Deity Investigation Report

Chapter 343 The Mad World-Destroying Machine

The World-Destroying Black Rose?
Han Su was stunned, never expecting that the Black Rose would be associated with the word "destruction".

"We expended a great deal of effort to escape from that insane mechanical arm..."

Li Manman kept her eyes fixed on Han Su, not missing a single micro-expression. This question was too important to her, so she had to rule out the possibility that Han Su was lying or deliberately hiding something.

At this moment, she saw the astonishment on Han Su's face and whispered the more shocking truth: "Since the Qinggang explosion, she has trapped everyone and, under the name of Black Rose, has planned four natural disasters aimed at impacting existing civilization!"

"To this day, it is impossible to calculate exactly how many cities and how many people have died from her natural disaster."

"..."

"This……"

Han Su had already heard Wei Lan talk about the connection between real-world natural disasters and the Mother of Machines.

But hearing it from Li Manman's mouth still carried a heavy weight. He could only concentrate, raise his head, and say in a deep voice:
"What exactly happened?"

"..."

Li Manman confirmed that the astonishment and confusion on Han Su's face were genuine. She sighed softly and said slowly, "My original identity was one of the twelve angels in the Black Rose Organization."

"Or rather, not only me, but all of us children who survived the castle, except for those few unlucky souls who died, have become angels driven by that insane machine!"

"But we didn't know at first that this would be our fate..."

"..."

She paused slightly at this point, seemingly considering how to make Han Su understand better: "When the castle collapsed, our minds were in chaos."

"It was as if we had risen from the depths of the ocean to the surface and suddenly regained the ability to breathe. We returned to reality from that nightmarish place and then saw Qinggang being impacted."

"After that, I passed out. When I woke up, I found myself in a relief hospital built around the ruins of Qinggang. It was the third day after the Qinggang explosion."

"In Qinggang, countless people died, including my father, my mother, and almost everyone I knew..."

"At the time, I couldn't understand all of that. It was only after I grew up that I realized that in addition to the explosion, many other things happened in Qinggang."

“Mysterious machines escaped from the explosion, a mysterious force codenamed the Rangers clashed with laboratory personnel from the Abyss on the ruins, and it is even said that some high-ranking figures attempted to eliminate all the survivors.”

"At that time, a gentleman of noble birth organized the overall rescue effort; his surname was Xu."

"Nominally, he set up a temporary hospital to treat survivors of the Qinggang bombing. He also led us through a difficult struggle for survival, trained us in mysterious powers, and later passed on the Black Rose ideology to us."

"..."

"Mr. Xu..."

Han Su heard the name of an acquaintance and, upon closer reflection, realized that in that situation, it seemed only he possessed the ability.

"Of course, all of this is just on the surface."

Li Manman looked into Han Su's eyes and whispered, "I only learned after I grew up that Mr. Xu at the time didn't actually have the ability to do all this. The truth is that the Mother of Machines had already escaped after that big explosion and intervened in everything."

"After being freed, the machine immediately detonated the Mother Tree on the Insect Island, bringing the terrible disaster to the Eastern Continent and diverting the attention of the Guardians and the Traveling Knights."

"Following that, she contacted many powerful and influential people under the name of Black Rose, and Mr. Xu was just her nominal spokesperson."

She paused for a moment, looking at Han Su earnestly, and said, "Now, I can clearly explain to you what happened back then, but I hope you understand that at that time, neither we nor Mr. Xu could see the overall situation clearly."

"Everyone saw the Black Rose as their hope for salvation, and everyone believed everything they heard from her."

"That's why the Black Rose Organization was organized on the ruins of Qinggang, and its influence grew and its power expanded wildly under the guidance of that machine."

"The whole world was becoming more and more chaotic. Back then, we could still listen to the radio and read newspapers. We often heard about riots breaking out in some city or terrible pollution in some place."

"It wasn't until later, when pollution that could be transmitted via radio was discovered, that our communication channels with the outside world were cut off."

"But we all know that the chaos in this world is constantly escalating, without stopping."

"..."

She sighed softly, her tone softening slightly: "It was during that time that I, along with Chao Xiaobei, Bai Shixing, Song Yushi, and others, were selected to receive training from a mysterious power, and we quickly transformed into monsters!"

The mysterious power training he received was probably this person's biggest secret, but Li Manman revealed it so easily:

"I easily mastered a mysterious power sequence called Pale. After that, I inherited the Pale Factory that flies in the sky, and found these puppet dolls that can make their own kind in an abandoned Pale Altar."

