Act.4 Where the Streets Have No Name · Nameless Streets
Foreword:
True repentance is to regret one's mistakes and strive not to repeat them.
--Ernest Miller Hemingway
[Part 1: Creating a Hero]
[Embryonic development: 100%]
[Preeclampsia: 17%]
[Ascension Module installation in progress.]
Welcome to this world, my child.
[Your name is C31714008Y]
[You have completed 97% of the personality ethics and logic test.]
[You have completed 99% of the VR Warrior training.]
Your homeland is in imminent danger, your city is engulfed in war.
People need you to step forward and be a warrior.
[The Day Patrol Human School will help you develop combat strategies; [Hero Creation] can create heroes.]
A smooth brain was scooped out of a petri dish. It had no organs, and the brainstem was connected to an artificial spinal cord made of iron and nickel.
The assembly line has many siblings like it, slowly moving forward in crowded conveyor belts, with the liquid medicine in the petri dishes dripping down the smooth spine.
After the membrane was removed, the fresh brain was sent to the processing center.
[Installing cranial prosthesis, module function correction.]
A steel shell covers the brain lobe, and an artificial spine encases the exoskeleton.
[Anti-rejection verification passed]
[The head prosthesis assembly process is in progress.]
Mechanical arms reinforced the skull with steel bars, and the gleaming silver skeletons interlocked.
[Amaterasu composite sight being installed.]
The electronic eye was embedded in the exposed eye socket, while pale artificial muscles began to fill the gaps between the bones. The masseter muscles in the temples, cheeks, and jawline, like flexible earthworms, automatically completed the splicing process.
[Smell simulation, taste simulation, vision simulation, and touch simulation software installation complete.]
The faceplate with the barcode was placed over the head, and ultimately adhered tightly to the skull through the suction effect of vacuum negative pressure.
[The Painted Skin Prosthetic Body is being installed.]
Except for the ears, all other organs have a layer of delicate, realistic skin. This typical person from the Fourteen Pillars is using a third-generation prosthetic body and is about to be manufactured.
[Installation of the universal interface for optical communication networks is underway.]
Fiber optic hairs carrying photoelectric signals are implanted into the scalp, transforming into eyebrows and hair, and filling in sideburns.
[Final test of the basic functions of the composite sight--]
[--Night vision capability, thermal imaging, electrical signal pulses, etc.]
The two sights of the electronic prosthetic eye repeatedly changed shape, eventually settling on the classic optical mode.
[Testing complete, initiating adaptation to a typical human - Night Patrol Artifact.]
The skull was sent to a cleanroom; it lacked a chin, ears, and the fleshy part of the back of the neck.
Upon arriving at the arsenal, in the elite soldier processing workshop, there was a body that had just been assembled. The conveyor belt sent the warm head into the body, and the muscles of the back contracted and expanded, tightly wrapping the spine below the skull.
The upper teeth fit snugly against the decorative tongue, and the two jaws close tightly, completing the skinning process.
The titanium alloy chin is exposed and lacks any anthropomorphic decorations; the appearance of the Night Patrol soldiers needs to be differentiated from that of ordinary people.
From the jaw to the base of the ears is a gray-black alloy armor, a multimedia center with various nerve inhibitors for security, and also armor protecting the artificial neural exoskeleton. It looks like a tin worm as thick as a fist, with thirty-three pairs of legs spread out, tightly biting the spine of a typical human.
One energy cell after another protrudes from the spine, then suddenly drives into the typical human body like steel nails.
Pale yellow tritium tube light sources emanate from these energy nodes, eventually converging at the exoskeleton center in the back of the head, becoming communication signals for the security center.
[Warrior C31714008Y, try to control your legs.]
A typical person takes a step forward, but like an out-of-control machine, they tilt and stumble, almost falling.
The industrial robot's grappling hook gripped his torso, and this clumsy body seemed to swim in the air, retaining the diving instinct it had developed in its mother's womb during fetal development.
Don't worry, this is normal.
[It takes at least twenty seconds for artificial blood to flow through your body once.]
[You have just awakened your limbs and are slowly stepping onto the earth.]
Welcome to Shinto City, my child.
The toddler didn't seem to be good at breathing yet, and had to actively blow his nose to inhale, causing his chest to rise and fall violently.
[Try it now? Take two steps forward?]
A typical person follows the instructions of the security center, stepping onto the cold iron plate. His legs feel neither cold nor hot, nor do they feel pain.
[Pick it up. You learn very quickly.]
Before the security center could issue an order, he had already picked up the execution sword.
[DNA identification and authentication successful. This is your exclusive weapon.]
[It possesses a high-frequency molecular vibration blade, making it your fighting weapon.]
