Chapter 46: The Bizarre Oceanarium (Part Three)

Chapter 46: The Bizarre Oceanarium (Part Three)

Zhu Ning had always wanted to meet it, never expecting it would be in such an official setting.

Prometheus's voice was transmitted directly into her skull, unlike the voice assistant inside the helmet.

It felt as if someone were whispering right next to her ear; this intimate way of speaking made Zhu Ning extremely uncomfortable.

Zhu Ning looked at the others; they seemed to have no reaction to the artificial intelligence connection.

Li Nianchuan asked, "Are you okay?"

Xu Meng, standing beside her, also asked, "Zhu Ning, are you alright?"

Her complexion was terrible—worse than after being beaten by the demon hunters for three days.

After a moment, Zhu Ning adapted, and the stinging sensation disappeared. It seemed that Prometheus existed only on the surface of her mind.

She took a deep breath, quickly composed herself, and could feel the probing gazes upon her. "I'm fine."

Compared to her physical state, her mental state was more troubling.

The rumored mastermind was now inside her head.

The helmet had an automatic video recording function, and after the mission, Zhu Ning needed to return it to the data collection center.

If Prometheus had helped edit the surveillance footage for her last time, it might find it difficult to do so again this time.

After all, there was only one video last time, but now there were eight people with eight cameras; processing all of them would surely leave traces.

Therefore, she couldn't have any extra communication with Prometheus.

Even though this imagined big boss had come to see her, Zhu Ning couldn't even talk to it.

She had to suppress her curiosity and pretend to be just an ordinary employee.

Prometheus's voice continued in her ear, this time addressing everyone.

"I am Prometheus. All employees connected to me will default to granting me the highest authority over their bodies. If necessary, I will take control and remove you from the scene."

Its voice was more humane than purely mechanical, even gentle, but with a coldness.

It seemed indifferent to your life, treating you merely as a tool for its objectives.

Once taken over, you could not defy its will; it would invade your nervous system, controlling your body and making all decisions for you.

This feeling was unsettling, like having a backdoor installed in your brain, exclusively for the AI.

An AI could dominate you, even taking control of your body in critical moments.

This clearly indicated that the other party was a superior intelligent being.

All its decisions were better than yours.

Disgusting.

Zhu Ning's first impression of Prometheus was intense dislike.

As someone who came from a world overrun by zombies, she always believed that AIs should only serve as tools.

The fact that the wasteland allowed an AI to take over human bodies was terrifying.

Zhu Ning finally understood what Li Nianchuan meant when he said the demon hunters were pawns of the AI.

She was now a pawn too.

"Please wear your helmets," said Prometheus.

The full-coverage helmets enclosed the entire head, creating a sealed space that made Prometheus's voice clearer.

"The location of this mission is the Mechanical Oceanarium. The internal cameras have been compromised, so the only cameras I can use are yours."

With the internal cameras unusable, they were all Prometheus's eyes.

Prometheus's omniscience couldn't be fully utilized, and its primary function was to establish communication channels within the team.

"Inside the polluted area, the concentration reaches up to 178%. The cause is currently unknown. After technical assessment, it has been classified as a Level B contaminated zone. The contaminated volume is five cubic kilometers. Upon entry, you will encounter severe mental contamination. Please maintain your composure."

"The organic glass inside the oceanarium can withstand tons of pressure, but high-intensity weapons may cause secondary collapses. The water volume is approximately 2,620 tons. Please use explosive devices cautiously."

Fang Ying had also repeatedly warned that the oceanarium's interior was complex, and overly powerful weapons could bury everyone inside.

"Here is the current plan: Grey Eagles will lead the Cleaning Team A70265 to locate the source of contamination, while the White Pigeon Team will rescue survivors. I will synchronize information between both teams."

"The mortality rate for this mission is estimated at 5% to 8%."

Mortality rate?

Zhu Ning had never heard about mortality rates during previous missions.

AI could rapidly simulate all possibilities, but contaminated zones were dangerous, and it couldn't guarantee everyone's survival.

Someone would die in the oceanarium during this mission.

Sometimes, Zhu Ning felt that rapid technological advancement could be frightening, sentencing some to death.

"Next, I will enter monitoring mode, providing only communication assistance and scene analysis. Your temporary leader will be Captain Tang Ke of the Grey Eagles. Good luck."

