Starting as a Mechanical Hunter

Chapter 46: Chapter 40: Brain Vat

Not long ago, Huang Yuanli took Gao Gong to catch a big insect, and on the way back, they encountered a super monster of the nuclear explosion type.

Just one glance almost killed her from radiation overdose, an experience she remembers vividly.

Professor Han calmly watched the scene, slowly moving forward, while the surroundings rapidly receded.

Radiation, explosions, and flames were right in front of them, with some attacks even passing directly through their bodies, yet they suffered no harm.

”This—”

Huang Yuanli saw the body of the nuclear explosion monster for the first time.

It was a massive creature standing ten meters tall, resembling a flayed giant with four arms, its flesh covered in cracks, from which high-intensity radiation energy surged like a tide.

Every time this giant attacked, all the cracks on its body would light up, and then a ’miniature nuclear reaction’ would erupt from it, turning into a massive explosion.

”Amazing, isn’t it? An artificial nuclear reaction using a new radioactive isotope instead of uranium-235, and this spontaneous movement and change should be the fourth sequence apart from uranium, thorium, and actinium.”

Professor Han adjusted his glasses, ”Even though I’m not an expert in this area, I know that if this occurred during the Civilization Era, this Duke of Fission would have won the highest award in the scientific community.”

”It’s, it’s called the Duke of Fission, they are—”

Huang Yuanli widened her eyes watching this war, as hundreds of large Mechanical Beasts crawled out from the Metal Nest, frantically attacking the Duke of Fission.

None of these large Mechanical Beasts were below C-level.

And on the perimeter of the Duke of Fission, a blood-flesh carpet surged waves on flat ground, each wave able to swallow a large Mechanical Beast, shielding the Duke from most of the damage, allowing it to advance steadily.

”As you can see, this newly ascended A-level monster has teamed up with the old Crimson Empress, attacking another A-level monster leader, the Mechanical Fortress, with the battle’s aftermath spreading from the high-danger zone to the low-danger zone.”

”What do those monsters’ struggles have to do with us,” Huang Yuanli glanced evasively, countering stubbornly.

”Is that so?”

Professor Han gave her a long look.

”Then let me take you to see something else.”

Subsequently, under Professor Han’s control, Huang Yuanli appeared in various corners of Scavenger City, where in each place, Radiation Beasts had fallen into inexplicable frenzy, leaving their habitats to launch attacks; anything living was within their Attack Range.

”I can feel it, the Metropolitan Area has changed, become more dangerous. I don’t know if someone is manipulating things behind the scenes, but the food chain cycle is accelerating.”

”All species unable to survive in the highly eliminative food chain will become someone else’s food.”

Professor Han looked at Huang Yuanli earnestly, ”So, Lili, what do we do?”

...

Gao Gong wiped the blade of the Red Unicorn, confirming it had no nicks, then directly spoke.

”Forget the verbal sparring, let’s just start fighting.”

The young Professor Han opened his mouth, only to be interrupted by Gao Gong.

”Although personally I don’t dislike the ’Brain-in-a-Vat’ form of existence, in the universe, there are all sorts of bizarre civilization types, even stranger than this one.”

”But expecting an immature scientific product to solve everyone’s survival problems, it’s not the Brain-in-a-Vat that’s the problem, but your brain, isn’t it?”

Professor Han’s face darkened, speaking no more, he stepped outside the plastic track.

And in the next instant, shadows surrounded them from all sides, each holding a steel bar or shotgun, expressions ferocious.

Needless to say, they were cronies of the Great Elder.

Or rather, living people already devoured by the ’Brain-in-a-Vat.’

Gao Gong swept his gaze calmly around, sheathed his sword, bowed, and in the next moment, the motor roared, and six heads flew skyward.

...

Huang Yuanli stared firmly at Professor Han, and he looked back at her equally calmly.

Around them, the scenes of Scavenger City gradually disappeared, and crimson brain folds pressed out from all around.

Above was the cerebral cortex, to both sides were the parietal and frontal lobes, cerebrospinal fluid dripped like rain.

Countless neural bundles squeezed out from the brain matter, needle-like Neural Lines pierced into their bodies.

”We can leave here, Professor,” Huang Yuanli made her final struggle.

”Leave here, go where? In this world that eats people, is there still new hope?”

Professor Han laughed strangely, countless Neural Lines had already pierced into his eyeballs, nostrils, and temples.

”You know, I once believed in a group of people who told me they could restore this city, but they failed, all their grand ambitions could not withstand the terrifying darkness of the Beast Tide.”

”So, this time, I’ll do it myself.”

...

Gao Gong sliced off the Great Elder’s head with one stroke, spat out a mouthful of blood, and provocatively looked at Professor Han, surrounded by bodies on the ground.

This group of Scavengers, besides their fearlessness of death, was all worthless in combat; only three could cause him minor harm: a Great Elder with ’Metal Manipulation’ ability, a Deformed Warrior similar to Mongo, and a slave master of the native warlord’s subordinates, using petrol bombs and flamethrowers, whose lungs and Respiratory System seemed to have been modified with a Prosthetic Body.

Professor Han said nothing, simply looked at him calmly.

In the next moment, the surrounding corpses slowly vanished, once again living people encircled Gao Gong.

