manynovel Chapter 279 The price is... all of this.
Chapter 279 The price is... all of this.
Chapter 279 The Price Was... All of This
Numerous drones occupy the skies, enough to blot out the sun; these are Pandora's minions.
Normally, Pandora wouldn't easily send out so many troops, but in her view, this was clearly not an ordinary situation.
Ten minutes ago, some units connected to the Chiral network terminal suddenly lost contact. As the administrator, Pandora knew that something must have happened that she least wanted to see.
"Someone is dead," she murmured, her long, thin eyebrows furrowing slightly, her expression as cold as ice.
Since she cut off the Beach of the Underworld and completed her research on the digitization of souls, this is the first human death case, which has undoubtedly touched a raw nerve with her.
She realized she had underestimated the so-called Chosen Ones, but she was confident she could make the culprits pay the price.
Based on her factories and subsidiaries all over the world.
"Approaching the target location... Hmm, what's that?"
A look of confusion crossed her face; even after exhausting the database, she couldn't find anything that matched what she had seen.
What appeared in her visual sensors were strange creatures, shrouded in black mist, with bizarre and ever-changing shapes, giving the only feeling of blasphemy and abhorrence.
Even Pandora, with her mechanical mind, couldn't help but feel a sense of "disgust" upon first seeing them.
This is an aversion stemming from the very nature of life, a reaction that all normal, intelligent life forms would produce, even the inhuman Pandora.
"A non-human, sentient life form?" Pandora's eyes narrowed, and her drone force probed the abomination first.
With the human population on the verge of collapse, the nature of warfare has also changed accordingly.
Pandora has abandoned human assistance, replacing human soldiers with drones. With the help of her servers around the world, even micro-manipulating a machine gun to the left by five meters on the battlefield is not difficult.
The first round of probing arrived, and the missiles shone with light and heat on the ground, tearing apart large swathes of black mist.
A large number of abominable creatures were blown to pieces, and in a short time, a clearing was created.
Pandora's advance force, like a sharp knife, plunged straight in, deep into the heart of these abominable creatures.
Immediately, she witnessed a scene beyond her comprehension.
A colossal portal, built from the corpses of countless creatures, stood on the wasteland, and countless abominations passed through the purple vortex within the portal frame, entering her world.
"That's...it seems they've become raw materials for building the gate."
The drone's scanning device detected familiar faces on the door frame; they were none other than the previously missing refugees.
Besides them, the door frame was also made up of countless creatures she couldn't name, which were suspected to be extraterrestrial beings.
"Every second, this portal expands; someone on the other side must be providing it with support."
Pandora realized that this door was the key, and she did not hesitate to order all units to attack the portal.
The steel torrent of bullets struck the door frame, but was deflected to the side by the dark purple corpses, leaving not even a bullet mark.
"So hard?" Pandora hadn't expected this either; the hardness of these unknown substances transformed from corpses was truly beyond her expectations.
Before she could launch her next attack, ripples spread across the purple vortex in the center of the portal, and a chilling aura followed.
The abominable creatures around them trembled, ignoring the swarm of drones passing by, and bowed down in worship toward the portal.
An alarm sounded beside Pandora, and she also detected an extremely strong energy fluctuation. Before she could react, a large black mist hand emerged from the vortex.
As it swept across the sky, drones lost control and crashed wherever it passed.
With the urgent alarm blaring in her ears, Pandora took a deep breath, her expression gradually fading.
"Non-human intelligent life form detected. Threat level determined to be... high. In accordance with Article 7 of the Human Protection Agreement, the target should be eliminated/purified/eradicated... Enter the highest state of combat readiness."
A voice without any inflection rang out in the Paradise Central Hub. Pandora, who usually wore a smile, was now expressionless, only showing mechanical coldness.
Behind the scenes, unseen by the citizens of Paradise, resolutions were passed one after another, and the entire Paradise, as well as Pandora's bases around the world, entered a state of highest alert.
The factories, which were usually at a standstill, roared back to life, and the long-dormant war AI came online, taking over most of the permissions of Paradise.
Normally, Paradise is managed by Pandora's gentle side, but in times of war, Pandora will shed this personality module and take on the ruthless war personality.
