Wasteland Echoer

"Hmph, you can actually restore human body and consciousness? It seems that your [Order] ability does incorporate some unspeakable terrifying power. However, that should be the end of it. Your Majesty the Emperor, your life is accelerating. Time passes, and this is... your price." "Future" commented.

He put his only remaining right hand behind his back, trying his best to cover up the bark-covered "Devil's Arm" caused by the "dedication" of "Zhuo Genzhao". Every step he takes will leave deep red footprints on the white ground, as well as the blood he brought out when he pierced Ivan 22's chest with his bare hands.

Fortunately, the power of the ancient gods did not "favor" him more, but quickly dissipated after the battle. His eyes returned to their original light black and pure look, and half of his face that had just been mutated returned to normal. The color is just paler.

Looking up at the "future" with a victor's attitude and no more expressions on his face, Ivan XXII recognized that he was doomed to fail. He did not choose to defend his actions anymore, and his dying body also Aggressive behavior is no longer supported.

He just took a few deep breaths, vomited out a mouthful of dark, sticky blood, and sighed:

"I... even though I knew that the empire was destined to perish, I tried my best... to take measures, but still failed. Moreover, the plan to revive me... well... was not strangled in the cradle by those strong men. Federation soldiers, but you two...'New Humanity' teenagers."

"Nothing is eternal, and there is no world that remains unchanged." "Future" maintained a posture of looking straight ahead, eyes slightly closed, eyes slightly downward, and a gloomy face, like the god in charge of justice and death in the mythology of the Central Empire. , responded:

"The birth, establishment, development, expansion, prosperity, and final decline and destruction of an empire are just cycles of reincarnation. This is not only the 'reason' established by the Creator, but also the law of existence of the human race. .

"It's like a machine that has been running for hundreds of years, has been repaired and is on the verge of being scrapped. Any means to forcefully extend its life will either only increase the pain of the machine itself, or bring pain to all those who use the machine."

"You mean... rules?" Ivan 22 smiled contemptuously:

"The laws set by the gods can be broken as long as the energy is strong enough. Since we can create laws and transform them, the entire world is only created by the will of the Creator. As long as the human will is strong enough, we can also create all things. "

"But He cannot create a stone that cannot be lifted by himself, if the will is omnipotent." "Future" retorted:

"Actually, you are the greatest emperor of the Crusted Empire. In your era of 'Glory of the Double-Headed Eagle', the Crusted people will be dismayed no matter where they are in any corner of the continent, as long as they hear about the artillery manufactured by Binglin City. He raised his head involuntarily and proudly.

"If your ultimate goal is not to obtain the five sequence cores, be promoted to a demigod, or even become a true sequence god, as the emperor, you only need to push the glory of your creation to the highest possible level, train successors, and let him Try your best to maintain the golden age.

"Instead of trusting scientists like Ivanov, the 'unintentional virus' was created and released into the world hundreds of years later, causing disaster."

"Future" said, choked up, then turned away, wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, and continued:

"I don't know how long this kind of war will last. You should know that the 'new humans' you call only account for one ten thousandth of those eroded by the 'virus'. We lost ones can only control it within a limited range. 'Heartless man'. Even as the 'leader' of the 'Order Society', with power beyond the vast majority of the Lost, I can only lead them to undertake limited battle missions.

"When our magic power is exhausted, they will disperse due to instinctive hunger, attack wantonly in the wilderness, ice fields, villages and cities, and 'infect' more humans.

"Human beings have been looking for ways to solve problems and end the wasteland world for hundreds of years. In addition to developing the 'Federal Agent No. 0' to remove and resist the 'virus', they are replicating the technology created in your era. Products, eliminate as many 'unintentional people' as possible, as well as our lost ones.

"And we, the Lost, are also looking for a way to redemption. We can either choose to cooperate with humans, or we can continue to dig out the buried ruins of the last era, and gain as much inspiration for promotion as possible through sequential monsters and more extraordinary things.

"We believe that once the first lost person truly touches the rank of god and is promoted, he will be qualified to call the sleeping Creator, ask Him to wake up briefly, send blessings, end the long night, and usher in the dawn."

