Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 1060 - 829: The Rise of the Solar Flame

Chapter 1060: Chapter 829: The Rise of the Solar Flame

Honma Noriko’s appearance was as serious and mysterious as ever. Her new body looked to be around thirty years old, with her hair styled high and wearing a brown formal suit. She stood on a star-shaped podium, representing the reborn Xisheng Company as she sought revenge against Nestor Corporation.

Xu Yang had missed the opening remarks and about 20% of the content, but he could easily guess the sort of rhetoric Honma Noriko would use to smear Nestor Corporation.

"...Near East Xisheng Company has always emphasized absolute transparency and honesty. That is why I cannot ignore the thriving Nestor Corporation. Today, I stand before you to reveal that the D2 robots manufactured by Nestor Corporation are not only deceptive but utterly despicable. This technology should have no place in our society."

"After thorough scrutiny, Xisheng’s technical personnel uncovered fatal flaws and defects in the programming of D2 robots. Not only are they unreliable, but they’re extremely dangerous. From physical malfunctions to severe system errors and even built-in backdoor programs targeting Xisheng Company, these issues deeply concern me. The D2 robots are undoubtedly ticking time bombs, posing significant risks to anyone interacting with them—especially innocent consumers who regard them as helpers, assistants, or even spouses."

"Therefore, I urge all consumers to join me in resolutely opposing this vile technology, which will harm, if not destroy, humanity. We must unite to impose a strict embargo on all D2 robots until Nestor Corporation issues a global recall, takes full responsibility for its faulty products, and makes the necessary improvements to ensure the safety of every consumer exposed to D2 robots."

"Near East Xisheng Company will not rest until this threat is eradicated. We will not be silent, nor will we retreat, and we certainly will not tolerate any further harm caused by D2 robots. We must act until justice prevails." Honma Noriko made a sharp gesture and fixed her gaze directly on the camera, as if staring down every person at Nestor Corporation, every individual who had stolen Xisheng’s legacy from her.

Honma Noriko!

Transformed into a Witch by Farosa, her consciousness uploaded to grant her immortality, and now she was launching a fierce revenge campaign against Nestor Corporation, which had taken over Xisheng’s foundation.

Xu Yang’s brows furrowed deeply; this was a critical blow. Honma Noriko subsequently made public a wealth of investigative results, exposing the safety issues of D2 Synthetics. It was a shame for the Nestor Corporation’s research department, which had worked tirelessly, only to have its D2 Synthetics reduced to nothing under Honma Noriko’s deliberate smear campaign!

Honma Noriko’s declaration was like a stone splashing into a pond, stirring up waves of chaos.

Xu Yang connected to Nestor Corporation’s commercial system, observing as numerous orders were delayed or even canceled, while some D2 units, originally set for overseas shipment, remained stuck at port.

He glanced around. The forest was eerily quiet.

Three D2 units stood there like synchronized dancers, gazing at him with tender and affectionate expressions. Despite knowing their eyes were advanced lenses and their emotions were circuit simulations, Xu Yang still found them psychologically comforting.

"You heard it too, didn’t you? Honma Noriko is publicly smearing you," Xu Yang said coldly.

"Then let’s kill her," the D2 units said softly.

Xu Yang nodded.

Honma Noriko had issued a challenge to battle—fine, they would accept it.

This time, though, it might be necessary to uproot Honma Noriko completely!

Xu Yang patiently sat on an iron chair. His camping equipment was neatly arranged before him, and flames burned sluggishly at the center of the crossed wooden logs, producing a crackling sound.

His gaze lingered on the fire, tirelessly dancing with the airflow, determined to consume everything. Anyone patient enough should study fire, watching how it flares wildly, depleting all its fuel until it transforms into smoke—just like a person’s resolve! It ceases only upon destroying the obstacles in its way.

The D2 units were silent listeners as Xu Yang picked up a branch and drew a horizontal line on the ground beside the fire.

"Honma Noriko has relocated Xisheng Group to the Near East Region. She’s hiding there. We must eliminate her, utterly destroying Xisheng Group. She’s completely deranged, a formidable adversary, a sworn nemesis, the self-proclaimed ’Goddess of Capital,’ Xisheng’s ancestral matriarch who has lived far too long. We’ll send her off for good."

