Who hid my body?

Chapter 76 No. 44 is smiling

The gear car was running on the track, slowly and steadily approaching the huge tower that reached the sky.

Gerard sat in the corner seat like he did yesterday. No one wanted to get close to him because he smelled strongly of engine oil, but he could still hear the enthusiastic conversations of the people in the carriage.

"Ah, you got a new prosthesis?"

"Yeah, it was just launched three days ago."

"What's the specific use?"

"Look, just like now, just press this button...bang, a spring-loaded claw will fly out from inside."

"Ah, you scared me... Is that all?"

"What do you mean by just that? Don't you think it's super cool? That's enough reason, and it's the latest model. Wouldn't you consider changing it?"

"Well... it's really cool, but it's a little too big. If I want to install it, I need to cut off part of my arm. It doesn't seem worth it."

Jellal glanced at the two people who were talking. Judging from their age, they were still children. One of them was enthusiastically showing her spring claws to the other, and there was a hint of hesitation in the other's eyes.

"Times have changed." Bai Wei's slow voice sounded in Jellal's mind. "In the beginning, only the warriors who lost their bodies in the fight against pollution would add metal bodies or prosthetic limbs to ensure basic living. Later, all warriors would add them to improve their combat effectiveness. Now... it seems to have become a nationwide trend."

Gerard was silent for a moment, then said, "You know Lyra very well."

"I understand a little bit." Bai Wei said, "This world is actually very interesting. Each sect has a very unique way of survival, and Tianqin is the most unique among them. You are using the power of God in this way. It would be considered blasphemy in Rhine."

Gerard didn't say anything, he just turned his head and continued to look at the Tower of Babel.

Last night, he still reached a deal with Bai Wei.

The content of the deal was simple. He borrowed Bai Wei's eyes to "re-see" the city, but he had to pay for the eyes himself. Bai Wei would continue to recover in his body until everything was resolved, and he would be responsible for finding a new host for Bai Wei.

There are several prerequisites for this transaction.

1. Bai Wei does not allow more forces to intervene in Tianqin.

2. Bai Wei does not allow harm to Tianqin’s people or things.

On the surface, this deal seems unfair. Bai Wei is like an old grandfather who does not ask for anything in return, but still has to accept this and that restriction.

But Gerald and Bai Wei both knew exactly what they wanted from each other.

Gerard called this transaction a "deal", while Bai Wei called it "the first deal".

There was a first time, there would be a second time and a third time. Right now, Jellal just wanted the vision of that eye, not its true power, so the conditions were so favorable.

What if he wanted more?

Bai Wei seemed very certain that he would want more, so there would be a second and third transaction sooner or later.

Thinking of this, Gerard made up his mind.

No matter what happens, you must never ask for more from Him.

...Absolutely not!

The gear car slowly stopped, the door opened, and the huge tower that reached the sky came into view.

Gerard took a deep breath, then stood up and walked out of the gear car, heading towards the giant tower.

……

The Tower of Babel is the core of the entire Lyra.

The God of Lyra gathered his power here, and transmitted it to the entire Lyra to maintain Lyra's unique metallic life.

Not only that, it is also the "brain" of Tianqin. All decisions and tasks of Tianqin are transmitted to various units of Tianqin from here.

Gerard walked into the Tower of Babel and immediately attracted a lot of people's attention. It was obvious that he was still very well-known here, but it was not a good reputation. Everyone would be surprised or frown when they saw him for the first time, and then quickly dispersed and stayed away from him, as if there was some smell on his body... Of course, he did have a smell.

In order to allow the metal parts of his body that had long exceeded their service life to continue to be used, Gerard had to apply a huge amount of lubricant to them.

Obviously, this smell is not pleasant.

But Bai Wei didn't care, he couldn't smell it.

Jellal was already accustomed to everyone's gaze. He walked silently towards the gear ladder and headed for a higher floor.

The higher the floor, the fewer people there are.

When they reached the fifth floor, there were not many people left, so Gerard stopped here.

Bai Wei was also observing this floor carefully. This floor was different from the previous ones. It looked very much like... a bank counter.

The reason why it is like a bank counter is that the women sitting behind each cubicle are wearing the same uniform, have the same hairstyle, and even have similar faces. But unlike a bank, they are very quiet. When there are no "customers", they don't move at all, neither talk nor do anything else. They just sit there quietly, looking like they are not alive.

Behind them, there was a long tube, at the end of which was a huge pillar. On the pillar there was a display that looked like the battery gauge on a mobile phone, and now, the display was full.

Bai Wei quietly observed these women, and then asked: "Is this what you call a 'clerk'?"

"Yes." Gerard did not remain silent at this time. Since the deal had been decided, there was no need to be stingy and say nothing. As he walked towards the counter, he explained to Bai Wei in his mind, "Clerk is a very special profession in Tianqin. They were all normal women when they were alive, but died due to various accidents. Tianqin would recruit them as clerks after obtaining the consent of their families, and then transplant their brains."

"Brain swap?"

"Yes, we replace body parts, but they replace their brains." Gerard said, "This makes them look more like a real machine, but they can retain their appearance before death, and... a little bit of personality and memory."

"I see." Bai Wei said, "This can protect them from contamination, right?"

Gerard was a little surprised, but nodded. "Yes, the metal brains cannot be contaminated, so they can receive every task and every instruction accurately, and send them to every unit accurately without worrying about mistakes due to contamination, which will eventually cause irreversible consequences. So strictly speaking, they are the least likely to make mistakes in the entire Tianqin."

"Interesting." Bai Wei asked, "So, you came here because the person who issued the task to you was one of the clerks?"

"Yes, I have been looking for her."

"Which one is it?"

Jellal recalled the girl with a mole on the corner of her mouth who always smiled involuntarily when she spoke, and replied, "Number 44."

