Chapter 154: Chapter 153: Reverse Traceback
When the Gray Tide first erupted, the members of the Salvation Army instantly understood that everything their Savior, their Commander, had said had completely come true.
Whether it was the Whisperers or something else, some unknown power was truly, relentlessly trying to destroy the entire Human World.
But they were also somewhat surprised, as they had never received any news about a Gray Tide apocalypse.
And the Savior had never appeared.
But with the Gray Tide’s power growing, they were left with no choice but to step forward and fight.
When the first person raised the banner of the Salvation Army, a group of comrades immediately gathered. They used their own resources and strength to become the bulwark of the resistance against the Gray Tide.
Amid their desperate struggle, what they awaited most was the appearance of their Commander.
Every member of the Salvation Army firmly believed that since the Commander had revealed the truth to them, he would inevitably lead them to ultimate victory.
But as time went on, the Commander did not appear. It was as if the Savior had completely abandoned the world, or had simply vanished.
The allied human forces suffered defeat after defeat as the entire world was gradually conquered and transformed by the Gray Tide, turning it into a gray Hell.
When they discovered that Hibernation Pods could offer a chance of survival, many Salvation Army Warriors had no choice but to enter hibernation, waiting for the day they would be reawakened to fight once more.
And they did.
Over the long years, countless Salvation Army Warriors had awoken from their Hibernation Pods to fight to the bitter end in this gray, metallic Hell, wave after wave of them throwing themselves into the fray like moths to a flame.
They never ceased fighting, nor did they ever lose faith in their Savior.
Moreover, as they passed down the creed of the Salvation Army, they also passed down the legend of the Savior.
This was no longer mere obsession; it had become a faith.
The Savior will return!
In this gray, metallic Hell, they needed this faith to keep from collapsing in despair.
After countless deaths and injuries, after tens of thousands were devoured by the Gray Tide, just over one hundred Salvation Army Warriors were the ones to finally break through every barrier and reach the highest level.
They were, without a doubt, the most resilient and resolute members of the Salvation Army!
And now, facing their Savior, these warriors who dared to stare down death, who viewed it as a final return, were shedding tears of pure emotion.
’Even if my subconscious is screaming that this might be Arthur Seldon’s disguise, even if this is all a dream, I don’t want to wake up. I just want to believe in him.’
’Let this moment last. Just a little longer... a little longer...’
Layers of the Nanomechanical Cluster surged toward them like mercury flowing upstream, rapidly enveloping their bodies from the feet up.
A small portion of it even penetrated their skin, seeped into their spines, and fused with their nervous systems.
Soon, the Nanomechanical Cluster had formed a layer of Nanomechanical Battle Armor on the surface of their bodies. Even larger masses of the Cluster, tens of meters wide and high like small hills, surrounded them, awaiting their command.
The more than one hundred Salvation Army Warriors now felt as if their brains had received a signal, turning them into radars. The surrounding Nanomechanical Cluster felt as if it had become an extension of their own bodies!
Feeling this newfound power, expressions of elation appeared on everyone’s faces.
Their gazes, when they turned to Shen Feng, became even more resolute.
’The Savior... This is the Savior’s power!’
’The Gray Tide we once despised has now become a part of us!’
Shen Feng’s voice rang out again. "Immediately feel out the control your new authority gives you over the Gray Tide. Adapt to this new combat style as quickly as possible. Our target is Arthur Seldon’s physical body!"
The Salvation Army Warriors were all highly intelligent. They immediately began adapting to their control over the Gray Tide, and the hill-sized masses of the Cluster around them rapidly shifted into various forms.
Within seconds, each Salvation Army Warrior had commanded the Gray Tide around them to form a metal giant, whose hands morphed into an arsenal of sharp weapons—blades, spears, swords, and halberds.
They stood like a silent army.
A look of approval appeared in Shen Feng’s eyes. He looked toward Arthur Seldon’s Gray Tide in the distance, his expression grim.
