Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 363 - 331 Global Travel

Chapter 363: Chapter 331 Global Travel

"You..." Kirino Reisei was astonished.

"I have always been on their side," A40 said.

Lila stowed her sniper rifle away.

Her expression was indifferent, knowing she must minimize the situation, so she issued instructions to various security units to operate covertly, sealing off the mountain path to prevent others from attempting to investigate.

At the same time, she ordered armed personnel to start shooting in other areas of the mountain suburbs to divert attention, summarizing the incident as weapon testing and wildlife expulsion.

All information regarding this matter was restricted to the accounts of those who experienced it firsthand, with others only receiving the official reports provided by Lila.

Following that, she personally went to search for and examine the wreckage of the Nanase Seven Lives Junction Shuttle and recover the two armed drones that had been brought down, to prevent them from continuing to transmit the accident signals. The series of events were troublesome, and Lila had to handle each detail flawlessly to prevent the mission from premature termination.

With Lila handling the aftermath, the rest felt somewhat relieved, and their gazes fell on Kirino Reisei.

At this juncture, Kirino Reisei let out a faint sigh that might as well have been an imperceptible laugh, puzzling everyone. Her Myriad Forms Magic Power was always emitted and never dissipated, hence she appeared differently in the eyes of everyone.

In Xu Yang’s eyes, she was a serene, tempting beauty, whereas to others, she seemed like a fox monster. Beyond that, Kirino Reisei also appeared as a vortex of hazy chaos with a fox-like illusion in the mechanical vision of Lila and A40.

"So it’s over," said Kirino Reisei gently bowing to them, "I return the history of this world to you, and now, please forge your own stories."

The slanting sun was gone, and the sky was filled with evening glow, with the chirping of insects gradually rising.

Kirino Reisei maintained restraint and serenity until Farosa approached her.

Farosa pinched Kirino Reisei’s chin with slender fingers, tilting her face upwards as if examining a patient, observing the magic attached to her face. It wasn’t pure magic, but something eroded by the power of the fox spirit, which intrigued Farosa greatly.

"You have a close relationship with the fox spirit, don’t you?" Farosa said.

"It’s already dead," Kirino Reisei spoke with difficulty, Farosa’s presence putting immense pressure on her, more than any other supernatural mystery she had encountered.

It’s strange, though Kirino Reisei had never met Farosa, the instant she saw her, she instinctively realized the other was a witch.

Nanase is dead? Xu Yang looked towards the wreckage of the shuttle machine. If so, Kyoto Infinity would soon renew itself, as Kirino Reisei had said; the two of them would completely exit the historical stage.

Here, the signal was poor, and after checking the wreckage of the shuttle machine, Lila quickly returned to Xu Yang, then wirelessly transmitted her reconnaissance report to him.

According to the struggle marks, footprints, scents, and blood left on the soil, she discovered that Nanase had turned into a gigantic fox and run away, seeming to be scared by everything that had happened, thus reverting to its original form and fleeing in a rush.

The Law of Recovery affected living things and objects differently; if Nanase was dead, it could still be restored normally. If it fled like this, there would be other troubles, especially now that it had reverted to the shape of a great monster... How terrifying it would be, Xu Yang thought.

"I think we should restrict the movement of tourists," Xu Yang messaged Lila, "During our countryside walk, we saw many employees, guests, and domestic animals. If Nanase grabs one to eat, we will have significant trouble on our hands."

"Master, please give Lila one chance."

"Lila..."

"This is the first time Nestor Corporation has undertaken a major security event. If it fails, Lila will feel extremely disappointed," Lila said, "Once promised to stake her dignity on it, even now with the risk of the situation going out of control, Lila will not give up. She will definitely find Nanase and live up to everyone’s expectations."

"Let’s do as you say," Xu Yang agreed.

"Additionally, please make sure to execute A40," Lila said.

Then, she left the scene to go search for Nanase herself.

The communication between Xu Yang and Lila was done through short messages, and the others didn’t yet know that Nanase had turned into a great fox and escaped. Xu Yang glanced at the distraught Kirino Reisei and decided not to reveal the news to her for the time being.

"Take her into custody first," Xu Yang looked at 102.

didn’t like apprehending people, but it couldn’t be helped. She approached Kirino Reisei, hoping the other would cooperate as much as possible, and Kirino Reisei showed no intention of resisting, merely bowing slightly to 102.

"Please dispose of me as you see fit," she said.

So 102 tied up Kirino Reisei with ropes, then frisked her, taking her Special Protection Card, cash card, handgun, handwritten notes, keys, and other personal items before leading her to a secluded place to be guarded, waiting for further disposition.

Then there was A40.

"What are you doing here?" Xu Yang looked at it, then turned to the defeated A100, "Weren’t you here for the wedding? Why would you attack your own brother?"

"It even tried to attack 102," said 101 indifferently after healing, looking at A40.

