4 4 304 Hetero-Cores are placed below the base. ffffffff Assets/Product/Texture/Image/BgStory/Bgstory448.jpg 1
5 5 304 Miss Luna doesn't respond to this. For the great agent of Ascnet, this power isn't worth mentioning. ffffffff Assets/Product/Texture/Image/BgStory/Bgstory448.jpg 1
6 6 304 But Roland shows no concern for this at first, unable to understand the Ascnet's favor toward him. ffffffff Assets/Product/Texture/Image/BgStory/Bgstory448.jpg 1
7 7 304 Perhaps this is the privilege of humans who share the same origin as Miss Luna. They are different from me. They don't need to be pieced together. ffffffff Assets/Product/Texture/Image/BgStory/Bgstory448.jpg 1
8 8 304 Therefore, I cannot understand the real greatness of Ascnet. ffffffff Assets/Product/Texture/Image/BgStory/Bgstory448.jpg 1
9 9 304 I proposed to remove some shards from the recycled materials in the space station, but Roland objected. ffffffff Assets/Product/Texture/Image/BgStory/Bgstory448.jpg 1
10 10 304 As he said, "watching the flower struggle" is far more valuable than recovering the Hetero-Core shards. ffffffff Assets/Product/Texture/Image/BgStory/Bgstory448.jpg 1
11 11 304 But his meaning is hard to decipher. The defective Construct looks nothing like a flower. Similarly, I have been unable to understand his behavior. ffffffff Assets/Product/Texture/Image/BgStory/Bgstory448.jpg 1
12 12 304 He obviously has the power to destroy his prey, yet he spends the time to set traps. ffffffff Assets/Product/Texture/Image/BgStory/Bgstory448.jpg 1
13 13 304 Sometimes he even digresses into boastful monologues, wasting time on pointless communication with the enemy. ffffffff Assets/Product/Texture/Image/BgStory/Bgstory448.jpg 1
14 14 304 I am skeptical of his inefficient practices, but as long as he is completing the Ascnet's missions, I have no need to speak up. ffffffff Assets/Product/Texture/Image/BgStory/Bgstory448.jpg 1 1
15 15 304 The bigger problem I face now is that humanity's nightmare is about to be brought to life, but the generation who should lead us forward doesn't care. ffffffff Assets/Product/Texture/Image/BgStory/Bgstory448.jpg 1
16 16 304 After reaching this conclusion, I detected a mood fluctuation similar to "disappointment" in my memory circuit. ffffffff Assets/Product/Texture/Image/BgStory/Bgstory448.jpg 1
17 17 304 No one seems to pay any mind to this earth-shattering power, but I am sure that this power is the gospel brought to me by the Ascnet. ffffffff Assets/Product/Texture/Image/BgStory/Bgstory448.jpg 1
18 18 304 AniZhuanchangBegin As such, I am even more deserving of wielding this power. ffffffff Assets/Product/Texture/Image/BgStory/Bgstory448.jpg 1 1
31 31 301 Gabriel reaches out his left arm and grabs the deformed Hetero-Creature and tears it to pieces.
32 32 301 Gabriel Keep going. Experiment No. 327. 1
33 33 201 1 500008
34 34 301 1 Roland Hmph— 1
35 35 301 Roland What are you doing? 1
36 36 301 Lazily leaning up against a wall in the corner, Roland speaks in a relaxed voice as if it is just a casual inquiry in his spare time.
37 37 301 He's still watching the scene closely from within the darkness.
38 38 301 Gabriel seems to be accustomed to Roland's indolent attitude. He doesn't even turn his head to look back.
39 39 201 1 500101
40 40 301 1 Gabriel I need the most powerful servant as possible at my disposal. So I'm testing trial after trial. 1
41 41 301 Gabriel As long as they understand that we are superior as Ascendants, then we can easily bend them to our will. 1
42 42 201 1 500008 3
43 43 301 Roland ...I've been wondering if these things have feelings or thoughts. They look pretty dumb. 1
44 44 201 1 500101
45 45 301 1 Gabriel They have no use for those. 1
46 46 301 Gabriel An experienced beast only fixates on its prey. Lock, and then attack. 1
47 47 301 Gabriel They are merely tools at my disposal to achieve the long cherished dream of Ascnet. Whether it is emotion or cognition, they will only become obstacles for me to control them. 1
48 48 301 The dark Mechanoid is gazing into the deep, bottomless tide of red, with a crazy red glint in his eyes.
