Slice Research

"1 minute.

www..co

M"

Wei Shu's voice was the last calm in the noisy world.

He sat alone in the control room, connected to Deep Sea. Once his authority was opened, he seemed to 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 saw the live feeds, and he saw A-009's frenzied attacks. Every image was converted into data in real time, vast amounts of data surging and uploading in synchronized torrents... Unfortunately, at this moment, that data was meaningless. A-009's strength, speed, and resilience far surpassed Nan Jin's. The balance she maintained through blade-vibrating techniques and overexertion would soon be broken.

Wei Shu knew this very well.

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

Every attack from A-009 forced her closer to the brink of exhaustion. Before reinforcements arrived, she could collapse at any moment.

"Why has A-009... become so crazed?"

In that moment when all things fell silent, Wei Shu's mind, linked to Deep Sea, began considering the question.

At the same time, he pulled up footage from Line 13 and accelerated it... With Deep Sea's connection, a massive flood of information poured into his mind.

Wei Shu frowned.

Much of the information was damaged. The footage was incomplete, cut off by some unknown external force.

Then his pupils slowly contracted as he saw a surviving segment of surveillance footage. In that footage... A-009 was unusually gentle, calmly conversing with the boy named Gu Shen.

"60..."

"59..."

Nan Jin closed her eyes, every second feeling like a year as she counted down in her heart.

She could still hold on, but two trails of bloody tears already covered her cheeks. Her two long blades were on the verge of shattering under the rapid vibrations, their secret patterns nearly worn away.

She was like a drowning person with nowhere left to go, liable to sink at any moment. The "one minute" Wei Shu had promised was the only lifeline she could grasp.

"40..."

"39..."

In that moment of despair, an urgent voice rang out.

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

Nan Jin quickly glanced at the boy behind her.

Gu Shen's head was buzzing. He still had no idea what was happening.

Wei Shu's voice over the current was extremely certain. "...Trust me."

Clang—

With one final crisp sound, the long blades shattered.

With no time left to think, Nan Jin immediately took a large step back and came to the boy's side.

Before her, Lady in Formal Dress, tall as a mountain, broke through the Sword Domain's defenses. Her face twisted hideously as she raised her blade and chopped down.

In that flash of lightning, Nan Jin grabbed Gu Shen by the back of his collar and lifted him up.

"What the hell—"

Gu Shen's mind went blank. This woman was absurdly strong. He could not resist even if he wanted to. Like a sandbag, he was lifted in an instant and dangled in front of her.

She can't hold on anymore, so she's using me as a human shield?!

A violent gale swept in.

Gu Shen closed his eyes, ready to meet the end of his life.

All sound vanished—

The wind was calm, the waves still.

Nothing happened.

The tall woman in formal dress held a sharp blade suspended before Gu Shen. She had stopped her downward strike, and beneath the shadow cast by her wide brim, two faint red glows slowly faded away.

Nan Jin froze... Wei Shu had actually been right. For some unknown reason, the moment she used this boy as a shield, A-009 stopped her savage assault on her own.

The tall woman, all her movements halted, suddenly became quiet.

She neither attacked nor fled, simply maintaining the silent standoff. Gu Shen felt her gaze focus on him... The tall lady put away the Bone Scraper.

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

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

Nan Jin raised her head.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

The silence of the suburban night sky was shattered. In the distance came the roar of helicopter rotors. One beam of intense light after another pierced the clouds of the night, converging on the three people on the lawn.

A cabin door on the side of the helicopter opened—

Nan Jin lifted her head and saw a familiar face within the light.

The "reinforcement" Wei Shu had summoned was actually...

The woman's expression was complicated. She let out a long breath, and her tightly wound nerves finally relaxed.

"Nan Jin... on behalf of Da Teng City, I thank you for successfully holding A-009 back."

The moment he saw the helicopter arrive—

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

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

Every connection to Deep Sea involved an enormous upload of data. Processing such vast information was no simple matter. Veins bulged at Wei Shu's temples, waves of stabbing pain pulsed through his head, and the clothes on his back had long been soaked through with sweat.

His mental strength was exhausted.

At this moment, the man could only sit weakly in his chair. Even moving a single finger took effort.

The woman on the other end of the earpiece remained silent.

"..."

