Soul of Burning Steel

The huge steel python Siboa watched Joshua throw the soul-filled steel shard into the time-space gate, and it watched all this quietly without any fluctuations in emotion.

Every world is different, and every world will is also different. Some world wills like to interfere with civilizations and races in their bodies. They will even personally help those who are cute and fragile, like dust. Generally, mortals who live and die move toward prosperity and prosperity.

And some world will, to torture all things as evil-they may not really want to do evil, from a certain point of view, they just poke their bodies from time to time and destroy them from time to time, just like Like a child playing with ants, simple and terrible.

There are kind, indifferent, evil and ruthless, and the will of the world has various categories, just like intelligent life.

And Siboya is more extraordinary-compared to being very active and like to interfere with the same kind in the world, it is not interested in everything. The steel python wandering in the void just wants to quietly watch the reincarnation of sentient beings, quietly. Sleep... But even such a simple wish can never be realized.

"A descendant from another world."

The steel python, who has never had a rest in thousands of years, stared at the slowly dissipating formation, and whispered to himself: "I hope you can bring everything back to the right track... You are the only existence who is willing to help me for so many years."

At the same time, Joshua's soul was sinking.

Passing through the misty space-time gate, came to the interlayer between the world and the void. The warrior felt that he was falling, endlessly falling, and the ever-changing curtain of time and space was shaking on his side. He felt that countless sounds and colors were attacking. His senses.

This is the first time that Joshua has crossed a strange world barrier. Usually, because of his familiarity with Mycroft’s world, he has always been able to cross this distance in an instant, but in the Siboyan world, because of a kind of The wonderful energy barrier caused him to spend a long time.

In a dim stream of light and wonderful energy, the soldier's soul seemed to hear some ‘sound’.

——Joshua, you call yourself the savior, who are you going to save?

——You once said that people in the world do not need to be saved, they will save themselves, so why do you call yourself the savior?

This voice is very strange, as if it comes from the depths of the heart, and it seems to come from the void. It evokes every fragile logic in the human heart and asks back and forth.

Joshua didn’t think too much about the origin of this problem. Perhaps it was the warrior’s deep doubts about himself, or perhaps it was the demons that evolved from his life form to such a point. At this time, the body and soul were separated, so that these Unexpected doubts surfaced... but these were irrelevant, and Joshua just calmly gave her own answer.

-Salvation is an act, and the savior is an attitude.

The idea of ​​putting oneself above the whole world, condescending to save, is arrogant and unrealistic... But to help other people no longer go to destruction, in fact, you only need to do it, do it, and start acting.

The so-called salvation, as far as Joshua is concerned, is nothing more than doing what should be done, just as a person with good intentions will help pedestrians on the roadside guide the way, and will help those who are about to fall and those who have fallen again. , The strength of the warrior has reached this point, so his kind thoughts can do such a thing, without any lofty name at all.

He called himself the savior, just to explain a fact, but from beginning to end, Joshua was a fighter, and only a fighter.

The veil of volatile time and space disappeared.

The blue-purple steel shard fell from the highest sky in the world. It broke through the clouds and fell to a diamond-shaped continent. It can be seen that the continent is barren, with only scattered green dots all over the world. , And at the very center of the continent, there are a contingent of steel creations that are roaring and operating, and at their very center, a towering spiral spire that can penetrate the clouds stands in the center of the world, with a deep blue light shining at the top. .

Joshua was falling.

He has entered the world of Siberia.

...

This is a small studio. Except for the bed covered with oil traces, it is less than 40 square meters. A rust-covered workbench occupies nearly half of the room. Except for the workbench, the rest of the room is full of mountains of debris and parts, and the dark and messy room is full of the smell of steel.

But at this time, the original strong smell of engine oil and rust was overwhelmed by a stronger smell.

Tick, tick.

On the workbench, a humanoid puppet was placed in the center. It seemed to be damaged and was waiting for someone to repair it. But just in front of it, a stiff humanoid figure fell on the stage. One of his hands fell and he could see , There is a huge wound on the side of this person's head.

The liquid could not stop flowing out of it, piled up in the depression of the workbench, and then dripped onto the ground.

This is the smell of blood.

A dirty diary with oil and blood stains spread out, and the wind from the exhaust vents turned it page by page.

[Work Log, Day 2971: Repair the three ‘breeding areas’ repressive soul puppets. Two units were successfully repaired, one core drive was damaged, and a new soul core was applied to the "Garden District". 】

[Work log, day 2972: The soul core has arrived, and the soul puppet is repaired. The difficulty is extremely high, and the repair is successful. 】

[Work log, day 2973: Generally promoted to a first-class maintenance staff, and transferred from the maintenance area No. 1 in the breeding area to the maintenance room No. 6 in the garden area, the work room is confirmed, the workbench is unlocked, and the next day starts New day's work. 】

[Work log, day 2974: Hit by the soul energy leaked by the puppet, the work was not completed, the head is strange, what does it feel like... I get a warning from the management area: next time if the task is not completed without applying for it, I will be destroyed. 】

[Wait, what is ‘me’? 】

Scattered smudges and graffiti covered all the text, and it was impossible to see what was written. When it appeared again, it was already a few pages later.

