Chapter 154 Rebooter Base - 11 ...
"..." Tang Bufan leaned against the elevator, panting heavily. Seeing "himself" was not a pleasant feeling at all; it even gave him a sense of horror. Reality seemed to have become an absurd dream, and he had become the soul that had left his body.
Suddenly a commotion came from outside. Several people passed by the elevator, complaining as they hurried along.
"The water is everywhere."
"Zero shouldn't have brought Tang Bufan back."
"Tsk, he's clearly on the orcs' side now, completely infatuated with Louis Smith, and has forgotten that he was once human."
"How about we don't let Zero send him back? I don't think he'll cooperate with our experiment in this state."
"But besides him, who else can verify the existence of parallel worlds? If parallel worlds exist, then all research on time and world changes will be drastically changed. And opening a wormhole requires a lot of energy, which will take us several years to accumulate."
"Alright, let's hurry up, there's still a lot of stuff to move."
The voices of those people gradually faded into the distance, and Tang Bufan, hiding in the elevator, gradually calmed his heartbeat.
He thought he knew why his clone was here. Zero must have taken his clone into the elevator, and after discovering he had escaped, he immediately went out to check the situation. Someone pressed a button on this floor, and the clone ended up on this floor.
Tang Bufan looked at him in the darkness, then slowly pulled a small knife from his waistband.
"I'm sorry," Tang Bufan said softly, his eyes slightly red. "But I don't want to switch bodies with you. This body of mine... has many memories, including Lu Yi's first time... And if you were alive, I would be back on the operating table in a few hours, so... I'm sorry."
Before Tang Bufan finished speaking, he plunged the small knife in his hand into "his" chest.
The unconscious man's body trembled with his movement, and warm blood sprayed onto Tang Bufan's face. Tang Bufan smelled his own scent, which was faint and somewhat fragrant mixed with the smell of blood.
So, my past self really smelled so good? Tang Bufan bit his lip, his eyes reddening even more. And what about me now? I stink.
The knife was stolen; it was very short. Moreover, it was Tang Bufan's first time stabbing someone, and he was quite inexperienced. So, to ensure that the other person was completely dead, Tang Bufan pulled the knife out with trembling hands, intending to deliver a few more blows. But suddenly, he saw the eyelashes of the unconscious man tremble slightly.
Tang Bufan was momentarily flustered, but more so by guilt. He composed himself and stabbed the man again with ferocity. This stab caused the dying man to open his eyes completely.
And just as luck would have it, the lights on the top of the elevator suddenly started flashing.
Two men with identical faces met each other's gaze, the only difference being that one was pale and the other's face was covered in dirt and blood.
Both of their pupils contracted to varying degrees.
"..." Tang Bufan lay on "himself" with his hands tightly gripping the knife hilt, his mind briefly going blank for a moment.
Tang Bufan, on the other hand, clearly regained consciousness much faster than him; he was dying, and his adrenaline was surging.
The lights above their heads were flashing incessantly.
"You..." he began softly in a hoarse voice, but after uttering a single word, he was at a loss for words.
"...I'm sorry." Tang Bufan looked down at him, his lips trembling, "I'm sorry..."
"..." After a brief silence, Tang Bufan quickly seemed relieved, and his eyes showed signs of closing again.
Tang Bufan couldn't bear to watch "himself" die, so he could only lie on top of himself and lower his head, when suddenly he heard "himself" say:
"It's alright."
The sound was so soft that Tang Bufan almost thought he was hallucinating. Feeling the blood flowing from his hand that was gripping the knife hilt, Tang Bufan was suddenly overwhelmed with guilt and despair, and tears streamed down his face.
He kept using the excuse that this person was just a clone of himself to justify the killing, but... why couldn't he have his own life and personality?
And how is this version of myself any different from Zero?