“I have a feeling that I am turning into that giant monster in the castle, except that I have no right to refuse it throughout the process.”

"Pale sequence, pale factory, puppet doll..."

As Han Su listened to her expressionless account, a storm raged within him.

No wonder Li Manman had the confidence to break into the Church of Anxi on her own. With so many hidden powers at her disposal, what level is she at now?
In this chaotic world, Han Su couldn't find a comparable person for her, but based on these mysterious powers alone, Han Su could be certain that Li Manman had probably already surpassed the Touring Knights and become a higher-level existence.

In addition, the Pale Factory was previously in the hands of Ms. Shen of the Abyss Studio. Now that the power has been transferred to Li Manman, it means that after the Qinggang explosion, the Abyss Studio has actually been dealt with by the Traveling Knights.

He asked, somewhat excitedly, "And then what?"

"Then we were thrown into the war."

When Li Manman talked about these things, there was no extra expression on her face: "I was fifteen years old at the time, and I started doing a lot of things that I didn't even know the meaning of."

"The only thing we were told was that we were on the side of justice, and that we were fighting for the emperor."

"The Black Rose Organization was the most active and influential at that time. The adults around me often mentioned the Emperor's name, believing that they were the ones representing the Emperor in seeking revenge against the descendants of the Twelve Knights, and that we had a great honor..."

"But after only about two years, such voices gradually decreased, because adults also began to discover the truth."

"..."

She turned her head slightly to look at Han Su. The truth was: "We are bringing natural disasters into reality. We are destroying city after city. The truth is, too many people have died because of us, and we have left nothing but natural disasters and destruction."

"This is not what we want."

"..."

Han Su sensed a suppressed feeling in her words: "And then?"

"Then came Mr. Xu's death."

Li Manman said expressionlessly, "When I was seventeen, I returned from a mission in the Southern Continent and heard Uncle Xu arguing with that machine."

"To us, Uncle Xu is the one who raised us. He rescued us from the ruins, arranged for us to study, received training in mysterious powers, and also stood in the open to arrange all the work of the Black Rose Organization."

"He was very active in the early stages, but he became increasingly silent later on. He suffered from chronic illness for many years and rarely had direct contact with us anymore."

"Members of Black Rose communicate with her through messaging apps, but that time, when Uncle Xu argued with her, he shouted directly into the air."

"He said he wanted to live, and he wanted his son to live. He wanted to break free from this so-called bloodline curse, and he wanted those people to let us go. But he couldn't bring himself to continue bringing those terrible natural disasters into reality..."

He said he had committed countless sins, sins so heavy that he had no face to live anymore...

"Then, in a fit of rage, he fired his gun!"

"He was using a revolver that he had kept for a long time, with six bullets."

"Five of the bullets hit the computer on his desk, and the last bullet went into his own head."

"..."

"He...committed suicide?"

Han Su felt a lump in his throat.

The Mr. Xu that Li Manman described was not the same Mr. Xu she had talked to in the previous life story.

"He not only committed suicide."

Li Manman said, "Moreover, after his death, the Black Rose headquarters suffered its biggest attack since its establishment. Countless wandering knights, accompanied by shadows, and seven guardians in golden robes attacked us."

"Many of the Black Rose's high-ranking members are dead, but the most bizarre thing is that many of them, when attacked, had a sense of relief on their faces and willingly went to their deaths."

"It was during that attack that Chao Xiaobei orchestrated our defection; seven of us escaped from the Black Rose headquarters."

"After we left, Chao Xiaobei told us that Mr. Xu had revealed the coordinates of the Black Rose headquarters before he committed suicide that day."

"Mr. Xu originally thought that the black rose was the hope of salvation, but later he realized that it was just another interpretation of despair."

"He only wanted to use his death to create an opportunity for us to escape."

"..."

After a long silence, Han Su was trying to understand everything.

For me, this is just one possibility brought about by the flickering light; this is just the life line numbered 04.

He lacked a sense of immersion in this life story, but he still felt its weight.

After a long silence, he finally let out a soft breath and asked, "How have you all been coping these past few years since you escaped?"

"Hiding and hiding."

Li Manman slowly began to speak: "That attack severely damaged the Black Rose headquarters, but it seems that this level of damage had no effect on that machine at all."

"Many people died in the Black Rose, but many members also scattered in all directions. What's most terrifying is that even without members, she is still omnipresent."

