On my second playthrough, they were full of malice towards me.

"Mom! I've become a Calamity Beast! I even killed a Calamity Beast with my own hands! Everyone looked at me with astonishment, even Father! I did it, Mom! Mom, can you see? Mom! I'm just like you now, I'm a hero too!"

As the little girl grew older, she seemed to realize that the maid in front of her was not her mother, and her voice grew softer and softer. Her real mother would never see this scene.

But soon, the maid bent down, this time not to hug her, but to gently brush aside the little girl's bangs, which had grown long. This new action stunned the girl.

“My child, I have seen it. Your achievements are my pride. I am genuinely happy that you have become a Calamity Seer. I knew you could do it. You have had exceptional talent since you were little. I believe that from now on, your path will become wider and wider. But at the same time, I hope you will not be arrogant or complacent, but continue to work hard.”

"After becoming a Calamity, there will be more and more battles. You are still young and need to hone your skills. Remember not to be reckless. If you get injured, your mother will be heartbroken. Of course, I firmly believe that you will surpass your mother in the future and become the most powerful Calamity in the base."

"Finally, happy birthday, child. I've prepared your favorite stewed potatoes for you. Go wash your hands and eat them while they're hot."

Ling was stunned again upon hearing "birthday." She quickly glanced at the wasteland calendar next to her and realized that today was indeed her birthday.

This was a day that neither she nor her father had forgotten, but the maid remembered it and even prepared a gift for her. In a certain moment, Ling seemed to see the shadow of the maid and her gentle mother overlapping.

The phantom memories that followed began to flash rapidly, one scene after another of Ling's conversations with the maid appearing before Liao Ji's eyes.

"Mom, I've been promoted to the rank of General! Father's attitude towards me is getting better and better. He's willing to talk to me more. He says he sees your shadow in me!"

"Of course, after all, you are your mother's child. But I don't want you to imitate me too much. You are an independent individual. You don't necessarily have to become like me. I hope you can forge your own path. Good luck, my child."

"Uh-huh!"

"Mom, I've started taking over some of the base's affairs. It's my first time being a manager, and it's so hard! I get so nervous just thinking about having to take care of so many people. Mom, can you help me? I wish you could be here with me."

"I'm sorry, child, Mom has to stay at home and can't go out. But I believe you're just not used to it yet. With your intelligence, you'll definitely master it quickly. I'm glad to see our base have another outstanding leader, and I believe the others will be too."

"Uh-huh!"

"Mom, dealing with people is so hard, it's so hard to distinguish truth from falsehood. Mom, do you know, today a former subordinate of Father's secretly told me that my becoming a Calamity A year ago was actually an accident. Father deliberately sent me out to use monsters to kill me. Is that true? Mom... Why did Father... Mom, Mom, what should I do?"

“My child, I believe these are just rumors, meant to disturb your peace of mind. You need to use your own eyes to judge the truth. I believe that with your abilities, you can take care of yourself and find the truth. In the end, no matter what, Mom will always support you.”

"Um"

"I found out. What that subordinate said is true. My father found a new lover to replace my mother. Under the temptation of that new lover, hehe, they didn't expect that the cowardly crybaby girl would actually inherit her mother's powerful bloodline and become a Calamity-Binder in the face of battle. Afterwards, my father was afraid that I would find out, so he killed the new lover that very night. Tsk, as expected of him."

"Mom, this is strange. Logically, I should be angry, but why... I don't feel anything? Lately, I've felt something's wrong. Mom, I seem to be getting more and more indifferent. I feel like I've lost my emotions. I... I'm so scared, Mom, I... I..."

“My child, becoming a afflicted person comes with certain side effects, especially when external events severely impact you. This can cause your mental state to become increasingly unstable, and there is even a possibility of you going berserk. I hope you can take this seriously and not let negative emotions overwhelm you. Whenever you are unhappy, think of me. I am here for you.”

"Or, you can express your feelings verbally, which can effectively help you delay the loss of your emotions and allow your mother to better understand and help you."

As Ling grew up and became stronger, the little girl who laughed when happy and cried when sad, who could make the mechanical maid so easy to understand, truly disappeared.

Perhaps Ling didn't realize it, but Liao Jineng, who was watching from the sidelines, could feel that Ling's current appearance was becoming more and more similar to the father from the very beginning of her memory. She was beginning to hide her joys and sorrows, making it impossible for people to guess what was in her heart.

The current mechanical maid, as a mother, can no longer understand her daughter's heart, which is why she hopes that Ling can express her true feelings.

而伶

"Like this? I find that very interesting!"

“That’s wonderful, honey. This way, Mommy can understand you better. If you find it interesting, Mommy hopes we can keep talking like this, okay?”

"Okay, then this will be my little secret with you, Mom!"

