Deus Ex Machina: Chapter 45

Chapter 45

The two faced off, exuding immense pressure, like two lions locking eyes, making it impossible for anyone nearby to step forward. Meng Die was much smaller than Yang Jin in stature, but her aura was equally formidable. Yang Jin no longer hid his emotions; his expression was blank, but the light in his eyes was sharp enough to kill.

“Xiao Die,” He Xun walked over and gently took Meng Die’s hand. “Let it go.”

Meng Die asked, “Let what go?”

He Xun smiled. “Someone like me, if I can still be of some help to others, isn’t that a good thing?”

Meng Die frowned, wanting to retort, but being He Xun, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything, frustration building in her chest. He Xun, aware of her temperament, hugged her and softly whispered into her ear, “If the choice is hard, let fate take us where we’re meant to be. Xiao Die, don’t be afraid. I’m here with you.”

“I’m not afraid.” Meng Die’s tone softened slightly. Her rare display of vulnerability surprised everyone. To others, Meng Die was an indomitable warrior with no universal values, someone who simply obeyed orders in Qianfan but had no love for strangers.

Without He Xun, she might still be Qianfan’s war god, perhaps even someone Yang Jin would have to follow under her command. But there were no “what-ifs.” This gentle man had entered her world. She could love nothing else, but she loved He Xun.

For He Xun, she disobeyed Qianfan’s orders. For He Xun, she gave up the world. And if He Xun needed it, she could “love” the world for his sake.

The world was vast, accommodating billions of lives.

The world was also small, holding only one or two worth pursuing.

—

Three days passed quickly but held the potential for many developments.

For example, Aurora’s infrastructure repairs began almost immediately. The greatness of a city lay in the civilization it nurtured and its resilience. The machines coming to life breathed some vitality into the desolate city, though tensions remained high.

Feng Mang brought in a fighter jet, its sleek black streamlined body earning a gasp of admiration from Ying Si. Standing on the rooftop, he exclaimed to Feng Mang, “It’s beautiful.”

“Indeed,” Feng Mang replied with a smile. “Factory model M-1213. Not to brag, but its performance surpasses any model currently produced by Qianfan. The downside? The cost is astronomical—only three exist worldwide.”

“And they’re all in your hangar,” Ying Si muttered.

“Dead rich guy,” he grumbled. Still, even the jet’s appearance reeked of wealth—a signature of Feng Mang’s style. He pursued peak performance and innovation at any cost. To him, technical excellence mattered above all else.

“But this isn’t enough,” Feng Mang said. “Over the next three days, you’ll help me modify this jet to suit the needs of those three people. Enhancements like extended range, livable space, and anti-tracking features… It’s time to test real skills, kid.”

“Piece of cake,” Ying Si declared confidently. “Chunming City’s sandstorms are brutal. I’ll make a filtration system for Yixi.”

“He grew up there. Don’t you think he’s used to sandstorms?” Feng Mang asked.

“Getting used to something doesn’t mean you have to accept it,” Ying Si replied. “Can’t I just do something nice for him?”

“Of course, you can. You’re friends. Friends should look out for each other.” Feng Mang patted Ying Si’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s see what else we can do for our friends.”

—

Three days later, Yang Jin received a message from Yu Chen, asking him to meet at the second bench on the east side of Area 2 in Central Park.

Yang Jin went alone. By the time he arrived, it was the agreed-upon time, but no one was there. He assumed Yu Chen had stood him up, but in the next instant, everything went dark. It happened so quickly that Yu Chen appeared before him in what felt like a blink.

The setup looked exactly as before.

“Don’t worry, just a little spatial manipulation trick,” Yu Chen said, tapping his temple. The frameless glasses on his face disappeared instantly. He was still wearing a plaid shirt, a faint smile on his young-looking face.

At least, Yang Jin thought Yu Chen appeared much younger than him.

“What I want?” Yang Jin got straight to the point.