"To the citizens of Paradise..."
'
A cold, emotionless voice echoed through the paradise. Whether it was pedestrians on the street or contestants engaged in live-action battles, everyone stopped what they were doing and listened intently to the broadcast.
"Due to the detection of a highly threatening non-human sentient life form, the management center has determined that Paradise is about to enter a state of maximum alert. All citizens are requested to return to their residences and refrain from leaving without authorization until the state of maximum alert is lifted..."
"If anyone violates the ban, Pandora will take coercive measures to digitize the violator's soul and incorporate it into the terminal until the highest state of readiness is lifted."
Time seemed to stand still for a second, and then pedestrians scattered in all directions, and those playing Battlefield also hastily ended their games.
It's not that they follow the rules, but that they don't want to be locked in the terminal indefinitely. It's fine for a short time, but if it goes on for too long, it will be worse than death.
"Did you hear that? A high-threat, non-human, sentient life form. It seems Frank succeeded after all."
Modi walked to the window and looked down at the street below.
In this vast underground city, there are very few pedestrians on the streets at this moment. The simulated sunset casts a dim light, adding to the desolation of the city.
"I don't know just how high the so-called high threat level really is."
Skran closed his personal panel, rubbed his temples, and a hint of weariness from receiving too much information flashed in his eyes.
"For Pandora to be put into its highest state of readiness, it can't be too low."
Modi shrugged, appearing completely unaware, but in reality, the divine seal beneath the wasteland had already transmitted the situation to him.
"Speaking of which, this is the first time I've faced the domain of the Death Curse Monarch head-on."
The power of the Death Curse Monarch is immense, as is his strength. No wonder he dares to call himself the number one person below the seven immortals of the Forgotten Realm.
His strength is the source of his confidence to fight on two fronts.
Why abandon the perfectly good kingdoms of Central China and instead choose this remote, mountainous region to open a second front?
Mordi was puzzled by the actions of the Death Curse Monarch.
The battle on Itnity continues with the Cursed Lord being held back by several immortals, and his forces still unable to conquer the kingdoms of the Middle Kingdom.
Given this situation, it's truly baffling that the Death Curse Monarch would still attempt to come here and invade a world controlled by the Evolution Game.
If he was hoping to rob someone and get his revenge, he was in for a disappointment. This world wasn't a pushover; trying to bite into it would only knock his teeth out.
Modi found the thought amusing, but he also knew that even so, the power of the Death Curse Monarch was still not to be trifled with.
Just look at Pandora's response to know.
"Perfect, let's take this opportunity to assess both sides' strengths and weaknesses... Hmm, Pandora is looking for us?"
The personal panel provided by Paradise suddenly popped up, and a small red dot caught their attention.
You have one unread message.
"Lord Styx, Pandora's request for us to go find her at this time is likely ill-intentioned."
Skran instinctively assumed the role of the villain, his mind flashing back to scenes of a treacherous banquet, three hundred axemen, and a broken cup as a signal, revealing a sinister expression.
"Should we prepare ourselves for what to do if she attacks us..."
"
He held his hand across his body, making a throat-slitting gesture.
"...Your paranoia seems to be getting a bit severe." Mordy opened his mouth, and after a long while, he finally spoke, "Besides, her offspring are all over Paradise, and we are under her surveillance at all times."
In other words, even if you're prepared, you'll still be discovered, and once a conflict breaks out, you'll still have to fight back with your fists.
Before the two had even left the house, there was a knock on the door.
"So hasty, coming directly to the door." Modi opened the door, revealing Pandora's figure outside.
Compared to her former self, she now appears more indifferent and closer to the definition of artificial intelligence.
Modi knew that she had probably removed a part of her personality module to avoid misjudging.
"Pandora, what brings you here?"
"Two noble humans, no, perhaps I should call you the Chosen Ones." Pandora spoke expressionlessly, and seeing that neither of them seemed surprised, she continued, "I implore you two to lend me a hand and assist me in fighting against the invading non-human, sentient life forms."
