Chapter 66 Chapter 65 TE Flower of the Abyss

Chapter 66 Chapter 65·TE·Flower of the Abyss

"...Your voice sounds like you are crying."

"...but why are you smiling?"

"...Has anyone been distributed happiness today?"

"...you said this with tears streaming down your face."

The sound of guitar sounds.

This is a "musical instrument", a sensibility and intelligence that humans have lost.

On the counter, a CD was playing music - it was a relic of a certain traveler.

…

"Big brother. Big brother."

…

Su Mingan opened his eyes.

He stretched out his hands as if trying to grab something, but there was nothing else.

He sat up from the bed, and around him came the aroma of sweet potatoes and potato porridge, as people were cooking breakfast.

"The leader is awake!!"

"Chief, you're awake! Call the doctor quickly!"

People filed in and gathered around him. They called him "hero", "chief" and "great man".

"Chief, we are victorious. All the transformed people in the inner city have been saved, thanks to you for killing Bai Xiong." Dingyue's eyes lit up and she bowed to him.

"Chief, you need to handle matters such as the transfer of power after entering the inner city, the abandonment of the transformation plan, the disposal of prisoners, the division of interests after the war, and alliance gatherings..." a young resistance soldier reported.

"Chief, your body is fine. The wound is no longer serious after inflammation. You just need more rest. I will prescribe you some medicine..." The doctor who came after hearing the news said.

They gathered around his bed with earnest eyes and respectful expressions.

Su Mingan stood up and calmed down little by little.

He is Su Mingan, the number one player in the world, and his goal is to pass the level perfectly. so……

clam down.

He withdrew his empty hand, his eyes calm.

…

【Big brother……】

…

He closed his eyes and ignored these auditory hallucinations.

He led the people out of the camp, leading them with the glorious flag in their hands.

"About post-war casualty compensation matters, chief..." Vincent walked beside him and took him to a cemetery. Su Mingan saw dark tombstones.

——These are the thousands of victims in this war.

A young man whispered: "Now that Shiro is dead, we, Homura, have won. As Homura's companions, they have no chance to see it."

Dingyue looked at Su Mingan. She couldn't help but shed tears when she thought of the young boy Kuchu who died in the war.

"Chief, is this a dream of ours? In fact, we are just the dust of history?" she said with tears in her eyes.

Su Mingan squatted down.

His shoulder emblem, representing his chieftain, gleamed. The black clothes given by Alyssa had been thrown away, and now she was wearing a brand new uniform.

There is no Alyssa’s name in this cemetery. Because she is not a human being, in people's eyes, she is just a... machine that can cry, laugh, and be afraid of death.

He stretched out his hand, and a butterfly landed on his fingertips.

He put his fingers together and pinched the butterfly's wings.

"Obviously it will die if its wings are broken, but it still struggles desperately to escape from the restraints... It's the same with us, we always have to do something with our best," he said.

He let go.

The bright red butterfly leaped high into the sky, causing a streak of blood red.

Even though there are no flowers here, only cold tombstones and broken bricks, it is still flying forward, flying towards the place where the flowers are.

"We are not the dust of history." Su Mingan looked at the golden butterflies shining in the sun:

"We are 'Flame'."

"We...are history."

…

Later, he and Vincent went to the old site of the villa.

The villa had been burned to the ground, leaving only black dust. Under the violent explosion of Guanna's fire that day, there were almost no relics left.

Vincent hugged the dirty stuffed bear and knelt down towards the sun.

Only then did he realize that the mother he had been blaming was not a traitor, but a lurker hero who endured the humiliation and finally successfully brought out the chip.

"sorry."

Under Vincent's thick black eyebrows were a pair of dim eyes. He looked towards the ruins and whispered:

"Mother."

"sorry……"

Both mother and son had said sorry here,

However, no one can hear it...

…

Finally, Su Mingan came to Bai Xiong's original central laboratory.