"I like to fight," A40 admitted straightforwardly.

"But you never considered what might happen, did you?" Xu Yang said, "You know how the enemy will respond after you strike, but you never thought about how others might react to something you do."

"My social interface doesn’t have such rich functionality," A40 said.

"If you want to become a complete person, rather than a machine killer, you need to make some space for it. Learn from A100," Xu Yang said.

"It’s already fallen," A40 said, "which proves I’m stronger than it."

"Strong, but only to a certain extent," Xu Yang noticed the wounds on A40 itself and turned to Farosa, "Do me a favor, save this Synthetic Human, and then we can go back and rest."

"We’ve got one brainless samurai as it is," Farosa said, though she still showed mercy, allowing A100 to recover from its injuries.

A100 was completely bewildered and unaware of what had happened; it sat on the ground, adjusted its time synchronization, and then, seeing A40, was still happy.

"A40 senior!" it said.

"I don’t like it!" A40 pointed at A100, "It’s like a real person, always eager to please."

"A kind word is far from flattery," Xu Yang shook his head, "Come on, A40, take me to the Anonymous, let’s see if there’s a suitable place for you to go."

A40 led Xu Yang to a secluded area in the countryside.

The Anonymous was parked in a clearing among the trees, sunlight slanting onto its rhomboidal black exterior. It was so understated with no decals or logos that Xu Yang felt a pang of nostalgia. He touched the Anonymous’s sturdy alloy shell, where he could see one or two scratches—this shuttle had escaped a hunt by the Rat Tide and seen the streets and alleys of Aizu City.

"In the end, it still comes down to you," Xu Yang patted the Anonymous, turned to A40, "At least that problem’s solved. But you got yourself mixed up into Kirino Reisei’s personal grievances, brought on Hosoda Yoshiyuki, and made 101, 102, and Lila quite unhappy with you, this issue I’ll have to settle with you properly."

"Now that you mention it, it seems I really did mess up," A40 said, discouraged, "Is there any way to make amends?"

"No way at all."

"Ah," A40 sat down, "But I will always be this way. If I had to think through everything before doing anything, my chip would have burned out a long time ago."

"If you cause any more trouble, the only outcome for you will be execution by firing squad, which is the same end as a burnt-out chip. But I believe there’s still a bit of hope for saving you," Xu Yang said, "I want you to first take a flight to Greeny City in New Taixi State."

"Greeny City? The headquarters of the Corporate Alliance? What am I to do there?"

"That’s not your final destination. You head to Greeny City first, then transfer to a flight to Agave Continent, and finally, find a way to hop on a copper ore cargo ship to Taiya Archipelago. It’s the only route not intercepted by the Black Fire military machines."

"Go to Taiya?" A40 straightened up, focusing.

"Yes, just like you’re thinking—go find Huang Feng," Xu Yang said.

"But I still need Kirino Reisei to grant me great power," A40 said, "the grand reward of the Colosseum battle festival to become the strongest samurai."

"It’s none of your business now; even if they were giving it away, they wouldn’t give it to you," Xu Yang replied, "Besides, Kirino Reisei is likely too heartbroken to bother with it right now."

"Ow," A40 said, "Everybody dislikes me."

"Huang Feng likes you, and that’s enough."

"Really?"

"What are you doubting?"

A40 hesitated.

"Synthetic Humans can be copied," A40 said, "If they used my mold and face to create an exact replica, and switched to the same memory chip, would Huang Feng treat the copy the same way as me?"

It dislikes its own model type. Xu Yang thought to himself. This is the self-awareness of a Synthetic Human.

"The Anonymous has no tags either," Xu Yang looked at the shuttle machine, "any covert-type shuttle pulled straight from a Blackfire factory looks just like it, but would that be the Anonymous? It’s a matter of ’identity.’ Huang Feng identifies with you, not with some iron shell pieced together from your appearance, memory, and mechanical mind. Besides, something as outrageous as you can’t usually be replicated."

"I see," A40 seemed to understand.

"Stay in the Anonymous for a while," Xu Yang instructed, "Kirino Reisei’s backup card should help you use the VIP lane, skipping airport controls. Even if it’s just for the safety of seeing Huang Feng, you must maintain restraint and avoid drawing attention. Maybe you’ll end up being a thorn in the side for the overseas people, let’s hope they can withstand the trouble you bring."

"Yes, boss!"

"Circling half the world to find Huang Feng in Taiya Archipelago... it’s going to be a long journey, several flights and maritime transports, through lots of corporate territories and continents," Xu Yang reflected, "Along the way, you’ll see more of the world than we have. Remember to send messages back now and then, and after you get in touch with Huang Feng, we’ll discuss the next step."

A40 bowed respectfully to Xu Yang twice while on the ground.

"No matter the distance, I must see Huang Feng," it lifted its head, "I want to take her away from Black Fire Innovation, marry her, and retire to the countryside."