The Creators: From Night City

Page 463

Jiang Bing did not answer, but instead used his cane to nudge her temporary employee, leading her back a dozen meters at a leisurely pace.

Just as Doria was about to speak, she saw an unidentified force in the distance launch a flying device into the air, which hovered silently above the group's heads.

A pale green scanning screen, invisible to ordinary people, suddenly exploded outwards, collecting all the data within its range.

The emerald green light curtain gradually expanded to its maximum detection range, and finally dissipated right under Jiang Bing's feet.

The two were positioned in a perfectly safe location, avoiding detection by the other side's equipment; this was certainly no coincidence.

Thanks to the knowledge provided by 'Fabricator-Unit-ξ', Jiang Bing was able to target his efforts effectively.

"Stay behind me and don't cross the line."

"Be careful of their detection equipment; we can't get too close," Jiang Bing warned.

"What was that just now?"

“The oracles, specifically the ‘Mars-Alpha oracles’ which are quite rare even within the Mechanicus,” Jiang Bing explained.

The small drone, directly modified onto the human skull, hovered silently above everyone's heads, continuously providing seemingly safe but valuable intelligence to the others.

"Master, no other suspicious targets have been detected in the vicinity," a guard reported to the leader of the group.

"Keep moving forward," came the cold, high-gothic voice from behind the automatic armor. "Avoid the planned, secluded route and take the alternative, well-trodden 'beast path.' We must maintain speed."

The group continued their trek through the bottom nest, completely unaware that two people were leisurely following them outside the detection range of the 'bird oracle'.

At the back of the line, Jiang Bing suddenly stopped explaining the knowledge about bird divination and instead asked the local, Doria, "What is 'the way of the beast'?"

The huntress was caught off guard by the question and was somewhat stunned, but she was gradually getting used to her powerful and mysterious employer's tendency to jump between topics, and quickly gave an answer.

"'Beast Trail' is a relatively safe route that people who make a living in the bottom nest have carved out over time with their lives. 'Beast Trail' may be difficult to walk or require detours, but it can avoid the activity areas of most mutated monsters and other dangerous areas."

The female hunter scratched her greasy, matted short hair and continued, "Everyone and every organization that makes a living in the Bottom Nest has their own 'beast path,' and they generally don't stray from it easily. This is the key to survival in the Bottom Nest."

"So you also have your own 'beastly way'?" Jiang Bing frowned as he looked at the thick layer of hair oil on the other person's hair, enough to make soap, and continued to ask.

“Of course, that was the one just now,” the hunter said helplessly.

"Then it seems you need to practice more; your 'beast path' isn't exactly safe."

“How can there be absolute safety in the bottom nest? Besides, how can I, one person, compare to those gangs with their large numbers and power?” Jiang Bing ignored Doria’s muttered complaints and turned his attention back to the group in front of him.

The knowledge provided by 'Fabricator-Unit-ξ' includes a complete set of information about 'Mars-Alpha type oracles', and for a 'craftsman', omniscience means a certain degree of omnipotence.

However, it was not difficult for Jiang Bing to use more force and quietly use the detection spectrum of the bird divination instrument to invade from the opposite direction.

Sir Hersar

A psionicist in the group suddenly asked a question while walking, but the private communication channel, which should have been top secret, was filled with a faint golden light that no one knew about.

Linda's boots stomped through the sewage, and invisible psychic pulses continued to emanate from between her fingers.

She trusted her own power more than the technological creations of the Mechanicus.

“I still have doubts about this operation. There is absolutely no need for your noble body to risk your life and actively contact the buried past creations. This is not in accordance with the teachings of the Imperial Codex.”

Sir Linda Hertha's voice was cold yet full of rationality.

"The Emperor is always watching over his people. In the state church, beneath the Emperor's statue, the supreme holy light never dies out. But as you know, the factories in the Middle Nest are still devouring lives every moment, and the crowded Lower Nest is still rife with plague and disease."

"The emperor is above, but He can hardly see the suffering beneath His feet. The vast Milky Way and countless planets are shrouded in war at this moment. There are always more important things for Him to attend to."

If such blasphemous remarks were heard by a pastor of the Church of England, he would at least be branded a heretic and cremated on the spot.

But Linda remained unperturbed and indifferent.

After all, it was a fact that the rulers of the entire Nest City were well aware that the higher one's position, the less likely they were to believe in the rhetoric of the state religion.

