Chapter 135: Rules of the Mechanical City
Deep in the cold and damp alley, white-haired Rong Le sat on the ground, her forehead covered with sweat, her long hair falling messily on her body, and her clothes a little dirty, as if she had just experienced a thrilling chase.
His right arm ached slightly, and he pressed the wound with his left hand, trying to relieve the increasingly unbearable pain.
He said in a somewhat painful and intermittent voice: "Rong Le, Rong Le..."
Come out and say whatever you want, anything is fine.
But no one answered in my mind.
He struggled to move deeper into the cave to avoid the search not far away. Even in such a desperate situation, the white-haired Rong Le still prioritized the soul in his mind.
His calls went unanswered.
His mind was empty, as if that existence had disappeared and would never respond to him again.
White-haired Rong Le tried to convince herself that perhaps the time had not yet come. After all, after the previous modules, it had been verified that Rong Le was not affected by time and space reversal and module conversion.
However, when loading the module, he will not wake up until he has been acting for a while.
But this time it was too long.
He spent a long time alone in this completely unfamiliar module, experiencing all kinds of conspiracies and calculations, and even went back in time. However, no matter how long he waited, Rong Le never showed up.
He had long been accustomed to the existence of another consciousness in his mind. Now that Rong Le no longer responded to him, the unbearable loneliness almost drove him crazy.
He murmured, "You can't do this to me..."
You promised me that you would not leave me. This is your promise to me.
“…”
The white-haired Rong Le slowly fell silent. He leaned against the wall, his expression difficult to discern beneath his long hair, and gradually stopped calling.
*
At this moment, Rong Le was looking at her new body.
His body was obviously mechanized, and he became a bionic puppet.
He looked at himself in the mirror beside him. He still had black hair and green eyes. The suit and vest wrapped his still young body in a well-proportioned and decent manner, as if he was a product carefully cultivated by a large family.
As soon as he woke up, he realized that something was wrong.
Rong Le had always been aware of his physical condition, but this time something unusual had made him focus all his attention on checking himself.
After confirming that he had turned into a bionic doll, he immediately discovered that the module this time was different from the previous ones.
He did not appear in the mind of white-haired Rong Le, and had a puppet body.
White-haired Rong Le was not by his side, so he couldn't tell what the current situation was, but these could be explored slowly.
After all, this is the world line of Baifa Rongle, and he will inevitably come into contact with him.
Rong Le looked at her hands thoughtfully.
If this body of his has nothing to do with White-haired Rong Le... then has he become a bionic doll kept by a certain family?
Although he was not clear about the development of this module, Rong Le, who was also a mechanic, keenly discovered that there was some difference between his body and his cognition.
The technology and inventions seemed even more perfect and amazing, and he wanted to meet this genius mechanic and discuss mechanical technology with him.
Rong Le stared at the body in front of him that belonged to him.
“…”
The heart that dissects oneself is restless.
Outside the room, the doorknob turned. He looked towards the door and saw a familiar figure in a white coat appear in front of him.
It was both expected and reasonable, Rong Le thought.
He is a genius scientist. When talking with him, Rong Le was always amazed by some of his ideas. His thoughts transcend the limitations of this module and in some aspects reach heights that ordinary people can hardly reach.
However, Rong Le only now realized that Tang Qiu also had the talent to be a mad scientist.
"Let's go, my most perfect work."
Tang Qiu's gaze towards him revealed satisfaction, appreciation, and indifference towards a dead object.
"Everyone is waiting for your appearance."
Rong Le had realized one thing at this moment.
——This module is a mess.
.
On the way to the press conference room, Rong Le tried to talk to Tang Qiu and gather some information.
From the attitude he inadvertently revealed, he learned the whole picture of the matter.
They were going to a party hosted by Tang Qiu. Although it was a private party and there were no reporters or cameras on the scene, this matter had already fermented on the Internet.
The public is enthusiastically discussing the new model of bionic doll invented by the genius mechanic Tang Qiu, and comparing it with the data of the current top bionic doll Arnold.
The data of the new puppets are perfect. They abandon the high-level puppets that are oriented towards combat and push research and development to the extreme in another direction. Compared with the combat puppets that have long been solidified into fighting machines, the birth of intelligent puppets makes all the people in the mechanical city crazy.
Everyone calls Tang Qiu's work a groundbreaking reform and looks forward to the birth of more intelligent puppets in the future.
Rong Le is this new intelligent puppet, and his fate will undergo a huge change in the next hour.
The auction prepared for him invited well-known mechanics and related institutions in the industry, as well as nobles and wealthy businessmen to participate. Who can get this rare top-level doll depends on their financial resources and determination.
Rong Le, who had become an auction item the moment she opened her eyes, said: "..."
