Legend of the Cyber Heroes
Chapter 790 - 35: Illness

Chapter 790: Chapter 35: Illness

The story of Asgard is actually not that heart-thumping. Or rather, the climax of this story was at the very beginning.

When faced with certain death, several skilled individuals were actually willing to give Asgard a push, helping her escape.

Eventually, Asgard and a companion named Taguke forcefully boarded a small spacecraft and crashed into Earth.

Then, that Martial Artist named Taguke, due to the vibrations from the hard landing, suffered worsening brain damage and died.

Asgard hid on the Earth’s surface for several years, then took a risk to infiltrate the Protector’s logistics system, arriving at Space City with a shipment of goods, and after several more years, reached this asteroid belt.

At this moment, Asgard was not yet psychologically prepared to become a Hero. For the past twenty years, all her training had been aimed at hunting Heroes.

In the ancient Homo sapiens martial arts, there were many seemingly useless "mental methods" meant to harmonize emotions and control stray thoughts, ensuring to the greatest extent that a Martial Artist could utilize their training in actual combat. Martial Ancestor, when creating cyber martial arts, combined these concepts of "mental methods" with modern ideologies and thoughts, and reinforced them with technological means, making them a significant part of cyber martial arts.

For Asgard at that time, she would still instinctively think "Heroes are enemies," "Heroism is the source of unrest," "Terrorists who disrupt civilization must be eradicated."

This was a way of thinking branded into her brain through long training.

Moreover, she also harbored doubts about the outer Heroic forces.

At this time, she saw the Hermo Association’s recruitment notice, so she showed up and demonstrated her skills, then stayed inside the chamber of commerce for a few years, until now.

"But now I’m homeless again, all thanks to you," Asgard grumbled to Jeanne over the team channel.

Jeanne felt speechless.

Asgard, this person, had actually blurted everything out to her...

Jeanne went out to look for clues, at the same time recovering visual intelligence records extracted from various viruses, to find the whereabouts of the Mobile Cavalry. This place was a narrow horizontal space, very low in height, almost brushing the top of Asgard’s larger Prosthetic Body.

It was an area formed by combining two warship soldier dormitories, now serving as a residential area for the general public. A few individuals also converted bunk beds into shop spaces, conducting business here.

The area was mostly dimly lit. Each lit-up spot appeared like a tiny island in the darkness.

Jeanne and her companion had just passed a brightly lit gaming store. The owner had set up a large device on a bunk bed to serve as a server and gaming machine, supplementing the inadequate performance of civilian personal devices. A group controlling small prosthetic bodies mixed with several-year-old children. The workers’ indoor prosthetic bodies were nearly the size of children. The children were entirely organic, except for a priority modification to their respiratory systems, ensuring they wouldn’t suffocate in the event of a city accident. The two groups mingled together, resembling children of two different skin colors.

Jeanne delved into her thoughts: [Do you think what Asgard said is credible...]

[Go over it from the beginning. She said she managed to escape from the Moon because the space dock fell into chaos, and there wasn’t enough guard force—that was when I charged in with your prosthetic body, wasn’t it? So it seems we dashed out one after another... Tsk tsk, lucky brat.]

Jeanne lowered her head. She felt again the formidable strength of Tumor Xiang Shan. When King Aqini cleared the training camp, he had used an entire legion. Under similar circumstances, she wouldn’t have been able to fight her way through on her own.

But Tumor Xiang Shan was able to fight all the way through, even causing a small area’s defenses to fall into chaos.

It was precisely because Tumor Xiang Shan and Jeanne broke through the enemy’s blockade that people were able to escape.

[But, Asgard didn’t mention anything about... about the other ’you.’]

"Hmm, from what we can see so far, there’s absolutely no sign of ’Xiang Shan in her brain.’ There are no emotional fluctuations triggered by any interaction, nor are there any sudden exposures of Xiang Shan’s behavioral habits."

"I thought all survivors should... should be like me."

"Not necessarily," Tumor Xiang Shan sighed, "And after we arrive on Mars, at least we’ll be able to obtain the Restoring Enzyme more easily. It’s precisely because the small doses of Restoring Enzyme have been delaying my deterioration that you have been able to survive until now. Remember, I am a fatal disease to you."

In other words, if the "Xiangshan-type Neuroma" started to deteriorate rapidly and the host had no Restoring Enzyme at that moment, it might truly disappear.

However, the neural network that forms when this neuroma enters its rapid development stage might not necessarily be able to sustain a "Xiang Shan" personality.

It could be said that the final outcome could very likely be "the host’s Self-Consciousness completely vanishing, leaving behind a madman with some Xiang Shan characteristics."

It was precisely this "either both die, or one dies" situation that led Xiang Shan to recommend the option of "high dose Restoring Enzyme injection" to Jeanne. At least with that, Jeanne might still have a chance to live.

After sensing the complicated fear in the depths of Jeanne’s soul, Tumor Xiang Shan said, "Let’s leave it at that. Don’t think too much. If it really comes to it, I have also suggested a fallback plan. You know it. And this time, you’d better be careful, really, just bring that bastard here..."

"Can it succeed?"

"Am I not familiar with that guy? A spineless one, just threaten him with a knife. As long as you’re careful, not giving him a chance to counterattack, you can expect him to complete the mission."

Xiang Shan said so.

Jeanne could even feel a cold hatred and faint disdain emerging from the depths of her heart.

Asgard clapped Jeanne on the shoulder, "Hey."

Jeanne startled, brought her attention back to her surroundings.

Asgard asked, "Any clues?"

Jeanne shook her head. The data transmitted back by the virus was meaningless.

Jeanne even wondered if the Mobile Cavalry were retreating.

"Huh," Asgard said. "I think your condition is quite serious. You spaced out again."

Jeanne slapped her head, "Let it be..."

Your attitude..." Asgard suddenly flared up, "It’s really you, isn’t it? No respect for your own life... just want to let Xiang Shan reincarnate, huh?"

Her hand rested on her weapon: "It’s exactly because of problematic individuals like you that innocent people like us suffer! So many comrades! All dead!"

Jeanne immediately stepped back, "Asgard, you promised that you wouldn’t fight with me now..."

Asgard stared at Jeanne, withdrew her stance, "Of course I won’t..."