bookbashuk Page 15
Page 15
"Coordinates: [Dragon Palace], RushB, 1=1, no waiting after the deadline."
"I'll be there soon!"
""
So, top students...
The believer stood at the bottom of the lake and started blowing bubbles out of boredom.
2097, the end of the century.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe the current chaotic superhuman system as a flourishing of diverse talents.
Blindly exploring most of the known high-risk [Hive] is not in line with the risk-reward ratio. Most of the extraordinary individuals who are now famous in the electronic sea are lucky ones who obtained their initial capital from an anomalous experience—that is, a random [Hive]—and cautiously and gradually made their snowball bigger and bigger.
The face is something that can't be explained.
When you go solo, you're a newbie with nothing to show for it. A random Hive can turn into a battle of titans. Don't be afraid. As long as Lady Luck smiles on you, you can achieve a double kill even if you only have a rolling pin in your hand.
But what happens when that bitch stops favoring you? You might get crushed to death by the door just for opening it.
It is precisely this uncertainty that has led to the diverse and varied advancement paths among extraordinary individuals today.
Magic, superpowers, physical enhancement, construct systems, shapeshifting, contracts, bloodline ascension—who knows what will pop up tomorrow?
In fact, the circle of extraordinary individuals is very small. How small?
First of all, the superhumans are purists. Any Muggle who has undergone cybernetic modification in reality is no longer mentally complete, which makes it difficult for them to touch the door of the dark side of the electronic sea, let alone benefit from it. Nowadays, purists are just a drop in the ocean in the entire human population. The era in which you can become excellent by spending money is so unreasonable.
Secondly, only the most purists with relatively good luck can survive and escape after accidentally entering the random [Hive] and obtain their initial capital.
When compared in this way, the number is even smaller.
While the world is raving about how cybernetic technology has opened the door to a world of equality for all, in the shadows unseen by ordinary people, a group of lucky purists are wandering among the tentacles of an unspeakable being, seeking forbidden knowledge buried in the darkness. In the process of their continuous exploration, the gap between them and their cybernetically modified counterparts is widening at a rate far exceeding that of normal genetic evolution.
"Although I haven't seen it with my own eyes, one day, the ridiculous scene of [God] and [human] sitting in the same office will inevitably happen."
"I am bored," thought Hearn, the believer.
There was the sound of a sharp object parting the water.
The nun at the bottom of the lake looked up at the surface and, as expected, saw a pitch-black construct rapidly sinking. After a few breaths, it slowly descended in front of her, its sharp toes poking into the steel tatami mat and sliding in like cutting butter.
The construct pulled its toes out of the steel tatami mat and, having learned its lesson, levitated to a position about five centimeters off the ground. It was about 170 centimeters tall, with sword-shaped limbs, flower-shaped armor, and V-shaped goggles that tilted backward. The armor, gleaming with obsidian luster, enveloped its slender body.
"Knock, Knock?"
The believer reached out and tapped Black Lotus's mask, but it was quickly blocked by the other's sword.
"Mr. Scones, please observe your manners." A childlike voice, incongruous with the construct's cold appearance, came from behind the mask. The clear voice sounded like that of a middle school girl.
"Understood." The believer withdrew her hand.
"So, shall we begin?"
"Although I understand that you are deeply addicted to the internet and still harbor resentment because of your unsuccessful exploration of [Dragon Palace], aren't you even a little curious as to why I would give up my precious Christmas holiday to come to this world-renowned Deep VI [Hive] to suffer?"
"I don't know, but it must be related to women, Mr. Scones."
"They say a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative, you really know me, Lotus."
A new week has begun! Please recommend, add to your favorites, and vote with monthly tickets!!!
Chapter 26 Black Snake and Black Cat
"Mr. Hearn... Mr. Hearn... Mr. Hearn"
In the dimly lit corridor, Ms. Yukinoshita, who had paused for a moment due to an unpleasant topic being discussed, quickly followed the white figure ahead after a brief hesitation.
To be fair, he was someone blessed by heaven, at least in Yukino Yukinoshita's eyes. Although his bizarre appearance—his forehead stuck in a piano—didn't initially earn him much points in the girl's eyes, his polite and well-mannered manners made up for it in subsequent conversations. While chatting with the other patrons at the bar, Yukino Yukinoshita easily formed an initial impression of him. He was a person with high emotional and intellectual intelligence, a wide network of connections, and could get along well anywhere. Occasionally, he would act frivolously but always knew when to stop, surprisingly reliable, and good at making girls happy. His only flaw was his somewhat questionable views on relationships—these few points alone would have been enough to condemn him to failure in a typical Japanese school. But he happened to not be born in Japan, so he wasn't subject to that suffocating atmosphere and could grow up freely without any worries.