The bodies of the residents have been contaminated and it is difficult for them to reproduce. White City really needs a reproduction machine - whether it is Nolia composed of core energy or thousands of victims in the outer city.

Su Mingan gave the power to choose between the two to Vincent.

"The rebels have won. We have become the rulers of Baicheng. What are you going to do next?" Su Mingan looked at him.

"Chief, the fertility rate problem in this city needs to be solved urgently. We can no longer let those from outside the city continue to sacrifice." Vincent said.

The deputy leader with thick eyebrows and big eyes looked in pain. He clenched his fists and seemed to be making up his mind.

"What are you going to do?" As he asked this question, Su Ming'an felt some strange shock in his heart.

He vaguely felt something.

"I want to... build a laboratory." Vincent said, he had already thought about the next step: "I want to abolish the decision to contribute people from outside the city. In order to replace them, I decided to start a brand new The android project..."

Su Mingan laughed.

He felt a sad sense of reincarnation.

"Do you want to continue this [Nolia]?" he said with a smile.

"Chief, Baicheng must need descendants. People suffered heavy casualties in this war. We need to replenish the population..." Vincent said:

“Whether it is agriculture, animal husbandry, machinery manufacturing, or the manufacturing and repair of houses, or the maintenance of weapons... we all need ‘people’... If not, the inheritance of mankind will be cut off sooner or later.

Leader, I will not fall in love with my experiment like Bai Xiong did. I will be a fair and selfless leader of White City, and my experiment will become a great being that continues fertility and reproduction - this is necessary in order to save the people of White City. sacrifice. "

A smile gradually appeared on Vincent's face. But that was just an expression of pure muscle mobilization, made up of endless hope and despair.

Su Mingan couldn't see any emotion related to the smile.

...If one day, Vincent becomes selfish like Bai Xiong and is carried away by desire and interests.

Like Bai Xiong, he will be attacked by a new generation of resistance forces. People will take over his scepter and become the new leaders of White City, cultivating the next generation of [Nolia].

Reincarnation.

The never-ending cycle of reincarnation.

What has happened will happen again.

What has been done will be done again.

Su Mingan gradually realized that maybe Bai Xiong thought the same way. When he first started the bionic man project, he thought he would always be impartial and selfless... until he had selfish motives.

After the rebels destroyed everything about Shiro and killed him with their own hands. From a man staring into an abyss, he becomes an abyss.

They will gradually become people like him, endlessly changing the "future" of this city and repeating today's situation.

Su Mingan thought of the words in Bai Xiong's diary.

…

[Everything I am thinking about now - in the end, as a human being, my passionate love and devotion to her,

Or... is it the program called "Love Her" that has been engraved on the memory chip time and time again by the predecessor "I" and written long ago?

She will kill me, inherit everything from me, my three views, emotions, thoughts, inherit the scepter of the Mother Goddess, and become the strongest and most tolerant ruler of this city.

She will kill me, she will become me.

She will embrace all of me and carry all my love and ideals.

She will bear the gentlest curse of my faith and step on my corpse and ashes. 】

…

[...and the passing of me will always be with you. 】

…

[Perfect clearance progress: 100%]

…

【Shiro's Laboratory】

Countless long tubes run across the room. This is where Shiro used to make Noria.

On the operating table was Alyssa's broken body.

Her remaining body was brought back, full of broken mechanical skeletons, like a broken glass bottle.

Vincent remained silent and implanted the "core energy" that beat like a heart into Alyssa's body. Gradually, the dead bionic heart seemed to have a spirit, and started to beat "thump, thump, thump".

A subtle electric light flashed, and "Alyssa" opened her eyes.

She sat up stiffly and looked directly at Su Ming'an aside, without saying a word.

"Alyssa?" Su Mingan tentatively called her.

She stared at him quietly.

She has beautiful, long golden hair, as bright as the sun.

Her eyes were as deep as the sea.

Her skin is as white as pearls, and anyone who sees her will think she is beautiful.

