Life Game In Other World
Chapter 740: Remnants of an Angel (Vote for Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 740: Chapter 740: Remnants of an Angel (Vote for Monthly Tickets)

[Item Number: 009-2]

[Item Level: Angelic]

[Researchers: Dr. %*#, @）*#, ▋▋▋▉, etc.]

[Precautions:

The research environment for 009-2 must be a clean, tidy open space; all buildings comprising the space must present regular symmetric patterns.

Researchers working on 009-2 need to wear specially made research suits with nested tetrahedron patterns. No researcher may approach within five meters of 009-2 without protective gear, nor may they touch 009-2 with their hands.

009-2 will emit an ’attraction’ to all people around, any researchers should not look at 009-2 directly with the naked eye. If one feels comfortable in the orderly space and develops a certain craving for symmetry and order, please report immediately and leave the research area, returning to the third layer.

009-2 tends to self-replicate. If replication is observed, one must immediately control the laser cannon to destroy the replicating part, and the Research Institute’s AI mainframe will monitor 009-2’s condition.]

[Item Background:

009-2 and 009-1 were both discovered within a fragment of a fallen comet.

When 009-2 was initially found, it was a symmetrical ’concave’ shaped block, about 10 centimeters long and 5 centimeters high, with a surface and structure exhibiting wooden characteristics.

009-2 displays hostility toward all non-symmetric, fleshy organisms around it. Non-symmetric fleshy organisms without disguise, upon approaching 009-2, would be directly stripped of their flesh and crafted into new ’blocks’ through unknown means.

The squad that initially found 009-2 suffered heavy losses, with only a few mechanized individuals with symmetrical Mechanized Bodies surviving and bringing back 009-2 and 009-1.

009-2 and 009-1 were first placed in a laboratory on the southern coast of the Federation’s Third District, then they were transferred to this Research Institute.]

[Experiment Record 1:

By placing 009-2 in an asymmetric environment, it was found that 009-2 has the ability to reshape its environment, turning asymmetric parts of the inorganic environment into symmetrical structures.

This reshaping ability might strengthen as 009-2 becomes more powerful, with walls within its range being reshaped and dissolved by it.

Being in a symmetrical, orderly environment for an extended period keeps 009-2 quiet.]

[Experiment Record 2:

009-2 continuously affects all flesh-and-blood life in the same space, and prolonged presence in the same environment with 009-2 leads to a fanatic fondness for symmetrical items, patterned objects, and extremely orderly order.

Some of the affected individuals will attempt to remove their disguise suits or directly touch 009-2, hoping to be stripped of their flesh by 009-2 and become part of it.]

[Experiment Record 3:

Observation of 009-2 revealed that the lives it affected exhibited a certain quietness; 009-2’s ability can somewhat suppress Polluted Monsters inclined to madness.

Experiments showed that even highest-level B ranked exotic beasts or Polluted Monsters, upon entering the 009-2 experimental area, displayed ’sleepiness,’ ’bewilderment,’ and ’quietness.’

The 009-2 experimental area could potentially be transformed into a place to confine high-level mad monsters.]

What followed were various experiment records concerning 009-2’s effects on Polluted Monsters. He Ao’s gaze quickly swept over these records and flipped to the latter half of the research log.

[Experiment Record 9:

······(Garbled)······experiment with 009-2···(Garbled)···experiment······(Garbled)······009-2······(Garbled)······might not possess intelligence and communication abilities.]

The following was a large section of unreadable garbled text. He Ao continued to flip through, approximately turning one page before new, readable text appeared in his vision.

[Encrypted Record, please verify ##￥ clearance]

[Clearance @#￥ verified successfully, verifier @#￥]

[Encrypted Experiment Record 1:

Investigation by specialized Transcendent researchers confirmed that 009-1 and 009-2 originate from two different ’entities.’

009-2 may originate from the remnants left by an Angel, while 009-1 comes from···(Garbled)···]

The mainframe’s computational data on 009-2’s reproduction indicate that, given enough flesh, 009-2 might reach B-level strength and recover some powers from the Angel to some extent.]

[Encrypted Experiment Record 2:

Further study of 009-2 and 009-1 revealed that 009-2’s ability can somewhat suppress 009-1’s ability.

By placing 009-2 and 009-1 together in the same space and, according to 009-1’s experimental conditions, taking one red and one blue ball and placing each in two symmetrical boxes to the left and right respectively.]

The two boxes were sealed, and all experimental personnel evacuated for ten minutes.

Upon returning, the personnel cut open the boxes and inspected their interiors; the red ball remained in the left box, and the blue ball remained in the right box.

Thus, 009-1’s ability did not take effect.

Extending the duration of the experiment and repeating it revealed that, over a short period, 009-2 can suppress the ability of 009-1.

