It had already been the third day, and Zhang Jie was just quietly lying in bed. He disliked speaking, disliked moving. Even when conversing with the angel, he showed a strange indifference. Instead, he developed a profound interest in all things around him. A chair, a bedsheet, a pill, a small bird perched on the window—Zhang Jie observed them all meticulously. The answer to the problem was gradually becoming clear in his mind.
Today's Zhang Jie was somewhat different from before; he actually made an effort to get down to the ground. The pain in his chest was still churning, but Zhang Jie didn't mind, supporting himself against the wall as he headed towards the door. His expression was so gentle, as if he were just taking a casual stroll.
It seemed he was heading somewhere with a purpose, not pausing along the way, only hesitating for a long time in front of a medical cart before continuing onward.
In the white space, the snake watched everything that was happening with doubt. As for 13, it was becoming increasingly unfamiliar to him.
Once again, due to the system's influence on the world, the angel timely appeared at his side.
"What's wrong with you? Didn't the doctor tell you not to get out of bed for 10 days?" The angel's reproaching eyes carried a few glistening teardrops. As a system-generated human, she possessed the most perfect emotions in the world, even more real than real people.
"I just want to walk a bit..." Zhang Jie's voice was very light, probably due to internal injuries, or perhaps not...
"I'll accompany you." The angel habitually supported Zhang Jie's shoulder, and at the moment of contact, Zhang Jie's body visibly trembled, standing still for two seconds without moving. His eyes quietly looked at this incomparably familiar girl, then smiled, and continued walking.
It seemed that everyone's bodies were doing quite well lately; the hospital appeared extraordinarily quiet. Ordinarily, one should see crowds anxiously waiting in front of the operating room, or hear the agonizing cries before death outside the emergency room. But in 13's world, these things were all prohibited. From the results analyzed by the snake from 13's memories, 13 extremely disliked these things. The so-called strongest human actually had childish wishes like a child. A world without pain, without bloodshed, without death, and without war. To be precise, it wasn't that 13 disliked these, but rather was weary of them...
"Do you want to go to the lawn or the park for a walk?" the angel asked with a smile.
"Can you take me to the rooftop?" Zhang Jie said calmly.
"Oh... um..." Zhang Jie's difference was discovered even by the system-synthesized angel.
Standing in front of the elevator waiting, Zhang Jie closed his eyes, lightly placing one hand on the cold elevator doors, silently counting down in his heart.
"It's here..." Zhang Jie opened his eyes, smiling as he said, and the elevator lights lit up at the same time.
"'Touch' system?!" The snake called out in disbelief. This time was different from the erosion; he was purely sensing the laws of the world, even beginning to master them. This was the difference between illusion and reality. In reality, no one knows what will happen in the next moment because the world itself has no laws. But illusion is different; it's a program completely compiled by the system, which is a kind of law. In the illusion, every thing is operated by the system, so the system is the god here. The person in the position of the initiator is just a pawn in the system; although everything one wants can be achieved, it's merely the most willful pawn, never able to escape the board. But now, 13 has become an observer beside this chessboard. The illusion can no longer manipulate people outside the board. In a strict sense, 13 has broken free from the shackles of the illusion. He has truly cracked the unbreakable world. Now, he still cannot leave. What he needs is a way to solve everything...
I have forgotten how many times I pulled the trigger, my arms hanging down wearily. My breathing is getting more and more rapid, with a feeling of near suffocation. Quickly changing the magazine, I dodged the charging beast in front, and 24 circled behind it again, pressing the hot gun muzzle against its hindbrain. For this action, 24 seems to have repeated it hundreds of times in one night. Even if tired of it, I must continue. When I can no longer perform this action, it means the end of life.
The situation of 36 and 1 is basically the same, just that compared to the female 24, his physical strength is slightly better. But everyone knows that without any change in the continuation, in the end, there is only death...
"13, wake up quickly..." This is the cry in everyone's heart. They don't expect him to change this one-sided battle; as long as he wakes up, the four of them completely possess the ability to leave.
In the research institute, the old man nervously arranged defensive work; except for some female researchers, everyone picked up weapons. In order to make full use of the combat power. In the laboratory where 13 was lying, only the uncle was left to protect Zhenxian. The madman and Baozhu had all joined the defensive crowd.
