Russell left the institute alone without waking Mr. Otter, who was already drunk enough to fall asleep.

The float that had brought him and Mr. Otter here was still parked at the door. picked up Russell and took him to the hotel arranged by Tongshen Island.

That's the Tartarus Hotel in District G3, which is said to be the most luxurious high-rise hotel on Tongshen Island.

A place that doesn't sound very auspicious to Russell – in Greek mythology, "Tartarus" is the name of hell. Of course, there was no such element in the language of this era.

Because there are no widespread folk myths in this world. Although I don't know what the terrestrial era was, the seven empty islands had already completed the unification of the language in the Sky Island Era.

They did not speak any of the languages of the same earth that Russell had spoken on earth. Miraculously, it can clearly express the specific meaning of other languages across civilizational systems. It is precisely because there is no difference between language and writing between the empty islands, at most there is a difference in dialects, that this kind of "sky island civilization" will be formed - any air island person can go directly to another air island without paying any study or preparing any funds.

Ringo, who was born on Sun Island, would not have been recognized as a foreigner at a glance if it weren't for her overly revealing clothes and the cultural style of Tongshen Island at first glance.

If she dresses up well, she and Russell can also blend in with the locals smoothly. But I felt that if I put on clothes, Ringo would be too shy...... So Russell gave up on this request.

He didn't really need any bodyguards anyway, and it was undoubtedly a good thing to have an excuse to get rid of his eyes.

Russell sat in the float and rubbed his temples a little tiredly.

- His guess was correct. It would have been helpful to come with Mr. Otter to the institute where he worked to have a look, and it would have been helpful to their investigation.

What I saw with my own eyes this time, those synths who have not yet defected...... The way they lived and existed somewhat shocked Russell.

He could only sit in the floating car and sighed deeply.

It's not powerlessness, it's confusion.

In just two days, his attitude towards synths has gone from disapproval to anger, from anger to indifference, from indifference to sympathy, from sympathy to pathos.

Russell did not lack strength, nor did he lack the wisdom to solve all this.

He's just confused...... In other words, it was precisely because Russell knew that he could do so many things, and that his existence and decisions could play a decisive role in the development of the situation, that he hesitated what he should do.

If you choose the wrong one – there's no room for change.

Prior to this, Russell's identity was very simple and clear:

He is a member of the Special Operations Department of the Celestial Grace Group, and his duties, tasks, and missions are to analyze reports of suspected demons and investigate those who may be psychic out of control. Monitor the demons among them, locate the real demons, and capture or execute them.

Demons are evil, humans are good. What is righteous and what is right is clear at a glance.

After all, the food of the devil is the human being. No matter how tragic the reality of the awakened psionic can be, and how pitiful the person is, the words of a mere non-psionic person will not lead to death...... But if you fall out of control and become a demon, you will inevitably eat people in order to maintain your existence.

In the recreation mechanism of Happiness Island, there are many demons who gradually weaken, go crazy, and die because they do not eat people. Before they die, they will continue to produce their own psionic chips like cattle - and if they are useful enough, they may be able to get the souls of one or two people to continue their existence, in order to produce more chips.

In any case, since they live by eating people, and there is no alternative food to the diet except for the human soul, then demons can only be mortal enemies of humans. No matter how merciful you are to the people who became demons, you must also hunt down demons mercilessly.

At that time, Russell was in the aura of justice and would not hesitate to act.

…… And now, he suddenly realized that the inertia of this way of life has been broken.

What is good and what is evil – what is he should do and what are the consequences of his actions. What is the suffering, what is the pain, what is the hatred, what is the longing...... He has to understand it and engrave it in his heart.

——From a substitute for the annihilation of evil, to a judge who decides right and wrong. Whether it is in terms of ability, power and responsibility, and positioning, it is an absolute leap.

It also means that he can no longer give up thinking and follow orders.

He has to think for himself, draw his own conclusions, implement his plan firmly, and bear all the consequences of his decisions.

It's like a happy player without a brain who suddenly realizes that a brain is about to grow out of his hollow echoing brain with more and more ways to play and become more and more playable - the process of growing a brain out of an empty tank without a brain is painful.

All the way from the lab to the hotel, Russell didn't think about what he should do.

I can only decide to wait until tomorrow morning to see the dust gap and the monkey-faced eagle.

