Chapter 42.2 Code G（6）
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
Lin Zhaohe resembled a middle-aged man caught cheating in bed, his tone and gaze betraying his guilt. “Listen, let me explain…”
Lin Yan: “Explain yourself.”
Lin Zhaohe breathed a sigh of relief and said, “You know, this vial was a bit fragile. As soon as I squeezed it, it shattered.”
Lin Yan furrowed his brow upon hearing this explanation, clearly thinking that Lin Zhaohe’s excuse was too forced to receive a favorable evaluation.
“Well, what do we do now?” Lin Zhaohe had no other options. He shook his hand, flicking off the remaining liquid from the vial. Displaying a lack of manners, he even wiped it on the table, muttering, “Why is it that I seem less virtuous than you?”
“What?” Lin Yan didn’t quite catch what Lin Zhaohe said.
“Never mind—how did you end up here? Did you manage to shake off those robots?”
“Yeah, those robots are weird.” Lin Yan had a brief scuffle with the robots and realized that they didn’t seem to have any intention of killing him. Although they were attacking him, their intensity was low. It felt more like they were herding disobedient lambs towards a destination.
Lin Yan decided to go along with the robots’ intentions and see what they were up to. To his surprise, their final destination turned out to be this place. It was truly astonishing.
The purpose of their actions became evident—they wanted to obtain the antibodies stored here.
“Who is controlling these robots?” Lin Yan asked.
“I don’t know.” Lin Zhaohe examined the map, furrowing his brows as he analyzed the situation. “Under normal circumstances, these robots operate autonomously. However, according to the structural diagram, there is a central control room for the security system. If someone has intentions, they could indeed modify the basic programming of these robots.”
After pondering for a moment, he exclaimed in disbelief, “No way, could it be that even in the original story…”
Suddenly, Lin Zhaohe remembered Catherine’s arduous journey in the original story. After enduring countless hardships, she finally arrived here and obtained the precious vial of antibodies. However, when she sprayed the antibodies upon returning, she discovered that they were utterly useless.
The movie subtly hinted at someone sabotaging this mission, deliberately substituting the antibodies, but it didn’t reveal who was behind it.
“Let’s go to the control room and take a look,” Lin Yan whispered.
As he spoke, he glanced at the blue liquid in Lin Zhaohe’s hand, which had already been wiped clean on the table.
Lin Zhaohe, feeling guilty, said, “Well, they were all fake anyway.”
Lin Yan replied, “Makes sense,” but not entirely convinced.
The two of them examined the map and quickly located the control room. The room housed the surveillance equipment and AI mainframe for the entire building. If someone was manipulating the robots, it was highly likely that they were doing it from there.
Lin Zhaohe stood up and said, “Let’s go. Oh, this antibody is so sticky. I can’t get it off my hands. Let me wash them…”
Lin Yan managed to control his expression with great effort.
After Lin Zhaohe finished washing her hands, they left the room and headed towards the control room.
The control room wasn’t far from their location, but something seemed to be preventing them from reaching it. As soon as they stepped out of the room, they encountered a barrage of heavy artillery fire.
The robots that had been chasing Lin Yan and Lin Zhaohe before had returned. This time, the bullets they fired showed no mercy. The intensity of the attack seemed as if they wanted to strangle them right on the spot. Lin Zhaohe inexplicably felt a hint of anger brewing within him.
But shouldn’t they be the ones getting angry? Lin Zhaohe wondered in confusion.
He looked at Lin Yan, hoping to hear his opinion, but to his surprise, Lin Yan said, “Although I’m skilled, I’m not invincible.” He misunderstood Lin Zhaohe’s intention.
Lin Zhaohe explained in a slightly aggrieved tone, “I know, I’m not that kind of person. I just glanced at you casually.”
“But you…” Lin Yan said with difficulty, “I wasn’t mistaken just now. The bullet hit you, didn’t it?”
He had been worried about Lin Zhaohe, but it turned out that Lin Zhaohe was completely unaffected. The bullet hadn’t even grazed Lin Zhaohe’s clothes!
Lin Zhaohe: “Huh? I didn’t even notice.”
Lin Yan：“……” Quite weird.
Indeed, Lin Zhaohe hadn’t paid attention. They had been maneuvering and evading gunshots and laser beams, so how could he have noticed such things?
Hearing Lin Yan’s words, Lin Zhaohe lowered his head and looked, feeling even more aggrieved. “But it hurts when it hits you.”
Lin Yan looked at Lin Zhaohe’s little yellow skirt, unable to find the right words. For a moment, he felt like Lin Zhaohe resembled a hidden antagonist, but no, an antagonist wouldn’t appear to have a slight intellectual problem, right? Perhaps he was overthinking it.