“Stretch out your hand,” Yu Chen said, beckoning with his finger. Yang Jin extended his hand, his expression calm. Yu Chen pulled a silver metallic wristband from his pocket, its surface etched with intricate patterns and no visible opening. As he pressed the wristband to Yang Jin’s wrist, it automatically unfolded and wrapped around. The opening closed seamlessly, leaving no trace.

Yang Jin felt a surge of immense power on his wrist.

“It’s fine. It’s just initializing,” Yu Chen said. “The first time I met Yang Jian, he had one of these. But his was broken, so he couldn’t go home and had to stay with me.” He smiled. “Doesn’t it sound like the story of the Seven Fairies? The lofty flower descends into the mortal world and inevitably meets a clueless fool. That’s how the stories go.”

“I didn’t come to hear your stories,” Yang Jin said coldly. “Get to the point.”

“You’re even less fun than Yang Jian,” Yu Chen remarked, disappointed. Stretching lazily, he waved his hand, and a workbench from afar moved toward him automatically. He tapped a few keys casually, and the wristband on Yang Jin’s wrist emitted a faint noise. 

“I’ve separated ZZ, the Annoying Spirit, and Pony and stored them in your wristband. All permissions are unlocked. ZZ and that annoying spirit are currently callable, but Pony has some issues.”

“What?” Yang Jin asked.  

Yu Chen retorted, “Can you have a little patience and let me finish talking?”  

“…”  

“Pony has entered a sleep program, and running such a colossal system requires an immense power module—at least for ordinary people,” Yu Chen explained. “Over the past three days, I’ve reconstructed it, merging and optimizing a ton of code so it can operate on a single wristband.”  

Yang Jin was momentarily stunned by Yu Chen’s words. “You… What did you say?”  

“I know it might sound like science fiction to you.” Yu Chen shrugged. “But this is reality. The gap in our technology is that vast. What you need an enormous system to run, I can fit into this tiny wristband. But don’t get too excited. This Pony is pretty cunning—it’s set up a self-defense program. If you force it to wake up, there’s a cooldown period. Ignore it, and it’ll self-destruct.”  

“How long?”  

“Look at the progress bar on your wristband.” Yu Chen gestured. “It’s unpredictable. As soon as the bar completes a full cycle, it’ll wake. The timing isn’t fixed.”  

“…What if it takes ten thousand years?” Yang Jin felt like Yu Chen was joking.  

“Then there’s nothing you can do.” Yu Chen replied nonchalantly. “You can either wait or destroy it—your choice. Oh, by the way, there’s a deeply hidden piece of code inside. It wasn’t manually written but was self-generated by Pony. The encryption is unique to it and nearly impossible to crack. However, there’s a set of coordinates within: 39N116E.”  

Yang Jin froze, blurting out, “Chunming City!”  

“If you say so.” Yu Chen appeared uninterested.  

As the initialization of Yang Jin’s wristband completed, Yu Chen called out seemingly to the air, “Come out and say hello!”  

“Yang Jin, you idiot! You almost got me killed! What did I ever do to deserve being assigned to you? I’m just a weak, pitiful, helpless AI! I never want to see you again! You useless, useless, useless—”  

The grating, endlessly looping voice spiraled around, enough to give anyone a headache.  

“Shut up.” Another icy, metallic voice cut in. “Say one more word, and I’ll crash your program immediately.”  

“Waaahhh…” Fan Fan began wailing accusingly again. “Yang Jin, he’s bullying me! You have to stand up for me!”  

Yang Jin felt like losing his mind. He turned to Yu Chen. “Was it necessary to put these two together? Can’t you separate them?”  

“Separating them is too much trouble,” Yu Chen said.  

Yang Jin rubbed his temples. “ZZ, do you recognize me?”  

“Yang Jin,” ZZ replied. “Age 28. Member of Qianfan’s Vanguard Division.”  

“My permissions?”  

“You have access to all my system resources and logs,” ZZ said. “Including the global satellite network.”  

Yang Jin smiled faintly. “Good.”  

Having accomplished his task, he prepared to leave. Before he could, Yu Chen stopped him. “Yang Jin, my and Yang Jian’s mission is to bring you back. If… and I mean if… if we gave up on the plan to save humanity, would you come with us? You don’t have to take such risks.”  