The Great Elder’s claw-like hand twitched sharply, and in the next moment, Gao Gong could clearly feel the titanium alloy bones ’creaking.’

And the Deformed Warrior, likewise his son Zhao Yi, stomped fiercely on the ground, his body swelling two meters, muscles knotted as he charged towards him.

On the other side, the tattooed slave master gritted his teeth, and a massive fireball spewed from his mouth.

Faced with this encircling attack, Gao Gong’s fingers trembled slightly. In the next moment, the single-molecule line claws shot out, directly pinning into Zhao Yi’s thigh. The high-intensity tension from the ejector rapidly brought them close together, leaving the fireball to miss its target.

As they were about to collide, Gao Gong fiercely plunged the sheath into the ground. The strong repulsion brought by the ’Electromagnetic Exciter’ sent his body soaring into the air. With a flash of the blade, a head rolled down.

At the same time, Gao Gong flipped his hand back, and the single-molecule line wrapped directly around the slave master’s neck. Once again, both parties rapidly approached each other. Gao Gong lightly lifted the tip of the sword, piercing a bloody hole through the opponent’s chest.

”Elementary ’Metal Control’ is no big deal; it’s the molecular-level metal control that can crush battleships with force.”

As Gao Gong chopped off the Great Elder’s head once again, the system prompt sounded once more.

[You have killed the Great Elder, experience +130]

[You have killed the Flame Slave Master, experience +80]

[You have killed the Deformed Warrior Zhao Yi, experience +150]

After the preliminary success of the ’Rainy Night Knife Killing Mode,’ Gao Gong had truly become a massive grinder.

He glanced around reluctantly.

”If it weren’t for needing to complete the mission, this would really be a great place for farming monsters.”

In the next moment, the monsters refreshed once again, with hundreds of Great Elders, Zhao Yis, and slave masters appearing.

Gao Gong looked at Professor Han and said calmly, ”Is this what you wanted, to turn everyone into your puppet toys?”

”This is the only way to survive!” Professor Han gritted through his teeth.

”You probably haven’t been to the munitions base, have you?”

Gao Gong suddenly said, pulling out a high-tech metal band from his back pocket and placing it on his head with a reverse hand movement.

Like Brother Monkey.

”So you don’t know that this isn’t actually your imagination, but a projection of my memory.”

”You’ve been dragging on for so long, surely by now, you’ve decided to use the Little Woman as a vessel, you perverted old man.”

”What do you mean?” Professor Han asked coldly.

”You brought me into the Brain-in-a-Vat, which means I am also just a part of this ’brain,’ just like the Little Woman and all those people you devoured before have become part of your life-simulation game.”

”Do you know, games played too hard can burn out graphics cards, especially when you’re at the system reinstalling stage.”

Gao Gong grinned and activated the ’Central Nervous System Direct Control Circle.’

”Even if it hasn’t burned out yet, let Professor Yang, the Thunder King, help you out.”

In the next instant, a powerful electric shock erupted from Gao Gong’s forehead. Not only did Gao Gong feel this pain, but even Professor Han and those summoned humans revealed expressions of intense agony.

Name: Central Nervous System Direct Control Circle

Category: Support Equipment

Quality: Fine

Weight: 90 grams

Operating Mode: Remote Manipulation

Support Module: Beast Taming Mode

Note: It can perform confinement-type remodeling on the neural systems of small to medium-sized mechanical species, applicable range, radiation value below 10000

The principle of this gadget is actually the ’Professor Yang’ mode, mixed with strong mental suggestion to ultimately achieve the purpose of taming beasts.

Of course, if you want to be electrocuted half-dead, you can wear it and play with it yourself.

The brain, upon receiving intense and unbearable pain signals, will self-block.

And the button for this pain switch is located in the amygdala.

In his vision, Professor Han became distorted and aged, with countless nerve bundles replacing the people, and bioelectric currents scattering about.

Before sinking, Gao Gong gave Professor Han the middle finger.

In the last life, opening up a virtual world, I can’t say how much effort it took, how many technology trees I burned through, and countless interstellar civilizations hacked by me, not to mention a thousand, at least eight hundred. Do you really think being a shut-in is easy?

A mere Brain-in-a-Vat.

Just copying and pasting face-molding—it’s soulless!

According to legend, at birth, the first sensation people experience is sinking.

On the mental level, or when entering and exiting the Cyber Network, ’sinking’ is a very important signal, just like that signal light when powering on.

Gao Gong’s vision darkened, his body seemingly sinking into an ocean formed by Sensory Signals, and after descending to the sea bottom, he returned to reality.

”Now I finally understand why Monkey Sunx is always so honest,” Gao Gong rubbed his head vigorously, ”sometimes, the equipment effects being too realistic isn’t a good thing after all.”

There seemed to be something sticky underfoot. He looked down and found that half his body was already engulfed by synthetic protein.

He forcefully pulled his leg out, tearing off the neural connection cords attached to his calf, and looked around to find Huang Yuanli was completely submerged in brain matter, surrounded by neural lines.

He sighed.

”Hang in a bit longer; I’ll pull you up shortly.”

”On the bright side, at least you’re a brain container, not some other excretory vessel.”