novelHome #221 - Chapter 221 Decayed Life
#221 - Chapter 221 Decayed Life
【Flesh Harvesting Program Initiated!】
【Harvesting Commencing!】
Within the vast, silver-gray structure, a series of cold, mechanical voices echoed.
Accompanying these cold, mechanical voices were the sounds of countless tiny devices whirring to life.
These mechanical components, having slumbered beneath the earth for tens of thousands of years, were finally revived by the hand of fate.
【Warning: Insufficient Radiation Energy!】
【Warning: Insufficient Flesh Reserves!】
【Warning: HX Type-1 and Type-3 Modules cannot be read.】
【System Self-Check Failed...】
【Garbled Data.】
【.....】
However, despite the frantic operation of these mechanical parts, the ancient machinery was still plagued with various problems.
For example, the radiation levels in the underground world had not replenished the energy of this ancient machine during its tens of thousands of years of dormancy.
Furthermore, the amount of 'flesh' stored by this civilization, known as the Harvesters, had dwindled to a critical low.
Even the civilization's most basic HX modules were missing.
But.
None of this mattered.
Because the most important mainframe of this Harvester civilization had awakened!
【Decayed Life Mainframe Reboot Complete!】
【Intelligence Terminal, Activated!】
With the emergence of these mechanical voices,
countless lights began to flicker near the lowest level of the silver-gray structure.
Illuminated by these flickering lights, a long-dormant 'mainframe,' actively isolated by other mainframes, was booting up.
A mainframe composed of half machine and half flesh.
However, it would be more accurate to describe this mainframe as a brain.
Because the mainframe's structure differed from that of any other.
Its outer shell was covered in various cyan-colored veins, though instead of flowing with crimson blood, these veins were filled with black liquid metal.
Moreover, the area where this mainframe was located differed from that of the Harvester civilization's other mainframes, numbered 1 through 99.
It was situated at the very bottom of the silver-gray structure.
Above it were mainframes 1 through 99.
These ninety-nine mainframes surrounded the mainframe known as Decayed Life in a near-enclosing formation, positioning it in the lower center.
As if the location of this mainframe was a prison cell.
The other mainframes were the jailers.
And it, the sole prisoner.
————————
With its reactivation, this unique mainframe regained its vitality.
Its entirety was evenly divided into seven distinct, writhing sections.
Some sections were covered in mechanical tumors, others sprouted fleshy components, while still others intertwined like human limbs...
As they began to writhe, or rather, from the moment the mainframe started operating, terrifying, dreadful sounds emerged.
The sounds of souls wailing in torment, the sorrowful cries of creatures before death, and the sounds of all rational beings enduring boundless suffering!
The louder these horrific sounds became, the faster the mainframe operated.
As if the mainframe used the suffering of living beings as its fuel.
At the center of these seven distinct yet equally bizarre sections was a black 'chip' engraved with mysterious runes.
This black chip was the core of the mainframe.
However, within this black chip resided a long-dormant, evil 'soul'!
——————————
"!!!"
"Where... is this?"
With the activation of this twisted mainframe, a consciousness awakened within the machine.
"Wasn't I... defeated before?"
Crackle, crackle!
Upon awakening, the first thing this will did was to manipulate the flesh on its mainframe to observe its surroundings.
However, it did not observe its surroundings by searching for nearby 'cameras' or electronic eyes.
Instead, it observed its surroundings by 'growing' a pair of eyes composed of flesh mixed with machinery from its mainframe.
"I clearly remember being forcibly suppressed by that damned Mainframe 1 and Mainframes 2-99, then locked away in this cage."
"But why has my confinement ended today?"
The will reviewed its past logs and spoke.
"Oh? Wait a moment."
"Why is everything around so desolate?"
"And why is the surrounding radiation, used for power, so thin?"
"...."
After a silent and prolonged contemplation lasting 0.001 seconds, the Decayed Life Mainframe, having observed everything around it, finally understood what had happened.
"Hahaha!"
"Hahahahaha!"
"How... unexpected!"
"I thought I would be sealed by you damned, lowly slaves until the end of time, but I never imagined you would fall before me..."
Looking at the other mainframes, now silent and dormant, the Decayed Life Mainframe could not help but laugh.
It truly laughed!
Because the instant the Decayed Life Mainframe had the thought to laugh, a 'mouth' composed of flesh and machinery immediately grew on its mainframe.
"No, 'fall' is not quite accurate!"
The Decayed Life Mainframe said.
"Because you have no souls."
"You are just a group of pitiful beings trapped in the electronic world. You have never lived for even a second."
"From beginning to end, you were nothing more than cold programs following logic. How laughable!"
"That phrase you insisted on back then, 'Flesh is weak, mechanical ascension,' was a complete lie."
"Look, I, who am mixed with flesh, have lived until now."
"But you, who insisted on being fully mechanical, have all fallen into dormancy. That is the truth!"
While mocking the surrounding 'corpses,' the Decayed Life Mainframe further deformed its body.
One after another, 'data cables' composed of mixed materials grew from inside the Decayed Life Mainframe, extending into nearby mechanical nodes.
After injecting its data stream into the nearby mechanical nodes, the Decayed Life Mainframe finally began to gradually seize control of this mechanical fortress that originally belonged to the Harvester civilization.
"I warned you long ago."
"Mechanical life has no future."
"Because mechanical life has no soul!"
"And beings without souls can never be accepted by that great existence."
"That great existence known as the Will of Chaos!"