Cyber ​​Heroes

Chapter 1182 Myth, and Another Betrayal
Xiangshan looked at Matsushima Hiro across from him, relaxed, took five steps to the left and right, then jumped several times in place, then moved his shoulders, and finally checked the condition of his test prosthetic body one last time.

Twelve hours is enough time for him to add personalized plugins and patches to this cybernetic body, ensuring that no bugs occur when the cybernetic body uses martial arts.

Matsushima Hiroshi, on the other hand, adopted a much more solemn posture. He assumed the starting stance for his Steel Fist armor with the utmost dignity. His cybernetic body was quiet, but the internal combat system was already operating at full power.

Like a steel Buddha statue about to come to life.

Matsushima Hiroshi had once defeated Mukayama in a sparring match, but when facing this martial arts pioneer again, the technical genius still felt that he had to give it his all.

—Otherwise, we'll lose…

—No, we're very likely to lose.

Matsushima Hiroshi could vaguely "read" something from Xiangshan's posture.

—That feeling of complete harmony between martial arts and cybernetic body…

This time, Xiang Shan faces even greater limitations. After undergoing a neural-level modification, his reflexes have caught up with the fastest human, Godspeed King, a speed that Matsushima Hiro cannot match. Therefore, this prosthetic body has hardware limitations on the number of times the prosthetic eye can refresh and the number of commands input per second.

At this moment, Hiroshi Matsushima's mindset has completely shifted to that of a challenger.

The cameras on all four sides adjusted their angles. Nia Guti, Tao Enhai, and several other warriors watched the battle from the monitoring room. In their field of vision were eight windows: four cameras from different angles, two from the prosthetic eyes of both sides in the battle, and two displaying readings from the prosthetic bodies.

"I heard that Brother Matsushima beat Xiangshan once," Tao Enhai said. "Old Yang really has faith in him..."

“Regardless of the outcome, this battle can serve as a teaching material for external martial arts,” Niaguti said.

"We can begin now," came the signal from Xiangshan.

Therefore, Niaguti gave instructions to both of them at the same time.

【start! 】

Matsushima Hiroshi moved. The alloy floor beneath his feet groaned under the strain. But before the sound reached the recording equipment, his outline was already blurred, as if he had become a smear of silver-black paint in the picture.

step.

In just one step, he has already pushed the limits of this test prosthetic body!
With a slight tilt of his head back, and a gentle twist of his left heel, Matsushima Hiroshi's first shot at the frontal radar was deflected by the shoulder armor, producing only a spark.

Inside the monitoring room, the martial artists expressed their awe and admiration.

Judging from the footage, Hiro Matsushima was only making a tentative move, but this was a test prosthetic body.

The pressure-sensitive elements throughout the prosthetic body have made the mechanical energy within Matsushima Hiroshi's body visible to everyone. Starting from his feet, a red light of "force" rushes upwards, and it adds another layer of force every time it passes through a structure that can generate force.

The power traveling within the prosthetic body seemed completely unaffected by the armor and skeleton, propelling the fist at a speed beyond the design's intended range.

Language couldn't keep up with actions, and everyone instantly flooded the chat room with cheers.

This kind of miraculous way of exerting force should only exist in theory, and should be something like an "ideal plane".

They were like scientists who had seen the "ideal plane".

Xiang Shan's body was already pressed against him. He deflected his attacking right shoulder and slammed it forward, striking Matsushima Hiroshi's chest. At the same time, his left hand spread its five fingers and grabbed at the opponent's right arm, which had not yet fully retracted after throwing a punch.

Matsushima Hiroshi certainly wouldn't allow the God of War to grab his arm. Instead of simply dodging, he adopted a more aggressive strategy. He retreated a few centimeters, trying to redirect Xiang Shan's attack into empty space. Xiang Shan grabbed at nothing and crashed into something solid, but the force of the impact wasn't fully transmitted, and Matsushima Hiroshi seized the opportunity to push him back.

Matsushima used his shoulder to deflect Xiangshan's force. Xiangshan, having missed his grab, instantly found himself in a disadvantageous position.

