Chapter 80: The Soul of the Doll
Rong Le received a message from Bionic Man No. 1 before the wanted order was issued in the Central Building.
Because the two organizations were in the honeymoon period of their cooperation, and Rong Le's past actions had earned him the trust of the puppets, at the very beginning of the incident, all the bionic puppets in Uriel's mansion were secretly transferred to the safe base of Bionic Man No. 1 with the help of the Collection Museum.
Uriel was suddenly taken away by the armed forces of the Central Building, which caught Bionic Man No. 1 off guard.
Uriel's identity finally came to light. He turned out to be an undercover bionic doll in the aristocracy. He often secretly passed on information that was difficult to be heard. He also privately rescued many tortured dolls and helped them to regain their new life.
Even though the Central Building has not yet provided any solid evidence to prove his identity, various speculations have already emerged and are being passed around by everyone.
Some organizations in the city attempted to protest, arguing that a noble should not be arrested on such a serious charge without evidence. Others believed that the Central Building should abide by the Minor Protection Act and not arbitrarily restrict Uriel's personal freedom.
Relevant departments have been receiving complaints continuously, most of which are asking for the restoration of Uriel's freedom and the guarantee of his personal safety.
The Central Building's response was very rude and straightforward. Specifically, it strictly tightened various policies, investigated the recent movements of nobles and politicians, and tried to find more undercover agents hidden among them.
This behavior represents their tough attitude that they will never change their decision, which is very rare and unusual in terms of their previous policy response style.
People with a keen sense of smell have already noticed that something is wrong and have begun to keep a low profile and observe how the situation develops.
For a time, there was panic and everyone was in danger.
As time went by, the Central Building never released any news about Uriel, but rumors began to spread on the Internet.
Rumor has it that Uriel was being interrogated undercover during his detention. The Central Building tried very hard to force him to reveal the list of undercover agents, but Uriel refused to give up even when tortured.
As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar.
In any case, Uriel's actions should not have earned him such harsh punishment, and his steadfast spirit is remarkable. His experience has made him the spiritual leader of the bionic puppet struggle.
The bionic dolls who are still in social positions are very dissatisfied with this incident, and for a time the incumbent president's approval rating dropped to a historic low.
…
"The actions of the Central Building have completely made the Juvenile Law and the Bionic Human Protection Law become a dead letter. This poses a serious challenge to the president's credibility. As a lawyer, I am deeply saddened by the actions of the Central Building..."
In a secluded venue, a bionic lawyer puppet on the stage gave a speech to the densely packed crowd below with a heavy face.
"Think about it, ladies and gentlemen. If the Central Building is right, then we are the future Uriel. They have ignored the law and our rights!"
Everyone off the court became angry.
"I believe Mr. Uriel is innocent and should be respected because he saved the lives of so many puppets. He should be worshipped by us instead of being locked up in a damn prison and tortured by those bastards!"
"I want to join Bionic Man No. 1. I used to think they were destroying the order of the city, but now it seems they are right."
"Whenever they organize another attack, I'm willing to participate. I'll do anything as long as I can make the Central Building pay the price!"
"Poor Uriel. Although his arrogant attitude usually annoys me, it's better to let him come back than to torture him."
Just when the crowd was getting excited, the door of the venue was suddenly opened.
Before the puppets could react, they were greeted by crazy bullets.
"Bang bang bang bang!!!"
Cold tongues of fire burned at the muzzles of guns, people fell down in groups, and panicked screams and painful wails resounded inside the venue.
The fallen puppets included inconspicuous maintenance workers in the city and glamorous white-collar workers. Countless glamorous and ordinary puppets lost their ability to move in an instant.
The only person standing was the lawyer on the stage.
"You are obviously a high-level bionic puppet, but you insist on rebelling against humans. Really... I've been annoyed with you for a long time!" The leading man spat and raised his gun at the lawyer.
The lawyer couldn't believe it. "Are you crazy? How dare you openly attack so many people? Don't you take the Bionic Human Protection Act seriously?!"
"What kind of protection law is this? It's just a facade to appease puppets like you. And you actually believed it, lawyer?"
The attacker sneered and pointed the gun at the lawyer's head.
"If you didn't occupy the majority of jobs in society, how could we have been reduced to relying on subsidies to survive? I've long disliked you damned machines. I'll take this opportunity to show you who is the master of this city!"
