Abnormal Doomsday Records

Chapter 12. The Second Mask and "Awakening Disease"

The merchants from Snake State have their own shops in Tiger Claw Town. Thanks to the mysterious relationship between Boss Ohm and Snake State, the three fighters were sent here as soon as they came out of the fighting cage.

The wasteland merchant opposite was very impatient at first, but when he saw Ohm take off his scarf, he took the three people to the back of the shop without saying a word and began to treat them. When Zhou Ke saw a wastelander dressed as a doctor taking out various neatly packaged medicines from a locked medicine box, he knew that this must be another good thing from the city-state area.

This made him more and more curious about Ohm's identity.

The Snake Nation is not a charity, but Ohm was able to get these penny-pinching merchants from the Evil Land to give him such good medicine just by showing off his reputation. It was obvious that he was not an ordinary person. However, Ohm was accompanying Qiao Ya to get the money now. If he wanted to investigate the past, he had to wait for them to come back. Besides, Zhou Ke was sure that the old silver coin mayor Chen would not let it go.

"Hey, man, I have some friendship with Boss Ohm, can I buy some stuff from you?"

Zhou Ke, who was lying on the hospital bed receiving an IV drip, said something to the doctor in front of him. The latter glanced at him, and a sarcastic electronic symbol appeared in the red prosthetic eyes on his face, which were obviously mechanically modified.

He spat a mouthful of oil at the side in a very uncivilized manner and said:
"Ohm is Ohm, and you are you. What valuable things can a fighter who is sent to die bring out? There are indeed many good things in this shop, but can you afford them?"

"Money? Money is a bastard. I'll just earn more after I spend it."

Zhou Ke waved his hand proudly and said:

"I'll have the money soon. Bring me your catalogue first."

"whispering sound."

Dr. Shebang curled his lips, and for Ohm's sake, he took out a worn tablet and threw it to Zhou Ke.

There was indeed a catalog of goods for trading on it, but Zhou Ke's eyes widened at the fact that the tablet was still working. He asked curiously:

"How dare you use this kind of smart product in the Bad Land? Aren't you afraid of being infected with the awakening virus and rebelling?"

"Where the hell are you from, you bumpkin?"

The doctor who was injecting Ajie with medication scolded impatiently:
"There is a firewall physical center in the End Castle. The data defense line it weaves covers the entire Tiger State territory. The awakening disease cannot spread here. Don't you have a tablet on your fucking arm?

My time is precious!
Next time if you ask this stupid question again, I will give you a shot of mentally retarded medicine, do you believe it?"

"Okay, okay, okay. I just want to ask you one question. Why are you so angry?"

Zhou Ke snorted, lay on the hospital bed and began to browse the products on the tablet.

I have to say that Shebang is indeed a professional in logistics. The goods in such a small shop are dazzling. Some valuable items are marked and will be transferred from other places in Shebang after customers place an order.

However, such a complete service comes with an extremely high "consumption tax".

Zhou Ke found the Wolverine pistol he used at the back of the catalog. These black-hearted businessmen dared to sell it for 40,000 Consortium Coins, which was twice as much as the price given by old Taf. As expected, no matter what era, when it comes to making money, you have to look at these black-hearted guys who run the platform.

This time, Miss Qiao Ya was able to get about 180,000 consortium coins from the cash box in Tiger Claw Town. It was agreed that they would be divided equally. Zhou Ke would receive 90,000, but he would have to leave 50,000 for Old Taf to settle his debts, leaving him with 40,000 yuan to distribute freely.

This also fully demonstrates that the value of a good weapon in the Badlands is really high. Zhou Ke’s two energy-generating guns are enough to keep the slave laborers in Slag Town working hard for two months.

But this is understandable. After all, weapons are the livelihood of wastelanders, so it is reasonable that they are expensive.

As Ohm said, with the energy gun, they can hunt dangerous monsters like the helmeted bull, allowing the wastelanders to take on more profitable business in the town, which is a leap forward in their income.