Prometheus fell silent after saying that.

?

What does that mean? Is it just letting us fend for ourselves now?

Isn’t it supposed to be the combat commander?

Zhu Ning whispered to Li Nianchuan, "What is monitoring mode?"

The Hunters were already preparing to enter the scene, and as they did, Li Nianchuan replied, "It means that until it gets permission, it can only assist and cannot directly take over your body."

Zhu Ning thought about it. Prometheus was an AI, and humans had their reservations about AIs.

On one hand, they heavily relied on AI algorithms, but on the other, they feared being directly controlled by them.

So they set many constraints. Depending on the situation, if things were under control, Captain Tang Ke of the Grey Eagles could lead everyone to complete the mission.

When things got out of hand, Prometheus would need to apply for more authority to have room to act.

In short, it was there as a safety net.

Prometheus provided that safety net, and before then, its authority was very limited.

There might also be issues of responsibility involved. If everything were handed over to Prometheus from the start, it would be hard to determine who was primarily responsible when reviewing the mission later.

After all, you couldn’t blame everything on the AI.

Zhu Ning asked, "Prometheus is actually going to command a B-level mission?"

This didn’t seem like what she imagined a big boss’s daily routine would be like.

Li Nianchuan: "The Cleaning Center handles many things with it. I don’t know exactly what it does, but every time the Hunters go on a mission, it monitors. Its computing power is strong, so it might be executing our mission while simultaneously taking over another team and guiding them out."

Prometheus was truly multitasking; this B-level mission was just one of many.

AI was initially developed to serve humanity, and upon reflection, it made sense.

However.

Every time the Hunters used the communication channel, Prometheus was present. During the Fishman incident, Prometheus was definitely on-site.

The misjudgment of the contaminated area should have been due to its intervention.

Zhu Ning asked, "Did you feel no response when connecting?"

Li Nianchuan: "No, I could feel something piercing in, but just for a moment, and there was no pain at all."

Zhu Ning fell silent.

Why were their reactions so different?

What was its operating principle? How could technological development control human nerves?

Li Nianchuan: "Maybe your mental value is high, making it harder to adapt."

People with higher mental values had more resilient nerves, and Li Nianchuan couldn’t empathize with Zhu Ning’s experience, just as ordinary people couldn’t understand what geniuses were thinking.

Li Nianchuan continued, "I actually quite like it."

Zhu Ning asked, "Why?"

Why would a human willingly allow an AI to pierce their nerves?

Li Nianchuan: "With it around, the network is secure. You don’t have to worry about the channel being polluted."

Pollution spores could contaminate networks, and Prometheus acted as a firewall, blocking pollutants at the network level.

All communications of the Hunters were controlled by Prometheus.

Communication was a crucial part of any team.

With it around, there was never any concern about communication errors. Even if Prometheus was just an assistant, it could significantly increase survival rates on the battlefield.

This was a wasteland world, not a peaceful place. They were willing to give some control to AI to ensure their own survival.

Li Nianchuan: "And if you’re near death, it will comfort you."

Zhu Ning fell silent again.

Was Prometheus also providing end-of-life care?

She originally wanted to say that the absolutely calm voice sounded like a grim reaper and wouldn’t be very comforting.

But she thought of Cheng Mofei.

How did Cheng Mofei feel dying inside Subject 777?

He knew he was going to die, yet he walked into Subject 777 resolutely, removed his helmet, and submitted to contamination without resistance.

If Huang Yaruo hadn’t been there, what was he thinking in his final moments?

If you were trapped in a contaminated area and facing death, having an AI to talk to would make the process less painful.

Cheng Mofei’s Hunter employee bracelet was still in her pocket.

Zhu Ning wasn’t alone; she felt like she was two people now.

She seemed to have inherited some will from Cheng Mofei.

Zhu Ning steadied the gun in her hand. After all, one mistake could lead to the same fate as Cheng Mofei's.

Everyone had already entered the venue in an orderly manner. They had completed numerous Class B missions and were very experienced.

But for Zhu Ning, this was her first group mission. Her previous entry into contaminated areas was like child's play.

This was what a proper mission should look like in scale.

With so many people around, Zhu Ning couldn't use any system items or abilities freely; it would be hard to explain otherwise.

