Legend of the Cyber Heroes
Chapter 238 - 238 18 Doctor

238: Chapter 18: Doctor 238: Chapter 18: Doctor Cold-blooded rangers were not actually all “cold-blooded.” They had also received what could arguably be called “progressive” education.

They acknowledged that “life is precious” and could not strike against those who enjoyed the protection of civilization.

Even normally, cold-blooded rangers detested killing.

However, those heroes who voluntarily abandoned protection and betrayed “civilization” were not considered human.

Heroes were not regarded as human.

Their thinking was twisted by something known as “heroic justice.” Their will did not belong to themselves, but to this non-human spiritual monster called “heroic justice,” something akin to the undead.

Heroes were like the undead.

They could not truly feel pain, nor sympathize with the protectors—if they showed emotions such as anger or fear, it must have been an act; if they claimed to be fighting for humanity, that too was a deception, a lie spun to manipulate the protectors.

They believed so firmly.

Heroes were not human, so they could be treated with violence.

For cold-blooded rangers, this was the reason they practiced martial arts diligently—their martial arts existed solely for eliminating heroes.

Killing heroes was their way of realizing their own value.

Surrounding retreating heroes amidst the dust.

Sniping heroes coming to help from the north.

Clearing out the remaining heroes in the southern city.

Executing heroes in settlements bold enough to shelter them.

All of this was to exterminate these “anti-human elements”—this was their justice.

They were contributing their strength to human civilization…

With a “boom,” intense emotional fluctuations caused the safety system to forcefully disconnect Xiang Shan from the disk.

Xiang Shan calmed his anger through meditation.

“Not pure enough,” Xiang Shan sighed, “this hard drive contains too much emotion.”

Not everyone would intentionally store certain types of memories on a hard drive—Xiang Shan initially mastered this technique only after grueling training, repeatedly using restoring enzymes to reset his brain cells and erasing specialized myelin sheaths.

For ordinary people, the brain’s “storage structure” does not have “partitions.”

However, some important content was still clearly recorded.

Xiang Shan pulled up a map and shared it.

All except for Yuki and the little one—everyone saw a three-dimensional map projection in their prosthetic eyes.

Xiang Shan waved his hand, pointing to a spot 200 kilometers to the southwest, said, “This is the command center for this search operation.

At least until thirty hours ago, it was still here.

It’s a mixed unit of armored war chariots, with each heavy tank being supported by a ranked martial artist.

Additionally, the lord stationed here is Fraser Ling Demay from Impeccable City, a high-ranking militant cadre with a four-meter-tall prosthetic body—frankly, this lineup far exceeds our current capabilities.

I see no way to assassinate him.”

Due to the sandstorm, the signal from the lone guerrilla squad had been unstable.

It had been thirty hours since these two cold-blooded rangers last updated information.

Fraser, as a cadre of the gene bank defense, held a rank half higher than Amilcare Zhao.

This meant a more powerful prosthetic body, which likely housed a reactor.

Xiang Shan felt he was not capable of defeating him now.

Yuan Wenren showed a horrified expression, “This…

Senior, a high-ranking officer right in the midst of a large army, isn’t normally considered a target for assassination, right…normally.”

“The so-called ‘normal’ is what should be broken,” Xiang Shan waved his hand, “Since none of you feel a pressing need to assassinate him, that’s all the better.

For now, we need to preserve our useful lives and keep the fire of heroic justice alive.

Let’s talk about other matters.”

Xiang Shan waved his hand, creating a force distribution map.

“This was the protector’s approximate force deployment thirty hours ago.

We have just entered the outskirts of this alert area.

The old hero has already escaped their pursuit.

There have been signs of heroes breaking out scatteredly in the past two days.”

Jader was puzzled, “Scattered breakout?”

“Is there a problem?”

“Just a slight one,” Jader pondered, “Everyone rushed here from all parts of Earth to aid the old hero, right?”

Yuan Wenren nodded, “That’s correct.”

“Everyone came with the intention of ‘diverting a bit of Houndhawk’s attention to let the old hero breakout.’ If it’s a scattered breakout, it seems somewhat contrary to this original purpose.”

Normally, heroes are rangers, lightly equipped and highly mobile.

When there are few in number, they can better utilize their high mobility advantage.

But if the protector army is overwhelming, spreading their force across manifold to endlessly seal off the land, even heroes can find no escape.

At such times, it may require another team or several teams to harass externally, divert the main army’s attention, and disrupt their judgment, thereby creating opportunities for the surrounded allies.

Only, this time, the protectors seemed even more frantic.

Before Xiang Shan assassinated Bengel, the protectors had already gathered defense forces from gene banks everywhere, marching from all directions and forming waves of immense enclosures.