The elevator lights flickered one last time before going dark again, and the body beneath Tang Bufan completely lost its life. As if with the return of darkness, the malice within Tang Bufan resurfaced. He suddenly pulled out the knife in his hand, turned around, and used brute force to pry open the elevator door.
He strode out, gripping the blood-stained knife.
The water on this floor had risen to ankle height, and water was also dripping from the ceiling in the darkness. Tang Bufan ran into a group of people who were carrying expensive electronic equipment in the water. The flashlights on their wristbands shone on Tang Bufan's blood-stained face, which, combined with his blood-stained surgical gown and aggressive demeanor, made it almost indistinguishable from a horror game.
The group was terrified. They threw the heavy instruments they were holding into the floodwater, turned around, and ran away screaming. One of them even fell to the ground in his panic, splashing water everywhere.
He struggled to keep running forward, using both his hands and feet. Tang Bufan, holding a knife, chased after him and, amidst the man's terrified screams, stripped him of his clothes.
"Shut up." Tang Bufan warned the man in a deep voice. The man huddled in the corner of the wall in the puddles, swallowing hard and falling silent, his eyes still filled with fear as he looked at him.
Tang Bufan disregarded the need for secrecy, immediately took off his surgical gown and put on the other person's research coat, then calmly walked through the puddles towards the stairwell.
As he walked, he used the small knife in his hand to cut off his long hair behind his neck, then haphazardly smoothed his hair forward with his hands, letting the wet short hair partially cover his face.
The stairwell was crowded with people running up and down, but thanks to the flood and power outage, even if someone was using a handrail for lighting, they wouldn't look at the people next to them. Tang Bufan held a small knife in his pocket and brushed past many people.
The flooding was more severe than Tang Bufan had imagined. The Rebooter base had been adrift at sea, and the research institute was located deep underground on the island. Once the drainage pipes were blocked, the drainage system collapsed, and water was overflowing from every floor, getting worse the deeper you went.
However, thanks to the water, repairing the electrical system became more difficult. The brief power outage had already caused several people to be electrocuted, and the electrician had no choice but to shut off the power again.
Tang Bufan arrived at his and Anderson's cell in the darkness, and could already hear Anderson singing from afar.
"...When I discovered the world was unfair, I painfully severed my naivety, only to find my only path lost, leaving me only able to call out your name."
It was still a sentimental song. Tang Bufan admired Anderson's ability to find joy in hardship; he could tell at a glance that Anderson had done this quite often in the mental hospital. He stopped at the corner and peered out, unsurprisingly finding four people blocking the cell door.
Zero leans against the wall, Cotton Slippers squats on the ground playing in the water out of boredom, a soldier holding a submachine gun in his arms, and a burly man carrying a heavy mortar on his shoulder.
Several reconnaissance drones were also flying in the corridor.
Tang Bufan shrank back in the darkness. Perhaps the experience of trying to kill himself had slightly damaged his mind, but he was now incredibly calm, showing none of the initial confusion and panic.
With power not restored, the research institute currently has no network, meaning... those drones are now relying solely on AI intelligence to follow Zero's commands, and are unable to transmit information to Zer.
Having figured this out, Tang Bufan waded through the knee-deep water back to the stairwell, feigning panic as he ran upstairs, shouting, "The orcs are coming... the orcs are coming!"
Many people were bumped into by his frantic running, and the researchers who were busy salvaging data and equipment were also alarmed by his shouts.
Now that the internet is down, no one can receive any information. Some people questioned Tang Bufan's news and wanted to grab him while he was running to ask him more questions. However, they were surprised to find that the short-haired, wet man with his face covered was extremely strong. He pulled him away in one go, causing him to stumble forward and fall onto the wet steps.
"Explain yourself! Why are the orcs here?!" the man shouted at Tang Bufan's back. However, the corridor was dark, and everyone was panicking, so the light from their wristbands shone randomly. Tang Bufan, wearing a white coat uniform, ran up and down four floors before completely escaping everyone's attention.