After listening to "Future"'s narration, Ivan 22 was silent for a few seconds, and then sighed deeply. His facial expression was very complex, and he raised his head hard, as if he was looking at the unreachable sun in the sky. , or maintain the arrogance and self-esteem of being an emperor.

He maintained this posture that was inconsistent with his slumped body and said:

"Maybe there really is no empire that transcends a thousand years, and maybe the new era is not the human federation led by Crusted. However, I can't admit that the 'New Construction Plan' was a complete failure. In order to plan the 'Ivanov Virus' I have spent almost half my life on the "new construction plan" for human transformation, and I have also sealed myself here for a thousand years.

"Actually, my consciousness was not completely closed during my sleep. I could occasionally understand the outside world through those 'half-dragon' teenagers. But as time passed, their souls disappeared in front of me one after another, until finally The boy who stole your "perception concealment" has also disappeared, so I guessed that the time for me to wake up has arrived.

"The only success of the 'New Construction Project'... is to create 'new humans' like you... The Lost Ones are obviously just teenagers, but their magic power, fighting skills, and weapon use surpass any top [warrior] who has been trained for many years. 】. Moreover, your courage, perseverance, will and decisive thinking far exceed that of the humans of the era I ruled. Isn’t this an evolution?”

"We would rather not evolve like this!" Luo Ka rushed forward, his face flushed with anger, and pressed the "Silver Sunflower" pistol that Ivan 22 had just given to his head, using a childish but stern expression. The voice scolded:

"Do you know how much pain we have suffered? Do you know how much danger of death we have faced? If you survive during the war, your only thought every day is how to fight, strive to become stronger, and avoid being killed by more powerful creatures or If you destroy them with weapons, your subordinates and subjects will naturally be able to be so good.

"Excellence at the cost of death and war is cruel excellence. Under the coercion of fate and death, we are forced to face a 'zero-sum game'. When fighting, if you cannot defeat the opponent, then what awaits you is not failure and humiliation. But a painful death.

“The war leaves us no time to think about anything other than survival. Without your order to release the ‘Heartless Man Virus’, ‘Future’ and I, as well as Brother ‘Ice Blade’, we should have been learning and growing happily.

"Brother 'Ice Blade' actually prefers machinery. He may enter the best factory in Crusted to develop machinery, while 'Future' and I can freely choose the direction of our growth, either go to the magic academy to study magic power, or Travel around the world, to the eastern part of Crusted, to the central empire, and even to Khitanris, to see those mysterious and attractive ancient civilizations."

Luo Ka's last few words were almost uttered in a crying and venting tone. At this moment, facing the founder of the disaster, he could finally shout out all his anger, unwillingness, grievance and pain.

But facing Lorca's gesture, Ivan 22 just sneered and retorted:

"For all mankind, personal happiness is not worth mentioning. I still insist that 'war is the catalyst for progress', but I also admit that there is still no hope in this world. You two have such powerful magic power and extraordinary power. and professional power, but are not reused by the current federation. They have not even given you enough resources and protection. This is not the reason of the 'New Construction Plan', but the despicability of human beings themselves.

"I will die, but these [warriors] I carefully selected who are sleeping here will still wake up. They will go to every corner of the empire, or integrate into the local human federation, or into the 'New Humanity' organization. In short, the battle Victory cannot test whether you or I are right or wrong, only time and history can."

"Don't worry, Your Majesty the Emperor, I will not let them wake up. I have the last bit of power left by borrowing the ancient gods through the 'Zhuo Gen's Roar'. The information left by you and the empire tells me that, except for you, connecting these [Warriors ]’s ‘cultivation cabin’ is the cleverly disguised energy supply device above our heads.” “Future” said:

"They convert the surging power of the 'underworld' plane into energy that sustains life and promotes evolution. As long as it is broken and the energy in the body is cut off, they will never be able to wake up again."

After "Future" finished speaking, he stretched out his right hand behind his back and recited the language used to praise the ancient gods in "Only the Bishop".