“But this place is far too dangerous, Sir. If anything happens to you here, the Dorvan family will suffer a devastating blow.”

"Compared to being slowly eroded by those bloated officials through various policies and dogmas, I would rather die on the spot than watch my family be gradually devoured by maggots."

“The upper and lower levels of the hive are actually the same, Linda.” Sir Helsa patiently reassured the psionicists in the group, after all, they were currently the strongest fighting force in the now-declining Dorvan family.

"Power is always the deciding factor in whether you can rise above others, whether it's position, military, wealth, or force."

“But this unknown past creation only exists in the family’s ancient records. I suspect it may never have existed, or it may have been destroyed long ago.”

“Linda!” Sir Hersar suddenly shouted.

A long silence descended, until the self-suspended iron coffin accidentally collided with a bend in the pipe, producing a dull thud that broke the stagnant atmosphere.

"I'm sorry, Sir, your will is my path."

Seeing that the other party had taken the initiative to back down, Sir Hersar seized the opportunity and immediately began to appease them.

“I have my reasons for doing this. The Licaran, Stel, and Haversa families have joined forces to expel the Dorvan family from the Spire Council, while the other three families have chosen to stand idly by and disregard the ancient covenant. We created this planet, and now we are to be expelled from the circle of power. This is unforgivable.”

Linda was quickly persuaded, while Jiang Bing, who was trailing behind the two, ate his fill of gossip.

"alert!"

Just as the commander and deputy commander in the group reached a consensus, the noblemen's private soldiers soon encountered other problems.

The bird-shaped instrument hovers in the air, emitting a multi-band spectrum that can penetrate thick metal and rock to some extent, scanning all targets within a wide area.

Now, it has detected the situation in advance and sounded the alarm again.

The bottom nest is not only full of mutants and mutant beasts, but also teeming with heretics, gang members, and the ubiquitous garbage collectors who are trying to escape the authorities.

A faint glow of promethium suddenly appeared at the end of the passage. A group of scavengers, laden with their loot, were carrying a dim promethium lamp and preparing to return to their camp when they unexpectedly ran into a group of unfamiliar noble private soldiers on their usual 'beast path'.

Advanced night vision equipment allowed Helsa to see the enemy's situation first. Facing the scavengers not far away, wearing privately made armor and wielding various rough handmade firearms or cold weapons, Sir Helsa immediately and without hesitation issued the battle order.

"Open fire, leave no survivors."

Chapter 940 Transformation Spirit

Death is insignificant in this world.

Hertha was willing to sacrifice hundreds or even thousands of lives without batting an eye to keep a secret.

Life is so precious in the human empire, yet so cheap.

The miniature bombs, weakened by the chewing iron scorpions, struck the garbage collectors, blasting them into dazzling flowers of flesh and blood.

Often, a single bullet can shatter a person into two pieces.

The enemy's crude firearms, not to mention their appalling accuracy, and those poorly made gunpowder-propelled bullets, could only fail miserably when they encountered armored vehicles that encapsulated the essence of human warfare history.

This was a pure massacre.

After a burst of gunfire, Herza and his guards continued their advance without changing their expressions, leaving behind only pieces of flesh as another part of the price for keeping their secret.

Doria's face turned pale, not from the bloody scene before her, but from the indifference of these noblemen towards life.

Everyone.

No one hesitated for a moment when they fired their guns, as if the dozens of homeless people in front of them were no different from mutated cockroaches, as if the two sides were not of the same race.

Her lips trembled slightly. Just as she was about to take a step, a large hand grabbed her shoulder and pressed her firmly to the spot, preventing her from getting any closer.

"Here's a piece of advice for you. If you don't want to die here prematurely, close your eyes for the rest of the time, don't listen to anything, and don't think about anything." Jiang Bing spoke very seriously, as if these actions would bring about death.

Just as the female hunter was about to speak, a sense of bewilderment suddenly welled up in her heart for some reason. Her sixth sense was frantically warning her that there were some taboos in the surrounding environment that should not be touched.

But a person on the verge of death rarely has anything to fear.

At least that's what she thinks.

She imitated Jiang Bing, peering out at the pile of decaying corpses.

"Interesting, a mere mortal."

A cacophony of whispers rose in their ears, the words seeming to transform into feathers, gently stirring the softest darkness within their hearts.

In this bizarre environment, a scavenger who should have been dead suddenly raised his head.

