The loss of control of the Nanomachine Swarm 65 years ago . . .
The war had been raging on for so long that it was almost impossible to explain what it was all about . It was also impossible to understand who the first provoker of the war was . But, there was at least some consensus among the people that the Nanomachine Swarm, which went berserk, was absolutely the deadliest cause .
The Nanomachine Swarm in the Northern Hemisphere had eroded the protective walls, instantly annihilating three nearby cities . The area that the Nanomachine Swarm ravaged remained a dead zone until now . As the soil and environment changed, no plants could grow . There were highly toxic chemicals and remnants of the Nanomachine Swarm in the water . Less than half of the adventurers who ventured into that area of death came back alive .
But the incredible thing was although the Nanomachine Swarm had melted everything around them, one place survived; that was the Northern Ring Tower in the middle of the Nano sea . No one could explain this phenomenon . That was where Nolan was going .
No one in his or her right mind would want to go there . The land that the Nanomachine Swarm destroyed had become a wasteland, worthless . Except for a few powerful forces with particular interest for the pre-war technology, few ventured to the ruins in the north . The biggest problem in getting to the ruins was lack of guidance . Very few people could go to the ruins and come back alive; Nolan was one of them . Such guides were expensive to hire . Most of the time there was a high offer but no taker . Not everyone was keen to trade life for money .
Nolan told them about the offer White River Consortium made . The mercenaries were tempted, but the chances of dying were even more daunting . Nolan also knew this . So she made it a voluntary mission and let her men decide whether for themselves . Ulyanov was the first to offer himself . Others were merely whispering among themselves . "I'll go with you . "
Hao Ren had the information about the Northern Ring Tower . He knew the stories of Ulyanov and the place; this man was the sole survivor of the accident sixty-five years ago . Perhaps he still had some unfinished business there .
Hao Ren stepped forward after Ulyanov . "Count me in too . "
Nolan looked at Hao Ren in surprise . "You?"
"I'm also interested in the Northern Ring Tower," Hao Ren smiled . "You're short of manpower, aren't you?"
"But you are not a mercenary," Nolan pulled her brows together . "I thought you're not interested in becoming a mercenary?"
Hao Ren brushed it off . "I don't like being controlled . This time I will merely work as a partner . What do you say? I can take care of myself, and I will not become a liability . Maybe you should treat me as one more luggage…"
Nolan probably had never met someone so daredevil . There was even a surprised look at her emotionless face . "You sound like it's a walk in the park . Do you know where Northern Ring Tower is?"
Hao Ren nodded . "Yeah . I know I'm dicing with death, but I'm not afraid . When things turn ugly, you just run, don't wait for me . Do we have a deal? Or you want me to give you a black-and-white guarantee that I will not hold you responsible for my death and things like that?"
Nolan eyeballed Hao Ren, sizing him up . Then, there was a sense of enlightenment on her face . "Oh, I figure; you're looking forward to death, aren't you?"
Hao Ren: " . . . "
Hao Ren thought he would convince Nolan to let him tag along . But it seemed that the misunderstanding had also deepened .
Ulyanov patted him on the shoulder . "Hey, you're a good man . But you don't have to waste your lives this way . You still have a long way ahead, life is—"
Ulyanov patted him on the shoulder . "Hey, you're a good man . But you don't have to waste your lives this way . You still have a long way ahead, life is—"
Hao Ren snapped, "Why do you still think that I'm mad? I want to help, can't I?"
He then kept nagging Nolan for quite a while until she finally gave in . She let him become her 'outsourced personnel' . But Hao Ren still kept nagging, but only in his mind, for earlier refusal to take him in despite him giving a too-good-to-be-true offer .
But Nolan felt more bizarre than Hao Ren did; among the many daredevils she had met, this one was a rare type . Love blinds; the pain of losing the loved one caused him looking for a death wish . She had no choice but to help him fulfill his desires .
But Hao Ren could not read her mind . Had he learned what Nolan was thinking, he would have gotten furious .
Seeing that her other men were still hesitating, Nolan waved her hand and dismissed them . "Go back and think about it . Carl, give me a list before nightfall . I will decide on the list before noon tomorrow, and we depart in the afternoon . "
As the mercenaries dispersed, Hao Ren and Ulyanov walked back to the barracks . Perhaps they were soon to become brothers in arms; Ulyanov began to have more trust in Hao Ren . He patted Hao Ren's shoulder and said, "You still have time . Go back and think about whether you want to waste your life . Nolan will not say anything even if you quit tomorrow . "
"You sound like I'd certainly die," said Hao Ren, forcing a smile as he looked at Ulyanov through his shiny visor . "I know you think that I want to end my life because my wife has died . . . I cannot explain it now . But don't worry; I value my life more than anyone else does . I want to find out something I'm concerned about in the Northern Ring Tower . As dangerous as it is I'm sure I will make it back in one piece . "
"Before I met Nolan, I had gone into that place once while I was still the head of a small mercenary organization," Ulyanov paused and then continued . "Most of our men died before we could make it to the border . Don't underestimate that place; the ruins devoured many people each year . "
Hao Ren looked at Ulyanov . "If so, why do you still want to go?"
