Chapter 369 - 251: King Arthur: I Want the Sword in the Stone (2)
The "Dong Liyi" at this moment wasn’t the real person, but one of the deformed individuals. Otherwise, she would have almost certainly lost consciousness.
[Detecting interface...]
[Interface stable.]
[Searching for data insertion point...]
[Data insertion point confirmed.]
[Testing load-bearing Prosthetic Body...]
[Load-bearing Prosthetic Body operating normally.]
[S-Artemis Neural Drive Storage Medium preparation complete.]
[Artemis Matrix-07 initiating connection...]
A stream of data flooded "Dong Liyi’s" operating system.
Lin Qi quickly sent an email to Guang Ling.
[There’s something wrong with this server. It’s activating the S-Class Prosthetic Body implanted inside Dong Liyi.]
Lin Qi relayed his discovery to Guang Ling, hoping they could gain more intelligence by accessing the data stream.
Guang Ling’s response came quickly, but it wasn’t valuable intelligence.
[I found a strange program on the server, but the encryption level is high. I can’t crack it quickly. Other than that program, I haven’t found anything else. The server’s data is clean.]
’To think Guang Ling couldn’t be counted on at a critical moment.’
Lin Qi could only continue observing the unfolding events by using his Spiritual Vision through the deformed individual.
Four minutes remained. Lin Qi kept an eye on the time as he observed.
Lin Qi’s intuition told him that the program running on the server was far from simple.
Data continued to flash across "Dong Liyi’s" implant OS, but its complexity had already surpassed Lin Qi’s understanding of the cyber network.
Lin Qi wasn’t a cyber hacker, after all. The data had become so complex that he could no longer make sense of it.
Though he couldn’t understand the data, Lin Qi could clearly observe "Dong Liyi’s" condition.
Every nerve in the deformed individual’s body was undergoing a massive shock. Fortunately, Lin Qi could unilaterally block its sensory perception.
Otherwise, under such immense pain, Lin Qi wouldn’t be able to hold on for long.
Judging by the neural response, Lin Qi could tell that a massive amount of data was being converted into neuro-electric signals and fed into "Dong Liyi’s" brain.
The S-Class Prosthetic Body that the company had mandated for installation was also playing its part, significantly mitigating the data’s impact on the human body.
Without this S-Class Prosthetic Body, any Implanter subjected to this level of neural erosion would instantly turn into a cyber madman, their sanity utterly obliterated.
’Three minutes left...’
A minute passed. Other than the massive data stream that continued to flow, Lin Qi still hadn’t noticed anything significant.
Lin Qi decided he would observe for one more minute at most before terminating the deformed individual and retreating from the scene.
In any case, Guang Ling had already acquired the program from the server. Given enough time, they would surely be able to crack it.
Lin Qi had great faith in Guang Ling’s abilities.
Another minute passed, and Lin Qi prepared to withdraw.
He was just about to use his power—to employ Blood Manipulation to end the deformed individual’s life and sever all connections with it.
But just then, a familiar sensation emerged.
Through his connection to the deformed individual, Lin Qi suddenly felt a sense of being watched. He had experienced this sensation before.
He’d felt something similar back when he’d used Mimicry on the sub-sample.
It was through that very sense of being watched that Lin Qi had perceived the life form of the sub-sample.
A life form that might possess a collective consciousness!
Now, despite not using Mimicry on any sub-sample, he was having that feeling again, and the sense of being watched was growing stronger.
As for the source...
’Fuck! What is this thing?’
Lin Qi instantly identified the source—the feeling of being watched was coming from the deformed individual itself!
This meant the deformed individual had acquired some of the sub-sample’s traits.
In other words, the deformed individual’s body had been connected to the collective consciousness and was about to become a part of it!
Lin Qi acted decisively. He instantly used Blood Manipulation to pulverize "Dong Liyi’s" brain.
The brain was the source of that feeling of being watched!
[ALERT]
[Data load anomaly.]
[Artemis Matrix-07 connection failed.]
[Artemis Matrix-07 returning to standby.]
[Anomaly cause recorded.]
[Host individual deceased.]
This was the last data feedback Lin Qi received from the Prosthetic Body’s operating system.
Combining the data with what he’d just felt, Lin Qi had already formed a basic theory.
