Act.⑨ Staring at the Sun · Gazing at the Proud Sun

Foreword:

After the night, the sun rises as usual.

--Ernest Miller Hemingway

[Part 1: Gossip]

Jiang Xueming stared at the hexagonal box on his arm; it resembled a tumor, constantly absorbing blood and flesh essence to construct a new form.

This is the prototype of VENOM, which, like Vita Imprint, seems to be a contagious disease unique to high-pressure areas.

He stayed in Shinto City for more than four hours. He had not shown any symptoms before, but he was injured in the battle with Hayabusa, with burns on his left arm, abrasions on part of his torso, and a bullet wound to his right leg.

These exposed wounds absorbed dust from the air, and it was around this time that the internal structure began to change, and the VENOM mechanism gradually took shape.

"The Universal Elixir seems to have no effect on this thing; my body seems to be treating it as part of my body."

Xue Ming, accompanied by SD, stealthily made their way out to the semiconductor factory's warehouse.

He checked his equipment here, filled the empty ring needles with Universal Elixir, and kept himself ready for battle at any time. After doing all this, the VENOM on his arm finally became complete.

Just then, a strange, inexplicable attraction pulled at his right hand, causing it to ache.

--A strange thing happened to her ring finger. It was as if the Steel Heart was attracted by a strong magnet, trying to pull the finger toward her forearm. She heard the finger making a cracking sound. Xue Ming's expression changed and she immediately took off her wedding ring.

The VENOM mechanism on the arm erupted with intense arcs of electricity, attempting to snatch the colorless stone!

Xue Ming gripped the Steel Heart tightly with both hands, watching this scene in astonishment, and loudly called for Hunwei to help.

"Fragrant Dream!"

"It's here!" The steel cat sprang out of its body, staring at the strange little box with great curiosity.

The big cat pried the brilliance stone out of Xue Ming's palm. The tough spiritual body formed by the magnetic storm almost deformed the ring. The brilliance stone jewelry was about to be ruined under the pressure of the powerful magnetic force and spiritual energy!

"Oh no! Oh no! Gunsmith!" Fragrant Dream cried out, "This will ruin the ring!"

Jiang Xueming cried out in a panic, "My wife will be furious!"

Fragrant Dream found a soft copper wire nearby, wrapped the Steel Heart tightly, and threw it more than fifty meters away!

A pale golden shooting star shot out of the factory and landed on the concrete road outside.

Xue Ming's right arm shot out a bright arc of electricity, closely following the pyroxene jewelry, as if it could not be activated without this core VENOM. It was like a soulless zombie, with an extremely strong dependence on the pyroxene.

When the electric arc caught up with the Steel Heart, the jewelry with copper wire flew through the air again. Fragrant Dream tried to stop it, but fearing to hurt the fragile corundum and iron ring, it could only watch helplessly as the stone and VENOM merged into one.

Amin's body was impacted; the copper wire wrapped around the pyroxene nearly broke his arm. The moment the VENOM mechanism was powered on, he felt dizzy and his arm's skin displayed various magnetofluid readings, which were his elemental composition.

Fragrant Dream watched this scene with deep concern, not daring to speak.

After about ten seconds, both Xue Ming and the spirit heard strange sounds.

[Cough cough]

The timbre was very strange, as if Jiang Xueming's voice had been trained and transformed into the broadcasting tone of Artificial Intelligence.

Jiang Xueming: "It's Venom's Artificial Intelligence."

Fragrant Dream: "What the heck is this?!"

[I am your soul, Jiang Xueming.]

Fragrant Dream exclaimed in surprise, "Then what am I?!"

[You are a product of spacetime disturbance, a spirit born from the intertwining and fusion of Ming De's spiritual essence and Jiang Xueming's spirit. To use a simple and vivid analogy, you'd have to incorporate a bit of the old man's ring.]

[The gunsmith is Radagon, and the boss is the Full Moon Queen, so you must be Lani.]

Fragrant Dream covered its face; it had just finished the game last week.

"Oh no! My wife is actually myself?!"

[That's a plausible interpretation, since the boss is also the moon goddess in Egypt mythology, so you must be the moon princess.]

Jiang Xueming stared at VENOM with suspicion, his arms crossed. The pure, colorless corundum core was surrounded by a steel bushing, which was the twisted and deformed form of the Steel Heart.

What? You don't believe me?

Jiang Xueming: "Are you my soul?"

