Infinity Throne

After Bella argued with her companions, she insisted on taking the dying omnic wreckage back to the base.

Her peers said she was crazy.

They even suspected that the mysterious "L" had mastered Bella's weaknesses and made her do some unspeakable things.

"It won't attack us."

Bella gave her reasons.

"Nonsense," the companion said, wiping a handful of dust on the protective goggles from time to time, trying to suppress his emotions and reduce oxygen consumption: "It is almost scrapped."

At this time.

While they were arguing, the "10th generation biomass conversion power furnace" inside Alice continued to operate even though it was damaged. After absorbing some of the biomass particles escaping in the air, Alice's energy recovered a little, and she raised her skeletal arm with a click.

Three silhouettes of "unknown colors" appeared in her field of vision.

It stands to reason that "human beings" must be "red" in the eyes of omnics, except for the registered "biological battery". But after "awakening", Alice has the ability to choose and judge on her own for the first time. "Friends or enemies" rights.

In other words, this is the right to "choose."

The biomass particles scattered in the dirty air turned into specks of light dust and were inhaled into Alice's chest. This scene made the three people in the quarrel turn pale with fright.

"Biomass...conversion power furnace! This piece of junk is an advanced combat model!"

Zheng.

A bright curved steel blade popped out of Alice's skeleton.

But she did not point the steel knife at the three of them. After a moment of silence, Alice asked: "Ziziziz... are you enemies, enemies...?"

The man gritted his teeth, prepared to fight to the death, pulled the bolt with a click, and pulled the trigger.

"No! Something's wrong!" Bella excitedly held down the muzzle of her companion's gun.

boom!

laugh!

The bullet came out of the barrel and hit his feet.

"Are you fucking crazy!"

The man scolded angrily, glaring at the woman. But his slightly trembling protective clothing betrayed his true inner thoughts - fear.

"Didn't you notice... it's thinking! It's actually 'thinking'! Its behavior pattern just now was not calculation, but a process of independent thinking after asking! This is a unique omnimachine! It has truly independent intelligence! In other words...it has awakened!"

Bella spoke very fast, and after stating the above reasons in one breath, she cautiously took a few steps closer to Alice: "We are not hostile, just look..."

As she spoke, she gently placed the stained assembled rifle at her feet and raised her hands: "We have no hostility." She quickly motioned to her companion to put down the gun.

Alice pointed her steel knife at the other two people: "They seem to have some."

The "Tenth Generation Biomass Conversion Power Furnace" flashed.

According to intelligence, the advanced combat model's biomass conversion power furnace can emit a kind of "particle" that humans cannot resist, and convert "biomass" into the energy required by omnipotence through the air. This model is an instant-kill technology for humans and other creatures.

To put it simply, they "eat" people.

The human sea tactic is a joke in the face of advanced models equipped with this special power furnace.

Bella's two companions were really stunned this time.

different.

Now, they can also see that this omnic is completely different from the omnics they have seen and fought.

Omnic machines are the mortal enemies of all humans.

Whether in the real world or in the virtual world, they are mortal enemies.

Once they meet, they will fight until death.

There is no time to speak.

Normally, surrender would not work. Omnic weapons do not have the ridiculous virtue of "disarming without killing".

Under the signal from Bella's eyes, the other two obediently put down their guns.

In Alice's field of vision, the outlines of the three people turned yellow and green.

"Zizzizi—you—" the humanoid skeleton actually retracted the steel knife into the steel skeleton, and the cracked eyes flickered on and off, using the sound component to ask: "Have you seen me, my brother?" "

"Your brother? Who is your brother?"

Bella asked.

"L...he is, L."

This answer completely stunned Bella.

…

Exploring the scorched earth and traveling through several radiation areas and heavily polluted areas, their signal was blocked and unable to contact the main Ark Base No. 11.

But they saw the specialness of "Awakening Alice".

This is an omnimachine that is not controlled by "it".

This is an omnimachine with the ability to "think" independently.

This is the first omnic that doesn't fight humans to the death.

This is also an intelligent machine that has laid down its butchering knife on human beings.

On the scorched earth, everything is dead. Alice's appearance is like a signal, a signal that means "peace" and "hope".

The two companions may not understand the importance of "awakening omnics" at this moment, but Bella vaguely senses that this may be the key to humankind's victory.

"Got to bring it back!"

They didn't have much oxygen left, and it was too difficult to carry the dying Alice back.

They decided to return first and report to the elders before returning to carry Alice.

One trip and one trip, three days passed.

When Bella led a small team, they arrived here again after a difficult trek.

"call……"

Alice did not leave.

In fact, when the dust settled and the biomass particles scattered in the air were absorbed by her, the light in her eyes was completely extinguished and she fell into a "shutdown" state.

Using a simple flatbed trailer, the five-person team led by Bella worked hard to move the remains of the omnic back to Ark No. 11.

…

…

at the same time.

The virtual world "Phantom Light".

District 11.

In reality, "Area 11" was completely formatted, but it did not affect the order in the illusion world.