Modi and Skran exchanged a glance, and the latter immediately understood, stepping forward and coldly scoffing, "Since you know who we are, why did you come looking for us?"
After all, this incident was orchestrated by the Chosen Ones.
"I've heard that the chosen ones are also divided into various factions, and they will fight each other for their own interests."
Pandora ignored his tone and calmly explained her reasons.
"I believe that as long as the benefits are sufficient, I can secure your help..."
"...You two are, after all, chosen ones; you should know better than I how to deal with chosen ones."
"Hmph, then tell me, what are you going to use to impress us? Like the entire paradise?" Skran made a request that sounded impossible, but his real ambitions lay elsewhere.
But he clearly forgot that he was dealing with an artificial intelligence, and the methods used to interact with humans did not apply to Pandora.
"No, mere assistance isn't worth that price."
Pandora refused with a cold, hard tone. After a pause, she said, "I only need your two intelligence reports and a few minor assistance. I don't need you to risk your lives, so this is all the reward I can offer."
A list was projected, detailing various rare materials and advanced technologies that the citizens of Paradise were not authorized to access.
Skran frowned and remained silent, then turned to look at Mordy.
He had devoted all his talent to the art of light, and had a decent understanding of optics, but he wasn't very clear about other technologies, so he could only ask Mordy for advice.
Modi put on his glasses at some point, glanced at the list carefully, and after a few seconds, he put his glasses back and nodded slightly to Skran.
Seeing him nod, Skran immediately said, "We're not after any reward; we just want to do our part for the safety of Paradise. We agree to your request."
After removing the personality module, the straightforward Pandora seemed not to understand his meaning and said, "I see. Since you two aren't after any reward, then I'll accept these..."
Seeing the situation was turning sour, Skran quickly interrupted her, "On another note, since this is your kind offer, we should accept it... Anyway, where will the war council be held?"
Pandora swallowed her words, blinked, and said, "Please come with me."
The two followed Pandora closely, escorted by a squad of spider-like armed machines, through empty, deserted streets, toward an unusually tall tower.
This is part of the central hub of Paradise, connecting the entire city above and below ground.
"This is it."
Pandora paused, looking up at the virtual projections that were popping up all around her.
The projection showed the portal in the wasteland and the countless abominable things it brought.
"Is this the non-human, intelligent life form you were talking about?"
Skran took out a monocle, wiped the lens with the corner of his shirt, and put it on. His eyes immediately displayed a variety of information.
"Death Curse Familiar, B+ rank... Hiss, so many B+ rank, even I couldn't possibly kill them all."
His eyes widened, and he almost dropped his glasses.
Tens of thousands is probably an understatement. With so many B+ rank Death Curse Familiars, each one could drown him with a single spit, not to mention there are even more inside that portal.
"This is the Gate of Oblivion," Mordy said calmly. "If we don't destroy it, the Deadly Curse's minions will keep pouring out."
"I've tried it; the materials used to build the portal are extremely strong and difficult to destroy," Pandora said.
"Difficult to destroy, not indestructible," Mordy glanced at her sideways, "meaning you actually have a way to destroy it."
"That's right, if we use the Chiral Annihilation Engine, we can indeed destroy it."
"So, what is the price?"
Modi understood her meaning: being able to destroy it but unwilling to use it easily clearly meant there would be an irreparable cost.
Pandora paused for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "All of this."
"?" Mordy frowned. "Speak like a human."
"Literally, the Chiral Annihilation Engine will trigger the Great Annihilation, which will then connect to the Beach and guide the catastrophe that I interrupted back to the present."
If it really comes to the point of using the Annihilation Engine, it means that humanity has already, or will inevitably, be wiped out, and she judged that everything was beyond redemption.
She will only activate this backup plan at that time.
"I never thought there was such a thing..." Skran murmured, his breath suddenly catching in his throat.
Does that mean that as long as they start that engine, they can connect to the Beach and complete the tasks assigned by the Evolution Game?
As for the cost of doing so... hundreds of millions of lives.
Skran hesitated for a moment, his eyes flickering with uncertainty. He glanced at Modi again, only to see him shake his head slightly. Skran felt a chill run down his spine and put his mind at ease.
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