“This thing is a product of Professor Wang’s laboratory, a completely new attempt involving supernatural objects. It’s still in the trial stage, but you’ll take it with you on this mission and record the changes in its data while you’re at it.”
Liu San frowned, his tone carrying a hint of displeasure. “Wait, Cao Yanhua, have you misunderstood something? Did I ever say I agreed?”
Liu San’s voice was ice-cold. “Headquarters really is determined to work me to death, huh? I’m supposed to carry out the raid plan, and at the same time go to DQ City to support your relative? Even if I had more paper men, I wouldn’t be able to keep up.”
Cao Yanhua seemed to have expected Liu San to say this. Every one of these captains was a thorny character; after dealing with them for so long, he had more or less figured out their temperaments.
He took out a black metal case from behind his desk and said, “Aside from the mission reward for your participation in the raid plan, there are also three ghost candles here. In addition, you may choose any one supernatural object currently contained by Headquarters.”
“But,” Cao Yanhua continued, “Professor Wang wants you to participate in the raid plan in your capacity as Liu San. In other words, you can’t use a paper man to fool Headquarters again.”
“And one more thing.” Cao Yanhua was not finished yet.
“During the execution of the raid plan, the captains will all be overseas. Headquarters will need your paper men to go to various cities at the same time to stabilize the situation. Naturally, that includes this operation to support Cao Yang. You’ll have to take care of multiple places simultaneously.”
Liu San stared at Cao Yanhua and gave a cold laugh. “Wang Xiaoming taught you to say that, didn’t he? Not the slightest bit of humanity in it. Treating us like machines.”
Cao Yanhua did not deny it. He nodded very straightforwardly, then said with a solemn expression:
“Liu San, this raid plan is of utmost importance. There will be a period of vacancy within the country. During that time, there will be no captains holding the fort, and foreign ghost controllers may very well seize the chance to infiltrate. In Da Jing City, there are still a small number of escaped ghosts that have not been contained, and the persons in charge simply can’t free themselves up. Your paper men need to cover at least more than half of the country within these twelve hours.”
Liu San walked over to the object covered by burlap and said, “Yang Jian was right. A captain is just a higher-level wage slave. Working ourselves to death every day—who knows, maybe one day you people will actually use us until we die.”
He yanked away the burlap, revealing the thing beneath. A trace of surprise flashed through Liu San’s eyes.
“A robot?”
Before him stood a strange humanoid figure forcibly stitched together from steel and flesh.
It had a shell forged from steel, its main body pieced together from metal. Yet at the joints linking the metal parts, there were embedded chunks of cold, pale, rotting flesh.
Torn skin and human tissue filled the gaps between the metal seams. In certain places, the steel and flesh could not fully adhere to one another; half-rotted clots of blood hung from the iron frame, stretching out strands of viscous black-red blood.
The entire mechanical creation looked as if metal and flesh had been forcefully fused together through some extreme method of assembly.
This interlacing of steel and meat seemed like some bizarre yet advanced supernatural product born from the exploration of the supernatural path.
“Hm?”
Liu San noticed something unusual. He bent down and looked into the machine’s interior.
Inside the hollow mechanical structure, a tattered cotton quilt had been wrapped into a bundle and crudely stuffed between the mechanical components, seeming completely out of place within the metal body.
“This is…” Liu San recalled a supernatural case file he had once seen.
Cao Yanhua walked up and said, “The Freezing Ghost. A ghost that was contained a very long time ago. After it was dismembered, Professor Wang has been using this quilt for experiments.”
As he spoke, Cao Yanhua activated the mechanical creation. Two red lights immediately lit up on the humanoid machine’s head, slowly sweeping over Liu San and Cao Yanhua as though scanning the surrounding environment.
“During the loss-of-control incident in Da Jing City, the whereabouts of another dismembered part of this ghost became unknown. The analysis team judged that the supernatural force currently covering all of DQ City may be that very part that escaped from Da Jing City back then.”
Liu San circled the robot once. The feeling this thing gave him was far too eerie. It was driven by modern technology, with a supernatural object as its core—but the two could be said to have no connection whatsoever.
In Liu San’s understanding, inanimate objects absolutely could not control ghosts or use supernatural objects.
How were machinery and the supernatural supposed to be driven together? And after it was used, who would bear the price? If machinery could truly replace living people in using the supernatural, then this discovery would be of immense significance. It was a completely new path, more unconventional than any previous method of controlling ghosts.
“But Professor Wang insisted on pushing it forward. It wasn’t until he actually created this thing that I relaxed a little. In an experiment with no human interference, it successfully contained a ghost.”
Liu San said in surprise, “You mean it can act on its own without my intervention?”
Liu San had thought that this robot would require him to operate it, or perhaps implant some sort of medium into it. But Cao Yanhua’s meaning was clearly that this thing seemed capable of independently using supernatural power.
“That’s right.” Cao Yanhua nodded.
“The data show that this thing is fully capable of autonomous action. But this is its first time in actual combat. I’ll feel more at ease if you take it along with you.”
Liu San glanced at Cao Yanhua and said, “At ease?”
“Why don’t you have Li Jun take it? He’d probably be more suitable than me. To put it plainly, you think that even if this thing loses control, I’m only a paper man. If I die, I die. It won’t be much of a loss to Headquarters, right?”
Cao Yanhua gave a dry cough and avoided Liu San’s gaze.
Indeed, just as Liu San had said, he still had reservations about this robot. After all, this was an entirely new attempt involving the supernatural; any accident could happen. After weighing all sides, only having Liu San carry it was the safest option.
He hurriedly changed the subject. “Time is tight. The plane is already prepared. Take it with you now and head to DQ City to support Cao Yang.”
Liu San sneered. “Don’t worry. I won’t let that relative of yours get into trouble.”
With that, Liu San slapped the mechanical creation hard on the shoulder.
“Come with me.”
The robot’s feet immediately began to move, producing dull sounds of metal collision as it followed behind Liu San and walked out.
Cao Yanhua shouted from behind, “Be gentle with it! A lot of its parts were forcibly patched together.”
Liu San did not even look back, leading the robot toward the helipad.
Cao Yanhua watched Liu San’s back, took out his phone, and dialed a number.
“Professor Wang, Liu San has already taken the robot away. Cao Yang is currently investigating the supernatural source in DQ City. It’s just that the area is too large, and Cao Yang still hasn’t sent back any news.”
Wang Xiaoming’s voice came from the other end of the phone.
“Understood. It will be enough as long as the current situation in DQ City is stabilized. The captains participating in the raid plan cannot suffer any consumption. Liu San’s paper men are very special; no matter how many die, they won’t affect his main body. With him cooperating with Cao Yang, plus that robot, they should be able to hold out until the raid plan ends.”
Wang Xiaoming paused, then continued, “Something happened to Zhang Sun. One hour ago, after we received the last piece of intelligence he sent back, his satellite phone went offline. At present, we judge that Zhang Sun may have already died. Our plan needs to be adjusted temporarily.”
“What?!” Cao Yanhua slammed the table and stood up.
Zhang Sun was a captain Headquarters had planted overseas, and he was of vital importance to Headquarters. It could be said that most of their current overseas intelligence came from Zhang Sun. For him to die on the eve of the raid plan was undoubtedly an enormous blow to Headquarters.
“Shen Liang and I are already in the conference room. Come over as soon as possible.”
“Good! I’m coming right now!”
Cao Yanhua hung up the phone and hurried toward the conference room, his face carrying anger and unease that were difficult to conceal.