C113 — [5.8 — False Them]

In the corner of the corridor, Zero Three saw Jiu Shu’s snow-white fingertips caressing the bouquet.

 

It stopped at one of the roses.

 

Did he not like it?

 

Zero Three clenched his fingers.

 

Seeing that, Jiu Shu pulled that one out and placed it in his hand to examine it carefully.

 

Zero Three subconsciously pursed his lips, seemingly a little nervous.

 

His roses were not as bright and beautiful as the ones sent by other humans; they were just the most common and cheap things in the lower city.

 

For this human idol with many fans, it was extremely incompatible.

 

Zero Three thought of this and lowered his eyes, his eyes misty.

 

But he saw the corners of Jiu Shu’s mouth rise; he was stunned at first, then he relaxed.

 

Jiu Shu looked at the paper roses in his hands, his smile making his eyes curve up.

 

This time, the gift was finally the right one.

 

Jiu Shu looked up and glanced at the corridor behind him.

 

The long and dilapidated corridor couldn’t be seen to the end, and the corridor light was dimmed by the old and dilapidated corridor light.

 

Only in front of his room was there a bright light.

And this light would only light up when someone was near and would soon dim again.

The light was on when Jiu Shu came back just now.

 

Obviously, the person who sent the roses hadn’t gone far.

 

He might be watching him from a dim corner of the corridor.

 

For any normal person, this was a scene comparable to a horror film.

But Jiu Shu only hooked up the corner of his lips with a gentle expression, put away the bouquet, and entered the room.

 

Looking at the closed door of the room, hiding in the dark, Zero Three loosened his tense fingers, hesitated for a moment, then looked to the mobile phone monitoring screen.

On the screen, after entering the room, the young human holding flowers looked at the paper flowers in his hand as if he were happy.

The smile in his eyes made him look more gentle and beautiful.

Compared to the bright and shiny human idol on the stage with a detached gaze, the current human idol had finally lost the sense of distance that made people unable to get close to him.

He became much more friendly.

Zero Three stared blankly for a long time.

He loved this paper flower.

Realising this, Zero Three touched his burning ears, his heart beating faster and faster.

 

The depressing emotions from the evening performance seemed to have instantly vanished, leaving only a sweet taste on the tip of his tongue.

That night, Zero Three watched the surveillance in the hallway for a long time.

 

It wasn’t until Jiu Shu completely fell asleep that he quietly left.

The Resistance Army had already begun to act, so he had to be more careful lately.

 

So whether he followed that person or watched his surveillance, it was all for the purpose of protecting the target of the mission.

There was no other reason.

Walking downstairs to his flat, Zero Three looked up at the room where the lights had already been extinguished, and only after a long time did he finally lower his eyes and walk away.

Just watching him silently from the shadows was enough for Zero Three.

 

As a bionic human, he never had too many extravagant hopes, nor should he.

 

The next day, Jiu Shu woke up early.

 

The recent adjustment to his routine was successful.

 

He woke up in much better spirits; his face was rosy, and he looked healthier than before.

 

The first thing he did after waking up was to lazily lean back on his pillow, his fingertips fiddling with the paper roses in the vase on the bedside table.

Compared to real flowers that faded easily, the beauty of paper roses didn’t fade with time and was timeless.

 

When Jiu Shu narrowed his eyes to look at the rose, his face was missing the slightest imperfection under the high-definition camera, so beautiful that it was as light and moving as a mist.

 

Looking at the young human on the screen of the mobile phone, Zero Three was mesmerised.

 

At the sight of Jiu Shu’s look of love for the rose, the tips of his ears slightly reddened; his thoughts were unknown.

At this moment, he was sitting in the transport vehicle, performing his daily routine.

 

Hunting and killing bionics.

 

“I heard that you killed a Resistance member yesterday.”

 

Seven Two, who was next to him, suddenly spoke out.

 

Zero Three, who was looking at his mobile phone, paused his fingers and turned it off.

Covering up the surveillance images.

Only then did he raise his head and look at Seven Two.

Facing Zero Three’s dark eyes, Seven Two barely managed to maintain a smile.

 

Zero Three’s eyes had always appeared eerie, and when looking directly at others, they would always give people the terrifying feeling of being stared at by a monster.

