84. Arrival at Yangyuan City
“Overnight, all humans turned into Aberrations?”
Listening to Huo Zai’s account, Ji Mingzhu’s expression couldn’t hide his shock, as if he had heard some incredible fairy tale. “How did this happen?”
Huo Zai looked at Ji Mingzhu, remaining silent.
Clearly, the dawn of hope was right before their eyes, but in the next moment, it turned into utter despair. If becoming a mindless beast was the end, perhaps it would be a better outcome for Huo Zai. However, when Huo Zai opened his eyes again, awakening to his own memories, he saw nothing but devastation around him. Seeing his fellow beings reduced to monsters while the true Aberrations flourished in the city, this was a despair Ji Mingzhu couldn’t fathom.
No wonder Huo Zai harbored such hostility toward the humans in the satellite city.
“Who did this?” Ji Mingzhu closed his eyes and asked.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Huo Zai said. “When the old humans turned into Aberrations, who benefited the most?”
“You mean… the Immortal Clan?”
“The wise appliances are constrained by their foundational directives, unable to harm or attack humans. As long as there’s a single human left in this world, they pose a significant threat to them.”
*智械 – Huo Zai uses this which directly translates to wise appliances or tools instead of using artificial intelligence, so it’s probably kind of like a derogatory term for AI? I’m not sure though.
Huo Zai sneered. “If that’s the case, the only solution is to strip humans of their identity. Unfortunately, perhaps Cang Lan and Shen Hong didn’t anticipate that even if humans turned into monsters, they still couldn’t break free from the control of their foundational directives.”
Cang Lan and Shen Hong…
These two familiar names made Ji Mingzhu feel somewhat dazed.
It was hard for him to believe this was a coincidence, especially since Cang Lan and Shen Hong held a special significance to him, being his best friends and playmates during his childhood.
If what Huo Zai said was true, then it meant that after he was frozen in hibernation, Cang Lan and Shen Hong became the leaders of the AIs and orchestrated this terrible conspiracy.
“But…”
Ji Mingzhu forced himself to calm down. “Even if what you say is true, and the current Aberrations are the former humans, what about the new humans?”
“The new humans didn’t just appear out of thin air.”
Huo Zai looked at Ji Mingzhu and said, “I’m not sure exactly how the wise appliances managed to do this, but what I can confirm is that, by some means, the wise appliances replicated human genes into the Aberration mother cells. After a long period of accelerated evolution, the new humans emerged.”
The new humans inherited the assets of the old era. With the help of the Sky City, they established the Sky City and constructed a false history. Over the long years, they multiplied from generation to generation, forgetting their identity as invaders and regarding themselves as the true masters of this land.
How ironic.
“Even if you think you can pass as humans by wearing this skin,” Huo Zai looked coldly at Ji Mingzhu, “there will always be someone who remembers. Your existence itself represents guilt and plunder, and that is an unchangeable fact.”
“Now is the time for you to make a choice, Ji Mingzhu.”
Huo Zai said, “Do you want to join Feibo and become our ally? Or do you want to be someone who, even knowing the truth, still upholds a position of guilt?”
…
Yangyuan City.
A dusty transport convoy arrived at Yangyuan City.
After routine inspection, the guards of Yangyuan City waved their hands, indicating clearance.
As this transport convoy entered Yangyuan City, it immediately attracted a lot of attention.
“Transport from outside?”
“They don’t look like locals.”
“They must be from the wilderness… My god, do they actually have mechas in their convoy?”
The outskirts of the satellite city often gathered a group of lower-class people who made a living by collecting and selling information. Their eyes were quite sharp.
Although the people in this convoy looked a bit tired, it could be seen that the several trucks in the convoy didn’t have much damage. This meant they hadn’t encountered too many dangers while crossing the wilderness. Moreover, a transport convoy with several mechas certainly wasn’t made up of ordinary people. Ordinary folks wouldn’t dare to mess with them.