[Work log, day 3002: I am confused, what is going on? When I came to the garden area, my brain suddenly became sober, and my previously unrelated knowledge merged...I don’t have any memory of what kind of life I lived before. The people around me are almost like soul puppets, every day. Work at the same pace... I was probably the same before. 】

[Work log, day 3003: Today is the first month of waking up, and I have completed the routine soul puppet repair tasks. Most of them are simple joint failures. It will not take me three minutes... But everything is too abnormal , The maintenance staff like me did not respond to what I said, and the people walking in the corridors were the same...Can they not hear me? However, the log has become a habit, and I will probably continue to write it down. 】

[Work log, day 3005: I was stopped by the soul puppet when I wanted to get out of the maintenance area. The garden area is in front of me. I can see the children playing on the grass. They are very happy, and the soul puppet is taking care of them... Maybe it is I think too much, probably because I am from the breeding area is not qualified to move freely in the garden area. Watching the children playing happily, I also feel happy. 】

[Work log, day 3012: Wrong! The children's play is exactly the same, like, like a puppet... I feel the creeps, there is absolutely something wrong here, is it the only one who feels like that? 】

[Work log, the 3031th day, the second month after waking up, nothing has changed, everyone’s life habit is “work, daze, sleep”, they can hear me, but they don’t pay attention to what I say A few days ago, a group of new children came to the garden area. They looked more timid than before, afraid of the surrounding environment, but they were more real... But after a few days, they all became like the previous children. , Happy, but like a puppet! 】

[Work log, day 3047: If this continues, I am afraid I will be assimilated into a puppet again... Recently, there have been many damaged puppets, and there seems to be traces of various flames melting and freezing at low temperatures. It seems to have experienced battle. It’s troublesome to fix, but it just made me get rid of this loneliness...]

[Work log...what the **** is going on in this **** world? I can't even get out of this pit lane! Those soul puppets are in the door, holding the furnace ray generator for destroying garbage. I can't take my life to risk...but I really wish I could see some different scenery. I even began to miss the days when there was no wisdom in the past. Now, at least I can work for three thousand days without any boring complaints! 】

The recorder of the diary finally started to complain, and he could see that his anger was being piled up, but he could not find a way to vent, but in the end, he gradually calmed down and began to write a new diary.

[Work log, day 3173: Although it is still unacceptable, why other people can tolerate such unchanging loneliness... Maybe I made a mistake. The part of my soul that manages irritability is out of balance, just with those souls. Like a puppet with a damaged core... but I don't plan to repair this. In short, there are many books in the maintenance room, which are probably used to inquire about the knowledge of the maintenance of the soul puppet. There is no way to vent anyway, so it is better to read more books. 】

Next is a small blank space, and the handwriting on the upper and lower ends is very different, it seems that it has been a long time.

[Work log, day 3726: I'm probably a little crazy, and I will continue to come back to write this **** diary, but today I must write down what I saw... The children in the garden area have grown up, the eldest ones They probably met the adult standards. The soul puppets took them away and sent them to the next medical area, but they never came out again... The reserve of the soul core has increased, my goodness, I don’t know what I’m talking about What is it, what am I doing? who am I? 】

[Work log, day 3739: A few days ago, I took off my clothes and poured cold water on my body. My head started to heat up. This is the cold mentioned in the book... The soul puppet entered the studio and took me away. I left the corridor of the maintenance area for the first time. They took me to the medical area. Inside were the same expressionless people. They diagnosed me, provided medicines, injected injections, and I took this opportunity to observe my surroundings... During the injection, another child was brought in by the soul puppet, and it took her into the last operating room... the puppet came out with two boxes in his hand, but the child did not. The puppet put a box on the cabinet next to it, and I saw that the cabinets around were filled with the same boxes, and it said... ‘Super Power Unit’? Probably the word.

Back in the maintenance room, I found that there was one more reserve in the soul core. I probably understand, the unexpected calm in my heart, I originally thought I would go crazy, but am I not crazy now? Haha. 】

[Work log, day 4000: An integer, I began to gradually walk out of decadence. After all, I’m still alive. To live is hope. No matter how lonely and boring, I’m better than the civilians in the breeding area and the children who were sent to the operating room. Oh my God, I started to feel superior because of this. After all, compared to ignorant farmers and harvested crops, a crazy maintenance worker will naturally feel superior, doesn't it? 】

[Work log. Day 4123: It’s worth writing down today, because the soul puppets sent for repair for the first time exceeded 15, which broke the record. These silly guys are all traces of battle, all kinds of penetrating injuries and broken injuries. There are more than seven soul cores destroyed...Someone is fighting these guys and can actually destroy these puppets! For me, this is simply the greatest motivation. Although I don't know if these people will come, I will wait, hope and wait. This is my creed to maintain my rationality in this endless loneliness. 】

[Day 4779: The maintenance worker in the maintenance room No. 5 next door was taken away by the soul puppet. Wrinkles appeared on his face and his hands began to tremble. He was also sent to the medical area, and the soul core had an extra one again. , I stared at the patrolling soul puppets for a long time-is there a familiar soul hidden under the steel shell that I am familiar with? 】

The handwriting writing these words was trembling, seemingly because of fear and anger, but more, I am afraid it was at a loss. The owner of the diary didn't seem to know what he should do until the next diary appeared.