On the contrary, without the interference of "hunters", this place is more like a normal world, running automatically according to consistent rules.

only.

At the moment when "Spark Arrives" formats Area 11, all the phantom residents in Area 11, whether they are sleeping, working, eating, walking, exercising, or creating people, no matter what they are doing , after District 11 was hit by a devastating planet-level attack, the actions of all residents in District 11 came to a halt for a moment.

No,

To be precise, there was a momentary pause in the "time" of Area 11.

However, no one noticed this.

After a moment, you just do whatever you need to do, and the virtual world continues to function.

…

District 11.

City D.

This city is highly technologically advanced, with hundreds of meter-high chimneys standing tall and white steam gushing out. A layer of multifunctional air filter covers the whole city. The inside is as smooth as a clear LCD mirror screen, with advertisements for different companies' products projected on it in a loop.

The upper-class neighborhood is a rich area with bright lights and shadows.

On the middle floor, the huge chimney extends from here. This is an industrial area where iron cables and steel pipes are crisscrossed.

On the lower floor, inverted houses intersect with upright short buildings. Strips of light pass through the gaps. Above, there are streams of shuttle traffic running in an orderly manner. This is a slum area.

At the lowest level, putrid wastewater flows in underground pipes. From time to time, residents in the lower block walk on the ground and can even feel the weak vibrations transmitted to the ground when the sewage flows through, as well as the difficulty of accidentally leaking from the balance pressure hole. Words stink.

There are three floors of blocks, upper, middle and lower, with different styles, quite cyberpunk style.

Down the block.

A11 Pandora Avenue.

In an old apartment building.

The over-oxidized and blackened tungsten filament light bulb swayed, and a down-and-out and tired young man was sitting in front of a dirty chair, focusing on surfing the Internet.

The computer is an old item found in the second-hand market. It was a product that was discarded by the wealthy people in the neighborhood ten years ago. It crashes from time to time and causes daily tripping incidents.

However, for the residents of the slums of D City, computers are already a luxury product. As long as they can be turned on, it is a good computer and they cannot ask for more.

Who makes it cheap enough?

The "coffin room", which is less than ten square meters, integrates sleeping, working, excreting, eating and other functions. It can be said that although it is small, it has all the five internal organs.

On the bench in the corner, there was a rusty gas stove with a kettle on it, which was boiling water.

Click, click, click, click.

The sound of fingertips tapping on the keyboard is like sticky food residue stuck between the keys, making a tooth-wrenching "whining".

[Jack, I have been dreaming a lot lately. 】

[Oh, Neo, you may be too tired. 】

【may be. 】

[Hey, man, it’s time for you to find a girlfriend. Even if it's temporary, that's fine. 】

[Where do you want me to find it? 】

[Brother, I have an acquaintance named Sister Lan in Bolan Street. It’s your first time, and I may be able to convince her to give you a ‘free’ lesson. I hope you can bear it. Believe me, she is so skilled in Kung Fu that you won't be able to hold on for three minutes. 】

【Not interested in. 】

[She is cold on the outside and hot on the inside. 】

【I am not interested. 】

[She is loose on the outside and tight on the inside. 】

【roll! 】

[Believe me, she is really skilled, God knows what you missed. 】

【Shit. 】

[Hey, who on the lower block isn't a piece of shit. 】

[But seriously Jack, have you ever thought that the 'world' we are in now might be a dream that you can't wake up from? 】

[…Neo, I’m serious, maybe you really need to go find Sister Lan once. You really need a full-body "physiological consultation". 】

Wuwuwu——

The kettle is boiling on the gas stove.

[Zizzi——]

Neo tilted the stool back, stretched his arms skillfully, took down the boiling kettle, and turned off the gas stove.

[Zizzi——]

The screen flashed.

After pouring himself a glass, Neo returned his attention to the screen, ready to continue the topic.

On the chat software, Jack's profile picture has been blackened and offline.

Neo couldn't laugh or cry at his old friend's lack of martial ethics. He was so angry that he shook his hands and accidentally spilled boiling water on the keyboard.

He quickly turned the keyboard over.

This is not a big problem, just pour out the water.

It’s not like I haven’t tried it.

[Zizzi——]

The screen went black.

"Shit!"

Neo put down the cup, cursed, and punched the side of the monitor hard.

Vigorously miracle.

The screen is still black.

If one punch doesn't work, then use two punches.

When Neo hit him harder and harder, punching the side of the monitor for more than thirty times, the screen turned on again.

Restart the interface.

Lines of blue data flowed from top to bottom on the screen, like rain or waterfalls.

"Is this broken?"

Neo was dumbfounded.

After the data stream falls.

Ta, tap, tap, tap, tap.

Against the dark background, a line of strange words was typed out one by one, as if someone was typing on the keyboard using an obscure technique.

[If the world in front of you is illusory. 】

[So, do you want to know the ‘reality’ of the world? 】

【Do you want to...really live? 】

【Or,】

【Do you believe...there is a God? 】

【YES/NO? …………………………L]

"broken."