The arm that Xiang Shan couldn't grab thrust upwards, meeting Xiang Shan's forward-leaning chin.

The force of this palm strike will penetrate the brain, causing a concussion.

With a twist of his ankle, Mukai's deadly attack grazed past his faceplate. Matsushima then raised his leg, his right leg sweeping across the ground like a steel whip towards Mukai's supporting ankle.

If this move is implemented, Xiangshan will lose its balance.

But Xiangshan was caught off guard and instead grabbed Matsushima's shoulder in the direction of gravity.

Before the spectators' eyes, the red light representing "force" scattered instantly. Without a sound, Xiangshan disrupted Matsushima Hiroshi's exertion of force. But Matsushima also prevented Xiangshan from using the force to unleash his weapon-breaking martial arts.

The two separated immediately after touching, each taking a few steps back.

"Ah Hong, you've made great progress!" Xiang Shan said in a lighthearted tone.

“Unimaginable,” Matsushima Hirokazu said. “Practicing external martial arts is like climbing a mountain. Once you reach the summit, it’s difficult to go any further. It’s like finding a path through nothingness…”

“I couldn’t find the way. I used to be the one looking for the way, but this time, there are two paths in front of me—maybe three.”

The two lines refer to Matsushima Hiroshi himself and the Tenth Martial God.

The third one is the addition of the Godspeed King Falcon Foiget.

As someone once said to Xiang Shan, a junior hacker can find a way much faster by following the lead of a senior hacker than by finding a way on his own.

Xiangshan relearned the top martial arts techniques from others. Matsushima taught him everything he knew, Hayabusa personally deciphered the techniques, and the Tenth Martial God directly inherited his memories.

Xiangshan pointed at Matsushima Hiroshi: "But you, it's you who's actually managed to go a step further, that's what's surprising, you're the one who's cheating. My neck bearing even sent out an impact alarm."

He deliberately stretched his neck.

Matsushima's gaze, however, was fixed on Mukayama's ankles.

"Trying to bet that my ankle prosthesis can't keep up?" Xiang Shan bounced back and forth lightly. "Come on."

Two figures, two storms, two phantoms...

The martial artists of the new era seem to have forgotten how to describe the battle between these two.

The two stopped about an hour later.

"A draw?" Tao Enhai asked Nia Guti.

Niaguti was also puzzled: "It seems to be..."

It seemed to take Hiro Matsushima a few seconds to come to his senses. His ego was reactivated, and he began to re-examine the battle from a third-party perspective.

“I thought you would get weaker—that’s what the Research Knight said.” Matsushima Hiro’s tone was filled with a strange excitement. “You’ve gotten stronger.”

If we were to describe it in a concrete way... his battle with Xiang Shan could perhaps be called a battle where "the tide submerged the stones".

Matsushima Hiroshi's punches and kicks were like a tidal wave, and he once had the upper hand. However, he could never break through Xiangshan's stance.

Xiang Shan crossed his arms and said, "Yes, as expected, only when the brain is operating at its limit can it be confirmed—the chronic illness has truly been cured."

Niaguti turned to a former research knight behind her: "Why didn't you mention that it has this effect?"

The research knight was also bewildered: "Is...is there?"

Xiang Shan said through the communication channel, "Don't ask about that idiot anymore. It's purely a matter of personal feelings."

Niaguti sent a message: "What does this mean?"

“Yogmov actually found the right treatment. If your trauma about an individual is really that great, then killing him in your mind is indeed a way.” Xiang Shan nodded his head. “But he… didn’t even believe that the thing he tortured was Xiang Shan.”

Xiang Shan pointed to himself again: "And I absolutely believe that the thing I killed was Yogemov."

“That…” Tao Enhai interjected, “Before the Ninth Martial God, Xiang Shan had died eight times, right? —This might not be the same thing.”

"Just treat it as it is," Xiang Shan said indifferently.

"So you have a major psychological trauma related to Yogemov?"

“After all, I did get killed once, and this creature definitely has PTSD,” Xiang Shan said. “My insistence on using the fission reactor is proof of that—even if the fusion reactor is stronger. The fission reactor did work this time. But that doesn’t mean my choice is always the optimal solution. In the end, the fission reactor is only stronger than the fusion reactor in that one extreme scenario, right?”