Standing still, Yang Jin didn’t show any expression. Only his voice was heard. “There’s no ‘if.’ Once a choice is made, you must see it through. You said I came to Earth to help these poor, ignorant people survive an inevitable doomsday. Even though I can’t remember what this doomsday is, how could I be satisfied without seeing it for myself? With so many unanswered questions, how could I resign myself to being a fool caught in a vast mystery?”  

Yu Chen chuckled softly. “I’ve lived in this world for a long time. Sometimes it’s wonderful—everyone around you feels like an angel, so many kind and warm-hearted people. Other times, it’s terrible—everyone seems cold, selfish, greedy, and foolishly repeating the same mistakes. For thousands of years, humanity has struggled forward, like an ever-expanding gas cloud. Perhaps it doesn’t need some advanced civilization to wipe them out; they might destroy themselves. If that’s an inevitable end, Yang Jin, is it worth it?”  

Yang Jin turned around, his voice icy. “Why ask me whether it’s worth it? Wasn’t it you who sent me here in the first place? You wanted to save the weak, but now, as the stakes shift, you’re thinking of giving up. What makes you any different from humans? The only difference is that you’re more advanced—you’ve got the confidence to speak as you do.” 

“Yang Jin…” Yu Chen wanted to explain, but Yang Jin cut him off. “Enough. I never care about whether something is worth it or not. I just do what I want, right or wrong. I don’t give a damn about any so-called rules of the game. You can think I’m stubborn or reckless; I don’t care.” With that, he turned to leave.  

Yu Chen quickly caught up and blocked his way. Yang Jin raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing?”  

Yu Chen bit his fingertip, then gently touched Yang Jin’s forehead, leaving a red mark of blood at the center of his brows. The mark quickly faded into his skin and disappeared.  

“What are you doing?” Yang Jin asked warily.  

“Nothing.” Yu Chen looked at him. “Just don’t tell anyone about this. If they find out, I’m dead.”  

Yang Jin frowned.  

“Relax. I won’t hurt you,” Yu Chen said. “Yang Jian and I can’t stay here for too long. If you’re not coming with us, be careful out here.”  

“I know.”  

“And, Xi Zai…” Yu Chen hesitated. “You and him, you two…”  

“Nothing,” Yang Jin replied.  

“Ah? Oh…” Yu Chen thought for a moment but ultimately chose not to press further. He patted Yang Jin on the shoulder. “Hero, go. This world needs you.”  

After Yang Jin left, Yang Jian emerged from somewhere unknown. Yu Chen glanced at him, looking fatigued. “He really is exactly like you, made bit by bit from your data. Even his personality is so similar. You’re heartless, and he…”  

“Do you like me more, or do you like him more?” Yang Jian interrupted.  

“You can’t compare like that,” Yu Chen said. “It’s different.”  

“What’s different? You’re the one who said he’s just like me.”  

Yu Chen sighed. “Sometimes, I’m terrified that he *is* like you. Yang Jian, do you know? The reason I agreed to let him come to Earth in the first place was because I thought, while humanity’s technological civilization is inferior to ours, their social relationships and emotional connections are far more complex. I thought Yang Jin might see a world that wasn’t so cold. But now, it’s clear—he is who he is. He’s a prince from our world, and he will never be an ordinary person on Earth. He may appear more sentimental than you, but deep down, he’s just as heartless and willful.”  

Yang Jian knew Yu Chen’s emotional world was far more complicated than his own. Seeing Yu Chen so troubled, he leaned in and kissed Yu Chen’s forehead. “I can do a lot for you.”  

Yu Chen nodded. “I know.” 

Yang Jian asked, “What did you leave him?”

“A secret,” Yu Chen answered with a smile.

On the way back, Yang Jin kept thinking about the matter regarding Chunming City. Why would Pony leave such a coordinate, and one from over a decade ago? It was an overlooked small city, with poor conditions and no advanced technological manufacturing districts. Surrounded by mountains on three sides, the area wasn’t very large.

What could be there? Was this some sort of self-inflicted trap, or something else entirely? Yang Jin couldn’t be sure.

