8
Ning Gu squatted behind the wall, next to a large iron cabinet thrown in the corner. No one knew what this thing had been used for before. There was an unpleasant burnt smell mixed with the rust.
But he had to endure it, because there was someone somewhere on the other side of the wall.
He didn't know how he knew it. He had always been very accurate in his judgment of danger. He had no basis for it. He couldn't see, hear or touch it. He just felt that there was someone there, so there was someone.
The team leader said that even if everything fails, there is still consciousness.
Maybe it was his consciousness that discovered the danger, his consciousness said there was someone there.
So he couldn't move until the man walked away.
But... even though he looked calm, leaning steadily behind this stinking broken iron cabinet, waiting for the next step with an expressionless face...
The team leader and Li Xiang had disappeared.
The hammer was missing too.
And he still doesn't know whether the opportunity for the next step has come, and what he will do when it comes.
A little panicked.
Not long ago, he was running wildly with a group of travelers across the Dark Iron Wasteland.
Leading the way were a few skinny bats. One of them jumped particularly high. He had no legs, and his body was supported by two metal skeletons that did not show any technical content to the naked eye.
This is generally not a disability. He had heard that this was a form of physical transformation that allowed bats to gain stronger abilities. After seeing it with his own eyes, he felt that the transformation was quite successful, as the metal frame leg could indeed jump the highest.
I can't see the meaning of jumping so high yet.
The new exit that the bat took them to was very far away. There were fewer and fewer people along the way, and no one knew where they had gone. After entering a long ditch that looked like a collapsed mine, there were only thirty-four travelers left.
Although they did not encounter city guards and hyenas on this road, there were only a few people left, and they looked like the remnants of a defeated army that had been targeted by the city guards eight times.
At the end of the long ditch is a metal wall buried deep underground. It is mottled but very thick. Bats definitely cannot pass through it. You can't see the top of the wall when you look up. Even with metal legs, you can't pass through it because you can't jump that high.
Travelers can.
"Where the circle is drawn!" a bat shouted, "that's the thinnest!"
The team leader waved his hand from a distance, and the metal wall seemed to be hit by an extremely heavy object, and a dent was made silently.
Everyone cheered and rushed forward. After the leader waved his hand for the second time, a hole was smashed in the wall.
Ning Gu was in a trance for a moment.
He saw the light all over his eyes.
It is now night time in the main city and the daylight is already very dim.
But it was different from the light of the cold light bottle that was dotted all the time in the ghost town regardless of day or night, and it was also different from the thorns of light seen from afar. Ning Gu didn't know how to describe it. His first feeling was only one, that the light in the main city... was full.
He followed the tail of the team, jumped over the hole in the wall, and stepped onto the land of the main city.
On the other side of the wall was an abandoned building, which was filled with discarded debris, tables, chairs, and unknown utensils. At a glance, there were several things that Ning Gu thought he could take back and exchange for some high-end items from the land king.
The team leader and Li Xiang must have discovered him, at least Li Xiang should have discovered him.
Because the small metal cube that the Land King gave him had some problems not long after he got off the car. It began to emit a faint light all over. He didn't dare to press the button again, fearing that it was a surprise prepared by the Land King for him and sparks would fly when pressed.
He had to distance himself and deliberately fell behind a little.
After turning around the various intricate corners of the main city for who knows how many times, he realized that not only had he distanced himself from the team leader and Li Xiang, but he had also lost touch with Hammer.
Ning Gu, the bully of the ghost town, entered the main city for the first time. He was not intercepted by the city guards, nor was he beaten to death by the hyenas.
But apart from the fact that he finally found the suitcase that the leader was carrying by instinct, he inexplicably became alone.
He didn't even have time to take a closer look at what the most dilapidated area D at the edge of the main city looked like before he was blocked behind the wall.
It should be a hyena. In his opinion, hyenas are ten thousand times more terrifying than city guards.
What he felt might be murderous intent.
Lian Chuan squatted on the edge of the roof, staring at the suitcase. The biological information inside had been scanned and transmitted, and Betelgeuse did not have the authority to view it.
He didn't want to know either.
Betelgeuse and Lianchuan have different appearances, but from a biological point of view they are the same person. So even though Betelgeuse is the highest-level weapon currently open to the public in the main city, it will only have temporary authority in certain specific situations, which is no different from having no authority at all. After all, when Betelgeuse is stripped off, all memories based on temporary authority will be handed in together.
Lian Chuan didn't want his secret to be discovered, nor did he want to have another layer of confused memories, so naturally he had no curiosity.
The boss squatted beside him and looked at the suitcase below with him. After a long silence, the boss stretched out his claws and rubbed them lightly on the ground.
It was only a few minutes, but it was too long for the two of them to complete the task.
But even after so long, the person I could always feel still didn't show up.
"Target confirmed." Minister Chen's voice came from the intercom.
This can be seen as a question, questioning why he has not taken action yet.
