Chapter 115
But Xia Zuo was no longer the boy who was so afraid of ghosts that he could force his potential to show. He quickly calmed down and looked at the innocent boy in front of him with some suspicion:
"You're not human, and you don't have the same top-tier dark aura as Ursula. You're certainly not a deep-sea monster... Who are you, or what are you not?"
"While it can certainly be classified as a 'thing,' it's certainly rude to say so, Mr. Freeman."
The young man dragged out the last syllable and spoke with a tone that seemed a little unhappy.
Xia Zuo: "..."
His brows twitched slightly, and the sense of familiarity became even stronger.
"Don't worry about species or anything like that," the turquoise boy brushed off the topic and introduced himself. "Your number is 2511, right? Mine is 0. You can call me Zero."
“…Zero?”
Xia Zuo was slightly stunned.
He knew a thing or two about the numbering system at Eastwood Prison for the Insane. The prison numbers weren't based on the year or date of entry, but rather on the order in which each prisoner entered.
Therefore, when a prisoner meets a number lower than his own, he should know that this person came to Eastwood earlier than him.
Now the code names of Isvetri have been updated to the round starting with 2. Those starting with 20 are all dead, and those starting with 21 are veterans, at least they have certain connections in Isvetri.
But the boy in front of him said that he was "Number Zero".
No. 0.
Doesn't that mean that he is the original prisoner who has existed since the founding of Eastwood?
"I wasn't lying to you," the blue-green-eyed boy said, as if sensing his thoughts. He smiled and spread out his palm, revealing a numbered tag. "You didn't see it because I pulled it off my clothes."
Xia Zuo looked at the small sign with the number "0" written on it and fell into a strange silence: "..."
First, even he couldn't remove the number tag without damaging the clothes or the tag. Yet, the young man easily grasped it in his palm, and there wasn't even a rip to his clothes. He handled the removal of the number tag with a nonchalant ease, as if it were a trivial matter.
Secondly…
All the seniors whose numbers start with 20 are gone, so if you are really number zero, how did you survive until now?
——It looks so small!
Xia Zuo suddenly had a bold idea: Could it be that just like Bai Loli, the young boy is not as young as he looks, and he is actually an old man with white hair, but he still has a childlike face... ?
Number 0's smile deepened.
Xia Zuo inexplicably felt a little cold.
"I'm not an old man, Mr. 2511."
Xia Zuo's heart skipped a beat. If he had just drunk some water, he would have probably spit it out by now.
This guy is really an old weirdo, right? Does he have the ability to read minds?!
But at the same time, that inexplicable sense of familiarity became stronger and stronger.
The brown-haired boy pursed his lips and suddenly said, using his old trick:
"Cise?"
The golden eyes observed the other person without blinking.
My heart suddenly tightened, as if I was expecting some answer.
However, the boy with blue-green eyes simply tilted his head, as if thinking of something, and then asked with interest, "Are you talking about the current warden?"
"Cesare Crest is indeed the name of the current warden." Zero's large, cat-like eyes showed no trace of emotion. He raised an index finger and warned with a smile, "But you can't address the warden by his first name."
The brown-haired boy suddenly wilted, his eyes losing their luster: "I know."
“…”
Because he lowered his head and looked downward, Xia Zuo did not see the boy who had been acting nonchalant and playful since he appeared. At this moment, his originally bright and clear blue-green eyes were filled with a misty light that seemed to be cast from far away, calm and impenetrable.
"Aren't you curious about my identity?"
No. 0 suddenly asked.
Xia Zuo looked at him: "Curious. But will you tell me?"
"Yes," No. 0 nodded and smiled once again, "but I have one condition."
"What conditions?"
"You must be a perfect listener and not tell anyone else what I tell you." He thought for a moment and said childishly, "Otherwise, I will punish you and your future stories will not be heard by the people you want to hear them."
Xia Zuo thought for a moment, then replied, "Okay."
This is not an excessive request, and it sounds like No. 0 has been in Eastwood Prison for the Insane for a long time, so he should know a lot about the Crest family.
Xia Zuo also knew that he had to know more information and intelligence now.
As soon as Xia Zuo finished speaking, the boy with blue-green eyes raised his hand without hesitation, and with a force, he removed his entire left arm.