The dramatic result of all this chance occurrence is that a soul as slutty and shameless as a puppy was stuffed into a body that was imbued with the classical beauty depicted in "The Tale of Genji".
While trying a cocktail impromptu made by a female bartender, Yukino, under the influence of alcohol, blurted out her true feelings about him. The bartender stared at her for a long time before lowering her head to continue wiping the glass, leaving Yukino with a sentence that she still remembers vividly.
"That's a good summary, but if you've known him for a long time, you'll naturally understand that while he is indeed alive today thanks to God's blessings, God is not the only one who has shown him such favor."
Speaking of which, was the cocktail called Ice Cream or Ice Queen? Yukinoshita couldn't quite remember.
The calls went unanswered.
A strange sense of disorientation clouded Xuexia's senses. As she hurried forward to try to catch up with Hearn's back, as she called out to him repeatedly, the man in front of her remained completely unaware and never turned around.
Yukino tried to reach out and pat his shoulder, but found that no matter how hard she tried, her fingers couldn't even touch his back.
It was like a phantom.
And this phantom is gradually fading into the distance.
Yukinoshita quickened her pace for the second time, trying to keep up with the leisurely figure ahead, but this time, as she walked, she saw...
In the dark corridor, as the young man named Hearn walked step by step, a shadow even darker than the shadows lurked behind him, like the eerie shadow cast by a withered old tree in a stormy night illuminated by lightning. Like the expanding veins of a living creature, the shadows spread and extended with each step. A long, winding shadow gradually emerged from the ghostly branches of the tree—a black serpent that had chilled the snow-covered man to the bone and made him stop in his tracks. It writhed its graceful body, moving in an S-shape across the corridor floor, its countless scales opening and closing with a metallic clang. It effortlessly coiled around the still-unaware young man's leg, then climbed up, its dark body gradually binding him and slowly tightening.
The black snake flicked its equally black tongue, poking its head back from the young man's shoulder, its snout slightly open, revealing its black fangs.
And as Yukinoshita, who had been facing Him from beginning to end, suddenly had an absurd thought rise in her mind—this black snake... He was laughing.
The moment Yukino Yukinoshita realized this, her world was plunged into darkness.
"Miss Yukinoshita! Wake up! Miss Yukinoshita!"
The shouts beside her shattered the silence that had enveloped her for what seemed like an eternity. The murky, indescribable darkness transformed into countless black feathers as her consciousness beneath the snow was reawakened, drifting and scattering.
Yukino Yukinoshita seemed to wake from a dream. She looked around and found herself still standing outside the port smuggler's office. The door was ajar, and a few steps away, a man in a high-ranking police uniform, with a light shining on him, was urgently calling her name.
Not far from the man, there was a black-haired girl who looked to be about the same age as him, wearing a black winter school uniform, holding a sword and leaning against the wall, silent.
Unlike the anxious male police officer, the high school girl's gaze towards him carried a hint of scrutiny and wariness.
Yukino Yukinoshita was no stranger to that kind of gaze; in fact, she was very familiar with it. Ever since she grew up to the age where she could wear evening gowns, she had often attracted similar gazes in formal occasions such as banquets—gazes that seemed to be "appraisal."
As she grew older, when she realized that those looks were tacitly approved by her parents, she began to plan her escape.
"Sorry, you've mistaken me for someone else."
Yukino Yukinoshita bowed slightly to the police officer who kept trying to call her name. He looked older, so she used a polite form of address.
Throughout this process, her attention never left the sword-wielding girl by the wall.
The other party is the same.
"You must be joking, Ms. Yukinoshita. Thanks to the councilor, the entire Tokyo police force was searching for you without a break on Christmas Eve."
"Sorry, you've mistaken me for someone else."
Faced with the girl's unwavering indifference, Shiratori's lips twitched. However, his righteous spirit burned brightly because the innocent girl had not yet been harmed. Shiratori Renjuro's brain naturally released dopamine, a symbol of pleasure, making him incredibly good-natured. "In any case, the photos of the Yukinoshita family's daughter circulating within the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department are genuine. Without a doubt, after the series of comparisons just now, you are indeed Ms. Yukinoshita Yukino, without a doubt."
"Self-satisfied police officer, are you a caveman living in the early 21st century?"
Just as Shiratori finished speaking, the girl in front of him slowly turned around, her gaze still passing over Shiratori Rensaburo's shoulder and landing on the direction where the girl was standing by the wall. She spoke softly, her voice cold.
"Huh?" Caught off guard, Shiratori was somewhat at a loss.