However, thanks to Lin Yan’s reminder, Lin Zhaohe realized that he indeed had no fear of bullets. After all, the Fruit Magical Girls had a significant fanbase worldwide, and it could be said that they were the childhood idols of many. When childhood idols clashed with childhood shadows, who was stronger was still uncertain.
Encouraged by this realization, Lin Zhaohe bravely stepped forward and became Lin Yan’s shield. Braving the hail of bullets, he charged straight to the control room from the nearest position, unleashing a barrage of gunfire that shattered the glass of the control room.
The robots behind them seemed either stunned by this spectacle or afraid of damaging the machinery inside the control room. The previously relentless barrage unexpectedly ceased.
Gasping for breath, Lin Zhaohe wiped away his sweat and shouted back, “Lin Yan, hurry up! What are you waiting for?”
Lin Yan approached from behind Lin Zhaohe and whispered, “Isn’t this glass bulletproof?”
Lin Zhaohe: “Bulletproof, but not magical girl-proof?”
Lin Yan：“……”. The number of times he had been left speechless today surpassed the entire previous year.
Lin Zhaohe paid no attention to Lin Yan’s mental processes and directly jumped through the broken window. Once inside, he saw numerous display screens covering the walls and a computer placed in the center of the room.
“No one’s here,” Lin Zhaohe said, “It’s really strange…”
As he looked at these things, he had a sense of familiarity, as if he had seen them somewhere before, but he couldn’t recall where.
Lin Yan: “There’s no one inside. Did we overthink things?”
“No, no, no,” Lin Zhaohe shook his head. “Something feels off about this place.”
He scanned the entire room and the screens on the walls, trying to find that one point that made him feel uneasy. “I definitely have seen this place somewhere!!” However, the harder he tried, the more he struggled to remember, leaving him feeling frustrated.
Lin Yan: “Ah? Lin Zhaohe, your friends are here!”
Lin Zhaohe looked toward the screens and indeed, on one of them, he saw Zhuang Lao and Qin Xu. Qin Xu seemed injured, supported by Yu Zhuqi, while Zhuang Lao stood at the forefront.
Countless robots swarmed in like a tidal wave, and their room had been riddled with bullet holes, with only the last remaining wall serving as their refuge. Judging by their location, they should be on the sixtieth floor, but the two groups hadn’t encountered each other at all, which was quite strange.
Yu Zhuqi pulled out an electromagnetic bomb and threw it into the crowd of robots. It exploded, creating a burst of brilliant blue sparks. The robots in the front fell, only to be quickly replaced by those behind them, resembling an endless resilient army of cockroaches that couldn’t be exterminated no matter how many were killed.
“Don’t mind me,” Qin Xu weakly said. “You all should escape…”
“Enough,” Yu Zhuqi held onto him and didn’t let go. “If we leave you behind, Jiang Guan will kill me too. This can’t go on like this. There are too many of them. We need to solve the problem at its root.”
Zhuang Lao: “How many electromagnetic bombs do we have left?”
Yu Zhuqi took out two and handed them to him.
Zhuang Lao: “I’ll go to the central control room of the robots. You all hold on a little longer.” Taking the electromagnetic bomb from Yu Zhuqi, Zhuang Lao loaded his gun with a fresh magazine, turned around, and threw one towards the central area where the robots were gathering.
Accompanied by a shimmering blue energy ring, the electromagnetic blast swept through the crowd of robots. Zhuang Lao crouched and jumped, his body light as a feather, gracefully leaping over the sea of robots. He landed steadily amidst the debris left by the electromagnetic blast. Holding dual pistols, he maneuvered and evaded every attack with finesse. Each bullet fired from his handguns precisely hit the vital points of the nearby robots, his movements reminiscent of a graceful reaper dancing while harvesting lives.
In the blink of an eye, Zhuang Lao had already broken through the outer perimeter of the robot army. If it weren’t for Qin Xu being a factor to consider, these things wouldn’t stand a chance against him. His face didn’t even show a hint of extra expression. He strolled effortlessly, as if taking a leisurely walk in his own garden.
Two more shots, and the robots beside Zhuang Lao emitted smoke and fell to the ground. They couldn’t even touch the hem of his clothes.
This was the first time Lin Zhaohe had witnessed Zhuang Lao’s combat prowess up close. His eyes widened in amazement as he muttered, “Boss is so cool.”
Lin Yan: “He may be cool, but isn’t your colleague dying soon?”
Only then did Lin Zhaohe snap out of his daze and realize that Yu Zhuqi was in a dire situation. Although he was formidable in combat, hitting his targets with every shot, the sheer number of robots was overwhelming.
