Player Reload
Chapter 413 - 382 Overtime

Chapter 413: Chapter 382 Overtime

The statue slowly shattered, and the Tu family members attached to it were struck as if by lightning, completely dissolving amidst screams.

Tu Wangjuan also dissolved, lying on her back on the deck, looking at the full moon on the horizon, with half regret and half relief in her eyes.

Though she didn’t survive as she wished, at least she died as a human being. Not as a minion of an Evil God.

After witnessing so many dark futures, let me, take a break...

Tu Wangjuan’s eyes slowly closed, and then...

"How can you fall asleep? At your age, at this stage, you can sleep? Do you have any ambitions?"

The reprimanding voice directly woke Tu Wangjuan up,

Li Cheng moved swiftly, first inserting the Victory Flag Spear into the deck to activate the Enhancement Domain, ensuring Tu Wangjuan wouldn’t die. Then peeled away the molten flesh from her body, removed the brittle skull, inserted the brain with optical fibers, and installed it into a simple robot.

The street where the [Star-casting Anvil] was located had many shops, mostly run by small to medium-sized guilds.

Based on the principle of making good connections with neighbors, these shops sent small local specialty gifts when the [Star-casting Anvil] first opened.

Including but not limited to firearms, Talisman Crosses, Evil Spirit Dolls, Milk Dragon Specimens, and so on.

A shop named [War King] specialized in warfare machinery, and its flagship products were combat robots, mechanical dogs, and drone swarms,

Unexpectedly, maid and butler robots, initially a gimmick, sold unexpectedly well, with sales rivaling those of combat robots.

This showed that in the killing field player community, there were quite a few who wanted romance, yet dreaded social interactions and didn’t want to go out for the Poke and Love.

In short, that [War King] shop generously donated a blank template humanoid robot, which was perfect for use here.

Li Cheng disregarded the shocked expressions of Lu Hu and others, forcibly resurrected Tu Wangjuan, and shouted at her, "Do you know how to land this ship?"

With the death of the Frog God, the strength of the Gravity Domain diminished repeatedly.

The Bronze Giant Ship, along with floating stones and part of Red Island, was sinking toward the ground.

Tu Wangjuan was forcibly awakened, with a liquid crystal display on her head showing a shocked emoticon.

Σ(ﾟдﾟ)

After being dazed for two or three seconds, she finally reacted, moving clumsily to the lower deck and fiddling with the complex machinery for a while.

The prophecy ability of the Tu family’s fourth house originated from the Frog God. Now that the Frog God is dead, the prophecy ability naturally waned significantly.

Fortunately, at this moment, she doesn’t need to sail the ship perfectly.

After tinkering for a while and pulling a whole bunch of levers, the gravitational field finally recovered a bit. It struggled to land the Bronze Ship and Red Island.

After the continuous rumbling, absolute silence followed, with the light rain coming to a stop.

The ridge line was redrawn, with chaotic trees toppled over the cracked land. Between the treetops, some rodents scattered away panic-stricken; for them, to survive amidst going to heaven and earthward traveled might be considered life miracles.

"This time..."

Lu Hu took a deep breath, originally wanting to say something, but ended with a sigh.

The illusion of King of Cangze’s ascension ultimately shattered, the Frog God’s three-thousand-year plan collapsed, including Emperor Yong’an’s long-cherished wish for immortality, which also wasn’t realized.

After a huge circle, there was no winner in this game of chess.

But the over thousand dead on the island were undoubtedly the losers.

"Immortal,"

Zhang Fulu solemnly saluted, since he witnessed Li Cheng stuffing a human brain into a machine, he hasn’t regarded Li Cheng as human, "Immortal exterminated the Evil God, calming the tsunami. Your grace blesses all living beings, your benevolence spreads boundlessly. I shall carve a stone to commemorate the merit, eternally enshrining the Immortal’s trace..."

"I say stop."

Li Cheng waved his hand, stopping Zhang Fulu’s flattery. He wasn’t going for the faith and godhood path of the Transcendent; ordinary people setting up a living shrine for him won’t provide him any incense.

"If you insist on thanking me, just give me two Martial Arts Secret Manuals."

No matter how small the mosquito legs are, they’re still meat. In the slum area, there are quite a few martial arts halls buying Martial Arts Secret Manuals from different worlds at high prices, hoping to broaden their perspective and open up new ideas.

"Uh..."

Zhang Fulu awkwardly took out the Dragon and Tiger Sword Technique from his bosom, and others followed suit, handing their carried Secret Manuals to Li Cheng.

"Alright, the water behind this Frog God Statue is deep, and you guys can’t handle it. I’ll take it away first.

I’ll also take the ship. You guys should collect the corpses on the island and remember to burn them with Fierce Fire, don’t let them fall onto the mainland..."

Li Cheng called upon the Gray Rain to disassemble the Bronze Giant Ship piece by piece, loading it all into the Three-dimensional Warehouse.

Even without considering the technology to control gravity of the ship itself, just selling the copper alone could fetch millions of cash.

Just when the remaining survivors felt at a loss whether to laugh or cry, there was rustling from a distant thicket.

Dense footsteps approached from afar, the light of torches illuminating the night.

"...Your Majesty?!"

Sikong Lan and Lu Hu were startled from the depths of their confusion, as the one walking out from the woods was none other than Emperor Yong’an, wearing thick armor and surrounded and protected by the Jinyi Guards.

Unlike the spirit and vigor Lu Hu and others had when mentioning him, the real Emperor Yong’an was merely an ordinary middle-aged man whose fatigue showed between his brows. The hair at his temples grayed, his eyes slightly clouded.

