Chapter 33 33: Zero (Part 3) [1/2]
All the computers in the control room suddenly turned on. Screens filled with crazy-fast lines of code. The computers were working so hard they started to make noise, like they were about to break. The fans inside were spinning like crazy to keep things cool.
At the same time, in a run-down bar late at night, you can see faint lights flicker inside if you looked from outside.
All the security cameras hanging from the ceiling aimed their lenses at the middle of the bar.
Under the influence of a hacking program, Miasma Energy had modified them through the circuitry. Not only were these cameras now operational again, but they were also given a new capability: [projection]
Blue beams of light shot out from the cameras, pointing all over the place.
Constantly rotating, the adjusting camera lenses seemed like needles, and the beams of light shooting from them were like threads.
These "threads" and "needles" of light went back and forth across the bar, creating something as they moved.
First, they made feet, then legs, and finally, an entire body.
The whole process might have taken around ten seconds.
That was already the limit.
After all, given the old and low-grade hardware in Sea Sand Bar, any longer and the equipment would probably have burned out.
The Sea Sand Bar dimmed again, and each camera lens seemed to have completely broken down, losing its light.
However, corresponding to all this, the final result of the projection and weaving process appeared: a virtual woman, entirely made of bluish light, appeared in the center of the bar\'s main hall.
She didn\'t have a real body, so you could see dust particles lit up by her light go right through her.
Her hairstyle was made of two spiral, DNA-like pigtails, hanging down on either side of her cheeks.
You couldn\'t see all of her face because she was wearing something like a visor over her eyes. But you could see her perfect nose and thin lips.
From far away, her arms and legs looked human. But up close, you could see they were like robot limbs, covered in circuits. She was also floating a bit; her toes weren\'t touching the floor.
Even though she was all robotic, being made of light didn\'t make her any less beautiful.
This kind of beauty wasn\'t just "pretty" in the usual way. It was more like the buzz you get when you see a super cool sports car. Even though it\'s not a person, it still gives you a kick.
After all, for "Zero," she could satisfy any of her Emperor\'s physical aesthetic needs for the opposite sex whenever he wished, by swapping out parts like her chest, legs, hands, feet, etc.
Regrettably, ever since Emperor Ashen purchased her and trained her, the "Reproduction Module" that she learned from human data has never been activated by Ashen.
No longer dwelling on her past from her database, as her time was limited, Zero cut off her emotional circuit. She lifted her translucent virtual arm and spoke in a mechanical, cold voice, "Canonical Data Reshaping."
In an instant, centered on Zero\'s virtual projection, a strong Miasma energy radiated. From the outside, Sea Sand Bar looked just the same as always. But from the inside, tables and chairs that were knocked over righted themselves and floated back to their original positions. Shattered bottles and cans on the bar reassembled themselves. Even the evaporated liquor somehow found its way back into its respective bottles.
It seemed like time inside the Sea Sand Bar had been rewound.
Finally, everything stopped.
At that moment, inside the Sea Sand Bar, besides Zero, there were many other people—or to be precise, many other virtual projections just like her.
They were:
-Some gangsters lying dead on the floor.
-Some gang members with guns ready to shoot.
-A young girl about to get shot full of holes.
-Brian, the bar owner, and his staff.
-And a young man in the back, his fingers sparking like he was about to do something big.
This was a real-time simulation of the fight that took place that afternoon at Sea Sand Bar, precisely at the moment when Renji was about to release the "Magnetic Pulse."
It looked as if time had been rewound.
However, what actually happened was that Zero had digitized the entire Sea Sand Bar, conducted a scene simulation, and ultimately restored everything back to this moment.
The advantage of doing this was:
Floating Zero came in front of the young man\'s virtual projection. Because it was just a simulated statue, the young man had no reaction to Zero and maintained the pose of releasing the "Magnetic Pulse."
Zero extended her hand, trying to touch the young man\'s electrified fingertips. However, each time she came close, she seemed to pull back as if afraid of something.
Although Zero\'s face showed no expression and her body remained steady, the light from her virtual form fluctuated, seemingly expressing an emotion called "excitement."
Finally, the projection stabilized, and Zero now appeared in a Gothic-style maid outfit.
After loading the "maid" dress, Zero no longer floated but touched the ground with her toes. She aligned herself with the projection of the young man, crossed her legs, slightly bent her knees, placed her hands on the sides of her Gothic maid skirt, and lightly lifted the hem while lowering her head toward the young man.
She spoke in a mechanical voice again, but this time, it was not cold.
"Welcome home, Master."
After doing all this, Zero stood up. Five hundred years ago, as a mechanical maid by her Lord\'s side, her duties extended beyond taking care of Ashen\'s daily needs. She had another responsibility:
To protect the safety of her Emperor and eliminate all his enemies.
Zero turned around.
She then set her eyes on the gang members from Callewa, who were the targets of Renji\'s "Magnetic Pulse" attack.
Zero\'s virtual form, initially emitting a soft bluish light, suddenly turned red. On her visor that covered her eyes, a red exclamation mark alert blinked as if triggered by an emergency.
Her hands turned into gun barrels, mechanical wings sprang out from her back, and floating cannons appeared around her. The cannons aimed at the gang members.
Lines of text appeared on Zero\'s electronic display screen.
[Enemy information has been fully retrieved; found purchase records from \'Mechanical Alliance,\' retrieving registered data]
[Organization Name: Callewa]
[Headquarters Coordinates: Holy Kingdom, Michelle, Blackhole Gathering]
[Combat Assessment: D. Influence Assessment: E. Defense Ability Assessment: E]
[Extermination plan being calculated]
[Calculation complete. Five optional plans generated]
[Making \'Preferred\' plan determination]
[Plan Details]
[Weapon: TS-283 Medium Tactical Nuclear Bomb]
[Strike Method: Long-Range, Super Accurate]
[Target Location: Blackhole Gathering]