"Oh, oh, you idiot, I almost forgot to use an interjection!"

As always, the turbidity within Ling's body was being absorbed by the maid through their conversations, so she gradually regained some of the bright emotions she had as a little girl.

However, as Ling's strength increased, the maid could no longer absorb that much. Many turbid red lines were visible around Ling's body, which might explain why, as Ling mentioned earlier, she was beginning to lose more and more of her emotions.

When Liao Ji knew—no, it should be said that he could see the red line of turbidity in Ling from her childhood—he guessed that Ling had a terrifying talent in turbidity.

But in the old world, higher talent wasn't necessarily better. On the contrary, higher talent, besides leading to a surge in strength, also resulted in a higher "goosebump" rate.

Losing emotions is one of the signs that a person with a "perverted" state is about to "go berserk".

Chapter 274 Thank you, big brother

"Mom, did you feel the earthquake today? The base was attacked by a lord-level monster. We lost seven Evil Ones to barely repel it."

"One of them was a father of three. I was the one who brought his belongings back to the base. Mom, at that moment, I felt like I saw my own reflection in those crying children. It's all my fault. If only I could be stronger. If only I could... Mom, I'm so sad, I feel so guilty."

“Ling, this is not your fault. Both you and they are heroes of the base. I believe that those children will inherit the legacy of their heroic father and become warriors who protect the base just like their father in the future.”

"No, you don't understand."

"Mom, we've been losing more and more people at the base lately. Three more Evil Ones left today, including Uncle Quesang, Dad's former captain of the guard. I tried everything to persuade them to stay, but nothing worked. They all say that the Evil Lord has his eye on our base and will come back sooner or later. Is that true? What should I do, Mom? I'm so confused."

“Ling, considering the current situation, I suggest you leave Gray Castle Base as well. You have great talent, but it hasn’t fully developed yet. You shouldn’t let it go to waste here.”

"Mom, how could you say such a thing? Gray Fortress was built by you and Dad from the settlement, it's your hard work, Mom! How could you do this!"

"I'm sorry for saying things that made you angry, but I'm sorry, Ling. Staying here will only lead to losing everything. So after weighing the pros and cons, this is the best solution right now. You are more important to me than the base. I hope you can survive."

"No, you're not Mommy. Mommy wouldn't say something like that. You...you don't understand anything at all."

"Heh, Dad's gone too, taking his lover and his fortune. He abandoned our base. Do you think I should bring him back? No, that traitor deserves to die! It's all because of him, he killed Mom! If Mom were still here, everything, everything would be..."

"Ling, your emotions are very unstable. Mom suggests you rest for a while. You've been too tired lately, and the constant tension has put a huge strain on your mental health. Mom is very worried about your physical condition. If this continues..."

"Shut up! Stop imitating Mom's way of talking. You disgust me. Mom would never do that. Mom would support me. She would support me. Yes, I'm going to kill him. Kill that bastard."

"Mom, look! I brought Dad back! Even though it's only half a body, our family is reunited. Mom, praise Ling! Just like you praised me when I was little, just like you used to praise me! Praise me, praise me!"

"Mom, why aren't you saying anything? Say something, say something to me!"

“Ling, you can’t go on like this. I demand that you stop using your Evil Transformation power immediately. Your mind has been severely affected by the Evil Transformation. You are on the verge of going berserk. I beg you, please listen to me. I don’t want to lose you.”

"How could this be, Mom? I feel great! My whole body is full of power. I want to become stronger, much stronger, so I can protect Graycastle Base and protect the memories of me and Mom. I need to become stronger! Yes, I need to keep becoming stronger!"

"Mom, I don't know why, but there are fewer and fewer people in the base. I can hardly see anyone when I walk on the street. When I finally see a few, they all look at me with fear and run away screaming at me like monsters. Mom, why is that? Have they all gone crazy?"

"So I chased after them and killed them all. They must have been about to go berserk, which is why they were hallucinating, right, Mom? How could I possibly be a monster?"

"Ling, can you stay home with Mom from now on? Mom doesn't want you to go out anymore."

"Huh, that's strange, Mom. Didn't you always want me to leave the base? Have you finally come to your senses now? But no, Mom. Ling is very busy. Ling has to patrol the base every day and protect everyone. I can't stay with you all the time."

"Mom, it's so strange. Everyone in the base is staying indoors, but we can't find Ling anywhere. This can't go on. So, Mom, do you know what? Ling went out of the base today and found several gathering places around here."

"Ling meant well by wanting them to stay at our base, but they attacked her instead. Mom, Ling was so angry, so she brought them all over. Now there are more people at the base, which is great, Mom."

"But why aren't they talking? They're just lying on the ground. Mom, do you think they're sleepy?"