His body had been blown in two by a bomb, his chest was mangled and wide open, and his remaining heart, liver and lungs hung on the ground, looking extremely horrifying.

"Let me see if you've changed. After all, this foolish chieftain should have died here."

The half-scavenger struggled to crawl on the filthy ground, leaving a trail of blood behind him.

He climbed nine times before stopping, then stared at the darkness where Jiang Bing was with his two bloodshot, swollen eyes.

In the real dimension, he saw two humans, but in the subspace, he only sensed ripples from a weak soul suffering from illness.

The discrepancy made him subconsciously rub his eyes, confirming once again that, on the material universe level, there were indeed two people.

“Interesting, interesting change,” the scavenger laughed happily, his eyes, ears, nose and mouth constantly oozing blood, making him look as ferocious as a demon.

His body melted away like wax, and under Doria's horrified gaze, it began to writhe, eventually revealing its true form.

That was another Doria!

A profound sense of absurdity overwhelmed the hunter's mind, causing her reason to become chaotic.

Her cloudy, mutated eyes couldn't help but scrutinize the other person closely, only to see a familiar sense of strangeness.

'That's me,' Doria was absolutely certain.

Whispers rose again from the darkness, surging like a tide, instantly engulfing her ankles, making her feel as if she were sinking into a quagmire of sin.

Her skin began to itch, and it felt as if countless mouths were waiting to open on both sides of her cheeks.

The female hunter immediately remembered Jiang Bing's earlier warning, and immediately closed her eyes and covered her ears. Sure enough, the trembling feeling that felt like a fishbone stuck in her throat and the various discomforts in her body began to subside instantly.

But this still couldn't stop the demon from continuing to corrupt her.

Only after Jiang Bing sighed and stepped to stand to the right of his temporary employee, shielding him behind him, did Doria let out a sigh of relief.

"Interesting," a sharp, delirious murmur came from the right side of the two.

A figure named 'Jiang Bing' emerged from the darkness, while at the same time, the figure of 'Doriya' in the distance vanished like a bubble.

Jiang Bing was not surprised at all by this scene, since he knew from the beginning that it was an illusion.

“Interesting, very interesting. You don’t look like a soulless being, yet there’s no ripple of your presence in the High Heavens.”

The other person's appearance was exactly the same as Jiang Bing's; the cane, cloak, and even the mask were perfectly replicated.

“I hate it when people imitate me, you demon of the warp.” Jiang Bing paused, tapping his cane.

"Therefore, I'd like to remind you that you'd better change back as soon as possible, lest you regret it later."

“It seems you know quite a lot,” Jiang Bing said, and the voice of the person on the other end immediately became exactly the same as the original.

“I see new changes constantly arising in you, soulless one. Perhaps your soul is more suitable as a sacrifice to the Lord of Change, to become part of His great plan.”

Jiang Bing responded with a sigh.

He was too lazy to engage in any more cryptic banter. The warp demon in front of him was a follower of Tzeentch, the master of all transformations, and was most skilled at playing tricks, manipulating people's minds and illusions, and of course, being stubborn as well.

So he swiftly slipped into the darkness on the left and pulled a twisted blue object from the void.

Its appearance is difficult to describe because it is constantly changing.

Countless hands and feet emerged from its body, while countless facial features flowed across its face.

Until it got a big slap across the face from Jiang Bingyi.

The unstoppable force crushed and shattered its protective psionic shield, nearly knocking its head off in the process.

Blue psionic energy exploded from its body like mist, attempting to invade Jiang Bing's body, but instead triggered a spontaneous counterattack from the etheric fire.

Golden flames emerged from Jiang Bing's body, burning away the spiritual energy on the other's body and igniting it along Jiang Bing's palm.

A piercing scream rang out as the soul was torn apart and burned, the agony causing even the demon to wail in agony.

It wasn't until Jiang Bing slapped him hard across the face that he was finally silenced and brought the other man back to his original state.

This is a shapeshifter.

It has four arms, but they are not evenly distributed; instead, three are on the left and one on the right.

It has no legs, and its exposed skin is covered with admonitions, ciphers, and symbols representing knowledge.

Beneath the blue hood lies a black void; the shapeshifting spirit, capable of transforming into almost any creature, has no face.

Or rather, its ever-changing forms are so complex and vast that it is constantly in disguise, causing it to have long forgotten its original appearance.

Chapter 941 Everything is going according to plan