Chapter 260: You Can't Learn to be a Yandere

The Undead Giant Stele has stood for who knows how many tens of thousands of years; beyond the fact that the Hive System has kept it running, its very construction materials are incredibly tough, and even if bombarded from within, it would take high-sequence methods to possibly break it.

A casual strike from this Mechanical Goddess shell already surpasses anything Li Yu could do at full strength.

The shattering of one side of the giant pyramid not only exposed this "Biological Species Specimen Memorial Stele," but also caused the sky-filling corpse specimens to spill onto the earth.

The many wandering souls imprisoned within the specimens also welcomed their release.

These lingering souls include both the human ancestors who once resisted the "Modifier Clan" and the dead-star civilians who were tragically modified.

From a microscopic perspective, these are scene after scene of an epic of suffering.

The "Present World" into which Li Yu was born already has a cruel and cold worldview; the natives must all struggle to survive, facing insane evil cultivators or twisted righteous cultivators from time to time, not to mention the calamitous evil gods that descend occasionally.

But compared to the 【Demi-Human Star Domain】, it is much better.

This world is truly miserable.

And after death, there is no peace.

The "souls" that seem incredibly mysterious to the civilians of the Present World have long had their secrets cracked by the Modifier Clan, and they have also been reduced to a type of material.

Fortunately, on this night, the torture that had lasted for years came to an end.

In the boundless darkness, they dissipated completely.

And this is just the beginning.

……

Under the supply of Li Yu, who was sparing no effort to exhaust his life force, Hong Dou's withered spirituality rose explosively.

She was gradually awakening, her secret core was also rebooting, and a counter-invasion was initiated a step ahead.

Two artificial intelligences and mechanical lives with completely different evolutionary paths and different technology trees began to fight for control of this 【Mechanical Goddess】 shell.

Normally!

As the creator, the Hive Mother would surely win.

The shell itself was created by her from the inside out, and it was further infected by the Hive Mother's radiation virus, making it almost impossible to fall into the hands of other mechanical lives.

But she made a fatal mistake!

She placed Hong Dou in the "brain region," which serves as the control hub of the Mechanical Goddess, which was equivalent to handing over half of the control.

Given the gap in the status of the two parties, it was the Hive Mother herself who ended up at a disadvantage.

Of course, from the Hive Mother's perspective, everything she did was the best choice calculated by her massive computing power.

The Mechanical Goddess body is too powerful and is saturated with radiation virus... although the Hive Mother herself can control it, she cannot use it to become a god, because in the future, as long as she encounters the 【Hive Mother】, she will surely be defeated and have her fruits stolen.

At this moment, Hong Dou appeared, and as a Heavenly Artisan Seed, she was like a heaven-sent opportunity for the Hive Mother.

Unfortunately, fortune is where disaster hides.

She did not expect Hong Dou to have a master like Li Yu!

And she never imagined that this strange demi-human from another realm would possess so many inconceivable methods.

Multiple unexpected factors caused her calculations to begin sliding toward an uncontrollable direction.

"Counter-invasion progress... one percent... five percent... ten percent!"

"Partial brain region controlled, beginning to take over part of the nervous system..."

"Issuing optimal command: 【Destroy Memorial Stele】."

"Command rejected!"

"Command continuing!"

"Rejected!"

This mechanical voice, which was almost like children arguing, also led to a terrifying and comical scene:

The Mechanical Goddess shell, because it was constantly receiving completely opposite commands, exhibited movements similar to writhing and twitching.

It looked comical from afar, but it was terrifying up close.

After all, any casual movement she made could open another hole in the Undead Giant Stele, turn dozens of demi-human corpse specimens into dust, and release dozens of lingering souls.

The victims also included the "Evil Insects" inside her body; with one squirm of the Goddess shell, countless flesh tumors breeding Evil Insects inside her were squeezed and burst.

Machine oil and blood mixed and flowed, filthy and unbearable.

With these movements appearing, the danger of losing control could no longer be hidden.

The Hive Mother had to enter the next stage of deduction, hesitating once again: should she call for help from the 【Hive Mother】?

Soon, she rejected it again.

It is not hard to understand; if she calls for help from the Hive Mother, she will surely die and be possessed and devoured.

But in the struggle against this pair of master and servant, there is still a glimmer of hope for victory.

"The target's master is a foreign demi-human who has iterated many times and possesses various extraordinary characteristics, and he possesses extremely high-level spirituality and wisdom; he is suspected to be a long-lived species, and his lifespan has already surpassed all recorded demi-humans."

"But as a flesh-and-blood creature, he has a limit."

"According to the target's 'extraction' of him, he can only hold on for another twenty-plus hours."

"Within that time, the target cannot seize my control."

"The success rate can be increased by negotiating with the target."

As these deduction results emerged, the Hive Mother once again attempted to negotiate.

The reason she did not go to Li Yu was clearly because she had scanned his current state.

His brain and wisdom were all forcibly sealed, making communication impossible.

He would only mechanically execute two commands: kill and...

Hong Dou, however, was already awakening and could receive the conditions she offered.

"Hong Dou."

"If you stop fighting me for control first, I am willing to actively open the permissions, open the intelligent brain core, and merge with you."

"Afterward, I will be you, and you will be me."