“伶”

"How annoying, Mom! Ling has already searched all the nearby settlements, but there are still not enough people, far from enough. Ling needs to find more people, more people to fill the Gray Fortress base, so that the base can become lively."

"But don't worry, Mom. Ling has already made some progress. The people we arrested today told Ling that there's a huge new settlement in the north. They've absorbed several other settlements and now have several thousand people, hehe."

"And Mom, do you know what? Their name is something like Ash Gathering. Mom, look, even the name is so similar to our Gray Fortress base. I think they'll definitely want to come here. I want to go find them, but I heard their leader is really powerful. I'm a little worried. So, Mom, can you share your power with me?"

Ling's five eyes were bloodshot, and she stared at the maid with pleading eyes, her red eyes filled with madness.

Mucus had begun to drip from the huge mouthparts at the corner of her mouth.

The fleshy wings on its back were flapping incessantly, as if urging it on.

But just as Ling used her already rotten and mutated body to grab the maid with her two claws, she stopped midway. Among her five blood-red eyes, the two human eyes regained some clarity, as if struggling with something.

Unfortunately, soon, the madness of the Turbid Calamity regained control over Ling. After going berserk and becoming a "Turbid Corpse," Ling was very sensitive to the Turbid Calamity. She had long sensed that her mechanical mother had also become a Calamity-transformed person under her influence, with a lot of Turbid Calamity in her body. In her eyes, it was just like those people she had captured from other places, all of them were excellent nutrients and sources of power to enhance her.

However, unlike those who rebelled.

Ling's claws easily pierced through the maid, who offered no resistance whatsoever, just like a mother preparing her daughter's last supper.

Soon the maid's mechanical body was torn to shreds. Ling greedily absorbed the turbid evil within the maid's body. Her already disfigured monster body, which no longer resembled a human, became even taller and more terrifying. Four more eyes appeared on her face, and two more pairs of fleshy wings grew from her back, which were covered in mucus.

After the evolution was complete, Ling seemed to finally regain her human sanity from her frenzied eating. She looked at the maid who was almost ruined and completely paralyzed under her claws, took several steps back, and wanted to say something, but only a whimpering sound like a monster's roar came from her mouth full of sharp teeth.

No, it should be said that Ling has been unable to produce human voices since a very early time. Those conversations were just the maid's calculations and analysis, which transformed the screams into human sentences.

Now that the maid is gone, no one can understand Ling anymore. When no one can understand a monster, she becomes a monster in the truest sense.

The memory copying of zero in the Mind Cube ends here.

Liao Ji knew everything that happened after that without having to look at the memory fragments again.

Zero was the second to join "them," as can be seen from the fragments of Sthija's memories, which are quite early in the story.

At that time, the Ash Gathering had just returned victorious, swallowing up many surrounding smaller gatherings and becoming the only super-large gathering at the time.

Perhaps it was precisely because of its fame and the resulting population growth that it attracted the attack of the monster Ling.

Yes.

The little girl, Ling Liaoji, was unfamiliar to him, but the monster, Ling Liaoji, was.

This must have been an elite boss back then; it took Liao Ji a lot of effort to successfully defeat it.

Later, when he followed the clues about the Gray Castle base on the monster's body to get there, he found that the base had long since become ruins and was deserted.

While scavenging for bargains in the garbage dump of the abandoned base, I discovered this broken housekeeping robot that had been torn to pieces by Ling. I realized its potential and immediately used the "contract" to successfully save it. After restarting its system, the subsequent Zero was born.

At this point, Liao Ji's memories were completely pieced together, and he understood everything that had happened.

When he arrived at the very end of the consciousness cube, a phantom of a little girl appeared before Liao Ji.

That was Ling in her earliest childhood.

Liao Ji initially thought it was just some fragmented memory, but to his surprise, this time the little girl phantom actually noticed him.

"Big brother, you're finally here! Ling, who has been waiting for you for so long, can finally breathe a sigh of relief!"

Liao Ji looked at the little girl who was talking directly to him with a mixture of surprise and confusion.

The Ling we know now is clearly not a "memory" anymore; she's more like an independent individual with her own consciousness, hidden within a Rubik's Cube of consciousness, and what she says is also very strange.

"Have you been waiting for me for a long time?"

"Yes, yes, that pink-haired older sister told me that one day, a handsome older brother will come in, and after Ling helps him, he will grant Ling one of her wishes! Ling is so excited and looking forward to it!"

A pink-haired older sister?

The image of a succubus immediately flashed into Liao Ji's mind.

Is there a hint of Lena here?

No.

Liao Ji recalled his experiences in the Holy Kingdom, his journey in the Dragon Kingdom, and now the Mechanical Alliance. He realized he shouldn't be surprised; rather, he should say...