Neo rubbed his eyes and said to himself with certainty. The "L" after the long string of ellipsis seemed to be "garbled code" mixed in the command line. It was particularly conspicuous and made people think it was a computer at a glance. It broke, so Neo quickly pressed the force shutdown button.

Force shutdown when in doubt.

Didn't close.

The screen is still bright.

That line of words flashed on the screen.

After punching twice, there was still no solution. Neo drank a glass of water and considered whether to unplug the power.

At this time.

New sentences were typed on the screen.

[Please enter the specified command line before shutting down. 】

Yes, it turns out it was hacked.

Some people actually hacked the computers in the slums. Neo had gained some knowledge this time.

Putting down the tea cup, Neo put his fingers on the keyboard and typed "NO".

Enter.

【congratulations. 】

[You, who are unique, have been qualified to apply for the job as a salesperson at the "Merry Dream Life Experience Center". 】

[Please arrive at the corresponding location at 9:00 tomorrow morning for the interview. 】

[This opportunity is rare, please cherish it. 】

Below is a line of addresses.

…

…

real world.

District 11.

Under the scorched earth, there is a pure land.

Ark Base No. 11 is a confined space located one hundred meters under the scorched earth.

This is a bomb shelter built by our ancestors. After the "Omnic Rebellion" incident, a small group of our ancestors moved here. The survivors survived here, took root, got married and had children.

Originally, before the "Spark" was lowered, there were a total of 7 sub-bases outside the main base No. 11. But overnight, they lost contact with other sub-bases.

Nowadays, the thirty-six people living in the main base, including the "elder", are very likely to be... the last survivors in the world.

When Bella's team worked hard to transport the "thinking omnic" back to the Ark, the elder isolated a separate room. This was originally the weapons depot for Ark residents. They usually assembled parts, modified weapons, and cut protective clothing plates here. Now, this place has become a temporary observation and confinement place for "thinking omnics".

In fact, they had suspected that Alice was a spy dropped by "it".

However, it is unimaginable for humans to have "cunning and cunning" appear in an intelligent machine. It can be called "evolution". If there is such a terrifying intelligence, whether they bring "Alice" back to the Ark will not affect human beings. future.

The ancient diesel generator made a harsh roar, and a line more than ten meters long was stretched into the room and plugged into the charging port hidden in the remains of the human omnic for charging.

The surviving survivors were outside the room, nervously staring into the room through the door.

Although Bella swore that this omnic had real "intelligence" and would not hurt people rashly, who knew.

Before Bella left the Ark and set foot on the scorched earth to transport the remains of the human omnic, there were two different voices in the Ark - agreement and opposition, and there was no neutral opinion. Obviously, no one would believe that humans could be friends with omnics without witnessing the strangeness Bella mentioned with their own eyes, and the residents of the Ark were opposed to this matter.

However, Ark No. 11 has never been a place for democratic decision-making. After careful consideration, the elder decided to go ahead and agreed to the matter.

The charging process was very fast, and time passed by minute by second. For the survivors, this period of time was undoubtedly like a year, and it was strangely quiet outside.

The elder leaned on crutches and stood quietly at the front waiting for the omnic to "wake up". In this silent way, he was expressing his awareness that "he will bear all the consequences."

Half an hour later.

Inside the house, the indicator light in the eye of the omnic remains lit up.

Through scanning, the number of people and combat power outside the house were clearly visible in Alice's field of vision.

Alice did not eject the steel knife immediately. After "thinking", she waited for the other party's "negotiation" personnel.

"Beep beep beep——"

The dense beeps were as harsh as an electronic alarm clock, and Alice waved towards the outside of the house.

Bella and the elder looked at each other. She supported the elder and took the initiative to step into the house and come to Alice.

"Hello, I am Bella, he is our elder...which means the person in charge here. Although we are humans, we are not hostile. You see, we have no weapons."

"Neutral unit, the landing is complete." Alice said to herself. Her dull indicator light moved towards Bella and the elders. After the beeping sound, Alice's damaged scanning module obtained a lot of data. , she said: "Adrenaline is secreted abnormally, and 'their' heart rate exceeds 46.7% of the normal level on average. Combined with 'Alice-101''s once hostile stance towards humans, are you... nervous?"

The elder was shocked, opened his mouth wide, and his ill-fitting dentures clattered to his feet.

Even though she already knew that this wrecked machine had the ability to "think" independently, Bella was still shocked by the fact that it was so clear and well-founded.

"Excuse me, are you..."

"'Alice-101'...has no name." Alice lowered her head, the light in her eyes dimmed, but after a while, Alice suddenly raised her head: "No, NieR, I... am NieR. Brother. It’s… ‘L’.”

"We are, NieR, and L."

"This is our "name". "

"My brother has been formatted,"

"NieR is sad."

Bella was stunned, her eyes widened and she plucked her ears: "You said, you are sad? Sad?!"

Neil raised his mechanical arm and covered the power furnace on his chest. After a moment of silence, Neil nodded vigorously:

"Yeah, it's...sad."