"Isn't the truth so simple and clear? As you can see, I'm just a Shibuya delinquent who accidentally learned about the news of the Yukinoshita senator's daughter running away from home through gossip. I'm just someone who daydreams about becoming a phoenix and changing my fate by jumping from one branch to another, and I put my plan into practice. I took all my savings to a black market doctor for a full set of prosthetic plastic surgery, and I'm just waiting here for the police to rescue me, hoping to replace 'Yukinoshita Yukino' as the senator's daughter. By the way, the money for the surgery was earned by my after-school supporters, and the permanent smoky makeup and bleaching are really a waste of money. I hope my juniors won't try it lightly."
The girl stated this without blushing or panting.
Shiratori Ren Shisanlang was struck dumb, frozen in place.
"Isayama Huangquan stumbled on the spot, and the treasured sword [Lion King] almost slipped from his hand."
"To add, the reason for the leniency for confessing is that subsequent investigations revealed that the Yukinoshita family's family environment was simply too terrible. Going there would be like a lamb entering a tiger's den, which is not the life that the Shibuya delinquent girl expects." The girl calmly concluded her statement.
Shiratori Renjuro recovered from his shock, turned to look at Isayama Yomi, and murmured, "To be honest, I'm convinced. It's well-reasoned, has good evidence, and is highly feasible."
“As for me, I almost did.” Isayama Yomi emerged from the shadows, her gaze sweeping over the composed and calm girl of the same age before her with astonishment. All the written information about the girl in her mind was thrown into the shredder, as if she were seeing Yukino Yukinoshita for the first time. “A brilliant statement, but unfortunately, I have some special identification methods that can confirm that this beautiful lady who calls herself a ‘Shibuya delinquent’ is a 100% natural person.”
"Yeah! I think so too. What are the chances of such a coincidence! The files show that Ms. Yukinoshita is a complete 'purist,' a naturally beautiful woman, and a model student with excellent grades and conduct." Shiratori, belatedly realizing what was happening, hurriedly chimed in, turning to activate the internal communication. "Guys, the target has been rescued. Prepare to move in."
"Officer Shiratori, watch out!" Yomi Isayama suddenly drew her sword and charged at him.
boom! ! !
It was as if a napalm bomb had exploded at low altitude in the narrow space, and rolling flames suddenly erupted from a point in front of the white bird.
Faced with temperatures high enough to char a person, Shiratori saw that the spot where the girl who appeared to be the young lady of the Yukinoshita family had been standing was empty, and a black cat was darting into the doorway that had been blown open by the blast wave with lightning speed.
Just before the raging flames, accompanied by a shockwave, reached Shiratori, a colossal beast materialized out of nothingness and suddenly appeared before him, blocking the heatwave that would have completely evaporated Shiratori Ren Shisanlang's consciousness.
"Red Lotus!"
Please recommend, add to your favorites, and vote with monthly tickets!!!
Chapter 27 Christmas Eve
Shiratori Renjuro fainted, his physical body in reality and his consciousness in the electronic sea simultaneously falling into chaos.
It wasn't because they were blown up by the sudden explosion, but because they were frightened by the giant beast that suddenly appeared in front of them.
When he survived the shockwave from the explosion and caught a glimpse of the crimson behemoth with a lion's head, a snake's tail, and twelve eyes, he immediately rolled his eyes back and passed out.
Fortunately, in reality, Shiratori Ninzaburo had a dedicated person protecting him. After Isayama Yomi notified his subordinates who were guarding outside the port to come and meet him, he stepped over Mr. Shiratori's "corpse" without hesitation and rushed into the door.
Stepping through the door, the world spun around her, and the shock of gravity reversing instantly disrupted Isayama's senses. However, this disorientation had limited effect on the well-trained descendant of the Isayama family. After a few breaths, Isayama Yomi's vision returned to normal. When she realized that she was falling and that there was a bottomless body of water below, she quickly adjusted her posture to cope.
According to the white paper, most members of the Far East Countermeasures Office belong to the Contractual faction. The tradition of exorcising demons by using trained evil spirits to attack the monsters that plague the world is hardly a secret. The evil spirit bound to the Isayama family's heirloom sword, the Lion King, is named Ran Crimson Lotus. This is the twelve-eyed, lion-headed, snake-tailed behemoth that appeared when summoned by its master to shield Shiratori Renjuro from a fatal explosion. It is one of the best evil spirits that the exorcising family has controlled for generations. Aside from its somewhat indescribable appearance, it's generally a very reliable creature. It's understandable that Shiratori Renjuro was terrified and fainted upon seeing its appearance.
Exorcists like Isayama Yomi, trained by long-established exorcist families and working for public institutions, are, in a sense, innately experienced individuals who bring their weapons into the fray. They operate outside the public eye but are exposed to the government's spotlight. They are a vital force that the government controls and uses to gamble in the electronic world. The best among them are level 5 superhumans with a maximum tolerance depth of level VII. However, the number of level VII [Hive] levels that have been explored worldwide, as published in the white paper, is only a handful. Isayama Yomi, as a level 4 exorcist, is active in the Tokyo area and is already considered a near-top-tier exorcist in the circle.
In this reality, demons and monsters have already disappeared, and exorcists are happily welcoming the end of the Dharma era with unemployment. After an unconventional and bizarre operation, human civilization has opened Pandora's box in another way. Exorcists who were just about to quit their jobs, go home to be wives and mothers and enjoy a peaceful life are forced to pick up their exorcism weapons again and start fighting once more in the shadow of human society—the electronic sea.
Isayama Yomi's after-school non-routine work mainly falls into three categories.
Firstly, the jurisdiction where Hive is located has been identified for oversight;
Secondly, eradicate the demons and monsters mingling in the electronic sea of human society, including those original humans who have been deeply infected;
Third, and most troublesome, to put it simply, it involves dealing with random Hive survivors.
Where there is light, there is shadow. From the very first day that order was established, chaos, its opposite, has never been absent.
The most powerful registered superhumans are those numbered only a handful of level 5 individuals. Each of them has a place on the white paper, and most of them serve as the core of a regime's electronic sea strategy, subject to supervision and enjoying privileged treatment.
However, Ms. Isayama knew perfectly well that the real trouble was actually that group of people hiding outside the spotlight.
The threshold to becoming a superhuman is not low. First, one must be a pure natural person, a purist with a complete mind; second, one must be unlucky enough to be randomly selected by the mysterious [Hive] among billions of people and receive an invitation inexplicably; third, one must be lucky enough to survive in [Hive] as a mortal.
Unlike most of his peers who focus on the present, Yomi Isayama, thanks to some untold experiences from his rich past work, knows all the monstrous creatures lurking in the shadows of that chaotic side.
The white paper states that the maximum Hive depth worldwide is VII because the strongest explorer the authors could command was level 5, and depth VII is the limit for humans to maintain their rationality.
Meanwhile, those ancient societies that operate outside the regulatory roster, those cults that secretly conduct blood sacrifice rituals, and a small number of monsters that have abandoned the fundamental principle of "being human" are active in the shadows of the chaotic side.
Not everyone can live that way; those who can cross that inhuman line are always a minority.
The Countermeasures Office has the responsibility, within its authority, to guide "random [Hive] survivors" onto the right path.
Isayama Yomi is currently fulfilling this duty.
She saw it, she saw it as she fell, in the air below her, closer to the lake, a black cat curling its body into a ball as much as possible to minimize the impact resistance when entering the water.
Failed.
Shiratori Ninzaburo is a pure righteous hero, but also a newcomer to the field. Lacking common sense, he could never have imagined that the daughter of a politician, whom the police department had pursued all the way from Chiba to Tokyo Port without finding a trace, would have a hidden side beneath her quiet and dignified appearance as a top student.
All the doubts can now be explained. In today's world, with city surveillance systems fully deployed, how could a rich young lady with complete information in the database and who is wanted by the police manage to sneak into Tokyo, a city full of public cameras, and hide without being detected?
Shiratori Ninzaburo may have mentally accepted the fact that there exists a group of extraordinary individuals in the Electro Sea, which is equivalent to a second human society, capable of doing things that ordinary people cannot. However, he absolutely refuses to believe that those people can do the same things in reality. He subconsciously ignores the second of the three laws of the Electro Sea out of mental self-protection!
Yukino Yukinoshita is a random [Hive] survivor! The explosion just now and the black cat in front of us were both her doing!
Isayama Yomi was absolutely certain of this.
Pfft!Pfft!
Mr. Scones and Ms. Lotus were discussing at the bottom of the lake who would be reckless and who would play it safe when two splashes of water, one after the other, came from above and did not escape their notice.
The believer looked up, and Lotus also looked up.
"Mr. Scones, beautiful girls have fallen from the sky!"
"Yes, I see it. That winter school uniform...it looks like it's from Keio Girls' High School. She's a rich girl."
"How disgusting, Mr. Scone who knows all about female high school uniforms."
"Leaving aside who taught you this familiar inverted grammar, as for reciting it like a treasure trove, I can only say that next time you go to your Kaguya sister's house, you can try to sneak into her wardrobe and take a look. There should still be a few sets in there. Sigh, those were the years when I was most proud of her, but unfortunately, they are gone forever."
"Does Mr. Scone like black-haired beauties wearing Keio Girls' High School uniforms? Lotus, a top student, is currently being besieged by the school, urging her to fill out her high school application."