But the false news had already spread. Tang Bufan entered a floor and patiently watched the stairwell. After seeing Zero and the burly researcher carrying a cannon on his shoulder go upstairs, he quickly missed them and went back down to the floor where the cell was located.
Only the soldier and the cotton slipper remained guarding the door, along with... 1234, four drones.
Tang Bufan hid behind the wall for a moment, then turned around and went into the bathroom not far away. He picked up a bottle of hand sanitizer from the counter and threw it into the waterlogged hallway outside.
With a "plop," Xiaobing and Miantuo both turned their heads to look over, and Anderson's singing stopped.
“…Tang Bufan?” Mian Tuo tried calling out.
Anderson suddenly started banging on the door, shouting, "Run! Run! Run! Run!"
Anderson's voice was extremely shrill and as sarcastic as ever: "I don't need your help! Tang Bufan! You listen to me clearly! I don't need your help! Nobody wants you to be this good-for-nothing!"
"Quiet!" The soldier kicked the iron door hard and shouted, "Don't force me, or I'll shoot you right now!"
"Go ahead and crash!" Anderson sneered provocatively. "Serving as a soldier on this wretched little island? Have you ever killed anyone?"
"You!" The soldier's face flushed red, and he angrily headed towards the restroom: "I'm going to drag Tang Bufan out right now!"
"No." Cotton slippers, who was squatting on the ground, quickly raised her hand to pull him back, frowning. "His appearance is quite deceiving. You might not be able to beat him. I heard that the three people who operated on him were all injured."
"But..." The soldier was about to speak when he was interrupted by the cotton slipper.
He stood up from the ground, shook his water-soaked white coat, and looked up to instruct the flying drones: "Go and take a look."
The drones then flew one after the other toward the toilet.
"Don't send them all, leave one," Mian Tuo said, frowning.
Finally, the drone returned.
Tang Bufan, with his keen ears, hid in a toilet stall. It was clear that the research institute was gradually becoming empty, and the surroundings were getting quieter and quieter, with only the sound of water dripping from the ceiling remaining.
I have to rescue Anderson before Zero returns. Tang Bufan thought to himself, his eyes gleaming in the darkness. He heard the drone fly into the bathroom, but he patiently remained still. Only when the drone appeared outside his stall did he swiftly stab it with his knife!
"Bang!" The blade struck the drone's wing, producing a piercing and violent metallic clang. The drone decisively and swiftly fired a laser at Tang Bufan, who narrowly dodged it by tilting his head. Then, taking advantage of the moment when its wing jammed, he grabbed its body with his other hand.
He grabbed the struggling drone, turned it around, and shoved it hard into the toilet behind him, then flipped the toilet seat down and closed it.
The drones crashed wildly inside the cramped toilet, causing a crack to appear in the toilet bowl. Tang Bufan pressed the lid down tightly while keeping his eyes fixed on the doorway. Sure enough, two more drones flew in.
Tang Bufan quickly closed the cubicle door and dodged to the side, but the laser still burned through the wooden board, and one of the lasers hit Tang Bufan's palm, knocking the knife away.
A searing, burning sensation washed over him. Ignoring the pain, Tang Bufan used brute force to remove the toilet seat next to him and kicked the toilet stall door away, sending a drone that had just flown to the doorway flying.
Tang Bufan, gripping the toilet seat with both hands, fired at another drone aimed directly at its head.
It has to be said that the toilet seat is quite useful, with a large surface area, but it's a bit fragile. The drone, which was suspended in mid-air by Tang Bufan's shot, sank down. Tang Bufan took the opportunity to throw away the broken toilet seat in his hand, grabbed the drone's body with both hands, and aimed at another drone the moment he fired the red laser.
The drone that was blown away by the partition door was severely damaged by its own comrade, sparking as it fell into the puddles with a thud.
Tang Bufan dragged the struggling drone to another stall and shoved it into the toilet again.
