A passenger plane from Tsubame landed at Fukuoka Airport. The passengers who stepped off the plane complained that the virtual reality virus was raging, and the entertainment system on board was forced to shut down. Not only that, but the customs identity verification, which could have been completed in the virtual reality system before disembarking, was also stopped due to the virus and temporarily changed to manual inspection. The entry formalities that could have been completed in a few minutes now have to be filled with a long queue.

A young man wearing a mask walked through a special passage. The officer who was waiting there to check his passport looked at his passport and the letter he was carrying, looked at him again, and nodded solemnly.

"Telemedicine in Japan...... Particularly developed. At eight o'clock tomorrow morning, more than 1,000 people will lie on the operating table, waiting for the doctors thousands of miles away to see me. …… Including my children. The officer said in jerky English, "Please!" ”

Xie Weishi hurried through the corridor of the airport, and there were large and small Bodo dolls in the glass window, and he saw at a glance the one that looked like a ruler between his eyebrows. Xie Weishi shook his head to sober himself up and look at it again, but it was just a noh with thin lips.

According to the agreement with Shi Zhengrong, a car was prepared for him outside the airport.

The location he located was not far from Hakata Port. Driving the car, he quickly approached the area of the docks. The wide road is lined with square, boxy, box-like warehouses, mostly in a similar color to the blue sea.

The location of the location finally coincided with his position, and Xie Weishi stopped in front of a house that was not much different from the surrounding warehouses.

He stepped out of the car, and the salty, wet and icy sea breeze hit his face heavily, as if it had been coated with fine grains of salt, and there was a rough pain on his skin.

It was quiet all around, with the occasional whistle of a ship in the harbor. Seagulls quacked, and wave after wave of water crashed onto the shore. The low warehouses could not block the view, and the vast gray-blue sky was everywhere as far as the eye could see. However, such a big sky pressed on it, and for the first time, Xie Wei felt breathless.

The warehouse is closed. He walked around the warehouse and found a small door. The door he pushed the door the first time it didn't open, and when he turned back the second time, it was already open. Xie Weishi walked in without hesitation, but with a slight hook on his toes, he picked up a small pebble and stuck it in the crack of the door.

The warehouse was empty, and a hot air was blowing in my face. On all four walls are huge exhaust fans, and the light is cast on the ground through the rotating fan blades, and the shadows are constantly shaking, as if the whole house is walking.

The smell was the smell of the machines he was familiar with. The floor is obviously cleaned, but any metal or plastic surface has a thin layer of dust adsorbed to it. It's static electricity.

Xie Weishi was in it, and the "buzzing" sound in his ears continued, like tinnitus, which was irritating and headache. But as far as the eye can see, there is nothing special except for the exhaust fans on the walls and the dense capillary network of pipes on the roof and the ground.

But Xie Weishi knew that this was just the tip of a huge iceberg, showing the surface of the water.

There was an elevator by the wall, and he walked in, and the elevator door closed, and the dazzling and blazing white light came straight in, causing him to reach out quickly to block it, and close his eyes. When I opened my eyes again, I was already in a blank space, and the light was pouring down from overhead, and it was pitch black all around.

The feeling of being exposed to the spotlight is frightening and helpless, like a newborn, defenseless lamb that has been washed and laid clean on a cutting board.

Xie Weishi looked down at the ground, and the shadow cast by his body made his eyes feel better. He whispered:

"Ruler between the eyebrows."

There was a gurgling sound, like a large number of bubbles spitting out in the water, like laughter, like panting.

He whispered again: "Sheng Yan, is it you?" ”

The purring sound was gone, with some remaining fragments of the sound, as if the bubbles had broken in the water, turning into more fine bubbles and floating upwards, followed by a deathly silence.

"Sheng Yan!"

Xie Weishi shouted louder again, as if to wake up a sleeping person.

However, what awaited him was a long whip that swung out of nowhere, and the lightning flashed in the darkness. Xie Weishi was caught off guard, he was hit in the back strongly, and he fell to the ground, and a violent burning sensation flew on his back, and he knew that the thick jacket he was wearing had been penetrated.

"I don't understand-" he shouted in severe pain, "Kill people, kill a lot of people, are you still the same Sheng Yan before?" ”

Another whip. Xie Weishi, who was just about to get up, was knocked to the ground again, and at this time, the electric shock that made his arms on the ground tremble weakly, and his heart, which had been punched by the ruler between his eyebrows, began to ache strongly.

He had a vague sense that this was just the beginning.

