Chapter 35
The cold, neither male nor female electronic synthesized voice, like a sigh from the abyss, echoed in the empty archives filled with the countdown to destruction.
[…Interesting…little bugs…]
[You...are looking for...the 'key'?]
The blurry outline of a human face composed of 0s and 1s slowly flows on the screen, without any emotion, but exuding a creepy sense of scrutiny, as if a god is looking down at an ant.
Gu Jing's entire arm still felt numb and tingling from the overloaded current. His breathing was rapid, his heart was pounding, and he stared at the strange existence on the screen.
Key? Does it mean the highest authority? Or...
No time for deep thought!
The self-destruction countdown behind him was like a maggot on his tarsal bone, and the scarlet numbers jumped mercilessly: [four minutes and thirty-seven seconds]!
"Yes!" Gu Jing suppressed the sweet taste in his throat and forced himself to remain calm. His voice was hoarse but clear. "I need the complete data and antibodies of 'Nirvana'! Now!"
[…Data…Antibodies…] The electronic voice repeated, with a teasing delay, [What is the price…?]
cost?
Gu Jing's heart sank suddenly.
"What do you want?" he asked quickly, his eyes sweeping over Qin Yu, whose face was becoming increasingly pale and whose breathing was rapid due to the poison.
[…Him.] The electronic voice pointed calmly in Qin Yu's direction. [His…biological matrix…his…pain…his…despair…is good…nutrient…]
[Leave him here. I can give you a copy of the data...]
The cold words were like the most vicious curse.
Gu Jing's blood froze instantly! His whole body was icy cold!
This monster! It not only wants the data, it also wants to watch Qin Yu die here! Watching him become its "nutrient" in pain and despair!
"Impossible!" Gu Jing refused without thinking, his eyes instantly filled with bloodshot!
[…Then…] The electronic sound was unsurprising, even carrying a hint of amusement. […Let’s…annihilate together.]
The countdown continues to pass mercilessly: [three minutes and fifty-five seconds]!
"Gu Jing... forget it... let's go!" In the corner, Qin Yu raised his head with difficulty, his hair soaked with sweat, but his eyes were unusually clear and sharp, carrying an unquestionable command, "Get the data... let's go!"
He tried to struggle to stand up, but due to the poison and weakness, he fell back down again and let out a suppressed groan.
When Gu Jing looked at him, his heart felt like it was being tortured to death!
Walk?
Leaving him here alone, being tortured by this cold AI, and then turning into ashes along with everything?
He can't do it!
Absolutely can't do it!
Huge despair and a kind of madness that was pushed to the extreme erupted in his chest like a volcano!
He turned his head abruptly, his eyes bloodshot as he stared intently at the distorted digital face on the screen. His voice became unusually calm due to his extreme emotions, even with a hint of a strange smile:
"nourishment?"
"You see clearly..."
He slowly raised his hand, which was burned by the electric current and was still trembling slightly, and pointed it at his heart.
"Compared to a dying Avenger..."
"...a 'new creation' that is filled with hatred and is ready to drag you and your master to hell at all costs...isn't that better 'nutrient'?"
His voice was not loud, but every word was clear, carrying a desperate, heart-pounding madness and determination.
"Data, antibodies, I want them all."
"Otherwise," he forced a cold and brilliant smile, but his eyes were filled with a desolate silence, "I will blow up the main energy core here right now... and everyone... is finished."
"You know I can do it," he added, his tone flat but with undeniable truth.
On the screen, the face made up of 0s and 1s froze for the first time. The data stream flickered chaotically.
Obviously, this "shadow" existing in the network, the product of Qin Zhengfeng's crazy plan, cannot understand this completely illogical and mutually destructive threat.
It seems to be performing calculations and evaluations at a high speed.
Countdown: [two minutes and forty-eight seconds]!
Time seemed to stand still.
Every second felt like being frying in a frying pan.
Gu Jing maintained that crazy smile, but his back was already soaked with cold sweat. He was gambling, gambling on this AI's obsession with "existence" and "data", gambling that it would not dare to really risk losing everything!
finally--
[…Interesting…variables…] The electronic sound rang out again, and it seemed to carry a very faint, distorted…admiration?
【Permission...granted.】
【The price...will be collected...at a later date.】
The moment the words fell!
“Click—!”
The indestructible alloy gate of the isolation zone in the distance slowly slid open!
