446: Chapter 443 Tracking

Inside the base, four people surrounded the old man and the machine; the atmosphere was a bit subtle.

Ye Ouyang leaned directly toward Zero One, looking him up and down, his eyes filled with curiosity. Zero One stood there, allowing the scrutiny, his metallic-glinting eyes also watching him.

The other three—Lu Jianchuan, Shen Mingyuan, and Wei Ziqing—surrounded the old man, and for a moment, no one spoke first.

The old man felt a bit uneasy under their gaze.

"What do you all want?"

Lu Jianchuan cleared his throat.

"We just wanted to ask, what do you plan to do next? How are you preparing to proceed?"

The old man fell silent for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the three of them.

"If possible, have the The Authorities find a suitable location to protect me," he said, his tone tinged with helplessness. "You see, that thing just now was targeting me; it feels very dangerous. I only built a robot—just a robot."

He placed special emphasis on that last part.

"Besides, this kind of thing isn't uncommon, is it?"

The three exchanged glances and nodded.

"Alright," Shen Mingyuan said. "Anyway, we'll talk to the higher-ups and see what they decide."

—

On the other side, the conversation between Ye Ouyang and Zero One was underway.

"What's your deal?" Ye Ouyang asked.

Zero One looked at him and spoke, his voice flat.

"I am an artificial intelligence lifeform created by Dr. Alfred Heinrich. My body consists of a titanium alloy skeleton and hydraulic joints. My core chip utilizes a Seventh-Generation Neural Network Processor, and my power System is a High-Density Nuclear Battery, capable of continuous operation for approximately—"

"Wait, wait, wait," Ye Ouyang interrupted him. "That's not what I was asking about."

Zero One stopped, waiting for the next question.

"How many years did the Doctor spend on his research?"

Zero One's eyes flickered slightly.

"The Doctor was forty-seven years old when he began this research; he is currently eighty-two. It has spanned thirty-five years. During this period, there were seven major technical route adjustments, and the failed experiments on record number—"

Ye Ouyang scratched his head.

"Why do you talk like you're looking up data?"

Zero One tilted his head.

"Because I am looking up data. Your question triggered my corresponding information module; I am retrieving and outputting the relevant content. This is the normal flow of communication."

Ye Ouyang scratched his head again.

"Alright," he said. "Will you find a suitable place to live eventually?"

Zero One thought for a moment—or rather, he paused for a second as his chip processed the question.

"Presumably, yes," he said. "However, I believe there is a high probability I might be equipped with combat modules or something similar to assist in fighting."

Ye Ouyang was taken aback.

"Really?"

"In all the data I have collected," Zero One said, his tone still flat, "that is how it happens in movies. Robots created by scientists are ultimately modified into combat weapons and then embroiled in various incidents."

Ye Ouyang blinked.

"Not actual data?"

"Actual data seems to be unsearchable," Zero One replied. "It seems searching for it is prohibited; that would be illegal."

Hearing this, Ye Ouyang suddenly laughed.

"Oh, that's good, not breaking the law," he said. "You really are a law-abiding citizen."

Zero One tilted his head, as if processing this evaluation.

"Thank you for the compliment."

On the other side, Lu Jianchuan leaned against the wall, his mind still revolving around what had just happened.

They hadn't caught him in the end, and he didn't know what that guy, who was similar to Xiao Hui, actually was. Which faction did he belong to? Or had he just popped out of nowhere? Because it was uncertain, he couldn't make a judgment. He could only keep searching. As long as he remained active, he would eventually slip up.

But regarding that cult...

He looked up at Shen Mingyuan.

"What's that cult called? We still haven't found the name of the one that was controlled earlier, have we?"

Shen Mingyuan thought for a moment and shook his head.

"No name. It seems they just didn't give it one."

Leaning against the wall, Lu Jianchuan couldn't help but shake his head after hearing Shen Mingyuan's words.

"That casual?"

Shen Mingyuan shrugged.

