Slice Research

"1 minute."

Wei Shu's voice was the final serenity in a noisy world.

He sat alone in the control room, connected to the Deep Sea. Once his authorization was granted, he felt as though he had become an extension of that omnipotent computer, his consciousness and thoughts spreading outward.

The map of the entire Da Teng City lay before his eyes.

Wei Shu watched the real-time feed and saw A-009's frenzied lunges. Every image was converted into data in real-time, a massive tide of information rumbling as it synchronized and uploaded... yet, at this moment, that data was meaningless. A-009's strength, speed, and resilience far surpassed Nan Jin's. The balance she maintained by overdrawing her strength and relying on her parrying technique would soon be shattered.

Wei Shu knew this clearly.

One minute in reality was short... but at this very moment, every second could be Nan Jin's limit.

Every attack from A-009 forced her closer to the edge of exhaustion; she could collapse at any moment before reinforcements arrived.

"A-009... why has she become so insane?"

In a moment of absolute silence, Wei Shu's mind, linked to the Deep Sea, began to ponder this question.

Simultaneously, he pulled up the footage from Line 13 and increased the playback speed... under the connection to the Deep Sea, a massive influx of information flooded his brain.

Wei Shu frowned.

Much of the information was corrupted; the footage was fragmented, severed by an unknown external force.

Then, his pupils slowly constricted as he saw a surviving segment of surveillance footage. In that clip... A-009 was uncharacteristically gentle, engaged in a calm conversation with the boy named Gu Shen.

"60..."

"59..."

Nan Jin closed her Eyes, feeling as though every second lasted a year, counting down silently in her heart.

She could still hold on, but her cheeks were already covered in two trails of blood-tears. The two long blades, subjected to rapid parrying, were on the verge of shattering, their secret runes nearly worn away.

She was like a drowning person with nowhere to turn, ready to be submerged at any moment. The "1 minute" Wei Shu promised was the only straw she had to grasp.

"40..."

"39..."

In the depths of her despair, a voice rang out urgently.

"Nan Jin... stop resisting. When A-009 breaks through your Sword Domain, use Gu Shen as a human shield."

Nan Jin cast a quick glance at the boy behind her.

Gu Shen's head was buzzing; he had no idea what was happening.

Over the comms, Wei Shu's voice was resolute: "...Trust me."

"Clang—"

With a final, crisp sound, the long blades shattered.

With no time to think, Nan Jin retreated a large step without hesitation, moving to the boy's side.

Before her, the mountain-like Lady in Formal Dress broke through the defensive line of the Sword Domain, her face twisted in a snarl as she raised her blade to strike.

In the blink of an eye, Nan Jin grabbed Gu Shen by the back of his collar and hoisted him up.

"What the f—"

Gu Shen's mind went blank. This woman's strength was absurd; he couldn't resist even if he wanted to. Like a sandbag, he was lifted instantly and suspended in front of her.

She couldn't hold on anymore, so she was using him as a meat shield?!

A gale-force wind struck.

Gu Shen closed his Eyes, bracing himself for the end of his life.

All sound vanished—

The wind died down.

Nothing Happened.

The tall Lady in Formal Dress, holding her Bone Scraper, hung suspended before Gu Shen. She halted her downward strike. Beneath the shadow cast by her wide-brimmed hat, two faint red glimmers slowly faded away.

Nan Jin was Stunned... Wei Shu had actually been right. For some unknown reason, when she used this boy as a shield, A-009 had interrupted her own ferocious assault.

The tall woman, having ceased all movement, suddenly went quiet.

She neither attacked nor fled, maintaining a silent standoff. Gu Shen felt the focus of her gaze... the tall lady sheathed her Bone Scraper.

"3... 2... 1..."

The countdown in his heart ended, and the one minute Wei Shu had promised was up.

Nan Jin looked up.

"Hoo hoo hoo—"

The silence of the suburban night sky was shattered. The roar of helicopter rotors echoed from afar, and beam after beam of strong light pierced the clouds, converging on the three people gathered on the lawn.

The cabin door on one side of the helicopter opened—

Nan Jin looked up and saw a familiar face in the light.

Wei Shu's summoned "reinforcements" were actually...

The woman's expression was complex. She let out a long sigh, and her taut nerves relaxed.

"Nan Jin... I want to thank you on behalf of Da Teng City for successfully detaining A-009."

The moment she saw the helicopter arrive—

Wei Shu knew that the mission to detain A-009 was over.

Wei Shu withdrew from the connection to the control room, his face as pale as paper.

Each connection to Deep Sea uploaded a massive amount of data. Digesting such a vast amount of information was no simple task. Veins bulged on Wei Shu's temples, and he felt waves of sharp pain. The back of his shirt was already soaked with sweat.

