Crimson Embers Chapter 10 Everything is cute when it's small, but when it grows up...
The rebel base was originally underground, but old Luther felt that this was obviously not safe enough, so he dug a passage in his underground office leading to a secret dark room further down.
It's like a bug that doesn't have much resistance to external dangers. When it senses danger is coming, it will always dig downwards, trying to protect itself with the toughness of the thick earth.
This primitive method is clumsy but suitable for keeping secrets. At present, hiding at this depth can isolate all mechanical and life signal searches in Hope City, which is enough to ensure that most activities will not alarm the surface .
In fact, digging a hole to hide oneself in times of danger is not just a practice of insects, it is also a human instinct for survival.
Mason thought so at first, but when he actually saw what old Luthor had hidden here, he suddenly realized that his plan to hide underground with the rebels might not be just for hiding.
"What is this strange thing?"
Harley exclaimed while holding her adorable face.
The knowledgeable captain also widened his eyes, and even the slime monster Kevin poked his head out from Mason's shoulder to look forward, his face shaped like mud full of surprise and disbelief.
Quinn, who was the most vigilant, had already pulled out the Joker's pistol and loaded it with a click, while the dogs under his feet also grinned and made preparations to pounce.
In front of them, old Luther was holding a small humanoid creature in his arms.
Its body shape is no different from that of a child of a few years old.
But his skin is blue, not the kind of blue that Avatar has, but a deep blue closer to the blue plume emitted when energy reaches the ionic state.
Such skin is eye-catching enough, but in addition to the skin, the child's forehead, shoulders, arms and legs also have technological devices similar to crystals attached. Judging from the appearance, they should be diffractors used to gather and adjust energy, and combined with his small body, they add a lot of "industrial beauty" to the child.
These are not the most surprising features. The left hand of this blue-skinned child does not have five fingers extending from the wrist, but slender mechanical tentacles that float in the air as flexibly as octopus tentacles.
There are also arc spots at the tip of its tentacles that burst out when energy jumps and comes into contact with the air.
The latter is obviously intelligent.
He was very close to old Luther, but when he saw Mason and a few strangers, he showed obvious fear and vigilance. He kept hiding in old Luther's arms and looked at the people with his big blue eyes. Panic could be seen in his clear pupils.
He seemed to realize that he was different from normal people, so he was a little ashamed to see people.
If just the strange appearance and mechanical body were not enough to make Mason feel strange and surprised, the energy level emanating from the little guy held in Luther's arms really made people feel fear from the bottom of their hearts.
The energy readings detected by the watch have exceeded the explosive limit of atomic energy released by a standard nuclear bomb at the core of the explosion.
This is when the little blue boy is in a calm and stable state. Once he gets frightened and explodes or the energy in his body gets out of control, it is conservatively estimated that the energy released can wipe out the entire underground base and all existence inside it within one thousandth of a second. It is estimated that only lives that cannot be explained by common sense, such as Chao in windbreaker and Becca in white.
"Harley, Quinn, wait for me outside with the dog."
Mason pushed the frame on his nose and said to the cuties in a serious tone.
Harley had already taken out the Joker's camera and was planning to take a picture as a souvenir, but the little guy's energy interfered with the camera and it didn't work at all. Her face was filled with amazement, as if she had seen a giant panda practicing Kun Quan in the zoo.
She snorted at Sweetie's instructions, but still turned and left, dragging the grinning dogs with her, leaving only Mason, old Luther and the strange blue-skinned boy here.
"You recognized him?"
Old Luther asked, then reached out and took out a strange metal Rubik's Cube and placed it in front of the blue-skinned child.
The latter used willpower alone to make the thing float in the air and spin with a clicking sound, as if he was playing a boring game, and in less than a second, the Rubik's Cube was put back in place.
It seemed that he felt that this was not challenging enough, so he decomposed the Rubik's Cube into small cubes in the blink of an eye, and then chaotically put them together into a strange metal ball in the next moment.
This scene allowed Mason to see in more detail the boy's ability to influence matter.
He pursed his lips and said:
"Is this the larval form of Brainiac? How did you create him?"
"Using artificial intelligence and some biotechnology from Krypton, and generating cognition through deep self-learning of AI, we can create a mechanical life form that can manipulate huge energy and has great potential."