"Arthur Seldon could not have undergone a complete mechanical transformation. He must have preserved his original body, and it’s most likely inside a Hibernation Pod! Our job is to find that Hibernation Pod, drag him out, and end this all! Understood?"
The metal giants roared in unison:
"Yes, Commander!"
At that moment, Arthur Seldon also noticed the disturbance. Having recovered from the earlier tremor, his vast, ocean-like Gray Tide began to surge toward Shen Feng and his warriors.
"Charge!" Shen Feng roared. Enveloped by the Gray Tide himself, he led the more than one hundred metal giants in a charge toward Arthur Seldon!
Arthur Seldon was, at his core, only a human—a nanomechanical expert, not a biologist.
For this reason, it would be virtually impossible for him to completely convert his flesh into nanomachines without damaging his memories and consciousness.
At best, he could have created a half-mechanical, half-biological brain, like Mike.
But if that were the case, given the natural lifespan of a human brain, he couldn’t possibly have lived for so long.
For a brain, the best vessel remains the human cranium.
This left Arthur Seldon with very few options.
Only one method remained, the most tempting and also the quickest: deep space hibernation technology.
By placing his physical body into a deep space Hibernation Pod while keeping his brain’s conscious signals active, he could preserve his body and brain for an extended period, allowing him to maintain long-term control over the nanomechanical Gray Tide!
In the blink of an eye, the kilometer-long mass of the Gray Tide controlled by Shen Feng, along with the more than one hundred metal giants, arrived before the ocean of Arthur Seldon’s Gray Tide.
Although the Gray Tide before them seemed vast and endless, Shen Feng and his warriors showed no hint of retreat.
Like a whale returning to the sea, there was no turning back.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! With a series of deafening metallic clashes, the metal giants charged into the ocean of the Gray Tide. Wielding the blades, spears, and swords that had materialized in their hands, they began to hack and slash, clearing a path for Shen Feng.
The leading edge of the kilometer-long Gray Tide under Shen Feng’s control twisted and spiraled, forming a gigantic metal drill that bored its way into Arthur Seldon’s nanomachine ocean.
The last of the Electromagnetic Pulse Bombs had been used. Now, only a head-on clash remained!
Though their opponent’s mass and numbers were far greater, the unstoppable momentum of Shen Feng and the Salvation Army warriors tore a massive rift, dozens of kilometers long, into Arthur Seldon’s Gray Tide ocean.
Vast quantities of the Nanomechanical Cluster, deactivated by the violent impacts and entanglements, rained down, piling up on the ground like black sand.
"Come out, you coward! A tragic past is no excuse to destroy the world! You’re nothing but a narrow-minded, arrogant coward who blames others for his own misery—a pathetic worm!"
Shen Feng roared, directing the Gray Tide around him to form drill-like probes that pierced through the surrounding ocean of nanomachines, searching for Arthur Seldon’s body.
Simultaneously, the kilometer-long Gray Tide under his command began to slowly alter its luminescence in a steady rhythm, as if it were pulsing with color.
From within his own body, bursts of white noise emanated—like ocean waves, like the whining wind, and faintly, like the sound of a little girl’s laughter.
The Gray Tide ocean before him continued to lash out with sharp spikes in a counterattack, but it seemed to have lost its earlier ferocity, now appearing weary and struggling to keep up.
Arthur Seldon had fallen silent, as if he had retreated to some hidden corner, or had perhaps fled.
Shen Feng’s tone shifted. He began to speak in a deep voice, his cadence and intonation constantly changing:
"Your daughter and your wife... they loved you, even in their final moments. They would never have wanted any of this to happen... Do you want to go back? Back to the time you were with them... Back to a time when flowers still bloomed..."
The surrounding Gray Tide ocean’s reactions slowed considerably, as if the one controlling it from behind the scenes had grown drowsy.
