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墨書 Inktalez
The sturdy cable car descended into the bottomless Gorge. The robot informed Zhong Xuan that this place had once been the Ocean Paradise built by humans, where people could ride the cable car and enjoy a panoramic view of the real ocean. Now, it had transformed into an unfathomable gorge, while the opposite shore was a Nuclear Radiation zone, even more severe than this side, barren and lifeless. Yet, no one dared to attempt crossing that heavily irradiated area, wondering if it might lead to another realm as legends suggested. The robot, curious in its own right, pondered whether it was an outdated model NS created by J. The third robot was loyal to humanity, ready to replace humans in exploring and seeking a way out of this desolate existence.
Zhong Xuan operated the cable car while Nair and her companions sat inside, slowly gliding towards the opposite shore. He made a silent resolution; if robots could sacrifice themselves for humanity, they could also choose a way out before becoming desiccated corpses in the desert. The handgun remained on him—was there still a bullet inside?
Long Lou and Zhong Yan's Wife followed the drag marks to the platform and spotted Zhong Xuan.
“Hey! Honey…”
“Darling…”
The two affectionate calls startled Zhong Xuan, who was focused on maneuvering the cable car. Turning around in an instant, he suspected it was a Mirage; shadows of his wife and partner appeared within it.
Long Lou found Zhong Xuan's reaction puzzling—why was he so dazed? They had barely peeled away one layer of skin to find him; they couldn't have stumbled upon a fool.
“Is he okay?” Zhong Yan's Wife asked when her husband ignored her calls, staring blankly ahead.
Long Lou helped her disembark. “He's fine.” As he spoke, he noticed she was walking straight towards Zhong Xuan.
“Zhong Xuan?” Her voice echoed like from hell, sending chills down Zhong Xuan's spine.
It must be his hearing playing tricks on him. Rubbing his eyes, he realized that the figures from Mirage were actually approaching him. He remained stiff, fingers pressing on the buttons, silently fixated on his wife as she walked closer.
“Zhong Xuan?” She drew near, raising her hand to wave in front of his face. No response; however, his nostrils flared as if sniffing something.
“Is it really you?” Zhong Xuan's expression was complex as he stared unblinkingly at his wife.
Zhong Yan's Wife noticed something amiss—Zhong Xuan's eyes seemed off. Since he had been lying down for so long, the intense radiation had likely damaged his corneas; it appeared he could not see.
“Honey…”
Zhong Xuan felt warmth radiating from her touch as she leaped into his arms. He couldn't believe this was real; what he had seen moments ago felt like an illusion—perhaps just a beautiful memory left behind after losing his sight. With rough hands, he gently wiped away her tears. “Don't cry; we need to live well.”
“Yeah, let's live.” His wife sobbed uncontrollably, holding him tightly as she stammered, “From now on, I won't argue with you; I'll let you have your way.”
“Okay, let's go home. I'll quit smoking and drinking.”
Long Lou stood at a distance with moist eyes, unable to hold back his tears any longer.
At the bottom of the platform, a car kicked up a cloud of white dust as it chased after a motorcycle. The noise was quite loud, drawing the attention of Zhong Xuan and Long Lou.
"What is that sound?"
"It's the director chasing a motorcycle." Long Lou hadn't expected the director to show up, and he felt a bit worried for Zhong Xuan. "Maybe you should go inside and hide?"
"Is the director here?"
"Yes."
"I need to see him. I have to tell him that the robots are revolting."
"They've already revolted; the city is in chaos. The director thinks you're the instigator behind it all, which is why he came to capture you."
"Nonsense! I'm the victim here!"
"The victim?" The director unexpectedly appeared behind them, accompanied by Han Ming and Zhong Neng.
Zhong Neng remembered that his brother had a mole on his forehead. Earlier, Han Ming had told him that Zhong Neng might be his long-lost brother, so he paid special attention to this detail.
Zhong Xuan lowered his head, sensing that the atmosphere was off. It felt as if he had become the center of a circle, with everyone staring at him.
"What are you doing?"
"Brother, do you remember that clear river behind our house? Every summer, we would go there naked to take a bath."
"Zhong Neng..." Zhong Xuan struggled to see clearly, his lips trembling as he reached out with his arm to feel ahead.
Zhong Neng caught Zhong Xuan's hand. "Brother, every time we went to bathe, our parents would check our backs to see if we had gone into the river."
"Right, every time I took the blame for you."
"If we hadn't bathed in cold water, there wouldn't be any scratches on our skin. After bathing, every scratch leaves a mark. Brother, each time I bravely admitted to bathing while you just watched from the side without going in."
"Brother..."
"...I'm sorry for you both..." Zhong Xuan tightly embraced his brother, whispering in remorse, "Brother, it’s useless. I let my brother down by not fulfilling his dream of becoming a local geological surveyor. I'm an unfilial son for not honoring our parents."
The scene before them was painfully moving. Han Ming, Long Lou, and even the imposing director who had come to capture Zhong Xuan were all touched.
"Alright, we should head back," Zhong Yan's Wife said, nodding at her younger brother-in-law.
"Let's go back; perhaps Xiao Qiang needs us," the director finally spoke a word of conscience.
A group of people returned to the city in a grand procession, while Xiao Qiang and his companions were locked in a fierce battle against the Newborn NS-3 robot. What was their situation now?
Xiao Qiang, Fei Ren, and Xiao Mei were entangled with the NS-3 robot in their respective areas, fighting desperately against the ticking clock.
Especially for Xiao Mei, the nanobots in her hands had to be delivered to Xiao Qiang and Fei Ren within twenty minutes. Only then could they enter Rock's spider-structured framework, activate the system program, and inject the nanobots into the cap to truly destroy Rock.
The KC5 submachine gun spat fire as it targeted the approaching robots. They became wreckage, crashing down from the framework and shattering into pieces. There were just too many of them. Xiao Qiang looked at the dense swarm of robots, his anger boiling over as he aimed his gun. "Ahhh!" he shouted as he fired relentlessly. These iron monstrosities were tougher than those damn Skeleton Mutants.
With the Skeleton Mutants, he could consider whether to attack or retreat. But these scrap heaps controlled by Rock's intelligent system only knew how to charge forward recklessly, heedless of everything as they lunged at Xiao Qiang and Fei Ren.
"Damn it, looking for death," Xiao Qiang gritted his teeth, firing while retreating to a more advantageous position. At the elevator exit, he kept an eye out for Xiao Mei's appearance to catch the Nanomachine Dissolver. He cursed under his breath, "You worthless scrap metal! If this were earlier, I would have wiped you out. Just wait; soon you'll all regret coming after me."
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