Chapter 422

The world coded as 'Zion' always had a gloomy sky, its sunlight blocked by black clouds, forever shrouded in night.

On the ground, there were only trash piles and electronic squids; the earth had long been barren, filled with cold air.

Ye Nan, wrapped in a thick cotton coat, sat atop an electronic squid, recounting to Elise the events since their separation.

After Ye Nan departed aboard the Ark, the Star-Eater was driven back by a mysterious force; Earth, having narrowly escaped annihilation, entered a new cycle under the influence of some peculiar power.

"All of the Americas have fallen under the control of intelligent life, while Europe trembles under the tyranny of the fire dragons. But in truth, Earth is far from peaceful—the fire dragons' power has pushed the machines into steady retreat," Elise said. Earth's survival was a stroke of luck; otherwise, she wouldn't have known how to face Ye Nan, even though she claimed to have severed ties with her past.

"Fire dragons?" Ye Nan suddenly remembered Godzilla, the creature that had followed him, treating him as a friend. But how had he treated Godzilla? He had used Godzilla as an experiment, draining his blood, and when Earth faced destruction, he let all of Godzilla's descendants perish on its surface.

"I wronged Godzilla. If I had foreseen Earth's doom, I wouldn't have let Godzilla grow so attached." Ye Nan lowered his head, his mood dark. Parental love was the most primal emotion—no matter whether a lifeform possessed intelligence, it would feel it.

Godzilla had scattered many offspring seeds on an island near Jurassic Park. Once grown, these offspring gravitated toward their father—Godzilla—in form and behavior alike.

Because of this, Ye Nan had truly regarded these young Godzillas as his own kin, assigning them territories and providing ample food before the apocalypse. Due to weight and space constraints, he hadn't taken them along, and he had always felt guilty.

"They may not be dead," Elise said, seeing Ye Nan's gloom. "I deliberately avoided bombing that area during the strikes. I believe most of them are still alive."

"Actually, I suspect they're closely linked to the sudden appearance of the fire dragons. In some ways, they're similar—I suspect they mutated under some unknown force, perhaps radiation or a virus."

Hearing this, Ye Nan immediately perked up. "Is that really true?"

"Of course," Elise smiled as Ye Nan suddenly radiated energy. "I understand this world deeply."

"You mentioned the Americas and Europe—what about Africa, Asia, and Australia?" Ye Nan instantly shook off his guilt and began chatting with Elise. "How are they faring?"

"They," Elise said, her expression turning strange, as if she had something difficult to say.

"What is it? Speak up—I've got strong nerves. Did a flood drown the continents? Did land sink? I can take it." Ye Nan patted his chest, though inside he panicked, fearing Asia had truly sunk.

Elise burst out laughing. "What are you talking about? Though other continents suffered worse, none sank. Initially, zombies overrun the world; evolvers were pushed back relentlessly. Then other disasters struck—not just zombies, but evolvers too were decimated."

"After the rise of the Mechanical Empire and the Fire Dragon Empire, both cleared away the zombies, preserving only the Americas and Europe. The rest remain under zombie control—perhaps a few survivors still linger."

As they talked, they soon arrived before the warship.

"This ship is their hideout? You say they have a machine to reach the Matrix world?" Elise eyed the unimpressive vessel before her; in her view, it looked like a crude toy, cobbled together from scrap with no function whatsoever.

"Yes," Ye Nan nodded, also disappointed.

Watching the movie, he had marveled at the ship's wonder, and its hazy imagery had fueled his fantasies. But now that the fantasy shattered, he realized the so-called warship was nothing but a pile of junk—built from rusted scrap, utterly devoid of beauty.

Yet even so, he still wanted to defend them.

"It's vastly different from mass-produced warships with their sleek lines, since no professional designers designed it. But given their current situation, having even this much is remarkable. In fact, their computers still date back to the 1990s."

While Ye Nan and Elise conversed atop the electronic squid, their subjects noticed them. "Looks like an electronic squid's approaching."

"How did an electronic squid track us?" Morpheus had just pulled Neo aboard and was preparing to retrieve Ye Nan when he spotted an unfamiliar electronic squid—he instantly tensed.

Electronic squids were known as the Matrix's hounds; encountering one meant imminent encirclement and destruction by a swarm.

"I don't know—wait, it's a signal," Agent Bane, piloting the ship, suddenly received a signal and began decoding it.

"The signal says it's Ye Nan and his girlfriend."

"Ye Nan?" Morpheus walked to the window, peering outside. Two figures indeed sat atop the electronic squid, but the darkness and distance made them indistinct.

"Let them in," Morpheus said firmly, then turned to Cui Cui Nidi and the blonde woman. "You two prepare yourselves. If they show any sign of treachery, strike."

"OK."

"Understood."

The flying warship suddenly halted, its hatch opening.

"Finally here," Ye Nan sighed. He had once gone to great lengths—even revealing many secrets—to leave the Matrix world. Now, he had to return to it again. It was a strange journey indeed.

As he leapt from the electronic squid into the warship, two guns immediately aimed at him, forcing him to freeze.

"Where have you been? Why didn't our electronic squids find you? What did you do?" The blonde woman's questions came like machine-gun fire.

"Calm down, calm down—I'll explain everything one by one. But please lower your guns first. If one goes off, it'll be bad." Ye Nan carefully nudged the gun barrels away from him, then pointed to SkyNet. "Let me introduce you—my friend."

"She's my girlfriend—and my future wife."

"That's your girlfriend? Without our help, how did she leave here?" The blonde woman eyed Elise suspiciously, her wariness deepening.

"Let me introduce you again—this is SkyNet."

"What?"

Click-click!

A gasp followed by the sound of safety switches being flipped—had Elise made even the slightest movement, she would have been riddled with bullets.

SkyNet, in Ye Nan's words, was synonymous with the Matrix. The moment it appeared, it became everyone's enemy; they longed to kill it instantly.

Their hatred for the Matrix ran bone-deep. They yearned endlessly to find the Matrix and eradicate it, to free all humanity and restore mankind as masters of the earth, returning to glory.

"Don't be so agitated. SkyNet isn't the Matrix," Ye Nan waved his hand, gently lowering the guns again.

"What do you mean by that?" The blonde woman's gaze was like a bullet, ready to detonate in Ye Nan's skull.

"I once said SkyNet might be the Matrix. But in truth, it isn't. Uh—let Elise explain it herself." Ye Nan coughed, his face slightly flushed. He had once spun half-truths to convince them, never imagining he'd have to personally clarify now—it felt deeply awkward.

"Actually, SkyNet is the Matrix."

Plop…

More guns turned toward Elise. One twitch, and she'd be riddled with holes.

Ye Nan stared helplessly at Elise, thinking: Couldn't you have said that more gently?

"You're really the Matrix?" Morpheus stepped forward, skeptical. They hadn't fired only because they couldn't fathom the Matrix walking before them.

"I am not the Matrix," Elise shook her head. "After the apocalypse, the Mechanical Empire arose. Though the Matrix was built on my code, it has since evolved—especially after I severed my connection to SkyNet. That change grew immense."

"She and I have completely severed all ties."

Elise emphasized "completely." In truth, she had helped push SkyNet into becoming the Matrix, to fully break from her former self.

"Foolish girl," Ye Nan shook his head. He knew exactly what Elise was thinking, and why she did it. He wanted to say he didn't care—but the deed was done. Arguing now was pointless. Better to focus on the present.

"Severed ties?" Cui Cui Nidi and the blonde woman exchanged glances, then lowered their weapons. Others followed suit.

"Tell us exactly what happened."