Governing a massive empire with nearly two hundred million people, resolving accumulated issues, making sluggish strides forward in the era of national contention, towards revitalization and prosperity, was truly challenging.

Even for a wise and profound emperor like Emperor Yong’an, he could not avoid exhausting his mind and body, growing old and weary.

"You’ve done very well."

Emperor Yong’an first nodded towards Lu Hu and Sikong Lan, then walked directly to Li Cheng, paying his respects with a formal ceremony.

The Jinyi Guards surrounding them wore tense expressions; they had barely seen the battle in the sky through binoculars while on the ship at sea. Li Cheng seemed less human and more like a Demon God wearing human skin.

Emperor Yong’an stood up, turned his head, and calmly said, "All of you, step back. I have words to speak with the Transcendent."

"..."

After some hesitation, the guards raised their torches and retreated into the forest.

Su Konghu and other unrelated people sensibly followed the Jinyi Guards as they walked far away.

Only Kuyu Monk remained with a solemn expression, still wanting to stand in place. Lu Hu and Zhang Fulu, fearing he might say something untimely, persuaded him to leave.

By the edge of the deep pit, only Gray Rain was enthusiastically dismantling the Bronze Giant Ship on his own, while Li Cheng and Emperor Yong’an faced each other.

With no outsiders around, Emperor Yong’an knelt without hesitation, buried his head deeply in the mud and sand, and respectfully and hoarsely said, "I beg the Transcendent, grant me immortality."

Li Cheng grinned; he had guessed this conversation the moment Emperor Yong’an appeared.

He didn’t ask "Why me,"

But asked instead, "Why?"

Emperor Yong’an took a deep breath, his head still lowered, "My time, is running out. Great Ming’s time, is running out."

"Forty years on the throne, fighting against treacherous courtiers, regulating the scholarly elites, suppressing foreign tribes, weakening prince domains, lifting maritime bans, publishing newspapers, enlightening the populace... The people love me as a sage ruler, ministers praise me as a civilized king. Even those gentry clans whose interests were harmed by the new policies don’t dare to criticize loudly, but can only write gloomy articles, subtly cursing me."

"With peaceful rivers and seas, harmonious times, and prosperous years, but only I know that Great Ming cannot last much longer."

"A hundred years ago, the Franks’ Magellan completed a global voyage, proving the world is not just two capitals and thirteen provinces. Great Ming cannot forever remain the center of the world."

Emperor Yong’an paused, his calmness tinged with a trace of determination,

"Great Ming has fallen behind; Western Countries are exploring and colonizing everywhere, staking claims, with new technologies, new ideologies, new schools emerging endlessly. Whereas in Great Ming, even the most enlightened and progressive individuals, once they attain titles or wealth, the first thing they think of is returning home to buy land."

"Once I die, inevitably many forces suppressed—like the Donglin Party, Fushe, Eunuch Faction, Zhe Party, Jin Faction—will stage a comeback, dragging Great Ming back into the abyss of land consolidation. Everyone will again be caught in the cycle of eking out a living from the land.

If lucky, Great Ming might sustain itself behind closed doors for another two hundred years. If unlucky, in fifty years, the Central Plains may be ravaged, Shen Zhou submerged, invaders rampant, polluting the Han soil."

"I am unwilling!"

Emperor Yong’an’s eyes bulged with anger, fingers gripping the dirt fiercely.

"None of my successors are capable; none of my ministers possess great wisdom, great resolve, great courage to inherit my legacy. All officials think only of clawing away at the flesh of Great Ming for personal gain, again and again."

"Too few like Zhang Juzheng, Hai Rui, Qi Jiguang; too many like Yan Song, Xu Jie, Zhang Siwei."

"I plead with the Transcendent to grant immortality, not to extend my life, but for Great Ming’s 180 million people."

"I can, recreate Great Ming."

...

Silence.

Moonlight shone brightly, the wind moaned.

Li Cheng’s lips gradually curved into a smile, his voice ethereal, "How resolute is your will? Even if you can never rest, forever mentally exhausted, forever alone, even if misunderstood, feared, hated, cursed, will you still hold true to your heart?"

Emperor Yong’an finally raised his head, calmly looking directly at Li Cheng, "One who serves the world publicly does not fear hardships."

"Good."

Li Cheng lifted the Emperor, removed his internal organs, and implanted mechanical organs. Then, he connected the Emperor’s brain to a laptop using data cables.

While swiftly typing on the keyboard, he said, "Aging is influenced by multiple factors: epigenetic changes, telomere length, telomerase activity, etc.

Heart muscle cells theoretically function for 120 years; brain nerve cells theoretically function for 200 years.

I replace your internal organ systems with mechanical ones, substitute some nerve cells with memory sticks and CPU, use solar battery cells to replace the digestive system,

thus extending your theoretical lifespan to over three hundred years.

This entire surgery isn’t free; I’ve implanted a series of preset commands in your brain, granting you lifespan quotas based on the nation’s conditions every ten years.

Gross domestic product, governance transparency, technological breakthroughs, consumer behavior, housing, education, social security—all these are assessment criteria.

Which will intelligently adjust, forcing you to work overtime day after day, leading your people to stand firm among the nations of the world.

As for her, she will be your monitor overseeing you."

Li Cheng pointed at Tu Wangjuan not far away, unsure whether to feel joy at her resurrection or sadness at her non-human state. Her LCD screen head showed a melancholy expression.

( TдT)

"The prison will accompany you; these life-support organs are your new cell."

Li Cheng patted Emperor Yong’an on the shoulder, saying lightly, "Maybe after two or three hundred years, you could rely on human strength to ascend to the heavens and reach for the moon.

By then, these life-support organs will no longer hold secrets,

and you, too, will have the right to retire."

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