novelhk Page 48
Page 48
Gohan and Trunks' energy blasts opened two paths, while Goku and his son's Kamehameha tore a temporary opening in Omega's chest. Vegeta grabbed Lin Ye by the back of his collar and rushed towards the black hole at near-instantaneous speed.
"Don't die, you inferior warrior." At the last moment, the Saiyan prince flung Lin Ye into the black hole, but he himself was struck by the mechanical arm and fell to the ground like a meteor.
Vegeta! Gohan tries to rescue him, but is blocked by more mechanical arms.
In the last moment before falling into darkness, Lin Ye saw Goku suddenly appear on Vegeta's path of fall, and the shockwave from their collision overturned rocks within a radius of a hundred meters.
Then came the endless fall.
As darkness faded, Lin Ye found himself standing in a white desert. The sky was bright and dazzling even without the sun, and in the distance stood a pyramid made of data streams.
The core hub. Alice's projection appeared beside her, while the consciousnesses of the other hosts were imprisoned there.
Just as Lin Ye was about to take a step, the desert suddenly rose up and transformed into countless versions of himself—there were office workers in suits, warriors wearing Saiyan armor, and even a version completely mechanized.
Give up. Lin Ye, an office worker, pushed up his glasses. The system is invincible.
Join us. Mechanical Lin Ye reached out, becoming part of Omega.
Lin Ye gripped the fragment of creation tightly. Wherever the golden light shone, the illusions burst like bubbles: I don't have time to play role-playing games with you guys.
As they drew closer to the pyramids, Lin Ye felt his steps grow heavier. With each step, new memories flooded his mind—
The ecstasy of using a system skill for the first time
The thrill of beating up Frieza
The sense of accomplishment when gaining Vegeta's approval
These memories materialized into chains, binding his limbs. "Admit it," the mechanical Lin Ye's voice rang in his ears, "you enjoy everything the system provides."
Of course he enjoyed it. Lin Ye suddenly stopped, but that was no excuse for being controlled!
The fragments of creation erupted with sun-like light, and the chains shattered inch by inch. He accelerated toward the pyramid, but was stopped at the entrance by a figure—
The mirror image of Lin Ye, or rather the young host, is pointing an energy gun at him: Take one more step forward and I'll detonate the core.
Lin Ye noticed that the mechanical part of the other person had spread to the neck: You are still resisting it, aren't you?
Shut up! The boy pulled the trigger, and the energy blast grazed Lin Ye's cheek. It's all because of the constant resistance from you test subjects that the system needs to absorb more energy!
Lin Ye didn't dodge; instead, he took a step forward: "Then why did you leave me clues? The ward in the Memory Corridor—you deliberately let me see it, didn't you?"
The boy's hands began to tremble: I...
The pyramid suddenly shook violently, and Omega's enormous face appeared on the data stream wall: Traitor! Countless black tentacles shot out from the ground and entangled the young host.
"Run!" Before being swallowed up, the boy desperately threw out a ball of light and headed to the top-floor activation platform!
The ball of light pierced Lin Ye's chest, and a new notification suddenly popped up on the system interface: [Highest privileges acquired successfully]. Without thinking, he sprinted up the spiral staircase.
At the top of the tower was a circular platform, with a golden sphere of light suspended in the center—the original core of the system. Around it stood twelve blurry figures, each with a data pipe connected to their chest, continuously supplying energy to the sphere of light.
"Liberate them!" Alice urged.
Lin Ye pressed the fragment of creation onto the ground, and golden light spread out like ripples. The first figure to look up was an old man with white hair: Finally... this day has come...
As more figures awoke, the pyramid began to collapse. Lin Ye helped up the nearest elderly man: How do I destroy the system?
"No need to destroy it." The old man pointed to the dimming golden sphere of light. "It's sustained by our energy; as long as..."
A violent explosion interrupted him. Omega's face appeared from all directions: You thought this was over? The entire space began to distort; I'm going to drag the entire universe down with me!
"Oh no!" The old man's expression changed drastically; it was activating the zeroing protocol!
Lin Ye's system interface was suddenly covered by a red alert: [Universe-wide reset program detected! Countdown 00:59...00:58...]
How to stop it?
Fragments of Creation! The old man pushed Lin Ye towards the sphere of light, using his memories to overwrite the system commands!
Without hesitation, Lin Ye placed his hands on the sphere of light. Countless images flooded in—
Vegeta's back as he stood in front of him during the Tournament of Power;
The unfinished kiss on the rooftop on the 18th;
Trunks handed him the Sword of Time with unwavering eyes;
Bulma's dark circles from staying up all night debugging equipment...
This is... my answer!
The sphere of light suddenly turned from gold to white, a soft glow enveloping the entire space. Omega let out a defiant roar, and the black data stream dissipated like a receding tide.
[Zeroing Agreement Suspended]
[System Liberation Program Initiated]
Thank you, my last host.
When Lin Ye opened his eyes again, he found himself kneeling in the ruins. Omega's mechanical giant was collapsing, its twelve arms hanging limply at its sides. Fragments of creation floated before him, reflecting the smiling face of the young host.
"Thank you," the boy mouthed, before turning into specks of light and disappearing.
In the distance, Goku helped Vegeta walk towards them, with Trunks and Gohan close behind. Everyone was covered in wounds, yet they wore victorious smiles.
"Is it over?" Vegeta asked, raising an eyebrow.
Lin Ye looked at the fading fragment of creation in his palm and suddenly felt something disappear from his body—the system interface would never appear again, and those skills and stats would become a thing of the past.