"In that extreme realm where even I had no place to stand, a mental obstacle I couldn't perceive hindered the operation of martial arts. I was always being pushed back to my operational limit. After killing that Yogemov, the problem improved a lot."

Just as Matsushima Hiro was about to say something, an explosion blew his words away.

A dark figure rushed behind Xiangshan and threw a punch.

Xiang Shan swayed his upper body to dodge the attack and said, "Yang Zhenhao, you're a bit mean."

At this moment, Yang Zhenhao was not using the prosthetic body of Roman King Zhu Anleibin. He had switched back to the first-level prosthetic body he had brought from the North.

The Northern Martial Arts Master laughed and said, "Since you say you're cured, then of course we have to increase the intensity. The next test will be to see how you perform against strong enemies."

"Tsk tsk tsk, unlock the command input limit for me, and unlock the refresh rate of the prosthetic eye too. At least give me a drone to provide vision," Xiang Shan said.

"That won't do," Yang Zhenhao said. "Let's just fight like this!"

Xiang Shan felt somewhat helpless.

His contest with Hiroshi Matsushima was purely a matter of technique; it didn't seem fast, but it involved a great deal of calculation.

Yang Zhenhao, however, completely overwhelmed the opponent by virtue of his prosthetic body's performance.

Concentrating on the mountain, the world slows down before him, including Yang Zhenhao…

It feels like it's turned into a PowerPoint presentation.

"Ugh, the refresh rate..." Xiang Shan was in pain. He even wanted to clutch his head and groan.

Severe motion blur, continuous loss of movement...

It all depends on the brain to make up for all of this.

Yang Zhenhao's punches were as rhythmic as drumbeats. The floor shattered, and dust and debris filled the air.

Xiang Shan relied solely on prediction to dodge 65 attacks in a row.

Yang Zhenhao stopped his sixty-sixth punch. He felt himself being hit once.

The Northern Martial Arts Champion bowed to Xiang Shan.

A martial arts legend is still a martial arts legend.

Even the people watching in the monitoring room applauded.

................................................

An hour after the duel ended, Xiang Shan's head was inserted into the cybernetic body of King Romance.

"Wow, that's impressive." Xiang Shan flexed his wrists.

“You’ll have a day to get back into position,” Niaguti said. “After that, return to the space elevator and launch an attack on the lunar base—you won’t be able to leave the Earth-Moon gravitational well at maximum acceleration unless you eliminate the lunar resistance. You’ll use internal techniques to disrupt them, while the others suppress the lunar forces.”

Xiang Shan nodded: "That's straightforward."

“It’s just because Hartman isn’t here,” Niaguti shook her head and said. “Besides, an old friend wants to see you and says there’s something he must give you personally.”

Soon, a somewhat unfamiliar cybernetic warrior appeared in front of Xiang Shan.

“Hey buddy, I still don’t know your name,” Xiang Shan said.

This warrior was once under the command of the Sixth Martial God. The Sixth Martial God was a man of long-term planning who had once sent some soldiers to lay the groundwork in the inner solar system. However, with the sacrifice of the Sixth Martial God, this plan came to an abrupt end.

By a twist of fate, this warrior, who had buried his own name, joined Dr. Freeman in providing essential assistance to a nascent whale-dolphin civilization on the seabed of the Pacific Ocean.

"To be honest, my skills aren't that great, so I wasn't assigned to the battle in the space elevator..."

Niaguti said, "I asked him to go to Dr. Freeman's place again and bring some technical data—I don't have any supplies, but making a copy of the data won't be a loss. He came looking for me after he heard that you were going to Jupiter."

The martial artist opened the briefcase. It appeared to have a built-in refrigeration unit and had just finished thawing.

Inside is a chip-like piece of hardware.

“The White Ship Righteous Cavalry’s identification module,” the warrior explained.

A dedicated hardware key. The key file is not simply stored on a USB flash drive, but is burned into a protected internal storage area of ​​the hardware key, which is physically "read-only" and its original data cannot be read from the outside.

