Chapter 43.1 Jueyu
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The villain Lin Zhaohe, played by the magical girl Lin Zhaohe, was unrelenting. Filled with rage, he pounded the computer screen, urging it to choose goodness. Otherwise, he threaten to destroy the world together.
Lin Yan stood by, too intimidated to speak a word. He could sense a tinge of sadness from the blurry screen, battered by his furious strikes. He thought about speaking up but ultimately decided to remain silent.
Lin Zhaohe: “Take a minute to consider the consequences, and don’t struggle or resist needlessly—”
The computer was on the brink of being overwhelmed. Reluctantly, a few words displayed on its monitor: “I was joking.”
Lin Zhaohe: “This joke isn’t funny. Hurry up and tell me, where is the vaccine? My patience is wearing thin, and I’m sure you don’t want your little robots to get hurt!”
Lin Yan: “… Why does this line sound so familiar?”
The gun proved to be effective. Under Lin Zhaohe’s menacing threat, the computer eventually gave in, shedding tear-like reflections on its screen as it reluctantly revealed the hidden vaccine. It summoned the little robots to bring a secure box and reluctantly provided Lin Zhaohe with the password.
Lin Zhaohe, overcome with excitement, personally entered the password. Upon doing so, he laid eyes upon another vial of the same blue potion he had seen before. He reached out to grab it, only to be stopped by Lin Yan.
“Let me handle it,” Lin Yan whispered softly. Perhaps to avoid any misconceptions, he explained, “I have a lighter touch…” Pausing briefly, he added, “I absolutely don’t suspect you’re a villain.”
Lin Zhaohe: “…” I would have felt slightly better if you hadn’t added that last part. Thanks.
With the lesson learned from Lin Zhaohe’s actions, Lin Yan handled the antibodies with utmost caution, as if cradling a fragile newborn, fearing a repeat of tragedy.
Lin Zhaohe stood by, staring at the computer with bottled-up frustration.
Now that they had obtained what they sought, it was time to leave. However, their departure posed evident risks to their safety.
Squinting, Lin Zhaohe gazed at the computer and asked, “So, this is your true form, isn’t it?”
The AI system froze for several seconds before tremblingly typing, “What do you intend to do? You promised not to destroy me.”
Lin Zhaohe: “Indeed, but we need to ensure our safe escape for this transaction to be deemed successful.” He produced a timed bomb and affixed it to the computer. “Don’t try to disarm it, or it will explode. Once we reach a secure location, I will share the bomb’s password with you!”
The computer: “…” Why are you so proficient at this? Are you specifically trained for this?
Lin Yan obviously found Lin Zhaohe’s threat somewhat unseemly. He cleared his throat and averted his gaze, not intervening but with a slightly distracted expression. According to the generic plot, shouldn’t they be appealing to the AI emotionally and reasoning with it, leading to a happy ending?
Lin Zhaohe didn’t care about what Lin Yan was thinking. He had more important matters at hand. He took out the communication device and contacted Zhuang Lao, informing them that he had complete control over the computer. He instructed them to gather in the control room.
“Let’s go.” Before parting ways as good brothers, Lin Zhaohe took off the small yellow skirt and returned to his original appearance.
“Will you keep your promise?” The computer emitted electronic sounds.
Lin Zhaohe: “You don’t know yet, but the world has already been destroyed. We don’t need your interference.” With a backpack on his back and without looking back, he continued, “Even talking dogs are accepted by everyone. Your AI is nothing out of the ordinary…”
Perhaps the AI hadn’t realized it had entered a completely new world in less than three days.
The computer remained silent, emitting a series of cryptic electronic sounds that seemed somewhat lonely upon first hearing.
With the transaction completed with the AI, Lin Zhaohe successfully found Zhuang Lao and the others. Upon learning about Lin Zhaohe’s ordeal while obtaining the vaccine, everyone was astonished. They hadn’t expected that the root of this disaster was a rogue AI.
“Don’t be surprised,” Lin Zhaohe said. “Time is running out. Let’s hurry and leave.”
It was less than two hours before the agreed time with Madam Yan, and under normal circumstances, they definitely wouldn’t make it back in time. Fortunately, they had Lin Yan, who could fly among them. Lin Yan immediately took the vaccine and prepared to depart.
“Lin Yan,” Qin Xu couldn’t help but express some distrust. “You won’t escape with the vaccine, will you?”
Lin Yan’s actions halted for a moment.
“Can we trust him?” Qin Xu said. “He has killed so many people…”
Perhaps the relaxed interaction with Lin Zhaohe earlier gave Lin Yan a false impression, making him momentarily feel like a normal person. Qin Xu’s words instantly brought him back to reality. Lin Yan remained silent for a moment and whispered, “You’re right, don’t trust me.”
Qin Xu: “Look, can we really trust someone like him?”
“There’s no other choice,” Zhuang Lao said. “Time is running out, and those things are about to hatch…”
They had no other option. Qin Xu gritted his teeth, his eyes reddened, as he watched Lin Yan fly away. He stared at Lin Yan’s departing figure, remaining speechless for a while.
