Thirteenth month of death

Chapter 220 Two Prototypes
Ren Ou's answer was concise and cold, as if he was stating a fact that had nothing to do with him.

The two people standing beside him frowned slightly, their eyes fixed on Ren Ou's face, trying to capture more information from his expression.

However, Ren Ou's expression remained indifferent, as if his previous answer was just a casual remark without any deep meaning.

"Are you one of the two prototypes?" Mo Shi asked with a hint of stiffness in his tone.

Ren Ou did not answer immediately, but slowly walked to the corner of the room, leaned against the wall, looked down, as if thinking about something.

After a moment, he raised his head and looked at the three people, his voice low and calm: "Yes."

There was a hint of surprise in the eyes of Mo Shi and Yang Tianyan.

They had some idea of Ren Ou's true identity, but they never imagined that he was actually a bionic man.

Although he didn't know much about androids, the word "prototype" obviously meant that Ren Ou's identity was also unusual among the android group.

Although Li Daosheng had known this for a long time, he was still shocked at this moment and continued to ask, "What about the other prototype? Where is it?"

Ren Ou's eyes flickered slightly, as if this question touched upon some deep-buried memories.

He was silent for a moment before he slowly said, "I don't know."

"I don't know?" Mo Shi frowned, obviously not satisfied with the answer.

Ren Ou nodded, his tone still calm. "I was separated from another prototype when Lan Base exploded. I haven't seen it since."

Li Daosheng pondered for a moment and continued to ask, "Then do you know why Lance Base exploded? What exactly was Dr. Lance's experiment?"

Ren Ou lowered his head, as if lost in some memories.

He whispered, "Dr. Lance's experiments...are designed to give androids true souls. He believes that androids aren't just tools; they can also possess emotions, self-awareness, and even...freedom."

At this time, the door opened.

X-73's arm recovered as before, with no visible injury at all.

But he seemed to have heard something.

"Freedom..." X-73 at the door whispered the word again, with a strange look in his eyes.

Ren Ou glanced at him and continued, "Dr. Lance has developed a device called a 'mechanical heart.' When it's implanted into a android's body, the android can possess true self-awareness. I and another prototype were the first androids to be implanted with a 'mechanical heart.'"

"What happened next?" Li Daosheng asked.

Ren Ou's eyes dimmed, and his voice deepened. "The experiment was successful, but it also failed. I and another prototype did awaken self-awareness, but the power of the 'mechanical heart' was too powerful, beyond Dr. Lance's expectations. The base's energy system couldn't withstand this energy, and it eventually exploded."

"After the explosion, I was separated from the other prototype. I was taken in by Thirteenth Moon, and it... disappeared."

After listening to Ren Ou's story, Li Daosheng couldn't help but feel a wave of emotion in his heart.

He didn't expect that this was the reason why Ren Ou came to [Thirteenth Month].

But what is even more strange is that although the Lance Base has been destroyed by the explosion, Dr. Lance's experiment does not seem to be completely over, and the awakening of the androids is still continuing.

"X-73, the awakened android you mentioned, is it also related to the 'mechanical heart'?" Li Daosheng asked.

X-73 shook his head. "I don't know."

"After the explosion of Lan Base, the energy of the 'mechanical heart' may have leaked to the outside world, affecting other androids and causing them to awaken as well." Ren Ou said.

Mo Shi glanced at Ren Ou in surprise. "Is there such a huge amount of energy?" Ren Ou nodded. "The doctor poured everything into the first two 'mechanical hearts' he developed. Therefore, there was no room for error in their design, and the same goes for their energy."

Li Daosheng was silent for a moment, then looked at Mo Shi and Yang Tianyan: "What do you think?"

Mo Shi folded his hands and said, "I don't know much about this, but since Ren Ou is the person involved, let's listen to him."

Yang Tianyan said seriously, "I want to figure out the meaning of the prologue, and then find the staff of Season 5 to verify my hypothesis."

The frank statement made Li Daosheng look at Yang Tianyan in surprise.

"Aren't you worried that we will fight with [Season 5]? We have received orders from [Thirteenth Month], and the other party may have received them as well. If conflicting themes arise, the development of the situation will be beyond our control." Li Daosheng asked curiously.

"I believe the other party is also very curious." Yang Tianyan looked at Li Daosheng.

Li Daosheng nodded: "In that case, then just follow my instructions."

"Renou."

The three of them looked at Ren Ou. As for X-73, he seemed to trust Ren Ou more than Li Daosheng and others.

For the first time, Ren Ou's eyes became very emotional, and everyone present could see the confusion and anger in his eyes.

He whispered, "I want to find another prototype. It may still be alive, or it may be... destroyed. But either way, I have to find it."

"Also, I'm going to investigate the ruins of Lan Base."

"Why do we have to find another prototype?" Li Daosheng asked.

Ren Ou was silent for a moment before he slowly spoke: "I don't know. But I think the explosion at that time was unusual. Although his personality and mine are different, when the energy system malfunctioned, the doctor and I were both very nervous, but he was much calmer."

"I had my suspicions. He seemed to know there was going to be an explosion."

These words made Mo Shi and Yang Tianyan look at Ren Ou, and the awkward feeling in their hearts finally disappeared.

The two also realized that Ren Ou was not just a bionic man, he was a person lost in the past, and he was looking for his own answers.

At this time, X-73 walked up to Ren Ou and whispered, "Thank you for your help. However, our current situation is very dangerous, and the sheriff will find us soon."

Ren Ou looked at X-73 and asked, "How do you usually avoid being hunted?"

X-73 replied, "We have an underground network that can help awakened androids hide their identities. However, searches have become increasingly intense recently, and many of our bases have been discovered."

Ren Ou pondered for a moment, then said, "We need a new place, preferably one where we can get access to more information."

X-73 nodded. "I know a place. It's a black market for androids. Maybe I can find some useful information there."

black market?

This term has appeared before, and Li Daosheng still remembers it.

"Is it safe?" Ren Ou asked.

X-73 shook his head and looked straight at Ren Ou. "It's not safe, but it's the only place where we can get some core information."

"I can take you there."

(End of this chapter)