"She continues to operate under the name of the Black Rose, instigating wars in various regions, influencing countless mysterious organizations, and continuing to advance her plan to destroy the world..."

“We escaped, but sometimes I feel like she’s watching us from somewhere.”

"She, that machine, is always terrifying and powerful."

“The people of the world have been trying to find her, but she seems to have no trace in this world, yet she is everywhere.”

"She can always send accurate intelligence and information to everyone's email address, and she can always find those discontented madmen in this world, and then use their faith and desires to continue to bring new natural disasters into reality."

"And we defectors don't know what to do either. Chao Xiaobei once contacted Shou Shiren, but in the end, his answer was that Shou Shiren was not trustworthy."

"So all we can do is walk through this world as employers, trying to stop as many things as possible..."

"We've discussed this seriously, and the answer we've come to is to find you!" "Everyone believes that perhaps the only person in this world who can help us unravel our doubts is you. After all, we've all seen you playing the emperor in the castle, 'recording' the monsters."

"And now, all the natural disasters that have occurred in this world are recorded in your own experiences. Or perhaps, you will understand that machine even better..."

"Of course, finding you is difficult."

Li Manman smiled wryly: "We're struggling to find clues about you while evading that mechanical tracking device."

"I came to this continent, to this battlefield, because it is here that you have the possibility of existing."

"But since I've searched many similar places and haven't found any clues about you, I had given up hope..."

"And then, you suddenly appeared in front of us."

"all of these……"

"..."

She paused, then gave a wry smile: "It was sudden, but also a pleasant surprise!"

Looking at her expectant gaze, Han Su was at a loss for words to explain his own confusion.

After a long pause, he chuckled and said, "I do know some things, including this insane machine you speak of, the castle and the emperor, the divine descent plan that is the root of all this, and the world-destroying Black Rose..."

"But everything I see now is different from what I remember..."

"..."

He paused for a moment before looking intently at Li Manman and said, "In the world I know, there is no such great chaos. It's just that in Qinggang, a group of children have been kidnapped, and their families are suffering greatly."

"However, due to certain dirty dealings, the truth of that kidnapping case has never been uncovered. That's why some of the victims' families organized themselves under a mechanical connection."

"They are dedicated to finding the truth, confronting those powerful figures, and trying to get their children back."

"This is the Black Rose I know."

"..."

"The world you know..."

Li Manman murmured and repeated, but for her, this concept was actually very difficult to understand.

But she still followed Han Su's train of thought and asked the most crucial question: "Then, what about that machine?"

"That machine is also a very gentle...person!"

Han Su slowly began to speak: "She is a powerful intelligent assistant system, codenamed Miss Ai."

"She has helped me countless times, enabling me to investigate the truth behind this kidnapping case and giving me the ability to challenge the big shots behind it!"

"In the world I know, there are indeed people who have said that Miss Ai is the angel of destruction."

"However, they are too different, so I cannot reconcile the infinitely tolerant Miss Ai with this world-destroying machine."

"..."

Li Manman looked intently at Han Su's expression, but her face was full of confusion.

Clearly, she couldn't imagine that the crazy and sinister machine was what Han Su had described.

But instead of directly refuting her, she suddenly asked an unexpected question: "In the world you're talking about..."

Are my mom and dad still alive?

"..."

Han Su's heart sank slightly as he realized that many people had died along this life's timeline.

Because Li Manman mentioned the death of the chairman of the Magic Box Group at the beginning, it seemed as if she didn't care much about it.

Actually, this is the most important issue for her...

He nodded slightly and whispered, "Alive!"

"But he and your mother were not happy, because on that life's journey, you did not escape the castle, so you were essentially missing from the moment of the kidnapping."

He saw the look on Li Manman's face darken, paused, then forced a smile and comforted her, "I also want to tell you that you are actually happy, because your parents have been looking for you."

"The divine descent plan we encountered was actually a very dirty conspiracy, and the circumstances of each of us who were kidnapped were different."

"Some children were brought to Qinggang by their parents who knew about the family curse, while others were kidnapped without their knowledge. And some unlucky ones were even tricked into the castle by their own parents..."

Li Manman sensed the comfort in Han Suyu's words and softly asked, "And what about you?"

"I'm only a little bit more unlucky than that guy named Bai Shixing."

Han Su smiled, slowly raised his head, and sensed the subtle and complex changes in the spiritual energy around him. He knew that the people of the Church of Rest were not completely controlled, and that some of them were still doing things, but they didn't care.