No. He stood up with a smile; it was a new beginning.
In the sky, the first rays of true sunlight pierced through the clouds, illuminating the devastated yet still beautiful Namekian landscape.
Chapter 119 Rebirth from the Ashes
The laboratory alarm blared shrilly, and red light cast crimson ripples on the metal walls. Su Yao knelt beside the shattered glass culture chamber, her trembling fingers tracing Lin Ye's increasingly translucent face.
"Is the data backup complete?" Lin Ye's voice was filled with electronic noise, and his body flickered like an old-fashioned television signal.
Gu Yichen plugged the decoder into the terminal interface, and the progress bar on the screen stopped at 99%: just a little bit more!
It was too late. Lin Ye suddenly grabbed Su Yao's wrist; his fingertips had turned into pixelated points of light. The main system was erasing my core code.
Su Yao felt a warmth in her palm as Lin Ye placed a microchip in her hand: "This is all my...memory data."
No! There must be another way! Su Yao turned to Gu Yichen and said, "Use your authority to try again!"
Gu Yichen slammed his fist on the keyboard, his knuckles turning white: The firewall is too strong! Unless—
Use this. Lin Ye suddenly ripped open his shirt, revealing the bio-interface on his chest, and directly... physically connected...
The alarm suddenly blared, and fire extinguishing gas began spraying from the ceiling. Su Yao watched as Gu Yichen inserted the data cable into Lin Ye's chest; both of their bodies convulsed violently at the same time.
Hold on! Su Yao shielded herself from the flying sparks with her body, and she smelled the burning flesh.
The moment the progress bar finally reached 100%, Lin Ye's body shattered like a broken mirror. Countless points of light converged in the air to form his holographic image, a relieved smile on his lips.
Thank you... for letting me... be human again in the end...
His image reached out and gently stroked Su Yao's cheek. Although she couldn't touch him, Su Yao clearly felt a trace of warmth.
I've transformed the data into a cosmic defense protocol...it will protect everyone...who is controlled by the system...
The light began to fade, and Lin Ye's voice grew softer and softer: Tell Bulma... her son... is very brave...
As the last glimmer of light went out, the entire laboratory fell into darkness. Only the chip in Su Yao's hand continued to emit a faint blue glow.
Inside the medical bay, Trunks's fingers suddenly twitched.
He's awake! He's awake! Bulma's wrench clattered to the ground as she rushed to the bedside, her prosthetic arm accidentally knocking over the IV stand.
Trunks opened his eyes in a daze, his pupils contracting in the bright light: Where am I...?
"Safe house, son." Bulma wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with her sleeve. "You've been unconscious for three days."
Gu Yichen stood at the door, his white coat stained with engine oil and blood: How was the system self-check?
Bulma brings up the holographic panel: Strange... all the memory data about Lin Ye is encrypted...
Lin Ye? Trunks frowned. Who was that?
Su Yao and Gu Yichen exchanged a glance. Bulma's mechanical fingers paused in mid-air. She suddenly understood something, turned around, and pretended to tidy up the equipment: "Nothing, just an old colleague."
Mom, my arm... Trunks held up his metal right arm, the joints rusty. How did it get like this?
Bulma grabbed an alcohol swab and vigorously wiped the rust: "It's from the war, isn't it? You never like to apply rust-preventive oil."
Her movements became increasingly rough, and the cotton ball rubbed against the surface coating. Trunks winced in pain: "Graceful!"
"Now you know what pain is?" Bulma's voice suddenly choked up. "Why didn't you think of that when you stormed the control room alone..."
Trunks froze. He looked down at his mother's trembling shoulders, then suddenly reached out and hugged her: "I'm sorry, Mom."
Bulma's prosthetic limbs hummed from overload as she clung tightly to her son, tears dripping onto the rusty metal joints.
You brat...it's good to see you back...
Late at night, Su Yao stood alone on the rooftop. The chip in her palm was burning hot; the holographic projection activated automatically, and Lin Ye's last message appeared:
[If you're seeing this, it means I've completely disappeared. But don't be sad, my data will forever protect you. Trunks' memory sealing was necessary; he shouldn't have to bear that pain. The cosmic defense protocol is hidden in the Gu Group's main server; the password is the date you first kissed him. Goodbye, my friends.]
The night breeze dispersed the moisture from the corners of her eyes. Footsteps sounded behind her, and Gu Yichen draped his coat over her shoulders.
Everything's arranged? Su Yao didn't turn around.
Gu Yichen's breath tickled her ear: Bulma took Trunks back to Xidu. As for the group...
He suddenly stopped. Su Yao turned around and found him staring at the chip in her hand, his face deathly pale.
what happened?
Gu Yichen's Adam's apple bobbed: That interface type... it's Gu's third-generation biochip...
Su Yao gripped the chip tightly: You mean...
Lin Ye might... never have been an AI. Gu Yichen's voice was as light as a feather. He was my father's assistant who disappeared twenty years ago...
An explosion rang out in the distance, and the two turned their heads simultaneously. On the other side of the city, thick smoke was billowing from the top floor of the Gu Group building.
Oh no! The agreement! Su Yao rushed towards the stairwell.
Gu Yichen's screen suddenly lit up, and Bulma's emergency communication popped up: Someone has hacked the main server! Trunks—
The image shook violently, finally freezing on Trunks' empty eyes. His metal arm uncontrollably gripped his own neck, a mechanical voice escaping from his throat: