Embers of Embers

Chapter 469: Pursuit [Thanks to the leader of Meina Muse]
The industrial facilities in the mechanical yard are working tirelessly. Looking up, you can see the molten iron pouring down like a waterfall. They are burned red, like the molten sun, poured into the mold below, and flow along the channel like a river. Through this black land.
The heat wave hit him, because it was too strong. Shrike handed Lorenzo a respirator. Such equipment must be equipped when operating under such conditions, otherwise the fragile human respiratory tract will be scorched in an instant once the high-temperature air is inhaled.
"follow me."
Shrike's voice seemed a little blurry, and he waved to Lorenzo, countless sparks floating in the air.
In this huge building, the sound of heavy hammers continued one after another. It was so loud, as if a giant was swinging a hammer and forging a god-killing weapon.
Lorenzo doesn't come here very often, let alone witness this kind of situation in full operation. He can see many staff walking through it. They are like arsonist troops, wearing heavy asbestos suits, and their eyes are fascinated. Hidden under the thick lenses, he struggled to control this behemoth.
"Phew, this place is like a lava hell."
Entering the elevator, Shrike pulled off the respirator, which made him feel uncomfortable wearing it.
"This is industry...the iron cavalry and chivalry of the old era are vulnerable to it."
Lorenzo ignored the shrike. He leaned on the edge of the elevator and saw the outside structure through the hollow gap.
As people often mentioned in old Dunling, the mechanical yard hollowed out the ground, the elevator fell into the endless abyss, and flowing firelight could be seen in the darkness. These were molten iron seeping into the ground along the channels. They were poured into different equipment to create steel weapons.
The sound of rushing water sounded from the end of the darkness, and Lorenzo knew exactly what it was. In order to cool down such an industrial system, the Institute of Mechanics diverted the Thames River, and there was a howling sound of steam, and hot gas flowed in the elevator. The outside quickly passed by, leaving only a layer of cold condensation on the surface of the steel.
"Every time I see these, I am surprised to realize that this is the real old Dunling...or 'Dunling'."
Lorenzo said slowly that these countless complex systems constructed the entire Old Dunling. They controlled the city and achieved almost god-like feats with human power.
"Yeah, most people won't believe the nonsense of hollowing out the ground, but it's true. This is a war factory, and we still have many such factories."
Shrike also came closer, the friction of the slide rails sounded, and several black skeletons were lifted up, passing in front of their eyes, and rising upwards.
The elevator stopped at the bottom of the abyss. In Lorenzo's memory, they were just descending along the main road of the furnace pillar. Now they are at the root of this steel tree, the perpetual pump.
The iron door opened and after the smoke cleared, Merlin had been waiting for a long time.
"Long time no see, Mr. Holmes."
Merlin put on as much of a smile as possible on his dead face, and without saying much, he moved out of the way and motioned for Lorenzo to follow.
"We are pressed for time, so I will keep the story short... How much do you know about the progress of the Red News incident now?"
"It's not much. I just know that you succeeded in making some crazy guys regain their sanity, but the time to maintain sanity was very short." Lorenzo told the news he knew.
"Absolutely. Do you still remember the prefrontal lobe resection surgery I mentioned to you before? According to our long-term research on the perpetual pump, we found that the erosion of demons is a cognitive hazard. As long as we keep our sense, this This kind of harm will continue to approach, but if we interrupt our channels of 'cognition', we can block this harm. At the same time, the subject's own will will also be imprisoned under the skull and become a person with only instinct. Reacting fool.”
Merlin moved forward quickly. Lorenzo had not seen this weird alchemist for a long time. Judging from his movements now, he was much more active than before. It seemed that he was also very excited about discovering knowledge.
"We transferred several death row inmates from the prison to conduct experiments, and let them stay in the same room with the captured monsters for a long time. Of course, there were iron bars in the middle. They were very panicked at first, and then their negative emotions amplified. In the end, they were After being able to escape from this environment, they began to self-mutilate and other phenomena.”
Another voice sounded next to her, it was a woman.
Dean Abigail walked out of nowhere and followed Merlin's team. As she walked, she added something for Lorenzo.
"Dean Abigail? I thought you wouldn't be here."
Lorenzo seemed a little surprised to see Abigail. He vaguely remembered that there was little cooperation between the Perpetual Pump and the Black Mountain Hospital.
"The Red News incident has had a great impact on the scientific research power of the purification agency. In order to find out the truth, I am willing to temporarily come to this ghost place and cooperate with these people," Abigail explained to Lorenzo, "We have it under control They tied up the prisoners on death row for their self-mutilation, and then, as we know, exposed to corrosive conditions for a long time, they began to alienate."
"First, there were changes in the body, and then the mind started to go crazy. At this time, we terminated the experiment, rescued the death row prisoner, controlled him, and tested him. He was eroded to the middle of the second stage. This stage The erosion has begun to become irreversible, and although there is theoretical hope that it can be saved, the hope is too slim."
"and then?"
"After leaving the corrosive environment, the alienation on his body began to stop, and there were signs of recovery, but his sanity could not be restored, and the whole person was in a state of madness... Most of the patients in our Black Mountain Hospital are in this state. They are in this state. He was corroded when he faced the demon, and although he survived, his sanity was completely shattered."
Abigail flipped through the experiment log in her hand.
"We are thinking about why they are crazy. I know this sounds a bit confusing, but Lorenzo, you should have experienced it. In fact, before you are completely transformed into a monster, when you are suppressed by erosion, your will will Caught in an 'entanglement'."
"Entanglement?"
"Yes, just like sleeping in in the morning, one voice says to get up, and another voice says to continue sleeping. This is almost the case when we face the erosion of demons. Our will will be tested. Should we surrender or fight?"
Abigail shrugged.
"However, in the face of the erosion of demons, our final outcome is surrender. Resistance only delays the time before we become monsters."
"We have done many tests. Although there is no clear conclusion, it can be roughly speculated that madness is a kind of self-protection, instinctively blocking the input of external 'information', just like prefrontal lobe removal surgery, but this This method cannot stop the spread of erosion, it is just self-deception. In order to recreate the scene at that time, after going crazy, we once again placed the death row prisoners in an erosion environment. Under the pressure of erosion, their will was reconsidered."
"Then they woke up?" Lorenzo asked.
"Yes, briefly awake to be precise.
Facing the erosion again only restarted their interrupted 'alienation'. The self-protection mechanism was broken. Like a charming dream, he woke up and returned to hell again. "
Abigail continued.
"Although cruel, this does give us a better understanding of the relationship between erosion and sanity, and provides us with clues to the truth of the Red News incident."
Merlin stopped, standing in front of a steel gate.
Lorenzo looked up. He remembered the door.
As the chain was tightened, the steel door was mechanically pushed open, bit by bit, and bright light could be seen from the narrow gap. Under the light, the old dust danced like moths.
The core experimental area and workshop of the Perpetual Pump.
Just like in the memory, there are several large elevators built on the surrounding circular iron walls. The soldiers are ready on them, thermite rifles are in the ignition state. On the higher dome, there are dark silhouettes in reverse. Looking at the light, judging from the ferocious outline, Lorenzo knew exactly what those things were.
"Welcome to the workshop!"
Percival's voice echoed through the radio in the huge cylindrical space, and the silhouette on the dome stood up. It was extremely tall and waved downwards.
After experiencing the deadly battle in the storm, Percival was also traumatized and eroded. According to the estimation of the Perpetual Pump, she is no longer suitable to drive a generation of armor with a high proportion of demons, and for the sake of her mental state , and now Percival's car is the latest third-generation armor shipped from the factory.
The proportion of monsters is only in the key part of the structure, and the rest is completed by advanced mechanical technology, and the power is also replaced by new energy lacquer antimony. After several actual combat tests, the performance of today's third-generation armor is already fast. Close to the second generation armor.
These are not the key. The most important thing is that the third generation armor can be mass-produced to a certain extent. Lorenzo saw the black skeleton in the elevator as the central frame of the third generation armor, and the third generation armor puts little mental burden on the driver, and It can be replaced with different equipment to adapt to different battlefields. Now the third generation armor is the primary project of the Perpetual Pump.
"This experiment will be protected by Knight Commander Percival."
Merlin said to Lorenzo.
"Why, don't you believe I can beat ten with one?"
Lorenzo said jokingly, revealing Winchester under his coat.
"I believe it, but didn't you warn me? We might awaken something terrible, and no matter how powerful you are, Lorenzo, you are only one person." Merlin said seriously.
There were bursts of iron roaring above, and the steam engine roared. Percival drove the third-generation armor code-named "Lancer" to the edge of the platform.