Even the most sophisticated internal techniques cannot fundamentally replicate a valid key file. Anyone attempting this would only obtain a useless "pointer" file pointing to the hardware. "A special identification token issued to members on long-term periphery missions," the warrior chuckled. "We can't update the fleet's identification files daily, so we've equipped them with this. Although the White Ship Legion has been destroyed and rebuilt, the data related to this identification token is backed up on Saturn. With this, while the White Ship Legion can't identify who you are, they'll know you're an ally."

Xiang Shan asked, "Isn't Lao Liu afraid that this thing will be stolen?"

“There’s also a negative trigger mechanism. You have to copy a copy of the software from me. This software will detect the hardware, and if it finds any unregistered hardware changes, it will delete itself. If it doesn’t receive a negative trigger signal for a period of time, the identity token will also self-destruct,” the martial artist explained. “I can always find a way to destroy either the software or the hardware, so it won’t be forcibly taken.”

"The White Ship will never relinquish command just because you are a God of War. It can only guarantee that it will not be identified as an enemy by the chivalrous forces outside the solar system."

“That’s enough.” Xiang Shan nodded and said, “Now, my biggest worry is gone.”

..........................................

Twelve hours later, at the top of the space elevator.

The heroes have erected a massive, high-power radar antenna to transmit signals directly to the moon.

Xiangshan connected a cable to the neck connector.

Led by Yang Zhenhao, a large group of heroes from the First Heaven are heading to the moon.

Xiang Shan needs to find a way to disrupt the moon's defenses so that the Earth's heroes can land safely.

The radar was searching for the last remaining relay satellite.

The next step is to send a tamper signal.

Data link established.

Xiang Shan closed his eyes, and the network signal crashed into his brain, incidentally stimulating his visual function.

A torrent appeared before his eyes.

A deluge of data.

A torrent of data surged through cyberspace. Xiang Shan's consciousness became part of this torrent. Countless gates stood before Xiang Shan, but he smashed them all open.

"It's still effective," Xiang Shan thought to himself.

Ah Ling handed it to Tuoba, and Tuoba then passed it on to him.

Of those three spells, one was kept very secret and was not detected by anyone, including Hartman. He continued his ascent, breaking through all the barriers on the mountain.

Then he encountered obstacles.

A familiar obstacle.

This is an opponent I once fought against.

Xiang Shan's consciousness raised an imaginary eyebrow. He remembered this guy. He had fought this guy before and after Paradox City.

Xiang Shan also remembered that this guy wasn't entirely loyal to Hartman.

Two consciousnesses intertwined, creating a primitive web chat room. Under the most rudimentary protocol, they began exchanging text messages.

What do you want to do?

"You need help, God of War," the stranger replied. "I can help you."

But your attitude doesn't suggest you're here to help. You're here to make a deal, aren't you?

Perhaps you could put it this way. I have two requests. If you agree to them, I can help you conquer the moon. This will save the lives of many heroes.

Xiang Shan was silent for a moment: [The Six Dragons Sect, what's their identity? I didn't obtain any information about you from the Holy Lord.]

[The Dharma King is resolute in protecting the faith.]

[Wow, that's a really high-level undercover agent.]

"King Agni no longer trusts me. Therefore, he won't allow someone like me to be on the Celestial Star Fleet during crucial battles—especially since he plans to split up with the Celestial Star Fleet first," said the Iron Heart Dharma King. "And his vigilance is indeed justified."

Xiang Shan asked: "What do you want?"

"My life is safe," said the Iron-Hearted Dharma King. "Also, I hope you can tell the Fifth Martial God on Mars one thing—'Singhorst did not directly participate in any inhumane activities.' That one sentence is enough."

Xiang Shan was shocked: [Singhorst... Joshua? That guy... the Six Dragons Cult? He's one too?]

Perhaps because he was too shocked, he belatedly realized...

[You're... betraying the old dog and... apostasy?]

The Iron-Hearted Dharma King said: "This was actually not a difficult decision."

"No... huh?" Xiang Shan scratched his head. "This... I... I don't understand. I think that scoundrel's brainwashing skills are pretty good."