49 49 301 Everything Gabriel pursues is in that deep pool, devouring all the "nourishment" he prepares and constantly searching for whatever he deems "most powerful" .
50 50 201 1 500008
51 51 301 1 Roland It's strange... I remember you weren't like this before. 1
52 52 201 1 500101
53 53 301 1 Gabriel If you still have time to laugh at me, you'd better continue to complete your task. 1
54 54 201 1 500008
55 55 301 1 Roland Relax. I'm almost ready. They didn't notice. 1
56 56 301 Roland I'm curious as to what form these little pets of yours will eventually take. 1
57 57 201 1 500101
58 58 301 1 Gabriel ...So am I. 1
59 59 301 Gabriel I have explored all possible variables that will affect the power of these creatures. All I need to do now is wait for them to evolve and reach their full potential. 1
60 60 201 1 500008 4
61 61 301 1 Roland All possible potentials... 1
62 62 204 1
63 63 301 AniZhuanchangBegin Roland Well, then. I'll await the good news... 1
66 66 301 AniZhuanchangEnd Gabriel has been searching in the deep pool for the strongest power as he understands. What is now presented to Roland is likely to be the answer to that power.
67 67 301 The indescribably massive incubator for integrating mechanoid and biological structures is suspended deep underground. Countless tubes flowing with red liquid are connected to it.
68 68 201 1 500334 -450
69 69 201 2 500305 450
70 70 301 1 Roland ...Babylonia would never have expected this kind of thing to be hidden under the Central Purification Filter that was once the lifeline of the human race. Quite the bold decision. 1
71 71 301 Vonnegut I wasn't the one to decide on the position of "Mother". The seed merely landed here and successfully germinated. 2
72 72 301 Vonnegut looks up at "Mother", which rises and falls with its regular "breathing". He feels reassured.
73 73 301 Vonnegut This is even better than the "test subject". 2
74 74 301 Vonnegut This CPF was used by humans to reduce the concentration of the Punishing Virus. But due to the existence of "Mother", it has turned into a hotbed for it to absorb nutrients. 2
75 75 301 Vonnegut In the absence of the Red Tide, this is a place more suitable for "Mother" than that "greenhouse." Unfortunately, Gabriel faltered on his way to uncovering the truth. 2
76 76 301 Vonnegut Perhaps, he was 99% of the way to achieving his goal, but it was the 1% he ignored that is key to achieving it. I found this in the Gabriel memory data collected by Cinderelik. 2
77 77 301 Speaking with a solemn tone, Vonnegut takes out an old storage device from his pocket.
78 78 301 Vonnegut Gabriel thinks that emotion is useless, but he deliberately ignored what the turning point was for him becoming an Ascendant. 2
79 79 301 Vonnegut Hatred, pain, obsession... These feelings are very familiar to every Ascendant, but they are completely unfamiliar to Hetero-Creatures. 2
80 80 301 Standing in front of "Mother", Vonnegut opens his hands as he explains his theory without hesitation.
81 81 301 Vonnegut The Hetero-Creatures incubated by Gabriel have given us new possibilities and may have even inspired the Punishing Virus to develop toward intelligent lifeforms. 2
82 82 301 Vonnegut However, the newly created Hetero-Creatures cannot feel emotions innate in humans, which means that they lack the primary conditions to pass the "filtering" process. 2
83 83 301 Vonnegut What we need is not a beast with shackles, but a companion who can walk side by side with us in the new world. 2
84 84 204 1 2
85 85 301 Roland Did you call me here just to show off your new pet? 1
86 86 301 Vonnegut No, of course not. 2
87 87 301 Vonnegut After this, I will give you something else as agreed. 2
88 88 202 1 1
89 89 203 2 0.25
90 90 301 Vonnegut turns around with a smile and looks at "Mother" behind him...
91 91 301 Vonnegut This is the deal between us—our next step. 2
92 92 301 Vonnegut It's an experiment driven by human instinct, shifting against emotions, and producing results from suffering. 2
93 93 301 AniZhuanchangBegin Vonnegut I think you'll be interested in the show, Roland. 2
98 98 301 AniZhuanchangEnd 1 Roland Vonnegut... Unbelievable. I can never tell what's on his mind. 1
99 99 301 Roland To let something come into being that he's not sure if he can control... Is that what he really wants? Didn't he learn any lessons from Gabriel? 1
100 100 301 It's a gamble with no clear outcome ahead, a game that will only show the result when the box is open. Whether it's confidence or conceit lies in the ability of the one in control. At least for the moment, Vonnegut looks confident instead of conceited.
