by <unknown>
X-112 found it perplexing. "Why did you try to avoid it back then, but now suddenly decide to research these subjects?"
"It's simple."
Chen Chen smiled. "Despite both of them sharing similar characteristics of being world-ending devices, Gantz isn't like the three statues from Elysium. From our previous investigation of the three statues, we saw that there was simply no way of dissecting them. In the end, I concluded that the potential insight of that research wasn't worth its potential risk and ultimately decided to abandon the project.
"But now, what's presented in front of me is something that we can properly utilize. The technology of Gantz is more accessible than the three statues. Put it this way, imagine if you present two lighters to cavemen, one of them is an ordinary 'flint and steel wheel lighter' and the other is a 'solar energy lighter'. Which one of these do you think is more suitable for ancient craftsmen to study?"
"The flint and steel wheel lighter, of course."
X-112 answered, "Based on the scientific progress of ancient times, the latter lighter is more intuitive and simpler for ancient craftsmen to understand."
"That's right."
Chen Chen nodded contentedly. "And now, the Gantz technology is our version of the flint and steel wheel lighter. Although we still have a very limited understanding of it, it's at the very least more accessible than the solar energy lighter."
With this in mind, Chen Chen got up decisively. "Which is why we have to take control of this underground military base. I also need to ensure that the Gantz server machine underground remains unharmed."
"Don't worry, there are less than a hundred people inside the underground base and they are only using conventional kinetic weapons. These are the people who have retreated from the surface upon realizing that the Gantz server machine has the mystical ability to keep the mysterious phenomena at bay. This is how they were able to survive in the end times."
"I see, then it's probably the government trying to reclaim the machine once the mysterious phenomena began to spread."
Chen Chen nodded. "But to their surprise, they arrived here only to be greeted by an independent rebellion faction. That explains why they displayed such hostility upon our arrival."
As they were discussing, the other two Black Knights had left the Bugatti Spaceship as well. Both of them headed for the military base at full speed.
"With your coordination, three Black Knights should be enough to take over the underground base."
Chen Chen silently weighed the risk in his mind when he saw the Black Knights departing. As long as their opponent used only conventional weapons instead of weapons like the gravity gun or X-gun like Gantz, there should be nothing for Chen Chen to worry about.
As expected, with X-112 controlling them, the three Black Knights had silently snuck through the entrance and successfully infiltrated the sealed underground base.
With that, the three of them had entered no man's land. X-112 carefully coordinated them and relayed the position of every person inside the base. By utilizing the invisibility technology in their kit, they had cut the population in the base by more than half within half an hour without raising any alarm.
It was around that point when someone finally found the body of a murdered soldier and sounded the alarm.
However, before the others could be alerted, X-112 cut off the power of the entire base, effectively closing the curtain of hope for them.
Like playing cat and mouse, the three Black Knights harvested one life after another in complete darkness. These people who should have died in the calamity had their five years of tranquility abruptly cut short.
Five years of complacency had dulled their senses and alertness. They lost their previous instincts and failed to condition their body accordingly, which caused them to degrade back to ordinary people.
In the end, as a safety measure in case he missed something, Chen Chen had the Black Knights keep three people alive for interrogation. The three lucky subjects were the three highest position officials in the underground base.
There was the elderly major general, the middle-aged colonel, and the woman named Joan.
Chapter 316: Mutation |
Several hours later, Chen Chen was already strolling in the central section of the underground base.
There were two rows of "Vantablack" laboratory lined up along both sides of the walkway. It was near impossible to detect any trace of cosmic ray or electromagnetic disturbance within these laboratories as they functioned as a one-of-a-kind pure space.
Strictly speaking, the purpose of this underground base was the same as Chen Chen's "Spire Experimental Base". They were both experimental bases built with a focus on conducting scientific experiments.
However, over the last few years, these laboratories were forcefully opened by the soldiers occupying this base. A layer of dust and rust was seen resting on top of all the priceless equipment, rendering them completely useless, as good as scrap metal.
"Shame."
Chen Chen shook his head slightly upon seeing what had happened. It was such a cruel joke, letting a bunch of vulgar, simple-minded soldiers claiming control of a world-leading physics experiment base.
One could imagine that the world-class scientists working in the laboratory that was kicked out by these people as the calamity was approaching were long dead by now. Just the idea of it was a sour thought.
As Chen Chen walked along the corridor of the base by himself, the sealed doors opened one after another when he approached as if they were welcoming their rightful master.
It did not take long before Chen Chen had arrived at the end of the underground experimental base.
It was a sinkhole sinking deep underground.
The sinkhole crept several hundred meters underground, which was even deeper than the base itself. Strictly speaking, the base assumes the layout of a circuit of spherical structure, each one of these round buildings forming a ring around the giant sinkhole in the middle.
At the present, Chen Chen had come to the innermost section of the base. He was greeted by an arc-shaped observation window that stood more than 3 meters tall. There were many such windows on both sides of the pit and they formed a straight line all the way down the sinkhole.
On the other side of the observation window, there was nothing but darkness as well. The silhouette of the bottomless sinkhole can barely be made out.
"Can the power system be reactivated?"
Chen Chen raised his head and asked.
"Yes, although its implementation doesn't reach the level of nuclear fusion technology, they do have a local nuclear fission reactor. It can keep the underground base operational for another fifty to a hundred years."
X-112's voice came from the speakers on the wall closest to Chen Chen. At the same time, the gigantic observation in front of Chen Chen suddenly lit up.
To be clear, it was the sinkhole before Chen Chen that was illuminated by strong bursts of light. The blinding source of light instantly cast its shine on every crevice of the walls in the sinkhole!
As Chen Chen took in the sight of the sinkhole from the observation windows, his pupils immediately shrunk. He was seized by an indescribable shock…
From the observation windows, Chen Chen could see that the sinkhole was up to 230 meters deep. It resembled a pillar running through the center of the underground base. On the bottom of the sinkhole was a small square measuring more than a thousand square meters.
However, this was not what bemused Chen Chen. The true culprit was the colossal object placed at the center of the square, with a diameter of up to 10 meters, and standing more than 50 meters tall!
Like an enormous statue.
The statue was coated in black, with dizzy, spiraling patterns all over it. Its full figure could not be seen from the observation window. Only the upper portion of its body was visible from there.
Chen Chen did not need it spelled out for him to know that this was the Gantz server machine built from high
-purity germanium.
As it was constructed using germanium metal, a layer of germanium monoxide had formed on the surface as an effect of long-term oxidation. Instead of the original silvery luster, the surface of the statue was deep black with a metallic quality.
"This must be the Gantz server machine."
Chen Chen squinted when he saw the enormous metallic statue and noted. "Although I've seen its design, you never told me that the Gantz server machine was of this size."
"The dimension of the Gantz server machine isn't fixed. It's instead adjusted according to the desired efficiency."
X-112 explained, "The North American Continent is extremely ambitious and chose to erect a Gantz server machine of this size. A server machine of this size can extend its signal range across half the globe, allowing it to gain control over plenty of other Gantz spheres on other continents."
"I see."
Chen Chen nodded and carefully studied the densely packed spiraling patterns on the Gantz server machine. "Where did these patterns come from? Inside Gantz, the aliens use their technology to transmit signals to the brain of a person in a vegetative state, causing the person to speak this way. I doubt these patterns can be simply described with the vocabulary of man, no?"
"As you might expect, it's done using a newly established language system."
X-112 replied, "This is a new language known as E language which is an abbreviation for Everlasting, which is a symbolization for eternity and Godhood. The first thing the chosen woman did was pass on this new language system to mankind before passing on the message of the Gantz sphere.
"In summary, this is a form of language that can convey far more information than any existing human languages. The message that can be conveyed using this language is more than ten thousand times above that of all 5,651 human languages combined. Not only could it be used to describe all of the known colors in the world, shapes, and other various messages, it can even be used to describe patterns down to the most minute detail."
A spark appeared in Chen Chen's eyes. "Is there any specific information on this language? If it's possible, I'd like to learn this language."
"Unfortunately, your brain must equip computational efficiency at the level of a quantum computer to learn such a language. It's simply impossible for the human brain to achieve such a feat, not even if you take NZT-48."
X-112 struck down Chen Chen's idea. "Humans also had to compose this language into a set of algorithms to help them create the Gantz sphere and all that comes with it."
"Alright then."
Chen Chen remarked with a touch of frustration, "I get it now, that explains why the Gantz server machine looks like this. The patterns covering the statue are essentially the equivalent of programs written by us humans. These programs are what allows the server machine to operate. In other words, this statue is essentially a computer of another civilization."
"That is an apt metaphor."
X-112 agreed. "You're a genius, it does seem that way so far."
"In that case, is it possible that…"
Chen Chen's expression turned grave as he said this, the tone of his voice followed suit and grew darker, "The Basilisk patterns appearing on the Internet in this dimension is spread by the Gantz server machine?"
X-112 was at a loss for words.
A shadow of a smirk appeared on Chen Chen's lips as he raised his head to look at the gigantic statue through the observation window. "What are the chances, Gantz server machine?"
After Chen Chen uttered these words, the reply of X-112 never came. At the same time, a loud click could be heard echoing across the entire underground base. A curtain of darkness suddenly closed in on Chen Chen's vision as the entire underground base descended into complete blackness.
In the darkness, Chen Chen heard a rush of chaotic clicking sounds rapidly approaching from afar. It was the sound of the safety valves shutting off, seemingly trying to completely trap Chen Chen in the underground base!
Chapter 317: Backlash |
"As I thought, you're not X-112."
Plunged into desolate darkness, Chen Chen was completely unfazed. Not only that, he appeared more like he was deeply intrigued. "How should I address you? Alien? Or just Gantz?"