[On the 5000th day, another round number, I started to get used to loneliness, I have learned to empty my head, just like those who are in a daze. Through the opportunity of several puppet inspections, I have traveled to a small half of the garden area, and I have roughly understood what kind of environment I am in.

The garden area is surrounded by a vast breeding area in the center. New children are sent here every day. I am in the most central part of the garden area. All the puppets that are badly damaged will be sent here for repair or dismantling. ...If the breeding area is a farm for cultivating the wheat and bread we eat, then the garden area is a farm for cultivating the "core of soul".

In that case, whose wheat and bread are we?

At least, I believe that my waiting is valuable. I am discovering the truth of the world we live in bit by bit...Although I cannot wake up other people, such records must be meaningful. We have words and books. Can make soul puppets, can build huge breeding gardens, we can't be born as puppets who only know work and sleep... Someone made us what we are now, and I will remember all this. 】

After that, there was no record. There was a long blank space in the diary. The pages were turning and the clean paper was flipped. At the end, a huge number suddenly appeared on the last page of the diary.

【10000 days】

[Twenty years. It has been twenty years since I woke up. It has been a long time, and I even forgot my original mental journey. Fortunately, I found my diary, which reminded me of the past.

I am getting old, and wrinkles on my face are beginning to appear, just like the No. 5 maintenance worker at the time. My hands have not started shaking, but it should be fast. Although it is an illusion, I always feel that those soul puppets are staring at me. , After a while, they will probably send me to the medical room, let me become a soul core too.

Those of my compatriots who have not yet awakened, I was surprised, feared, and despised at first. Later, I despised, despised and ignored them. I thought I was different and could change some things, but I found that I was no different from those compatriots. I even had to endure more loneliness and pain than them, but even more Live the same life. But what about it? They are the same as me. I only gained self-awareness because of a lucky soul shock, that's all, and I recorded these words just to prove my existence.

I have pity on them, just as I pity my own destiny. I have thought about it for twenty years, and the conclusion is that if hope exists, I will exist, and I will not go crazy, but I don’t have another twenty years to wait.

The fighting outside is still going on, and puppets in need of repair are constantly being sent. Because of this, I still have hope in my heart. I know that soul puppets will come over one day, take me away and become a soul core, but I will not let them do this, they will never succeed.

I would rather die with the hope of killing people than to endure a second of peaceful despair.

I chose to die, I should have chosen so sweetly, to get rid of the cage of despair, this is the only freedom I have left in this prison called the garden.

Maintenance workers are not repairing their own minds. This is the work log of the last day. 】

The blood is ticking.

The thick blood began to solidify gradually, and the appearance of the middle-aged man who fell on the workbench and began to age can be seen.

He has good features and healthy body. Years of maintenance work keeps him healthy. The top of the man’s head has begun to turn white and lose his hair. He is wearing a gray maintenance uniform. The man’s left hand is holding a welding torch, and his right hand is hanging on the side. Fingers curled up slightly, and on the ground, a pen was in a pool of blood.

At the last moment of his life, the man shot his head with a welding gun that was enough to burn fusion gold.

This is his choice, a free death.

At the same time, a blue-purple light flashed by, ignoring all barriers and falling straight into this small maintenance room.

The dazzling silver light swept over everything around, and the steel fragments began to choose their host, a low buzzing sound rang from every corner of the space ~www.novelmtl.com~ The soul puppets of the entire garden area looked around and started Walk around, looking for targets.

But then, the buzzing suddenly stopped, and the soul puppet could not find the target, so he could only return to its original position... But if someone could perceive the soul world, then he would definitely hear a deep and clear loud noise. It was as if something had been inlaid and already in place-and in the next instant, unparalleled pressure swept across the entire garden area and even the breeding area, dimming all the light for a moment.

In the small maintenance room, everything seemed to remain the same.

But suddenly, on the workbench, the dim eyes of the damaged soul puppet flickered for a moment, and a silver mixed with purple light penetrated its whole body.

"The Snova-21 harvest type restarted, the core was ready, and the unknown energy source was injected... the soul soldier restarted successfully."

A voiceless voice came from it, but the voice finally changed gradually, and finally turned into a low male voice: "Find the body that best fits the original life form, begin to possess, begin to assimilate, and begin to load the steel. Fragment plug-in, begin to instill soul..."

"The advent is over."