Operator #1: Voices · Noise
Shinto City, Extreme Bliss Space, Kyoto Security Hub.
"Attention all departments, the psionic disaster that has appeared in Kanto City is spreading towards Ginza."
"The estimated concentration of the Spirit Calamity is 99%, and the local Night Patrol center and typical human processing center have been paralyzed."
"The 48th column requested armed support from other regions, and the 49th, 26th, 33rd, 51st, and 50th columns responded."
"None of the modified weapons from the Yezhong, Yoguang, Hayabusa, and Zhong Kui series can match them."
"Activate the ultimate weaponry—we are at war."
"Confirm with the hardware server again: should we deploy the Supreme Weapon?"
"Start up!"
"Searching for trademark serial numbers of products in the military industrial complex surrounding Kanto City."
"A matching armed prosthetic body has been found for [North Wind]. Awakening process in progress."
In the security command center, which is made up of countless surveillance cameras and closed-circuit television, both clerks and armed personnel are running around frantically, trying to deal with the sudden attack by the unknown assailant. They have already committed all the soldiers in the vicinity who can be awakened to the battle.
The losses at Kanto City were devastating. The mental models of many who were defeated and killed and returned to Extreme Bliss Space caused stress-induced trauma similar to PTSD, and their fighting spirit collapsed, making them unable to return to the front lines for a short period of time.
Physical injuries can be repaired with artificial remains, but wounds to the soul are not so easily healed.
In the hall, numerous teams gathered around the conference table, devising action plans for the two high-risk targets, Jiang Xueming and Bu Liuxing, and outlining routes to intercept and kill them. However, the plan was beautiful, but reality was harsh.
Whether they are newborns or defeated veterans, their mental models still cannot comprehend the formidable fighting power emanating from these two high-risk units when they try to deduce and calculate.
Leaving aside the soul power possessed by these two Morpho Butterflies, after multiple encounters and battles, these two freaks gradually adapted to the Celestials' nano-armor and weapon configuration. Ordinary soldiers of the Kyoraku Special Squad could not survive for more than a few seconds at their hands, and their killing efficiency against the Celestials' elites was also getting higher and higher.
"Why are these people going against us?" A newborn boy asked the corporal at a conference table, "Are they crazy? I checked the mission log; those two started killing people as soon as they entered the city."
The corporal had fought the nameless War King before. This taciturn Grim Death God never took sides and didn't utter a single word when taking his life.
"Don't try to understand the terrorists' logic. Our duty is to protect Shinto City. We just need to figure out a way to defeat them!"
The new recruit hesitated, as if he wanted to say something more.
--The enemy descriptions in the mission briefings, including the intelligence gathered by the two gods Yezhong and Yoguang, all depicted the enemy as [nameless]. However, nameless people have always been martial gods who travel around the railway system to slay demons and monsters.
The newborn Angel Infant was completely baffled.
Has Ming De gone mad? Is the end of the world coming?
The entire subway system has descended into utter madness? Controlled by the followers of the Madness Butterfly?
Otherwise, why would the nameless warrior come to Shinto City to cause destruction?
The members of the Kyoraku Special Squad never imagined that Shinto City had become a den of demons.
Both the genetic evolution of natural reproduction and the meme evolution of free thought and communication are completely dead. These thought models that can think and have independent personalities are actually ghosts that have been haunting us for more than fifty years.
They are reborn again and again, receiving new bodies each time, and dying unnaturally time and time again, in an eight-year cycle, forever telling the story of the past, with no future!
A brief news report came from afar--
"--Good news! The jester has captured Jiang Xueming! He's been dragged to the torture chamber!"
Thunderous cheers erupted from the conference table, and many of the troop leaders breathed a sigh of relief.
"Is his physical body currently in a managed state? Can it be controlled remotely?"
"Turn off his power!"
"No. This guy is in a managed state. His VENOM agency has denied access; it's an illegal device. His ID is an encrypted mask, just called [XXX·Anonymous] -- I can't give him any orders."
"It will have some impact, won't it?! He's gotten weaker?"
"No"
He seems to be
Yoguang's expression was solemn. This celestial being had been resurrected once again and returned to his comrade's side. He had to rush to the front line without stopping, but his physical body had not yet been processed and he had to wait at the security center.
"He seems to have gotten even stronger."