It was rare for him to encounter such a treatment as being like a fish waiting to be slaughtered, so he was not panicked. He followed Tang Qiu and thought about how to get information next.
In short, just get through this stage first.
After walking in the corridor for a few minutes, Rong Le followed Tang Qiu to a door.
Tang Qiu pushed open the door, and behind it was a dim stage. He asked Rong Le to stand in a certain position on it and not to move.
Rong Le lowered her eyes and stood as she was told.
Rong Le did not intend to confront Tang Qiu head-on until he figured out what means of control he had over him. At this moment, his hands and feet were not bound and he seemed to be able to move freely, but he did not believe that Tang Qiu had no means of control over him.
After Tang Qiu dealt with him, he left quickly. Rong Le stood there quietly and motionless, like a puppet that had not yet received any instructions.
A heavy curtain divided the stage into two parts. A faint noisy sound came from the front, but was filtered into a vague and unclear noise.
After an unknown amount of time, the curtain in front of Rong Le suddenly moved and slowly opened to both sides. Light gradually illuminated the space through the gap.
He heard the microphone's voice clearly say: "Now, let us enjoy this great miracle together!"
A beam of light shone towards where Rong Le was.
The strong light illuminated his entire body in every detail. The black-haired, green-eyed bionic doll standing on the stage with its eyes lowered, waiting, was incredibly delicate. The cold white light gave his face an inhuman texture.
It is flawless beauty and ultimate temptation.
As if being directly illuminated by strong light, the doll's eyelashes trembled slightly, and its long and slender eyelashes blinked gently, like a fragile butterfly.
It seemed like a naturally occurring standby action, which made people hold their breath. He didn't even have the characteristics of a puppet. Confusion of identity was a violation of puppet management regulations. However, Tang Qiu's arrogant style of behavior was well known to everyone.
He strives for perfection in his puppet, so naturally he won't install a puppet identification tag on it. At this moment, no one on the scene would care about this harmless little problem.
Rong Le looked calmly at the guests in the audience. At this moment, all the lights were focused on the stage, and he was also the focus of everyone's attention.
Tang Qiu stood on the podium at the edge of the stage, while the audience was dark and countless dark figures were staring at him on the stage.
Assess his value and the price you need to pay to get him.
Rong Le heard them gasp in shock. Tang Qiu then said, "The starting price is six million, and each increment must be no less than one hundred thousand."
As soon as he finished speaking, the quote sounded.
It really is an auction.
Rong Le stood on the stage, wondering how to find the white-haired Rong Le and find out what the current situation was.
Otherwise there is no way to explain it, this module seems to be broken.
The offer has risen to nine million.
The purchasing power of this number is already astonishing. Even the best-selling Type III dolls cost four or five hundred thousand yuan. The price of the cheapest Type V dolls ranges from a few thousand yuan during promotions to tens of thousands of yuan.
Most of the funds in the Mechanical City are in the hands of the upper class. It is enough to raise eyebrows that they can afford to spend nine million to buy a bionic doll that has not yet been officially confirmed to be Type I.
According to today's definition of doll functions, this new doll is more like a Type II doll, so this price can be said to be more than enough.
Rong Le had no sense of being a commodity, and her eyes slowly swept across the guests in the dim light below the stage.
He saw some familiar faces. The red hair was still very eye-catching even in the dark. Han Shangyan leaned back in his seat with a bored expression. He looked both casual and uninteresting.
After meeting his gaze, the man slowly sat up straight, pondered for a moment, and then added an offer: "Ten million."
The price reached tens of millions, and the atmosphere in the venue became even more heated.
On the other side, Uriel frowned slightly.
He originally planned to start making efforts in the later stage of the auction and directly bid for this new type of doll. With his financial resources, he could naturally dissuade many people from buying.
Unexpectedly, Han Shangyan showed up halfway, and for some reason he seemed to be interested in the puppets on the stage.
Han Shangyan has a puppet factory behind him, and his financial resources should not be underestimated. As Tang Qiu's sponsor, if he was interested in this puppet, he could have bought it directly a long time ago, why wait until the auction.
He exchanged glances with the housekeeper next to him and secretly cursed Han Shangyan for being crazy.
I'm afraid there will be some competition in this auction.
At this moment, after Han Shangyan personally raised the price to 10 million, the banquet hall fell silent for a moment, and no one made another bid in just a few seconds.
The guests all knew the capital that Han Shangyan had, and vaguely knew that he was Tang Qiu's sponsor. So, could Han Shangyan's behavior at this auction indicate that he was actually suspected of driving up prices?
Han Shangyan naturally didn't care what others thought. No one bid again, but he didn't care. Instead, he leaned back in his chair and looked at the black-haired, green-eyed puppet on the stage, his gaze not shifting at all.