101 101 301 This "experiment", which gives Roland mixed feelings, seems to confirm what Vonnegut thinks.
102 102 301 Roland So far, 14 groups of Scavengers have joined this "experiment." 1
103 103 202 1 1
104 104 301 Each batch of humans introduced into the CPF to come into contact with "Mother" has caused substantial stimulation to her body. This causes the "creatures," for lack of a better word, within it to mutate.
105 105 301 Roland can't find the words to describe the scene before him. Hetero-Creatures and Hetero-Plants show consistent variations at regular intervals, as if something is artificially controlling their boundaries.
106 106 301 Simultaneously, "Mother" has become increasingly active as if the unknown "creatures" within the incubator are beginning to achieve memory within the sea of chaos. They even seem to unconsciously respond to external stimuli.
107 107 301 Just like the subconscious movements of a baby in the womb, this is something even more terrifying to him than the Hetero-Creatures in Gabriel's deep pool.
113 113 301 1 Vonnegut I gave them the options, and they all chose to go for the CPF. In the face of both opportunity and danger, they seized opportunity without any hesitation. 1
114 114 301 Vonnegut "Mother" is hatching, and as it matures, the abnormalities in the tower will soon spill over to the outside. 1
115 115 301 Vonnegut I can wait for the birth of a new life in "Mother", but sooner or later, those in Babylonia will be able to sniff out where "Mother" is. 1
116 116 301 Vonnegut So when the time is ripe, you, as an outsider, will step in and make sure "Mother" can hatch successfully. 1
122 122 301 Comms ring and interrupt Roland's musings.
123 123 301 Message from Cinderelik "Mother is ready."
124 124 201 1 500334 1
125 125 301 1 Roland It's showtime! 1
126 126 301 Roland Beloved audience, the long-awaited performance is about to begin. Can I get a round of applause? 1
127 127 301 Roland swings his chain blade in a theatrical gesture.
128 128 401 2 1507
129 129 301 The Corrupted pass by senselessly. All he hears is the sound of a crow perched in a withered tree taking flight after being startled by the movement of his chain blade.
130 130 301 Roland Fine... Guess I'll have to give myself a mechanical rose instead. 1
131 131 301 Roland shrugs then picks up the shotgun parts beside him and begins assembling it.
132 132 204 1 7
133 133 301 Roland This boring show has already gone on 14 times. I keep thinking it might have a different ending, but they always end up just killing each other or themselves. The stronger ones manage to make it out to the forest... But they'd be better off just staying in the CPF and waiting to die. 1
134 134 301 A mysterious dark cage, a group of helpless trapped animals, an imaginary goal—so far everything was just rehashing a low-budget film.
135 135 301 Roland gets lost in thought for a moment.
136 136 204 1 1
137 137 301 Roland Hah... Guess it's only normal. After all, how can you trust people other than yourself when you can't even protect yourself? 1
138 138 204 1
139 139 301 Roland After witnessing this series of tragedies, does "Mother" really have "emotions"? 1
140 140 301 Roland What will be the result of "its" evolution? 1
141 141 301 Roland What will "it" think of us then? 1
142 142 301 ...What would Luna think?
143 143 301 Roland briefly stops assembling the shotgun as if seriously contemplating the question hovering in his mind.
144 144 301 Roland …… 1
145 145 401 2 1511
146 146 301 Click!—The spring suddenly makes a sound. Roland shakes his head and holsters the fully-assembled shotgun at his waist.
147 147 204 1 1
148 148 301 Roland Time to get to work. 1
149 149 301 Roland The area that has just been cleared is covered with bugs now. I can't let the "actors" stay here. 1
150 150 301 Roland In the past... it was just a matter of snapping my fingers to get rid of these scrap metals. Now I got to get my hands dirty. It's really sad to be dependent on others. 1
151 151 301 Roland Even the "selection" has to be done in the most complicated and stupid way... It's like a disaster for people who value efficiency. 1
152 152 301 1 AniZhuanchangBegin Roland Shouldn't take too long, though. Should it? 1