 

Originally, Seven Two was used to it.

But after joining the Resistance recently, especially after the massacre in the rotten building yesterday, Seven Two only felt that his resistance to Zero Three was getting worse.

 

Even looking directly into his eyes made him extremely uncomfortable.

“Hmm.”

Zero Three simply replied.

When Seven Two saw that Zero Three looked like he didn’t want to talk much, he could only fall silent.

The tasks assigned to bionics within the police department varied from time to time.

It was only this morning that Seven Two learned that Zero Three had actually taken on a mission to protect humans.

Didn’t he usually refuse such missions and indulge in hunting bionics?

 

Seven Two didn’t know how he had changed like this.

 

But the consequence of this change was that the Resistance had innocently lost a companion, the same one who had met with him earlier.

Although Seven Two had only known that person for a short while, he knew that he was a very simple and kind bionic man.

 

In order to follow the leader, he escaped from human control.

But had not harmed any of the humans.

 

After all, their need from start to finish was to make humans face up to the existence of bionics.

 

And that companion was only carrying out a mission from the higher ups, bringing an ordinary human into the lab for a simple experiment.

 

No humans would be harmed at all.

 

Everything they did was for the future of the bionic people, but they never thought that they would meet Zero Three, an emotionless kindred spirit.

 

Who mercilessly cut off lives.

 

Thinking back to the image when he met that person a few days ago, he had visions of a future for himself, wanting to live with his beloved bionic human woman and live a life free from the world.

Now it had all become a bubble.

 

“Zero Three, what did that rebel do before he died?”

 

Did that poor companion have any unfinished regrets before he died?

Seven Two raised his eyes and looked across at Zero Three.

This companion, who had never had much expression, just frowned slightly, as if confused as to why Seven Two would ask that.

 

“I just want to judge whether those resistance forces have any special plots. Haha, isn’t it said that the performance before death will reveal a lot of things?”

Seven Two explained in a pretence of relief.

 

“Nothing.”

Zero Three’s answer remained concise.

That bionic man had died very dryly and hadn’t said anything.

 

In order to quickly resolve the trouble so that he could go and put roses in front of the door of Jiu Shu, he didn’t show any mercy at that time and didn’t give him time to speak.

 

He left the wreckage where it was, and by the time he got back, it was just a pile of separated pieces.

 

The hatred of the people of the slums was always unabashed when they saw a bionic.

 

The only thankful thing was that the chip was still there, and there was still value in continuing to be drained of information.

“…… Split?”

 

“Haha, it’s really expected.”

Seven Two looked at Zero Three’s pale face and agreed with a forced smile.

Zero Three didn’t speak again.

 

He quietly wiped the g-un in his hand and loaded it.

 

The muscle lines of his sturdy arms rippled with the movements, pale but hiding a strength that ordinary people couldn’t match.

 

He himself was as cold and oppressive as the gun in his hand.

 

Seven Two stopped looking at Zero Three, his eyes averted to the scenery outside the car.

 

He had already understood what Zero Three meant.

 

To Zero Three, the bionic man he killed last night was as meaningless as the countless bionics he had killed before.

It was just a digital code.

 

There was no value in exploring it, so not even his dying words would be of concern.

 

Even if he witnessed the body of his dead kind being split up by a human, he wouldn’t feel anything.

 

Seven Two was actually just like Zero Three, having seen the image of a bionic human being being split up countless times already.

 

But unlike Zero Three, every time he collected the scrapes of his kind for them, he would feel uncomfortable.

 

This time, this feeling of discomfort reached its peak.

 

After all, before, it was all just some strange bionic people, but now it was companions he knew.

 

At this moment, it was as if Seven Two could empathise with that companion who had died alone in a dark alley.

 

He felt a sense of coldness that spread to his heart.

 

In this world, there was never a place for bionics.

 

The oppression of humans, the pursuit of their own kind.

 

The bionics room for survival was constantly being squeezed.

 

Seven Two really wished that he could be like Zero Three and become an emotionless machine.

 

That way, he wouldn’t feel sad because of the deaths of his companions.

Seven Two looked at Zero Three’s silent appearance and collected the sadness in his eyes.

The transport vehicle reached its destination.

This time, it was an abandoned factory.