Leaning against the cold bed, Zhenxian's mood was no longer as agitated as before; she gently pressed 13's arm against her face. Is there anything else to hope for? After all, he is right beside me now, not going anywhere. No matter what the final result is, I will stay by his side watching.
Nothing matters anymore...
The uncle guarding the door had never seen the young lady with such a happy expression. Perhaps only those who have truly loved can understand her feelings, right? The uncle sighed softly; it turned out that the little girl he had always protected had unknowingly grown into a woman who knows how to love. This is something worth savoring...
Time gradually passed, and a group of black objects finally appeared at the entrance of the cave. The red light scanned the dark cave like searchlights.
"Report!" a soldier reported, "The beast squad has reached the location of the research institute. Please instruct..."
"Very good..." A smile appeared on Miyamoto's face, "Let them enter the research institute for me; we only need the research materials. Not one left! I want no one alive in there!"
The beasts at the cave entrance began to advance inward; the heavy footsteps almost shattered the fragile ground. The stone pillars along the way didn't even slow down the advance; the sharp war blades slashed through, and the straight stone pillars fell to the ground.
Surrounding the elevator-like large stone, the beasts' red lights flashed; four wide black arms pressed against it, and a dozen monsters exerted force at the same time. The stone, which seemed as steady as Mount Tai, began to tremble, gradually yielding the passage entrance step by step.
"The beasts have opened the main elevator passage!!" In the control room, the computer monitoring personnel shouted.
"Immediately have the first combat squad go to the elevator entrance for defense! Do not allow any to enter the research institute. Even if it's with corpses, block the passage for me!" The old man on the side ordered coldly.
The squad of 100 people quickly rushed into the room where 13 and the others had entered, bullets loaded, guns raised aiming at the tightly closed elevator door. Although not said, their trembling bodies were the most honest; everyone was equally afraid. Cold sweat unconsciously flowed down their faces, Adam's apples slightly jumping, and the feeling of waiting was sometimes more unbearable than death...
Putting away the knives, standing at the edge, looking down at the empty white tunnel, as if it had no end. Without human hesitation, the first one jumped down. The white lights on the four walls flashed quickly past the beast's eyes, like a flock of meteors sliding through the sky. The internal computer system operated at high speed, calculating the height; when approaching the end, the sturdy four arms inserted into the wall, sparks from metal friction flying everywhere. The speed close to crashing began to decrease. Safely landing on the ground, the palms were already red. The wall was still continuously emitting blue smoke.
The heavy landing sound reminded the soldiers outside. The firearms were gripped tighter, fingers constantly twitching on the trigger.
"Bang!" The steel elevator door emitted a loud noise, and the ground seemed to shake. The sound continued to emit, and the door began to deform. The tightly closed door showed a gap, and the dazzling red light scanned over the crowd outside; those emotionless eyes made people's hearts tremble incessantly. The black arms inserted into the crack, forcefully pulling to both sides, and the beast's body was completely exposed in front of the soldiers.
"Fire!!" I don't know who shouted. Bullets poured out like rain, bursting out with the soldiers' fear and anger.
Raising his arms to protect his head, but the bullets still pierced through the vulnerable connections on his body, and one arm after another fell to the ground. Then the legs, and finally the torso also collapsed unsupported on the ground.
The smoking gun muzzles stopped firing, and the noisy room suddenly returned to its original quietness. Only the rolling shells on the ground collided with their companions, making a wind chime-like sound.
Without any words, everyone's bewildered faces showed a long-lost smile; although it felt particularly awkward, it's still better than nothing. The pressure in their hearts disappeared. Looking at the motionless monster wreckage, the fear just now made everyone feel ashamed. Facing a killable beast, hope rose in everyone's heart.
The harsh friction sound emitted again, and the soldiers regained their calm, quickly changing magazines, preparing for the next salvo. The heavy landing sound, the beast stepped on its companion's corpse, and the blood-red gaze was no different from before.
The idea of "killable" made the soldiers raise their gun muzzles. Suddenly, three more fell behind it.
A great war between humans and machines is about to begin...