Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 157 - 137: Destruction_2

Chapter 157: Chapter 137: Destruction_2

```

Lila was at a loss.

Her Consciousness Chip had simulated the logic and decision-making processes her original mind used to handle everything, but this vast repository of the mind had no available plans to deal with this kind of invitation.

That is to say, the situation had surpassed Lila’s capacity to handle.

"I find you very charming," Huang Feng observed Lila carefully, his eyes conveying complex meanings, "...I wish you would date me."

Was this a trigger for battle? Should she strike back?

A friendly hint? Should she choose to improve relations?

A probe on the level of conspiracy? Should she focus on exploring the motives behind the behavior?

Lila’s Consciousness Chip continuously searched for a viable decision, but none were suitable for someone with a cyborg psychosis like Huang Feng.

She hurriedly said goodbye, leaving her glass and cigarette behind, and left the bar without looking back, faintly hearing Huang Feng’s sickly wail followed by a burst of sparse laughter.

She had still startled the snake. Lila sighed inwardly.

Her adaptability had reached its limit. On one hand, she had attracted Huang Feng’s attention, and on the other, she had exposed her own fatal flaw. Pretending to rush off was also acting on instinct, to avoid arousing deeper suspicion.

Driving back to the industrial park, Lila dealt with her Consciousness Chip, discarding the messy records she had previously accumulated. At Thousand Lakes Electronics in the icy and snowy lands, the Witches she met were mostly upright characters, whether they were veterans on her team or newly enlisted recruits; they all kept their private lives well under control, whereas Black Fire Innovation lived up to the reputation of being the most maniacal mega-corporation, with even its subordinate Witches being so dissolute.

Although there was no physical damage, and it was unrelated to battling the Witches, Lila still felt defeated.

Incapable of coping...

She ran back to Xu Yang’s side and, feeling unusually dejected, snuggled into his arms. Since she could not cry, she could only emit a sound similar to a sob. Xu Yang comforted her over and over, listening to her intermittently recount what had happened.

"It’s not your fault," Xu Yang comforted, "Witches with a mentality as chaotic as Huang Feng’s are very difficult to approach through normal channels."

"I’ve never dealt with this before..." Lila pressed closely to Xu Yang’s chest, "I don’t know, I feel so useless, I got frightened away. Maybe it’s because my lifespan is reaching its end."

"Everyone has things beyond the limits of their capabilities, no one is omnipotent," Xu Yang said.

"I don’t have the ability..." Lila was unprecedentedly disheartened.

This was the first time Lila displayed such a dispirited demeanor; she had always remained calm, restrained, and composed. Now that she had changed so dramatically, it was clear that the incident with Huang Feng had been too much of a shock for her.

"There’s nothing to worry about by my side," Xu Yang explained, "This isn’t strictly a mission, so failure is acceptable."

"If I fail now, I will also fail at more critical moments in the future." Lila felt extremely disheartened, thinking that if she couldn’t even complete such a mission, how could she undertake more arduous responsibilities in the future.

"Then I’ll upgrade you," Xu Yang tapped her nose.

"Upgrade..." Lila hesitated.

"The Sky Crane model is just a research robot bought from Toshiaki Mart," Xu Yang said, "I will find something more suitable for you. The Consciousness Chip that Thousand Lakes Electronics gave you isn’t that great either. You’re worried about it reaching the end of its lifespan, right? Over the years, Consciousness Chip technology has also been developing. I’ll purchase a higher-end one and transfer your consciousness data to the new chip."

Lila let out a sound akin to a sigh.

```

"I really have caused a lot of trouble for my master, yet I cannot share his worries," she said. "Do I deserve the funds you’ve spent on me? Am I worthy?"

"Some things can’t be priced," Xu Yang shook his head. "Like everything we do for each other."

Lila lay calmly beside Xu Yang, closing her eyes.

"Master..."

"It’s just a glitch in the program, Lila," Xu Yang said in a soft tone. "Just rest now, and once you’re fully upgraded, everything will fall into place."

Lila wanted to freeze this moment in time, to stay with Xu Yang forever. She increasingly believed she was nothing but a metallic shell with an illusion of the witches of past days. Yet even as such a barely coherent entity, she had received rare care and affection.

Trust in her master’s judgment—after the upgrade all would be well. After upgrading, Lila would become stronger, capable of serving her master better and up to facing more of Nestor Corporation’s difficult challenges. All she had to do was firmly believe in that.

Lila slept next to Xu Yang, going into standby mode.

Ever since connecting with this mechanical body, this was the first time Lila completely relaxed her guard against her surroundings.

Xu Yang got up.

Rest easy... Lila, I will take down the enemies!

He left Lila behind, taking the key combat forces 101, 102, and A40 with him to seize the Golden Branch. According to intelligence they had gathered, the crucial item was about to be moved imminently; they could not delay any longer.

"We’re not strangers to each other, so let’s skip the pleasantries," Xu Yang said firmly. "This is Nestor Corporation’s first field operation, our target is to destroy the arms dealer’s shop, seize the Golden Branch, and take down Huang Feng!"

"Yes!" 102 raised his fist high, 101’s expression remained unchanged, and A40 was already impatient.

They moved stealthily, approaching the arms dealer’s shop. After several encounters, Xu Yang was convinced of a certain victory in taking down this place, holding an advantage in both intelligence and combat strength.

To get a better view, Xu Yang was teleported by 101’s magic power to the rooftop of a nearby building. He had equipped every squad member with a messaging device for constant communication.

Scouting the shop’s internal information, the gang members stationed inside were currently making calls to arrange the next suicide attackers, preparing to focus on transportation routes and the foundations connecting to the ground buildings. Once the battle commenced, these attacks would disrupt Kyoto Infinity’s deployments.

"The warehouse and basement are quite distant from each other," Xu Yang gathered intelligence while simultaneously using his processor to run simulations. "The warehouse contains many ignition sources. Once it explodes, the shop’s main structure and key personnel will be annihilated, making it easy for us to enter the basement. Huang Feng has not returned yet, so we can prepare an ambush en route."

"Yes." A40 gripped her knife, ready to eliminate her enemies.

Xu Yang had originally planned to detonate four suicide robots, but that would also destroy the innocent residents’ buildings on either side of the shop, causing unnecessary casualties. Considering the impact, Xu Yang reduced the target to two robots to avoid secondary disasters.

He contacted the suicide robots he had hacked into earlier, which were still stored in the warehouse.

The arms dealer was cautious, keeping them separate from other flammable and explosive materials in a concealed location, complete with explosion-proof devices and automatic fire extinguishers to minimize danger. Even in the event of accidental explosion, the devices would prevent the destruction of the warehouse.

But Xu Yang easily reversed these explosion-proof measures. With the Trojan program he had previously implanted, two of the suicide robots unlocked themselves. They activated automatically, moving from their hiding places, spontaneously gathering nearby explosive materials around themselves, shutting off the fire alarms, blocking the sprinkler heads, and then calmly sitting down to ignite themselves. The other two robots moved as far away as possible to reduce the impact of the explosion.

Boom!

The arms dealer’s entire warehouse blew up in an instant, the adjacent building also completely collapsed, and all the collected arms were reduced to ashes. The major leverage for dominating Aizu City was gone! Their plan to infiltrate and disrupt Jin City during the corporate wars was also utterly shattered!

"We can go in now," Xu Yang instructed. "Search for the Golden Branch inside the basement, and prepare to intercept Huang Feng on her inevitable return route."