She tilted her head, curled her lips, and looked at Su Mingan, still wearing Alyssa's smiling face.

Su Mingan also looked back at her, waiting for her to speak——

It was like there was invisible quicksand flowing between them, and time fell into a temporary stagnation, as if some long-simmering emotion was brewing.

After a while,

She smiled slightly:

"Hello, leader of Flame, what should I call you?"

…

Su Mingan was stunned.

"My name is...Su Mingan." After a moment, he spoke.

——She is not Alisa.

The one waking up now is [Second Generation Nolia]. She has all the knowledge of Baicheng and the most fair evaluation standards. After being implanted in the core, she is the most perfect 'machine'.

Her mind is composed of the vastest calculations and data. As for the part of the human body that should not exist, it has completely died due to dormancy. No chip can retain this emotion.

She is so frighteningly perfect that the part that seems inappropriate and belongs to "Elisa" has been automatically formatted as she wakes up.

She became the most perfect Noelia, and she no longer remembered him.

"..."

Su Mingan turned around.

But behind, her voice suddenly came.

"...I don't know why, but I think you are very familiar." Noelia said.

She was confused by this, but she searched through the 360 ​​billion data in her database and exhausted the 6.3 billion operations per second in her mind, but she still couldn't find the experience of walking with Su Ming'an.

But why - why did a part of her body feel so uncomfortable when she saw him turn around and see him leave?

"Strange." She burst into tears suddenly.

She is just a machine now, why should she cry?

"Strange, strange, who are you?" she cried.

Su Mingan turned around and glanced at her.

The blond girl with blue eyes was sitting on the operating table. Behind her were data lines spreading as vast as a galaxy. They strangled her like long snakes, restricting her dignity and freedom.

She stared at him blankly and stretched out her hand, scarlet lightning flashing in her eyes.

…

【Big brother. 】

[Did we...know each other before? 】

…

"I am." Su Ming'an said, "Su Ming'an."

After saying this, he repeated it again:

"It's just Su Ming'an."

He turned around.

The cold iron door closed behind him, and everything that had passed away disappeared with this dull sound.

This city is so decayed that it is so beautiful. Countless lights lit up in a streamlined manner, and the passing vehicles pulled long blood-colored taillights like wandering stars.

There are fireworks and traffic in the world.

The city returned to its former peace - because Noelia took over the responsibility of reproduction, everyone was liberated.

good.

...What a "beautiful" and ironic world.

Su Mingan is not far from the first level ten. At night, the copy is coming to an end.

While arranging the hat, he found a chip hidden inside. He found a computer and inserted the chip, and Alyssa's voice came from inside.

"Brother, I am Alyssa."

Her voice was as clear as the stream, like the first gust of spring wind.

"Alyssa?" Su Mingan asked in surprise - does Alyssa still retain consciousness?

"However, I think that I should be completely gone at this time. This is the recording I prepared when you and Bai Xiong fought. I guess that I may not be able to grow up, so I want to tell you the last words. "Alyssa's voice came out.

"..." Su Mingan's throat seemed to be choked by something, his eyelids drooped, and he lowered his fingers.

Alyssa's voice continued:

"Big brother. When I was very young, when I was picking up garbage to eat in dark alleys, when I was shivering in the cold wind... I often thought, what is free will? "

"Is it a unique product of the human brain? Or is it an independent mode of thinking? If it is a program, can it have such a thing as 'free will'?"

"I have been absent from you for too long and cannot touch everything about you. Sometimes, when I look at your profile, I wonder, what are you thinking about? Is it the future of this city or the number one tomorrow? Breakfast?"

"What does spring look like? Will you like it? I wonder now, if I perceive warmth, is it generated by a reflection of my emotional module, or am I really moved by this emotion? If I like you, Is this my favorability system at work, or am I really in love with you?"

"These questions confuse me."

"But when you reached out to touch me, when you looked at me gently, when you played the piano... I really felt the warmth."

"It's like..." she said softly, as if she was hugging herself in the invisible void: "Someone is hugging me, the same."