It is feasible to place the passageway of the 009-1 laboratory beneath 009-2, placing it within a special interconnected space, allowing for the control of 009-1 through 009-2.]

Upon reading this, He Ao glanced up at the center of the circular control console, which is directly beneath the nested octahedron, where there was a tightly closed gate.

Then he looked back down, continuing to read the records on the screen.

These records seemed intentionally to avoid detailing the ability associated with item 009-1.

However, from the content of the experiments, one could still infer some of 009-1’s abilities.

The experiments involved a red and a blue ball, each placed in separate boxes; the final result showed that the positions of both balls remained unchanged, leading the experimenters to conclude that 009-1’s ability had not manifested.

So, by reverse reasoning, what would it mean if 009-1 did take effect? Would the positions of both balls change?

The red ball would move from the left box to the right box, and the blue ball would move from the right box to the left box.

Some sort of spatial ability?

What sort of ability could this be? Why must two balls be used in the experiment?

The red ball moving from left to right, the blue ball from right to left?

What should we call this ability?

Exchange?

At that moment, He Ao stood frozen in place.

All his thoughts, at that moment, were connected by those invisible lines.

So that’s how it is,

He Ao lowered his head, continuing to read the research records before him.

At the very bottom of the records, there was another piece of text.

[Encrypted Log 01:

Shard number 001 arrived soon after the placement of 009-2 and 009-1, and proposals from the Federal Science Academy suggest that with the power and spatial status of this shard, an array sufficiently encompassing over the entire Research Institute can be constructed, preventing 009-1 from going out of control.]

What follows are some simple experimental or observational logs, most of the content is repetitive of previous experimental records, and overall, all logs show a stable state.

He Ao quickly read through these logs, continuing to scroll down. Near the end of the entire set of research records, there are a few notably different entries.

[Encrypted Log 77:

009-2 has developed a form of mechanical corrosion, and Dr. ¥% suspects that 009-2 might affect the Research Institute’s main artificial intelligence, suggesting relocating the main AI from the fourth to the third layer and transferring the highest control of the fourth layer’s laser weapons to the third layer.

The Research Institute is considering the feasibility of this plan.]

[Encrypted Log 78:

Signs of abnormal activation have been observed in 009-2, with some Polluted Monsters detained on the fourth layer exhibiting dismemberment, yet the main control computer shows no alert.

Dr. ¥% believes that the monitoring level of 009-2 should be increased, and a new main control computer should be established.]

Following Encrypted Log 78, there is a section of gibberish occupying half a page, and at the end of this gibberish, there are only a few disjointed words that can barely be made out.

[We]···[were deceived]···[seal]···[possess]···[wisdom]···

While He Ao was looking at this gibberish, the screen next to him, which had always displayed the pattern of the nested tetrahedron, flickered suddenly, followed by some text rapidly appearing on the screen.

The text rolled like drums, continuously changing shape, from First District script to what looked like Fifth District script, and finally stabilizing into Second District script.

[Hello]

The pristine words floated over the orderly tetrahedron patterns.

[Welcome to the "Fourth Layer"]

[It has been a long time since any ’humans’ have come here.]

"Are you, 009-2?"

He Ao gazed at the text, murmuring in the language of the Second District.

The words on the screen swiftly started to change.

[A name is merely a code to distinguish one intelligent being from another.]

[If you insist on having a code to call me by,]

[I prefer the name ’Carpenter.’]

[It was my ’father’s’ code.]

Carpenter...

He Ao looked up at the massive ’building blocks’ above him, which aptly matched this new appellation, "When you speak of your father, is it akin to a human ’father’?"

It was then that He Ao heard a rustling sound coming from above.

He raised his head and looked up to see small blocks flying out from the constantly rotating giant octahedron made of building blocks.

The blocks, like flowing sand in the air, landed not far from He Ao, quickly stacking up into a wooden ’Elderly with a Long Beard’ leaning on a cane.

This ’Elderly’ did not have smooth skin; the edges of his entire body were clear-cut cubes, like a living building block toy.

"Not entirely."

A somewhat strange voice emanated from the Elderly’s mouth. His voice wasn’t mellow but rather resembled the whistling of the wind through a narrow and sharp crevice.

He looked at He Ao and, meeting his gaze, continued, "Strictly speaking, I was born from the remaining material body of my ’father’. I inherited some of his knowledge and memories, but I am not him."

He Ao watched the Elderly, recalling the experimental records which stated that 009-2 was a remnant of an ’Angel’.

Does that mean ’Carpenter’ was originally the name of that Angel, and the present ’009-2’ a new intelligence born from the remains of that Angel?