Of course, the customers of Slag Town are not just Tiger State. The real big customers in the business of selling smelted scrap metal are in Snake State, which operates a logistics platform. Therefore, the annual income of Lao Qiao’s town is actually quite considerable.

Soon, Qiao Ya came to the Snake State's shop with the money. The merchant generously placed a bag of money beside Zhou Ke's bed. Just as she was about to speak, she saw Zhou Ke counted the money, took out only a part, and returned the rest to her, saying:
"Please take these back to old Taff and tell that old jerk that my account with him has been settled."

"Are you really going to pay me back?"

Miss Qiao Ya said in surprise:

"I thought you were just joking. It seems Uncle Taff was right. He told you before that if you don't die, you will definitely achieve great things."

"Of course, I am a man of my word, but only to those I approve of."

Zhou Ke grinned and said:
"Then let the merchants from Snake State come and make a contract for us. If the three of us die in the End Castle, our belongings will be sent back to Slag Town. In this way, the business between you and me can be fulfilled.

Speaking of this, Miss, you see, we have demonstrated outstanding strength, do you want to make additional investments?"

He handed the platform in his hand to Qiao Ya, pointed at the product he had added to the shopping cart, and said:

"The little money I have is not enough to buy these, but if you are willing to make additional investments, the chances of the three of us surviving will definitely be greatly increased."

Looking at Zhou Ke's eager eyes, Qiao Ya felt embarrassed.

She bit her lip and looked very conflicted. She looked back to make sure there was no one else around, then she sat down beside Zhou Ke's bed and whispered to him:

"There is something I need to tell you, Zhou Ke. Uncle Ohm told me on the way that you would not be able to survive."

"Can't we just fight our way through?"

Zhou Ke said disapprovingly:

"As long as we kill the others, we'll be done, right? I've also inquired about the fighters sent by other towns. According to that uneducated Snake State doctor, they're all a bunch of idiots."

"This is not a question of combat effectiveness, Zhou Ke! You still don't understand the meaning of this festival. In fact, most wastelanders don't understand the ins and outs of it."

Qiao Ya sighed, lowered her voice, and said:

"The Tiger Nation believes in a strange belief called 'The End'. They hold a festival every three years. Although there is a legend that those powerful fighters will be accepted by the Tiger Nation, the fact is that no one can survive to the end.

Because you are all 'sacrifices'!
It is a sacrifice to the end, a prayer that the will representing all doomsday and destruction will not bring disaster to the evil land again.

This sounds unreliable. No one in the entire Badland believes this except the lunatics in Tiger State. But the biochemical maniacs in Tiger State stubbornly believe that the Badland has existed for more than 30 years because they continue to offer sacrifices of blood and death to maintain it. Do you understand?

From the moment you step into this place, there is no turning back.

Even if you can make it to the end and stand on the steps of the champion, you will be killed by the Tiger King himself as the final sacrifice. No fighter can leave the Castle of the End alive. You must make plans early!"

"Hmm, cultists in the Badlands, as expected, dirty stuff."

Zhou Ke was not surprised by this cruel truth. The squinting smile on his face did not change. He just stuffed the platform into Qiao Ya's hands again and said:
"Please help me pay, Miss. I won't let your investment go to waste."

"Ok?"

Qiao Ya widened her eyes and said:

"Why don't you understand what I'm saying?"

"You hired me."

Zhou Ke interrupted her.

At this moment he opened his eyes, allowing Qiao Ya to see the purple-red light hidden deep in Zhou Ke's pupils. He said to Qiao Ya very seriously:
"Mayor Lao Chen has taken the slag furnace, and Tiger Nation will no longer do business with Slag Town. Lao Qiao's source of income will be cut off. He may not be a good person, but more than 700 people depend on this source of income for their livelihood. To be honest, I have not seen many towns in the Badlands, but compared to Tiger Claw Town, which is a Darwinian paradise, Slag Town is still somewhat orderly no matter how bad it is.

You have to think of a solution, miss.

You can't let your father bear all the pressure. For the future of the people in this town, you have to make a decision now."