Russell could feel that these synthesizer children obviously had real souls...... But why would Bubble-30 be so adamant that they have been eliminated and that they are discarded from the old era?

And if this is the consensus of synths, why is another group of synths, led by Naraku-7, demanding human rights?

They even demanded that they continue to "multiply" and produce new of their kind. They did not give up on their existence at all, and tried to fight for the survival of the population - even to the point of directly attacking the empty boats carrying innocent passengers. Why do they believe so firmly that they absolutely have the necessity to exist, and they have such a strong desire to survive?

Is it true that the number of "nirvana" is different between these two diametrically opposed currents of thought?

Russell didn't know.

The float carried him and landed directly on the twentieth floor of the Tartarus Hotel.

The hotel is just as tall as any other building on the island. And it has a considerable degree of height, from the twentieth floor to the twenty-first floor, and even the "second hall" that has been specially lengthened. From the twentieth floor upwards, there is the VIP area...... If you enter from the first floor of the street, you can't take the elevator directly to the 20th floor or above.

According to Mr. Driver, in order to enter the 20th floor from the 19th floor, additional registration is required.

Moreover, uncensored people are never allowed to enter more than 20 floors.

Heavily armed prosthetic security guards stood guard at every corner of the twentieth floor. And there are well-disciplined, silent patrol guards with robot dogs and drones, patrolling back and forth on the edge of the twentieth floor - not only inside the building, but even outside.

Even in the sky, there are drones flying over and over again. A black oppressive drone formed a "swarm of crows", constantly rolling up a piercing whistling sound.

Before Russell's float arrived, they were scanned by a swarm of drones. These drones did not interfere with the flight of the floating vehicle at all, and even accompanied the escort around.

And after Russell got off the floating car, four "security guards" who even had their heads replaced with prosthetic bodies greeted him respectfully with a team of drones and four mechanical dogs.

Although nominally "security guards", the exoskeleton armor worn by these security guards is even handsome enough to make Russell a little envious:

It was a matte black armor that covered the entire body and made a heavy stomping sound when walking. The full-coverage helmet couldn't even see the eyes, which were supposed to be the dim yellow night vision lights where the eyes were lit up - black and yellow were the signature colors of Shenzhi Heavy Industries, just as the logo colors of the Tianen Group were red and white.

In the gaps and decorations of this armor, you can also see the same dim yellow energy lamp.

It looks like a knight from the depths of hell. It doesn't look cyber at all, it's even fantastical.

And these people gathered together, wearing different specifications of exoskeleton armor, as if the army of the demon king was marching in line.

Behind them, without exception, they were all branded with a huge faint yellow six-pointed star, which was the trademark of Shenzhi Heavy Industries.

On their chests is the logo of a high-rise hotel in Tartarus: a giant eye looking down on an abstract "person" below.

"Good evening, Mr. Ultramarine!"

The four "knights" who walked towards Russell first bowed to their chests and said in unison, "Tartarus wishes you a pleasant and relaxing evening. ”

A platoon of drones circled Russell. Several large drones turned on a soft, non-glare light source above his head, staining him and the area he was in clear in daylight. The light was specially treated to allow Russell to see the path without blinding him – but not necessarily if others were glaring.

Russell was a little stunned for a moment.

He looked around a little confused.

only to find that whether it is a "knight" on duty motionless, or a "knight" on patrol. The moment Russell swept his gaze, they immediately sensed Russell's gaze, and knew Russell's identity before they turned around and confirmed it with their eyes - they turned around and respectfully stroked their chests and bowed without looking at Russell.

And when Russell finally walked towards the hall, the four prosthetic security guards followed Russell in the four corners. At exactly the same rate as Russell, he looked around vigilantly while sending Russell forward. Others were not even allowed to approach Russell within two meters.

The other prosthetic security guards, dressed as knights, also stepped back as soon as Russell came within ten meters and knelt down on one knee to salute Russell. The knights' salute in unison, combined with the exoskeleton armor they were wearing, made a neat, heavy, loud sound.

Except for the initial welcome, there was silence after that. The 20th floor itself has an aerial parking lot, which is dedicated to parking floating cars. The other guests who got off the bus left Russell in a hurry, didn't even dare to look at Russell, and just walked away in small steps around Russell's side.