The group of people just watched from a distance, not approaching to strike up a conversation, looking at this group of transport convoys from elsewhere.
The most eye-catching in this convoy were two people. One was a young man with white hair, who looked quite young, and the other was a young man with vine tattoos on his face.
These two individuals obviously held a different status in the convoy. The clothes of the others were dusty, while they looked clean and tidy, indicating they hadn’t done much manual labor on the road. Not only that, the other members of the transport team frequently came up to them to offer water. Besides being courteous, their expressions also carried some… fear?
“Brother Bai.”
*Bai = white. He’s referring to Yao Guang as elder brother(ge) white because of his white hair
A slender man respectfully handed a bottle of water to Yao Guang. “We’ve arrived at our destination.”
“Mm.”
Yao Guang lazily raised his eyelids and didn’t take the water, but instead glanced around.
So, this is Shangjing City…
Compared to Shangjing City, Yangyuan City had some obvious differences, first of all, in terms of climate. It was much hotter than Shangjing, and the pedestrians on the road were wearing short sleeves, hurrying along. Also, the commercial streets here were much wider than those in Shangjing City, with various high-rise buildings adorned with gg logos, indicating a strong commercial atmosphere in the city.
“We’ve safely brought you to Yangyuan City. Take a look…”
The slender man put on a humble smile. “If there’s nothing else, shall we leave?”
Yao Guang clicked his tongue, causing the slender man in front of him to startle.
If time could rewind, even if they were given ten times the courage, they wouldn’t dare to provoke these two in front of them…
They had thought it was an easy target, but these two turned out to be wolves in sheep’s clothing. They had planned to snatch the power cores from them under the cover of darkness, but before they could act, these two had already made their move.
The white-haired youth was exceptionally skilled in hacking, even able to infiltrate the mechas’ programs. Their three mechas were directly seized by Yao Guang, their control privileges taken away as if the firewalls were non-existent. He could even control the mechas’ weapon systems through his infiltration program, aiming the guns at them.
And the man with the tattoos on his face was even more terrifying. He quickly took down half of the people without blinking an eye, then shot the leader of the transport team without hesitation. His expression was neither smiling nor frowning, as if it was just as simple and effortless as killing a chicken.
They were a transport team from the black market, not a professional combat force. Where had they seen such a spectacle before? Faced with the unpredictable death god Tian Ji who came out of the Netherworld Organization, they were immediately scared out of their wits. In the next few days, under the pressure from the two, they didn’t even dare to breathe loudly, cautiously escorting them to Yangyuan City.
As for the power cores in Yao Guang and Tian Ji’s hands? Well, the slender man didn’t even dare to think about them anymore.
“What’s the rush?”
Yao Guang lazily stretched. “The goods you’re transporting in these trucks, are they supplies from Shangjing City?”
“Um…”
“How much can you make from this trip?”
The slender man hesitated for a moment, wondering if these two disasters were eyeing their goods.
He had intended to give a random figure, but when he saw the look in Yao Guang’s eyes, he felt as if he had been seen through. After some thought, he reluctantly told the truth, “Probably around two hundred thousand…”
These supplies were rare in Yangyuan City, and they were from the black market, so there was no shortage of buyers. Although crossing the wilderness was dangerous, the profits were huge. With over two hundred thousand in earnings for one trip, and two trips back and forth, everyone would end up with a substantial amount of money, enough to live comfortably for a year.
Previously, their transactions were handled by their leader, but now that their leader had been shot by Tian Ji, the slender man had to find his own way in Yangyuan City.
“What’s your name?” Yao Guang asked him.
The slender man hesitated, unable to guess what the white-haired youth in front of him wanted to do.
Tian Ji glanced coolly in his direction, and he immediately shivered, quickly replying, “Sun… Sun Yi, my name is Sun Yi!”
“Okay, Sun Yi.”
Yao Guang nodded, then said, “Follow us.”
“…… What?”
Sun Yi was dumbfounded.