"Confirmed, the target may have an impact on the perception system." Lian Chuan replied, leaning forward slightly.
The eldest brother jumped off the roof at the same time as him.
It is not common for targets to influence the perceptual system, but it is not surprising when it occurs.
He did not report this to the person he could not find. This had always been his rule. He did not trust anyone except the boss, and he reported this only to explain his delayed action.
He and the boss quickly approached the suitcase from both sides.
There was a slight movement behind the wall, and then it quickly disappeared.
ran away.
Traveler.
There are weapons.
The city guard weapon in activated state.
A traveler he couldn't find, holding a capital city weapon that required the user's biometric information to activate.
Now he was even more certain that it was not the target in the suitcase but the runaway traveler that had an impact on the perception system.
This is a situation Lianchuan has never encountered before.
But he judged that this person was escaping and did not react at all. The boss also cooperated tacitly and did not even flick his ears.
Just proceed as usual, pick up the suitcase, and return it to the inner defense building, and your mission is accomplished.
There is more than one hyena behind the wall!
Fortunately, I ran fast!
Ning Gu ran all the way, much faster than when he came, and he didn't know where he was going. In short, he wanted to be as far away from where he was just now as possible.
Due to the arrival of the travelers, all areas of the main city have been under curfew. There are no pedestrians on the streets. If you see a person, you can basically be sure that he is a city guard or a hyena.
After running on the empty street for a while, Ning Gu turned into a small street and then an alley.
Area D is indeed dilapidated, but one can still feel the strong atmosphere of life there, the kind of life where people can live a relaxed life even if they just make do when there is no danger.
Occasionally you can see closed shops on both sides of the road, which shows that things are a bit miserable. Looking in from the windows, the furnishings and items inside are not much better than those in ghost town exchange shops.
The main city is just like this.
No one was chasing him, and there was no suspicious person in sight. Ning Gu relaxed a little, but he didn't dare to stop and continued to run. His experience was that when running, the body would become hot, and the reaction to any action would be faster.
Except for a U-turn.
When he turned the corner and saw someone in front of him, it was too late for him to turn around.
The man saw him too.
"Ning Gu?" Hammer lowered his voice in shock.
Hearing this voice, Ning Gu was immediately relieved and ran towards him faster: "Hammer..."
"Hyena?" Hammer's reaction was surprising. Before he could finish his words, he turned his head, swung his legs and started running.
Ning Gu's hair stood on end. Hyena
He caught up with me? And I didn't even know it
He immediately accelerated and rushed in front of Hammer quickly, and Hammer quickly surpassed him again.
The two of them were chasing each other silently. The friendship was there, but at this moment you knew that it was not as strong as him and the nail.
Perhaps because he was too frightened, Ning Gu easily found the way he came, the high metal wall with a hole in it.
"Get out!" Hammer yelled.
Ning Gu rushed out and then turned around.
From the hole, you can see the dilapidated building and the deserted street downstairs.
He held onto Hammer, who staggered over and almost fell, and asked, "Why are you running?"
Hammer was stunned, turned around, and then turned back to look at him: "Why are you running?"
"...Okay," Ning Gu was speechless and sat on the ground, "I understand."
"I thought someone was chasing you!" Hammer was sure it was a misunderstanding after a while, and sat down. "What's wrong with you? Can't you walk?"
"What's wrong with you being so scared? Aren't you very powerful?" Ning Gu said, "Dingzi also said that you can protect me."
"Are you dead?" said the hammer. "Are you not dead?"
Ning Gu glared at him, leaned back against the wall and laughed.
"Where have you been? I thought you were behind me, but when I turned around I didn't see you," Hammer frowned, "I was so worried."
"I may have just run into a hyena," Ning Gu whispered, "There's a wall between me and you, just over there."
Hammer waved his hand: "Impossible, if it was a hyena, you would be a pile of black scum now. If you were in the wind of the ghost town, there would be nothing left... In fact, there are not too many hyenas. Be careful not to run into them."
Ning Gu didn't say anything.
"We can't be here," Hammer stood up, "The city guards will be here soon and will seal this place off."
"How do we get there when the car comes?" Ning Gu asked.
"From the bridge," said Hammer, "no one will stop you when you go."
"Why?" Ning Gu asked again.
"I don't know. It's always like this." Hammer looked around and went back through the hole. "They didn't welcome us in the first place. Are they going to stay if we're leaving? They will definitely applaud and send us off."
"Where are you going?" Ning Gu also went back.
"Find a place to hide," Hammer said, "When the defense is relaxed, go to the Lost Valley. No one is in charge there, and travelers usually go there."
The images are played quickly on the screen. At this speed, the naked eye cannot distinguish the content, but the system can identify all suspicious images.
This is Betelgeuse's mission memory.
The picture finally stopped in front of a silver door, and a line of green words appeared on the screen.