Luther stroked the head of little Brainiac in his arms, as gently as if he were treating his own grandson, and explained in a low voice:
"This plan was verified in our world before the impact happened. In the vanilla era when we didn't have to worry about the end of the stars, some radical elements among us even built a prototype under the order of the president.
Unfortunately, the prototype unexpectedly lost control.
It was a terrible accident. In just two hours from the time the prototype gained intelligence to his death, he flattened one-tenth of the East Coast in a completely uncontrollable manner. And that was simply because there was a problem with the structure of the newly born prototype, which caused him to feel extreme pain and be unable to suppress the energy in his body.
From then on, the project was shelved until I picked it up again and improved the drawings.
The little Bu in my arms is Unit 2.
He was born one year and seven months ago, and has been raised here by me. With the help of deep learning of the sixth-sequence Kree advanced technology, he can now control his energy and super intelligence very well.
I haven't met the other Brainiacs, but I heard you once killed an adult?"
"Yes, that is a war that no one wants to see."
Mason walked forward, and under the gaze of Little Boo, he stretched out his hand and tried to touch him, but when he got close, he could feel an invisible energy field blocking his fingers.
It seems that this little guy doesn't like any life other than old Luther touching him, especially Mason.
Perhaps it was because the captain had killed a Brainiac himself. If mechanical life also had time and space aliens, it would be equivalent to Mason killing another him.
This is enough to scare an intelligent child.
"Is he the final weapon you prepared for this resistance?"
The captain took a step back and asked:
"I have no doubt about his destructive power, but is he sure he can take on such a mission? His mind doesn't seem mature. If we use Old Bull's standard for testing life intelligence, this little guy can only reach level nine or ten intelligence at most, which is still far from the twelfth level of intelligence of a complete body.
Moreover, he lacks many of Old Bull's attack methods, and the destructive power of his energy burst is not strong when facing the elite troops of the Council ."
"That's what I'm worried about. We originally planned to have Boo follow Superman and his teammates, but the target of this plan to create life was Superman."
Old Luther sighed and said:
“In the vanilla era, my adopted son’s uncontrollable personality and the unstable violent factors in his blood made him a guardian, but also a threat in the eyes of many people.
It turns out that the prototype is unable to achieve the goal of suppressing Superman, which is another reason why this project was abandoned. Although I modified his cognitive program so that he is no longer hostile to Superman, it is still very difficult to get them to cooperate.
I even planned to give up on Xiaobu and send him out of this dangerous world.
But without his strength and ability, what we can do will be greatly limited, but your appearance has given Xiaobu a place to use his skills again."
The bald leader of the rebels handed the little cloth in his arms to Mason and said:
"Let him go with you tomorrow morning.
I know you may not need our help to deal with those threats on your own, but if this is our common cause, then I think we should also do our part.
Xiaobu will protect you."
"I don't think I need a blue-skinned mechanical elf to protect me, not to mention that I have killed him as an adult."
Mason bent down and made eye contact with the young Brainiac, who was floating in the arms of .
He tilted his head, winked and made a turtle face at the silent but absolutely smart mechanical child in front of him, who seemed startled and shrank back but quickly realized that this was Mason expressing goodwill.
So he hesitated for a moment and put on a very stiff smile, which triggered the captain's uncanny valley effect, leaving him scratching his head.
After thinking for a moment, Mason took out the silver activation key, pressed the switch, and the main power of the universe stored in super time and space appeared beside him.
As soon as this "decisive weapon" belonging to old Brainiac appeared, it immediately attracted the attention of young Brainiac. The latter's eyes widened, and his clear eyes reflected undisguised love and yearning.
Obviously, although he had never had any contact with other Brainiacs, the common aesthetics and preferences among the time and space aliens still made him curious about this set of power armor.
"Perhaps you can drive it for me when I don't need it."
Mason handed the silver key in his hand to Xiaobu in front of him and said:
"This thing is the 'wheelchair armor' that Old Bull developed for himself. Its underlying structural framework is designed for cyborgs like you. Although my brothers did their best to transform it, its original interface is still preserved. You can operate it in the way Brainiac does.
By the way, help me maintain the power armor system."
