Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 286 - 258: Acid Storm

Chapter 286: Chapter 258: Acid Storm

On the way to Mingge Mountain, acid rain began to fall, so intense that it could be called a severe acid storm. Fierce winds swept through the woodlands with an exceedingly shrill noise, and the sky turned a dull yellow, as if one had arrived on an alien planet. Mists enveloped the area, hanging low and creating a scene reminiscent of the end of the world. Thunder roared and lightning flashed in the sky, adding a terrifying atmosphere.

"Is it necessary to bring Pan Ruiyi?" Xu Yang observed the complex scenery.

"She is the Witch of the oath, the First Knight." Farosa said, "I can’t do without her role, she is almost the cornerstone of the ritual."

Xu Yang piloted Anonymous, a shuttle that resembled a black crow soaring through the sky, nearly invisible from a distance as it silently crossed the firmament. Facing the impending meteorological disaster, he lowered the shuttle’s altitude in time, found the nearest hamlet, booked a room, and stayed at a family inn.

He left Anonymous in the inn’s parking lot, driving it under a dark gray awning, then helped Farosa down. A few dirty and cheap electric vehicles were scattered around, and there was also a white aluminum-clad van near the parking lot’s exit.

As soon as Xu Yang entered the inn, a young man stood up from behind the counter and welcomed them with a smile. Neither Xu Yang nor Farosa were regular tourists, both heavily disguised, but these days one couldn’t be too picky about the guests’ appearances.

A monkey dressed in a red nylon fiber spacesuit accompanied the man. Farosa disliked monkeys, but it seemed polite, standing on the counter and bowing to Farosa and Xu Yang. However, since Farosa carried a dangerous aura, the monkey didn’t dare to get close and shrank back, jumping behind the counter.

"I wanted it to be smarter, so I implanted a human-use intelligent cerebral prosthesis." The man looked towards the monkey, then took a black plastic room card from inside the counter and handed it to them, "Need help with your luggage, sir?"

"Thank you, we don’t have much luggage," Xu Yang nodded to him and the monkey, declining the extra help.

He carried a large case into the booked room followed closely by Farosa. Almost the moment they crossed the threshold, the acid rain storm began, with the roaring rain sounding like a heavy metal orchestra of millions of people. If one were exposed to such heavy rain, their skin would quickly corrode.

Xu Yang turned on the automatic coffee machine, filled it with the complimentary coffee powder from the inn, and started it. He then walked to the window and looked out over the rolling hills in the distance.

From here, he could already see Mingge Mountain, their destination. Most of the mountain had been eroded by acid rain, with large areas of vegetation dead. Given that the trees were destroyed, mudslides and landslides were inevitable, and their interplay further exacerbated soil degradation. It was as if a huge shovel had scraped away all the greenery along the slopes, leaving only a mottled brown mountain.

The environment was not habitable, and the people had to relocate to relatively stable hamlets and cities. The local residents didn’t have enough funds to manage the environment, nor any influence to shut down the heavy industries that continued to damage it. Various factories and company assets were entrenched around Mingge Mountain, only Kirino Reisei’s Eternal Cherry Blossom Shrine remained unaffected.

Xu Yang checked the cameras and listening devices in the room, as well as all the electronics provided in advance, then he moved to where Farosa stood by the window.

"The world has been ravaged," she said.

"Is there hope for its recovery?" Xu Yang wondered.

"The Forest Master," Farosa looked at the destroyed greenery, the outside world enveloped by endless acidic mist, "if we bring back the Forest Master, it could re-green the Archipelago Continent."

"According to the law of conservation of matter and equivalent exchange," Xu Yang speculated, "it must want something in return."

"Of course, it needs followers, it needs people to become treants to support its eternal greenery," Farosa laughed lightly, then remembered Yahara Masato’s affair.

"That’s not a problem," Xu Yang nodded, "If we can bring the Forest Master here, all the world’s enthusiastic animal protection organizations, environmental protection unions, and the like will come flocking."

After checking the equipment, Farosa found a comfortable position to lie down and turned on the room’s smart screen wall. The entire wall-like screen changed color, projecting the scene of the Colosseum Arena grand event.

"I think it’s not one ten-thousandth as good as the Witch Combat Tournament," Farosa said, "Why not gather all the beautiful witches together and have a fight?"

"It’s a matter of acceptance," Xu Yang thought for a moment, "Witch battles only sound fun. Once they start getting bruised and beaten, or chopped into pieces, it becomes unsightly. On the other hand, robots getting beaten into spare parts and spewing sparks seems to be more acceptable to people."

"Need to talk to our gladiator," Farosa noted, seeing that the match between A40 and Black Storm was not far off.

Xu Yang entered stealth communication mode and contacted A40, which had already arrived at the Colosseum Arena and was preparing for the final pre-combat preparations. Xu Yang relayed the video feed to the screen wall for Farosa to see. She lay diagonally on the twin bed with a white sheet, A40 appearing to her like a metal golem that warlocks might create, except more intelligent.