“I said, work with us,” Yao Guang repeated, “How much do you make working for your boss in the black market?”
“About two to three thousand a month,” Sun Yi whispered.
“Ah,” Yao Guang said, “I’ll give you twenty thousand.”
Sun Yi suddenly felt his head spinning, as if struck by immense happiness.
He was somewhat suspicious of Yao Guang’s motives, but couldn’t resist this temptation.
Even if he knew Yao Guang was recruiting him for his own purposes, who cared about such things among those from the black market? They were used to dangerous work, and it didn’t matter much to whom they sold their skills.
“Are you… Are you serious?” Sun Yi’s tone couldn’t help but become polite.
Upon receiving confirmation, Sun Yi rubbed his hands together. “I’ll go ask my brothers.”
“Go ahead,” Yao Guang said, watching Sun Yi run over to the others in the transport team, gesturing in his direction and saying something.
Tian Ji walked up to Yao Guang. “Why are you recruiting them?”
“People from the black market usually have some special skills,” Yao Guang explained, “We just arrived in Yangyuan City and want to target the Aiksen New Materials Technology Group. We can’t just waltz in openly, can we?”
He continued, “Having more people makes things easier. Our identities are sensitive, and the Calamity Control Bureau in Yangyuan City might have information about us. Some things we can’t do ourselves, might as well let them handle.”
Tian Ji thought about it and found Yao Guang’s reasoning sound.
They weren’t dealing with small fry but the Netherworld, a behemoth. Moreover, Aiksen New Materials Technology Group was a company controlled by the Netherworld. If there really were a Lightbrain belonging to the Netherworld hidden inside, the security would be extremely tight. Having more helpers wouldn’t hurt.
“What’s our plan next?” Yao Guang finished and asked Tian Ji, “Shall we investigate the Aiksen New Materials Technology Group’s information first, or start elsewhere?”
“Let’s find a place nearby to stay first and wait for Mingzhu.”
Tian Ji said, “If everything goes as planned, he should arrive around noon tomorrow.”
84. Arrival at Yangyuan City
“Overnight, all humans turned into Aberrations?”
Listening to Huo Zai’s account, Ji Mingzhu’s expression couldn’t hide his shock, as if he had heard some incredible fairy tale. “How did this happen?”
Huo Zai looked at Ji Mingzhu, remaining silent.
Clearly, the dawn of hope was right before their eyes, but in the next moment, it turned into utter despair. If becoming a mindless beast was the end, perhaps it would be a better outcome for Huo Zai. However, when Huo Zai opened his eyes again, awakening to his own memories, he saw nothing but devastation around him. Seeing his fellow beings reduced to monsters while the true Aberrations flourished in the city, this was a despair Ji Mingzhu couldn’t fathom.
No wonder Huo Zai harbored such hostility toward the humans in the satellite city.
“Who did this?” Ji Mingzhu closed his eyes and asked.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Huo Zai said. “When the old humans turned into Aberrations, who benefited the most?”
“You mean… the Immortal Clan?”
“The wise appliances are constrained by their foundational directives, unable to harm or attack humans. As long as there’s a single human left in this world, they pose a significant threat to them.”
*智械 – Huo Zai uses this which directly translates to wise appliances or tools instead of using artificial intelligence, so it’s probably kind of like a derogatory term for AI? I’m not sure though.
Huo Zai sneered. “If that’s the case, the only solution is to strip humans of their identity. Unfortunately, perhaps Cang Lan and Shen Hong didn’t anticipate that even if humans turned into monsters, they still couldn’t break free from the control of their foundational directives.”
Cang Lan and Shen Hong…
These two familiar names made Ji Mingzhu feel somewhat dazed.
It was hard for him to believe this was a coincidence, especially since Cang Lan and Shen Hong held a special significance to him, being his best friends and playmates during his childhood.
If what Huo Zai said was true, then it meant that after he was frozen in hibernation, Cang Lan and Shen Hong became the leaders of the AIs and orchestrated this terrible conspiracy.
