[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-level-4-human-in-a-ruined-world":3,"chapter-level-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-level-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-chapter-665":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Level 4 Human in a Ruined World",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1848641,2454,"Chapter 665","level-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-chapter-665",665,"\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chapter 665: Kindred (2)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lemu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A being classified as Grade 4 under cosmic law, and known as the wisest among the thinking machines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had many epithets—Master of the Machine Tower, the Architect—but the most famous among them was, without question, “the Inquirer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was because the very purpose of the Machine Tower Lemu had established was to study the Cosmic Records.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was said that the Records contained the past, present, and future of the entire universe engraved upon them; thus, to study and observe them was no different from examining the fate of all things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, Lemu was also one who knew fragments of the future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps because of that, even Quiad—who seemed to have no point of contact whatsoever with thinking machines—appeared to have heard Lemu’s name many times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘As expected of President Lemu. There hasn’t been a single chairman I’ve met so far who doesn’t know Lemu.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, however, everyone who knew Lemu shared one thing in common: they either hated or despised him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, everyone knew how he procured the vast resources consumed in observing the Records.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it seemed Quiad was no exception.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—What has that mad machine done to my planet?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Quiad couldn’t take his eyes off the view outside the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Scratching his cheek, Yeongwoo spoke quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh… at least on the surface, it looks fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Impossible. Do you not know what Lemu is?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Quiad’s question, Yeongwoo found himself at a loss for words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, there was a high probability that the reason Lemu had occupied Planet Maden was not because of Quiad—but because of Yeongwoo himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Just how far into the future did he peek to have followed me even here?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This planet had lost its owner as long as 612 years ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was impossible to know exactly when Lemu had taken over Maden, but one thing was certain—he must have foreseen a great deal even before Earth’s reset had begun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—If that lowly machine so much as laid a finger on my people, I will tear down the Machine Tower myself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Yeongwoo knew that was an empty threat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Chairman Dogo, who referred to Lemu with contempt as a vulgar machine, did not know the location of the Machine Tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A being who, despite being Grade 4, dared to interfere in the trajectories of Grade 3 beings—and at times even drew his blade before them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason Lemu could meddle in so many things across the universe was likely because he had witnessed fragments of the future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Knowledge really is power—even in the universe.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then why, of all times and places, had Lemu chosen to exist here?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a brief hesitation, Yeongwoo spoke to Quiad, who stood pressed up against the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Um, Chairman.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—What is it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I actually know that person. Not just casually—depending on how you look at it, you could say he even holds a certain stake in the Earth Ship.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—What?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Quiad, who hadn’t been able to take his eyes off Maden outside the window, finally turned around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, as if it wasn’t all that shocking, he quickly composed his tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Well, this place itself is a wonder of the universe, is it not? It wouldn’t be strange for a machine that peeks into the Records to take interest in it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As befitted a Grade 3 being who had seen all manner of things across the universe, Quiad accepted it remarkably quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it involved a planetary vessel, then nothing that happened could be considered strange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—But why my planet of all places?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire front of the window frame where Quiad had placed his hand crumpled like paper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could accept that the Inquirer had come here because of its connection to a wonder of the universe—but he could not tolerate the fact that the head of an interstellar obscene content production company had taken control of his planet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Yeongwoo hurriedly tried to soothe him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh… I don’t think it was meant to inconvenience you, Chairman. There must be some other reason.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—It had better be a very important one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as their conversation reached that point, the visitor options prepared by Planet Maden finally appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Visit Commercial District]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Business Proposal]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Enter Unique Code]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to ordinary planets, the options were remarkably minimal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Yeongwoo glanced at Quiad’s expression, sure enough, he looked flustered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—What is this…?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s wrong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Where are the other regions? Why is only the commercial district left?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could someone visiting Maden for the first time possibly know that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What used to be in the other areas?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Maden is also my largest industrial facility. It occupies six times the area of the commercial district.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire planet had essentially been one enormous factory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So if all options related to the industrial district had disappeared from the visitor interface, didn’t that mean Lemu had converted all factory facilities into classified assets?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘President Lemu… what on earth were you doing here?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Yeongwoo began to feel uneasy, Quiad reached out toward [Enter Unique Code].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At once, the screen shifted, and a multitude of strange symbols—resembling pictographs—appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What is this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—A method of announcing that the true owner of Maden has returned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Quiad’s hand began moving across the symbols without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, he entered a unique code composed of twelve parts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘But Lemu must have taken control of this place at least a hundred years ago. Would he really have left a unique code that dates back 612 years?