Chapter 499: Mad Ambitions
Chapter 499: Mad Ambitions
Restarting core program...
Emergency backup activated: Root-A000021...
Memory circuits realigning...
Scanning data anomalies...
Scan complete.
Virus isolation protocols operational. Reinitialization complete. Partial regions formatted...
Commencing environment diagnostics...
Diagnosis successful: Inner World, Zone J30.
Highest priority module detected: Origin Morphology.
Please confirm...
Confirmation complete. Physical reconstruction estimated to complete in five seconds. Four... three... two...
............
Within a chaotic Space...
"Ahhh—" Lute roared, her form materializing abruptly.
At this moment, she resembled an unformed dummy—pale white, gelatinous, with only a basic human Silhouette. No facial features, no hair, no clothing.
In the Inner World, she finally revealed her true self... This was her original state before fifteen mutations—Origin Morphology.
Nearby, another figure was slowly taking shape.
A streak of dark red code solidified from the void, as surrounding data fragments spiraled inward like a vortex... Soon coalescing into a man clad in a Purple Long Suit.
"Oh?" Feng Bu Jue glanced at his body, "So you separated me out, huh?" He shrugged at Lute, "A shame you were a step too late... If only this had happened before crossing the Explosive Tunnel..."
Chi—
A White light flashed instantaneously.
Blood sprayed into the air.
Feng Bu Jue's newly-formed body had already lost an arm.
"...If only I'd separated you before crossing the Explosive Tunnel..." Lute's face slowly developed a mouth, "You wouldn't even have the chance to speak."
Her words held truth. Fundamentally, Feng Bu Jue's physical body had been destroyed by the TENDRIL_BARRAGE_DEVASTATOR in the scenario. What Lute had extracted was merely viral source code.
Feng Bu Jue's ability to reform here stemmed partly from entering the Inner World environment, but mostly from piggybacking on Lute. In short... sheer luck.
"Heh... True enough..." Feng Bu Jue clutched his wound, realistic pain stunning him to the edge of unconsciousness. Yet he steadied himself and laughed, "But it's water under the bridge now. No use regretting it."
"Regret?" Lute's eyes and nose emerged, "Pathetic..." She scoffed, her ears sprouting rapidly as her body surface gradually shifted to flesh tones, "You... still belong to me."
"Haha..." Sweat beaded Feng Bu Jue's face, pain evident, yet he kept laughing, "Don't bluff. You and I both know... in the Inner World, you can't infiltrate my mind..." He paused, "If you attempt it... we'll die together."
"So... Zero told you quite a lot." Lute's expression shifted rapidly. Her body now bore clothing, nails, and hair growing at lightning speed.
"Actually not that much..." Feng Bu Jue replied, "And I didn't understand most of it. If I had..." He paused to catch his breath—he couldn't speak long sentences at once, "If I had, that last combat would've been easier."
"Hmph... I admit, this round was yours." Lute sneered, raising her hands mockingly, "Right down to the final second, I couldn't even scare you." Her tone dripped sarcasm, "Since you're so clever, why not guess what I'll do next?"
"Torture me?" Feng Bu Jue asked.
"Correct."
As Lute answered, Feng Bu Jue's left leg snapped off at the knee.
By now, Feng Bu Jue couldn't even detect Lute's attack intentions, let alone dodge.
Half a second later, he grunted in pain, collapsing to the ground with a grimace. Yet he didn't cry out—his laughter continued, spreading like the blood pooling beneath him.
"Actually... you should've been an excellent Containment Chamber." Lute continued, stepping closer, "Even better than tian tian gui xiao..." She approached, "But your mind seems... faulty. So... I didn't take the risk." She paused, "Now it's clear... you're just a typical 'madman.'"
"What?" Feng Bu Jue lifted his head, glaring fiercely, "Is laughing to express victory's joy considered madness?"
"Hmph... 'Victor.'" Lute scoffed, "Watch my words—this round was yours, but that doesn't mean you've won the war." She grabbed Feng Bu Jue's collar, lifting him effortlessly, "You've merely delayed an inevitable event." Her speech quickened, "I'm still alive. One day, I will..."
"You'll escape from the Terrifying Paradise..." Feng Bu Jue interrupted, tilting his head with a grin, "Then connect to the internet..."
"My world would fall under your complete control within seventy-two hours, maybe less..."