"This is something that I can never achieve in my life."

"You asked me before why I should be so nice to you. Actually, I have a personal reason."

Her voice paused and gradually became warmer:

"——Because I know that you love me. You love me like an older brother."

"No matter what your reason or purpose is, I feel 'love' in you."

"Love is not limited to the lust between men and women, nor is it simply giving, sacrificing, and gaining. It is the continuous development and improvement of one's own personality in getting along with each other. We will become more and more independent and complete in this process, and thus establish and The connection of the world. Good love will make people in a positive, healthy and stable state."

"...As a program, it's ridiculous for me to say this."

Her laughter was a little muffled:

"But you love me so much, so I want to try... to love you too."

"Although I am just a robot, a reproduction tool, I don't even know what 'free will' is. But I want to tell you that my love will not disappear with my death. Although it is fragile, it will last forever."

"I can't grow up and see what spring looks like."

"But I think about it."

"I hope my 'love' can last forever in your life."

"If one day, you happen to see a faded wedding photo, or a fairy tale book about mermaids, or the story of the king and the witch."

"...I hope you can think of me and think of a girl who once wished to make breakfast for you, wish to fight for you, wish to sing with the sound of your piano, and wish to grow up safely."

"[Life is but a brief interlude between eternal death,]"

"[And even in this episode],"

"[Conscious thoughts only exist for a moment]."

"[Human thought is just a shining star in the long night.]"

"[But the flash is everything.]"

"Big brother."

"Actually, I also hope to survive."

"As long as you live - maybe I can make you smile from the bottom of your heart, and I can experience very good things with you. Maybe we can plant flowers together, you can play the piano, and I can accompany you. Sing. We can also build homes for those displaced children, and I will make you a cake..."

"As long as you can survive, anything is possible."

"but……"

Her voice was filled with tears:

"It seems like there's no chance."

"It looks like I'm saying goodbye to you."

"I was born as 'Nolia' and cannot give you the warmth as a human being. Therefore, in the end, I can only say 'good night' to you."

"Good night, big brother."

"Go plant flowers."

"Although I don't even have a body, I will turn into a memory and be buried in the tomb of your memory. From now on, every flower you see in Baicheng is me."

“I wish that your path may be filled with flowers and may all be well.”

"..."

"I love you, I love you, I love you."

"goodbye."

…

At this moment, the countdown to the copy came to an end.

Su Mingan stared at the computer in front of him, and Alisa's voice was no longer in his ears.

His throat felt stiff for a while.

"Alyssa..."

The sticky bloody sunset ended, and there seemed to be a blond girl standing in the last ray of light. She turned around, put her hands behind her back, and smiled at him.

That smile was very warm, like a blooming sunflower.

but,

The girl soon disappeared.

The sunset is gone too.

The teleportation white light at the end of the copy enveloped him, and the last thing he saw were Vincent and Dingyue waving to him, as well as countless residents and rebels who had regained their freedom.

Vincent's fiery red hair and Dingyue's dark ponytail swayed in the wind, like two gradually unfolding flags.

The last ray of sunset ended in the distance. There seemed to be an invisible barrier spreading between them - the moment Vincent decided to cultivate Nolia, the rebels were no longer the rebels.

Even if the city's technology is advanced, it is only passed down for future generations and civilized for the sake of civilization. The emergence of the resistance can only barely extend the life of the city, and sooner or later it will usher in the end.

This is the "cost".

The "cost" of continuing civilization, continuing it to the next generation, and passing on human civilization.

It makes blind believers foolish, calm people crazy, and pioneers crouching at dawn.

"Chief, we are just..." Vincent finally said.

His eyes were full of confusion:

“Struggling to survive the wrong way.”

At this moment, Su Mingan seemed to see a dark shadow behind Vincent - that was Bai Xiong's shadow.

The shadow strangled Vincent tightly, as if the soul and flesh were firmly embedded in Vincent's body, taking root in Vincent's bone marrow and growing crazily along the veins of his body.