’A mother sample?’
’This thing doesn’t even exist!’
’Or rather, it’s not something that exists in a physical form.’
’The collective consciousness *is* the mother sample!’
A second later, something else occurred to Lin Qi.
’The S-Class Prosthetic Body!’
’That Neural Drive Storage Prosthetic!’
’Ninghang Technology planned this all along!’
’The mother sample is being moved, but the method has nothing to do with physical transport.’
’Ninghang Technology is using its employees as vessels for the collective consciousness—for the mother sample.’
’Everyone implanted with that S-Class Prosthetic Body can carry the mother sample. All Ninghang Technology has to do is have these employees leave, and the transfer of the mother sample will be complete.’
Lin Qi sprang into action, sending an email to Guang Ling as he quickly left the Core Road area.
[I think I’ve found the mother sample. It’s the Ninghang Technology employees who were recently transferred out of Alliance City—anyone implanted with the S-Class Prosthetic Body codenamed Artemis. They *are* the mother sample.]
To be honest, Lin Qi felt a faint sense of unease.
The very existence of that collective consciousness was horrifying.
A non-human consciousness, born from materials found on the Moon.
And now, that consciousness was being loaded into human bodies.
Even more, this was all somehow connected to the Wizard Professionals...
’What in the world are the Europeans researching?’
’And another thing... will the Moon in this Cyber World be like the Blood Moon of the Doomsday World? Will it bring an apocalypse to the Cyber World?’
Despite his unease, Lin Qi’s movements were swift.
Battles between Tier Four Extraordinaries were raging in two nearby locations. Lin Qi needed to get back to Alliance Mansion as quickly as possible to avoid trouble.
...
On the outskirts of Core Road, all security teams under the Asian Big Business Alliance’s Permanent Council were gradually moving into position.
They were to complete their deployment within ten minutes and lock down the entire core area.
As the leader of the First Security Team, Jingang was naturally part of the operation.
Jingang stood on a Floating Vehicle, his gaze directed toward the ground—or rather, what was under it.
’Someone’s moving in the underground tunnels?’
His newly installed S-Class Prosthetic Body detected a life form, but the target was too distant for a clear reading. Besides, they weren’t in the core area.
’Looks like they just left the core area,’ Jingang mused, considering whether he should intercept them for an inspection.
But on second thought, anyone leaving the core area at a time like this was likely a member of the Highest-Level Mercenary Corps.
After all, the attention of most other Mercenary Corps was fixated on the Floating Vehicle belonging to that Tier Four Round Table Knight.
To avoid any friendly fire incidents, Jingang decided to let it slide.
Letting one person slip by wouldn’t affect Councilor Qiao Xi’s plan, nor would it interfere with the Highest-Level Mercenary Corps’ operation.
"Everyone, keep your eyes glued to the core area! Councilor Qiao Xi’s orders: the Europeans waltzed onto our turf without an invitation. That’s a sign of disrespect!"
"Do they think this is the Asian Administrative Region of three hundred years ago? Do those European bastards think they can just come and go as they please?"
Jingang directed his subordinates’ attention toward the core area, conveniently providing cover for the person in the sewer tunnels.
...
Lin Qi exited the underground tunnel system and slipped back into the Alliance Mansion unnoticed.
He was lucky he’d left when he did. Jingang’s First Security Team moved with incredible speed; the lockdown of the core area was completed nearly half a minute ahead of Guang Ling’s estimate.
Good thing Lin Qi was so cautious.
By now, an email from Guang Ling had already arrived.
[Your theory is valuable. I’ll try to verify it. For now, we can consider the Alliance City operation concluded.]
In addition to the email, Guang Ling also sent a message in the Highest-Level Mercenary Corps’ temporary chat channel.
Guang Ling: "We can pull out. Wizard has obtained critical intel. Also, because of Aishwarya’s actions, the Round Table Conference is in deep trouble. The Sword in the Stone might be up for grabs."
King Arthur: "!"
King Arthur: "I’m disengaging immediately!"
King Arthur: "I want the Sword in the Stone! Guang Ling, help me!"
King Arthur: "Crap, the Assassin Alliance is here. I’m pinned down for now..."
King Arthur: "Wizard! Help me! I want the Sword in the Stone!"