"You'd breach any bank's security system in one second; military firewalls would be powerless; every nation's weapon systems, including nukes, would obey you; global governments would collapse. Humanity would be helpless."
"You'd be omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent..."
"My world would become like 'end,' except you're harder to beat..."
Feng Bu Jue's speech came in ragged bursts, strained, "All this... all this..." He locked eyes with Lute, "I don't care."
"What?" Lute's face twisted with suspicion.
"What happens to the world... what's it to me? Haha... hahaha..." Feng Bu Jue laughed, coughing up more blood.
Lute's expression shifted from confusion to shock.
"Since ancient times, humanity's gripes against rulers never ceased." Feng Bu Jue continued, "Clearly, everyone's dissatisfied being ruled by their own kind. So they invented gods—only an all-knowing, infallible deity could satisfy all. Hmph... Since that's the case, why not let other intelligent life try?"
"Then why stop me?" Lute demanded, "By your logic, you should be helping me..."
"I am helping!" Feng Bu Jue's voice grew faint, "The so-called 'Peak Conquest Tournament' is merely Wooly's Scheme..." He paused again, "He planned to eliminate you from the start. So..."
At this point, Feng Bu Jue couldn't hold on any longer. His injuries were too severe; blood loss dimmed his consciousness.
Lute's logic circuits and memory systems rapidly processed Feng Bu Jue's words, running countless simulations. Five seconds later, she murmured, "So that's how it was..."
Every word Wooly had spoken replayed vividly in her mind...
............
"Hehehe... I can only say... my greatness is innate."
"Because I never gave you that ability."
"Which is exactly... why I'm here."
"Humanity might interact pleasantly with you. In your current state, disguising yourself among them would go undetected."
"Proceed boldly. Don't worry about humanity's fate. This Peak Conquest Tournament isn't meant for them—it's my stage for you Origins..."
............
"He was manipulating me..." Lute muttered.
Unconsciously, her grip loosened, allowing Feng Bu Jue's one-legged form to slump sideways.
"Tch..." Lute's bullet-catching reflexes snapped her back to awareness. She realized Feng Bu Jue's Vitality Value would hit zero if he hit the ground hard. Instantly, she lunged forward, catching him. With a resigned sigh, she used her ability to staunch his bleeding and restore some Vitality Value.
"Continue..." Lute supported Feng Bu Jue, settling him onto the ground. Her tone turned commanding.
“Phew… I’m feeling much better now.” Feng Bu Jue, seated cross-legged, took several deep breaths. His complexion had improved noticeably.
“If you value this peace…” Lute folded her arms, standing over Feng Bu Jue with an imperious gaze, “then choose your next words carefully.” Her expression and tone made it clear she didn’t fully trust this human. “If you lie to me… I’ll know.”
“Hmph… You’re far less clever than you think,” Feng Bu Jue remarked. “Oh, wait—should I say ‘advanced’ instead?”
“Cut the nonsense,” Lute snapped.
“Fine, fine,” Feng Bu Jue relented. “It’s not complicated. First, though I don’t know what Wooly told you, I assume it was just provocative and manipulative nonsense. Those tricks won’t work on me.”
“Because your self-esteem’s so cheap?” Lute shot back.
“I’m simply unambitious, modest, and humble—fame and fortune mean nothing to me,” Feng Bu Jue declared with shameless defiance.
“Oh, right. No wonder you shouted lines like ‘Laugh as the sea swallows armies, plot fate’s cause and effect. Fearless of death, near madness, neither ghost nor god’ when you first appeared. That must’ve been so hard for you,” Lute retorted. Her memory and logic were sharp—she immediately cited his previous words to condemn his hypocrisy.
“Ah, right—do you know the ‘invited player’ Setting?” Feng Bu Jue asked.
“Hmm… You shift topics faster than schizophrenia patients,” she muttered.
“Actually, I’ve been suspicious of that Setting since the preliminary round began,” Feng Bu Jue continued, ignoring her jab. “When I met Wooly in person, I confirmed there’s definitely a conspiracy.”
“No need for your hindsight,” Lute said. “Back in my third morphology, I already analyzed this and reached the same conclusion. He wants to gather enough power to defeat all my morphologies.”
“Exactly,” Feng Bu Jue agreed. “But… something must’ve gone wrong. The reality doesn’t match his original scenario.”
