Chapter 732: The World on Thin Ice

The existence of the entire world was a result of the Nanomachine Swarm’s mercy. The most frightening part was the fact that no one knew why the Nanomachine Swarm “stopped,” and when it would wake up again. The world did not escape the disaster 65 years ago. The tragedy did not stop. It only slowed down its pace. Like a delayed execution, there was still a blade hanging over the head of humankind just waiting to fall. In such circumstances, all sorts of voices, either sane or insane were emerging.

There had been attempts to attack the ruins in the north to destroy the Nanomachine Swarm, but the Swarm was invincible. Even the use of nuclear weapons would not be able to get rid of them. Some have tried to re-establish control of the Nanomachine Swarm, but they ended up becoming a part of the Grey River. Some people hoped to rebuild pre-war space technology and flee the planet to preserve the population, but their ambitions had no chance of success in this troubled world.

The Rangers regarded the Nanomachine Swarm a superior life that was far surpassing humankind and dominating the world. They worshipped it like God and thought that the world and the human race survived by the grace of the Nanomachine Swarm. So, they were loyal to their ‘master’ in a manic way, only hoping to gain a place in the new world when the Nanomachine Swarm decided to revamp the world.

But what was the response of the Nanomachine Swarm?

It did not respond. It was only quietly flowing in the Gray River. Whether it was a personal attack or attempt to control hostility or worship, all seemed to be meaningless to them. They just operated strictly following pre-set laws—non-proliferation, non-diminishing, and hostile to the outside world, but it would not hesitate to swallow the risk-takers who trespassed the north.

Ulyanov looked at the opposite side of the Gray River. His visor reflected the last light of the day. “People who live in other sides of the wasteland always forget where the world’s biggest crisis is. They will even forget that the world is still strapped to a bomb. Only by coming here and seeing the surging Grey River, you will realize from the bottom of your heart that the world is standing on thin ice. We can live until today was because of an incomprehensible and uncontrollable reason. When I was a researcher, I once did a topic to explore how two completely different life forms would come together after human exposure to alien life. But I didn’t expect the answer to be like this. There is now an incomprehensible life form different from human beings on the planet. Their relationship is unknown.”

“Maybe it is just because they have no way to communicate,” Hao Ren looked thoughtfully at the grey liquid that was about to solidify. “I also believe that the Nanomachine Swarm has already evolved to becoming capable of thinking. It’s just that it thinks differently from humans. They had stopped for a reason; maybe they just wanted to communicate with humans?”

“You are not the first to put forward this idea,” Ulyanov turned his head slightly. “But it is nothing more than a wild guess.”

Nolan suddenly whispered to himself. “Perhaps they stopped spreading just because the world couldn’t deal with such complicated things.”

“Huh?” Hao Ren did not hear clearly.

Nolan shook her head and turned to leave. “Nothing. Grey River has set. Let’s roll!”

The hazy sky had made it hard to know the position of the sun. But the slowly fainting glow in the atmosphere meant that dusk is nearing the end. The viscous liquid in Grey River had solidified just as Nolan had said as if liquid metal cooled and solidified rapidly into a shiny metallic surface. There were even frozen ripples and busted bubbles on the surface of the solidified river.

Such was an incomprehensible nature of the Gray River. No one knew why the Nanomachine Swarm would periodically solidify but only interpreted it as the result of program mutation.

After the mercenaries got into the cars, the three armored vehicles began to edge carefully to the river. Only when they were convinced that the river had completely hardened, the first car got onto it cautiously. A while ago, the Nanomachine Swarm was still liquid, and now it had become as hard as steel. Running on the surface, the heavy armored vehicles did not even leave behind a single trace of scratches. Hao Ren was waiting with the team in the second car. Ulyanov noticed Hao Ren was fiddling with the electromagnetic hibernator and quickly warned him. “Don’t fiddle with that thing; it will mess up the frequency.”

“I’ve heard that this stuff could hypnotize the Nanomachine Swarm?” Hao Ren asked.

“Yes. The Naturals may not have seen this thing, but mercenaries in Lawless District use it,” Ulyanov pointed at the little device. “It has two systems, corresponding to these two green indicator lights: one main and one spare. It would allow you to appear like their own in the eyes of the Nanomachine Swarm so that it will not attack you. But once the hypnosis stops, the Nanomachine Swarm will surge up immediately. Even if the solidified Grey River will wake up instantly.”

While saying, Ulyanov raised his hand and pointed at the ceiling of the carriage. “We have a bigger version in the car. So when you go out, and something is wrong with your device, run back to the armored vehicle as fast as you can. If you are fast enough, maybe you can survive.”

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“So don’t play with that gadget,” Nolan threw Hao Ren a glance. “Report immediately if a red indicator lights up. It will be too late if both systems are down.”

The lead vehicle sent back a message; it was safe to go. The other two cars began to drive down the riverbank onto the river cautiously. Hao Ren felt the car jolted, and the nervous expressions of the mercenaries’ faces. He asked with curiously, “If Grey River is so dangerous, why we don’t take the air route?”

“There are also Nanomachine Swarm in the air,” Ulyanov said, without ridiculing Hao Ren’s ignorance. Most people did not study the environment of the northern ruins. “The atmospheric purification model, but now it has become a plague over the ruins of the north. They are symbiotic with the clouds and, occasionally, they fall to a distance of only one hundred meters above the ground and attack any aircraft in the air.”

A White River Consortium researcher sitting at the back of the car suddenly said, “Floating Nanomachines are in the air. When the aircraft flies, it sucks them into the combustion chambers. The Nanomachine Swarm regards this as an attack signal. They destroy the aircraft to protect their kind.”

“I thought you were all mute,” Ulyanov looked up at them. “You sound like speaking for the Nanomachine Swarm.”

The white-haired researcher appeared unfazed. “I’m a scientist. I only tell what I have discovered.”

Ulyanov shrugged. “What a coincidence. I was also a scientist before I picked up the gun.”

“That’s enough. Be courteous to the clients,” said Nolan, interrupting Ulyanov. She then looked at the four members of White River Consortium. “Please cooperate with us as much as possible; it would be a pity if any three of you die. My order is to make sure one of you survive.”

There was a sudden chill in the atmosphere. Hao Ren realized that Nolan was not only knowledgeable and experienced in combat but also having a sharp tongue.

The Gray River was unusually large. Fearing that it would disturb the Nanomachine Swarm, the armored vehicles were not going very fast. But that would take a longer time to cross the river. Outside, the dull gray world made people tired. Hao Ren yawned a couple of times and leaned back on the carriage to get some shut-eye.

A voice, seemingly of the MDT, sounded into his head, “…what do you want to find there?”

“Perhaps, the tentacles of the First Born,” Hao Ren replied in a stunned voice. “The collapse of the world started sixty-five years ago, and the loss of control of the Nanomachine Swarm was the root of everything. If this is not a human-made disaster, it can only be a natural disaster. I heard that the core vessel of the Nanomachine Swarm is underground. Perhaps the vessel had dug too deep, almost reaching a tentacle of the First Born…”

“…what if you couldn’t find it?”

“Go somewhere else. If worse comes to worst, I will do the digging myself,” Hao Ren said.

“What if the thing you are looking for isn’t here? Will you leave?”

“Leave? Why leave?” Hao Ren felt a little sober now. “I haven’t finished the job yet.”

“Leave as soon as you can. The place will not last long…”

Hao Ren suddenly woke up. He quickly called the MDT. “What were you talking about just now?”

“I’m in the midst of practicing walking. You’ve dreamed?”