His mental strength was exhausted.

At this moment, the man could only sit weakly on the chair, finding it difficult to even move a finger.

The woman on the headset remained silent.

"..."

Wei Shu knew what that silence meant. He smiled silently, "I'm sorry about one thing. I've already reported this operation to Mr. Shu through 'Deep Sea'. A-009's level is too high. If we fail, none of us can bear the responsibility... If I'm not mistaken, Mr. Shu should have already arrived."

"...Mm, I already see him."

Nan Jin said nothing and wearily hung up the call.

She knew Wei Shu had made a very correct choice.

"Rumble—"

Grass clippings flew.

The helicopter landed, and a gentle wave of power spread out.

The powerful oppressive aura that A-009 exuded was slowly suppressed by an even stronger force. The woman in the black dress wanted to move, but dozens of thick vines instantly erupted from beneath her feet, spreading and wrapping around her. In just a few seconds, she had become a solidified wooden sculpture—

The vines wrapped around the tall woman continued to grow, constricting and tightening her dress, making her even more secure.

But if one observed closely, they would notice a faint hissing sound as the vines wrapped around her. This was A-009's corrosive power taking effect. The restraint of these vines was very strong, but it also had a time limit.

In the helicopter's light, an old man in a Zhongshan Suit slowly emerged.

"Teacher..."

Nan Jin's expression was complex, and she wanted to say something.

The old man smiled and waved, signaling Nan Jin not to be so somber and to relax.

"Well done."

He leaned on his Purple Wood Dragon-Head Cane and slowly walked to the side of the wood-carved woman in the dress. He examined A-009, now entwined, and saw the traces of Nan Jin's battle with her.

The old man patted the tall woman's shoulder and laughed heartily, "As expected of my disciple, you now have the courage to challenge A-009? While courage is a good thing, dying because of recklessness is not good... You must cherish your life! This life is precious, and it's not worth losing here!"

"..."

Nan Jin felt a hint of regret and said softly, "If I had another chance, I would do better."

"You've already done very well."

The old man stared at the wooden sculpture, his brow furrowed. "Compared to the last time I personally apprehended her, A-009 has become much stronger. It's a miracle that you managed to hold on until I arrived... I just can't understand it. It's only been three days, what kind of stimulus did she experience?"

So something had indeed changed... Nan Jin hesitated for a moment and said, "The emergency report said that A-009 escaped because of a malfunction in Deep Sea."

"Impossible," Mr. Shu shook his head, stating with certainty, "Deep Sea cannot malfunction."

At this point, the old man suddenly paused. He looked at the young man Nan Jin was holding.

Nan Jin also looked down. The person she was holding was on all fours like a shrimp, clearly unconscious.

"..."

At the last moment, it was fortunate to have him... He had saved her life.

It was hard to imagine that A-009 hadn't killed him.

"After A-009 escaped, she took subway line 13 alone... This guy was on the same train car with her for a full 20 minutes." Nan Jin recalled a certain scene, her expression changing slightly, and said, "When I cut open the car, I saw that A-009 didn't kill him. They were getting along peacefully."

"Oh?"

The old man raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued.

"...Perhaps it was just a bit of good luck." Nan Jin rubbed her temples, offering an explanation for Gu Shen.

Mr. Shu stared at Gu Shen for a moment, then smiled. "For an ordinary person to survive under A-009, that luck is... a bit too good. Bring him back and slice him up for research."

The eyelids of the person who had passed out twitched, and he immediately jumped up, only to be promptly pinned back to the ground as expected.

Nan Jin's expression turned strange.

This kid was actually faking unconsciousness?

"Aha... trying to run away, are we?" Mr. Shu laughed heartily. "Don't be afraid, we aren't exactly good people."

He snapped his fingers.

With a soft click, two vines emerged from the mud, transforming into a pair of handcuffs that locked firmly around Gu Shen's wrists.

"Not running, not running, not running! How would I dare to run?"

Gu Shen sprawled out, covering his head with Both Hands in the standard pose of a hero begging for mercy. "Sir, even though you're leaning on a cane, look at me—my backside is already shredded. Do you really think I can outrun you?"

He still dared to mock him? Mr. Shu's lips twitched, and he sneered, "Just come back with me obediently. Everyone is quite interested in you."

"The kind of interest that involves slicing me up for research?" Gu Shen's face turned pale with terror, and he began to panic.

"...Take a guess." The old man stroked his chin, revealing a meaningful, "friendly" smile.

Several staff members loaded the towering wooden statue of the lady into a massive, airtight container, while simultaneously hauling Gu Shen up.

The helicopter roared to life once more.

"...Depart."