Soon, a black ball lightning formed from his rough fingertips. With a slight push, the lightning floated into the air like a real balloon, penetrated the top plate made of unusually strong composite metal, and rushed into the machine. .

Zizzi—pop!

Violent electric currents and dull explosions passed through, and the light emitted from the surface of the surrounding culture cabins quickly disappeared. These originally transparent hatches were quickly shrouded in a layer of white mist. Within a few seconds, the white mist turned into ice crystals, marking the Their chances of recovery have been minimized.

"Okay, okay, okay." Ivan 22 nodded his head angrily and desperately. He barely supported his body, suppressed the trembling at the corners of his mouth, and asked "the future":

"Without promoting the evolution of the 'New Construction Plan', how do you plan to end the war and usher in the glorious era of the 'Star Era' after the 'Restart Era' when humans explore the universe? Could it be that you just want the chaos to continue until human civilization Will they perish, create new species to rule the continent, and fall into an endless cycle?”

"No." "Future" shook his head, looked at Ivan 22, and said confidently:

"We plan to find 'Plamini', the power of fire, and the 'Eternal Red Lord', the god behind it who controls the fire. You may not know that in the middle ten years of your rule of the empire, the annual fiscal revenue of the empire has increased A fifth are missing.

"Those officials in charge of finance are smart and wise enough. The financial statements and budgets they produce for the empire are almost seamless, and they even hide it from you."

"What do you want to express?" Ivan 22 asked nervously.

"They did not pocket this wealth, but gave it to Ivanov, a scientist who was infected by the 'virus' and whose heart and body were made of steel and died in pain." "Future" replied:

"With these funds, he established countless observation points in the ice and snow wasteland of the extreme cold zone behind your back to search for areas where the 'red swing' and 'ice overflow' phenomena occur. He is not entirely a supporter of science. , he also has faith in the Lord.

"After ten years of research, he discovered that sequential monsters mostly appear in the extreme cold zone near the west, and the god 'Plamini' is also sealed in this area. Find the 'Lord of Eternal Red', Relying on his power can make it easier to build spacecraft for exploring the universe. Even taking a step back, in his research report, 'Plamini' may not only be a code name, a spiritual symbol, but a... we It is currently unknown, but it will eventually be widely used. It is an energy source that is purer than oil and has great power.

"Besides, now we also know that the 'Mechanical Praise' ritual initiated by the Zinni people has long summoned an...evil god from an alien plane for us. He calls himself the 'Echoer', and he is also sealed in Under the ice and snow, and like you, he is an [Order].

"In other words, the future world is no longer controlled by your predecessor [Order]. The new order and the new future will be led by Wright Sugra, the new [Order]. "

"Okay, okay." At this moment, Ivan 22's tense spirit finally collapsed completely without the influence of extraordinary power.

Such a collapse is not only the humiliation caused by the denial of ideas, the complete misunderstanding of actions, and the complete failure of the game of power, but also the destruction of hope and the death of the spirit.

He stood up staggeringly, stretched out his hands from the broken dress, and wanted to use his last strength to rush to the "future", grab his throat or tear him apart.

However, as a bullet penetrated the throat behind him, Ivan 22 was forced to stumble back to his original position, leaning against his own "culture cabin", struggling, and watching the last bit of blood in his body drain away.

The great emperor felt that he was lying on a boulder in a land of lush water and grass, carrying the breath of the sea breeze, and his ears echoed with poems and music that seemed to come from afar.

These repeatedly chanted poems and music, mixed with the sound of sirens that make people feel peaceful and calm, praise the great people who are longing for, holy, bright and gentle.

Gradually, with the loss of life force, Ivan XXII heard in his ears the scriptures composed of Middle language that the patriarchs had recited during their sermons in St. Ivan's Cathedral.

…

Just now, the person who penetrated Ivan 22's throat and took away the last bit of his life force was not Lorca holding the "Silver Sunflower", but Dark Tiris who was wearing a federal army uniform behind him.