Hao Ren looked at Ulyanov . "If so, why do you still want to go?"
He had asked this question before, but Ulyanov did not answer him at that time . Now that the two were about to embark on the dangerous journey together, so Ulyanov confided, "As I said, sixty-five years ago, I was a researcher working near a Nanomachine Swarm . "
Hao Ren nodded and waited for Ulyanov to continue .
"My wife was the operator of Master Computers," Ulyanov said slowly . "When the swarm got out of control, Northern Ring Tower automatically sealed itself off . All the staff were unable to get out . But the Nanomachines didn't invade the ring tower either . So they survived . "
Hao Ren was wide-eyed . "Oh, you mean you want to…"
"Find her personal effects . . . or body," Ulyanov shook his head . "They must be there . "
Then, Ulyanov left without looking back, leaving Hao Ren bewildered .
The voice of the MDT sounded in his mind . "He is the real man as opposed to you . He probably lives to wait for this moment . "
Hao Ren did not feel like to bicker . He just returned to his room in silence .
As soon as he opened the door, he heard a grizzly mysterious female voice inside . "Hey, partner, welcome back . "
Hao Ren was shocked . A blonde was leaning at the corner, sitting up not far in front of him .
As soon as he opened the door, he heard a grizzly mysterious female voice inside . "Hey, partner, welcome back . "
Hao Ren was shocked . A blonde was leaning at the corner, sitting up not far in front of him .
The young girl, stained with blood, looked pale . Although half of her body was paralyzed, she still tried to balance herself and sit up .
Next to her was Khiton's laptop . She was struggling with the keyboard as she could only move one of her hands .
She looked miserable and pitiful . If not for Hao Ren knew 'she' was a brick, he would have sympathy overflown .
The blonde tilted her head slightly as if she wants to look up at Hao Ren, but soon she gave up . "I'm sorry, the drivers seem a little buggy, and I still couldn't lift my head . "
Hao Ren quickly closed the door behind him for fear that someone might discover the girl faking her death . He came up before the MDT . "Can you speak?"
"A little," said the MDT . Its voice was strange and intermittent, sounding like a child who had just learned to speak . "The body is tough to control, and I fell several times while trying to get up . But I did learn how to crawl . "
She struggled to climb up the bed next to her as only one of her arms, and one of her legs were moveable . "Let me examine your body . " Hao Ren held her .
The girl screamed . "How can you do that to your PDA?"
"Damn it—I need to figure out how you've got it working!"
The loss of control of the Nanomachine Swarm 65 years ago . The war had been raging on for so long that it was almost impossible to explain what it was all about . It was also impossible to understand who the first provoker of the war was . But, there was at least some consensus among the people that the Nanomachine Swarm, which went berserk, was absolutely the deadliest cause . The Nanomachine Swarm in the Northern Hemisphere had eroded the protective walls, instantly annihilating three nearby cities . The area that the Nanomachine Swarm ravaged remained a dead zone until now . As the soil and environment changed, no plants could grow . There were highly toxic chemicals and remnants of the Nanomachine Swarm in the water . Less than half of the adventurers who ventured into that area of death came back alive . But the incredible thing was although the Nanomachine Swarm had melted everything around them, one place survived; that was the Northern Ring Tower in the middle of the Nano sea . No one could explain this phenomenon . That was where Nolan was going . No one in his or her right mind would want to go there . The land that the Nanomachine Swarm destroyed had become a wasteland, worthless . Except for a few powerful forces with particular interest for the pre-war technology, few ventured to the ruins in the north . The biggest problem in getting to the ruins was lack of guidance . Very few people could go to the ruins and come back alive; Nolan was one of them . Such guides were expensive to hire . Most of the time there was a high offer but no taker . Not everyone was keen to trade life for money . Nolan told them about the offer White River Consortium made . The mercenaries were tempted, but the chances of dying were even more daunting . Nolan also knew this . So she made it a voluntary mission and let her men decide whether for themselves . Ulyanov was the first to offer himself . Others were merely whispering among themselves . Ill go with you . Hao Ren had the information about the Northern Ring Tower . He knew the stories of Ulyanov and the place; this man was the sole survivor of the accident sixty-five years ago . Perhaps he still had some unfinished business there . Hao Ren stepped forward after Ulyanov . Count me in too . Nolan looked at Hao Ren in surprise . You? Im also interested in the Northern Ring Tower, Hao Ren smiled . Youre short of manpower, arent you? But you are not a mercenary, Nolan pulled her brows together . I thought youre not interested in becoming a mercenary? Hao Ren brushed it off . I dont like being controlled . This time I will merely work as a partner . What do you say? I can take care of myself, and I will not become a liability . Maybe you should