Fearing it wouldn't break quickly enough, Tang Bufan also pressed the flush button.
Before long, the drone that had been struggling inside quieted down.
"...Damn, he really is a good fighter." At the cell door, Mian Tuo listened to the noise coming from the toilet and was actually a little impressed.
"Maybe he was killed by the drone," the soldier said, clutching his submachine gun, his heart pounding.
“No, they won’t fire deadly lasers at him, Zero’s programmed.” Cotton explained to him, “We still need him for research on world lines.”
"..." The soldier was speechless, and tightened his grip on the gun in his arms.
The two men and the last remaining drone were all facing the direction of the toilet, their eyes fixed on it, but there was no sound from there at all.
"Could he be unconscious?" The soldier still had confidence in the combat power of the three drones, completely unaware that the cover of the ventilation vent behind them had been quietly moved away: "He's a sub-orc, not an orc. Even with physical enhancements, it's hard for him to be faster than a drone."
“No, he accepted Louis Smith’s mark.” Cotton said seriously, “The companions of high-level orcs are quite powerful, with some being roughly equivalent to mid-level orcs.”
“That’s right.” Tang Bufan said from behind the two of them, and then, in the instant the soldier’s heart stopped beating, he wrapped his arms around him from behind, raised the submachine gun in his hand, aimed at the drone, and pressed the trigger.
With a "bang," the drone crashed into the water.
"..."
"..."
Xiaobing and Miantuo both fell silent. Tang Bufan released Xiaobing from his arms and, with his bloodied hands, pulled out the submachine gun and carried it on his back.
"Before this, I didn't expect my attacks to be so fast," Tang Bufan murmured, then inexplicably thought of the clone he had killed: "I wasn't like this before... I've never been in a fight before."
The soldier snapped out of his daze and abruptly stepped back from him. Tang Bufan looked at him calmly and said, "You can go now. We've been together for a month now, and I know you've only received basic military training."
This island's military strength lies entirely in its technology and its emphasis on knowledge; it simply lacks a proper army and soldiers.
The soldier gritted his teeth, unwilling to leave his post. He looked directly at Tang Bufan and said, "Everyone on this island has their own responsibilities. My duty is to guard you."
"Do you want your mother to worry?" Tang Bufan moved the submachine gun from his back to the front, pointed the dark muzzle at him, and said seriously, "Isn't she only left with you?"
Xiaobing's face turned pale. He remembered that when he was chatting with Tang Bufan, he had told him that he came from a single-parent family and complained that his mother was too dependent on him.
"Let's go," Tang Bufan said to him, his usually gentle eyes now icy cold. "I'll count down to ten, ten, nine, eight, seven..."
When he counted to seven, the soldier made a snap decision, turned around, and ran away.
Tang Bufan sighed softly and put down the submachine gun in his hand.
He looked at the slippers next to him, and the other person was looking at him too.
"And me?" Cotton slippers asked, raising her somewhat muscular arm and giving a wry smile. "I do know a little kung fu, you know."
“I didn’t want to hurt you either.” Tang Bufan pulled out the cell key from his pocket with a fuzzy expression. “After all, you can be considered my senior brother.”
Over the past month, Cotton Slipper has taught Tang Bufan a lot of things, although Tang Bufan couldn't understand or comprehend most of the formulas.
The lock opened, and Tang Bufan pulled the heavy iron door open a crack, but it was pushed back open by the cotton slipper next to him.
“I know you spread the rumor that the orcs are coming.” Cotton, leaning against the iron gate, looked at Tang Bufan with a complicated expression: “What’s the point of all your efforts? You can’t leave this island.”
Tang Bufan glanced at the direction of the stairwell and said, "I know that the bottom of the research institute leads to the sea, and that's where the Poison People's children left."
"How are you going to open that gate?" Mian Tuo retorted, staring at him. "The security room doesn't have the key there, and it has a password. You don't have the password either, do you?"