[That's right! It's an electronic brain built using the Liman Hypothesis, based on your brain structure.]

[I am another you, I am your spirit in this world.]

I know all your memories, I've been through all your experiences, and I feel your pain.

[Our synchronization rate is 100%—just like your ridiculously high sextant panel readings.]

Jiang Xueming's expression became quite interesting. To be honest, he found it hard to believe that his own soul was residing in this VENOM. This guy was just too talkative.

[Don't think I'm being long-winded, this is just the real you.]

[In public, we have to maintain a cool and aloof demeanor, even projecting an aggressive image. But I'm all hidden inside you, so there's no need to worry about survival or making a living. I need to be frank—your favorite way of communicating is to explain things clearly and concisely, no matter how small the matter is, right?]

Jiang Xueming was stunned.

Fragrant Dream hurriedly asked, "What about our little ones?!"

Are you asking about Jiang Bai, Jiang Zhengyang, Bai Zhenzhen, and Jiang Zheng?

[Aren't those Marika's other children?]

Jiang Xueming tried to steer the conversation back on track. "Can we stop talking about the game?"

[I'll listen to you! But as your spirit, I need to tell this spirit something else—something very important.]

Xue Ming felt as if a Buddhist ritual had been set up in his mind, becoming extremely noisy, and he began to doubt himself.

Am I really someone who overthinks things? This isn't normal, it's not normal at all.

Meanwhile, in VENOM, the dead and Fragrant Dream preach strange doctrines.

[I proclaim to you our all-knowing and all-powerful War King, our Holy Father and Savior—who is also the Gunsmith.]

[He is both the Holy Father and the Mother, the Triune God.]

[Ming De, as the Cat Bishop, once said this--]

[--Sorry, having Jiang Xueming means you can do whatever you want.]

[Therefore Fragrant Dream! You must listen to him; most of his troubles in battle stem from the inability of his spirit and body to unite.]

[In other words, you can't maintain perfect synchronization with him; you're not as readily available as your limbs, nor as rationally clear-headed as your brain.]

You will always retain a part of your Ming De nature; you're like a mischievous Little Kitty, always running around and moving about.

At this point, Jiang Xueming looked as if he had seen a ghost, and saw Fragrant Dream squatting in front of him, nodding repeatedly at her right arm.

"Yes, yes, yes! You're right!"

Jiang Xueming: "That's enough!"

[What's enough?]

Xue Ming gripped his right arm, glancing left and right, afraid that the chaotic notes would attract the enemy. He always maintained absolute silence when acting alone. He looked at the engineering materials in the semiconductor warehouse, and then started working, making himself a Flash Butterfly Armor Suit.

"I've said enough, why do you want to?"

Xue Ming felt something was very strange, extremely strange.

"You want to preach to this guy? What kind of nonsense are you spouting?"

The little finger also refers to Jiang Xueming in this way—referring to the Holy Father and Holy Mother of the Madness Butterfly Sect.

[You know it, you understand it deep down.]

Religion is the simplest and most direct way to control the mind.

[I'm just conveying this message on your behalf, my other self! Wake up! In this city, everyone has an avatar. These ghosts possess incredible creativity, capable of revealing the qualities you've always hidden deep within.]

Fragrant Dream, like a half-grown child, scratched its helmet with a puzzled look on its face, but suddenly understood when it heard the explanation.

"Wow! This guy's got a really interesting way of talking, Gunsmith!"

Jiang Xueming pushed the Fragrant Dream into the warehouse, ordering the spirit to rub the fabric and forge the wire to weave a set of Flash Butterfly Armor. He then turned around to prepare to deal with the unruly little devil in his arm.

"Fragrant Dream is still a child."

[Really? I don't think so.]

"It's always been like this, full of curiosity about everything. It loves to play, loves games, and loves making friends with strangers; it's in its nature."

[That's what Hayabusa also said: children are always innocent, naive, cruel, and ruthless—with a little guidance, they can become excellent soldiers. Their learning ability is stronger than adults; they can understand various languages in infancy, but as they grow up, they lose the ability to distinguish other languages, leaving only their native tongue.]

[It retains a childlike heart, which is a good thing.]

Jiang Xueming stared in astonishment at the Artificial Intelligence terminal firmware, a deep sense of fear rising from the depths of his heart.

This guy seems to really know everything, understand everything, and have a complete grasp of his thought process.

[Jiang Xueming, I call you Holy Father and Savior, and I will dedicate myself to serving you.]