He then drew a second horizontal line.

"I also need to find Wei Shiyue and uncover the ancient Dragon Worship Sect’s secrets and relics in the Near East Region, bridging the connection between the Dragon Clan on the ground and the Moonlight."

Xu Yang added a third horizontal line.

"Lastly, I must locate my good brother Yan Duo, destroy Mount Kuro, end the frostwave, defeat the Frost Giant God and Death Giant God, and bring Yan Duo back to our side. The Giant Gods are all in the Near East Region; all three objectives are concentrated in the same place." His gaze lingered on the three horizontal lines. Each represented a daunting challenge, like three enormous boulders pressing against his chest.

Honma Noriko was cunning and shielded by the Seven Seals. Wei Shiyue’s whereabouts remained elusive. Yan Duo and his brothers were immensely powerful, and any skirmish would likely mimic the destruction seen during Kunxu’s illusion—a cataclysm obliterating an entire domain. They would need to deploy the strongest Witches.

Xu Yang stayed there pondering until he finished his fish. The crispy, charred fish skin and tender flesh lingered only briefly on his tongue.

It was still Honma Noriko’s fault. She had deliberately chosen today to cause trouble.

Maintaining his composure, Xu Yang opened the car door, instructing the D2 units to gather their equipment, clean up the campsite, and dispose of all garbage.

"She’s intolerable," the D2 units said, packing up the cooked fish as they climbed into the car.

"Exactly," Xu Yang replied and gestured for the D2s to start driving.

All Xu Yang wanted was a peaceful life.

Today marked his first attempt, but Honma Noriko had shattered it all!

Along the way, he issued commands repeatedly while Lila worked on crafting a matching public relations counterattack. Kanako adjusted commercial strategies and advertising plans. The Hundred-eyes Demon System performed precise calculations on revised shipment volumes. Miyazato Kazama revised the D2 system and pushed global patches to address the so-called "flaws" Honma Noriko had publicized. Xu Yang orchestrated everything to minimize Nestor Corporation’s losses.

Distracted by work, he felt the journey home was shorter than expected. As soon as the car arrived in Shangjing, Xu Yang returned to Nestor Headquarters.

"Honma Noriko’s statement is a severe insult to our company," Lila described sharply.

Dressed in a black formal suit with a blue shirt and white tie, Lila appeared modest yet dignified. She was meticulous, a pillar of Nestor Corporation. Xu Yang looked at her. No matter what happened, Lila always brought him a sense of reassurance.

"Kill, kill, kill," Farosa said. Her avatar wore a white blouse paired with black high-waisted pants, with the belt fastened around her ribcage, creating an awkward proportion, although no one dared to point it out.

"Farosa, the Kunxu schemes—you’ve seen them. If you act personally, the Northern Archipelago will be exposed and attacked. You can only send one of your stronger avatars," Xu Yang assessed.

"We must defeat Honma Noriko once and for all to prevent her from stabbing us in the back again," Kojima Kanako said softly, as though she wasn’t talking about her mother.

Advanced models and prototypes of D2 units stood around the conference room, displaying puzzled expressions or serving coffee and pastries attentively, as if they, too, understood the effort being made to salvage D2’s reputation.

After finishing his preparations, Xu Yang recalled Li Xiaomin’s phone call earlier that morning. He subsequently headed to the obstetrics department at Rose Medical Center.

Rosya’s pallid face lay on the hospital bed, while other mothers were crying.

Li Xiaomin watched as a nurse carried out a motionless infant. Xu Yang noticed his expression quickly turning tense.

"Did... did you see that, senior?" Li Xiaomin stuttered.

"It seems like a mother gave birth to a non-responsive infant?" Xu Yang observed. "Is this what you mean by Hollow Infant?"

"Babies aren’t supposed to be born this way," Li Xiaomin said, his face clouded with worry.

"What’s going on?" Xu Yang demanded, frowning as he questioned the nurse.

"Sir, this is the second case today... we don’t know what’s happening. Some babies seem... Please trust us; we’ll figure out what’s going on..." the nurse spoke, unconvincingly.

The infant in her arms didn’t cry or move, its eyes remaining shut.