"Stop killing people." He lay on the ground, gasped and said, "Sheng Yan, do you know that you almost killed your own family just now?" ”

Sure enough, the whip swung again, this time faster and more violently, as if carrying a sudden burst of anger. Xie Weishi had already figured out where the long whip came from, and rolled on the spot to avoid the whip. The whip slammed into the ground, sending up a cloud of dust and electric sparks.

"You say something!" Xie Weishi hissed and shouted, "I know, you have no organs now, you don't have lungs, you can't speak, but you can speak!" Aren't you going to let me die? Say it again! ”

The long whip flew again, and with a punitive rage, Xie Weishi got up with his hands and feet, and rushed out of the snowy pillar of light, but he heard a "bang", and he slammed into a barrier that he had not seen before. The whip snake bit his already bare back, burning the droplet-like scar into a long scorched black.

Xie Weishi's body spasmed, he gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, and his hands clenched into fists. After several successive shocks, the body was about to lose control. He knew that this was just a high-voltage electric shock that caused less damage, how could Sheng Yan destroy his dignity later?

"You hate me so much...... Is it because of Long Zhen, or is it Fang Chi—ah—"

A miserable scream was cut off by Xie Weishi. He watched as a sharp iron hook came out from under his left shoulder blade, hoisting him up. The pain was so intense that he had to grab the hook with his right hand to lighten the weight on his shoulder bone.

Purr Purr –

The strange voice sounded again. Xie Weishi suddenly understood that he was laughing.

The voice of electronic synthesis finally rang out—

"Xie Weishi, aren't you very strong? You can't even solve such a virus? ”

The tone is cold and emotionless. If it's a voice from the mouth, I'm afraid it can still carry a hint of mockery, right?

Xie Weishi endured the severe pain and shook his head, "Can't-"

There was another creepy laugh in the darkness, "Aren't you going to pursue hacking technology wholeheartedly?" Don't you want to give up the path of healing? Look at you, how have you grown in the past seven years? What is life like now? Like a dog? Hahahahaha......ha

"I ......"

Xie Weishi grabbed the iron hook with his right hand, supporting the weight of his whole body, and he secretly tried to remove his left shoulder from the iron hook. However, the slightest movement of his whole body was like a sharp pain, and the iron hook could not move at all—the hook had barbs on it to prevent regression. Blood snaked down his body, dripping to the ground.

"I didn't want to join the nineteenth game with you back then, it turns out that you have always hated me to this extent. The Tao is different, so the old and the dead don't get along, right? ”

"I Sheng Yan disdain to be in the company of people who are as timid as a mouse!"

"That's why you just changed Avatar's name, didn't you?"

"Yes, I'm ashamed to be on the same level as Guest. As long as you can accomplish the ideal in your heart,. What is the name T? Later, you came forward to pull the girl surnamed Ding, and I thought you had grown. Who knew that you would later make a shrunken turtle again! Xie Weishi, you are a bloodless man! Shame on you! ”

Xie Weishi's head suddenly rose with all his might, "Do you know why I didn't join the Nineteenth Bureau back then?" ”

There was an electric sneer in the void, very sharp. "The so-called hacker spirit you adhere to, not for fame, not for profit, in my opinion, is hypocrisy."

"I only told you half of it that time." The palpitations from the click were still hitting his heart wave after wave, making his voice weak.

"I saw the process of the murderer killing Long Zhen, and I was the only one who saw it. I made a note with the police, but the police couldn't do anything about it. I mentioned to you the rose that passed through Long Zhen's chest, have you forgotten? You decided that the Rose Road was the object of revenge, and described to me in detail your plan to fight the Rose Road after joining the Nineteenth Round. But I decided to target that person, the man with the rose in his hand! I'm pretty sure that if I join the nineteenth round, I'll be limited and won't be free to look for that person. ”

He smiled a little disappointed, "At that time, I was really young and vigorous, so brave and ruthless, you said that I was not hot and unfamiliar, you and Long Zhen regarded me as my own junior brother, but I always only cared about my own affairs." I hadn't washed off the bloody smell of dragon shock on my hands at that time, so I couldn't stand you saying something like that! So I didn't explain, I was bent on catching that person that day, avenging Long Zhen and hating it, and then raising my eyebrows in front of you! ”

The void continued to sneer, "So what? Did you catch it? I extinguished the Rose Road for the Dragon, what did you do? ”

"The Rose Road was once very active in North America, so I took the opportunity to study in the United States, investigated them for a long time, and finally found out that the person who killed Long Zhen was a hacker named Ither, who was the earliest founder of the Rose Road. But after this man founded the Rose Road, he let it develop freely, and he didn't see the end of the dragon. I've tried a lot of tricks to find out where he is, and you've tried to eradicate the Rose Path, but there's no her in the list of criminals you've obtained. ”

In the void, there was silence.