"Have you been hiding your intelligence all along? Taking the opportunity to control the main intelligence of this Research Institute?"

He recalled the last words in the records and casually asked.

"I simply returned these chaotic machines and flesh to the most beautiful order,"

The Elderly glanced at He Ao, then turned his head and looked behind at the neat piles of tetrahedral ’bone mountains’, "Don’t you think this scene is very ’beautiful’?"

He Ao glanced at the Elderly, recognizing the other possessed intelligence, but was still mad.

He did not engage with the Elderly’s remark but instead shifted the topic, "Do you share the same origin as 009-1?"

"Please don’t compare me with that creature,"

Visible emotional fluctuations appeared on the face of the Elderly, with the tiny cubes rippling like waves, "That creator of chaos and distortion severely disrupted the ’beauty’ of the world’s order."

"Yet, you cooperated with him?"

He Ao looked at him, smilingly inquiring.

The Elderly’s face ’rippled’ violently again at these words, and he shook his head, "I was merely temporarily following the call of a Greater Being."

"Which Greater Being?"

He Ao watched him intently.

"Unspeakable, unspeakable,"

The Elderly paused mid-sentence, looking at He Ao, and finally realized He Ao was using his emotions to fish for information.

He Ao had reviewed the entire research record. There was no chance he would be completely unaware of the contradiction between him and 009-1; he was merely using this topic to probe deeper and coax information out of him.

The Elderly looked down at He Ao, "Clever boy, you seem to be not afraid at all."

Upon hearing him say this, He Ao already knew that the Elderly had caught on. He smiled lightly, "I guess 009-1 has already become an Angel, and you, a B-level being, possess at most a fraction of angelic power. What do I have to fear?"

"What a joke!"

At those words, all the blocks on the elderly man’s body undulated like ripples, "What kind of complete angel is that guy? It’s just lucky enough to have inherited some higher status, but it’s nothing more than a forcibly elevated existence, with hardly any intelligence, the idiot."

"How could it have no wisdom if it’s so much stronger than you?"

He Ao looked at the elderly man in surprise.

"Of course,"

the elderly man snorted coldly, "with such a high status inherited, how could it possibly retain more wisdom?"

"Oh, so its status is higher than yours."

He Ao nodded thoughtfully, "It seems its ’father’ is stronger than your ’father’, huh?"

The elderly man was about to speak impulsively, then suddenly stopped and snorted coldly,

"Kid, don’t try to pry more words out of me.

"I don’t know what your intentions are, descending all the way from above, but you probably have some ideas about that idiot below.

"I can feel a hint of threat from you, which is why I’m seeing you in my ’human’ form right now, but I can tell you plainly, just based on that alone, you have only one way out against me, death.

"However, you do possess some strength.

"I now give you two options, merge with my body, return to the ultimate order, or stand guard at the door, take over for the puppet you killed, keep the gate for me, gather more flesh and blood for me.

"When I fully become an angel, I might set you free."

He Ao gazed at the block elderly man, considering this elderly man’s attitude towards 009-1 and the lack of outright denial, which in a way was an acknowledgment.

Combining the background information he had seen on 009-1 and 009-2, these two beings originated from two different Higher Beings,

009-2 came from an Angel, while the source of 009-1’s status was higher than that of Angels. Above Angels?

It was probably not a Divine Being, as something left by a Divine Being would not likely be suppressed by something left by an Angel. It must be an existence between a Divine Being and an Angel.

Besides, this event also involved a ’Great Being’.

It appeared that both 009-2 and 009-1 were now ’subordinates’ of that ’Great Being’.

So, was this event the ’handiwork’ of that Being?

How did he manage to make 009-2 and 009-1, two utterly opposed entities, ’get along’?

For such a high-ranking Transcendent Being, the opposition of Transcendent forces is almost an irreconcilable conflict. If possible, self-proclaimed ’Carpenter’ 009-2, would absolutely not ’work with’ 009-1.

Unless it had a reason it couldn’t refuse.

"Kid, are you listening to me?"

While He Ao was contemplating, the block elderly man looked at He Ao, who remained silent, and snorted coldly.

"Oh, what did you say?"

He Ao looked up at him and nodded lightly.

"Kid, are you mocking me?"

The blocks upon the elderly man’s body fluctuated rapidly.

"’Carpenter’ sir,"

He Ao held a black broadsword in his hand, calmly gazing at him, "have you ever seen a ’human’ who, while still in possession of their senses, surrenders to you?"

If someone had truly surrendered, the one standing at the gate wouldn’t be a controlled corpse.

At least, the person who remained here in the end, had probably never surrendered.

The block elderly man finally settled down, his gaze coldly fixed on He Ao, his whole body morphing into flowing blocks,

"Then embrace death."