"My Iceberg Beauty Wife"

Even Russell, who enjoyed the treatment of a big star on Happiness Island, was the first time to enjoy such an exaggerated reception style.

It's a little bit outrageous.

Russell didn't even know why Shenzhi Heavy Industries would arrange such a hotel for himself - it was like celebrating his birthday in Haidilao.

And these security guards are even more outrageous.

Russell is very, very sure - whether it is Happiness Island or Tongshen Island, their executive department definitely does not have such professionalism.

Even the security guards at the headquarters of the Tianen Group are far less professional than them.

Russell could immediately sense the gaze and even identify the owner of the gaze directly by just sweeping it over from them - although it is unclear if this is the function of their exoskeleton or the special function of the prosthesis, Happiness Island certainly does not have this kind of technology.

And he only had to take a look at the material of the armor and knew that it was also outrageously strong - at least a shotgun against a nearby spray would create a few small craters at most.

- Because the material of this exoskeleton armor is a special material for mechatrons.

"What is the identity of this hotel? Is it a Shenzhi Heavy Industries hotel? ”

Russell asked such questions to the security guards around him.

It's not clear who to ask, but since they can even sense their own gaze, it shouldn't be surprising that such a trivial matter is not surprising.

As a result, just after Russell had finished asking, the door of the hotel on the twentieth floor opened—the hotel manager, who looked to be about twenty years old, had a pair of horns on his head, and had black hair like a waterfall, and was unusually plump, and bowed to Russell from afar.

After the salute, Russell walked to the gate.

She also happened to raise her head, and followed Russell not far behind her right without a pause.

"You guessed right. This is the hotel where the board of directors of Shenzhi Heavy Industries lives. ”

The hotel manager's voice was soft and clear: "The directors of our head office and some of the senior management of our company live in Tartarus. I'm your manager, number 44. ”

"Elf Director?" Russell asked rhetorically.

"Non-permanent directors."

She replied, "The twelve non-permanent directors are here, from the 49th to the 45th floor. ”

Non-permanent directors, that is, human directors, are another polite way to put it.

"Has Ringo arrived?"

"Your girlfriend has reached the 44th floor. She is now in room 4401, but the entire 44th floor private room belongs to you. ”

The hotel manager didn't stare at Russell the whole time, and said respectfully: "If you need any service or want to see anyone, you don't need to go to the front desk or make an internal call." You say it anytime, anywhere, and we hear it. We will arrange it for you as soon as possible, so you can work in any form without leaving Tartarus.

"If you don't know the exact address, we can help you find it; If you don't know the other person's name, you can also give us a mental portrait, and our hotel is connected to Shenzhi Heavy Industries' internal database.

"If you need a playmate in any form or any kind of request, you can always ask us. If you don't want to speak, you can click on the pop-up window to confirm the installation of 'Tartarus Services' after you enter the 44th floor. Just typing can also come up with any form of search and service. ”

"Any?"

Russell asked rhetorically, "What if I want a symphony orchestra, or a ballet company?" ”

"Arranged for you at any time, arrived within half an hour."

"What if I want you?"

"It's an honor."

The hotel manager with long black hair replied respectfully without hesitation.

"Then what if," Russell said in a deep voice, "whose head do I want?" ”

"We can hunt any animal for you."

The manager replied, "It can be delivered within an hour, either alive or marked." ”

"Oh? How much does it cost? ”

"It's free," she replied respectfully, without any fluctuation in her tone, "as long as you're a guest of honor at our hotel." Other guests below the 44th floor can be called at any time if you want to meet them. ”

…… The style of Tongshen Island is indeed completely different from that of Happiness Island.

Russell was keenly aware of this.

He shook his head: "Forget it...... I didn't talk about those things.

"Ringo is on the 44th floor, right?"

"Yes, I'll take you to the dedicated elevator."

Number 44 replied.

------Off topic------

Grass, I finished writing at half past nine today, and then I went to dinner, thinking that it would be better to come back early anyway.

Then I lay down peacefully after eating.,After squinting for a while, I came back and forgot about it.,Just now I saw the group and Sister Ze reminded me that I haven't sent it yet......

If it weren't for the reminder of today's full attendance, it wouldn't be in vain (sad)

I'm not a stupid cat, I'm not a stupid cat......