Xie Weishi continued: "At that time, I was arranged by Johns Hopkins University to visit a hospital. After hacking into the hospital's system, I saw a confidential list of foreign dignitaries for special medical treatment, so I came up with a trick.

"You know I have a specialty of writing code in other people's styles. So I imitated ither style and stole a secret medical report of a Russian presidential candidate. The candidate was a high-profile campaigner, but he hid his illness that did not meet the requirements of the campaign. When the report got out, it really made the candidate fall short at the last minute. Soon, the KGB began to arrest ither.

"You know better than I do what the KGB is. At the time, it was rumored that the Ither had been killed, but the news was not confirmed. But in any case, ither was badly damaged and disappeared for a long time, during which time you destroyed the Rose Road.

In fact, there was no speech in the void, but the air seemed to become heavy and stagnant.

Xie Weishi's voice did not stop.

"At that time, I really thought he was dead, and for a long time, there was a sense of relief that the stone in my heart had fallen to the ground. I was about to return to China during that winter vacation, but the ither suddenly appeared in front of me-

His voice suddenly stopped, and after a while, he said, "I was shot, he probably thought I was dead, but I survived." I didn't dare to contact the school again, and I didn't dare to use my previous identity to smuggle back to China.

Later, ither seemed to have evaporated from the world, and no trace of his activities could be found. But I knew he was still alive, and my heart was always uneasy, and I wrote you a long letter in Maandala listing all the information I had gathered about the ither at that time. You didn't reply to me, I didn't succeed in avenging Long Zhen after all, so I didn't have the courage to come to you. ”

Xie Weishi laughed miserably, "Now that I think about it, giving up looking for you should be the most wrong decision for me." I later logged on to your Avatar and found out that you had blocked my messages. If I could have held on a little bit at the time...... The person behind the nerves who was able to realize Nerve Rose earlier was ither...... You're not going to be what you are. ”

"You talk nonsense! - "The synthesized voice suddenly became sharp and manic!

Xie Weishi tried his best and shouted for tat with him: "Stop, Sheng Yan!" You're being taken advantage of by ither! He is the one who killed you, and he is the one who resurrected you! ”

The light above Xie Weishi's head suddenly went out, and the moment it went out, in the fading light and shadow, he vaguely saw countless octopus tentacles dancing angrily. Bright electric light flashed before his eyes, and before he had time to fear, the heart-wrenching pain had already swept over the world. His right hand instantly released, and a second wave of sharp pain rushed through the pierced shoulder bone. He couldn't even scream, only that his body had an extremely humiliating reaction. This is a method that is very familiar to the people of the nineteenth game, but it is extremely unfamiliar to him. He curled up on the hook, spasming from time to time.

"A fictional character."

The sound of purring. He was laughing.

"Xie Weishi, you must be crazy." A voice in the darkness said, "Does the Ither really exist?" Or are you imagining it to make up an excuse for your seven years of ignorance and cowardice? Do you think I'll be able to let you go by telling such a story full of mistakes and omissions? It's naïve ......"

The cold metal limbs pressed against Xie Weishi's face, stopping his sweat, "I should have known that your willpower is so weak, you can't stand such a small punishment, you are not qualified to enter the nineteenth round, let alone stay by Fang Chi's side." ”

Sweat and blood trickled down to the ground. "Since I'm here, I haven't thought about going back." After a long time, a deep voice sounded, hoarse and dry.

"I'm telling you this, just to let you know that if the Rose Road is ither's first work, and the Nerve Rose is his second work, then you, now the ruler between the eyebrows, are his third proud work."

The electronic voice roared!

"If, as you say, I destroy the Path of the Rose, ither should hate me to the core! ——”

"So he dismembered you." Xie Weishi faintly interrupted him.

"Then why did ither let me survive and let me destroy the nerve rose he created!"

"You-" Xie Wei breathed heavily, "do you dare me to look at you?" Let me see what kind of monster you've become. ”

purr......

The light suddenly hit, and Xie Weishi narrowed his eyes-

He was in a room that looked like a mechanical forest. Those machines were large and small, densely packed, with an airiness of cold and precision. The hook turned, and he looked around, barely able to tell what each machine was capable of, which were servers and which were life support systems...... He saw a neural prosthesis, a torso and limbs, still highly realistic design. However, there was no head on the torso - it seemed that Sheng Yan was not satisfied with this body.