"Number 44?" Bai Wei looked at the serial numbers on each clerk and said, "The most I've seen is number 43."

"Yes."

Gerard walked towards the clerk closest to him and spoke softly.

"So I'm looking for number 44, and I'm always looking for it."

……

Gerard sat down at the counter of clerk No. 13.

As soon as he sat down, No. 13, who was still in a daze, suddenly woke up and looked at Gerard with a formal smile: "Good morning."

"Good morning." Gerard said, "I am Gerard from the 7th Squadron of the Skeleton Force, and I am here to report on my duties."

"Gerald, the 13th Squadron of the Skeleton Force, identity verification successful." Clerk No. replied in a formal manner, "Your work has been completed by Captain Kud of the th Squadron. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

Gerard's eyes were fixed on the face of Clerk No. 13. Even though he had asked this question countless times, he still subconsciously tensed his body every time he asked the question.

"I want to know..." Gerard said slowly, "the information of Clerk No. 44."

"Received, keyword Clerk 44, start searching." After a moment of silence, Clerk 13 said in an emotionless voice, "The search results are zero, Clerk 44 does not exist."

Although he had heard this answer countless times, when he heard it again, Jellal still subconsciously clenched his fists.

Still...no.

Bai Wei's voice sounded again at this moment: "I think, since you are so persistent, then the clerk will definitely not resign, right?"

Gerard was silent for a moment, but still answered in his mind: "Of course, the number of clerks is fixed."

"Oh?"

"Do you see the energy card above?" Gerard also looked at the energy card on the black pillar. "That is the total amount of energy that Tianqin distributes to the clerks. It also represents the total computing power of all clerks. All clerks must be present and working normally in order to light it up. One more or one less is not possible."

"I see." Bai Wei understood. "That is to say, as long as the energy card is lit, it means that the clerks are fully staffed. And now, the number of clerks required to fully staff it is 43, but in your memory, it should be 44. Therefore, under the circumstance that the clerks cannot make mistakes, the current situation must be caused by either you making a mistake, or..."

Bai Wei paused.

"She's still here."

Interesting, really interesting.

Bai Wei looked at the clerk in front of him, and then slowly "opened" his eyes.

Bai Wei in his mind suddenly fell silent, and Gerard didn't know what happened. He could only continue talking to the clerk No. 13 in front of him.

He has come here countless times over the past ten years and asked every clerk.

But the results are the same.

No one knew who Clerk No. 44 was, just like the mission that ruined Xiao Xing ten years ago, the woman with a mole at the corner of her mouth, whose smile was always slightly sweeter than that of the other clerks... seemed to not exist.

"Clerk No. 44, you two should know each other." The same answer day after day has exhausted Gerard physically and mentally, so much so that there is a hint of pleading in his words when he talks to Clerk No. 13, "Can you let her come to see me? I really need to find her. She is a lot like you and likes to laugh, but..."

"There's a mole at the corner of your mouth, right?" Bai Wei's voice suddenly sounded in Gerard's mind.

After a brief moment of daze, Jellal suddenly sat up straight.

He remembered clearly that he had not described the appearance of Clerk No. 44 to Bai Wei: "You..."

"I didn't read your memory." Bai Wei said calmly, "She is right in front of you."

Gerald was stunned.

"Haha, are you ready to open your eyes?" Bai Wei said softly, "Open my eyes."

At this moment, the pupil hidden in the protective eye membrane began to move.

The sky, the firmament, the pupils that could take in everything opened a crack at this moment.

But it is enough to see the world clearly.

At this moment, the whole world became clearly visible, including Clerk No. 13 in front of him. Jellal saw through her cheeks, through her body, and saw into the depths of her brain made of machinery.

There is a light-colored piece of meat.

He was stunned for a moment and subconsciously looked at Clerk No. 12 standing beside him.

The same lump of meat lurks deep within the brain.

Clerk No. 11, Clerk No. 10...all of them.

"Can't you see through it? Then let me help you." Bai Wei chuckled and used the power of his eyes.

In Jellal's sight, all the pieces of flesh were "taken out" by an invisible force, and then combined and reassembled in front of Jellal.

Then he saw the face with the mole at the corner of the mouth.

Number 44, smiling.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 77 Why did you, the culprit, survive?

"what!!!!"

A sharp pain attacked from the bottom of his eyes, instantly ending the previous scene. Jellal leaned down, covering his left eye tightly. Blood kept overflowing from the eye socket, as if the whole eye was about to jump out.

Fortunately, the pain came and went quickly. Not long after, the pain disappeared, and only a pool of blood in the palm of my hand proved the existence of the pain.

"What... is going on?" Gerard asked in a low voice.

"This is the price of using this eye." Bai Wei said, "I told you, you have to bear it yourself."

"...You know I'm not asking that!" Gerard gritted his teeth, No. 44's smile still echoing in his mind, "What did I just see?!"

Bai Wei smiled and said, "What else can you see with your eyes?"

Jellal raised his head sharply and looked at Clerk No. 13 again.

Her expression remained the same as before, and the smile on her lips looked fake as if it was painted on.

But Gerard stared at her head, as if he wanted to see through it again, to verify whether what he just saw was real.

"I want to watch it again," Gerard said in his mind.

"You can't watch it." Bai Wei said calmly, "In your current state, even if you don't die on the spot if it happens again, you definitely won't be able to walk back alive... If you still want to do something, you'd better leave now. Your reaction just now has been seen by many people."

Jellal came back to his senses and looked around subconsciously.

Indeed, although there are not many people on this floor, it does not mean that there is no one. His shouting just now has attracted the attention of many people. If it happens again at this time, it will be a big trouble.

Therefore, Gerard had to suppress his doubts and said to Clerk No. 13: "I have no questions."