After he walked deeper into the passage behind the slate of cards from Zhuoriyigo, he did not go directly to the "lowest bottom", which is the area where Ivan XXII is, but entered the place where the old empire's huge A "weapons warehouse" for technological weapons products.

It's a pity that there are still many "mechanical dog-headed monsters" guarding there. He, Wulfya and Luo Nie fainted after experiencing a hard battle.

After waking up, Wovya and Ronie had long disappeared, while Dak used the old radio given to him by the "Echoer" to find the direction of departure in this "deep ruins", perhaps to find a way out. After a day, maybe two days, just when his mental and physical strength was about to be exhausted, he entered this technological space and saw Ivan 22 attacking the "future".

Since both Dak and "Future" were already exhausted by this time, the erosion and fighting of "Shang" during this period not only consumed the three people's magic source power to the extreme, but even their spirits were on the verge of fainting and collapse.

Dak and "Future" did meet briefly at the Pashain Temple in Xinfeng Town, and Mo Lun met briefly at the intrigue "concert" underground in the "Town Management Center Building", and first in the "Beidou District" They had an encounter with each other in obtaining the "Heart of Eternal Cold".

Lorca, on the other hand, is a member of the "Chaos Group" who has been monitoring Dak, the "chaos leader".

The two sides are not enemies, but friends to a certain extent. They are friends in terms of preventing the "Universal Energy Evolution Platform".

But now is not the time to reminisce about the past, and neither side knows the other's purpose at the moment. Moreover, this shift from testing and observation in the dark to contact and cooperation in the open is not the purpose of the "Chaos Group".

Therefore, Dak and "Future" only briefly faced off with their guns raised.

About four or five minutes later, noisy, messy, and sharp notes came from the old radio in Duck's arms, conveying some information to him.

Immediately afterwards, Dak looked at "Future" and Lorca cautiously, then activated the newly understood "invisibility" skill exclusive to "Chaos Inducer", and left here following the instructions of the old radio.

Soon, the power in this technological space was finally exhausted, and the lights overhead and the lights on the statues and models here began to go out one by one. Since the device that maintains the energy here was destroyed by "Future" himself, streams of water from all directions began to converge towards the deepest point of this "deep ruins of suffering".

"Let's go, Lorca, you can leave here. The 'Search' ability of my [Explorer] profession tells me that when the water fills this place, go to the end of the space in front, vertically upward, without making any movements, and you will be Take the vortex away from here." "Future" said.

Soon, as predicted by "Future", they struggled to swim forward after the water submerged their bodies, and were pushed vertically upward by a powerful force at the end.

As the "Bitter Relics" moved upward, they struggled to avoid the stone pillars, stones and metal debris floating everywhere after the internal space collapsed.

Finally, after seeing the light belonging to the sun, Luo pulled "Future"'s arm, used his last strength to surface, and greedily breathed in the clean and fresh air under the golden sunshine.

Looking around, the two found themselves in the center of the "man-made lake", surrounded by solid ice, and this happened to be one of the few gaps.

After swimming hard up the ice and walking for about half an hour, Luo Ka and "Future" finally dragged their wet bodies to the shore.

At this moment, it happens to be the dusk moment when it is neither day nor night. The sun's rays are bright and soft, spreading a golden breath of hope to the earth.

Fortunately, there was neither snowfall nor cold wind, nor the sound of rumbling artillery fire. Everything seemed so quiet and silent.

Looking around, "Future" and Luo Ka discovered that the area near the northern shore of this "man-made lake" seemed to have few traces of human activity for the time being. There was no war, no smoke, no killing and no traces of human activity on the empty, endless frozen lake. Death is nothing but pure and holy whiteness that leads mankind to peace.

After resting for a moment, when the last ray of golden light selflessly poured onto this land full of pain and hope, Roka surged a little bit of the magic power of the flame to dry his body and clothes together with those of the "future".

Taking advantage of the break before the long night, Luo Ka stood up, pulled up "Future", and whispered in a childish voice:

"We have obtained the last 'device limit' chip, 'Future'. Let's go back together and have a good rest in our camp. I estimate that the next war... may be even more cruel." (End of Chapter)