The blue little Bu floating in the air nodded vigorously, and was about to reach out to take Mason's activation key, but the latter retracted his fingers, and as if playing a game, he stretched out his hand and flicked the little Bu's forehead embedded with the energy diffractor, causing the latter to hold his head and cry out in pain.
"Is that what your grandfather taught you? What should you say when someone gives you a toy?"
The captain asked with his hands on his hips. Little Brainiac, who was floating in the air, was obviously a little angry. The mechanical tentacles on his left arm had extended out like a group of predatory snakes, trying to wrap up Mason and beat him up.
But with a mild cough from old Luther behind him, Little Bu immediately became well-behaved.
He stared at Mason, lowered his head reluctantly and said in a mosquito-like voice:
"Thank...thank you uncle."
"Call me 'brother'. I'm not that old yet."
Mason grinned, threw the startup key to Xiaobu, and watched him float into the open cockpit. He did not use the normal access method, but connected the mechanical tentacles on his left hand to the various original interfaces of the Master Power Armor of the Universe without any instruction.
He was a little unskilled at first and was frequently blocked by the firewalls written by engineers, but a huge blue waterfall of data was reflected in his eyes, and he used almost an exhaustive hard cracking method to empower himself after a few minutes, becoming the number two driver of the Master Power Armor of the Universe. After the silver armor of the cockpit was closed, this silver armor began to move as if it had life.
"Ha, a genius kid driving a Gundam, this scene is really awesome."
Mason folded his arms and snorted, and the main power armor of the universe in front of him also imitated his movements and completed the action of folding his arms, with more flexibility and smoother than when Mason controlled it.
This is also normal.
It was originally the legacy of old Bull, so it was quite appropriate for another Brainiac to drive it.
"This set of power armor can stabilize his immature mind and ensure that he can suppress the damage to himself in the event of a possible energy outburst."
Mason said to old Luther, who was leaning on a cane beside him:
"You taught Xiaobu well. He didn't try to take the control of this power armor away from me. He is a polite child."
"He won't always be so well behaved."
Luther sighed and said:
"In fact, my wisdom is no longer enough to cope with his rapidly growing mind. I entrust him to you because you may be the only one who can suppress his life.
After all, he is my own child, and I don’t want to see him follow the same path as other Brainiacs.
It’s also a request.”
After saying that, the leader of the resistance army turned around, took out the remaining copy of Rorschach's diary from the safe in the secret room, and handed it to Mason.
He said:
"It contains the content of Rorschach's plan to find the Apocalypse Star. Perhaps the words between the lines can give you some inspiration. It doesn't mean much to us rebels who only want to overthrow the Council's rule. The Apocalypse Star is something we are unable to touch."
"Don't be so self-deprecating."
Mason took the diary but did not open it immediately. He said to the old Luther who was aging but standing straight:
“Perhaps you should think about how to take over this planet and incorporate it into the system of the new Utopia plan after occupying and controlling Hope City.
I believe you have your own understanding of the future direction and planning of the world. After I finish what I need to do last night, you can discuss this issue in depth with some of my companions who are obsessed with the art of ruling and conquest plans. "
"I am old."
Old Luther shook his head. He looked at the little Brainiac who was driving the Universe's Main Power Armor and jumping around in the secret room. He said softly:
“I should have died the day my world was occupied and plundered, and every day I am still alive is a heavy blessing for me.
Just as you have your own firm goals and put them into practice, my companions and I, although we cannot achieve the same career as you, we also have our own pursuits.
To see the collapse and demise of an organization that has single-handedly disrupted the apocalypse and pushed it toward barbarism is probably the best and most outstanding feat we can achieve under these dark stars.
As for the future…
The future does not belong to me .
Anyone who is interested can participate and start the competition again. If I can see the day when the Council collapses, then returning to my world and ending my life will be the best outcome I can get."
After saying that, the lame old man stepped forward with his cane and helped Brainiac, who had opened the cockpit, to adjust some connection parameters of the power armor.
As for Mason, the captain looked back at the busyness of the strange grandfather and grandson. He shrugged his shoulders, took the torn copy of Rorschach's diary in his hand and left the secret room.
It's time to continue reading the diary left by this sociopath, uncover the mystery of the Final Star and prepare to move forward with your final mission.
Hey, Doom, wait, I'll visit you soon.