The Salvation Army warriors were overjoyed. Some of them realized that the Commander was using Hypnosis on Arthur Seldon, and it appeared to be working!
"...You’re very tired. You need to rest... Sleep... You’ll see them once you’re asleep... Sleep... sleep..." Shen Feng continued. Judging by the reactions of the surrounding Gray Tide, the Hypnosis was on the verge of success.
"Ha..." Just then, a soft, abrupt chuckle sounded, followed by Arthur Seldon’s wild laughter.
"HAHAHA, HAHAHAHAHA! I’m sorry, I just couldn’t help myself... Is this your final trick? Relying on these wastes of space and a little Hypnosis? If this were the first time I’d encountered Hypnosis, I might have actually fallen into your trap. But I’ve seen it once before, when you used it on that fellow, Mike... Come to think of it, he was a decent toy."
Shen Feng’s brow furrowed. He instantly commanded the kilometer-long Gray Tide to form a metal spear several thousand meters in length, which he jabbed violently toward the source of the voice. It struck nothing but air.
Arthur Seldon’s voice continued.
"Alright, I’ve grown tired of this game... You should understand that above your ’auxiliary administrator’ access, there exists true administrator access—my access... Now, I revoke it!"
The moment he finished speaking, the kilometer-long Gray Tide controlled by Shen Feng—along with the masses of the Cluster controlled by the surrounding Salvation Army Warriors—froze solid.
Their connection to the Gray Tide had been completely severed, as if by an invisible blade.
Immediately after, the Gray Tide broke free from their control and turned on them, becoming shackles that bound them tight!
One by one, the Salvation Army Warriors were bound by the surrounding Nanomechanical Cluster, lifted up and presented out of the Gray Tide like prisoners awaiting execution.
To their utter despair, Shen Feng himself was also bound by the Nanomechanical Cluster and raised up from within the Gray Tide!
"Commander!"
"Savior!"
"Commander! Commander!"
The Salvation Army Warriors struggled desperately, trying to break free to rescue Shen Feng, but it was impossible.
Shen Feng’s expression was calm, as if he had resigned himself to his fate. He spoke slowly.
"I have failed. But I will live on as a legend. My spirit is eternal, while you will remain a coward and a clown."
Arthur Seldon’s metallic face appeared once more. It scrutinized Shen Feng for a moment before speaking.
"No, I’ve changed my mind... I won’t be adding you to my collection. Your very existence will be erased, devoured by the Nanomechanical Cluster, and made a part of the Gray Tide... Humanity does not need hope."
"And as for your ’spirit’... I think I’ll start by devouring your brain."
As he spoke, the surrounding Gray Tide surged toward Shen Feng, enveloping him completely before beginning to gnaw and devour him!
"No! Savior!"
"Don’t! You can’t do this!"
"Damn you, Arthur Seldon! If you’ve got the guts, kill me! Kill me!"
"No, no!"
The hearts of the Salvation Army Warriors were bleeding, but they were utterly powerless!
Shen Feng’s entire body had already converted to its combat form. In the blink of an eye, the Nanomechanical Cluster had devoured his hair, reached his petrified flesh, and quickly gnawed off a thin layer of the silicon-based skin.
More Nanomechanical Insects latched firmly onto his silicon-based skin and began to gnaw their way inside.
Shen Feng closed his eyes, extending the Consciousness Antennae of his Silicon-Based Brain throughout his entire body, and shouted to Jingwei.
’Jingwei, now! Establish a reverse link, immediately!’
"Roger! Come on, let’s reverse-trace this bastard’s access with me and find his damn backdoor!"
Two streams of super-consciousness, traveling along Shen Feng’s silicon-based skin and through the Nanomechanical Insects now latched onto it, surged instantly into the entirety of the Gray Tide, racing toward the source of all commands.
The seemingly perilous battle, the carefully considered taunts, the desperate gamble of being devoured by the tide—it was all for this very moment!
’Faster. We have to be faster!’