Xu Yang saw a stranger rushing down the corridor, seemingly the father of this Hollow Infant.

"Give him to me..." The man extended his hand.

"Ah? Sir—" The nurse was taken aback.

"Give him to me!" The man practically lunged forward, a sudden surge of power erupting from him. He snatched his son from the nurse’s arms, holding him tightly, only to find the child empty—a lifeless shell.

Xu Yang observed the infant’s tightly closed eyes, utterly motionless, as the young man broke down crying.

Li Xiaomin turned toward Xu Yang, casting him a sorrowful glance.

"Senior..." His voice was hoarse. "Rosya has at most one month left before giving birth. I’m terrified that she’ll also deliver a Hollow Infant."

"I’ll resolve this. My own child is due soon as well," Xu Yang reassured Li Xiaomin.

"What’s happening? How do I even explain this to Rosya?" Li Xiaomin muttered.

"I don’t know yet. It could be an epidemic involving death itself. There’s no certainty yet; it needs investigation," Xu Yang said gravely.

Most likely, the phenomenon was linked to Yan Duo’s brother, the Death Giant God, who controlled life and death as well as the cycle of soul reincarnation. If it withheld new souls from entering the human realm’s delivery rooms, pregnant women would be unable to give birth to normal children!

Damned—this Hollow Infant crisis had undoubtedly been spreading for some time already. Hospitals had probably concealed it, fearing backlash from patients, but it couldn’t stay hidden forever. Xu Yang scanned his surroundings. The unfamiliarity of Rose Medical Center was unsettling. As a major corporation, Rose Medicine would never allow the reputational damage of the Hollow Infant incident to surface publicly, leaving couples like Li Xiaomin and Rosya living in terror. But it couldn’t stay buried.

Xu Yang’s gaze fell on the grieving father, who cradled his soulless son with profound care and despair as he repeatedly checked for a heartbeat and breath—but to no avail. Without a soul, the body would only rot over time.

"I’ll fix this," Xu Yang said to Li Xiaomin and left under the weight of his expectant gaze.

Hollow Infant...

Xu Yang returned to Nestor Headquarters with a heavy heart, researching the outbreaks. Reports of Hollow Infant incidents were increasing globally. Not limited to one area, newborns without souls were surfacing worldwide, resultantly reducing mothers’ arduous efforts to give birth to mere empty shells of flesh. It seemed humanity’s extinction was imminent.

Kojima Kanako gently cradled her slightly swollen belly as she approached Xu Yang.

"Yang, did you see?" Kanako murmured. "Will our second child end up like that too?"

"I promise you, I’ll solve this before our child is born," Xu Yang said decisively.

Kanako’s lips trembled slightly as her gaze returned to her belly.

She intended to bear ten or so children for Xu Yang, and medical tests revealed that this time she was carrying another girl—perhaps another Witch, or maybe just an ordinary woman.

However, if she arrived soulless into this world, no identity could save her.

"I don’t want to give birth to a Hollow Infant," Kanako bit her lip.

Xu Yang took a deep breath and looked outside, seeing the neon-lit night of the Northern Archipelago. Even if it was solely for the sake of his unborn child, he had to find a way to resolve this crisis. Damn that Death Giant God—damn everything, but how could one compel the Grim Reaper to let souls return to their cycle?

He felt warmth in his left hand. Raising it, he noticed harmless golden flames flickering in his palm, as if Yan Duo was summoning him.

As expected, watching his brother commit such atrocities, even Yan Duo could no longer sit still. Was he summoning Xu Yang for assistance? There was no other choice—only death.

...Then let the whole world witness how Nestor Corporation handles its affairs.

"Notify the following personnel to assemble immediately:" Xu Yang commanded gravely. "Farosa, Lila, Pan Ruiyi, 101, 102, Mizuiro Yoshioka, Du Qianqian, Jin Yuxiu, Ise Hanabi, Takahashi Kyoko, Zhang Yunxi, Storm Princess, A40, A999, Quantum Warrior, Seeking Shadow, Yizhen Tian, Standing Black Hat, Netherworld Thunder God, Tsuchigumo, Ichinoki Ikuma, Evil Spirit, Chainsaw Angel, Chiyuki Sajou, Sajou Jiro, Nakamura Mizuki."