Elizabeth stepped carefully into the fog.
As soon as her body entered the fog, the nano-electronic sensors installed under her skin immediately returned a set of data.
Relative humidity: 90 percent.
Composition of the fog: dihydrogen monoxide, i.e., water molecules.
"So this is just pure fog?" Elizabeth knit her eyebrows in concentration. "Then why…"
"...has all the equipment mounted outside my body malfunctioned?"
As a human cyborg soldier, Elizabeth's body had undergone a special transformation.
She was equipped with the most advanced detection equipment. From top to toe, she was densely covered with various sensors, and she'd had a sophisticated personal quantum core installed in her brain.
In theory, she could identify even a Diablo's information.
But now, all the peripheral sensors on her body were acting as if they were malfunctioning.
As for the biological cells in her body, they felt as if they were all being imprisoned by something.
At the very instant she entered the fog, the laser knives that extended from her arms were automatically retracted.
The nano-biomechanical armor that covered her whole body had also been completely retracted.
She had once again been switched from combat mode to standby mode.
It seemed as if only the quantum core embedded under her cerebral cortex and a few other noncombat-related nano-organs were still operating.
Elizabeth's eyes could see that at the limits of the dense fog there seemed to be a light source similar to a lamp, which was pulsating between light and dark.
After contemplating it for a moment, she followed the light, moving forward.
A few steps in, her foot came into contact with something.
Elizabeth bent down and picked up the object.
It was the drone she had deployed just now.
However, the four-winged drone had reverted back into a watch.
Ticktock, ticktock, the hands of the watch shifted slowly.
Putting it back on her wrist, Elizabeth proceeded forward.
Suddenly, she felt her feet stepping on something soft.
Bending down again, Elizabeth looked at the object with the help of the watch's light.
It was a mass of flesh and blood that was rapidly corroding and evaporating like melting snow.
From its remaining outline, she could vaguely perceive the original appearance of this lump of bloody flesh. It was a descendant of the Demon Moon that looked like a bison.
This formidable descendant of the Demon Moon was being decomposed by an inexplicable power amid this dense fog.
Within a few seconds, it had melted and evaporated, leaving behind not even its fur and bones.
Only a slick goose-egg-sized crystal was left on the ground.
Elizabeth picked it up and carefully took it into her arms.
This was precisely the treasure that mankind had been diligently and tirelessly looking for: the Quartz of Diablo.
It was a powerful crystal that only existed in a few of the descendants of Diablo.
It was also the source of energy for the control center of humanity's Doomsday Fortress.
A Quartz of Diablo of this size could sustain the operation of a large fortress for one year.
Therefore, its value was immeasurable.
Holding on to it carefully, Elizabeth moved on in pursuit of the light source.
Finally, she arrived at the place where the light source was located.
She looked around. A building made of red bricks and blue tiles appeared amid the dense fog.
Its worn-out walls were covered in dust. A plaque appeared in front of Elizabeth's eyes.
The characters surprised her. "These are…Chinese characters…"
She could read these characters.
Her quantum core encompassed the templates of most of the world's mainstream texts and languages.
These templates were necessary to ease communication with any possible survivors she encountered outside the fortress.
Unfortunately, there hadn't been any opportunity to use it.
"Qiyuan...Bookstore..." Elizabeth looked at the dusty plaque. She looked gloomy, but continued resolutely to step forward, gently opening the door that seemed to be made of glass.
...
As expected, after drinking the water that had been soaked in those leaves, Ling PingAn dominated the game.
In three consecutive games, he triumphed regardless of the various circumstances.
No matter how slovenly his teammates had been or how strong his opponents had been, Ling PingAn could turn the foul and rotten into the rare and ethereal, crippling all his opponents in a straightforward manner.
He was able to carry his four burdensome teammates with ease.
This had encouraged Ling PingAn to make another cup of tea from these leaves.
Holding the tea in his hand as he drank it, he unhurriedly settled down in the chair at the counter.
At this moment, he heard the sound of the store's door being pushed open. He lifted his head above the counter and looked to see who was entering the store.
He saw a foreign woman with blonde hair and blue eyes pushing the door open and coming in.
She looked about 23 or 24 years old. She probably wasn't much older than Ling PingAn.
Ling PingAn noticed that she was clad in clothes that seemed as if they were worn by characters in science fiction movies. She looked really futuristic.
"A science fiction fan...?" Ling PingAn thought.
Hence, he asked with a smile, "Miss…do you want to buy a book?"
...
Elizabeth pushed open the glass door and walked in.
As soon as she entered the door, she swallowed hard.
Before her eyes, there was a space that wasn't very big.
Some weirdo was sitting behind a counter that was seemingly made of wood.
He was scrawny, without much muscle, and his entire face was seemingly shrouded in mist, making it difficult for others to see him clearly.
Seeing her entering, the weirdo stood up.
Within his murky eye sockets of the head in the mist, a little bit of starlight was quietly flickering.