Farosa had mixed feelings about synthetic human technology. On one hand, she needed these precisely programmed servants, but on the other hand, she felt their intelligence was too high. The first and second generation of synthetic humans were still within her acceptable range—like A40 and Seeking Shadow, who could constantly learn and evolve—but the third generation sometimes felt less reliable to her. Even the innkeeper’s clever monkey was more pleasing to the eye than the synthetic humans.

"How’s the preparation going?" Xu Yang observed A40.

On the outside, it still bore the understated image of a young man, equipped with precise machinery—gone was the ronin coat, instead replaced with a Kevlar lightweight vest that enhanced protection while remaining as light as possible for battle.

"In terms of martial arts," A40 said, "I have reached first-rate level, but I haven’t completed the practice in all respects, so I can’t be considered a master. Compared to the real masters who have entered the hall and refined their techniques to perfection, I am still a notch weaker... but I will give it my all."

"I believe in you," Xu Yang nodded. "You have never let us down."

"There is something I want to show you." A40 sent over an image.

Xu Yang opened it to find a black and white pixelated drawing that looked like a highly distorted camera capture, depicting Huang Feng turning her head to smile. It was drawn from A40’s perspective, so it showed how she was holding A40’s hand, how she turned her head, her face beaming with excitement, the other hand holding an ice cream.

"This is..." Xu Yang couldn’t make it out.

"I made it from an electronic dream," A40 explained. "If human dreams are the chaotic recombination of information in the subconscious, then my dreams are a distorted manifestation of disk fragments. There are things I’ve deleted, but can’t completely erase. Yet, who is this, after all?"

"When you win, when you advance to the top 16, I’ll tell you," Xu Yang nodded.

A40 solemnly bowed deeply to Xu Yang from the ground.

"Thank you for giving me this opportunity," it said, "one to prove myself and one to fight to my heart’s content. During this period, I’ve made rapid progress in my martial arts skill, faster than at any time before. If synthetic humans have a destiny like humans do, then the Colosseum Battle Festival is indeed my destined place! I will do my utmost to win the championship; it’s an undeniable responsibility."

"Go ahead," Xu Yang saw that the time was about right.

He switched back to the Colosseum event; the previous match had ended, and the battle between A40 and Black Storm was about to commence. After the advertisement update, the manufacturer of Black Storm, Westwind Industry, officially promoted their newly developed alloy patent. It was called "Magic Steel," fashioned using the latest generation of smelting technology, with the Chief Witch of the company’s R&D department personally infusing magic power during the forging process. Made by shaping steel with magic, it had lethal cutting effects against any form of armor, which is why Black Storm was able to easily shatter the armor of the knightress clad in Dragon Bone in the previous round.

Black Storm rolled onto the field in the shape of a mechanical sphere, resembling a spinning top standing on one foot, with as many as twelve arms. Every arm was fitted with a "Magic Steel" blade, and as it rotated slightly, the blades reflected light from different angles, dazzling the eye.

A40 entered the arena with a promotional clip from Tanaka Intelligence, placed its hand on the blade of Fury, with the blade pointed forward, elbow drawn inward, one foot in front of the other, striking a defensive posture that suggested readiness to attack.

"You may only use bladed weapons, no long-range weapons allowed, no other rules," the arena’s electronic referee introduced crisply, and then with a strong chop of its hand announced, "Fight!"

Farosa sat up, holding her coffee, watching every detail of the battle with intent. She felt as though she had become a noble in the ancient Latium Empire, watching the gladiators bleed to their heart’s content.

"You must win!"

"For our money!"

"Go, go!" In the live broadcasting room, tens of thousands of viewers who had lost big on bets in the previous match—driven by a strong desire for revenge—were now firmly on A40’s side. Many had staked their last possessions on A40, hoping it would swiftly secure victory and recover their funds. As long as A40 won, they would immediately become loyal fans.

"A40 will win," Kanako confidently told her companions and family members in the VIP box.

"A40..." In distant Bibo City, Huang Feng stared at the screen, holding her breath. If A40 continued to win, all the way to champion, she undoubtedly would regain her zest for life and find her place in this mad world.

The high-tech companies of the Taixi Continent and the various research institutes of Kyoto Infinity were now also focused on this high-stakes robot showdown. Victory for either side represented the future direction in combat robot development, signifying more advanced science and production technology.

—Fight begins!

Black Storm activated all its mechanical arms, becoming a high-speed spinning whirlwind of death, slashing fiercely towards A40. As it moved, it emitted whirring sounds, its body operating at extreme speeds, performing complex maneuvers. Despite the high-speed motion, it was supposed to self-destruct but Black Storm’s every component was precisely fitted without the slightest flaw, providing tremendous stability.

Facing its unstoppable charge, A40 leaped forward, slashing out swiftly! Choosing to confront head-on!