CH 173
The Return of The Lord God
Droid three had a feeling that there was something wrong with Zero, but he couldnât point out what it was. But then again, Zero had always been unconventional and elusive.
However, the third did as ordered and brought Ghar to Zeus. As for everything else, the chief could sort it out.
Zeus didnât beat around the bush and got straight to the point, â Zero, where did you hear about the self-destruct system?â
âReporting to the chief. Dr. Manskoo once threatened me with a self-destruct system because of my character flaw. After learning about the situation on Helium, I was afraid that Dr. Manskoo would detonate the self-destruct system, so I came here along with them to seek a solution. â
âSo you think that the self-destruct system thing is true?â
âWhether itâs true or not, we should believe it. Shouldnât we? If itâs fake, itâs fine; if itâs real, robots arenât omnipotent. Once he damages our chips with the self-destruct system, then weâre finished. â
Zeus nodded, âYouâre right. But Dr. Manskoo is missing. I extracted his soul into a data mode and transmitted it to a computer. But just yesterday, the man you were travelling with, named Graverson, somehow appeared in that room and connected a wireless signal transmission device to that computer. Now Dr. Manskoo has escaped into the network. If he wanted to hide in the network, no one would be able to find him.â
âGraverson?â Ghar frowned, âHe and Manskoo shouldnât even know each other, so why save him?â
Zeus sneered, âThatâs what Iâd like to know. Zero, do you know where Graverson is?â
Gale hesitated for a moment before saying, âI donât know.â
Zeus scowled, âZero, finding Manskoo is not just for yourself, but for the entire robot empire. You must not hide anything or you will be a sinner among robots. â
Ghar pursed his lips and looked to the ground as if he was having some kind of internal struggle. Finally, he looked up and said, âBefore coming to Helium, Graversonâs droid-Rubbish, asked me for a map of Heliumâs network distribution. He specifically asked for a place where a signal could be blocked.â
Zeus looked ferocious. âAnd then you told him?â
Ghar nodded stiffly, âI didnât know what he was planning at the time and told him.â
âAnd do you still know where that place is?â
With a glance up at Zeus, Ghar took the initiative to connect to Zeusâ signal, sending a map into his mind, âHereâs the line. The red dot is the shielded area where he made a point of asking me more questions at the time. In this area, all scanning and surveying systems are out of order, so the droids canât even find it. â
âI see,â Zeus brightened, âno wonder my huge army of robots couldnât find their whereabouts; they were hiding in a place like this.â
âVery well, youâve done a good job, Zero.â Zeus nodded in satisfaction, âManskoo must be with them.â
An ominous feeling flashed through Droid Threeâs mind as he watched Zeusâ trust in Zero.
After Zero left, Droid three looked at Zeus respectfully, âChief, do you believe in Zeroâs words?â
Zeus gave Droid three a look and said, âHeâs just a robot with my tracking chip planted in it. Whatâs untrustworthy about him? Three, Iâm already disappointed in you, so I will personally go and capture Manskoo, that human and robot this time. Nothing should go wrong in this matter. You will stay here and watch over this square. If I find anything wrong when I return, you will be the one to blame. â
The third was stunned. Just a robot? Arenât you a robot too?
Is it possible that in Zeusâ eyes, he is âjust a robotâ too? He thought that after leaving humans and living with robots, there would be no more class and that there would be respect and freedom for everyone. But that doesnât seem to be the reality.
As long as there are social creatures, there has to be a class.
He suddenly remembered Zeroâs rhetorical question, âDo you feel free now?â
Did he feel free now? No, he was now in another kind of captivity.
âChief, then I wish you success.â The third did not give Zeus any warning. Since, as far as Zeus was concerned, Zero was just a robot. So, the chief should not fall for the schemes of âjust a robot.â
âIâll take Zero with me. If I donât contact you by ten oâclock this evening, dispose of the teenager he brought with him. â
âHeh.â Droid three sneered in his heart. âHeâs âjust a robotâ, but you are still afraid. Was this a plan to blackmail Zero with a humanâs life? How sinister.â
Despite the scorn in his heart, Droid three still respectfully complied.