"..." Tang Bufan fell silent. He lowered his eyes slightly and said stubbornly, "I got it from the female researcher who takes care of the poisoned children. There's a window there that overlooks the sea. Maybe my power can't break through it, but..."
He looked into the cell: "Perhaps a high-ranking orc could."
He saved Anderson not only because he was an important companion and friend, but also because he was part of the escape from the island.
Tang Bufan's only regret was that he couldn't find out more about the time-travel lab and couldn't see the child return to the 21st century with his own eyes. However... he thought that with Zero's obsession with changing the world, he would send Chen Fei back properly.
Mian Tuo still clung to the iron gate, while Tang Bufan glanced at the stairwell again, already looking anxious.
“Let’s go, Lin Xia.” Tang Bufan called out Mian Tuo’s name. The man opposite him widened his eyes slightly, and Tang Bufan looked at him with mixed feelings: “You said you didn’t tell me your name because you were afraid that one day the Rebooters would fail and you would be purged by the orcs, and you, who escaped, would no longer be able to use your real name. You’re telling me this because deep down you actually hope that Zero will fail, right?”
Lin Xia's eyelashes trembled slightly, while Tang Bufan recalled: "We first met in that Changbai Mountain tunnel. The base was empty, with only you as the only android. But you seemed fine. When you fought with us, you even imitated Bruce Lee's 'Ah-da' sound. I also remember you telling me a few days ago that you didn't mind changing your body, even a mechanical one. I think... you really like this kind of post-apocalyptic life now."
"..." Lin Xia lowered her head and remained silent, then chuckled softly. When she looked up again, her eyes showed a sense of relief.
“I don’t like post-apocalyptic life.” Lin Xia released her grip on the iron gate and smiled at Tang Bufan. “I think a world with fewer people is quite nice. The rainforests in Brazil have recovered to their ancient state, and the lakes and forests of Changbai Mountain are increasing. Animals inhabit and migrate with the seasons, and life is vibrant… Since humans went underground, the Earth has slowly recovered its natural vitality. If, as Zero expects, humans are taken over by AI, I think that even if there are no more major wars, the Earth will still be filled with the smoke of pollution, a brownish-gray landscape.”
After he finished speaking, he slowly backed away, and said goodbye to Tang Bufan in a relaxed tone: "I'm about to run away, junior brother, don't hold me accountable later!"
Tang Bufan smiled and said, "I'll come visit you in the Brazilian rainforest sometime in the future."
"...Damn it." Lin Xia, whose planned hideout had been exposed, rolled her eyes, then smiled and turned to leave: "Don't come back! I'm scared!"
Seeing Lin Xia walk away in the water, her cotton slippers soaked, Tang Bufan breathed a long sigh of relief. He was really afraid of fighting with someone he knew, and he needed to mentally prepare himself before he could bring himself to do it.
Anderson opened the heavy iron door of the cell and leisurely clapped his hands as he sat on the iron bunk bed.
"Impressive, truly impressive, madam. Your ability to use words is even stronger than when you used to fool little Louis."
Tang Bufan was speechless. Even at this point, he still had to make fun of himself. He slung his submachine gun over his shoulder and gestured for him to come with him quickly: "Let's go, Zero will be here soon if we're any later."
Anderson then got out of bed, his feet bound by heavy chains. To restrict his movement, the chains were so short that Anderson could only walk in small steps.
As for the key to these shackles... of course, the security guard didn't have it either. It was with Zero, or it could be unlocked remotely with proper permissions. Unfortunately, the researcher account that Tang Bufan logged into at the time was immediately locked by Zero.
It was precisely because of these shackles that Anderson really didn't want Tang Bufan to take him along; he was a burden.
But since he'd already done the job, Anderson sighed deeply, grinned, and tried to catch up with Tang Bufan with small steps: "Let's go!"
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