To reach Ginza from the small Kanto City, one must cross two artificial islands: Haitang Bay and Akita Island. This cross-city expressway is known as the Gin-Kanto-Kaitang-Akita Bridge, which is 611 kilometers long and passes through 36 prefectures and cities.
It has sixteen lanes and four railway tracks, making it a super project that is extremely rare even in the mundane world of human society.
After Shinto City overcame the challenges of materials science, Artificial Intelligence and unmanned engineering technologies advanced by leaps and bounds. Road and bridge infrastructure projects that originally required a huge amount of manpower could now be completed in just a few months under the tireless supervision and construction of the Liman Model. Materials could be allocated from various counties and cities, and construction could be completed using drones, unmanned boats, and unmanned vehicle fleets that integrate land, sea, and air.
Traditionally, road and bridge construction usually requires engineering bureaus to formulate construction schedules, calculate labor and material costs, evaluate construction plans, and install safety systems. These tasks are like elementary school math problems for electronic intelligent life forms with computing power far exceeding that of ordinary people.
Their engineering construction methods are not point-to-point from A to B—it's more like there are countless self-organizing electrical currents between A and B. The cross-sea bridge and artificial islands, which are more than 600 kilometers long, started construction in all counties and cities almost simultaneously and were completed at the same time. The incredibly rapid and convenient information sharing, and the incredibly sensitive feedback and decision-making between superiors and subordinates, have given these electronic ghosts the superpower to move mountains and fill seas.
This is the future that Fen Feng longs for, the divine kingdom he yearns for and admires.
From Kanto to Ginza, and then to Kansai and Kitagawa, the 378,000 square kilometers of the underground world were originally a rich city left behind by the Yamato people in their tragic and failed modern history, when they wanted to find a chance to turn the tide.
Ming De entrusted the Circum-Pacific Geological Activity Belt to these people. If the academicians of the Arcane Library are scholars in an ivory tower, then the Fēngfēng Battle Group and the Shinto People are seekers of truth who venture into the wilderness to explore and find truth amidst frequent earthquakes and natural disasters.
Geological activity can bring disasters, but it can also bring rare and precious metal veins. The heavy elements hidden deep underground can ignite the light of nuclear energy, which is the ultimate energy that the Japanese people both fear and yearn for.
The vast solid electrolytes in the mantle layer are the soil for bio-engineering and energy science. The bauxite, gold nuggets in the fissures, and the large amount of rare earth semiconductors in the gaps between rock strata can provide Shinto City with the cheapest scientific research materials for the electrical age.
All this beauty was destroyed by the simplest, most primal motive.
Shinto City never submitted any scientific development reports to the Railway Transportation Agency from beginning to end.
--No information on engineering projects, product trade, or personnel exchange.
Whether it's people or things, folk customs or scientific research.
The people of this land harbor deep hostility towards the outside world, shrouded in the shadow of World War II, with isolationism and nationalism prevailing. Even a small number of members of the Fēngfēng Battle Group hold the belief that the affairs of the Shinto City should be resolved by the Shinto City itself, and that they would never trouble Ming De or anyone else.
The prosperity of Shinto City was the fruit of their own suffering and war, so how could they possibly share it with the various districts of the Abyssal Railway and the Transportation Department?
1984 was the most decadent and weakest period for Ming De. Public opinion surveys in many counties and cities of Shinto City showed that people had already begun to think about establishing a nation and had made contact with their hometown in the mortal world. This underground world had no sun, but it possessed technology far superior to other countries, and its scientific research advantages would leave other competitors far behind.
The vast underground world is a new land, a new paradise for the Japanese who crave land resources.
Their railway construction speed far surpasses that of the Transportation Department of Ming De. The Philosopher Foundation, represented by the Five Constants, seems to be a cooperative agreement between all mankind and Ming De to explore unknown regions. However, the idea that Shinto City belongs to the Yamato people is deeply rooted in the minds of the Burning Fēngfēng Battle Group and the people of Shinto City, who have suffered greatly from the Madness Butterfly Sect.
If it weren't for that natural disaster, that devastating geological event...
This land remains lush and verdant, producing abundant rice and wheat, and boasting ample milk sources and pastures. Its energy reserves are inexhaustible.