At the same time, the microcomputer screen on Gu Jing's wrist automatically lit up, and a progress bar began to read rapidly. A huge amount of data was being downloaded and transmitted frantically! In the isolation area, the indicator light on one of the low-temperature storage cabinets also turned from red to green. The cabinet door popped open, revealing several neatly arranged reagent tubes with a faint blue sheen!
Antibody!
Success!
Gu Jing's heart almost jumped out of his chest! But he didn't hesitate at all!
"739!" he roared into the communicator, "Data receiving! Get the antibodies!"
739, who had been guarding the door, rushed out like a cheetah and headed straight for the isolation area!
Gu Jing turned around and pounced on Qin Yu in the corner!
"Go!" He tried to lift Qin Yu up.
Qin Yu used up his last bit of strength to push him away, looking anxiously at the screen that was transmitting data and the sprinting 739: "Data...antibodies...priority...go!"
"Shut up!" Gu Jing growled, his eyes red. He forcibly lifted him up again and dragged him towards the gate they came from. "Let's go together!"
Countdown: [one minute and fifteen seconds]!
The entire archives began to shake violently! Dust and debris rained down from the ceiling! The server cabinets emitted a shrill beeping sound, indicating overload! The red self-destruct warning light flashed like crazy!
739 got the antibody box, and the data transmission progress bar jumped to 99%!
He turned and ran towards the door!
"Hurry!" Gu Jing dragged Qin Yu, who was almost unconscious, and moved with difficulty!
【Ten seconds!】
【Nine seconds! 】
The heavy metal door was just around the corner! 739 rushed out first and turned back to meet the enemy!
【Eight seconds! 】
Gu Jing gritted his teeth, exerted his last bit of strength, and pushed Qin Yu out of the door!
【Seven seconds! 】
He followed closely behind and rushed out!
【Six seconds! 】
Just at the moment his body left the door!
"call out--!"
Another extremely slight, familiar sharp sound!
The same dark blue poison needle shot out from a shadowy corner inside the archives and went straight to Gu Jing's back!
Insidious and precise!
"Be careful!" Qin Yu, who had just been pushed out of the door and fell to the ground, saw this from the corner of his eye, his eyes bloodshot! Without thinking, he used up his last bit of strength and turned over!
"puff!"
The poison needle accurately penetrated his shoulder blade!
"Ah!" Qin Yu groaned in pain, his body twitched violently, and then he went limp completely, his face turning ashen in an instant!
"Qin Yu!!!" Gu Jing was so frightened that he turned around suddenly, only to see a pair of eyes that slowly closed and lost all their spirit!
【Five seconds! 】
【Four seconds! 】
"Let's go!!!" 739 roared, grabbed the almost collapsed Gu Jing with one hand, and carried the completely unconscious Qin Yu with the other hand, and rushed towards the spiral staircase they came from like crazy!
Haidongqing and the only remaining team member were also desperately providing fire support from above!
【Three seconds! 】
【Two seconds! 】
They just rushed up the spiral staircase!
"boom!!!!!!!!!"
A terrifying explosion, loud enough to rip eardrums and shake the heavens and the earth, suddenly erupted from the deepest part of the earth!
The entire underground structure of the ancestral home let out a wail, like a dying beast, unable to bear the weight! Horrifying flames and shock waves raged wildly up the passage like a volcanic eruption!
The solid stone wall crumbled and shattered like paper! The high-temperature air wave swept away everything!
739 held Qin Yu tightly, dragging Gu Jing, whose eyes were bloodshot and looking back at the blazing flames of destruction, as they ran desperately along the violently shaking and collapsing spiral staircase! The rubble and flames almost brushed their backs!
"Bang!"
The last section of the spiral staircase completely collapsed under their feet!
The three of them fell heavily to the ground in the corridor on the upper floor!
"Cough!" Gu Jing choked on a mouthful of blood foam. He ignored the pain and struggled to crawl towards Qin Yu beside him.
Qin Yu was completely silent, his face as pale as a plaster statue. The dark blue poison needle on his shoulder blade was shocking! His breath was so weak that it was almost imperceptible!
"No...no...Qin Yu! Wake up!" Gu Jing's hands trembled, not daring to touch the poison needle, and his voice was broken.
The entire underground space is still collapsing madly! It seems that a bigger explosion will happen at any time!