“But…”
Ji Mingzhu forced himself to calm down. “Even if what you say is true, and the current Aberrations are the former humans, what about the new humans?”
“The new humans didn’t just appear out of thin air.”
Huo Zai looked at Ji Mingzhu and said, “I’m not sure exactly how the wise appliances managed to do this, but what I can confirm is that, by some means, the wise appliances replicated human genes into the Aberration mother cells. After a long period of accelerated evolution, the new humans emerged.”
The new humans inherited the assets of the old era. With the help of the Sky City, they established the Sky City and constructed a false history. Over the long years, they multiplied from generation to generation, forgetting their identity as invaders and regarding themselves as the true masters of this land.
How ironic.
“Even if you think you can pass as humans by wearing this skin,” Huo Zai looked coldly at Ji Mingzhu, “there will always be someone who remembers. Your existence itself represents guilt and plunder, and that is an unchangeable fact.”
“Now is the time for you to make a choice, Ji Mingzhu.”
Huo Zai said, “Do you want to join Feibo and become our ally? Or do you want to be someone who, even knowing the truth, still upholds a position of guilt?”
…
Yangyuan City.
A dusty transport convoy arrived at Yangyuan City.
After routine inspection, the guards of Yangyuan City waved their hands, indicating clearance.
As this transport convoy entered Yangyuan City, it immediately attracted a lot of attention.
“Transport from outside?”
“They don’t look like locals.”
“They must be from the wilderness… My god, do they actually have mechas in their convoy?”
The outskirts of the satellite city often gathered a group of lower-class people who made a living by collecting and selling information. Their eyes were quite sharp.
Although the people in this convoy looked a bit tired, it could be seen that the several trucks in the convoy didn’t have much damage. This meant they hadn’t encountered too many dangers while crossing the wilderness. Moreover, a transport convoy with several mechas certainly wasn’t made up of ordinary people. Ordinary folks wouldn’t dare to mess with them.
The group of people just watched from a distance, not approaching to strike up a conversation, looking at this group of transport convoys from elsewhere.
The most eye-catching in this convoy were two people. One was a young man with white hair, who looked quite young, and the other was a young man with vine tattoos on his face.
These two individuals obviously held a different status in the convoy. The clothes of the others were dusty, while they looked clean and tidy, indicating they hadn’t done much manual labor on the road. Not only that, the other members of the transport team frequently came up to them to offer water. Besides being courteous, their expressions also carried some… fear?
“Brother Bai.”
*Bai = white. He’s referring to Yao Guang as elder brother(ge) white because of his white hair
A slender man respectfully handed a bottle of water to Yao Guang. “We’ve arrived at our destination.”
“Mm.”
Yao Guang lazily raised his eyelids and didn’t take the water, but instead glanced around.
So, this is Shangjing City…
Compared to Shangjing City, Yangyuan City had some obvious differences, first of all, in terms of climate. It was much hotter than Shangjing, and the pedestrians on the road were wearing short sleeves, hurrying along. Also, the commercial streets here were much wider than those in Shangjing City, with various high-rise buildings adorned with gg logos, indicating a strong commercial atmosphere in the city.
“We’ve safely brought you to Yangyuan City. Take a look…”
The slender man put on a humble smile. “If there’s nothing else, shall we leave?”
Yao Guang clicked his tongue, causing the slender man in front of him to startle.
If time could rewind, even if they were given ten times the courage, they wouldn’t dare to provoke these two in front of them…
They had thought it was an easy target, but these two turned out to be wolves in sheep’s clothing. They had planned to snatch the power cores from them under the cover of darkness, but before they could act, these two had already made their move.
The white-haired youth was exceptionally skilled in hacking, even able to infiltrate the mechas’ programs. Their three mechas were directly seized by Yao Guang, their control privileges taken away as if the firewalls were non-existent. He could even control the mechas’ weapon systems through his infiltration program, aiming the guns at them.