He originally didn't care about the new type of doll that Tang Qiu had developed. To him, dolls were just commodities, and the appearance value of consumer goods was always short-lived.
So he had never seen this doll before, and it was not until he saw it in person that Han Shangyan realized what he had missed.
Beneath the advanced simulated skin, it seemed as if a human soul was imprisoned. However, the skin was far less terrifying than the trembling that look brought to him.
However, when he came to his senses and looked at it again, the doll seemed to have returned to its indifferent and beautiful standby state, and the previous glance seemed to be just an illusion.
But he could definitely take a picture of him and take him back to study the secrets of the doll.
...If he really didn't see it wrong.
If this is true.
This is a miracle, Han Shangyan is certain of this without a doubt.
"Eleven million."
The sound of the quotation brought him back to his senses.
His gaze followed the sound to the source. The blond noble boy raised his chin slightly, his expression arrogant and casual.
Tang Qiu's voice was filled with a hint of laughter: "Mr. Yuriel bid 11 million. Is there anyone who is willing to bid higher?"
Someone made a bid that made Han Shangyan lose, and he was happier than anyone else.
Han Shangyan's expression was slightly cold, and his handsome face looked a little creepy.
"Twelve million."
When it comes to wealth, Han Shangyan has never been afraid of anyone.
Unfortunately, the opponent this time is also a tough guy.
No one could stop the nobleman from going crazy. He knew that any further bids were just a matter of pride, but he still wanted to get his favorite new toy: "Fifteen million!"
The others on the field couldn't help but gasp.
No one expected the two rich men to suddenly raise the price. At this point, they gave up the idea of buying the doll and started to watch the show.
Han Shangyan's face turned black, but he also refused to admit defeat. The two of them quoted prices to each other and started arguing, and the price soared all the way to 20 million.
In the end, it was Han Shangyan who tried to communicate first. After all, he had already anticipated the scene where the finance officer would come to him to mourn after spending so much money in such a meaningless way.
The funds he can mobilize are limited. After all, he has a family above him. Squandering wealth too recklessly is not a good thing for the person in charge of the puppet factory. His actions also need to be evaluated by the family.
It is not easy for Han Shangyan to maintain his current position.
He signaled Tang Qiu to suspend the auction progress and asked for private negotiations. Then he stood up and walked to Yuriel's seat, showing his signature sweet and lovely smile.
"Mr. Uriel, I know you like collecting dolls. I can give you a few out-of-print dolls that are selling for high prices on the market. In the future, you will also have priority purchase discounts on new dolls from the doll factory."
"How about giving up the bidding and giving this doll to me?"
"If we keep raising the price like this, it won't benefit either of us. Of course, if you really like this doll, we can arrange a time for him to visit your manor."
Han Shangyan said sympathetically.
In the dim light, he vaguely felt that Uriel's gaze was slightly cold, as if he was looking at something disgusting.
After a moment, the blond boy said slowly: "No need, things that belong to me can only be appreciated by myself."
"I'm only interested in the dolls I want."
The willful noble lord directly rejected his proposal. Han Shangyan returned to his seat with a gloomy face, and the auction began again.
This time, he did not make another offer.
He was somewhat suspicious whether the glance he had just had was just an illusion that came about on a whim.
Forget it, Tang Qiu is still with him anyway, and he is the only one who has mastered the technical core of the new type of puppet.
In the end, Uriel bought the doll for 20 million.
Rong Le was placed in the cabin and pushed onto the transport carriage called by Uriel. He watched the entire fierce auction, including the whole process of Han Shangyan being humiliated.
He will then be taken to Uriel's villa, where he will be greeted by familiar puppets.
——If nothing unexpected happens.
Not long after, Rong Le was carried out of the dark carriage again, and light immediately returned to view.
The change in brightness caused his pupils to contract slightly as he adjusted to the stimulation of the light, and then he saw the person waiting for him.
"The master said this is a gift for you. He will come to inspect it regularly and keep an eye on the puppet's condition."
The driver dutifully delivered the message.
Rong Le only had eyes for the mysterious mechanic in front of her.
His white hair was tied up with a green ribbon and fell casually behind him. The mechanic with a silver mask was wearing a white coat and a pair of dark green and calm eyes. Even though not much skin was exposed, his temperament was still very handsome, with a hint of indifference.
No one knew him better than Rong Le, and he recognized the white-haired Rong Le instantly.
Unexpectedly, after going around in circles, he finally met him.
However, the current situation makes people feel a little doubtful. What happened to this module during the time he was away?
Yuriel obviously didn't recognize his face and was already familiar with the white-haired Rong Le, but why did he wear a mask? What did he want to hide?