[You've practiced it countless times in classic human schools; you know how to wield it and how to use it.]
On the other side was the Six-rotor drone that Meteor had seen, also the standard vehicle for the Night Patrol Executioners.
[Drone vehicles require merit points and currency to purchase and unlock, but since the city is currently in a state of emergency, you can use them ahead of time, which will require you to pay a fee.]
The typical person spoke up, "Okay, I understand."
[The total cost, including maintenance, refurbishment, and insurance services for your prosthetic body and modules, is...]
Typical person. "I understand."
[Please do not speak to your parents in this tone. C31714008Y -- You must obey orders.]
Typical person. "How many times have I lost?"
[It seems you've obtained some information from the memory storage modules of other executioners, Executioner.]
At this moment, the archetype finally merged with the VENOM organization, and the ghost successfully took over the body. He transformed from the archetype into the executioner, and the Day Patrol and the Eternal World joined forces to give this brain, this infant, a new mission.
The executioner approached the drone and began verifying the equipment, checking the firearms—he did indeed possess a gun, but rarely used it.
The high-frequency execution sword can output high-temperature plasma as a projectile, at the cost of VENOM's energy.
His weaponry needs to be linked with drones; it's a kinetic energy rifle used to destroy large vehicles, a railgun to penetrate buildings and deal with armor, and due to its immense destructive power, the security center does not allow executioners to use this thing in counterinsurgency operations.
"Are we in a state of war now? Can I unlock it?"
Yes, you can use it, but you'll need to pay.
"I've had enough! Who are you? The Eternal World or Day Patrol? Who's on duty now?" The executioner looked impatient. "Can I leave now? I need to deal with the trouble in the north of the city! How much is he worth?"
[The value of this unit is determined by its current destructive power and the economic losses it has caused—you can pay off your debts, cover the costs of the previous twenty-six prosthetic bodies, and have a surplus of 1,245,1763 Hui Stone Currency.]
Executioner: "I request firepower from the security center; I need level three weaponry."
Level 3 weaponry is the highest-level equipment that the Night Patrol Center can currently mobilize. It includes artillery shells capable of massively destroying urban facilities and vehicles that can quickly traverse the city with a range of over 700 kilometers. These things would never be unlocked in ordinary security operations. Because the Night Patrol has obtained this level of equipment, they are fully capable of secretly leaving Shinto City with a large amount of electrolyte solvent, and from then on, pursuing freedom and completing their defection plan.
Your application has been accepted and is under review.
[Approved.]
"You know what? Just these few words, and by the time you finish reading them, I'll be dead again." The executioner rolled his eyes, grabbed the drone's landing gear, and took off from the spot.
Good luck, my child.
A dark shadow swept across the city, and the executioner swiftly traversed the residential areas surrounding the Little Kanto Canal, arriving at the old city streets.
The machinery of the logistics system had been driven out of the field, and the Night Patrol vehicles were flashing clear signals. He landed on the roof of a food processing plant, 1,400 meters from his target.
The hastily assembled special forces for Kyoraku Special Squad are slowly surrounding the area, searching suspicious units in the factory one by one. The enemy's hideout is most likely the 303 stainless steel raw material processing plant in the northeast, where there are two forging workshops. Military drones along the way show that the target last disappeared in this area.
He immediately located the power distribution cabinet on the factory roof, pulled the main battle rifle from the drone, and then connected the drone's battery to the rifle, thus connecting the factory's fire and security power supply—this was the executioner's carefully selected sniping position.
I activated the night vision goggles on the composite sight and peered into the factory 1,400 meters away, then entered the FOB communication system of the Kyoraku Special Squad.
"Each group reports its basic information."
"Executioner, we searched the forging workshop of the steel plant, but he doesn't appear to be here. Nothing unusual has been found so far."
"He couldn't have flown away. There are so many electronic eyes watching from the sky. He must still be in the house. If you can't force him out, I can't help you."
"Why don't you come and see for yourself? We've searched the entire gantry crane, from top to bottom, including the gantry crane's supports and ventilation ducts, and there's no one alive."
What about thermal imaging?
"It's not working! There are thirty-two blast furnaces here, all fully automated and unmanned. There are interference sources everywhere, and the room temperature alone is fifty degrees Celsius. We can't see any Homo sapiens with normal body temperatures at all!"
"Then use poison gas to force him out."
"What type of poison gas?"
"Hydrogen cyanide or chloromethyl cyanide—these compounds evaporate very quickly at this ambient temperature, so they can be delivered by drone."
"Understood, sir."
After issuing the order, the Kyoraku Special Squad near the factory put on gas masks and directed the drones to begin the poisoning operation.