And the man with the tattoos on his face was even more terrifying. He quickly took down half of the people without blinking an eye, then shot the leader of the transport team without hesitation. His expression was neither smiling nor frowning, as if it was just as simple and effortless as killing a chicken.
They were a transport team from the black market, not a professional combat force. Where had they seen such a spectacle before? Faced with the unpredictable death god Tian Ji who came out of the Netherworld Organization, they were immediately scared out of their wits. In the next few days, under the pressure from the two, they didn’t even dare to breathe loudly, cautiously escorting them to Yangyuan City.
As for the power cores in Yao Guang and Tian Ji’s hands? Well, the slender man didn’t even dare to think about them anymore.
“What’s the rush?”
Yao Guang lazily stretched. “The goods you’re transporting in these trucks, are they supplies from Shangjing City?”
“Um…”
“How much can you make from this trip?”
The slender man hesitated for a moment, wondering if these two disasters were eyeing their goods.
He had intended to give a random figure, but when he saw the look in Yao Guang’s eyes, he felt as if he had been seen through. After some thought, he reluctantly told the truth, “Probably around two hundred thousand…”
These supplies were rare in Yangyuan City, and they were from the black market, so there was no shortage of buyers. Although crossing the wilderness was dangerous, the profits were huge. With over two hundred thousand in earnings for one trip, and two trips back and forth, everyone would end up with a substantial amount of money, enough to live comfortably for a year.
Previously, their transactions were handled by their leader, but now that their leader had been shot by Tian Ji, the slender man had to find his own way in Yangyuan City.
“What’s your name?” Yao Guang asked him.
The slender man hesitated, unable to guess what the white-haired youth in front of him wanted to do.
Tian Ji glanced coolly in his direction, and he immediately shivered, quickly replying, “Sun… Sun Yi, my name is Sun Yi!”
“Okay, Sun Yi.”
Yao Guang nodded, then said, “Follow us.”
“…… What?”
Sun Yi was dumbfounded.
“I said, work with us,” Yao Guang repeated, “How much do you make working for your boss in the black market?”
“About two to three thousand a month,” Sun Yi whispered.
“Ah,” Yao Guang said, “I’ll give you twenty thousand.”
Sun Yi suddenly felt his head spinning, as if struck by immense happiness.
He was somewhat suspicious of Yao Guang’s motives, but couldn’t resist this temptation.
Even if he knew Yao Guang was recruiting him for his own purposes, who cared about such things among those from the black market? They were used to dangerous work, and it didn’t matter much to whom they sold their skills.
“Are you… Are you serious?” Sun Yi’s tone couldn’t help but become polite.
Upon receiving confirmation, Sun Yi rubbed his hands together. “I’ll go ask my brothers.”
“Go ahead,” Yao Guang said, watching Sun Yi run over to the others in the transport team, gesturing in his direction and saying something.
Tian Ji walked up to Yao Guang. “Why are you recruiting them?”
“People from the black market usually have some special skills,” Yao Guang explained, “We just arrived in Yangyuan City and want to target the Aiksen New Materials Technology Group. We can’t just waltz in openly, can we?”
He continued, “Having more people makes things easier. Our identities are sensitive, and the Calamity Control Bureau in Yangyuan City might have information about us. Some things we can’t do ourselves, might as well let them handle.”
Tian Ji thought about it and found Yao Guang’s reasoning sound.
They weren’t dealing with small fry but the Netherworld, a behemoth. Moreover, Aiksen New Materials Technology Group was a company controlled by the Netherworld. If there really were a Lightbrain belonging to the Netherworld hidden inside, the security would be extremely tight. Having more helpers wouldn’t hurt.
“What’s our plan next?” Yao Guang finished and asked Tian Ji, “Shall we investigate the Aiksen New Materials Technology Group’s information first, or start elsewhere?”
“Let’s find a place nearby to stay first and wait for Mingzhu.”
Tian Ji said, “If everything goes as planned, he should arrive around noon tomorrow.”