She really didn't want to be studied like a lab specimen.

However, Zhu Ning was a Cleaner and should be able to avoid most dangers. Normally, she wouldn't need to act herself.

A staff member in a yellow protective suit gestured towards them and then slowly opened the venue's entrance.

As the door opened, a damp breeze hit their faces.

The power inside the aquarium had been cut off, and there was standing water on the ground. Once electricity leaked, it would create an electric field, so they had simply shut down the power supply system.

Under the night vision function of their helmets, the entire aquarium glowed green.

Having been on many missions, Zhu Ning was already very accustomed to night vision scenes.

The main hall of the aquarium was usually for ticket sales and souvenirs, with no marine life present.

Inside, most of the area had collapsed, with counters and chandeliers smashed to the ground, and puddles of water mixed with debris.

Tang Ke led the Demon Hunters at the forefront, "Be sure to protect the Cleaners. Cao Wei, you're on point."

The Grey Eagles worked together seamlessly. Although they didn't have much affection for the Cleaning Team, after Tang Ke's order, they moved.

Cao Wei walked ahead, and Zhu Ning heard Li Nianchuan scoff beside her.

Judging by the reaction, Cao Wei must be the one who mocked Li Nianchuan as weak.

Chu Ling, holding her gun, walked over to Zhu Ning. Chu Ling was responsible for protecting the Cleaners. She liked the Cleaning Team and naturally took on this task.

After putting on the Demon Hunter helmet, Chu Ling looked very cool in her full steel battle armor.

But Zhu Ning thought that the Demon Hunters' metal armor was actually quite unsafe.

For example, if they were within two meters of her, she could forcibly control the entire Grey Eagles team.

Chu Ling: "Don't worry, I'll protect you."

Before Zhu Ning could respond, Li Nianchuan proudly said, "No need to worry, Zhu Ning will protect me."

Zhu Ning: "?"

I'm not, I didn't, don't make things up.

And why are you so proud?

Chu Ling glanced over, seemingly struggling to determine the relationship between Zhu Ning and Li Nianchuan. Zhu Ning was strong, probably on par with herself, and protecting one Li Nianchuan shouldn't be too difficult.

What kind of combination were they?

Chu Ling: "I might have been presumptuous."

Zhu Ning: "..."

Presumptuous about what?

Still, Zhu Ning was somewhat concerned about Li Nianchuan. His mental value wasn't high, and he had been contaminated during a Class D contaminated area mission last time.

After a week of recuperation, he insisted on being her little brother.

If this happened again, Li Nianchuan really shouldn't stay in the Cleaning Center.

But why was Li Nianchuan assigned here?

Who issued this mission?

Li Nianchuan's mental value wasn't high, making him susceptible to mental contamination. It seemed they wanted Zhu Ning to step in, and Li Nianchuan was just along for the ride.

Out of concern, Zhu Ning asked Li Nianchuan, "Are you okay?"

Li Nianchuan: "I'm fine, my mental value has increased."

In Zhu Ning's understanding, even if his mental value increased to four hundred, it wasn't much.

Li Nianchuan: "I connected a brain chip before entering."

Zhu Ning: "What?"

Li Nianchuan: "It can temporarily boost your mental value. During major missions, Cleaners get implanted with it, but wearing it doesn't prevent contamination; it just delays the symptoms, showing up four hours later. Of course, you don't need it; both Captain and I got implanted."

So, under normal circumstances, Li Nianchuan would show signs of mental contamination within an hour in a Class B contaminated area, leading to disorientation.

The chip could delay this process but not stop it.

Four hours later, Li Nianchuan would leave the contaminated area and exhibit symptoms in a relatively safe environment.

His condition would worsen, potentially leading to brain death in severe cases.

There was no other way; people with high mental values were rare, and most Cleaners had low mental values. Some missions required too much, leaving them with no choice.

It was quite cruel.

Zhu Ning thought to herself that this world is cruel when it comes to consumables.

Sometimes she could understand why Yongsheng Pharmaceutical would become the hope for defective products.

Zhu Ning looked at Xu Meng's back. The latter spoke to Zhu Ning as usual, neither distant nor overly enthusiastic, always calm.

Zhu Ning remembered how calm Xu Meng was when she first took her on a mission.

She wondered what Xu Meng was doing at the Foundation.

