Abyssal Wanderer

While the two were talking, this misty path had already come to an end.

The originally boundless desolation, after they took a certain step, a desolate pier suddenly appeared.

The road paved with damp and rotten planks extends all the way to a small boat at the end of the pier.

The figures of two gods stood on the boat.

Hecate, the goddess of the dark moon, and Charon, the ferryman of the river Styx, seem to have been waiting here for a long time.

I don't know if it's Jiang Zhou's illusion. He always feels that this pier is much more dilapidated than when he came here before - as if it has been ravaged by a storm, water is dripping everywhere, and many wooden boards have been overturned. break off.

Not only that, even the two gods on the small boat looked a little embarrassed at the moment.

Both of them were wet by the river water, their hair was stuck to their faces, and their standing postures were not very stable. In addition, on their exposed skin, there are marks that seem to have been whipped everywhere.

The snake Hecate held was dead, the torch was extinguished, and the dagger was rusted.

As for Charon, his burning eyes were extinguished, leaving only dim embers; and the pole in his hand was snapped in two.

Christie understands that the image of these AIs is often a visual representation of their true state—it’s like the red light that lights up when an instrument reports an error.

Is this the price Charon paid for saving himself?

she thought.

So, she turned around and planned to ask that guy named Liao Qi again.

However, when she turned her head, the man had disappeared at some point.

…………

Originally, Jiang Zhou planned to at least try this after getting paid from Charon. But right now, the situation on Booker's side can no longer withstand the delay on his side.

Anyway, after all, there was an agreement between him and Charon before - AI can't be as deceitful as human beings, right?

Therefore, he directly activated the "City of Sages" authority, allowing himself to return to the city that was still slowly collapsing.

There was no time to make other preparations—including moving away the nearby people who were still committing suicide, or adding a layer of camouflage to the collapsing building nearby. He just concealed his figure and activated a stereo speaker program.

Then, he directly pulled Booker online.

Accompanied by a blur of pixel fluctuations, Booker, whose body is still in the warehouse of the "Theseus Freight Company" at this moment, his substitute program appeared here.

But the existence that came with Booker made Jiang Zhou stunned.

Isn't this the one...

Looking at the structure composed of five blue concentric crystal rings, it looks like a celestial globe. Jiang Zhou's memory jumped to half a month ago in an instant—isn't this the same thing that once fought fiercely with Aconitum-23 and almost destroyed the existence of an entire block?

In the dark net of depth 2, in the mirror Nord resettlement area of ​​high-risk malicious programs.

Why did this thing come here with Booker?

All of a sudden, Jiang Zhou directly called up the few attack programs in the "City of Sages" that could still function, intending to kill them directly.

However, after the attack command was issued, a warning message popped up directly from the eye movement interface.

[Warning: In the state of infinite connection, forcibly shutting down the portal connection transfer program will cause the marked object to disconnect and leave. Do you still want to perform this operation? 】

【whether】

The "marked object" naturally refers to Booker. In other words, this thing that looks like a celestial globe is the so-called "portal connection transfer program"?

In other words, it is with the help of this thing that Booker, who is currently in a state of signal silence, can connect to the Abyss Darknet?

Thinking about it this way, Jiang Zhou saw that the thing did not act aggressively after it appeared, so after a second of consideration, he clicked "No".

Then, he noticed that Booker was paying attention to the "citizens" who were self-harming and committing suicide.

I look too much like a villain...

Jiang Zhou couldn't help complaining in his heart,

So, he cleared his throat lightly, then turned on the voice package and said:

"There is some garbage around that hasn't been disposed of, so don't pay too much attention to it."

Hearing the sound of "paradox" suddenly, Booker looked up at the sky.

"Paradox... sir?"

he cautiously confirmed.

At the same time, his mind began to quickly analyze the current situation.

So first of all, judging from the surrounding environment, it is obvious that I and this "celestial globe" are currently being pulled into the abyss and dark net by the "paradox".

then……

Then analyze the fart!

I, together with the malicious program that invaded my prosthetic body, was dragged into the abyss and dark net inexplicably and without any resistance.

Apart from the fact that the "paradox" interferes with the basic reality again beyond my imagination, what else can I analyze from this?

Is there a reason why he did it?

Booker gave a self-deprecating wry smile in his heart, and then swept his eyes once again to those people around who were crying, self-mutilating, and seeking death.

He wondered if Mister Paradox wanted to make himself perform like them.

"You seem to have encountered some trouble in the lower bound of the physical layer?"

Just as he was thinking wildly, Mr. Paradox's voice echoed in the sky again.

The lower bound of the physical layer?

Weird statement...is this the AI's view of base reality?

Similar thoughts flashed in Booker's mind, and he quickly said:

"That's right, Mr. Paradox, I'm now..."

"In the 'Depot of Theseus Freight', trying to steal a portal, right?

"Then your plan to steal the portal was carried out by actively opening the portal. But in the process, there were accidents and uncontrollable things happened...Is it like this?"

The emotionless voice of "Paradox" interrupted his explanation unhurriedly.

How could he even know this? !

Hearing these words, Booker only felt a chill rushing up his spine along his spine.

In other words, is my every move in the base reality completely under the surveillance of the other party?

He was speechless for a moment, not knowing what to say.

What else would he know?

If He could even know the details of the "Magician Action" so clearly, would He also know about the fact that he revealed the name "Paradox" to "Number One" earlier?

Thinking of this, he, who has already completed the whole body prosthetic body transformation, couldn't help feeling like shivering.

And at this moment, not far from him, another person tore open his throat with a praying mantis knife—it seemed as if "paradox" was warning him. (end of this chapter)