"Congratulations, you've won." Leaning back in her chair, Riley resolved to give in to fate.
"I have decided to impose a punishment upon you: you shall be sent to the adjacent post as a rifleman," Qin Mo declared.
"You cannot punish me," Riley straightened her posture, "Don't you need me alive to help you purge the records in the database?"
"Just you?" Qin Mo scoffed, disdain evident in his smile. He seized Riley's terminal, linking it to his power armor's visor, and commanded the central intelligence, "Access the Talon Nest Department of Justice's database, duplicate my records one hundred times, and then delete them using one hundred different methods."
"Received. Executing your command now; your records are being duplicated one hundred times."
"Wait, I was joking! Don't truly create one hundred copies; that would lead to disaster."
"Records deleted."
Qin Mo took the terminal, entered his name, and conducted a search, ultimately yielding the result: no such person exists.
Upon seeing this outcome, Qin Mo was taken aback: "Doesn't your database firewall ever get upgraded? I was prepared to develop a virus capable of breaching the database during disconnections, and yet it was so easily deleted."
Riley stared at Qin Mo, bewildered; she did not grasp the intricacies of database firewalls—she only realized that she had lost her last bargaining chip in negotiations with him.
"Your name is Riley, isn't it? Riley Weiser?" Qin Mo queried on the terminal.
Riley paused momentarily before swiftly comprehending Qin Mo's intention. "No… no, please don't!"
"Delete her records," Qin Mo commanded.
"Deletion complete."
"All done," Qin Mo proclaimed, presenting the terminal to Riley. "You, too, are now listed as non-existent."
The transformation of Riley's expression was remarkable: first shock, then anger, followed by despair and confusion; she was uncertain of her impending fate.
"You will be implanted with the memories of a deceased soldier and dispatched to the battlefield."
"But I do not have time to concern myself with your affairs just yet."
After declaring Riley's fate, Qin Mo stood and exited the room, instructing the guard, Grot, stationed outside, "Lock her up."
"Understood," Grot nodded and entered the room.
Qin Mo, without glancing back, made his way toward the conference room to address matters concerning Gray.
…
In the caverns beneath the fortress, Gray lay on a bed, extending his severed arm.
Qin Mo sat before him, sketching designs for prosthetic limbs while crafting the limb itself, wholly engrossed in his work, determined to make this prosthetic far superior to his original arm.
"Rest assured, the prosthetic will be more responsive, surpassing the original in every way."
"I plan to integrate a telekinetic control device into the prosthetic, allowing you to retrieve objects at a distance, or even lift and crush heavy items without effort."
"It will also include a psychic suppression device."
"I will connect the prosthetic to your heart, utilizing the bioenergy generated by its rhythm to power it."
Upon hearing this, Gray became apprehensive. "You're going to operate near my heart? What if something goes wrong? Could it trigger a heart condition?"
"There's a one percent chance of complications, but you won't die. Trust in my skills," Qin Mo insisted, unwavering in his conviction.
"I can't shake the feeling that this prosthetic will malfunction," Gray remained unconvinced.
"Does your original limb never have problems? Have you never experienced back pain or discomfort? Don't be a staunch naturalist; flesh is frail, oh so frail!"
"My mother died of illness; I understand better than anyone the fragility of the flesh."
"Then why are you still arguing? Just be quiet and wait."
Once the prosthetic was designed and crafted, Qin Mo commenced the connecting surgery.
He melded Gray's flesh with the metal of the prosthetic, intertwining them as if they were born of the same entity. He then connected the device responsible for bioenergy collection to Gray's heart and fused the nerves with the prosthetic's synthetic nerve system.
Gray stood, testing the limb, and attempted to summon a distant cup of water.
As the cup floated effortlessly toward him, Gray grasped it, marveling at a tactile sensation more vivid than that of his original limb.
"Now, your new limb can detect if a person is alive with just a touch, as well as identify toxins present in the air or on surfaces, among other benefits. Take your time to experience and learn," Qin Mo explained.
"This truly surpasses the original; I just wonder how much I can modify it further."
"I can begin altering your cells, transforming you into a formidable war machine."
"Now that sounds promising."
"…"
After exchanging a few lighthearted comments, Qin Mo suddenly inquired, "Did you kill Laun?"
Gray halted, his admiration for his arm fading as he turned to Qin Mo, uncertain of how to respond.
He wished to deny it, but feared Qin Mo might misinterpret his words as a desire to side with Laun, just as Klein had.
Yet admitting guilt might create a rift between him and Qin Mo, especially considering Qin Mo's previous attitude toward Laun.
"You did well, but next time, refrain from making decisions before consulting me. I am far more inclined to eliminate Laun than you," Qin Mo remarked calmly.
"Then why do you show Laun such respect? You don't seem eager to deceive him and have him killed," Gray questioned.
"Some matters do not require immediate resolution," Qin Mo replied, turning to sit at his workstation, resuming the design of new weapons.
Curious, Gray leaned in to catch a glimpse of Qin Mo's work, discovering conventional weapon designs intended for infantry alongside a detection device.
While he could comprehend the conventional weapons, the purpose of the detection device eluded him entirely.
"Now that I have consolidated our defenses, we shall initiate a proactive offensive against the rebels once we are adequately prepared," Qin Mo admired his creation. "An assault aimed at the rebel leadership."
"How will we locate the rebel leaders?" Gray asked.
"I have a way to find them; this detection device is specifically designed for that purpose," Qin Mo replied confidently.
The leader of the gene stealers was a monstrous creature, towering six to seven meters, adorned with a shell and claws. It was the founder of the Evolutionary Cult, possessing the strongest psychic abilities.
Qin Mo resolved to incite a grand conflict once all preparations were in place, aiming to force the rebels into a full-scale offensive. In such a scenario, the rebels would inevitably employ the psychic network associated with the gene stealer faction.
Consequently, the entire psychic network of the gene stealers would be detected, leading to the identification of the gene stealer leader's location.
Qin Mo had even formulated a plan for what to do upon locating the leader: he would deploy all his trump cards, accompanied by all warriors clad in power armor, to annihilate the leader at any cost.
And if annihilation proved impossible, he would seek to obtain a sample of its blood.
Qin Mo believed that as long as he acquired the blood of the leader, he could forge a weapon capable of exterminating the entire gene stealer race.
"Regardless of what you intend to do," Gray pledged with chest held high, "You can always regard me as a weapon to be deployed into battles where survival is uncertain, provided it serves the greater strategy."
"I will do just that," Qin Mo nodded.