As soon as the Human Emperor Banner came out, I became the Lord of the Old Ones

Chapter 43 The Real Key

"It's incredible!"

Xu Yan moved closer and closer, and couldn't help but poke his fingers into Dr. Hyde's mechanical half-brain, gently picking at the rapidly rusting parts.

He pulled open the splint, untied the chain, and removed the energy storage ratchet. He saw countless tiny gears smaller than rice grains, meshing together as precisely as a clock, embedded in the surface of the corpus callosum, and connected to the flesh-and-blood half of the brain through nerves as thin as cow hairs. He couldn't help but marvel at it.

So, what is the relationship between the mechanical half-brain and the flesh-and-blood half-brain?
If the flesh and blood half of his brain is removed and completely replaced with a mechanical brain, can Dr. Hyde still survive?
If so, will the surviving Dr. Hyde still be himself?

This question cannot be thought about in detail.

If you think about it carefully, are those old souls that have completely lost their flesh and blood the aftermath of life, or have they entered a new stage of life? Or in other words, are they not life at all, but merely a poor imitation of past life, a program disguised as life?

You know, it's not just ancient humans who can leave behind residual souls.

Ancient creatures and sophisticated machinery in ancient civilizations may also leave behind residual souls - these "residual souls" greatly expand the breadth and depth of life, and make the world more complex and exciting.

Xu Yan fell into deep thought.

The power of the "Blade of the Deep (Fake)" hidden deep in his right hand awakened Dr. Hyde's mind as he was about to fall into the underworld.

Sensing the familiar power, Dr. Hyde suddenly widened his eye sockets, and the Nixie tube inserted deep into his eyes burst out with light for a moment.

"……It's you?
"I see, haha, we, we've all been fooled. You are the ruler of Echo Land No. 232, the most terrifying Old One... the ruler.

"But it doesn't matter. The end will come, and I've fought to my last breath."

Dr. Hyde's annoyance only lasted for a moment before turning into a relieved smile.

Xu Yan was slightly startled, and curled his fingers to stimulate Dr. Hyde's brain gears and central nervous system to prolong his last breath.

"Actually, I quite like the Black Dream Organization. At least you guys are very spirited. It's a pity that you used me, and I happen to really, really dislike being used."

Xu Yan leaned close to Dr. Hyde's ear and spoke word by word, "For the next year, I will work day and night, regardless of the cost or the means, to launch the most insane revenge.

"As you said, I'm not a Security Bureau agent, just a lawless old monster. I don't care about any evidence, procedures, or regulations. As long as I smell the scent of the Black Dream Organization, I will pounce on it like a mad dog and kill all suspects.

"How many Black Dream members' lives do you think are needed to appease my wrath? Three hundred, or five hundred?"

Dr. Hyde tilted his head and thought quietly for three seconds.

"understood."

The collapsing Dr. Half-Brain, far from panicking, revealed an ecstatic expression. "Great Old One, please state your terms. Please believe in the wisdom and sincerity of the Black Dream Organization. They will surely bridge the small misunderstanding between us and launch a mutually beneficial cooperation.

"You'll soon find that whether you want to live in secrecy in a new world or continue your unfinished work, the Black Dream Organization is a hundred times better partner than the Heroic Alliance!"

"Very good, then let me see your sincerity."

Xu Yan asked, "The first question is, who am I?"

Dr. Hyde understood immediately what he meant.

"I'm sorry. I know you're very satisfied with this body and want to learn more about it to further develop its potential, but I don't know its true identity either."

Dr. Hyde spat out another mouthful of blood that was as thick as paint but with a lot of foam.

He gasped for breath, squeezing out the last of his vitality like wringing out a towel, "I bought this body." Xu Yan raised his eyebrows high.

"I've, ahem, embarked on a one-way journey to the Deep. No need to lie to you. Before I discovered Echo 232, I was under siege by the Security Bureau for a whole year. Most of the elite troops who had followed me for years were killed. I didn't have enough manpower to complete the old investigation, so I had to urgently procure a batch of cannon fodder who had been brainwashed and had their memories erased."

Dr. Hyde melted like a snowman in the scorching sun, his voice growing weaker and weaker. "In fact, I didn't want you originally, oh, it was your body - this body was injured and sick at the time, tortured to the point of dying, not even qualified to be cannon fodder.

“The seller saw my embarrassment and forced me, ahem, ahem, ahem, to accept this body.

"I didn't expect this body to have such tenacious vitality. It even received, hehe, the curse and blessing of the past. It has become the vehicle for a great being like you to return to the human world."

This is an unexpected yet reasonable answer.

“Where did you buy it, and who was the seller?”

Xu Yan took a screw out of Dr. Hyde's head.

Just pinch it lightly between your thumb and index finger and it will turn into powder.

Dr. Hyde's mechanical half-brain was empty, with only a few gears and screws left.

The fleshy half of the brain shriveled up and stuck tightly to the skull, like a dried-up pond with only dark purple mud left.

"'Silver Tongue' Riley...Rolling Stone..."

The dying doctor groaned.

Xu Yan had no impression of the former name.

The place name "Rolling Stone Castle" caused ripples in the depths of his mind.

The strong smell of rust and sweat.

There were cheers and curses like the roars of wild beasts.

A long corridor, tense breathing, and a cracked floor-to-ceiling mirror reflecting a blurry but stubborn figure.

"I will become the most powerful spirit master in Rolling Stone Castle. Even if I die, I will die on the road to the past!"

Xu Yan woke up in shock.

Dr. Hyde was found to have stopped breathing and was convulsing.

Whether it was brain matter or gears, everything turned into foam.

The bubble burst, turning into intermittent echoes: "I'm sorry, Gravedigger, we have no personal grudges, and the Black Dream Organization is not your enemy. We just bumped into each other at the wrong time and place. Believe me, cough cough, we should and must cooperate.

"Since you come from this mysterious realm, you must be more curious than us about what happened and want to explore a wider area of ​​the Old Land, including the mountaintop castle covered in fungal creep.

"Then you need a 'key', not just a fragment, but a complete, real 'key'.

"Hehe, that jade token engraved with ancient runes is in Dawn City. I just used a broken corner of the jade token to conduct a small... experiment..."

(End of this chapter)