-Identification completed, passed
"The memory doesn't need to be reset, do we need to wake it up?" Liu Dong said, "We are short on time."
"Then why are you asking me?" Lei Yu frowned.
The mental pressure of matching with Betelgeuse is huge for Lianchuan. Generally speaking, it is recommended not to exceed two hours. Theoretically, it should be stripped now, but Liu Dong means to test it immediately.
These people in the Operations Department, headed by Liu Dong, did not regard Betelgeuse as a human being at all. Even though they knew that once Lian Chuan collapsed, they would never find another person who could match Betelgeuse, they still did it.
After all, the purpose of all current tests is to replace this "weapon" that only has one compatible person.
There cannot be only one thing, because being only one thing means being endlessly controlled by others.
"You raised him like a son," Liu Dong said, "You still have to ask him."
"Well, that's thoughtful," Lei Yu nodded, "Then peel it off right now."
Liu Dong laughed and pressed a button on the keyboard in front of him: "Testing begins, materials are in place."
"Material 009 is in place." A response came from the intercom.
"Wake up." Liu Dong said.
Lei Yu stared at the screen. The picture was divided into many grids, and the surveillance was facing Betelgeuse from all directions, kneeling on one knee in a huge metal cage.
He was very familiar with this cage, and Lian Chuan was even more familiar with it than he was.
Unpredictable "materials" emerge from somewhere uncertain in the cage and will attack the newly awakened Betelgeuse in unpredictable ways.
The only thing that can be predicted is that all "materials" are extremely aggressive.
The first tests of various new materials are carried out in this cage.
Betelgeuse... No, it's Lianchuan. The reason why Betelgeuse exists is because of Lianchuan's amazing spiritual power that no one can replace. Without Lianchuan, there would be no Betelgeuse.
Lian Chuan was trapped in this sturdy cage, being attacked again and again by various "enhanced" life forms, being injured again and again, and enduring extreme pain again and again, but he was able to destroy his target again and again, disappointing those who expected him to disappear again and again.
"Confirmed." Betelgeuse spoke, but did not make any preparations for defense or attack, and his posture did not change at all.
009 slowly walked out from the small door in the corner, as if taking a stroll, and slowly walked towards Betelgeuse which had its back to it.
Lei Yu couldn't help but frowned.
When 009 took the fifth step, Betelgeuse suddenly stood up, took two steps and leaped up, flipped backwards half a circle, and grabbed the railing on the top of the cage.
009 stopped.
Betelgeuse let go of the railing and fell downwards. A silver spike pierced the skin of its wrist and pointed at 009's head.
Liu Dong slapped the table in front of him, and Lei Yu turned and looked at him.
009 had already been found at its weakest point by Betelgeuse before it even started attacking. No matter what the outcome of the battle was, it would be meaningless.
"How did he do it?" Liu Dong whispered.
"This part is the ability of Betelgeuse," said Lei Yu.
"I know," Liu Dong tapped the table, "How on earth can he be in harmony with Betelgeuse? How did he do it?"
This is a question that has had no answer since the day Betelgeuse was born.
Lei Yu didn't say anything.
Because if they don't fit, they will disappear, although this answer is not convincing.
But Lei Yu knew that this was the only reason why Lian Chuan could fit in.
He doesn't want to disappear, so he has to fit in.
"Ah!" Ning Gu, who was lying on the ground, shouted briefly, and his whole body bounced up as if he was stabbed by a knife.
Hammer, who was staring out the window, was so frightened by his noise that he almost jumped out of the window.
"What are you doing!" He asked in a low voice and pressed his hand on the ground. Ning Gu fell back and was controlled by him on the ground, unable to move or speak.
"Are you dreaming?" asked Hammer.
Ning Gu blinked.
Hammer's hand left the ground and he breathed a sigh of relief: "Why did you react so strongly?"
"I don't know." Ning Gu sat up and rubbed his head with his hands. "I rarely dream. I don't know what happened."
"For a traveler, being able to fall asleep in the main city is quite impressive," Hammer smiled. "What did you dream about?"
Ning Gu looked up at him and said, "Monsters kill monsters. A black man with several metal sticks sticking out of his body can actually fight. He killed several monsters in a row."
Hammer also looked at him and didn't say anything for a long time.
"What's wrong?" Ning Gu lifted his boots. "Are you scared? You can't stand being scared."
"Has anyone told you about Betelgeuse?" asked Hammer.
"No." Ning Gu glanced at him, "What is that?"
"The people who killed all the travelers and drove them out of the main city." Hammer spoke in a low voice, as if he was afraid of being heard.
"Oh, then I know a little bit... Why are you suddenly talking about this?" Ning Gu asked. This topic was a taboo in the ghost town. He only knew something about it. The team leader didn't allow him to ask. If they were in the ghost town now, Hammer probably wouldn't dare to mention it.
"The one poking the stick..." said Hammer, "is Betelgeuse."