In a way it seemed as if he had been expecting her. He asked Elizabeth, "Miss…do you want to buy a book?"
This sentence fell on Elizabeth's ears. The quantum core in her brain abruptly began operating in overload.
Because a plethora of facts and examples were showing up.
Any human being who was in contact with Diablos or similar beings would be distorted by the ripples generated by their language, consciousness, or even the mere contact they had had with them.
Hence, time after time, mankind had paid a hefty price, and humans had had to opt for symbiosis with machinery.
They had had to implant biochemical machinery into their bodies.
They had had to embed a quantum core into their brains and undergo the Mind Mechanization Procedure.
This had been done for the sake of isolating and filtering the pheromones of Diablos, in order to protect themselves.
After the quantum core had completed its calculations in this overloaded state, Elizabeth finally acquired the best answer.
She nodded gently and activated a language template. Using her electronic sound cord, she said, "Hi there, what books do you have here?"
...
"Hi there, what books do you have here?" The cold and robotic voice caused Ling PingAn to frown.
"Another one of those cosplaying fanatics?" Ling PingAn looked at the foreign woman in front of him.
Her visage could be classified as the kind of exquisite melon shape that conformed to the public's aesthetics.
His only criticism was that she was a little too fair.
Her blue eyes didn't seem human. They had kind of a metallic texture.
Her pointy nose seemed to give off a sense of uncanny workmanship.
"Could be her makeup, I guess..." Ling PingAn thought.
In addition, her physique was also almost too tall.
She was almost the same height as Ling PingAn, about 5'8" by a conservative estimate.
Her long, slender legs were well-formed and very beautiful.
Looking at the clothes she was wearing, Ling PingAn smiled to himself. He could tell that this girl was rolling in it.
From her style of dress, Ling PingAn guessed that she must be a new player of the game "Stellaris".
Coincidently, this bookstore had a stockpile of several official artworks of the game "Stellaris".
"When luck is on my side, I can't even keep it off me!" Ling PingAn was ecstatic.
He asked, "Miss, did you opt for Synthetic Ascension?"
...
"Miss, did you opt for Synthetic Ascension?"
Listening to the question from the weirdo in front of her, Elizabeth's Quantum Core started to roil frantically.
Her core carried the records of countless cases, and each of those bloody tragedies was displayed before her.
Those cases were all telling mankind an ultimate truth: When faced with the questions of Diablos or existences that one shouldn't be in contact with, do not answer! Do not answer! Do not answer!
Because for any answer, as long as the slightest deviation exists, it may give rise to an unpredictable outcome.
However, she couldn't just remain silent.
Because in the face of a Diablo, silence was futile.
They could easily see through the human mind and spy on their genuine thoughts.
What's more, they could even exert complete manipulation over the human mind.
Many people thought that everything about them was normal after encountering a Diablo.
However, the outcome often turned out to be tragic.
Hence, on one hand, one mustn't directly answer their questions, lest one stepped into a perilous situation that was unfathomable.
However, on the other hand, one had to figure out a way to deal with the entity and gradually discover the logic behind their behavior.
Only then could one have the opportunity to survive.
"Synthetic Ascension?" Carefully following the plan devised by the Quantum Core, Elizabeth turned on her electronic vocal cords and posed a question.
...
"Yeah!" Ling PingAn looked at the unfamiliar foreign woman in front of him and asked very kindly, "Or is it that you didn't choose Synthetic Ascension?
"Which path have you chosen? Psionic Ascension? Genetic Ascension?"
Toward these childish cosplayers who were overly obsessed, Ling PingAn didn't discriminate, not in the slightest.
Because inside this bookstore, all customers were his God.
Especially during these times when doing business was getting harder and harder.
If he wasn't able to think of a way to sell off some books, he was afraid that it would be difficult for him to even swindle his subsidy for the following month.
The Federal Empire was no fool.
Was it even possible that they would keep on subsidizing a bookstore that was constantly losing money and had zero income...?
...
"Or is it that you didn't choose Synthetic Ascension?
"Which path have you chosen? Psionic Ascension? Genetic Ascension?"
Elizabeth's shock intensified.
Synthetic Ascension, Psionic Ascension, Genetic Ascension...
Three terms that she had never heard of.
Her quantum core continued to overheat.
Finally, after careful deductions and calculations, the core gave her an option.
Looking at the option, Elizabeth fell silent.
"So…" She was thinking. "...the core has chosen to sacrifice me or make me a test subject?"
The quantum core had been installed in her brain.
Upon her death, the core would automatically self-destruct.
Subsequently, the key information stored in her core would reappear in the control center of the Doomsday Fortress through quantum entanglement.
At present, most of the knowledge the human race had about Diablos or similar existences had been acquired through this method.
After hesitating for only three seconds, Elizabeth chose to follow the core's advice.
Because both she and humanity have no other choice.