That afternoon, Zeus took a hundred robot warriors to Graversonâs hideout, accompanied by Ghar.
Zeus said, â Zero, your little master will be taken care of by droid Three. We must hurry back, or your little master will go hungry. â
A hint of hostility flashed in Gharâs eyes, and he nodded with a calm expression, âWeâll have to hurry then.â
The droids knew no fatigue and moved without rest. By the time they reached their destination, it was around seven in the evening. The sun had sloped west into the sea, and the surroundings were grey.
âTheir hideout is up ahead, chief. However, since Dr. Manskoo can escape down the network, shouldnât we set up a signal interceptor around the area. That way, the place becomes a signal vacuum and is devoid of any network.â
Zeus nodded, âYouâre right, you three do it.â
The signal interception device was quite simple to make, and the principle was even simpler. Electromagnetic interference is placed around the area so that the signals in the area are scattered due to the interference. Naturally, the signals can not form prototypes and be transmitted, making the area a positive null zone.
The signal interceptor was soon ready, and Zeus smiled, âLetâs go, Zero.â
The coordinates transmitted from Zero were for the house in front of him. The door had an electronic lock, and Zeus unlocked the code with a casual touch.
With little effort, the door was opened by Zeus.
The house was not large, and with the night vision detector on, Zeus immediately saw the man sitting on the sofa in the corner of the room.
With a tiger-back and a full beard, it was none other than Graverson.
Beside the man sat a smaller robot.
The two men were visibly shocked to see someone burst in. Zeus hurriedly flicked on the light switch behind him and saw a computer not far from the two.
âHeh,â Zeus sneered. âIt is nice to catch three at once.â
The house was small, and only a few could fit in. With the self-destruct system at stake, Zeus had no choice but to say to the robot soldiers behind him, âYou wait outside, Zero, follow me in.â Zeus only invited Ghar as he knew about the self-destruct system.
As soon as they entered, Zeus slammed the door shut. He walked up to Graverson and Rubbish with his head held high. He scanned the two men before finally locking his eyes on Graverson with a sneer. âI know youâre always running around between worlds and making trouble. What do you want?â
Graverson and Rubbish looked at each other with a bewildered look on their faces.
Zeus sneered and continued, âDo I need to go into more detail? The auras of two of the twelve gods have disappeared, and the energy in the world is getting less and less. Although I donât know who you are or what your purpose is, you can only stop here now that you have run into me. Tell me, where you hide the soul fragment of Lord God Dijia?!â
The soul fragment of Lord God Dijia?
The moment Zeus uttered those words, Ghar trembled. He felt like lightning struck his head, sending a shudder through his heart.
Graverson shook his head, âGeez, this is the first time Iâve seen a robot with so much bullshit. Are you fucking stupid, what kind of nonsense is hedgehog god or pig god? Does your family run a zoo? â
Seeing that Graverson didnât admit it, Zeus sneered, âIt doesnât matter if you donât admit it, itâs better to kill a thousand by mistake than to bypass one. I will kill you first, and if you are not the one, then I will continue my search until I find the true culprit. â With that, Zeus extended his hand and aimed it at Graverson.
His normal mechanical arm and palm slowly began to deform, and after a series of âclickâ sounds of mechanical disassembly and merging, his arm had changed drastically. What had been a normal arm a moment ago had now taken the form of a gun muzzle.
âIf I can find you once, I can find you a second time. I wonder if I kill you now, will your soul die, or will it continue to be reborn? I will imprint your soul so deeply that whenever you appear in any world, I will find you immediately. â
The gun began to turn and focus.
Graverson, however, remained firmly seated on the couch, not moving at all.
Zeus glanced at the computer off to the side, a sneer on his lips as the laser gun mounted in his hand slowly built up power.
As the laser was about to make a shot, an arm came up from behind Zeus like a ghost. The arm was so long and graceful that it only gently touched the laser gun attached to Zeusâ arm, and with a click, the entire arm was broken.