Bang!
The lawyer fell to the ground.
The puppets on the ground were not dead. They kept their eyes open and watched the attackers pour barrels of oil on them and the ground, then retreated to the door. The leading man sneered, took out a lighter, lit it, and threw it into the sea of fire.
Crash.
The scorching flames gradually rose, and the high temperature almost distorted the air. The puppets watched their bodies melt in the flames, and finally, without any protective chip on the back of their necks, they were pierced and burned by the brutal flames.
The door of the venue was slammed shut, locking everyone in. The flames gradually rose along with the wailing of the puppets, burning the entire venue to ashes.
In the distance, someone nearby saw a fire in a venue and immediately called the fire department. By the time the fire truck arrived, the inside of the venue had been burned to the point where almost nothing was left.
In the end, this was defined as a spontaneous combustion incident involving a group of puppets.
…
"This is totally unbelievable! Everyone's gone crazy! The order we worked so hard to maintain is destroyed in an instant. Are those guys in the Central Building full of shit? Why would they issue such a ridiculous wanted order?!"
The chief of the security force was cursing at the person on the other end of the phone. No one knew what was said, but he suddenly frowned slowly, and his anger seemed to be subsiding.
"Just let them do whatever they want? After all, this isn't their city... The number of complaints and tasks I've received has increased several times over in the past few days. What am I supposed to do?"
Arnold stood quietly across from the desk, waiting for his boss to finish his call.
Commander: "In that case, I understand. I will control my men and prevent them from getting involved in this mess."
"Well, we'll show up again when the storm is over and the higher-ups need us."
The commander hung up the phone and looked at Arnold, who was waiting with his head bowed. "You and the entire security force will not be on any missions for the time being. Wait for instructions. The city has been in turmoil lately. This is a very complicated situation. You must not get involved. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir."
The boss nodded in satisfaction and waved him out. Arnold walked out of the office, and only after the door closed behind him did his face darken slightly.
They are the force that protects the safety of the entire city. However, due to the wanted warrant, the crime rate in the city has skyrocketed, but the commander has asked them to stay where they are and has no intention of taking care of the matter.
Arnold could not accept this result, but he could not resist his superiors.
He is a bionic puppet with more restrictions. His only mission is to become a sharp blade in the hands of the superiors, pouring his own force wherever their will goes.
"Father, you told me to protect the people and stick to my mission, but is what I am doing really right?"
Arnold returned to the security force dormitory area with a heavy heart. Members of each team would train and stay on standby here when they had no missions.
However, he was blocked on his way back.
Arnold looked up with a calm expression. The ones who stopped him were members of the second team, led by the captain of the second team. They didn't know what news they had received, but ran here to stop him.
"Isn't this our Arnold? Why are you here alone? Where are your pups?"
The captain of the second team looked around at him and asked teasingly.
Arnold's face was expressionless, his dark eyes were dark and without any light: "Get out of the way."
The other party was subconsciously frightened by his aura and took a step back. Then he realized that Arnold's attitude of completely disrespecting him made his face look a little ugly and angry.
He sneered, "Who are you trying to impress with your aloofness? You're just a puppet, a mere tool. The higher-ups are already reaching the limit by making you the captain of the first squad. You're putting on this condescending attitude now, but when I become the commander, won't you still be licking my boots?"
There was a fire of jealousy in his tone.
Arnold is the captain of the first team and also the strongest member of the security force.
The puppet's terrifying physical potential is beyond the reach of humans. Arnold contains a variety of heavy firepower weapons in his body, which can be called a human launch pad. Once unsealed, he can plunge the entire city into hell in a short period of time.
As the most perfect masterpiece of the puppet factory, Arnold is so powerful that it is almost terrifying.
However, even such an Arnold was just a wolfhound with a rope tied around its neck in the eyes of other team members. He was a tool that could be used - after all, no one was afraid of his own weapon.
But this weapon has a similar appearance to them, which makes it different.
...alien, monster.
Arnold finally looked him in the face: "What do you want?"
The captain of the second team said, "You puppets don't get tired, but our night shifts are very tiring. Is it okay for you to help me?"
"Get lost, Bart. Are you some kind of elementary school kid? You're bullying your colleagues. As a member of the security force, don't you feel ashamed?"
