Chapter 101

Chapter 101

Overwhelmed by the severe mental torment, Lin Fu’s face contorted in anguish, his veins protruding starkly. Yet, even in such a state, he remained unconscious, his eyes tightly shut.

The experimenters, gazing at Lin Fu's tormented form, felt a pang of pity. "Sir, his body might not withstand such stimuli. Should we perhaps ease off for a bit?"

Lin Sicheng, fixated on the data streaming on the large screen, exuberantly clapped his hands with each new line of data, resembling a madman.

Without turning, he waved dismissively, "Continue! He is the first-ever 2S. He won’t perish so easily. Besides, the life monitor is connected; it will alert us at the brink of death. You can cease then, it won't be too late."

Lin Sicheng’s word was law in the laboratory; none dared to countermand his orders. With a low murmur of assent, they averted their gaze from the frail figure on the bed.

The data monitoring persisted for a full five minutes.

Lin Sicheng peeled away the monitoring cables, observing the life monitor's fluctuating curves. Several times, Lin Fu's readings peaked, then stubbornly dipped during brief intervals. Lin Sicheng’s manic laughter echoed, "What did I tell you? He won't die! Look! He's a 2S, an invaluable specimen! With his powerful psychic abilities, I’ll surely devise a method to transfer psychic energy into machines, discarding the need for [censored]!"

Perhaps his words held truth; deprived of psychic stimuli, Lin Fu soon regained tranquility, his readings gradually normalizing, albeit a tad weaker.

Treating him like a precious gem, Lin Sicheng gently stroked Lin Fu's hair, whispering, “Be gentle when you touch him, understood? This is my beloved nephew, he mustn't suffer a single scratch. Regularly administer the medication and nutrient solution... No, wait, I’ll personally draft the schedule and dosage. Hamos, cease all your current tasks, delegate them. From today, you have but one duty: to take good care of my treasure, got it?”

The researcher named Hamos nodded, his gaze cautiously sweeping over Lin Fu.

Lin Sicheng was ecstatic, and couldn't wait to contact Samuel: "Do you know? Lin Fu is truly a treasure. If I had known earlier, I would have captured him sooner and my experiments would have been completed by now! But no matter, it’s not too late yet!"

Samuel asked calmly, "Captured him? Now that you have him, this battle should not be lost... Do not leave the basement, wait for someone to come and pick you up."

Lin Sicheng replied, "Of course, I won't leave. I won't leave until I have finished my research!"

After the communication was cut off, Lin Sicheng began to prepare for more.

He was completely unaware that every wire connected to Lin Fu's body was having its data siphoned off to the other end, intercepted by Lin Fu himself.

The system's computing power was exceptional, and in just a few minutes, it had sorted out the data stolen from Lin Sicheng’s encrypted files, clicking its tongue in amazement: "Host, your uncle has racked his brains, and all he has been researching is the theme of transferring spirits into mechanical life endowed with artificial intelligence."

The theme of mechanical life, as the name suggests, is about giving machines life. Lin Sicheng's research was not about how to generate life in machinery, which is a complex issue, but a much simpler derivative proposition, that is, how to transfer a person's spirit into a machine, thereby endowing the machine with life, discarding the original fragile body.

This had similarities with Cheng Su transferring General Ped's spirit after his death into a storage device, a serendipitous byproduct developed during her research on how guides could control mechas with sentinels.

However, that was just a product Cheng Su had developed incidentally, not something she had explored deeply and with dedication.

If she had researched this proposition back then, she would have achieved results much sooner.

Lin Sicheng would probably be infuriated to the point of spitting blood.

Lin Fu suddenly found this very amusing.

The talented were obliterated, and those who should not have taken this path were stubbornly researching, exhausting their efforts.

Lin Fu felt someone moving him and waited quietly, making no rash moves.

He was waiting for an outcome on the battlefield.

*

After attending the military meeting and banquet, the commanders of the Sixth and Second Legions returned to their front-line bases, so only Cheng Jiu hurried from the Imperial Capital Star to the front lines when the war broke out.

The war on the front lines erupted so suddenly that it caught everyone off guard, leading to successive defeats and the loss of several planets in the blink of an eye.

The hearts of the people in the rear were tossed high, suspended mid-air, ready to be shattered at any moment.

Fortunately, the situation changed upon the arrival of the Crown Prince.

Simon Constantine emerged like a hero in an era of adversity, leading people towards the first light of hope.

The previously retreating front rapidly advanced against the bug race, and lost planets were swiftly reclaimed one after another. News of victory spread throughout the Imperial Star Domain, and everyone couldn't help but rejoice and celebrate!

On the Star Network, Simon Constantine was lauded as a hero, a ray of light suddenly piercing the dim and decaying monarchy, an eternal god of war for the Imperial citizens!

All accolades were heaped upon the crown prince, especially after the recapture of the second planet, stirring the public's emotions even more.

Many firmly believed on the internet that compared to Lin Fu and even Cheng Jiu, Simon Constantine was the genius most deserving of praise in this century, and perhaps in hundreds of years—a nemesis of the bug race!