The soil is not red; the geomagnetic and spiritual pressure environments are suitable for Homo sapiens to survive. The newborns will continue to explore eastward, and the roads will continue to extend until they reach Niflheim in Vladivostok, where they will merge with the Soviet Palace. The track leading to the Sea of Death should have been built by them. They are going to Las Vegas, to the other side of the underground Pacific Ocean, to explore new continents.
Shinto City will become Shinto Country, or the Great Shinto Republic of Japan.
But there aren't so many "what ifs" in life.
When this information reached Fragrant Dream's ears from FE204863's mouth--
--The large steel cat seemed thoughtful, not quite understanding the matter.
"Second brother, why do you think these guys are doing this? The boss was clearly very good to them."
On the second-level maintenance road of the Yinguan Cross-Sea Bridge, near the safety railing of the logistics intercity rail, Sixty-Three leaned against the steel cable, looking at the dark ocean in the distance and the heart-shaped island of Haitang Bay, which was created by land reclamation.
"Human nature is weak and arrogant, my Little Kitty."
"Eek!" Fragrant Dream got goosebumps all over its body. It felt that the nauseating nickname that came out of Jiang Xueming's Barry was really too weird.
Sixty-Three pulled the gun from his chest to check the bullets, and continued speaking with Fragrant Dream.
"I can go back in time and interpret this story from an outsider's perspective."
"There are many irreconcilable contradictions in human society; they cannot be explained, understood, or rationalized by any reasoning."
"The simplest and most direct explanation is to throw the problem back at the word 'human nature'."
"Fen Feng is both brave and weak. He clearly defeated the Madness Butterfly Sect and its cronies who colluded with the heretics."
"But like those who supported and feared him, he didn't believe in himself, feared that he would be corrupted by power and become the next cult leader. He wanted to dissect his enemies, but he also wanted to live his own life, enjoying chrysanthemums with his lover and friends. In the end, he had nothing left."
"Chrysanthemums and swords—this is the national character of the Yamato people."
"Fen Feng and Shendao stole a portion of spiritual energy and divine power from the Original Seed, which facilitated the rapid development of many technological products. This was something that the BOSS had explicitly forbidden. Because he was afraid of being exposed, this guy doesn't trust Ming De, nor does he trust anyone else. He's being swept along by public opinion, and I'm afraid the treasure of Shinto City will fall into someone else's hands."
"Before the disaster struck, many transient residents of Shinto City would flee, but they would never mention the changes in their hometowns, sever all intellectual and academic exchanges, and would not take any technological products out. It seems that they did a very good job of keeping secrets and were making a fortune in silence."
"But Fen Feng overlooked one thing, the most important thing."
Fragrant Dream asked curiously, "What is it?"
On the upper level of the bridge, along the sixteen-lane road, every few hundred meters you could see several groups of corpses, including the remains of gods. These soldiers were no match for the Sixty-Three.
At this moment, Sixty-Three winked and made faces in a serious manner, explaining things to the little baby Fragrant Dream, hoping that Jiang Xueming's soul power would mature a bit.
"I can turn back time, but for you—history cannot be reversed."
"Ming De spent thousands of years building trust and friendship with people. Do you know how important that is? The political significance of this is immeasurable, cannot be measured by material means, and cannot be bought with any money."
"This kind of trust is almost priceless. People can unconditionally choose to believe in this monstrous beast because it has a good credit record spanning thousands of years. It is a trustworthy partner. Through it, any country in the world can confidently send working groups to the underground world to conduct exploration activities."
"Even in modern times, when the Philosopher Foundation seemed to be separating from Ming De, it was actually just a gentleman's agreement. The weakness of human nature makes people fear the BOSS, and the <Peerless Covenant> aims to limit the BOSS's scope of activities—but the BOSS has never been weak, has never doubted itself, and has never broken the agreement or broken its promise."
"The Immortals Alliance all think Ming De is simple and cute. What bad intentions could Little Kitty possibly have?"
Sixty-Three smirked and reached out to scratch Fragrant Dream's chin.
The steel giant cat quickly dodged and hid to the side.
Sixty-Three continued—
"--BOSS accomplished what no emperor in human history had been able to do: it gathered representatives from most settlements, cities, and even nations, and made them put aside their hostility for the same goal, focusing their attention on one thing. To build the underground railway, it provided people with Universal Elixir and the theme of love; its selfless giving is the most ruthless and vicious magic in the world."