Xia Zuo's pupils shrank, and he was involuntarily startled for a moment, then he realized that there was no blood spraying from the wound, and he also saw clearly the structure of the connection between his body and left arm.
——Even if he didn't know much about technology, he could tell that it was not flesh and blood, but machinery.
This is a human body made entirely of machines, only its appearance is disguised to look like a normal human.
So, of course, he is not human. Normal humans have a heartbeat, a pulse, blood, age, and die, but he does not.
The only words in his life vocabulary are probably "energy" and "scrap".
...No wonder it was Zero. Maybe Eastwood didn't count this kind of artificial mechanical non-human prisoners.
As we all know, humans cannot create life, so he created by humans is certainly not life.
"As you can see, I am a mechanical creation." The blue-green-eyed boy continued smiling. "You can also understand my existence as artificial intelligence."
Xizel had mentioned artificial intelligence to Xia Zuo before, so Xia Zuo quickly realized what was happening and said hesitantly, "So, why did you come to the Eastwood Lunatic Prison? Was it the Crest Family who created you? What is the purpose of your appearance?"
"Too many questions—" the boy smiled and said, "Then I'll answer them one by one."
"The person who created me was actually the previous head of the Crest family."
Xia Zuo: "!"
He looked at the boy's inexplicably familiar eyebrows and eyes, as well as his large eyes that had a hint of green due to their mechanical feel, and an indescribable sense of weirdness and absurdity surged up.
As expected, he heard the young man smile without any emotion and say:
"After all, not everyone can endure the pain of sacrificing their own children. Humans always like to use pitiful means to deceive themselves."
Xia Zuo's pupils shrank slightly.
His voice trembled uncontrollably. "...What did you say? What on earth is going on?"
"Literally, isn't it?"
The young man with blue-green eyes slowly restrained his expression, and the nonchalant smile finally disappeared from his face, leaving only a strong sense of mechanicalness.
"Didn't that black-haired girl tell you? The Warden has been being transformed into a God since he was born."
Xia Zuo saw the mechanical boy smile again according to the set program: "We have long known that gods are too illusory, Freeman."
Xia Zuo's breathing suddenly became heavy. He already understood what the young man's purpose was in looking for him.
"For thousands of years, the gods have not appeared again."
"How do you want people to believe that He will actually be successfully awakened one day?"
The face of the brown-haired boy was imprinted in the clear blue-green eyes.
He said softly:
"Since the gods are ethereal and their return date is uncertain,"
"Then why can't we cultivate an artificial god?"
…
"Ding-Ding-Ding-Detected abnormal energy fluctuations from prisoner 2511-"
A shrill alarm sounded, and the black-haired boy gave him one last look: "We haven't finished talking yet, but maybe you need to calm down."
"Don't worry, I tampered with the surveillance footage. No one will discover our conversation."
"See you next time, Mr. Freeman."
By the time the prison guard opened the door of the cell and looked inside with full vigilance, the brown-haired boy was the only one left.
…
Number 0 returned to his cell.
Comic Will was still reeling from the previous conversation: "Why aren't you hiding it anymore? It doesn't seem like you..."
"All the necessary foreshadowing has been laid, and all the necessary foreshadowing has been laid. The situation is now at a dead end. Before César Crest can achieve his final apotheosis, drastic measures must be taken."
The boy with blue-green eyes had no expression on his face. "Do you still remember the words in the wordless book?"
Comic Will: "...What?"
"The words Ursula didn't read in full, and will never read again—Cesare will go to ■■■■."
"You mean, you want to let Xia Zuo know the news, know where you are going in the end, and then let him follow you?" Comic Will analyzed with some difficulty.
The boy laughed, "Yeah."
"After all, some of the foreshadowing at the beginning of the manga still needs to be completed. Only in this way can the manga appear more complete."
The comic's will was silent for a moment, then asked with some difficulty, "...What about you?"
"What are you going to do?"
"You came into this world not as a soul, but as a body. What will you become after you become a god...?"
Will the Caesar it knows still be the Caesar?
"Are you worried about me?" The boy blinked.
He smiled and said jokingly in a lighthearted tone, "Once the world returns to order, you'll be back to your peak, right? Then I'll be counting on you to save me from this misery."
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