Lin Ran saw the captain being surrounded not far away and rushed over immediately.
He is the only two members of the First Squad who are of Oriental descent, the other being Arnold. Although as a communications soldier, he looks a little frail compared to the other members, he is the most fanatical fan who protects the captain's fighting power.
The members of the first team are the top elites in the army, and there has been no mission they cannot complete.
Bart snorted coldly: "You have a real dog nose. You smelled your captain coming back in just a short while."
Lin Ran said angrily: "You...!"
Arnold stopped him: "Lin Ran."
After all, as a team member, it is not good to be rude to the superior. If Bart takes advantage of the situation, it will be very troublesome. Lin Ran suppressed his anger and took a step back.
Arnold paused for two seconds and said, "This is against the rules. Night shifts are checked by dedicated personnel, and require real-name clocking in. There's absolutely no chance of exploiting any loopholes."
Bart said casually: "What's so difficult about this? I know the brother who will do the inspection. I'll just give you the equipment. You don't need to go out anyway. That kind of thing is useless."
Arnold was silent for two seconds: "Okay, in exchange, don't show up in front of me recently."
Lin Ran's pupils trembled: "Captain!!"
Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Bart laughed heartily: "Okay, it's settled!"
Lin Ran watched Bart and the others leave with satisfaction, and asked in disbelief, "Captain, why did you help them?"
Arnold remained silent, not knowing how to tell his teammates about his vague thoughts.
Finally he said, "Don't ask any more questions, just go back."
Lin Ran: "...We can help you, Captain, take turns."
Even a bionic doll would get tired if it stayed up all day.
Arnold shook his head: "Let's talk about it later."
After all, even he didn't know how to explain his unclear thoughts, and he wouldn't tell anyone until he really did it.
…
The collective spontaneous combustion incident at the venue was the most serious accident involving the largest number of people since the issuance of the arrest warrant. The official explanation was that it was a collective spontaneous behavior.
The public did not buy it. In the venue, there were respectable lawyers, doctors, successful white-collar workers, and ordinary puppets. Why would these people with different identities come together to end their lives in such a tragic way?
At the very least, going to an underground black doctor to remove the chip can also allow for a quick and easy suicide. The official has not given any explanation for this doubt.
But the truth of the matter no longer needs any evidence to support it. Anyone can see that this is clearly a case of an attack on a bionic doll.
Recently, the conflict between humans and bionic dolls has reached a peak, and the conflict between the two sides has become increasingly intensified. This major accident is the result of this.
Arnold kept his promise and took up his post after Bart threw the identification device of the second team to him.
The other members of the first team also received the news one after another. They were very unbelievable about the result. Some of them were angry and wanted to go to the second team to seek justice, but were stopped by other members.
"Calm down. If you offer yourself up to Bart and get caught, the captain will have to clean up your mess."
Abel, who was a very calm person in the team, pushed his glasses and said.
The teammate angrily said: "What should we do? Are we just going to watch the captain get bullied?!"
"I think it's not that simple."
Another teammate from an aristocratic family was also thoughtful: "Why would the captain suddenly agree to Bart's rude request? The captain was also called to the office by the superior today. What happened?"
"Could it be related to the commander's order?"
Lin Ran offered another idea. He had extensive connections and was the social butterfly in the team. "I heard that all members of the security force have returned to standby. All missions have been suspended. Those on leave have been called back, and they're basically not allowed to go out."
"Stay where you are?"
The noble teammate touched his chin and frowned, "Do you know that things are very chaotic outside right now? I heard that the bionic dolls and humans are going to go to war."
"It seems that the Central Building has captured Uriel, claiming he's an undercover agent for Bionic Man One. They've even issued a wanted notice, asking the public to help capture Uriel's escaped servants. There are over ninety of them in total."
Lin Ran: "And you still want us to be on standby? Isn't our duty to maintain law and order?!"
Abel laughed coldly twice. "Idiot, although our duty is to protect the people, the security forces need to obey the orders of the commander, and the commander needs to obey the instructions of the Central Building and the nobles. In other words, all of this is the result of the Central Building's own hands."
The room suddenly became quiet.
"What about the captain? What's his purpose in helping Bart work the night shift?" a teammate suddenly asked.
