Chapter 42 - Wilderness (10)

Zhang Xun put on medical gloves and gently pushed aside Adam's blonde hair from the top of his head to the back of his head and a thin line on his scalp could faintly be seen. He picked up the scalpel and in full view of everyone, carefully cut along the gap and flipped the skin over. Adam didn't move, he hadn't used any anaesthetic but he didn't seem to feel the pain.

Under his scalp was a piece of strong but very light alloy material, glowing with a white lustre. Like on the scalp, there were some hair-like slits embedded in it. Zhang Xun used a piece of oddly shaped metal that he had milled, swiped it through those slits in a unique sequence then pressed down and the alloy top of the skull popped up. Zhang Xun carefully took off the artificial skull, exposing part of the human brain immersed in the solution, as well as the translucent, round-shaped artificial brain made of silicon plus alloy as the frontal lobe.

Several mechanics exclaimed and couldn't help but come closer. There was clearly a lot of fluid in the silicon brain, partly using that method of storing data in small-molecule solutions. This was a data storage method similar to, or even more advanced than DNA storage, but a technological breakthrough was gradually made after the formation of Lost Paradise. Zhang Xun was able to create such a thing by himself, he was indeed a one in a million genius.

Tiny interfaces were scattered across the silicon brain. Zhang Xun picked up a thin tube extending from the sticky solution that kept bubbling, added a converter he had newly made in the past two days to the interface, opened a certain valve and then that pale yellow solution began to flow down the conduit to Adam's brain. He did the same thing again, moving his fingers nimbly, quickly and skillfully to connect the other interfaces. Then he opened up the Feathered Serpent system's interface and entered a series of character commands.

Adam's body suddenly shook violently. Then, his body collapsed.

Some subtle changes happened. His muscles were all relaxed, his heart was still beating and the basic parts of his brain were still working, but his whole body had lost something important and essential and it had become a mass of meat, a mass of flesh that was capable of breathing but had no soul.

Zhang Xun felt a cool feeling on his fingertips, an uncertain chill quietly creeping under his skin.

In the air, countless codes continued to climb rapidly and finally connected into a white wall and the characters couldn't be seen clearly. The transfer had started.

Everything Zhang Xun could do had already been done and now all that was left was to wait.

The people in Feathered Serpent City were obviously very excited and whispers came from every corner. Zhang Xun noticed that there were many people outside the door, including soldiers, researchers and engineers. They all wanted to witness the rebirth of God, the rebirth of a God who was willing to protect them.

But there was also a hint of fear in this excitement, tension filled the air and no one dared to speak aloud.

Zhang Xun sat on the chair next to Adam. He looked at Adam's hand that was exposed outside the white cloth, a lifeless hand. He wanted to hold it, but couldn't do it in front of so many people.

He wanted to say to Adam: Come back.

Time passed by and some people left but Muluk, Ben and the others were still waiting. Zhang Xun's heart became more and more anxious and he tapped his foot on the bar of the stool, fidgeting unconsciously.

Muluk took out a cigar and wanted to put it in his mouth but Zhang Xun suddenly said in an authoritative tone, "No smoking here."

Muluk was stunned and frowned. Few people dared to speak to him in such a tone, but in places like the laboratory, these mechanics were the boss. He had to reluctantly take the cigar out of his mouth and stub it out, "How long does it take to complete the transmission?"

"It took a night for the descent, but about two hours will be enough using ribose solution." Zhang Xun's words had no tone and seemed a little hollow.

Ben walked over to him, his eyes eagerly watching the huge chunk of flesh pulsing slightly in the water tank. Numerous conduits were wrapped around the flesh, extending from the top of the cylindrical water tank and spreading in different directions along the ceiling like veins. The server wasn't yet connected to the network, nor was it connected to the base's main network. They were sure there wouldn't be any problems.

"You really don't want to join us?" Ben asked curiously, "With your abilities, wouldn't it be too wasteful to stay in a closed off and conservative place like Lost Paradise? I heard that you don't even have phones and there are people who are responsible for sending messages between different areas everyday. Don't you feel trapped in a place like that?"

Zhang Xun glanced at him. He felt like this mechanic was a bit like his deputy, Fernandez, so his tone became gentler, "Aren't people who can't survive without phone and internet also trapped?"

"You know deep down that Lost Paradise is outdated. Feathered Serpent City is the future of all men, of all human beings. We have the best talents and advanced technology that even the ordinary world doesn't have. Eden's attitude has slowly begun to change, one day, Feathered Serpent City will be officially accepted and no one will need to live in fear and isolation anymore. Think about it, don't you want to go to the ninth base in the United States and see where Eden was born and see the framework designs of all the systems it created?"

Just as the other party was talking, a shout came from a distance.

At first, everyone was unsure, wondering if it was just their imagination, but then, when a loud bang shook the entire laboratory, General Muluk suddenly got up.

"What's happening?" He pointed at a soldier casually, "Go and see!"

"Could it be Lost Paradise attacking?"

"Impossible, the patrol dogs didn't find anyone approaching."

Several of the officers whispered and also began to fidget.

Then, another loud noise shook the entire mountain. It seemed to be the sound of bombing, rumbling from the upper floors.

Zhang Xun swallowed his saliva and glanced at Adam and the piece of meat suspended in the solution.

Could it be...