The room resembles a tropical jungle, with metal "vines" growing everywhere, which are extremely vigorous, rich and delicate. Xie Weishi recognized the electric whip that had whipped him just now, the fist that had struck him in the heart before...... His iron hook now hangs, one of many vines.

This jungle is alive. The vines were all squirming slightly, as if following some rhythm similar to the pulse of the human body.

This forest of metals has a common root system. Xie Weishi looked at the end of the root system and finally saw it clearly......

That face.

Xie Weishi's tears slowly flowed. But mixed with a thick layer of sweat on his face, and he couldn't see clearly.

That face was not much different from what he remembered, and even more vivid!

He just pale a little. In a colorless and transparent liquid, it floats like a jellyfish. Below the neck, a trachea is implicated, and there is a nearly intact nervous system, red and white, like a net.

If he remembered correctly, when she put on Sheng Yan's wooden boots, she avoided Sheng Yan's most important nervous system in his body. He repeatedly confirmed with Shi Zhengrong in the nineteenth bureau that the leg of Sheng Yan sent back was chopped and almost did not contain nerve tissue.

Today, the neural net is filled with electrodes, like countless roots, extending to the metal vines outside.

Xie Weishi was already convinced that all these metal vines were already part of Sheng Yan's body.

This network of nerves was so delicate and fragile, and those metal limbs, so powerful and ruthless, that they could tear apart his body with just one stroke.

Xie Weishi remembered the battle in Maandala - in order to maintain the illusion that Avatar was still human, Sheng Yan obviously adjusted his strength to a range that was acceptable to humans, otherwise, where would he still have a chance to appear here today?

"Monsters?" Sheng Yan's lips squirmed, and his eyes shone with a bright and exuberant brilliance! "Are you sympathetic to me? But I don't need any sympathy now, I'm stronger now than ever! ”

He skillfully shook an unusually long arm, which had five fingers on it, and when he grabbed Xie Wei, he gently rolled him over and hung it in front of his eyes. In the metal palm, Rao looked like a paper figure when Xie Wei was a man.

"You're just a tiny bug right now."

Xie Weishi's eyes widened slightly. "You're ...... now. It's really like a rose, a ...... Nerve Rose ......"

"What did you say!" The jellyfish-like floating head grows lips and grows and grows. Describing him in flowers, he clearly felt it was an insult. The metal palm tightened, and Xie Weishi felt as if the bones in his whole body were about to be pinched off. He struggled and said:

"Nerve Rose...... It's just a tool, a springboard...... Ither doesn't care at all...... What he probably wants most is to merge the human body and the machine...... You are his most successful experiment so far, every step you take is his success, watching you destroy his nerve rose, there must be a twisted excitement in his heart......"

Xie Weishi's eyes were weak and persistently staring at Sheng Yan's eyes - how eager Sheng Yan was to survive! What a desire for achievement, destruction, and destruction! How can a person who has not experienced the despair of death, who has not experienced the obsession of death surging under the glacier, have such a strong vitality!

Even a single head can destroy the world!

However, it is this vitality that makes ither.

"You killed Zenzawa, but you just paved the way for him to get a patent for vein recognition; You have uncovered the hidden design of the OVR, and the ither takes the opportunity to seize control of the OVR; Now you're spreading the virus in virtual reality, and he's doing it again to take down Maandala. In the future, the hardware and software of virtual reality are in his hands, and he can't do whatever he wants. He helps you survive, He takes care of all your needs, He fits you with neuroprosthetics, He gives you Avatar!

"You move forward step by step, enjoying the reverence of calling the wind and rain in the virtual world, enjoying the glory of the Creator of destruction and creation, have you ever thought that every step is the honey he throws behind, the temptation to you?!"

"Sheng Yan! You're being used by ither all the time! Did You Know? ”

With a "bang", Xie Weishi was thrown from mid-air to the ground like a discarded object. The iron hook was smashed backwards, bringing out a large amount of flesh and bones, and the pain was as sharp as the heart and lungs. He twitched, and vomited a mouthful of blood. He muttered:

"If torturing me can make you feel better, then you can enjoy it."

Sheng Yan opened his mouth, and a large string of bubbles flew out.

Gollum......

Okay -

The voice seemed to be far and near, real and false, and Xie Weishi couldn't tell whether it was Sheng Yan's words or the vain fantasy in his heart. Sharp metal pierced his body, and he warmed the cold things with his blood. But the temperature is ticking. Unconscious, he vaguely felt himself being held into a slender embrace. It's thin, but it's warm and real.

He heard an "ah", the electronically synthesized kind. Then he felt all the light disappear.