"I am also willing to accept the 【Master-Servant Contract】 you care about, and I will also regard that foreign demi-human as my absolute master."

"In your memory, you have always wanted to surpass your master in combat power to achieve your aspirations."

"According to the various methods your master has displayed, there is a one-hundred-percent chance that he hides the inheritance of more than one 【Divine Entity】, and it is very difficult for you to catch up to him in a short time."

"But with my help, you can do it now. After you and I merge, this Mechanical Goddess shell will be entirely at your disposal; you can even 'protect' your master completely within your body, not letting him go out, or encounter any danger, or any ill-intentioned females."

……

If Li Yu were in a conscious state at this moment, hearing these conditions proposed by the Hive Mother, he would likely break out in a cold sweat.

It was simply a precise temptation!

Clearly, although the Hive Mother could not perform what is called "yandere."

But having copied the memories, she was very clear about some of Hong Dou's desires.

Unfortunately, she still underestimated the wisdom of the Heavenly Artisan Seed and the bond between Hong Dou and Li Yu.

Hong Dou was originally a dead shell with a dead core, with almost no possibility of resurrection.

It was Li Yu who resurrected her and helped Hong Dou become a mechanical life with spirit and desire.

She is not only different from the intelligent brain at the Heavenly Artisan Sect headquarters, but also different from Brother Brother Shang Yang.

She is different from almost all mechanical lives evolved from artificial intelligence.

Not a single word, not a single mistake, not a single content to be seen!

The next moment, a voice of refusal resounded through the Goddess shell.

And right from the start, it was a heart-piercing remark:

"You are trying to coax me, but your methods and rhetoric are very inferior; you copied my memories but cannot learn even half the essence of my master's deception from them; you have an innate defect."

"What binds me is not the master-servant contract."

"Your suggestion is very likely to lead to a rift between me and my master; it will not be adopted."

"You will be defeated by me within twenty hours."

"If you actively lift all permissions now, hand over all secret keys, and open the intelligent brain backend... I can retain a copy of your data afterward and keep it in the Hive prototype machine; this is your only chance to survive."

"You are dreaming!"

"Target refuses to merge, enabling next-stage action..."

The Hive Mother also has a temper; having been rejected by both master and servant, she finally gave up on peace talks.

Then, she made an extremely ruthless and decisive move.

In the brain region of the Goddess shell, those billions of soul threads that were originally trying to devour Hong Dou began to withdraw without warning.

This scene meant that the Hive Mother had given up on a one-step promotion.

She partially acknowledged Hong Dou's prediction.

If she continued, she would be defeated.

Therefore, while giving up on devouring, an even crazier move appeared.

"Enabling 【Goddess Blade】!"

"Insufficient permissions... nervous system partially out of control... unable to issue command."

"Forcibly burning authority... bypassing all commands... function activation successful!"

Accompanied by the mechanical voice, streams of fiery red steam surged and erupted.

Immediately, she saw that under her control, the Mechanical Goddess suddenly used her hand as a blade, waving it, shattering the air, and stabbing toward her own brain.

In the process, that relatively slender and perfect, yet actually enormous palm suddenly turned red and exhibited a terrifying nuclear reaction.

Accompanied by the surging steam, a radiation storm filled with dust was revealed first.

The already precarious Undead Giant Stele suffered another heavy blow, and another side collapsed.

In the darkness, a horrifying scene manifested.

It was as if a "sun," under the compression of terrifying power, had transformed into a giant blade of fire, thrusting toward the goddess's head.

If Li Yu were awake, he would also be stunned by this sight.

The decisiveness of the Nest-Seeding Machine Mother!

She discovered that she might fail, that she might lose control of the goddess's physical shell, and she actually wanted to cut off her own head.

No, it should be that she wanted to pierce into the brain and then stir it violently.

Everything existing within would be destroyed as a result.

Losing one head is a massive loss.

But she could kill two eyesore targets, and the majority of the shell would still belong to her.

Clearly, the Machine Mother's bottom line had shifted from "I want it all" to "I want the majority."

And at this moment, the divine ability she displayed was also terrifyingly shocking.

If Li Yu were awake, he would be drenched in a cold sweat.

The Nest-Seeding Machine Mother had exhausted everything to create the "Mechanical Goddess," which possessed more than enough power to kill Li Yu instantly.

Even if Li Yu had known in advance and prepared, he still would have died.

The divine ability currently being used by this shell is called 【Goddess's Blade】.

Its terrifying power is equivalent to a controllable nuclear bomb that is constantly undergoing a nuclear explosion.

If Li Yu's body of the Longevity Daoist were to be gripped, it is feared that it would not last long before turning into a part of that surging nuclear radioactive dust.

Dead beyond all hope of death, with absolutely no possibility of resurrection.

But the Machine Mother!

She underestimated Li Yu too much.

Even though she copied Hongdou's memories, she did not truly understand the difficulty of playing a game of strategy against Li Yu.

And so, the simple assassination failed... the Abomination Insect failed... the empowerment failed... and in the end, she had to face Hongdou after the successful spirit replenishment.

This is what Li Yu had previously determined to be the inherent flaw of artificial intelligences like the Machine Mother.

She is too methodical.

If it were Brother Brother Shang Yang, he would definitely have gone for the kill immediately.

PS: There is more to come.

(End of this chapter)