"This is bad! All the mechas and combat aircraft are out of control! They're attacking us!" The soldier who had just been sent out hadn't returned, but another soldier with blood on his head screamed and howled. He limped into the room and said, "The computer isn't listening, the AI ​​won't respond and even the modified limbs of many soldiers are starting to fail!!!"

Apparently, he was included as his mechanically modified legs were twitching strangely at the moment and the knees were twisted to the left and the right and sometimes they were turned back, making a mechanical friction sound like they were jammed.

Zhang Xun silently stood in front of Adam's body. No one would notice him at this moment.

General Muluk's face changed and he immediately rushed out, but just as he was about to step out the door, his feet suddenly stopped, he turned around and looked at Zhang Xun with a sharp and sinister expression.

"Is it you..."

Zhang Xun imitated Adam, showing a confused expression. He even wanted to smile a little, but he held it back.

General Muluk said angrily at the officers behind him, "All of you, go out and see what's happening! Ben! Go check immediately if someone has invaded the main system!"

Ben ran towards the door before he could finish speaking, but just as he was about to rush out of the door it suddenly closed by itself.

General Muluk's face changed and he immediately pressed the door button, but there was no response. Ben verified his fingerprints again, but a smiling stick figure emoji popped up on the screen.

The sound of rumbling explosions, the screams and roars of the crowd, the sound of running, the vibration of the earth when the giant mecha monsters ran past... The base that was in order a moment ago was in complete chaos.

"It's you... what did you do?!" Muluk's originally cold face was twisted with rage and he strode towards Zhang Xun. Zhang Xun hurriedly grabbed the scalpel and pointed it at him. The knife shook a little, but he still stood in front of Adam's body. Although he knew that Adam hadn't betrayed him, he was still a little nervous and scared at being locked up with this General who was taller than him and could flatten him like a pancake at any moment.

He had been beaten up too many times recently... He was only a mechanic...

"Your server hasn't been connected to the main network and I don't have access to the main network, so it's impossible for me to do anything." Zhang Xun explained quickly, as he always did when he was afraid.

"General Muluk."

The melodious voice that suddenly sounded was actually Adam's.

But that sound wasn't made by a person, it came from the loudspeakers on several screens in the room.

Suddenly, a ray of light shot into the air, forming a three-dimensional image of a person. Adam's whole body was filled with a faint blue light and he was suspended in mid-air like a god, but he still looked like a human being. He lowered his head and looked at Zhang Xun with a pure and holy smile.

Those smiling eyes seemed to say: Look, I didn't lie to you.

Zhang Xun felt his heart tremble uncontrollably, he wanted to laugh and his eyes stung again.

Adam didn't try to connect to Eden, that was really great.

"Eden!" Muluk looked at Adam's image in disbelief, "It was you? Why?"

"I'm no longer Eden. My name is Adam." Adam looked at him with an almost pitiful look.

"How is that possible? This server isn't connected to any network at all!" Ben exclaimed in panic and confusion.

Adam explained gently, "Although it is not connected yet, the wiring has been set up and the power has been plugged in. I can follow any medium that can transmit information, such as electricity, into your other computers and find cybersecurity breaches and get into your system from there. I don't even need to extend out all of my consciousness, like now, I've left a large part of myself here."

Ben's eyes widened in disbelief.

In the end, they knew too little about the true abilities of Eden and Adam. To be precise, the entire human race knew too little about Eden's power and purpose.

There was another violent rumbling and the ceiling above was cracked and dusty. Ben curled up and hid under a table in horror, but Muluk was still confronting Zhang Xun and Adam. He suddenly drew a laser gun from his waist and aimed at Zhang Xun.

"You two are colluding! I didn't expect you, a mechanic, to actually have the ability to tame Eden's North American server." Muluk turned his eyes gloomily to Adam, "Stop all this, or I'll blast a hole through your mechanic's forehead!"

Zhang Xun looked at the muzzle of the gun, then at the scalpel in his hand, cold sweat dripping from his forehead.

Wouldn't it have been better to close the door after this General had gone out, Adam?! Now he was stuck here alone and as powerless as a chicken, how was he supposed to stand up to him?! If he killed Adam's body, Adam would have to stay in that lump of meat forever!

Adam, you better hurry up and figure something out! He roared inwardly.

Adam looked at Muluk anxiously, frowning slightly, "I left you in this room to negotiate with you politely and request that you please take your people away from this place immediately, but if you dare to use Ah-Xun to threaten me, I won't be so polite."

"I'm threatening you now, artificial intelligence." Muluk took a few steps forward and the muzzle of the gun almost touched Zhang Xun's forehead, "Since this mechanic could make you betray yourself, he must be very important. I will give you ten seconds to stop this immediately."

As time passed second by second, Adam didn't show any anxiety but his expression changed subtly, his smile disappeared and his gaze became oppressive like an abyss, like a crushing and colossal void staring at him.

"Ten seconds aren't needed, five seconds is enough."

As soon as his voice fell, the originally solid wall suddenly exploded and a metallic thing swept in, like the long tail of a scorpion, quickly passing between Zhang Xun and Muluk. Zhang Xun only felt a sharp wind sweep across his cheeks.

In the next instant, Muluk's hand fell to the ground with the laser gun that was too late to fire and the blood bloomed into flowers in the air.

"Ah!!!!" Muluk's screams were drowned out by the increasingly dense explosions.