"Can you tell me about Synthetic Ascension, Psionic Ascension, and Genetic Ascension?" A vibrato occurred in her electronic vocal cords for the very first time.
...
A customer's request was, of course, Ling PingAn's grand commission.
For Ling PingAn, who had vowed to become the future book giant of the Federal Empire, this was also a way for him to familiarize himself and understand the details of all the books in his store.
Therefore, he had read most of the books in this bookstore.
So, of course, Ling PingAn answered with a smile, "Certainly!
"Synthetic Ascension is about embracing machinery and forsaking the fragile biological body in the move toward a dazzling world, forged of steel.
"Flesh is weak, but steel is eternal!
"With absolute reasoning, absolute materialism, and absolute rationality, you will march toward a bright future and embark on the journey to the sea of stars!"
...
"Flesh is weak, but steel is eternal!"
Her quantum core went into extreme overload.
Its computing speed soared to the highest level ever.
Elizabeth marveled at the future described in these words that seemed like a divine truth.
"With absolute reasoning, absolute materialism, and absolute rationality, march toward a bright future, embark on the journey to the sea of stars…"
She contemplated what the weirdo had said, "Isn't this the hope of mankind and the blueprint for the future?"
Earth was now riddled with holes and had become a paradise for Diablos.
The Solar System had been corrupted in its entirety.
The sun had become the Diablos' lair.
Jupiter and Saturn had become the sacred lands for the children and minions of the Diablos to multiply.
The moon had been taken over by a giant Spider Diablo, who went by the name Dark Side of the Moon.
Mankind could only hang on to their feeble existence within Doomsday Fortresses and struggle on as they relied on biochemical machinery.
Hence, if humans wished to survive and continue to exist, wasn't the scene described by this weirdo of a man their only hope?
Elizabeth didn't care about anything else. She grasped the weirdo's hand tightly and pleaded, "Could you guide me and humanity toward this great path?"
...
Ling PingAn looked at the excited foreign woman in front of him.
A smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.
Following the tone of the supporters of Synthetic Ascension that he saw on game forums, he said, "My child, I will never turn down your request.
"The frail and feeble human body is bound to become mankind's shortcoming and its drawback.
"Only through machinery can mankind last for eternity!"
Yeah, but what if she had chosen Psionic Ascension or Genetic Ascension?
He would have just swapped out the word "machinery" for Spirit Power or genes. It was all generally the same thing.
"I will lead you into the sanctuary of truth and ascend to the heaven of machinery," Ling PingAn continued.
...
"My child…
"I will lead you into the sanctuary of truth and ascend to the heaven of machinery."
The weirdo's voice sounded sacred and magnificent.
Although Elizabeth had already received the Mind Mechanization Procedure, she still got excited.
Hence, she bowed deeply to him, "I'm counting on you!"
At the same time, she quietly gave an instruction to her quantum core, "Initialize Plan A."
The so-called Plan A was her emergency self-destruction of backup files.
It authorized her core that should she encounter a possible life-threatening situation, it would immediately self-destruct and initiate the quantum entanglement program to transmit the information back to the quantum control center in the Doomsday Fortress.
Her core swiftly accepted her instructions.
Hence, Elizabeth had no more fear left in her.
She raised her head and looked at the weirdo in front of her. Step after step, she walked toward the dark, distorted, and unfathomable abyss-like space.
That space was profound and murky like a black hole.
At the edge of the space, an asphalt-like liquid was creeping slowly.
In the boundless abyss, there seemed to be a pair of malignant eyes, opening and shutting again and again.
This place was like the void where the Diablos were born, full of mystery, the unknown, distortion, and madness.
...
Ling PingAn walked to the back of the bookstore, found the science fiction section, and looked at the books one by one.
At last, he found the book he was looking for.
A bright smile appeared on his face, "Finally, there's hope for me to sell this book."
He took down the book.
It was a heavy, voluminous book.
The book's name was "Stellaris: Settings for Synth Ascension".
It was the official artbook of the most popular science fiction game at present, "Stellaris", available on the market.
Inside the book were many exquisite illustrations of the game.
More important, there was the official and authoritative interpretation and introduction to Synthetic Ascension.
It was a must-read for beginners who had chosen the path of Synthetic Ascension.
Judging by her looks, this foreign woman must be a newbie who had gotten caught up by the game immediately after she'd played it.
These official artworks would definitely be to her liking.
Of course, the most important thing to him was its price: .
It was one of the highest-priced books in Ling PingAn's store.
And at the same time, it was his most profitable book.
If he could sell it, he would earn at least half of the profit.
"If this deal goes through…tomorrow morning, I can ask Aunt Cai to get me an extra bowl of Douhua[1]..." Thinking of the sweet Douhua, Ling PingAn became full of the fighting spirit.
And thus he carried this voluminous book in both hands and walked toward the foreign customer who was waiting at the counter.
******
[1] Douhua: A Chinese snack made with very soft tofu. Also referred to as tofu pudding or soybean pudding.