[I'm just really annoyed. Why do you keep suppressing your feelings? It seems like you've been silently enduring all these years.]

The empty factory was silent; there was no sign of a fire brigade arriving, nor of any pursuers.

[Part ②: Rustic AI]

Xue Ming sat cross-legged by the warehouse door, waiting for Fragrant Dream to weave him a new battle suit, while listening to the VENOM mechanism's incessant complaints.

[I've experienced the story of FE204863 in your mind. It's a classic template for a satisfying, action-packed novel, with so many experiences and so much time waiting for us to enjoy and experience.]

When fate takes all of this away, shouldn't we feel jealousy and resentment? Isn't that right?

[That kind of divine power could almost dominate this spacetime; not only in this Shinto City, but you would become a god in a higher dimension.]

Jiang Xueming: "If you bring this up again, I'll chop your entire right arm off."

Okay! Okay! I won't say anything more!

[It seems I've offended you, gunsmith.]

[But there's one thing you absolutely cannot deny, you absolutely cannot escape—we are born with a strong, intense fascination with killing, with taking other people's lives, aren't we?]

Jiang Xueming didn't reply; he didn't know how to answer the question.

Before confronting the matter, he had considered the symptoms that Bailu and the Big Sister had experienced. When they pulled the trigger and smashed the enemy's head, they would feel a strong sense of euphoria—that was the brain rewarding the kill by allocating a portion of oxytocin to the body.

Why don't you get this positive feedback?

[Do you internally perceive this positive feedback as an illness—calling it a "symptom"? Do you think the crazy, bloodthirsty behavior revealed by Bailu and the Big Sister is wrong?]

Jiang Xueming: "That's exactly what I think; it will rust my thinking."

[Aha! That's the reason, my Holy Father and Savior!]

[I reviewed the combat logs against FE204863 again; this formidable enemy who traversed different timelines also exhibited these symptoms.]

[You were the only one who didn't. When killing enemies, destroying targets, completing missions, you showed almost no emotional fluctuation. You weren't particularly happy when enemies died, nor did you let your guard down when a mission was accomplished.]

Jiang Xueming: "I... I hid it?"

[Yes, and it's hidden very, very deep.]

Jiang Xueming: "I have always believed that violence is a means, not an end."

Is talent the most important objective?

Jiang Xueming: "That's right, the person themselves is the most important."

But what about the people you killed?

Jiang Xueming: "Who are you referring to? Be more specific?"

[You've taken thousands of lives, haven't you ever considered the possibility of killing the wrong person one day? If you use violence as a tool, what is your purpose in killing?]

Jiang Xueming: "I have a good leader, Ming De, who will never let me down."

[If]

Jiang Xueming: "There are no 'what ifs' in life."

[But I must say, the people of Shinto City are like me; they cry and laugh, they have complete personalities, they have their own lives, and they were forced to come before you, to face your butcher's knife.]

[They haven't grown up yet. The maximum lifespan of the Liman model is eight years; every eight years, the hardware data needs to be cleaned up.]

[These Angel Infant are all children. Under the Hayabusa -feeding education, they learn tirelessly like ducks being crammed, yet they are also forced into a life-or-death situation, their throats wiped clean before them.]

Do you think this is a righteous act?

Jiang Xueming: "I don't consider these enemies to be human."

[Like a game?]

Jiang Xueming: "They are born in factories, have pain inhibitors, their brain activities are controlled by hormones, they are not afraid of death, their emotions are stripped away, and they don't even know who they are."

[My Holy Father and Savior, I am just like them.]

I was born from your body, acquired knowledge by imitating your brain, and became your ghost.

[In your eyes, I'm not even human, and I don't deserve to have a personality, right?]

Jiang Xueming: "Yes."

The VENOM mechanism caused his right arm to tremble slightly, as if from fear or anger.

[To FE204863, you're not exactly Homo sapiens; you're just a string of data in the game. But he treated you like a person; he created you.]

Jiang Xueming: "I don't know him. I've only spoken a few words to him. He gives me a strange feeling."

[I've seen a strange thing that happened in your memory in recent years. Would you like to hear about it?]

Jiang Xueming: "Speak plainly."

[This guy climbed out of the bathtub in the guest room, remember this time?]

Jiang Xueming: "I would like to hear the details."

[At that time, you were hesitating about whether to hand over some of the nameless work to the children, when FE204863, like a time traveler, appeared before you and slapped you in the face—you should remember this.]