Lin Zhaohe patted his shoulder to provide comfort.
The worries Qin Xu had didn’t come true. Forty minutes later, as Lin Zhaohe and his group were walking away, they received a message from Madam Yan, saying that the antibodies were ready and a helicopter was being dispatched for aerial spraying.
These antibodies seemed to be highly toxic to the zombies, causing rapid decay upon contact with their bodies. In an instant, they turned into a pile of white bones.
Qin Xu was injured, and they were also carrying an injured mercenary. The group’s progress was not particularly fast.
Suddenly, it started raining from the sky. Lin Zhaohe found it strange and asked, “Boss, why is it raining?”
Zhuang Lao replied expressionlessly with a sarcastic joke, “Maybe the heavens were moved to tears by you.”
Lin Zhaohe: “……” So cold.
The street was filled with various mutated corpses, their decaying bodies quickly merging with the earth, becoming a part of nature. However, the surrounding environment would never return to its former state.
Lin Zhaohe vaguely remembered that this place used to be a massive forest park before the fusion. On sunny days, families would come here with their loved ones for camping.
Lin Zhaohe had been here before. Back then, he was a carefree university student, lying on a hammock and swaying in the wind. His family would be nearby, grilling barbecue, and the sounds of children’s laughter and playfulness echoed around, a bit noisy but just right.
Even though it hadn’t been many years, recalling those memories now felt like a distant dream. Lin Zhaohe wanted to rub his tired eyes, but his hand met the stiff and rigid gas mask instead.
“What’s wrong?” Zhuang Lao’s voice came from beside him.
“Nothing,” Lin Zhaohe muttered.
“Missing home?” Zhuang Lao asked.
Lin Zhaohe had no idea how Zhuang Lao guessed it, but upon hearing the word “home,” his nose uncontrollably tingled with a hint of sadness. However, crying at this moment felt inappropriate, so he sniffed and forcefully suppressed the tears.
Zhuang Lao gently placed his hand on Lin Zhaohe’s shoulder, applying slight pressure, and said slowly but firmly, “Salary raise.”
Lin Zhaohe immediately didn’t feel like crying anymore. He grinned widely and said, “Boss, the company is my home!”
Yu Zhuqi: “……” Lesson learned.
Every time a mission ended, someone would learn a lesson.
After leaving the central area, they encountered a helicopter sent to pick them up and safely arrived at the base.
According to their agreement, Lin Zhaohe also shared the bomb’s password with the AI. The AI asked if Lin Zhaohe could help with accessing the external network. Lin Zhaohe replied that he couldn’t do anything that would harm all of humanity, but if the AI could help him modify the numbers in his bank account, he wouldn’t mind considering it. The speechless AI responded with a long string of ellipses and then claimed it wouldn’t engage in illegal activities.
Lin Zhaohe: “Do you have a different understanding of what constitutes breaking the law?”
AI: “The law doesn’t explicitly state that one cannot destroy the world.”
Lin Zhaohe: “……” Damn, was this the logic of ‘The Thief Who Stole Hooks’ and ‘The Marquis Who Stole the State’? As long as the actions were grand and outrageous enough, they completely transcended the realm of legal constraints. For example, the law had never stated that one could not blow up the moon, so destroying it wouldn’t be considered illegal.
The impasse between Lin Zhaohe and the AI persisted as they couldn’t reach a consensus.
After bringing back the antibodies, Lin Zhaohe didn’t see Lin Yan when he returned to the base, which left him inexplicably disappointed.
Madame Yan retired without meeting them. As she departed, Lin Zhaohe caught sight of the commander from the movie standing by the window, lost in thought. His eyes reflected a sense of bewilderment, perhaps contemplating the ultimate philosophical questions of life—Who was he? Where did he come from? Where was he headed?
Discarding the gas mask to the side, Lin Zhaohe sniffed.
Yu Zhuqi patted his shoulder and said, “Let’s go.”
Lin Zhaohe: “This place will remain like this from now on.” Although the zombies were gone, it was still a desolate area that could never regain its former appearance.
“Let’s wait,” Zhuang Lao said. “Who knows, there might be surprises.”
Lin Zhaohe glanced at him, smiled, but didn’t respond. “Let’s go, back home.” He was feeling a bit tired too.
Lin Zhaohe noticed that when he transformed into a magical girl, his physical abilities became extraordinarily robust, combined with being impervious to weapons, making it very useful. However, there were side effects. Once his body returned to normal, the areas that were attacked would show some bruising, such as where he had been hit by bullets. Although the skin didn’t break, it turned into a large bruise.
Especially after taking the pills given by Gu Xuyu, his skin became fair and tender, making the bruises even more shocking to behold.
After arriving home, Lin Zhaohe glanced at himself in the mirror while taking a shower and gasped, suspecting that he had suffered some hidden beating.
Little Red Square was missing in the house. Lin Zhaohe made a phone call and heard it say it was upstairs playing games.
Lin Zhaohe pushed open the door and indeed saw Little Red Square and Gu Xuyu… and another… Gu Xuyu? Why were there two Gu Xuyus?
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