This could very well be the world’s most terrifying “Fuel-Adding Strategy,”—like using a tanker’s oil to drown an ant.

At last, the enormous encircling net almost suppressed all the heroes.

Under such circumstances, heroes would usually choose to group together in small numbers.

If conditions allowed, they would even attempt to break through at a single point using overwhelming individual strength to burst out of the encirclement.

Breaking through the massive encircling net individually… was a somewhat baffling tactic.

“Of course, it’s not impossible either,” Jader waved his hand and said, “Perhaps there is some compelling reason they had to do so.”

Xiang Shan nodded, “That’s indeed a possibility.”

Yuki immediately thought of the worst possibility: “Master, do you mean… that the old hero might have already died?”

Xiang Shan shook his head: “Definitely not.

At least not thirty hours ago.”

Yuan Wenren explained softly, “If during the last communication, those two cold-blooded rangers were aware of the old hero’s death, then they wouldn’t have shown up on the battlefield chasing us; they would have returned to the main forces.

At an earlier time, the heroes were already trying to break through individually.”

Xiang Shan nodded again: “Just don’t know why, those hounds are certain that the old hero is still within the encirclement.

He definitely hasn’t broken through, so the encirclement must continue.”

“So, I have a guess.

These heroes have changed their goal.

They have a new mission,” Xiang Shan said, “They need to get something ‘out’.

This ‘something,’ even if sent out individually, does not matter as long as someone gets it out—it’s considered successful.

I conjecture it’s probably ‘information’ or ‘data’.”

In order to break through the tyrant’s blockade, heroes would use such methods to share and pass on information—this was also something that existed two hundred years ago.

“Then, here comes the focus.” Xiang Shan waved his hand again and drew a section on the map: “This is one of the regions where heroes are most likely to appear up to thirty hours ago.

The old hero is here.”

“We are only seventy kilometers from this place with roughly two barricades in between.”

“Using the power of this sandstorm, we can break through in one go.”

………………………………………

Tao Enhai lay on the ground, his body covered with a layer of fine sand.

The prosthetic body he was using now was just over two meters tall.

It was the best spare prosthetic body he could find.

The one that was used with the small Pseudo Star Device had been completely destroyed in the battle against the King of Godspeed; it was beyond repair and only useful components could be salvaged.

He looked up at the sky.

The thick dust cloud obscured the heavens.

But the precise prosthetic eye could still perceive subtle changes in illumination.

It had darkened a bit.

It was probably evening.

He thought so.

The mission was already complete.

Those compatriots from Earth had already left in large numbers.

As long as a part of them successfully escaped, those techniques from Mars would be spread among Earth’s heroes and become a force for justice.

His own life and death could already be disregarded.

However, some Earth heroes insisted on not leaving, choosing to advance or retreat, live or die with him.

Tao Enhai had to think of a way to save his own life.

Ah, of course, there wasn’t much hope.

Tao Enhai felt that he would probably end up as material for disciples to practice neurological surgery on.

But that’s okay too.

It would be a worthy death.

Those old monsters born during the same era as Tao Enhai really were old but not dead.

Especially the “boss,” who had survived death many times.

Since even such a person couldn’t avoid a “martyr’s” fate, Tao Enhai was no exception.

Before the surgery, the heroes still had some final tasks to complete.

And at this time, there was nothing else Tao Enhai needed to do.

Due to the Evolu cell infection beginning to press on his nerves, his combat ability had already greatly diminished and was not sufficient to protect himself on the battlefield.

As the heroes did their guarding tasks, he lay there, simply doing whatever.

Having lived for two hundred years and nearing death, Tao Enhai wasn’t very scared.

There was nothing to be afraid of.

Whether as a doctor, as a researcher pioneering the future, as a warrior seizing back “modern society,” or as an unyielding rebel, he had done so “with a clear conscience.”

After emptying his self, what gradually surged in Tao Enhai’s mind were the days from two hundred years ago.

He raised one hand.

He just watched his fingers move in the sandstorm.

The dust flowed through his fingers.

“How remarkable,” he said, “In this life, when I entered the field of medicine, I vowed to dedicate myself to humanitarian service; I am grateful to and respect my mentors as I would my parents; and I practice medicine with conscience and dignity; the health and life of my patients are my foremost concern; I strictly keep to the secrets entrusted to me by my patients; I shall strive to maintain the honor and noble traditions of the medical field; I regard my colleagues as brothers; I am responsible to my patients, and I do not discriminate based on any religion, nationality, race, politics, or status; life from the moment of conception is of ultimate and supreme dignity; even under threat, my medical knowledge will not be contrary to humanity.”

“Just barely managed it,” he said.