Wei Shu knew what that silence meant. He smiled soundlessly. "There's something I need to apologize for. I've already reported this operation to Mr. Shu through Deep Sea. A-009's clearance level is too high. If we failed, neither of us could bear the responsibility... If I'm not mistaken, Mr. Shu should have already arrived."

"...Yes, I can see him."

Nan Jin said nothing more and wearily ended the call.

She knew Wei Shu had made a very correct choice.

Rumble—

Grass clippings scattered.

The helicopter landed, and an invisible wave of gentle force spread outward.

The powerful sense of oppression A-009 radiated was slowly suppressed by an even stronger force. The woman in the black formal dress tried to move, but dozens of thick vines burst from beneath her feet in an instant. They spread and wrapped around her, binding her tightly. Within mere seconds, she had become a frozen wooden statue—

The vines around the tall woman continued to grow, constricting and tightening around her formal dress, becoming increasingly secure.

But upon closer inspection, one could hear faint hissing sounds as the vines wrapped around her. A-009's corrosive power was taking effect. The vines bound her tightly, but the restraint had a time limit.

An elderly man in a Zhongshan suit slowly emerged from the helicopter's light.

"Teacher..."

Nan Jin's expression was complicated as she tried to say something.

The old man waved with a smile, signaling that Nan Jin need not be so grave and could relax.

"Well done."

Leaning on the Purple Wood Dragon-Head Cane, he slowly approached the wooden Lady in Formal Dress. He examined the bound A-009 and saw the traces of Nan Jin's battle with her.

The old man patted the lady's tall shoulder and laughed loudly. "As expected of my disciple. You actually have the courage to challenge A-009 now? Courage is certainly a good thing, but losing your life out of rashness would be bad... You must cherish your life! This life is precious. It wouldn't be worth throwing it away here!"

"..."

Nan Jin was somewhat regretful as she said softly, "If I had another chance, I would do better."

"You've already done very well."

The old man stared at the wooden statue and frowned. "Compared to when I personally imprisoned her last time, A-009 has grown much stronger. The fact that you held on until I arrived is already a miracle... But I cannot understand it. It has only been three days. What kind of stimulation did she encounter?"

So some kind of change had indeed occurred... Nan Jin hesitated before saying, "The emergency report said A-009 escaped because Deep Sea malfunctioned."

"Impossible." Mr. Shu shook his head, his tone absolute. "Deep Sea cannot malfunction."

At that point, the old man suddenly paused. He looked at the boy Nan Jin was carrying in her hand.

Nan Jin lowered her head as well. The fellow in her hand had all four limbs on the ground, curled up like a shrimp. He had clearly fainted.

"..."

At the final moment, fortunately, he had... saved her life.

It was hard to imagine that A-009 had not killed him.

"After A-009 escaped, she took Line 13 alone... This guy stayed in the same carriage as her for a full twenty minutes." Recalling a certain scene, Nan Jin's expression changed slightly. "When I cut open the carriage, I saw that A-009 hadn't killed him. The two of them were getting along peacefully."

"Oh?"

The old man raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

"...Maybe he was just lucky." Nan Jin rubbed her brow, speaking in Gu Shen's defense.

Mr. Shu stared at Gu Shen for a while, then smiled. "For an ordinary person to survive at A-009's hands, that luck is... exceptionally good. Take him back and slice him up for research."

The eyelids of a certain unconscious person twitched. He immediately sprang up, only to be pinned to the ground without surprise.

Nan Jin's expression became strange.

This kid had been pretending to be unconscious?

"Ah-ha... Trying to run?" Mr. Shu laughed heartily. "Don't be afraid. We're not good people."

He snapped his fingers.

With two snaps, two vines drilled out of the mud and formed a pair of handcuffs, locking tightly around Gu Shen's wrists.

"I'm not running, not running, not running. How would I dare run?"

Gu Shen went with the motion, dropping onto the ground with his hands over his head in the standard pose of begging for mercy. "Sir, you may have a cane, but look at me. My ass is split open. Do you think I can outrun you?"

He still dared mock him? Mr. Shu's mouth twitched as he sneered. "Come back with me obediently. Everyone is quite interested in you."

"The kind of interest that involves slicing me up for research?" Gu Shen looked horrified. He was beginning to panic.

"...Why don't you guess?" The old man stroked his chin and gave him a meaningful, "friendly" smile.

Several staff members placed the tall wooden lady into a massive sealed container, then hauled Gu Shen up as well.

The helicopter roared once more.

"...Set off."