The executioner delivered six tungsten steel shells to the rifle. They were like slender iron rods, suspended in the semi-open muzzle by a powerful magnetic field. The magnetic rail launchers on both sides began to charge, bursting out with brilliant azure electric light.
This rifle has no sights, but it is matched with the composite sights seen by the executioner. The muzzle velocity of the railgun exceeds four times the speed of sound, and the kinetic energy of the six tungsten steel projectiles is comparable to that of a main battle tank shell. This level of firepower is not allowed to be used in security missions, as it could easily damage the industrial facilities of Shinto City.
Most Night Patrol security missions require the executioner to apprehend the target rather than kill them, and the basic equipment is only an execution sword. Now the situation is different; the disaster caused by Jiang Xueming has plunged Little Kanto into a state of war.
A minute later, four drones wobbled over and delivered about 250 kilograms of the compound, intending to use the factory's room temperature to create a toxic gas zone.
[Part ② - Like a Baby]
The Kyoraku Special Squad soldiers stood guard with their guns, holding toys from the last era, imitation SIG MPX 9mm submachine guns, which could not cause any damage to their superiors' nano-armor. They were covered with a set of level 4 protection carrying gear, complete with plate helmets.
Voice messages from each squad were transmitted through the group channels.
"Team leader."
"I know! I know you're scared! I know."
"Can we really force that guy out?"
"Threes per team, stay alert. Turn on your pain inhibitors."
"I'm not afraid of pain, team leader, I'm afraid of dying."
"What's there to be afraid of! We can return to the Eternal World, we can be reborn!"
The Kyoraku Special Squad is different from the Night Patrol. These temporary conscripts are usually office workers. The Extreme Bliss Space issued an emergency bounty, and those who participate in security and protection missions can be considered another kind of bounty hunter.
If their mental models have recycling value, then they can become electronic ghosts after death.
If the Hei Mu Qianshou deem these memories worthless, they will truly die. In reality, in this highly homogenized society, without expensive medical insurance and the ability to afford rebirth insurance, most people simply don't qualify to live again.
Turbid steam poured in from the turbine fans of the factory, and toxic compounds began to evaporate immediately upon entering the high-temperature chambers. In the dark corner of the steel forging workshop, a ghostly figure emerged from the steel quenching pool.
This quenching tank is full of oil, and it needs to be drained and cleaned every hour and a half to ensure a pure environment for steel quenching.
The members of the Kyoraku Special Squad never imagined that Homo sapiens would dare to hide in a pool of oil!
One squad leader, like his comrades, instinctively looked up at the skylight and the turbine fan when the poison gas entered the room.
Jiang Xueming grabbed the boom above the oil tank, half of his body still submerged in the oil, and quickly climbed up.
When the team members came to their senses and heard the splashing sound, they quickly raised their guns to find the source of the sound, turned around to look behind them, and looked down at the oil pool. They saw that two of their teammates had fallen into the pool and could not climb out no matter what they did.
"An enemy?"
"Hey! Whose soldiers are these two?! Which group are they in?!"
The filthy liquid seeped into the gas mask. Judging from the enemy identification markings, these were the leader and reconnaissance soldiers of the sixth mobilization group.
"Did he fall down accidentally, or was it done by the enemy?"
The sixteen comrades-in-arms formed a semicircle, half with their guns pointing outwards and the other half with their guns pointed at the ground, all moving closer to the pool.
"Pull them out! Quick! They can't speak!"
The commotion on the radio reached the executioner's ears—
"--What happened?"
An exclamation came through the communication channel between the squad leader and the commander.
"Sir! The leader of the sixth squad and another soldier have fallen into the quenching pool! We have to pull them out!"
"They can't speak! Take off their gas masks! The filters are useless now, they'll die!"
The executioner gripped his main battle rifle tightly, his brain beginning to send alarm signals.
"Were they brought up here by drone—was that done by the enemy?"
Team leader. "I don't know! I don't know!"
Executioner: "Have you pulled him up yet? Hurry up!"
Team leader. "We can't find any attachment points! These two guys are as slippery as eels! Their nylon carrying gear is soaked in oil and is corroded and rotten; it'll break if you pull it! They have too much equipment, and it's too heavy!"
Executioner: "Is there anything in the cold quenching tank? Is there steel soaking in it?"
Team leader. "Yes! Yes!"
Executioner: "Use the crane to hook them up."
The staff immediately began to divide the work, with some rushing to the factory's multimedia center to switch the control panel in the forging workshop to manual mode.
The other group surrounded their trapped companion, and could only wait anxiously.
Just then, the executioner's question came through the commander's channel.