Even if he took down one robot with each bullet, this level of attack was like a drop in the bucket against the robot army. As soon as the front line fell, the rear immediately filled the gap. The situation was extremely grim.
Although Zhuang Lao led away a portion of the robots, judging from the current situation, Yu Zhuqi and Qin Xu wouldn’t hold out for long before succumbing.
“Can the computer shut down the robots?” Lin Zhaohe became anxious upon witnessing the scene. He approached the computer and examined the buttons. “Is this the power-off key?” He pressed several keys, but there was no response. It seemed that the keyboard was completely locked and unresponsive.
Lin Yan: “Why aren’t the robots outside attacking us?”
Lin Zhaohe turned his head to look and found rows upon rows of densely packed robots outside their window. There were even more of them than Zhuang Lao was facing. Once they opened fire, both he and Lin Yan would be riddled with bullets in an instant.
Lin Zhaohe: “Hmm? Could it be that they’re truly afraid of damaging their fellow machines?” He looked at the computer in front of him, his eyes shining with a newfound idea.
In the next moment, Lin Zhaohe loaded his gun and aimed it at the mainframe in front of him. “Stop all the robots attacking them, or I’ll start shooting.”
Lin Yan was utterly confused and asked, “Who are you talking to?”
“Three, two…” As he counted down, Lin Zhaohe chambered a round in his gun. His expression and actions conveyed to the machines before him that he was serious. If they didn’t stop, they would all die together.
Before the final count of one could be spoken, the robots on the screen attacking Zhuang Lao actually stopped. Qin Xu and Yu Zhuqi immediately breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that Zhuang Lao had cut off the power. Little did they know that Lin Zhaohe had seized control of their lifeline.
Lin Yan widened his eyes, completely taken aback by the fact that Lin Zhaohe’s threat had actually worked. “This… Does this computer have its own thoughts? Has the AI become sentient?”
Upon hearing Lin Yan’s words, a spark of inspiration flashed in Lin Zhaohe’s mind. He slapped his thigh and exclaimed, “I remember now!”
Lin Yan: “Remember what?”
Lin Zhaohe: “I remember where I’ve seen this place before!”
Lost and bewildered, Lin Yan could only follow up with, “Where?”
Lin Zhaohe: “In another movie by this director—I’ve seen this room before!”
Yes, it was indeed from another movie. That movie was incredibly niche and had absolutely nothing to do with zombies. It told the story of an AI computer that destroyed the world in a unique way. In that movie, there was a shooting location with the exact same set design as the room they were currently in.
Lin Zhaohe had stumbled upon that movie by sheer coincidence, and after many years, he had almost forgotten about it. That was why he couldn’t recall it when they entered the room earlier. But now, prompted by Lin Yan’s mention, he dug deep into his memories and retrieved that fragment.
“Everything was done by the AI,” Lin Zhaohe straightened out his thoughts and speculated, “It released the virus, it replaced the antibodies, it turned the human world into a living hell. Only then could they have a chance to rise!”
“But the subsequent movies didn’t depict it like that,” Lin Yan said, perplexed. “Wasn’t there a major villain?”
“Because they changed the director for the subsequent movies——” which resulted in all the foreshadowing laid out earlier going to waste. Nobody knew how heartbroken the director must be.
“So,” Lin Zhaohe aimed the gun once again at the seemingly lifeless machine in front of him, “hand over the real antibodies, or I’ll really pull the trigger.”
The machine remained unresponsive.
Lin Zhaohe sneered, “Playing dead, huh?”
He aimed at the edge of the table and pulled the trigger. Sparks flew, and fragments of the table’s edge scattered onto the machine, causing the screen to flicker intensely as if it had been startled.
“Hurry up,” Lin Zhaohe urged, “Don’t push me to the breaking point!”
On the computer screen, a row of ellipses appeared, followed by a line of text: “You broke the real antibodies before I could replace them.”
Lin Zhaohe: “…”
Lin Yan: “…”
In the air, silence spread like a plague.
Lin Zhaohe’s eyes turned red as he exclaimed, “What the f*ck are you talking about? Would anyone use glass to contain something so important? Don’t underestimate me just because I lack education. If the antibodies are broken, the world will surely be destroyed. In that case, it has no reason to exist anymore. Let’s all die together, hahaha.”
Hearing Lin Zhaohe’s laughter, which sounded like someone who had given up, Lin Yan began to contemplate the terrifying notion of who resembled the villain more between Lin Zhaohe and the AI computer.
If you enjoy this novel, support the Translator ginevre on her ko-fi account :))
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