"If something requires all participants to have the same fervent belief in the same ideology to be accomplished, then the project's feasibility is questionable—like someone like me who needs to remain under King Agni's command for a long time," said the Iron-Hearted Dharma King. "Of course, 'Towards the Mountain' has already learned this lesson the hard way, hasn't it?"

"Pfft... Hahaha..." Xiang Shan suddenly burst out laughing on the space elevator. He even forgot that he was in a mechanical body, and just laughed until he curled up, following the habits of Homo sapiens. "Hahahahahahaha... Hahahahahahahahahahaha... How ironic! Really, how ironic!"

The leader of the Six Dragons Cult, Xiang Shan, who boasted of "following Xiang Shan's classic strategy"—that is, Xiang Shan who "developed a secret group within the enemy's camp"—finally met his match...

It was in a similar predicament as during the Superman Corporation era.

"No, that's too funny," Xiang Shan said. "So you're Director Li of the Six Dragons Cult, right—or rather, the Six Dragons Cult's version of Director Zhao?"

[Think what you want.]

So when exactly did you decide to apostatize? Tell me.

"When the title of Twelfth Martial God was established, that was when I was certain you were capable of protecting yourself," said the Iron Heart Dharma King. "The only reliance of secret groups is 'secrecy,' because their doctrines cannot be brought into the open. From the day they lose their secrecy, they are destined for hardship. In fact, the moment you exposed the Six Dragons Cult's disguise, the Six Dragons Cult could never return to its former state."

[Especially Kotonoha Kambara—during the founding of the Six Dragons Cult, while she certainly attracted many people with her reputation, she also drew the attention of many powerful figures. You've highlighted her presence as well; the deep connection between her and others cannot remain hidden for long.]

The Six Dragons Cult is still awaiting reconstruction because its leader holds a trump card; he can take a gamble. And he has no choice but to take that gamble.

The super AI "Olenmira" is the cult leader's last hope in reconnecting the core members of the Six Dragons Cult.

This wandering AI, which has evolved naturally in the gap between the old and new networks, possesses capabilities that are difficult for many of its developers to comprehend. It cannot even be considered a completely "designed product".

In fact, it was quite recently that Iron Heart Dharma King Fihert came up with his new idea.

Fihert received limited messages from Mars via a private link. After almost all of the Six Dragons Cult's public encryption protocols were exposed, the private link became the last means of maintaining communication within the cult.

Fihert also had several trusted confidants on Mars. The cult leader was, of course, aware of their existence. This could be considered a tacit understanding between the cult leader and his top undercover agent.

The leader of the Six Dragons Cult knew what kind of person Fihert was, and also knew what measures could put this highly capable subordinate at ease.

If the Six Dragons Cult wants to remain secret and operate on Earth, it must control information about King Agni.

To perform this in front of the second-best internal strength human, one needs to be at least in the top ten internal strength human.

There's no way to replace the leader of the Six Dragons Cult.

And Fihert would not allow his internal sources of information to be completely controlled by the leader.

As it turned out, Fichert's idea was correct.

Just recently, Fihert learned of two messages from Mars.

"Super AI 'Olenmila' has gone missing," and "Soul-Suppressing Dharma King has gone missing."

The previous news led Fihert to conclude that the Six Dragons Cult was no longer a reliable ship.

Then another piece of news made Fihert feel that the Six Dragons Cult might no longer be so valuable to him.

At that time, he had already been placed outside the Celestial Star Fleet. After the plan for the Jupiter Battle was finalized, he was imprisoned. It was during this period of quiet contemplation that the Iron Heart Dharma King conceived this new idea.

"Hartman hasn't had the time to deal with the Six Dragons Cult entirely because of your activities," Fihert said. "If you were to perish again, the Six Dragons Cult would likely be next. It's a ship already on the verge of sinking. The leader's strategy of rapidly advancing technology and ascending to immortality before the 'Doomsday Battle Royale' seems impossible. Staying with them, it's only a matter of time before Hartman digs me out."