treat me as one more luggage… Nolan probably had never met someone so daredevil . There was even a surprised look at her emotionless face . You sound like its a walk in the park . Do you know where Northern Ring Tower is? Hao Ren nodded . Yeah . I know Im dicing with death, but Im not afraid . When things turn ugly, you just run, dont wait for me . Do we have a deal? Or you want me to give you a black-and-white guarantee that I will not hold you responsible for my death and things like that? Nolan eyeballed Hao Ren, sizing him up . Then, there was a sense of enlightenment on her face . Oh, I figure; youre looking forward to death, arent you? Hao Ren: . Hao Ren thought he would convince Nolan to let him tag along . But it seemed that the misunderstanding had also deepened . Ulyanov patted him on the shoulder . Hey, youre a good man . But you dont have to waste your lives this way . You still have a long way ahead, life is— Hao Ren snapped, Why do you still think that Im mad? I want to help, cant I? He then kept nagging Nolan for quite a while until she finally gave in . She let him become her outsourced personnel . But Hao Ren still kept nagging, but only in his mind, for earlier refusal to take him in despite him giving a too-good-to-be-true offer . But Nolan felt more bizarre than Hao Ren did; among the many daredevils she had met, this one was a rare type . Love blinds; the pain of losing the loved one caused him looking for a death wish . She had no choice but to help him fulfill his desires . But Hao Ren could not read her mind . Had he learned what Nolan was thinking, he would have gotten furious . Seeing that her other men were still hesitating, Nolan waved her hand and dismissed them . Go back and think about it . Carl, give me a list before nightfall . I will decide on the list before noon tomorrow, and we depart in the afternoon . As the mercenaries dispersed, Hao Ren and Ulyanov walked back to the barracks . Perhaps they were soon to become brothers in arms; Ulyanov began to have more trust in Hao Ren . He patted Hao Rens shoulder and said, You still have time . Go back and think about whether you want to waste your life . Nolan will not say anything even if you quit tomorrow . You sound like Id certainly die, said Hao Ren, forcing a smile as he looked at Ulyanov through his shiny visor . I know you think that I want to end my life because my wife has died . I cannot explain it now . But dont worry; I value my life more than anyone else does . I want to find out something Im concerned about in the Northern Ring Tower . As dangerous as it is Im sure I will make it back in one piece . Before I met Nolan, I had gone into that place once while I was still the head of a small mercenary organization, Ulyanov paused and then continued . Most of our men died before we could make it to the border . Dont underestimate that place; the ruins devoured many people each year . Hao Ren looked at Ulyanov . If so, why do you still want to go? He had asked this question before, but Ulyanov did not answer him at that time . Now that the two were about to embark on the dangerous journey together, so Ulyanov confided, As I said, sixty-five years ago, I was a researcher working near a Nanomachine Swarm . Hao Ren nodded and waited for Ulyanov to continue . My wife was the operator of Master Computers, Ulyanov said slowly . When the swarm got out of control, Northern Ring Tower automatically sealed itself off . All the staff were unable to get out . But the Nanomachines didnt invade the ring tower either . So they survived . Hao Ren was wide-eyed . Oh, you mean you want to… Find her personal effects . or body, Ulyanov shook his head . They must be there . Then, Ulyanov left without looking back, leaving Hao Ren bewildered . The voice of the MDT sounded in his mind . He is the real man as opposed to you . He probably lives to wait for this moment . Hao Ren did not feel like to bicker . He just returned to his room in silence . As soon as he opened the door, he heard a grizzly mysterious female voice inside . Hey, partner, welcome back . Hao Ren was shocked . A blonde was leaning at the corner, sitting up not far in front of him . The young girl, stained with blood, looked pale . Although half of her body was paralyzed, she still tried to balance herself and sit up . Next to her was Khitons laptop . She was struggling with the keyboard as she could only move one of her hands . She looked miserable and pitiful . If not for Hao Ren knew she was a brick, he would have sympathy overflown . The blonde tilted her head slightly as if she wants to look up at Hao Ren, but soon she gave up . Im sorry, the drivers seem a little buggy, and I still couldnt lift my head . Hao Ren quickly closed the door behind him for fear that someone might discover the girl faking her death . He came up before the MDT . Can you speak? A little, said the MDT . Its voice was strange and intermittent, sounding like a child who had just learned to speak . The body is tough to control, and I fell several times while trying to get up . But I did learn how to crawl . She struggled to climb up the bed next to her as only one of her arms, and one of her legs were moveable . Let me examine your body . Hao Ren held her . The girl screamed . How can you do that to your PDA? Damn it—I need to figure out how youve got it working!
Chapter end
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