Like the previous third-generation armor, most of it uses a mechanical structure, resulting in a body shape like a steel behemoth. Key parts are protected by external armor, and there are also a certain number of fuel tanks on the back for propulsion, but the most eye-catching thing is Is it still the weapon on its back?
It is called a Lancer because of the custom equipment it carries.The gears rotated slowly, and a huge, complex firearm was lifted from the shoulder, and then dropped in front of the Lancer. He held the large firearm with both hands. It was so huge, like a knight's spear.
The shells are loaded from the upper part of the lance. Due to technical limitations, it uses a large magazine, just like a revolver, but the ammunition is too large. This is the capacity of four consecutive rounds.
"The Lancers are in position."
Percival's voice sounded from the radio, and Lorenzo looked at the weird-looking lance. It seemed to be a new weapon of the Perpetual Pump, but Lorenzo didn't know the specific actual combat effect.
"The rest is up to you, Lorenzo."
Shrike, who had been following behind him, said suddenly. He patted Lorenzo on the shoulder and ran to the edge of the workshop.
The iron cable fell from above, and Shrike grabbed it, stepped on the bulge at the end of the iron cable, and with the rotation of the winch, the whole person was dragged upward.
"The sword dancers are in position."
Another third-generation armor appeared on the dome. After the storm at Black Mountain Hospital, at the strong request of Shrike, his car was replaced with a safer third-generation armor. However, because some of the armors were targeted at the driver, Custom-made, Shrike's is still being crafted in the furnace for the time being, so he can only be forced to use this mass-produced sword dancer.
The two sharp giant blades exude a cold light, and all the security equipment is ready.
"The 'challenge' begins."
Merlin said into the communicator.
The surrounding lights turned into alarm yellow and kept flashing. The steel doors behind them slowly closed together, like interlocking canine teeth, biting each other to death. Then a drizzle of rain fell from the dome, washing with neutralizing fluid. Looking at this dirty workshop.
"So who is the target of this final experiment?"
The drizzle of drizzle cooled down the sweltering underground facility a lot. Feeling the coolness on his face, Lorenzo only thought of this issue at this time.
"William, the previous Technical Director of Everlasting Pump, the main person in charge of the Red News Incident."
Merlin said and walked forward. The medical staff had already been on standby. As the experiment began, they moved out of the way, revealing the equipment in the center of the workshop.
It was a device similar to an electric chair. Lorenzo remembered sitting in this damn thing when he was undergoing examinations at Montenegro Hospital. The doctors called the place Lorenzo sat in the birdcage.
"He started a secret experiment without declaring it. Then the experiment went out of control, and horrific erosion erupted from the inside of the Perpetual Pump. Afterwards, we investigated the defense and found no trace of demonic invasion, which means that the erosion appeared out of thin air. Details of the experiment were subsequently lost in an explosion of erosion, and the main participants were either transformed into monsters or, like him, madmen."
Merlin came to the electric chair. At this moment, an old man with muddy consciousness was tied to the electric chair. His appearance had been specially modified so that he didn't look that bad.
"It's so pitiful, the once extremely intelligent soul is now imprisoned in such a poor body..."
Merlin sighed.
"So you are going to let him accept the erosion again, carry out the alienation that has not been completed, so as to obtain information related to the Red News? You should know what this means, right? William's life was only a few minutes left after the experiment started, and he was Alienated, he is doomed to be killed.”
Lorenzo asked. He had thought about using Power Gabriel for a moment, but thinking of Watson's warning, he was very hesitant.
"What we need is a sage who can lead us back to the source of the demon, not a psychopath who is crazy all day long. In fact, William died during the Red News incident, and now he is just a poor walking zombie."
Merlin did not waver at all. He was very determined. When he knew this, he made up his mind. Now he is extremely rational.
"What we have to do now is to bring William back to life, to bring back to life the William who once had hope in him."
"What about the demon?"
Lorenzo said nothing more, Merlin's attitude was so determined, all that was needed now was to execute all this.He looked around and couldn't find any trace of the demon. The workshop had been sealed off from the beginning.
"demon?"
Merlin turned around after listening to Lorenzo's words. With absolute reason, he was as cold as a machine.
"Isn't there one here now?"
Merlin said, his empty eyes falling on Lorenzo.
(End of this chapter)