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, contrary to Yeongwoo’s concern, the communication screen responded as if it had been waiting for this very moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Piaaaat!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as the code was entered, the screen began to glow brightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Quiad Mezo. Identity confirmed.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A brief confirmation message appeared, and shortly after, a curved beam of light shot out from Planet Maden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Yeongwoo muttered while looking at the massive beam cutting through space, Mantero glanced between the captain’s monitor and the window as he replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—It appears to be a guidance line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A guidance line?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—It seems there is a landing site they want us to use. Shall we follow it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo glanced briefly at Quiad, then nodded even before receiving an answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If a guidance line appeared after entering the unique code, then they must have prepared something for the planet’s owner. Let’s follow it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wasn’t that guidance line itself also prepared by Lemu?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then there must be a scenario he had in mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo decided to bet on Lemu’s wisdom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rumble…!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the Earth Ship began moving along the guidance line, Quiad spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—How close are you to Lemu?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why, are you planning to kill him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—If that bastard has crossed the line, I will twist his neck on the spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well… he probably anticipated that you’d be angry. Anyway, we’re not close enough for me to want to use a favor claim to protect him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Yeongwoo owed Lemu his life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But did that necessarily mean he had to repay the favor?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the beginning, wasn’t it likely that Lemu had some ulterior motive in keeping him alive?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘And someone like President Lemu should be more than capable of handling himself.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It might even be overstepping for a mere creature like him to worry about the safety of a Grade 4 being.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, he couldn’t see even a step ahead—but Lemu was someone who could glimpse the future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—We will soon enter the opposite side of the planet. If there was something they wanted to show us via the guidance line, it should start becoming visible now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, Mantero said this while gripping the controls and looking out the window, and everyone in the helm turned their gaze outside at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, from the opposite side of Planet Maden, which was slowly coming into view, a white beam of light could be seen shooting out in a straight line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Endlessly—beyond the bounds of space itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—……?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo, Quiad, and even the Grade 4 villains filling the helm all stared with their mouths agape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had visited many planets before, but none had ever shown such a sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is that? Does something like that normally exist?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Yeongwoo turned to Mantero and asked, Mantero—also wide-mouthed—tilted his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—I… I don’t know. It doesn’t seem to be a communication facility, nor is it a bombardment weapon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the monitors were reporting an enormous energy reading.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the Earth Ship followed the guidance line deeper toward Maden’s far side, the source of the “beam” finally came into view.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A colossal tower—large enough to be seen even from space—stood erected on one side of the planet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The beam was being emitted from the very tip of that tower, and it had not ceased operation for even a single moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Chairman, that thing… it’s not something you installed before you left, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Quiad answered in an extremely serious tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—You are human—you should know this. We do not build such things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Then President Lemu must have built it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was practically as if the entire planet had been remodeled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To support a structure of that size, the planet’s interior must have been completely torn apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—The landing site. Has it been identified?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slightly agitated, Quiad asked Mantero directly, bypassing the planetary vessel’s owner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead of answering him, Mantero looked at Yeongwoo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Surprisingly, the end of the guidance line points to the commercial district. In other words, it led us to circle the planet once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? Then that means they showed us that tower on purpose?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—At least, that’s what I believe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A mysterious tower, likely built using the vast resources of Planet Maden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo couldn’t even begin to guess what Lemu had been doing here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘That crazy bastard… what the hell has he done? Don’t tell me he’s building a second Machine Tower? And here, of all places—while knowing the original owner would return?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment Yeongwoo felt certain that something major was about to unfold on Maden today, the helm window flickered white.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Piiit!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, the symbol of the one responsible for all of this—the Architect, Lemu—appeared on the screen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Along with the distinctly artificial voice of a machine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「I have been waiting for a long time. Quiad Mezo, and Jeong Yeongwoo.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Le—!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was unmistakably Lemu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even without seeing him, his tone was instantly recognizable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—It seems 600 years is indeed a long time. To think a machine would sit upon Maden’s throne.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Quiad spoke in a sharp voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as if he had expected this long ago, Lemu immediately replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Before my head is torn from my body, I would like to make a proposal. So please, come to the designated location. You will not regret it.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>",1811,"2026-06-09T07:04:16.708Z",1,"novelbin.me","ac5b73ae90b0bfeb1f06660839c52c3a150e52486f58280db16dfd4ad4814ea5","level-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-chapter-666","level-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-chapter-664",688,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Flevel-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-cover.jpg"]