 

There were rusty, thick pipes everywhere, still discharging sewage.

 

In the past, this place had also been a thriving large-scale factory, supporting the families of countless employees, but it had gone bankrupt under the price attack of cheap bionic factories.

 

Along with the workers in the factory, it fell into decay and was reduced to a dilapidated landmark in the lower city.

 

The intricate piping and plant passages inside the factory also became the perfect place for many fugitives to hide.

 

“The targets this time are a pair of bionic human sisters.”

 

Seven Two’s voice was a little low as he looked at the information on the mission panel.

 

This pair of sisters, whom he had likewise met before, were two young bionic humans, just a year old.

 

They had lost one of their respective eyes in abuse because of their longing for humans, but they still hoped to be loved by humans.

 

They were just a pair of silly sisters.

Seven Two was a little lost in thought as he recalled meeting them.

 

He waited until Zero Three got out of the car, his reaction was delayed, then he followed.

 

Seven Two raised his head and looked at the factory in front of him.

 

His eyes flashed, and he glanced somewhat nervously at the smartwatch on his wrist.

 

Having already lost so many companions yesterday, he must not lose any more today.

 

It was never easy to protect his companions from the pursuit of Zero Three, the new model.

 

It was a good thing that the new model was not without its shortcomings.

 

As a companion who had partnered with Zero Three for many years, Seven Two happened to know his flaws very well.

 

Under the suppression of heavy firepower, even Zero Three was powerless.

 

Watching Zero Three walk into the interior of the factory defenselessly, Seven Two hesitated for a moment but still sent the message.

 

He originally didn’t intend to hit too hard.

However, having already slaughtered so many of his companions, it was probably time for Zero Three to pay a small price.

 

Inside the factory building.

Zero Three was observing his surroundings.

 

His heat-sensing system told him that there were humans and bionics hiding in this factory building right now.

 

It was just that they were all hiding and not coming out now.

 

The sound of his footsteps alone remained in the empty factory building.

 

Zero Three looked at the navigation route shown on his iris and walked in the direction where the bionic was.

As he walked, he thought about the roses he had given to Jiu Shu yesterday.

Jiu Shu loved the paper rose he had made with his own hands, so he needed to do more to make them work.

 

If he sent a large batch of paper roses tonight, he might be able to successfully exchange contact information with Jiu Shu.

 

Then the balance of his account could be transferred to Jiu Shu.

 

As for what to do with his daily life after the balance was transferred, Zero Three didn’t think about it for the time being.

 

In fact, just like Companion Seven Two could do without the nutrient fluid, so could he.

 

As a new model that was even more advanced than Seven Two, nutrient fluid wasn’t a necessity for him, and even if it was stopped, it would only cause some parts to age faster.

 

It didn’t affect the overall lifespan.

He wouldn’t be like Seven Two, who couldn’t even run anymore.

Thinking so, Zero Three touched the paper rose in his pocket.

He had made a new rose this morning.

 

But it hadn’t been perfected yet; it was only a half-finished product now.

 

After completing the task in a while, he could take advantage of the break in work to continue making it, aiming to make fifty roses by the evening.

 

When he became skilled later, he could also make more.

 

As a bionic human, making handicrafts wasn’t a difficult task for Zero Three.

 

He could make them as fast as a machine, but in order to get a more perfect rose, he needed to keep making them many times to get a satisfactory rose.

 

The one in his pocket was the only qualified semi-finished product after making it twenty-five times in the morning.

 

It was still not perfect.

He needed to continue to improve his technique before it was ready.

“Ahhhh…!”

 

Just as Zero Three was caught up in thoughts that he couldn’t get out of, the screams of a human child suddenly came.

 

Zero Three immediately reacted and quickly rushed towards the direction from which the sound came.

 

In the factory building, littered with broken and scrapped machines, Zero Three quickly found the human who was screaming for help.

 

He was trapped in a narrow pipe opening, unable to get in or out.

 

As a bionic human, helping humans was a programme that Zero Three had imprinted deep within his chip.

He stepped forward and prepared to rescue this human child.

 

Rumble-!!!

 

Outside the factory, a loud rumbling sound came from Seven Two’s ears.

 

He looked at the place where the smoke cloud from the explosion rose with a complicated expression and sighed.