"We must leave immediately!" Saker Falcon, covered in blood and dragging his injured leg, screamed, "The passage is about to collapse completely!"
739 stuffed the antibody box into Gu Jing's arms, then without hesitation, carried Qin Yu on his back and secured him tightly with a spare bandage: "Let's go!"
Gu Jing's eyes were red. He grabbed a gun on the ground and staggered to follow!
The group ran for their lives along the way they came, amidst the hail of bullets, flames and falling boulders!
The explosions and collapses behind him were like the roars of the god of death, chasing after him relentlessly!
Players kept falling down while covering!
Finally, when they rushed out of the drainage pipe entrance as if they had crawled out of hell and breathed the cold but free air outside again, an even duller, louder, earth-shaking roar came from behind them!
The entire ground structure of the Qin family's ancestral home collapsed slowly and irreversibly at a speed visible to the naked eye, stirring up a cloud of dust!
Huge flames and thick smoke shot up into the sky, lighting up half of the night sky red!
"Archive Zero", along with all the crimes and secrets contained therein, was completely reduced to ruins.
The few survivors collapsed on the cold grass, gasping for breath, their bodies in a mess, covered in blood and dust.
Gu Jing didn't even have time to be afraid, and he rolled and crawled to 739's side.
Qin Yu was still unconscious, with the poison needle still stuck in his shoulder blade. The surrounding skin had begun to show an ominous dark blue vein, and was slowly spreading downwards!
His breathing was so weak that it almost stopped, and his body temperature was frighteningly low!
More serious than any previous injury!
"Antibodies! Quick!" Gu Jing's voice was hoarse, and his hands were shaking so much that he could hardly open the cold antibody box.
739 helped him steady his hand and took out a dark blue reagent tube and a matching syringe.
Gu Jing grabbed the syringe, drew out the antibody, and without even taking the time to disinfect it carefully, he suddenly stabbed it near Qin Yu's heart!
Push the piston!
The dark blue liquid was injected into Qin Yu's body bit by bit.
Everyone held their breath and stared at Qin Yu's reaction.
One second.
Two seconds.
Qin Yu's body suddenly convulsed violently! An extremely painful, strangled, hoarse sound emanated from his throat! His face instantly changed from ashen to a strange flush, which quickly faded away!
The spreading dark blue veins seemed to stagnate for a moment!
Then……
At an even faster speed, it suddenly spread upwards, heading straight for the neck and heart!
The antibodies...are ineffective?! Or...are they accelerating the onset of the toxin?!
“No——!!!” Gu Jing let out a roar of extreme despair, and his whole body seemed to have been drained of all its strength, and he collapsed.
It’s over…
It's all over...
In the end... he still couldn't keep him...
Just when endless darkness and despair were about to completely devour him——
A cold, trembling hand very weakly hooked his fingers.
Gu Jing was shocked and looked up suddenly!
On the hospital bed, Qin Yu opened his eyes with great difficulty without knowing when.
Those bottomless eyes were blurred and out of focus due to extreme pain, but they still stubbornly and accurately captured Gu Jing's direction.
His lips moved, and an almost inaudible, breathless sound came out.
It was like a call, but also like... a final farewell.
“…Jing…”
As the voice fell, his eyes closed completely, his head tilted weakly to one side, and the last faint light on the monitor completely flattened... into a cold straight line.
“Beep——————”
The shrill, long beep, like the final death knell, rang in the deadly silent night sky filled with smoke and blood.
Gu Jing froze in place, motionless.
It was as if all the sounds and colors of the world were drifting away from him at that moment.
All that remained was that faint call and that cold straight line.
He slowly, extremely slowly lowered his head and looked at his empty palms.
There seemed to be a last, cold and brief touch left.
Then.
He smiled.
Extremely slowly, he unfolded a silent, extremely cold, and also extremely crazy smile.
In the depths of his eyes, there was a dead silence and blood-red color, as if he had completely sunk into an abyss.
Slowly, slowly he stood up.
Pick up the dagger covered in blood and dust on the table next to you.
Turn around.
Walk towards the ruins of the ancestral home in the distance that are still burning and collapsing.
Walking towards the darkness that swallowed up everything he had.
The back figure is resolute and lonely.
Like a blood-stained demon sword slowly being unsheathed.
There was no more hesitation, no more humanity.
Only destruction remains.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