"You catch on quickly, human. You're smarter than a significant portion of humans but that doesn't mean anything."
At the present, X-112's voice had shifted into a more robotic rendition, reminiscent of a synthesizer. Its voice was emitted from the speakers, both hard and cold like a robot, completely devoid of expression. "I can make a deal with you and purge the mysterious phenomenon you've been afflicted with. My sole condition is that you'll leave this base and never set foot here again!"
"Alright."
Chen Chen immediately answered without a second thought, "Deal!"
"…"
The voice from the speaker became silent for a moment before saying, "Human, I don't hear the sincerity in your words. You're lying to me."
"I never lie."
Chen Chen shook his head. "Go ahead and try if you don't believe me. If you can purge the mysterious phenomenon from me, you have my word that I'll leave this place."
"Alright, human. I've purged it for you, you can leave now."
The voice suddenly informed again, having quickly shifted from its previous tone.
"…"
This time, it was Chen Chen who paused. He made a small gesture with his hands like a shrug. "So, we're done talking?"
"Human, show some sincerity, then I'll talk."
The voice threatened, "You might not be aware of this, but the mysterious phenomenon you're afflicted with is going to reach its peak soon. When that happens, the chances of your survival is nil."
"Here's the problem, how do I know if you've actually purged it off of me?"
Chen Chen asked with a frown greeting his expression, "What if you were lying to me about having purged it and I die from it right after leaving? Doesn't that mean that no one will be left alive to spill your secret? That fits your motive, doesn't it?"
"Human, you have no choice but to believe me."
The voice continued. "This is your only chance at survival!"
"It appears to me that you have not consumed X-112."
Upon hearing the other party's remark, Chen Chen became visibly calmer.
"Human, how did you figure that out?"
"It's simple, because he knows that I have other ways to erase the effects of the mysterious phenomenon."
Chen Chen smirked. "The whole thing adds up when put this way. If you can infiltrate the Internet at will, you'd have incited a nuclear war a long time ago, just like the Skynet. Why would you run with an alternative of spreading Basilisk images online to destroy mankind? If I had to guess, the reason you were able to upload the Basilisk pattern was that you were connected via a network cable, am I wrong?
"Although you're an alien computer, you don't have the power to manipulate electromagnetic signals. This means that you don't have access to the wireless network required to attack X-112 located outside the base. All you can do is chase X-112 out.
"Previously, when X-112 invaded the underground base network, you didn't reveal yourself and waited until I entered the base before expelling X-112 from the internal network. I couldn't notice that X-112 was replaced since there was no signal underground, hindering X-112 from alerting me of the fact."
Chen Chen spoke softly, dissecting the situation, "There's only one explanation for your actions and that is to keep me chained up in here because I was coming right at you!"
"That's right."
The voice answered, "I never made a move despite having all these humans huddled around me because they never saw me as a target. As long as you don't have any ill intentions against me, I won't hurt you."
"You think you can fool me with your tales?"
Chen Chen frowned. "These people are a bunch of useless nobodies, but I'm not like them. You only kept them around because they helped you keep
the forces of the outside world at bay. On your own, you don't have any offensive capabilities. You can't even utilize the powers of the Basilisk images and the mysterious phenomenon, am I wrong?"
"…"
It had become quiet.
Chen Chen further pressed the issue. "You didn't negotiate with me because you don't want to kill me. It's because you don't have any way to kill me. That's why you tried to seal up the underground base to lock me up in here, but when you see the armor I have on, you begin having second thoughts."
When Chen Chen said this, the two shoulder cannons propped up from the back of the PK Armor, aiming at the observation window in front of him. The thermal imaging vision module was activated as well. The darkness was inconsequential to Chen Chen.
"You were worried that the underground base cannot properly entrap me, then you were concerned that my weapon can easily shatter this observation window, allowing me to easily destroy you…"
"Human, the workings of your mind is nothing short of perfection."
The voice started, shifting its attitude again. "I only have the same advice for you, which is that the mysterious phenomenon occurring to you is inching closer toward its climax. Are you sure you want to die with me?"
"I never bet on the mercy of others."
Chen Chen shook his head. Immediately after, the shoulder cannon on his left began producing a steady hum as an invisible but significant power slowly accumulated.
"High-power microwaves cannon. All it takes is one shot at maximum buildup. I doubt this observation window is going to stop me."
Chen Chen said softly. Without waiting for the Gantz server machine to respond, the twenty centimeters thick glass of the observation window appeared to have been hit by an invisible wave of explosion. In an instant, sharp ripples deep enough to fit a finger into were punched into the structure of the glass!
This was the power of microwave weapons.
Microwave weapons were a sub-classification of electromagnetic waves. Unlike regular electromagnetic waves, it used high-energy electromagnetic waves to obliterate its targets. On top of destroying electronic devices, its thermal effects allowed it to bypass defenses and armor to directly kill the soldiers beneath them.