Everyone looked at each other in silence. Finally, Abel made the final decision: "Why worry so much? I believe the captain will not exclude us. We just need to obey orders and wait for the captain's arrangements."
…
There must be a hidden driving force behind the current chaotic situation.
Rong Le could already roughly guess who was behind the incident. From the simple conversation between the master and servant that she overheard, to the intelligence presented by the collection hall and the recent situation, she could almost deduce the truth of the whole matter.
As the owner of a puppet factory, the Han family behind Han Shangyan has always been in a prosperous position. Now that he is running for president, he is undoubtedly challenging higher power.
The central building, the nobility, capital... together form the power structure of the Mechanical City, checking and balancing each other.
And now, Han Shangyan's ambition to run for election is obvious.
In order to achieve his goal, he chose to cooperate with external forces and obtain greater benefits at the cost of the Book of the Dead. The method they adopted was obviously a method with a higher probability of success and lower risk, which was to disrupt the order in the city.
When the support rate of the central building dropped to the lowest point, it would be easy for Han Shangyan, the owner of the puppet factory, the economic lifeline of the city, to take the top position.
Money paves the way and power serves as bait to make more people become allies of one's own interests.
A complete businessman's trick.
Those allies from outside the city don't care about the order of the city. In the eyes of pagans, those who are not of the same kind are no different from pigs and dogs. They will not empathize with people. Even if they cause chaos in various places in the city, it is not an evil act, but a necessary means to safeguard the interests of the sect.
Truth Society, Mother Goddess Church...
Rong Le looked at the hidden traces collected in the intelligence, which were obviously the work of these two forces.
He needs an opportunity, Rong Le thought.
A critical point where the suppressed anger erupts completely and the plot of the module completely turns. That is the beginning of all the tragedies of the module. After that, the future is foreseeable.
Three days later, a video was uploaded to the Internet by someone unknown. It didn't attract any attention at first, but as the number of views increased, the popularity and forwarding volume of the video continued to rise at an astonishing rate.
The video is titled "Shock! Top secret video of Uriel being interrogated and tortured."
When the video was clicked, it turned out to be a video of more than five minutes, showing the already scarred Uriel undergoing a new round of interrogation.
Many people couldn't accept it and quit in the first few minutes because the scenes were too cruel, but the angry people rushed to the central building.
"What about the promise of just detention? Without evidence or charges, they're actually using torture on their own?!"
"Does the Central Building now look down on the nobles? Even if Uriel is truly an undercover agent, you have no right to treat a noble like this."
"Oh my god, I can't believe what I saw. It's too cruel, I can't accept it. I wonder how many of the previous cases in the Central Building were the result of torture?!"
"It's so disappointing. The current president should step down as soon as possible. We need a new and wise president!"
In addition to the public's inability to accept this video, it also ignited the bionic puppet group who had long suppressed their dissatisfaction with society.
"We strongly demand the release of Uriel. He is our hero. You can't treat him like this!"
"Totally disappointed, for everyone."
"There's no need for a central building like this to exist. Their actions clearly show their attitude."
"...Are we really just tools?"
"I feel guilty for scolding Uriel online. I used to think he was a noble who was very cruel to the dolls. Now I know that his harsh attitude and coldness were all fake. He wanted to free the bionic dolls and has always protected them."
"I suddenly understand why so many dolls disappear every year. The members of Bionic Man No. 1 seem to emerge from the ground. The nobles have access to more permissions, and each doll has a code at birth. There are records in the central building. And the person who can delete these..."
"I watched the entire five-minute video, and Uriel refused to reveal the list of undercover agents."
"Uriel, our spiritual leader!"
Everyone who saw this video was moved.
Even though the central building reacted quickly and began to frantically block the account that uploaded the video, it was unable to stop it and the video continued to circulate online.
The atmosphere within the security forces was also very depressing.
All members of the first team respected Captain Arnold very much. Unlike others, they did not regard Arnold as an alien, but were full of admiration for him.
So when the members learned about this video, their worries reached a peak.
"Will the captain be upset? After all, this incident has caused such a big stir. I heard that many androids have started a strike, and many have publicly expressed opposition to the Central Building online and offline."
Lin Ran sighed and said with some melancholy.
Even they were still filled with anger when they saw this video, but they had no right to interfere in this matter.