With the Empire led and defended by him, it would never again suffer the bug race's invasion, and the people need not worry about the outbreak of the Bug Tide War.

A joyous and fervent atmosphere permeated throughout the Empire.

As for Cheng Jiu, who had been slow to reach the front lines, and the Fourth Legion, which had nearly vanished from the war reports?

No one cared.

Nor did they have the time to pay attention to these matters.

Until the third week after the outbreak of the Bug Tide, the crown prince faced his Waterloo.

He failed to reclaim the third A-class planet seized by the bug race, and instead, was pushed back to the previous planet.

The cheers on the Star Network choked like geese grasping for breath, mouths agape but unable to make a sound, plunging into an eerie silence.

It was a long time before someone tentatively said, "It must be an accident, right? After all, recapturing two planets in just two weeks, even the crown prince must be tired."

"Right, a failed recapture doesn’t equate to defeat. It's fine to regroup and fight again."

"The crown prince will surely hold the front! This is an accidental failure! No commander can guarantee they won’t lose a battle, not even General Ped can, right?"

……

On the front lines, within the First Legion, Simon Constantine clenched his teeth tightly, repeatedly dialing Lin Si Cheng's video call, only to be hung up on each time.

After several attempts, annoyed by his persistence, the other party blocked him, cutting off communication.

"Damn it!" Simon Constantine kicked his mech furiously, grabbing his hair and pacing restlessly in circles.

After a long while, he reluctantly considered negotiating directly with the bug race.

He dialed Samuel's neural-link ID.

To his utter surprise, the call was answered, and soon a deep voice came through, "What does the crown prince seek from me?"

Simon Constantine was seething with anger, but he had to contain his emotions, speaking calmly, "Mr. Samuel, what happened to the victory we had agreed upon? Are your words not taken seriously within the bug hierarchy?"

The other side chuckled, "They are, but what’s said to humans doesn't necessarily hold."

Simon Constantine's expression shifted abruptly, "What do you mean?"

The other party hung up the call with a laugh.

Simon Constantine didn't get an answer, but he quickly understood what it meant.

This time, contrary to the people's hopes, the crown prince could not regroup and recapture their planets after the setback.

Instead, the First Legion led by the crown prince retreated steadily, not only losing the two planets they had recaptured but also more territories at an alarming rate.

His continuous setbacks tore a massive breach in the Empire's defense line, allowing the Bug Tide to flank and attack the Sixth Legion, putting them in a difficult fight, beset on all sides.

No one had expected this turn of events, sending the populace into a panic.

They watched the Empire's defenses rapidly recede, their faces ashen. Those with resources on the bordering planets frantically packed their belongings to flee to the inner star domains, while the destitute could only despair, remaining on their planets to await the Bug Tide's spread and their inevitable fate as fodder for the bugs.

A gloomy, desolate atmosphere enveloped the entire Empire.

And Cheng Jiu, who was supposed to be on the front lines, returned to the Imperial Capital Star unnoticed, moving silently with his troops.

The once-thriving Imperial Capital Star was now in utter chaos, with the area near the ports

teeming with people,

a jumbled mess. Countless families, desperate to survive, crowded towards the Empire's heart, even venturing into the impoverished Kaher district, mingling with the beggars they once scorned.

They'd rather be beggars than lose their lives!

In such chaotic times, the appearance of a large contingent of troops was particularly conspicuous.

Especially upon seeing Cheng Jiu's face, everyone was stunned.

Cheng Jiu had no time to deal with them.

He swiftly made his way to the imperial palace, while his troops encircled it thoroughly, with those on the outermost perimeter even deploying mechs. Everyone around the palace was forcibly dispersed.

……

Underground.

Lin Sicheng, exhilarated, was conducting experiments with Lin Fu's data, repeatedly stimulating his psychic power forcefully, even attempting to pull it out of his body, but his frequent failures gradually made him irritable.

He was almost completely cut off from the outside world, entirely immersed in the subterranean laboratory.

That day, as usual, he had his men release psychic energy to stimulate Lin Fu.

Seeing that Lin Fu, like developing antibodies, was less responsive to their psychic power than the first time, he frowned and said, "I'll do it myself!"

Being an S-rank, his psychic power was indeed stronger than anyone present.

However, upon releasing his psychic power, Lin Fu didn't exhibit the violent reaction he had anticipated.

Seconds later, the person lying on the bed slowly opened his eyes, revealing pitch-black irises, and with a pale, bloodless hand slightly lifted, he grabbed Lin Sicheng's collar and flipped over, forcefully slamming him to the ground!

Those surrounding Lin Fu retreated in fright at his sudden awakening, only to see Lin Sicheng, not as an S-rank sentinel, but as if he were a helpless invalid, easily dragged and thrown down by the gaunt, pale-faced man.

Following his movements, countless people in military uniforms burst into the underground laboratory, pointing their dark ion guns at them.

Indeed, energy weapons were useless against the bugs, but against humans, they were still deadly.