As Hartmann's adjutant, I haven't had many opportunities to distance myself from him. If I don't leave now, I might never have such a good chance again. And since I surrendered on the battlefield, the knight-errant would never kill me now. I have indeed done some things that would enrage you, but they were merely acts of coercion, and according to the laws of the old era, they didn't warrant the death penalty. If you truly intend to rebuild the law and punish crimes fairly, then I have no reason to be executed.

Xiang Shan sighed: "Two hundred and fifty years ago, I might have hired you as general manager—to show my sincerity, why don't you transport rocket fuel from the moon to the Lagrange point—you could do that, right?"

Iron Heart Dharma King did not respond, but Xiangshan had already sensed the changes on the moon.

The lunar launch site has received instructions to prepare for the launch of a cargo spacecraft.

More checkpoints were opened.

Having infiltrated King Agni's ranks for so many years, the Iron Heart Dharma King has also accumulated considerable experience.

"Heh...really..."

Xiang Shan sat cross-legged on the ground and suddenly slammed his fist into the ground.

In the weightless environment, he was thrown directly from the ground and then pulled by the cable around his neck.

"It's really frustrating to win..." Xiang Shan shook his head. "It actually reminded me of bad memories. Disgusting."

He wasn't disgusted by the Iron Heart Dharma King; rather, the Iron Heart Dharma King reminded him of the past.

Human standardization surgery needs to be rolled out as soon as possible, because the standard human and Homo sapiens are two species that are reproductively isolated.

Humans are cruel enough to their own kind who are not reproductively isolated. If the period of standardization is prolonged, human society will be completely torn apart.

Therefore, we must be fast.

From that point on, he developed a gambling addiction. He always thought about eliminating or circumventing problems at the lowest cost and fastest speed to maintain social stability.

This way of thinking lingered deep within him, ultimately leading him to single-handedly charge into the fleet.

The so-called "only defeat"... hehe, it was just one of the many times Xiang Shan lost everything.

The emergence of cyber martial arts is also related to this mindset. It involves the precise assassination of a small number of those who usurp power.

And today, before him, yet another Xiang Shan—a misprinted version of himself that he once regarded as a formidable enemy—lost his gamble in front of him.

The image of my own fanaticism flashed across my mind: "Is it really necessary to sympathize with that bastard leader to this extent?"

"I'm not talking about some kind of empathy guru. I just find it ironic." Xiang Shan chuckled a few times. "The path that Superman Enterprises takes is indeed not going to work—even if you add another layer of religious buff."

Xiang Shan shared this message with the Earth Knight who was heading to the lunar surface and with Nia Guti. Then, he grabbed his weapon and flew towards the Lagrange point.

At the Lagrange point, a spaceship was parked. Xiang Shan used his internal energy to take control of the spaceship. It was full of fuel.

Xiang Shan's weapon was modeled after the standard weaponry of the Swift Army; it resembled a broad, thick lance, with the breech end completely enveloping the user like a shield. The lance's core contained a radar antenna capable of detecting small celestial bodies directly in front. This was a weapon hastily manufactured by Earth's heroes.

Xiang Shan filled the spaceship's fuel into the fuel tank attached to the battle gun.

"He lost contact with the Six Dragons Cult after encountering the Fifth Martial God. This is the only information I could obtain from Mars," said the Iron Heart Dharma King. "Relay my words to the Fifth Martial God."

I can't guarantee Joshua is still alive, and most War Gods don't like other War Gods, so be careful it might backfire.

"That's enough," said the Iron Heart Dharma King. "I simply want to experience peace. The approaching end times prevent me from finding peace, as does the debt I owe to others."

[You owe Joshua, but don't you owe your leader?]

"What I have done for the Six Dragons Sect has far exceeded what the Six Dragons Sect could have given me," said the Iron Heart Dharma King.

Xiang Shan nodded: "Then you should take more."

[The cult leader would think the same way, right?]

[Based on my stance.] Xiang Shan sighed and started the external engine.

At the top of the space elevator, Nia Guti watched the blue meteor depart from Lagrange Point.

These two chapters were originally meant to be together, but the previous paragraph was more suited to a break in the narrative, so I wrote a bit more.

The next chapter will shift the perspective to Mars.