Perhaps Zhu Ning was overthinking it; Xu Meng might just be here to learn about the project and not necessarily have any entanglements with Yongsheng Pharmaceutical.

After all, if Xu Meng were truly from Yongsheng Pharmaceutical, there would be no need for her to personally participate in the Foundation.

Zhu Ning retracted her gaze and focused all her attention on the task at hand.

The Demon Hunter led the way, while Zhu Ning followed behind as a small-time opportunist.

In the past, Zhu Ning had visited an aquarium near her home. It was old and dilapidated, essentially a large glass tank with some marine life inside, which one could finish touring in twenty minutes.

But the aquarium in the wasteland was spectacular.

There were seven pavilions in total, designed to simulate the deep sea, with the appearance of deep-sea mountains.

Each pavilion was like a deep-sea cave.

The terrain inside was complex, requiring several turns to reach another area.

Now, even the lights were off, intensifying the immersive experience of the deep sea.

Walking in felt like entering the deep ocean—dark, cold, and oppressive, with no idea what lay ahead.

The aquarium had planned out an optimal viewing route. The first pavilion was the Mermaid House, and they needed to pass through four pavilions to reach the Mechanical Jellyfish Pavilion where the incident occurred.

Mermaids?

Right from the start, creatures that did not exist in Zhu Ning's world.

The Demon Hunter led the way and pushed open the door to the Mermaid House.

They appeared.

Gray-black lines writhed in the air, the backdrop of the contaminated area.

As soon as they entered, a voice automatically broadcasted through their helmets: "Entering B-level contaminated area."

It seemed this was the contaminated area.

In the darkness, several corpses lay on the ground, blood seeping from them and slowly floating in the accumulated water.

The hearts of the corpses had large holes, as if a monster had burst out from within.

Zhu Ning recalled the tentacles she saw outside the pavilion.

Prometheus's voice came: "Detected 17 corpses in the Mermaid House, no survivors."

Seventeen?

Seventeen people died just in the Mermaid House?

Zhu Ning held her gun and stepped onto the floor of the Mermaid House, which was covered in deep water up to her ankles. The entire team waded through it.

As soon as she stepped in, she heard a system prompt.

Ding—

"You have activated a side quest, Strange Aquarium. Objective: Successfully purify this area. Current purification progress: 0%. Please keep trying."

She had triggered the quest mechanism.

The system described it as a side quest, meaning she couldn't refuse it.

Zhu Ning seemed to have figured out a pattern. The tasks posted on the tombstone were recognized by the system as random quests, which she could choose to accept or reject.

For her, random quests were like dungeons for leveling up and obtaining items.

On the other hand, official tasks from the Cleaning Center were side quests, with no option to refuse.

Zhu Ning had to complete them.

The door behind them slammed shut, creating a sealed space.

The Demon Hunter was in front, about three meters away from the rest of the group.

Chu Ling led the way for Zhu Ning's group, taking the lead in case anything happened. Zhu Ning, relying on her high mental strength, brought up the rear.

She couldn't let Li Nianchuan, that unlucky kid, bring up the rear.

The glass walls on both sides were empty.

The aquarium was pitch black, but under normal circumstances, the night vision function of their helmets could reveal many details.

However, the vast expanse of seawater inside blocked part of the view, making the objects behind the glass walls appear blurry.

This blurriness induced fear.

Humans, encountering the unknown, almost instinctively feel fear.

The Grey Eagles spread out, searching the entire mermaid exhibit for any suspicious items.

The Grey Eagles were known for their strict discipline and rarely spoke during missions unless it was necessary.

In contrast, their own team seemed quite noisy.

Li Nianchuan whispered to Xu Meng, "Captain, are we just going to wait here?"

Xu Meng replied, "We'll wait for them to search the area. If there's no source of contamination, we move on to the next exhibit. If there is, we let them handle it. We shouldn't get in the way."

Cleaner Employee Handbook, Article 14: When working alongside demon hunters, cleaners should remain as still as possible and avoid interfering with the hunters' actions.

As an experienced employee, Li Nianchuan knew this rule well. In fact, before Zhu Ning appeared, they would always stay still when facing any sudden dangers.

But ever since Li Nianchuan and Zhu Ning fought the merman, he felt a bit restless.

Li Nianchuan whispered again to Zhu Ning, "What do you think?"