His teammate, who came from an aristocratic family, was also unhappy about this matter. If it weren't for his status as a security member and the ban on going out, he would definitely be one of the opponents.
Lin Ran called him in confusion: "Abel... huh? Abel, what are you thinking about?"
Abel came back to his senses: "Nothing... I just feel that maybe something is going to change."
His teammates didn't understand what he meant and asked him in confusion. He shook his head and said no more.
It was a strange, inexplicable premonition, as if one was on the eve of a huge storm, yet everything was eerily calm.
…
With the leak of the video, players' mission to explore Uriel's secrets has officially been completed.
Since Uriel was captured, Bionic Man No. 1 has tried every possible way to rescue him.
Rong Le did not take any action for the time being, because if she exposed herself too early, those pagans would rush over like sharks smelling blood.
The power of both sides is not equal, and they are not yet able to confront the cult and Han Shangyan head-on.
Rong Le walked alone on the street.
The state of a city will be reflected on its streets. If there are few people in the city during the day, the economy will certainly not be developed.
Rong Le has walked this road countless times, and every day is no different from the previous ones. There is a noisy flow of people and robots shuttling through it. The cold and gorgeous screen above the road reflects the exquisite faces and body lines of bionic dolls.
The perfect body like a machine and the rare driving energy seemed like a miracle bestowed upon the world by God.
The Mechanical City possesses this miracle and reproduces it continuously like a commodity.
Here, Rong Le saw all kinds of bionic dolls.
The perfect workplace elites like templates, the basic labor force of society, the extremely beautiful entertainment stars, the weak and harmless pets, the discounted outdated products... they are the cornerstones of the city.
Just like humans, they cannot choose their birth, nor can they change their destiny.
But Rong Le has also seen many different dolls.
They try to change their fate and fight against it. They will suffer and feel sad, learn to love and be loved, reconcile with the world, and keep moving forward for their own beliefs.
The inner world of a puppet might really be as profound and complex as that of a human.
After talking with Alice, Rong Le began to think about where the doll's soul came from. He thought from biology to philosophy, and his mind was filled with messy thoughts.
Although he took action before he had a clear idea, Zero was a good example, and after that, Ovi, Alice, Nika and 1018 also obviously had their own goals.
Ever since Rong Le came into contact with her first puppet, she had never considered them as non-human beings.
“Ding ding ding—”
A hurried voice came from the communicator.
Rong Le walked calmly while answering the call. Suddenly, after hearing clearly what was said on the other end, he stopped.
On the Internet, people were enthusiastically demanding the release of Uriel, but the Central Building has not given a positive response.
Soon, Rong Le received new news again.
A new turning point still appeared on the Internet, with a video released by Bionic Man No. 1 announcing the start of the war.
When Rong Le saw the dark video in which the leader of the organization, shrouded in a black robe, used a voice changer to declare war, she sighed softly.
This video also contains various armed puppets whose faces cannot be seen clearly, and their identities cannot be faked at all. Soon everyone knows that Bionic Man No. 1 has declared war on the Central Building, and the news has spread like a virus throughout the Mechanical City.
Rong Le knew that the critical moment had finally arrived.
Uriel is the beginning of everything, foreshadowing the escalation of the conflict between the bionic dolls and the central building. The plot of the module, like the wheel of fate, begins to roll forward at an unstoppable speed.
He and Bionic Man No. 1 were standing on the same warship.
You've arrived here, witnessing the miracles of the Mechanical City and the tragedy of the puppets. This city has risen and fallen, and countless greedy jackals have arrived, seeking to devour everything precious. Your allies challenge fate, and blood and flames of war will rage here. As the curator of the collection, will you choose to use your ticket?
[Should I give up fighting the powerful enemy and lie low to protect myself, or should I try my best to save everything?]
【Your choice will change the fate of this module. 】
The notification sound for the main storyline to start sounded at the right time, and Rong Le had been waiting for this notification sound for a long time.
He chose to accept the mission.
【I will walk with the puppets and save their souls.】
…
[Main Quest 3-1: Enter the stage of the Mechanical City in the name of the Collection Hall.]
…
Rong Le knew that this was a war doomed to fail.
But he has to use his eyes to see and obtain more information. He will witness the failures and desperate futures of his companions, and then these will be transformed into nutrients and become part of his ultimate path to success.
——He will lead them to a future full of hope.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
