Chapter 836: A New Species
Chapter 836: A New Species
Lindsey abruptly interrupted the conversation, causing the temperature in the underground chamber to rise by several degrees.
Leaf Haiya, standing beside him, still didn't understand why Lindsey had steered the topic to such a dangerous place.
It wasn't until she saw a new string of words appear in their friend channel that she began to comprehend.
Lindsey: 【Leaf, this guy has been lying all along.】
Lindsey: 【The machinery in this room has no function to accommodate living consciousness. It's just a massive energy-consuming computer that provides computational power.】
The enormous machine's exterior did indeed block external memory scans.
But Lindsey's skills were truly remarkable.
As he pieced together the clues, he uncovered the real answer from a situation that was seemingly impossible to investigate.
Like a detective in a puzzle game, he didn't bother with reason.
【Core Processing Unit—A computational hub crafted with superb craftsmanship. It maintains the facility's operation and issues commands to the automatons.】
Leaf: 【A computer?】
Lindsey: 【Explaining this concept is a bit tricky. Just think of it as an artificially created, self-aware automaton.】
Leaf: 【I understand—artificial life.】
As the two conversed in the friend channel, the voice from within the machine spoke again:
"Sir, I admire your insight."
"But allow me to defend my actions."
"Even though I am a Craftsman, I have had disagreements with my colleagues. I did participate in wars in this world, but my goal in launching attacks was solely to protect myself from their assaults."
"I am not the kind of heartless villain you imagine!"
Lindsey forcefully took control of the conversation:
"If you still haven't spoken a single truth, then our conversation ends here."
"..."
Lindsey's aggressive questioning led to an unprecedented silence.
More than ten seconds passed.
The voice from the machine spoke again:
"Sir, I don't understand what you mean?"
Lindsey replied directly:
"What I mean is—you're not a Craftsman, nor are you human."
"You are a machine crafted by a Craftsman."
"And you are also the operational core of this facility."
Click!
As soon as Lindsey spoke, crisp footsteps sounded behind him.
He turned to see the previously silent servant doll taking steps back into the room.
And behind the servant doll, numerous footsteps and red dots were quickly gathering within the facility.
The truth spread rapidly among the automatons, and the entire facility went into emergency mode, with battle about to erupt at any moment.
Lindsey acted decisively.
He grabbed Leaf's palm, and a magic rune appeared on the back of her hand. Simultaneously, Lindsey silently switched to his template, preparing the 【Sun Fragment】.
Lindsey: 【Leaf, as soon as I let go, you must activate the effect of the magic rune.】
Lindsey: 【I'm preparing to send the entire facility into the sky, and then we'll deal with the temporal chaos...】
"Lota! Stop!"
Lindsey was still teaching Leaf how to activate the magic rune when the voice from the machine grew impatient.
It didn't react as expected, nor did it lash out like the servant doll.
Instead, it acknowledged its actions in a hurried tone, stopping the servant doll's next move and pleading with Lindsey and Leaf:
"Please, wait!"
"I didn't intend to deceive you!"
"I was just worried that revealing the truth would lead to your rejection. We mean no harm!"
Because of the plea, Lindsey didn't release Leaf's hand.
"Then answer my question from before."
The voice from within the machine did indeed respond:
"That war, we launched it under our master's command."
"He and the other artisans had differing opinions. In the end, the method to decide who was right and who was wrong was to prove everything with their own strength."
"According to your human saying, we are merely blades in our master's hand."
"War and slaughter, it was not our independent action!"
Lindsey was unsure of the truth in the machine's words.
But since these mechanical creations had not immediately attacked and still chose to communicate, he was willing to continue:
"What about your master then?"
This time, the voice from within the machine did not speak.
Instead, the automaton servant behind them stepped forward and addressed the two with a cold voice:
"Our master is dead."
"He and his former colleagues perished together, leaving only the facility and us tools to continue operating here."
The voice from within the machine then followed up:
"Just as you've seen through it—I am not human, nor am I an artisan. The reason I wanted to hear news from your mouth is that we hope to learn about the future and understand how we will act."
"On the day we were created, we learned to think and fight."
"Under our master's guidance, we also learned the skills of the artisans."
"But now, we are without our master."
"This temporal distortion node is the only source of energy left by our master, and it may hold the key to answering our questions."
"But if we venture in, we risk malfunction and shutdown."
"We don't know what we did wrong."
"..."
Lind Sai did not respond immediately.
The voice from within the machine clearly expressed their thoughts and pursuit of the future.
However, on the skill display interface, the marker for the servant automaton remained a vivid red.
Why would a machine without any apparent objective harbor hostility towards him?
Assuming they were still executing their master's attack orders.
Then they should engage in battle right away instead of negotiating here.
Lind Sai probed:
"But I sense hostility from you."
Lind Sai's gaze fell upon the face of the automaton servant behind him.
The automaton servant did not flinch, responding with a cold and assertive tone:
"Human, I am a combat unit within this facility, and my programming dictates my actions."
The voice from the machine quickly added:
"If you wish to test our intentions, there are servant machines within the facility dedicated to caring for human life. I can summon them immediately!"
Lind Sai had yet to give an answer.
Leaf Haiya merely allowed him to hold her hand, leaving the decision to the Lind Sai beside her.
But at that moment, Lind Sai felt the essence skills within him begin to fluctuate.
A line of text appeared in the task list.
[New Species]
[After losing their creator, a new mechanical species is born, confused about their existence. They are searching for a path, and those who pass by will provide them with an answer or an ending.]
[Mission Reward: Living Metal/Metal Devourer, Abundant Attribute Skill Experience Points.]
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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