Zhu Ning said, "What can I think? I'm learning."

"Learning what?" Li Nianchuan asked.

Zhu Ning: "On-the-spot learning, how to purify contaminated areas. It's more intuitive than watching videos."

With five demon hunter masters teaching, it was a perfect opportunity for learning.

Li Nianchuan: "..."

He was in awe of Zhu Ning. What kind of thinking was this?

Taking the chance to learn from them?

Chu Ling, who was nearby, overheard this and laughed. She found Zhu Ning amusing.

The other demon hunters glanced over, feeling somewhat annoyed by Zhu Ning's words.

Was she mocking them?

Zhu Ning was simply stating the truth; she was genuinely learning about the demon hunters' methods.

They were far more professional than her.

When Zhu Ning entered the contaminated area, she wandered aimlessly, relying on intuition, which wasn't very efficient.

The demon hunters, however, conducted a thorough search, leaving no evidence or clues unexamined.

They categorized the clues into three levels, and the five of them communicated simultaneously to summarize and classify the information.

Their efficiency was impressive.

Zhu Ning asked, "Why haven't we seen any mermaids?"

Behind the transparent glass walls, the only thing moving was the drifting seaweed. Otherwise, everything was eerily quiet, with no signs of any mobile creatures.

Chu Ling: "Mermaids are very shy and scared of strangers. They must be hiding behind the artificial rocks."

Zhu Ning asked, "Then how do tourists usually visit?"

Chu Ling: "Mermaids are afraid of light. During visiting hours, high-intensity lights are turned on to drive them into the viewing area."

Zhu Ning: "..."

That was rather cruel. Was there no protection association in this world?

Zhu Ning: "What do mermaids look like?"

To be honest, she had never seen a real mermaid.

Chu Ling: "Just like that, human torso, fish tail. Nothing special to see."

The way Chu Ling spoke made it seem like mermaids were as common as cabbages, nothing extraordinary.

But Zhu Ning, being a country bumpkin, found it fascinating.

In the Wasteland, mermaids were a creation of genetic engineering. After the technology matured, scientists could bring many fairy tales and legends to life overnight.

For example, mermaids.

When mermaids were first created, it caused a sensation, making headlines in major media outlets. Countless people came to see them every day.

Beautiful human faces combined with dazzling fish tails made many feel like their fairy tales had come true.

During that time, many restaurants would display a mermaid as a centerpiece.

But after just five years, people lost interest in mermaids.

After all, beautiful faces were no longer rare with technological advancements.

Moreover, mermaids lacked imagination.

The appearance of artificial mermaids was designed to replicate fairy tales from centuries ago, already depicted in old literary works.

Now, mechanical creatures were more popular.

For instance, mechanical nine-tailed foxes.

This trend also led to the popularity of mechanical jellyfish.

Zhu Ning was listening to the history of the Wasteland's trendy internet celebrities.

"The search is complete," someone reported. "No abnormalities found."

It sounded like good news, but everyone knew it wasn't.

Because it was clear that something terrible had happened here—the bodies on the ground and the bloodstains on the glass walls proved that someone had tried to escape but failed.

They searched around but couldn’t find where the monster was.

"What should we do?" someone asked.

Tang Ke: "Stay alert, everyone, and keep moving forward."

Xu Meng also said, "Be careful."

Hearing this, Zhu Ning raised her gun. By the time her sense of danger kicked in, it would likely be too late.

Previously, the eight-person team had been spread out, but now everyone instinctively moved closer together.

The water was getting deeper, and as they left the Mermaid House, the water inside had risen from ankle-deep to knee-deep.

Their walking speed slowed down even more.

In night vision mode, they couldn’t see what was at the bottom of the water.

So they were effectively moving through unknown waters.

Everyone was on high alert; even Li Nianchuan remained silent, leaving only the sound of splashing water.

Zhu Ning walked alone at the back.

There was no one behind her, but she felt there was something strange.

And because they were in the aquarium, she had a damp and sticky sensation on her back.

It felt like a pair of eyes were watching her from behind.

Was it just a hallucination?

If this were a ghost story, the usual advice would be not to look back.

Zhu Ning stared intently at the back of Li Nianchuan's head, hesitating whether to turn around.

Suddenly, she froze—something in the water grabbed her ankle.