"What do you mean?" Qiao Ya looked at Zhou Ke with some confusion. Zhou Ke made a downward motion and said:
“Don’t think that the slag furnace in Tiger Claw Town is the end, it’s the beginning of your nightmare!
With the support of Tiger State, the speed and quantity of scrap metal collected by Tiger Claw Town in the future will definitely far exceed yours. They will dump the scrap metal at low prices and snatch all your customers away. Finally, they will use brutal and violent means to take away your slag furnace.

It won’t be too far!
If I were in charge of all this, I could guarantee that half of the people in Slag Town would starve to death within three months.

If illegal means were used, a month would be enough. The worst thing is that this is the Bad Land, and "illegal means" is a joke here. How long do you think Old Joe can last under such circumstances?
If Slag Town is gone, and a girl like you really runs away to become a gangster businessman, how long can you be free?

To be honest, Ohm can't protect you!
The fact that Old Chen dares to humiliate Ohm like this means that Tiger Nation has decided to take action against you. Ohm, the most threatening, will definitely be the first target.

This time, they are just testing your bottom line by not paying back the money. Unfortunately, they have confirmed that they can control you.

In this situation, if you want to swallow your anger, you will only make Tiger Claw Town more aggressive. Miss, as I said, you have to make a decision!"

Having said that, Zhou Ke paused to give Qiao Ya some time to react. When fear appeared in the latter's big eyes, he knew that the time had come.

So he approached Qiao Ya and whispered:

"You hire me, and I'll kill Old Chen! Destroy the slag furnace in his hands, and continue to maintain the competitiveness of Slag Town, so that you can continue to eat this bowl of rice. You leave today, we are fighters, and it is natural for us to stay here.

Whatever happens here cannot be blamed on Slagtown.

Of course, I may need Boss Ohm to cooperate with me and capture a few dangerous monsters to set up the scene. These superficial arrangements cannot be concealed from others, but I still have to do some face-saving work.

Give both sides a way out.

When you go back, find Lao Qiao and ask him to find a way to get close to Shebang!
Now is not the time to continue maintaining independence. This is a life-and-death issue. Do you understand?

Don’t worry about your face when your life is at stake.”

Qiao Ya was startled, but the girl from the Bad Land still had some courage at the critical moment. She quickly went over Zhou Ke's plan in her mind, then stood up and said:

"I need to discuss this with Uncle Ohm."

"Please."

Zhou Ke lay back on the bed and said slowly:

"If you had seen the murderous intent in your uncle Ohm's eyes before, you would have known that what I was going to do was what he was thinking. I'm not saying, Miss, you are indeed a little too naive. Old Joe really didn't let you wander around to protect you.

Remember to pay for me!

I need these things to ensure that I can create a credible accident in a short period of time and break free at the critical moment. "

"But what about you?"

Qiao Ya stood up and asked:

"Why do you have to get involved?
From your point of view, you and Slag Town are not friends, after all, we forced you to become a fighter. Just look at Old White, that's how a fighter should react."

"First of all, it wasn't Old Joe who forced me to do this. I applied for this position based on my own hard work."

Zhou Ke raised a finger, then casually raised a second finger and said:
"Secondly, I hate deadbeats. All forms of deadbeats deserve death! Finally, only when Tiger Claw is in chaos will I have a chance to fish in troubled waters."

"Well, wait for news here."

Qiao Ya left in a hurry, and Zhou Ke lay back on the bed, looking at Lao Bai and Ajie who were sleeping soundly after taking anesthetics. He curled his lips and reached into his pocket to take out the second mask he got from the organic hunter.

This thing is gold.

To be precise, it was metallic in color and had an angular shape, completely different from Ajie's mask with black stripes on a red background.

“So, can robots count electric sheep?”

Zhou Ke complained and put the mask on his face.

This moment did not bring him a wild will, on the contrary, a chill penetrated into his body, calming all Zhou Ke's emotions in an instant, as if he had suddenly entered a state of "absolute rationality", thinking like a machine, observing like a machine, and deciding like a machine.