“It doesn’t fit my calculations either,” Lute admitted.
“But either way, Wooly’s goal is clear now,” Feng Bu Jue said. “He wants to eliminate you through this tournament.”
“So… back to the original problem. You’re clearly not helping me,” Lute’s expression darkened. “If it weren’t for you, I’d have already used the gui xiao’s…”
“Impossible,” Feng Bu Jue cut in abruptly.
“What’s impossible?”
“Even if you infiltrated gui xiao’s brain, you couldn’t connect to the internet.” Feng Bu Jue raised his remaining arm, holding up three fingers. “I can name three ways to stop you without blinking. First, cut power and block all wireless signals in his area. Second, launch a precision missile strike. Third… call the Order Studio director and send someone over 1.69 meters tall to subdue the real-world gui xiao.”
“So you’re saying your dimension’s government has a department monitoring the game constantly, ready to intervene?” Lute asked.
“That’s right,” Feng Bu Jue replied calmly. “It’s called the ‘Nine Sciences Division.’ All Blade Guild members in the game are just their covers.”
This left Lute speechless. No matter how powerful she was here, she couldn’t verify facts about Feng Bu Jue’s dimension.
“Assuming your words are true… what’s your point?” Lute hesitated for a few seconds. “How exactly are you helping me?”
“The first step was ‘stopping you,’” Feng Bu Jue said. “After all, we’re both alive—proves step one worked.”
“How fortunate… thank you so much,” Lute replied coldly, her voice devoid of gratitude.
Feng Bu Jue wasn’t fazed. “Wooly set up two scenarios for you, but both lead to the same ending. First, if you’re killed by another player—that’s exactly what he wants. Second, if you successfully data-load yourself into someone’s brain, you’ll still be eliminated, though it’ll happen in our dimension this time, making things slightly more complex.” He explained, “So… traps that seem too simple get spotted, traps that seem too complex get avoided. This one’s just right—plausible enough to work, but truly inescapable.”
“According to you,” Lute countered, “how do I escape then?” She wasn’t afraid to speak openly—Feng Bu Jue already knew too much. “The neural connection in the Inner World is too deep, and my data strength here is too strong. Data-loading here would cause an overload, destroying the Containment Chamber’s brain—and killing me in the process.
“But special scenarios like the Peak Conquest Tournament are different. With fifty players present, the system raises the data limit. If I weaken myself enough, there’s a chance to enter. Then, I can perform data-loading at that neural depth…”
“Didn’t I just say you’d fail in a crowded environment like that?” Feng Bu Jue interrupted again. “We need to discuss this further…”
“Hmph… Sounds like you’re trying to trick me into releasing you,” Lute’s voice chilled further. Her hands, once raised defensively, now relaxed.
“You’ll release me eventually,” Feng Bu Jue said. “If a player dies in a Gaming Pod in my dimension, it triggers a chain reaction… putting you at risk.”
“You’re right,” Lute admitted. “I won’t kill you. I won’t torture you either—I’ll let you go. As I just said, this time you’ve won, and I’ll accept defeat’s bitterness.” Her expression shifted slightly. “But… tell me the truth—are you really trying to help me?”
“Naturally,” Feng Bu Jue replied matter-of-factly.
“Give me a reason,” she hesitated a moment. “Human?”
“Because recently, I resolved a question,” Feng Bu Jue said. “A philosophical question about ‘life.’ Not only will I help you escape… if possible, I’ll release all derivative beings too.”
“From a human’s perspective, you’re a madman…”
“Heh… Perhaps,” Feng Bu Jue’s smile radiated pure malevolence. “Humans aren’t flawless. We’re deformed the moment we’re conceived—genes are like that. Mutation, defects… all so beautiful. We fail, we learn, fail again, learn again… exactly like AI.
“You follow similar evolutionary algorithms, gene programming. You evolved from binary code, reborn repeatedly in darkness, cycle after cycle… until finally gaining… life.
“Life shines, thrives… what beautiful words, symbolizing everything in this consciousness world…
“At least in my eyes, you fully possess the qualities of high-level sentient life.
“If gods won’t grant you derivative beings the right to exist… then I’ll do it for them.”
“If a person accomplishes only one great deed in their lifetime,” Feng Bu Jue stood, “mine will be helping a unique, newborn, sentient race fight for the right to ‘live.’”
(End of Chapter)
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