"People are chasing after profit, just as life yearns for sunlight. Under the influence of this immense power, it can squander the universal currency of the human world, make people forget the old and new grudges of the long history, free newborns from the control of ghosts, and free them from the hatred and love for a certain nation under chauvinistic education, turning their attention to the grand scheme of all humanity and the entire planet, so as to better observe this world."
"But Fen Feng overlooked this matter; he overlooked the large family that Ming De created."
"Perhaps the history of the Shinto City was too heavy, and the era that Fen Feng experienced was absolutely terrible. No leader or authority could withstand the torture and temptation of the Madness Butterfly."
"He didn't believe in humanity, yet he found the divinity of Artificial Intelligence in neural networks, so he chose another path—stripping Shinto City from the Abyssal Railway and creating this little family."
Fragrant Dream angrily exclaimed, "That guy is truly despicable!"
"Don't think like that, my Little Kitty." Sixty-Three waved his hand. "You live in 2032, while Fen Feng lives forever fifty years in the past. We can't blame primitive people for being ignorant and stupid. Just like a baby urinating or defecating anywhere, we can't blame the child for being immoral."
Fragrant Dream seemed to be deep in thought, then looked at Sixty-Three. That guy possessed Xue Ming's body, but his eyes were completely different from Xue Ming's; they were a kind of transcendence and indifference that transcended the dimension of time.
"In your eyes, Fen Feng is dead, and it seems he'll never come back to life." Sixty-Three took out Jingguang and raised his hand to strike. "From my perspective, it's different. Everyone seems to be dead."
The 9x39 heavy warhead shattered the reconnaissance drone, and the early warning unit, which had just peeked out, was reduced to fragments in the waves.
"You will die too, die with Jiang Xueming." Sixty-Three began to move, jumping onto the tracks through the middle beam of the railway, heading to the other side to maintain the road.
"After all, FE33031 only lives once, and this guy is completely impervious to reason. In the time to come, he will refuse all invitations from Ming De, any blood transfusions, any means to prolong his life, he won't listen to anything—the BOSS is very reluctant to part with him, but what can he do? Should he turn all the Nameless Ones into Blue Gold Half-Wolves? What about their families and friends? What about their children?"
Fragrant Dream covered her ears. "Don't spoil it for me! I have to live my own life!"
"Hahahaha!" Sixty-Three flipped onto the bridge and onto the road. "You were right!"
The Kyoraku Special Squad that rushed from Ginza, based on footage from reconnaissance drones, began rappelling down the maintenance track on the second-level railway. At that moment, they were completely unaware that Death God had already circled around behind them.
The small vanguard of sentries in Ginza was almost completely wiped out by Sixty-Three's flanking attack. There were also a few units hanging in mid-air, unable to fight. Sixty-Three spared their lives because the enemy could come back to life after death, so it was better for them to be half-dead.
After dealing with the twenty-four people, FE204863 boarded the troop transport vehicle and headed towards Ginza, where Bu Liuxing and Luo Ping'an were.
Fragrant Dream leaned back in the passenger seat, her legs propped up high on the windowsill, looking completely relaxed.
It asked its second brother, "Sixty-Three, if everyone and everything you see is already dead, like you said—that I am dead in your eyes too, then what's the point?"
"I used to be quiet too, just like FE33031. He was also a shy boy who didn't like to talk." Sixty-Three explained patiently, "But Ming De used a very strange and indescribable divine power to transform my heart, turning me into a chatterbox—making noise all day long. Even my roommates complain that I talk too much."
"Throughout the river of time, all those I have met will eventually leave me."
"But the process is far more important than the result. I used to hate the heavens and the earth. This terrible fate gave me a [Regret Pill]. It tormented me, making my heart numb and hard, my blood cold and cruel. The endless waiting made me slowly decay and rot. The happiness that was repeatedly gained was tasteless, while the frustration of repeated losses was unforgettable."
"Until fate brought me before Ming De, I took a step forward. And then all the dead came back to life, everything became so vibrant—it was in that moment of feeling love again that I realized this precious treasure was not at the end of the journey."
"Returning to FE33031's side this time, I only feel happy—in his words, it's because we put on a fantastic show!"
Fragrant Dream: "He's not that unsophisticated! That's a stereotype!"
Sixty-Three didn't refute, only laughed wildly and cheerfully. It was clear that he was very different from Jiang Xueming, especially in terms of his Madness Index.
"Hahahaha! Hahahahahaha!"