They had agreed to set off as soon as Yang Jin finished his business. By the time he returned, everyone was ready.

“Come and see what I’ve prepared for you, along with Ying Si,” Feng Mang proudly showcased the plane to everyone, introducing it. “It’s fully capable of operating in land, sea, and air, and in various natural environments. The system has a manual, so you can check it out yourself. It can also serve as your temporary base.”

“Alright, alright, that’s thorough enough,” Yang Jin said. “Just missing a kitchen.”

“Of course, it can cook. It even runs on energy-efficient fuel,” Feng Mang said, feeling that Yang Jin was being childish. “I also equipped it with an energy-switching system and a gravity system. Don’t worry, even flying into space shouldn’t be a problem. Oh, and I adjusted your equipment as well. Yang Jin, good thing you didn’t take the gun when you left last time. I’ve implemented a better automation design. It links up to your terminal and can change forms freely.” At the mention of the terminal, Feng Mang thought of Fan Fan and realized that Fan Fan wasn’t around anymore.

“Are you going to start connecting weird things again?” A voice came from Yang Jin’s wrist.

“Fan Fan,” Shi Yixi said, knowing what Yang Jin had been up to today. He was happy to see Fan Fan back.

“Hello ah, Xi Zai,” Fan Fan said. “Long time no see. But now, I’m stuck with an even more annoying guy. I can’t even move freely.”

ZZ said, “Shut up.”

Feng Mang exclaimed, “What’s going on here?”

Yang Jin said, “I’ll explain later.”

Ying Si had packed a lot of things for Shi Yixi, just like a parent frantically stuffing luggage for a child before a trip. He babbled, “I’ve brought everything I could think of. The gloves have been adjusted with some data, and I added some new functions. The palm is a weapon, and the back of the hand is a shield.” He shook the gloves lightly, and a light shield glowing faintly blue instantly formed. When he turned the palms outward, nothing happened. He scratched his head and said, “I don’t have your kind of power, so… ahem, anyway, I’m sure you’ll manage.”

“Thank you, Ying Si.” Shi Yixi carefully put the gloves away.

“Idiot.” Ying Si whispered, “Those two are working together. You need to be careful and protect yourself, understood?”

“I will,” Shi Yixi said as he reached out and gave Ying Si a hug. “Wait for me to come back.”

Dalia, standing nearby, also opened her arms. “I want one too.”

“This is a bond between men, what do you want?” Ying Si said disdainfully. “Go away.”

Dalia, unhappy, retorted, “You go away!”

Shi Yixi also hugged Dalia. “Stop arguing, both of you.”

“Yi Xi, Xiao Feng,” Yang Jin called out loudly, “let’s go.”

Everyone boarded the plane. The cabin door slowly closed, and Zhan Feng adjusted the system from the pilot’s seat as the plane gently lifted off vertically. The people on the rooftop were blown back a few steps by the wind.

“Coordinates 39N116E,” Zhan Feng said. “Set to low-energy flight.”

ZZ’s system took over, making the characteristic metallic sound: “Arriving at the destination in thirty minutes.”

“You…” Zhan Feng looked at Yang Jin in surprise. Yang Jin smiled and said, “What, do you want Fan Fan to be the navigation system?”

Just the thought of Fan Fan’s unreliable nature made Zhan Feng hesitate. “No, it’s better with ZZ. I was just a little surprised…”

Yang Jin smiled and glanced at Shi Yixi beside him, noticing his serious expression. “What’s wrong?”

“A bit nervous,” Shi Yixi replied.

“It’s fine,” Yang Jin said. “Just think of it as a trip back home.”

With a whoosh, the plane disappeared, vanishing into the sky. The people on the rooftop still stood there, each feeling some degree of unease. Bai Yunci asked He Xun, “How do you think Zhan Feng is doing?”

“Growing steadily,” He Xun replied.

Bai Yunci whispered, “Does he even know the situation he’s in? If he doesn’t… is it right for us to keep it from him?”

“How would I know?” He Xun said meaningfully. “What’s meant to come, will come.”

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