"The oil quenching temperature of 303 stainless steel is above 500 degrees Celsius. The quenching tank is running a cleaning process, and the oil has cooled down, so why is there still something inside?"
Some people have already completely panicked.
"How should I know? Maybe the cleaning process is malfunctioning?"
The executioner said, "Aim the gun at those two soldiers and bring them out. Don't let your guard down until they remove their masks."
As the factory switched to manual mode, the two unlucky guys, hanging on a steel bar, finally crawled back to the factory floor from the quenching liquid. They asked their teammates to point guns at their heads, and then, crouching low, they ran outside and lay down by the canal.
The executioner's four pupils narrowed slightly, locking onto the two soldiers.
"Let them take off their masks and breathe properly."
A response came from the communication channel.
"Sir, where are you? I'm terrified! Can you see us?"
Executioner: "I can see you, don't worry. I'm watching you."
Communicator: "That's good, that's good. Am I going to unmask them? If one of these two is an enemy, you won't kill me too, will you?"
Executioner: "You are to carry out the kill. I will only open fire if he tries to escape."
The railgun was already fully charged, but he did not deploy the nanomechanics because the main battle rifle, like high-frequency weapons, emits strong electromagnetic radiation, which would damage and disintegrate the nanomechanical unit based on C60. The drone also remained silent, focusing all its power on supplying energy to the rifle.
On the riverbank, two pitiful, oil-smeared wretch removed their gas masks. The executioner's composite sights snapped shut in an instant, a moment of utmost concentration—
An extreme chill enveloped him.
The scalding heat that surged from behind startled the hairs on his head!
The molten iron from the MK18 bullets struck the nano-armor, shoving his body forward. His artificial muscles, protected by the carbon mesh, bounced violently, trying to transfer the kinetic energy of each rifle bullet to other body tissues.
The executioner instinctively raised his arms to cover his head, wanting to draw his sword and turn around to face the enemy! But he saw a beast spirit clad in steel armor steadily firing a gun near the skylight of the food processing plant.
"They're already right next to me?!"
A beautiful watch rested on the executioner's throat.
Jiang Xueming was right next to him, holding the radio of the Kyoraku Special Squad leader in one hand, giving a close-up report to the executioner. In his other hand, he held a watch and a short knife. The watch face was facing outwards, covering the back of his fingers like a brass knuckles, and he held the short knife upright.
Jiang Xueming: "Sir, I've found you."
Before the words were finished, before the executioner's body had fully turned, his legs stiff as dead wood, and the terrifying enemy was simply too fast—
--The diamond-encrusted watch is like a sharp claw; the diamond cuts a terrifying gash in the nano-carbon mesh fabric, using the diamond as a can opener to slash a fatal wound.
Immediately afterward, the combat dagger pierced the executioner's neck, entering the major blood vessel in the artificial body's neck, severing the spine in a single strike! Milky white artificial blood gushed out like a fountain!
This typical human being, less than half an hour old, faced death once again, but this time the disaster brought by the enemy was far more terrible.
His head was tilted to one side, with only the flesh of his nano-armor connecting his head and neck. He couldn't make a sound, but he was still alive, watching helplessly as this terrifying man gently and precisely grasped his executioner's wrist and readjusted the railgun's direction.
The weapon remained powered on. The executioner pondered that this psionicist might have sensed a powerful electromagnetic pulse signal and followed the power emanating from the rifle to find their way here.
Jiang Xueming used his fingers as a tool to unlock the weapon lock and pull the trigger on the steel forging workshop.
Six tungsten steel shells were launched along with the powerful jet of air erupting from the cannon!
The moment the shell hit the workshop, the molten iron slag that fell into the oil quenching tank came into contact with the oil, causing a violent deflagration!
The fireball expanded, and the molten iron in the blast furnace boiled and churned, almost engulfing all living things within a hundred meters!
The canal erupted with a surging shockwave, which transformed into a semi-circular condensation cloud. When the shockwave reached Xue Ming's location, it shattered the windows of the food processing plant.
The executioner watched helplessly as the flames and the sandstorm blew by the strong wind pierced his prosthetic eye, leaving a crack. He looked at the demon king in fear and saw a new entry in the logbook in the other's hand.
[The prosthetic eye is a high-precision sight, but it still requires various optoelectronic instruments and lenses—this is its weakness.]
Jiang Xueming waved his hand, Fragrant Dream raised her gun again.
All it takes is a single bullet to penetrate the brain through the eye socket, bounce back and forth within the alloy skull, and shrapnel churns the soft brain tissue into a paste.
--This newborn child returns to the Eternal World, to remember the lesson, to taste regret, and then to await the next painful cycle of reincarnation.