Chapter 463: The Colossus's Heart
Chapter 463: The Colossus's Heart
Deep within the Root Network, Lynn dragged his broken body along, riding Little Treasure deeper and deeper underground. When they finally reached a sharp turn, Lynn abruptly tumbled off Little Treasure's back, leaning against the wall and gasping for breath.
He quickly activated his Flesh Calamity ability, while simultaneously pulling out one recovery potion after another from his System Space, pouring them into his mouth as if they were free.
However, because his body was too severely damaged.
A significant portion of the potions he gulped down sprayed out with a sizzling sound from various small holes all over his body.
"I almost died just now! Brain, why did those nano-clusters you infected come to help us? Could it be that you've already gained control over them?"
Zuo Zuo asked in shock.
Lynn shook his head, panting as his muscles contracted with a rustling sound, and said, "I find it strange too. Logically, even if they were no longer under the Mechanical Cult's control, they should only be wandering around following their Underlying Logic. But just now, they felt to me like they possessed a unified consciousness."
No.
Or rather, there really was one.
Because when he unleashed that M-punch, he distinctly heard the system notification mention that Intelligence Uprising consciousness.And the most important thing was...
Lynn furrowed his brows, clutching his beating heart.
At the moment his consciousness was about to shatter, he had indeed clearly sensed his own powerful heartbeat.
And at that same moment, for a brief instant, he had established some extremely peculiar connection with two entities. One was located in the city center of the Cursed City, and the other seemed to be those nano-clusters.
Simultaneously...
Little Treasure was also included.
He knew his heart wasn't his original one. It was the heart his Teacher had transplanted into him over a year ago during a flesh and blood transformation, after an Evil Ghost had ripped out his original heart.
But as for what kind of heart it specifically was, his Teacher had always remained evasive.
He had felt the influence of this heart on him more than once during critical moments before, but he hadn't paid too much attention back then. It was just that this time it felt too clear...
Could it be...
His gaze turned and fell upon Little Treasure, who was licking its wounds beside him.
"Little Treasure, tell me the truth."
Lynn looked at it with extreme seriousness, speaking gravely:
"What exactly is the heart Teacher gave me? Why did I feel such a clear connection with you when I was about to die just now? You must know something, right?"
Little Treasure stopped, hissing and mumbling, appearing evasive.
Seeing Little Treasure's reaction, Lynn became even more certain of his suspicion.
"It's a component from the Colossus, isn't it?"
Lynn asked deeply.
As soon as these words were spoken, Zuo Zuo shuddered violently, and even Hei Xianyue beside them immediately turned her gaze over.
The Colossus.
Like the Titans and the Twelve-Winged Holy Angel, it was an existence that fell from the upper world three thousand years ago.
It was the pinnacle creation of a certain Technological Civilization, a great existence possessing power that rivaled or even surpassed that of gods.
And the Demonkin Association, merely by stealing a portion of the Colossus Civilization's technology, managed to create a miraculous construct like the Hanging Tower that approached the Root-level. To seize the Colossus's Brain, even the Mechanical Cult and the Flesh and Blood Cult had erupted into large-scale chaotic battles here.
One could imagine just how terrifying the true Colossus must be.
And Teacher, as a former Elder of the Demonkin Association who specialized in researching the Colossus Civilization, kept Little Treasure, which was once a part of that Colossus.
But did Teacher really only have Little Treasure in his possession?
He thought once again of the encounter when he was being hunted by the Flesh Puppet.
At the time, he always thought the Flesh Puppet had come searching for Little Treasure, but now it seemed that wasn't the case. Because from beginning to end, that Flesh Puppet's target had been on him.
If its target was truly only Little Treasure, as a flesh-and-machine construct, shouldn't its directive have been to prioritize attacking Little Treasure?
There might only be one truth.
In its eyes, his priority was far higher than Teacher's pet, Little Treasure.
And the only unique thing about him at that time, aside from the System, was the heart Teacher had replaced for him.
"My heart is the Colossus's heart, isn't it?"
He questioned Little Treasure in an almost certain tone.
Zuo Zuo was so shocked she couldn't utter a word, and Hei Xianyue also quietly watched him, the light in her eyes flickering erratically.
Because as a doll from the Doll Manor, she had naturally heard of the existence of the Colossus.
For it was such a magnificent creation.
Her Mother had also once said that if the Colossus truly came to life, even Root-level monsters would have to look up to it.
Because that great existence did not originally belong to this Dark World.
Little Treasure listlessly flicked its tongue, hissing:
"Hiss hiss..."
Lynn said seriously, "There's no need for you to make excuses. I have my own way to verify. I'll know just by taking a look."
Zuo Zuo said in astonishment, "Brain, what are you going to do?"
Lynn didn't say a word. Instead, he reached out a hand, gritted his teeth, and his fingers plunged straight into his own chest.
Zuo Zuo: "!!!"
Creak— Creak—
In an instant.
Amidst the sounds of flesh tearing, Lynn actually used his own hand to forcibly rip open a gash in the middle of his chest, prying apart his ribs, flesh and all, bit by bit to create a large gap.
[Ding! Zuo Zuo's SAN -5]
[Ding! Little Treasure's SAN -6]
[Ding! Your HP is rapidly decreasing! Your HP is rapidly decreasing!]
Following the system prompts, Lynn, drenched in sweat, peered into the gap he had torn open in his chest. Amidst the large amount of connected flesh and mucous membranes, he clearly saw the heart beating within his chest.
Smooth, exquisite, contracting and expanding rhythmically.
And at that very moment, a status panel for his heart appeared before Lynn's eyes.
[The Colossus's Heart (Damaged)]
[Level]: ???
[Quality]: ???
[Introduction]: One of the Colossus components discovered by a Demonkin Association Elder within a certain shattered ruin. Research indicates that before the Colossus fell, its heart suffered severe damage from an unknown existence. Most of the heart tissue has completely lost vitality. The remaining heart tissue was secretly preserved by the Demonkin Association. Later, after the Demonkin Association halted research on the Colossus Project, it was secretly kept by one of the Elders...
Indeed!
Lynn had verified his suspicion.
The "not ordinary" heart Teacher mentioned referred to the Colossus's Heart!
And if that was the case, then everything made sense!
Why the Flesh Puppet's target wasn't prioritizing Little Treasure, why he never felt much sense of impending death every time his body suffered severe damage or was even torn apart, why he could clearly establish a link with Little Treasure just now.
It was because he was equipped with the Colossus's former heart!
Crack crack crack—
Lynn forcefully closed his chest cavity, looking at Little Treasure with a complex expression as he said:
"Little Treasure, is this the reason why, even though you don't have the slightest bit of Affinity for me, you've never once attacked me?"
Because if one really went by the cumulative Affinity indicated by the system prompts.
Little Treasure's Affinity for him had probably long been -10086.
Under such circumstances, the most Little Treasure ever did was hiss at him angrily a few times, but it never attacked. This was indeed very abnormal, and had even led Lynn to believe for a while that Little Treasure was naturally that kind of cowardly, carefree personality.
But judging from how Little Treasure had practically turned the potion shop into a slaughterhouse after he left, Little Treasure's ferocity was absolutely ample.
And the reason it indulged his temperament wasn't because it was cowardly at all...
But because he was its heart!
Little Treasure listlessly lowered its tongue tip, saying weakly, "Hiss hiss hiss..."
Lynn (ಥ_ಥ) said, "Little Treasure..."
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