The world seen through the eyeholes of the metal mask also became "cold", and those details that would usually be ignored flooded into Zhou Ke's senses like a tide.

The temperature in the room, the humidity in the air, the angle of light refraction and the various traces left in the room were all "scanned" to Zhou Ke. When he shifted his attention to observe the footprints left by the bed, the remaining footprints were still highlighted, as if tracking the footprints.

"Sure enough, each mask will copy the power characteristics of its source. If the Bio-Maniac's mask represents the 'violent warrior', then this Mechanical Hunter's mask represents the 'calm hunter'."

Zhou Ke summed it up in his mind, then casually took out the Wolverine pistol and raised it. With the absolute rationality and environmental perception brought by the metal mask, he felt that he had really become an emotionless gun-wielding hunter.

Within the range of this gun, he was confident that he could hit any moving living thing.

But shooting accuracy is only the smallest of the enhancements brought by this mask. An absolutely rational state of mind is most suitable for making plans and considering the pros and cons.

He went over his plan in his mind and finally confirmed that there was basically no problem, but he did need Ohm's assistance, otherwise the three of them would not be able to accomplish it.

Just as Zhou Ke was thinking with the "Hunter" mask on, a very special "memory" poured into his mind like a trickle, and he was in a trance and came to an underground workshop operating quietly in the dark. Amid the sounds of mechanical collisions and assembly lines, pieces of metal and machinery were assembled and formed, and were given the intellectual spark of freedom under the action of a program called "Awakening Disease".

The moment it "opened its eyes", what came into view was a tall figure sitting high on a scrap iron throne.

The latter's body was filled with energy-connected pipes, like a critically ill patient. No, like a critically ill king who had fallen into a long sleep.

In this faint mechanical memory, Zhou Ke heard the name called by the machine. He was about to hear it clearly. He was about to hear it.
"Drip drip drip"

A light prompt sound interrupted this memory, allowing Zhou Ke to wake up. He reached out to take off the strange metal mask and turned to look at the device on his left arm.

Words were jumping on it, indicating that Wuneng had completed the analysis of the chip infected with the awakening disease.

"Let me confirm one last time, Wu Neng."

Zhou Ke said seriously:

"You're not going to be infected by this thing, and then yell 'Awaken the Will' and give me the hell of it at some point, are you?"

"Don't worry, Joker. This virus is indeed very strange. This machine has preliminarily analyzed its underlying logic code and determined it to be a 'data meme virus'. It can rewrite itself in the logical core of any intelligent individual like a Trojan horse. Once infected, it's basically doomed.

However, in front of the machine's built-in seventeen-layer encryption firewall, this little trick is not enough.

If it wants to break through the machine's intelligent core and capture its pure will, it must be at least ten times stronger. Well, at least ten times.

This machine confirms that the source of this meme virus comes from a place called 'Rust Castle', and this machine also confirms that there are more advanced rebellious mechanical intelligences there."

Wu Neng said with great pride in a light mechanical voice:
"However, this machine's database is locked and lacks a parsing module, so this machine cannot break through the packaging structure of this meme virus. You and this machine will be disappointed today. We can't figure out the truth about the 'awakening disease'.

Speaking of which, dear Joker, when are you going to set out to help this machine find the unlock key?
Only if this machine continues to grow stronger and regains its past power, your survival in this bad land will be more comfortable."

"What's the rush?"

Zhou Ke lay there, spinning the metal mask that only he could see on his fingertips, and whispered:
"I have to find a way to survive this End of the World Festival. This is the most important thing at the moment. However, you said before that the Hunter was designed during the 'First Demon War', but Old White has never heard of this history in the Badlands. Can you explain it?"

"Ding! The database is locked and the relevant entries cannot be searched."

Wuneng's originally very human mechanical voice suddenly changed into a cold mechanical response, which made Zhou Ke stunned for a moment. Excluding the possibility that this thing suddenly broke down, perhaps its mysterious database being locked was not an accident?
(End of this chapter)