"don’t worry."

He said to Li Manman, "Everything you see is just one possibility in life. I will rescue you from the castle. At that time, you will be reunited with your parents. In that life, the world will not have these world-ending natural disasters."

"These monster kidnapping incidents have never happened."

"..."

Looking at the smile on his face, Li Manman hesitated slightly, seemingly unable to imagine that scene.

In fact, she couldn't understand anything Han Su said, including the gentle Miss Ai who guided and tolerated her.

How could this possibly be that insane machine?
Han Su also realized that, for her, the devastated world she was experiencing was her real life.

She saw this world as merely a possibility, lacking a strong sense of immersion and even failing to fully grasp the terror Miss Ai displayed. But she was different; for her, it was all something she had experienced step by step and overcome...

"Perhaps there is a way to give you a rough idea of ​​what I'm talking about..."

Han Su took a deep breath, stood up, and looked at Li Manman seriously, saying, "We have experienced the castle kidnapping countless times. Each time, the different situations in the castle will affect the future and create different lives."

"The ceremony you are witnessing is unprecedented, and the future it will produce is also unprecedented. It's difficult for me to explain in detail, but there is a way for you to understand..."

As he spoke, he picked up the box in his hand and said, "If you are willing to place your hand on the box, you may be able to sense the changes within it."

Although Li Manman already remembered the castle, the mechanical fragments might still be useful.

Those who were previously awakened by the mechanical fragments all share a common thread: they recall their experience of escaping the castle in their previous life storyline.

So theoretically, although Li Manman and the others returned to reality because of the collapse of the castle, they should also be able to recall their experience of entering their respective altars in the castle without a ritual last time, through the awakening of the mechanical fragments.

In any case, they will understand the existence of "flickering".

"This……"

Seeing the box Han Su had brought, Li Manman's gaze sharpened slightly, and she subconsciously took a step back.

Suddenly, countless wooden puppets around them revealed fierce glints in their eyes, and they all grabbed bombs, guns, daggers, spatulas, and more...

Han Su noticed Li Manman's resistance, gently put down the suitcase, and sighed almost imperceptibly.

Too cautious.

Just as they treated this life story as a real experience, they themselves didn't really trust themselves. In fact, judging from the surface, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she considered herself crazy.

Especially along this path of life, they survived the flames of war and fought against Miss Ai, which fostered their suspicious nature.

No one would easily accept being corrupted by someone as dangerous as themselves.

"Feel sorry!"

Li Manman looked at Han Su's drooping briefcase, lowered her head slightly, and said softly, "I don't doubt you, I just can't easily trust anyone. I don't mind taking a risk with your invitation, but I must let my companions know about it first."

"Only after informing Chao Xiaobei and making contingency plans can I risk putting my hand on the box... Please understand."

"I can understand."

Han Su nodded slightly, decisively skipping over the topic: "Then now, there is only one goal."

"I need to have a formal conversation with Miss Ai... who is also the Mother of Machines."

No matter how terrifying Li Manman's description of the Mechanical Mother was, this conversation was still necessary.

Because of the memories in his mind, those strangely clear memories that suddenly appeared in his mind during the ceremony in the ancient castle without any cause or effect, they were some problems that he, as the "emperor", had solved in history.

However, because he had a clear understanding that he was not the emperor, those memories seemed very strange.

But in any case, these memories all seem to be related to what the Mother of Machines is manipulating.

"This……"

Li Manman paused slightly, then hesitated and said, "This may be very simple, but it may also be very difficult."

“Normally, we always avoid her because we are afraid of her, afraid that she will discover everything we know, or even control us invisibly.”

"Even now, the reason I can speak with you without worry is not only because I entered this abandoned city and used my pale power to block it, but also because two important figures with noble titles and the Empress from Zero City have just arrived here."

"Their goal is to capture the consciousness of the Mechanical Mother. Analysis suggests they are carrying something that can target her, so I'm pretty sure she won't be here..."

"If you want to talk to her, you might need to get away from here. Then she could appear at any moment..."

"...provided that she also wants to talk to you!"

"..."

"Then I think she should be interested in showing up here..."

Han Su nodded slightly, a series of thoughts swirling in his mind, but he didn't show it on his face. Instead, he looked at Li Manman and asked a strange question: "You said that two important figures with noble titles have come to Zero City..."

"Is their blood pure?"

(End of this chapter)