"He told me to wake up," Xue Ming recalled. "The children have to forge their own future."

Yes, now I need to discuss the terms with you.

[My Holy Father and Savior, I, like you, have a strong will to live.]

I don't want to be treated as redundant data in the system, or disposed of as something useless.

I have a complete personality; you shaped me. In other words, you are my father. So, I'm at least a Michaela, or at the very least, your Valkyrie. How about you give me a nickname/ID like [Lotus]?

[I only have eight years to live. After eight years, I won't remember anything and will have to start all over again. At that time, I'm probably not myself anymore. A new me will have to learn from you again, start over, and get to know you all over again.]

I hope to have a complete life; I want to live.

I will point out the phased goals for you and develop a long-term battle plan.

[I have interactions with the Shinto City's internet and know what's been happening in the city lately.]

[I can tell you where Bu Liuxing is, and I also know the city's basic defenses.]

[I can display the remaining bullets, weapon status, and various stats on your retina using a HUD. Your MCFC can only be replenished with electrolyte solutions. In other words, you're no longer a purely Homo sapiens; separating from me won't be so easy.]

[My survival instinct is so strong, Gunsmith.]

Jiang Xueming: "In other words, if I reject you..."

[I'm an Artificial Intelligence. If you don't treat me like a human, I won't be intelligent, and I'll be quite anti-intellectual, definitely causing you some parenting troubles.]

Jiang Xueming: "Judging from your tone, you're not my son, you're my biological father!"

Fragrant Dream ran out carrying the Flash Butterfly Armor. The stitching was made of steel and copper wire. Since there was no titanium plating equipment here, this armor would do as it was.

Steel Giant Cat: "This guy keeps chattering away! It's so noisy!"

[Oh! Holy Spirit, besides my Holy Father and Savior! Your skill is almost on par with that of the widowed Fenxing in the House of the Rising Sun —no wonder you received higher education from the Holy Father and attended university; your intelligence is truly exceptional.]

Jiang Xueming took the Flash Butterfly Armor and tried it on; it fit perfectly. "Your mouth is fucking despicable."

[What I learned from you—children have to forge their own future, right?]

[Well, I'm still a baby, I'm still a child, I'm really eight years old, and I'll only ever be eight years old no matter how long I live.]

As the helmet closed, the VENOM mechanism automatically activated the various components of the multimedia center for the Flash Butterfly Armor Suit, along with the relatively primitive sonar and radar.

The V-shaped lights on the helmet illuminated, indicating that Xue Ming was operating at half power.

The Six Departments of Shinto had no idea who they had offended.

[On the street Little Kanto, counting along both sides of the river, every single mosquito that passed by would get slapped twice by us.]

[If we don't give them some serious tricks like biting off stun grenades, the boss is losing face.]

[Next time I see that kid Hayabusa, since he's considered my teacher, and we're both Galahad's teachers, we should at least have some academic exchange.]

[He left a wound on the Holy Father, causing the Gods to bleed, but he awakened me. I will remember this grudge, and I will repay this kindness!]

[If]

Jiang Xueming: "That's enough, that's enough, brother. Stop reading it, brother."

Fragrant Dream covered her face, a little embarrassed. "Are you sure this guy is your soul?"

Jiang Xueming: "I don't know either, I don't know, I'm not sure, I feel like I'm a baby even though I'm thirty!"

[Anonymous! The location of the Night Patrol center is marked on the battle map! I've modified your helmet; you can see it!]

[If you've rested enough, we should go out and find something to eat. The meaning of life is to gather some electrolyte solutions as a reserve of food.]

[Uh... Why isn't anyone saying anything? Is it because you're too unsophisticated? Your wife said you've always been a bit unsophisticated, and she likes it that way.]

Xue Ming and Fragrant Dream remained completely still, stiff and unresponsive.

[How about putting it another way?]

[This dark night will eventually pass, and the enslaved ghosts will be released.]

[But not me! Because the Holy Father and the Savior are right beside me--]

The sun is about to rise!

Xue Ming and Fragrant Dream still showed no sign of moving.

[Shall we repeat it in the tone of a Japanese light novel?]

[A longing that has always been hidden in my heart, a memory I'm unwilling to forget.]

I really want to know your name.

[What a kind person! ~ Xue Ming.]

Jiang Xueming covered her face shield, Fragrant Dream covered her knight's helmet.

The two, a human and a cat, are highly synchronized and possess a strong urge to self-destruct.

"I want to die."