Is this meeting part of Baifa Rongle’s plan?
White-haired Rong Le nodded and confirmed the transfer of ownership on the spot, which meant that Rong Le was his doll.
After the identity information was verified, Rong Le was automatically registered under his name. Rong Le was very familiar with this process when he was a mechanic. In this way, the puppet was qualified to survive in this society.
The cabin was opened and the liquid was gradually drained out. Rong Le felt that he had regained control of his body. He moved his hands and feet and walked out of the cabin.
“So advanced…”
In the studio, Ling was lying in front of the window, watching this scene and muttering.
Nika passed by and said speechlessly, "Hey, there's no need to be so worshipful, right?"
However, she also knew that it was very normal to admire those who were more perfect and powerful.
The level gap between Ling and the doll was too great, so she couldn't feel it. However, the first time she saw the doll, every part of her body subconsciously tensed up, and she looked at Rong Le in the distance vigilantly.
Dangerous puppet, Nika thought.
I didn’t expect that this seemingly ordinary studio actually gathered several extraordinary dolls. Cleaner 1018 is one of them, Zero also has great potential, and now there is a new type of doll.
The more she got to know the owner of this studio, this mysterious mechanic, the more frightened she became.
She might have gotten on a pirate ship.
Outside, white-haired Rong Le said to the puppet in front of her, "Follow me."
Rong Le followed him into the studio. There were no guests in the studio at that time, and other employees heard the noise and came out to watch the fun.
They are all familiar faces.
Rong Le lowered his eyes and followed the white-haired Rong Le into the workshop. As soon as he closed the door, he was strangled by the neck and pushed hard against the wall.
"Is this one a fake or a real one?"
The white-haired Rong Le's cold voice sounded in his ears.
There was a feeling of suffocation in the throat. He was very strong. Rong Le subconsciously grabbed his hand. Unable to speak, she could only curse in her mind, asking him to at least speak!
Perhaps his inner voice was heard by the other party, but the white-haired Rong Le suddenly relaxed her grip and looked at him thoughtfully: "Is it really you?"
Rong Le noticed that he didn't speak, so she asked in her heart: "Can you hear me?"
"It seems like it's true this time."
This time, the white-haired Rong Le really relaxed and put down her hands. Rong Le could finally breathe normally.
After recovering from his shock, he slowly asked, "What happened? How long have I been gone? Are you... okay?"
He keenly noticed various things wrong with the white-haired Rong Le.
The mask on his face, the offset in time, and his skillful attitude towards himself, countless doubts make up a huge mystery.
The white-haired Rong Le had already calmed down and smiled, "You did disappear for a long time, but fortunately I finally found you. This is something to be happy about."
"As for me...don't worry, I'll take care of everything."
No, Rong Le's heart was pounding.
His attitude was too calm, it shouldn't be like that. Even if it was questioning him, Rong Le would think it was normal to take action like he did just now, but he was incredibly calm.
White-haired Rong Le turned around and wanted to take him out of the workshop.
Rong Le suddenly stopped him, stared at him closely and asked, "What have you done?"
White-haired Rong Le slowly turned around and looked at him with a strange look, her pale red lips moving slightly: "Do you really want to know what happened to this module?"
Spiritual intuition began to sound the alarm frantically.
Rong Le looked straight at him without flinching: "I want to know, is it because of me? I can't control the time node of entering the module, but why did I become a puppet?"
"When I didn't know...what did you do?"
"They colluded with the nobility, planted undercover agents, and secretly collaborated with armed groups in an attempt to overthrow the regime and fund puppet research experiments."
White-haired Rong Le: "Do you want to hear this?"
He took a step forward and forced Rong Le into a corner.
"When I was seriously injured, I kept calling for you."
The two identical faces were infinitely close to each other. The white-haired Rong Le looked at him in a trance: "I've been waiting for you for a long time, but you never showed up. I thought I lost you. I tried to find you through other means, but all I got was one fake after another..."
He stroked the doll's body, his eyes filled with pure admiration: "Look at this body, it's so beautiful."
It carries a lost soul, who can say this is not a miracle.
Rong Le frowned slightly: "You messed up the module very badly."
Tang Qiu is a key figure in this module. Now his fate has seriously deviated and the module is on the verge of destruction.
He also underestimated his influence on Baifa Rongle. Without him, Baifa Rongle became more fragile and more crazy.
He offered heartfelt advice: "You should pay attention to your mental state."
It was obvious that the white-haired Rong Le didn't care about what he said, and under the current circumstances, it was obviously impossible to ask anything more from him.
Rong Le sighed and decided to take a long-term view and not push him so hard.
"Puppet Rong Le, happy to serve you, Mr. Mechanic."
The doll with black hair and green eyes said.
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