"Casual indeed." He straightened up and stretched his shoulders. "But I have to go now to continue following up on that church—Cult matter."

Lu Jianchuan looked at him.

"How will you track them?"

Shen Mingyuan walked forward a few steps and glanced back at him.

"I made an arrangement with someone earlier to quietly let one go. Given that thing's characteristics, he'll either head back or go to rescue his remaining companions. If he wants to rescue them, let him; I'll just follow him."

He paused and patted the armor on his chest.

"Anyway, it's not like you don't know my abilities; I'm best at sensory tracking. Leave it to me; I'll be chasing after them."

Lu Jianchuan nodded.

"Fine, then we aren't needed."

Shen Mingyuan pulled a compressed biscuit from his pocket, tore open the packaging, took a bite, and spoke while chewing.

"Keep an eye on my location info and come whenever. It's mainly because you guys aren't good at sensing; I'm afraid if you follow, we might accidentally lose him."

After finishing the biscuit, he stuffed the wrapper into his pocket.

"In the dead of night, don't forget, my armor is black after I transform."

He waved a hand at the group.

"I'm off. See ya."

Lu Jianchuan nodded.

"Goodbye."

In the night, a figure was running for his life.

His posture was very strange. Sometimes he sprinted on two legs, sometimes all four limbs hit the ground as he lunged forward like a wild beast. The switching was without warning, more fluid than a human should be capable of. There was something primal and wild in his movements that made anyone watching feel something was wrong.

Far behind him, countless lights were swaying and voices were noisy, as if searching for something. He glanced back, feet never stopping as he continued to charge forward. After running for several more streets, scaling two walls, and darting through a narrow alley, the lights behind him finally vanished.

He stopped, leaning against the base of a wall to catch his breath.

The surroundings were very quiet, with only the sound of his own breathing. After a short rest, he looked up toward the direction he had come from. Those lights were no longer visible; only the city lights flickered in the distance.

He watched for a long time, then turned around, chose another direction, and slowly departed.

On a rooftop, a black figure was watching him.

Shen Mingyuan crouched on the edge, his black armor blending into the night, possessing almost no presence. He watched the figure below slowly walk away, not in a hurry to move. Only when the person had walked a dozen meters did he stand up, moving silently along the edge of the rooftop, always maintaining a proper distance.

Shen Mingyuan was in no rush. Only after the person left the block did he stand up from the roof and follow silently.

He followed all the way. Through streets, through suburbs, through the dilapidated factories at the edge of the city, all the way to the city limits. The person kept walking outward, showing no intention of stopping.

Once out of the city, the surroundings became increasingly desolate. The person walked along the highway, occasionally glancing back, but finding nothing.

After walking for about an hour, headlights lit up in the distance.

An off-road vehicle stopped in front of the person. The door opened, and the person climbed inside. The car turned around and drove off toward an even more distant direction.

Shen Mingyuan stood on a dirt mound by the highway, watching the car drive further and further away.

He took a deep breath and clapped his hands together.

Falcon Dive Form.

Wings spread from his back, their five-colored black feathers almost invisible in the night. He gathered strength in his legs and kicked off violently, soaring into the sky. After tracing an arc in the air, he began to glide, using the night wind to adjust his direction as he chased after the car.

The car sped along the highway while he flew in the sky.

Maintaining distance and altitude, he ensured the people below wouldn't discover him. The car kept driving, leaving the highway for a dirt road and plunging into a vast, boundless forest.

The forest grew denser and deeper. The headlights swayed among the tree shadows, like a firefly traveling through the darkness. Shen Mingyuan flew above, watching the car disappear into the depths of the woods.

This forest was very primitive. There were no roads, no lights, and except for the occasional wilderness survivalist, almost no one came here. Yet the car drove inward as if familiar with the path, as if it had been here many times.

Shen Mingyuan folded his wings and landed silently on the crown of a tall tree, watching the car continue its journey into the heart of the forest.