's impression, the young man was the kind of person who could calmly deal with whatever happened, giving people the impression that nothing was beyond his control.

But this time, a hint of hesitation flashed across the young man's face.

"To be honest, I don't know."

The old man's expression immediately turned to surprise.

"It's too much of a coincidence, everything is too much of a coincidence." The young man frowned slightly and said softly, "I didn't realize it before, but now that I think about it... it really is too much of a coincidence. The final moment is about to arrive, and Xiaoxing, who should have died in Rhine, has returned unharmed, unlocked the Heart Lock that had been locked for ten years, started taking action in such a short time, and accurately found the entry point. And today, Ocott is being targeted by something again. It's too much of a coincidence, it's just too much of a coincidence."

The old man sensed unease from the young man's words. "What do you mean?"

The young man was silent for a moment, then said, "I feel there is a reason for this change, but I can't find it based on these facts alone. I need to observe further... But I have a feeling that Ocott is not coming back, and the one chasing him is very likely Jie La Er."

The old man's eyes widened little by little. "How could this be? Putting aside how Jie La Er could find Ocott, even if he did find him, he shouldn't be a match for Ocott, right? Ocott has undergone rebirth modification, while Jie La Er... even if his 'Heart Lock' has been unlocked, his 'Body Lock' is still there."

"I was just saying I had a feeling about it," the young man said softly. "But unfortunately, my premonitions often come true, and expecting the 'Body Lock' to completely restrain the former Xiaoxing..."

The young man didn't finish his sentence, but the old man already understood what he meant. However, the old man didn't know how to respond.

After a long while, when the distant sun finally disappeared into the steel body of Lyra, and darkness spread across the sky like ink, the old man heard the young man speak.

"Prepare for the worst and get rid of Ocott... But it's not time for a showdown yet."

The old man's body trembled slightly, but he dared not say anything more. He simply made his promise and left quickly, leaving the young man alone to gaze at the Lyra after nightfall.

What's going on?! What's going on?! What's going on?!

Inside the cramped carriage, Ocott relentlessly drove his robotic arms toward Jie La Er. These robotic arms were specially designed to attack faster than even the most agile and deadly snakes when hunting.

In such a space, an old thing that should have been eliminated by the times should not be able to do anything effective.

Of course, Jie La Er didn't dodge. He charged straight at Ocott, swinging the metal bar in his hand in a circle. This metal bar, which shouldn't have been a weapon, was like a drawn sword in Jie La Er's hands, slicing down one "venomous snake" after another that was tearing at him. The moment the metal collided with the metal, it emitted a piercing and sharp buzzing sound, and golden sparks flew out.

Jie La Er marched forward unstoppably amidst the Martian onslaught, remaining unscathed despite the overwhelming pressure.

Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!

Ocott was not a combat specialist, nor had he ever joined any of Lyra's units, but until just now he had not taken Jie La Er seriously because Gerald had undergone the most secret, newest type of modification.

Each of his eight robotic arms is stronger than any prosthetic limb on the market, and the level of technology involved is unmatched even by the "devil" troops fighting against pollution.

So how could an old man living ten years ago possibly stand up to him?

People are like machines; the newer and more advanced people should naturally be replaced by the older and less up-to-date ones.

But why is this guy able to...?

"Clang!"

Jie La Er had already rushed in front of Ocott, raised the metal bar, which was full of chips but not yet broken, high, and then swung it down hard at Ocott's other arm.

Ocott immediately spurred his two mechanical arms back to defend. At the same time, sounds came from Jie La Er's metal body as chains began to extend from the deepest part of his body, attempting to restrain Jie La Er in his rage.

This is the oldest and most demanding of all the metal products made by Lyra – the "Body Lock".

Initially, this "Body Lock" was only used by troops stationed in the Contamination Zone prevent them from using these powerful weapons to harm Lyra if they became out of control. Gradually, however, the lock was extended to everyone on Lyra; each person's metal prosthetic limb contained such a lock, which became the most important guarantee for Lyra's safety.

And it has now become Ocott's greatest hope.

Jie La Er's "Body Lock" was triggered. Even though his physical modifications were far less advanced than Lyra's new generation of troops, the "Body Lock" still restricted more than 70% of Jie La Er's power.

In this way...

"Clang!"

The two mechanical arms that Ocott used to block Jie La Er's attack were severed once again, but the slashing motion did not stop. The metal bar, riddled with holes, still slashed into Ocott's right shoulder at this moment, only stopping after the bar was completely embedded.

"Aaaaaaaahhhhh!"

Ocott let out another wail.

The remaining robotic arms immediately attacked Jie La Er. Realizing that this attack would not achieve any greater results, Jie La Er did not linger and quickly retreated, reaching a safe position in an instant.

Then he looked down and saw that the "locks" on every metal part of his thighs, chest, and shoulders had been fully engaged, and his every movement was now severely restricted.

The ancient rules of Lyra still protect Ocott.

But...

Jie La Er watched Ocott howling madly not far away and silently wiped the blood off the metal strip.

It's going to be lost.