 

After waiting in place for a long time to make sure that the innocent sisters, the target of today’s mission, had already left, he pretended to have arrived late and went to look for Zero Three’s traces inside the factory.

 

As a powerful military-type combat bionic, the odds were that Zero Three wouldn’t die easily, but Seven Two hoped that he would be seriously injured.

 

At least he should be unable to move for a short period of time; that way, he wouldn’t affect the resistance’s next plan.

 

Inside the factory.

 

“Oooo…”

 

The human child’s sobs lingered as he pushed away from the gravel next to him, sticky artificial blood at his feet.

 

The crimson colour spread over a large portion of the nearby ground.

The child looked at his blood-soiled shoes and deflated, glancing in disgust at the nearby bionic human.

 

It was a tall bionic man with black hair and eyes; even kneeling on one knee, it was considerably taller than him.

 

With a handsome face that matched human aesthetics, it was much paler than a normal human, and even its lips were thin.

 

Blood was oozing from his forehead at this moment, staining his face red.

 

It made him look as lifeless as a corpse.

The child picked up a sharp stone and ruthlessly smashed it onto this tall bionic man.

In his opinion, the disaster just now was all brought about by this bionic man.

 

He was going to look for his mother, but she had disappeared, and so many people had disappeared.

 

He was left to search around the factory in vain and was also met with this terrible explosion.

 

It was all the bionic man’s fault, as his mom had always told him!

 

If it wasn’t for the bionic man, nothing would have happened just now.

After being hit by the stone, the bionic man with a pale complexion opened his eyes, and his dark pupils looked at him.

 

The child was startled and stumbled away in a hurry.

As a human living in the factory, he was more familiar with the road than Zero Three.

Zero Three indifferently watched the human’s back gradually fade away, not saying a word.

 

He had long been accustomed to the human’s distaste for him, so he didn’t care about the human’s indifference.

 

Zero Three had always said so to himself and really didn’t seem to care at all.

 

 

Retracting his gaze, he looked to his broken arm, where blo-od was gurgling down the blasted, blo-ody hole.

 

 

It was rare for Zero Three to get hurt that badly.

 

He looked at his wound for a moment before averting his eyes.

 

 

As if he didn’t feel the slightest bit of pain, his first action was to take out the mobile phone in his arms.

 

 

Tapping the screen and looking at the unharmed young human on the monitor, Zero Three’s tense muscles slightly relaxed.

 

 

On the monitor, Jiu Shu was eating breakfast.

 

 

The human scooped out a spoonful of hot porridge and put it on his lips to gently blow on it.

 

 

Unlike this dilapidated factory, the apartment building was as quiet as ever, and he was unharmed.

 

 

Looking at the quiet and beautiful face of the young human, Zero Three’s gaze stopped for a long time, almost greedily looking at the human on the screen.

 

 

Only after a long time did he reach out his hand, as if remembering something.

 

 

Taking out the rose from his arms.

 

 

Even if he had encountered an explosion, his first reaction was to protect this rose.

 

 

But apparently, he didn’t completely shield it.

 

 

Although the shape of the rose was still intact, the bloo-d that flowed from the wound on his chest penetrated the fabric of his uniform and also dyed this rose scarlet.

 

 

A false and ugly vermilion red that was unique to artificial bloo-d.

 

 

Ahem-

 

 

Staring somewhat dazedly at the rose in his hand, Zero Three uncontrollably coughed up the bruised bloo-d inside his chest.

 

The bloo-d stained his lapel red and splashed onto the rose as well.

 

It dyed the rose even redder.

 

Zero Three’s eyes widened slightly as blood flowed down his eyes like tears.

 

 

He stretched out his trembling fingertips in an attempt to wipe away the dirty blo-od.

 

But it was only in vain.

 

This was the rose that was to be given to Jiu Shu.

 

He had soiled it.

 

In the factory building, with a big hole blown out, the blo-od-covered bionic man lowered his head and tried to wipe the bloo-d off the rose over and over again.

 

But to no avail.

 

The rose was still ugly, just like he was now, covered in scars.

 

---

TN:

I decided to post most of the chapters, I enjoy this way more, plus I got bored, next chapter will be tomorrow. See ya ✌️