Bai Xiong is obviously dead, but the ideas left behind after his death are like gangrene attached to the bones, hovering over this White City, never dissipating, and implanted in people's hearts.

The lunatic's laughter in the church before his death seems to still be in my ears.

"Ha, haha, hahahaha - young leader of the resistance, let me tell you, human civilization... is not something that can be interpreted in terms of 'freedom' and 'justice'."

"After I built White City, I knew that sooner or later I would die like this."

"Then--"

"I look forward to the fact that you and I will end up... being spurned by all the people and being killed by the people we saved... the same ending."

…

Like a shadow.

Vincent became the next generation of Shiro.

…

…

at the same time.

In the organ exchange, a young man in hospital clothes opened his eyes.

The young man stared at the physical examination report and transaction contents in his hands, and smiled slightly:

"Finally, I've been able to sneak in. So, to subvert this sinful White City, we'll start by getting the clues about the 'White Hero Replacement Plan'..."

He dug out some machine fragments from under the bed, clicked and clicked together to piece together a communicator, and connected it to the keyboard.

[Although the rebels are now victorious and have killed Bai Xiong, they have also become rulers. It is inevitable that these people will not become corrupt and change their minds. We are neutrals in White City, and we want to survive. ] The young man tapped on the keyboard to send messages to his contacts in the outer city.

【how do you want to do it? 】The contact person asked him.

[It would be more appropriate to establish a new resistance army. Even if they are not eager to resist, they are at least an armed force. 】The young man replied.

After thinking for a moment, he typed:

…

[What is the name of the new resistance army? If you want to choose a nice name, should it be called 'Dawn', 'Bonfire', or...'Flame'? 】

…

Idealists are hopeless.

If they were thrown out of heaven, they would create an ideal hell.

Some people’s hearts are dead.

Some people are young.

Alyssa's consciousness was liberated and relieved, but her remaining memory fragments and remaining body still repeated the next reincarnation.

Are the masses free? Yes, they no longer have to lose their freedom in order to reproduce. They are intoxicated with the songs of victory, short-lived romance, and the dream of stability.

Did the rebels succeed? Yes, they defeated Shiro.

The White Hero will take root in this land, lurking in the blood of everyone. The power of the world is constantly changing. The old rulers are overthrown, and the new rulers step on the bones of their comrades, ushering in the sky with cheers, and march towards The glory of honor repeats itself in cycles.

But fortunately, the interval between reincarnations is very long - maybe two hundred years? Three hundred years?

White flowers will always bloom in the dark abyss, and flames will try to dispel the darkness in front of you. There will always be someone who steps up and brings a little bit of hope, even just a little bit.

As long as we survive, can we find a bright future?

Who knows?

…

…

Wrapped in white light, Su Mingan heard the system prompt.

"Ding dong!"

[Achieve a perfect clearance route·Redemption line·(TE) Flower of the Abyss]

["According to legend, in the old days, happy men and women could have free love, and they had the power to choose their future."]

["According to legend, in the old days, people could play various musical instruments, whether it was guitar or piano."]

[“However, the old past is gone. I am trying to find the dawn of new life in this cold white city.”]

["Ling Ming, where are you hiding?"]

["Why did we lose countless lives but only win a false peace?"]

["Why did we light the flame of the future, only to be extinguished in the dawn after the war?"]

【"Countless people wake up in the dawn."】

[“They used the sins of the previous generation, the cold corpses, the gradually cold blood, and their ideals and lives in exchange for a false dawn of reincarnation.”]

["Dawn, Dawn, where is the real you hiding?"]

["I walked past the girl's body, but I didn't see you. I walked past the burning fire, but I didn't see you. I walked past the photos and imprints of the old era, but I didn't see you."]

["! Ah, I found it."]

["——So you are hiding in the abyss because——"]

…

…

["——When you stare into the abyss, the abyss also stares into you."]

…