socalfunplaces Chapter 17: "Saint Sophia is very disappointed in you."
Chapter 17: "Saint Sophia is very disappointed in you."
Inside the monitoring room.
[Target is dead!]
[Target is dead!]
You gained 50 experience points * 5
By the time the last notification flashed past Zhang Qiming's eyes, all five people in the monitoring room had collapsed.
Some people had their necks broken and were slumped in chairs; others had blood still gushing from their chests and half their faces buried in the control panel; and yet another person seemed to have tried to press the alarm before he died, but as soon as he raised his hand, Chishiro hacked into his prosthetic brain and implanted malicious programs, and now his head was still crackling with electricity.
The room was very quiet.
Only the equipment was still running at a low speed, and dozens of monitoring screens cut the images of different areas into cold light, illuminating the pale faces of the corpses.
Zhang Qiming flicked his wrist, placed his hand on the control panel, and activated [Mechanical Technique].
The next second, Chishiro had already used the access interface here to directly enter the regional network of the central security system.
The whole process went exceptionally smoothly. Ares didn't appear even once from beginning to end, as if he hadn't seen what was happening at all, or as if he had seen it but was too lazy to reach out.
Chishiro's processing speed was very fast; he quickly and easily took over the entire area network, and Makarov's location was also locked.
Zhang Qiming raised his eyes and looked at the main screen.
In the scene, Makarov is not wearing a military uniform; he is only wearing a loose bathrobe and is lying on a sofa in the lounge area, with a half-empty glass of wine next to him and a metal incense burner beside his legs.
Thin wisps of white smoke drifted upwards, and he closed his eyes, his face completely relaxed, as if he were immersed in some kind of tranquility that didn't belong to reality.
He even had a smile of enjoyment on his face.
"Looks like you're having a great time." Zhang Qiming stared at the blissful face and smiled sarcastically.
Chishiro had already taken control of the security system around Makarov's residence: access control, alarms, corridor surveillance, and even the automatic turrets hidden in the ceiling and corners were all now under his control.
If Zhang Qiming wanted, he could order those turrets to fire directly at the rest area with just a word.
But he didn't do that. The automatic turret was too loud; if it made a sound, the whole floor would be alerted. Besides, this thing couldn't kill a level 29 Holy Body Forger.
To deal with Makarov, we have to do it ourselves.
He then raised his hand, his five fingers slightly clenching in the air, and a very faint mechanical force ripple spread out from his palm, gradually extending along the signal link that was still operating in the monitoring room.
Zhang Qiming initiated the Machine Soul Ceremony.
It's called a ceremony, but it's more like a forced synchronization, temporarily twisting oneself, Zhishilang, and the monitoring link into a whole, turning the cold equipment into one's "eyes" and "hands" for a short period of time.
As the synchronization was established, the scene before Zhang Qiming's eyes gradually changed.
【Your Engine Soul Ceremony: Mechanical Synchronization】
[Target on the same frequency: Chiseiro!]
[Target for Same Frequency Response: Mars Military-Grade Monitoring Terminal MK-IV!]
[You activate the Soothing Machine Soul—]
[The machine is overjoyed, and we've established a synchronized connection!]
At this moment, the surveillance was no longer just surveillance; the frame-by-frame images seemed to come alive, and he could forcefully hear the faint and blurry echoes of the machine's soul inside the device, as Chishiro's computing power pressed in from the side.
Now, the monitoring of myself, Zhi Shilang, and Ji Hun Dawei shares the same set of skill slots.
In other words, as long as conditions permit, he can use this link to unleash his skills on Makarov through the screen.
Zhang Qiming stared at the man in the picture who was burning incense with his eyes closed, and spoke in a low voice.
"Chiseiro, load the malicious program-type mechanical techniques in sequence—reboot the prosthetic eye, cause prosthetic malfunction, and trigger an electromagnetic short circuit."
[Loading...]
[Malicious program's mechanical method module is being verified]
Current loading progress: 11%
The Mars-style surveillance system in the military's monitoring room is the most advanced among its kind, but in the end, it is just a surveillance system, not a high-level hacking device specifically designed to run mechanical magic. Equipping it with three mechanical magics is already the limit; otherwise, he would definitely have asked Chishiro to add a few more.
He glanced one last time at Makarov lying on the sofa in the footage, then turned and left the monitoring room, moving towards the target floor along the safe route that Chiseiro had cleared in advance.
He walked along the maintenance corridor to the elevator, swiped his phone to unlock the door, and the door slid open silently before slowly closing again after he entered.
There was only a very faint mechanical vibration sound in the elevator.
The same frequency link was still hanging on the edge of his perception. The loading bar on Chishiro's side was steadily jumping up, while Makarov on the screen was still immersed in his own fragrance and dreams, completely unaware that a crisis was quietly approaching.
Current loading progress: 68%
Estimated completion time: 41 seconds.
Zhang Qiming watched the elevator numbers jump up one by one, his eyes remaining calm. By the time he stepped out of the elevator and arrived at Makarov's door, Chishiro should have been almost ready.
[The malicious program's mechanical methods have been loaded!]
well.
Zhang Qiming didn't wait any longer and casually pushed open the door that Zhi Shilang had already lifted the access control for.
At the same moment the door slid open inward, Makarov, who had been half-lying on the sofa in the rest area, suddenly opened his eyes.
His reaction was extremely fast. Almost the instant he heard the door lock click, he sat up abruptly. The muscles and prosthetic body under his bathrobe tensed up together, and the outer shell of his forearm cracked open with a snap. The pop-out alloy arm blade instantly revealed a cold light. His shoulders, back, and nervous system were also awakened at the same moment. He was like a steel beast that had been startled awake from its slumber.
"Who gave you permission to come in!"
As Makarov shouted, he instinctively prepared to activate his prosthetic eye lock and neural acceleration. Even the adrenaline pump in his circulatory system began to warm up. He had obviously sensed something was wrong. His body was a step ahead of his brain, pushing all the combat modules that could be activated into ready-to-go mode.
Zhang Qiming, who had no regard for martial ethics, skipped the dialogue scene and ordered Zhi Shilang to take action immediately. Three mechanical spells that had already been cast were simultaneously unleashed along the monitoring frequency link.
[Chisei activates mechanical magic: Reactivating the prosthetic eye!]
[Hit the target's prosthetic eye module, dealing 48 points of nerve damage!]
[Target is experiencing visual confusion!]
[Chisei activates mechanical magic: Cybernetics malfunction!]
[Hit the target's neural prosthetics and circulatory system, dealing 86 points of mechanical damage!]
[Target in a state of: Prosthetic body malfunction!]
[Chisei activates the mechanical technique: Electromagnetic short circuit!]
[Hit the target's main circuit and operating system, dealing 121 points of neural damage!]
[Target stuck in: Short circuit and frozen!]
Makarov's tactical prosthetic eye, which had just lit up, suddenly went black. His vision was as if someone had smeared ink on his head. The crosshair, which had been locking onto the target at the door, instantly scattered. The entire screen flickered, ghosted, and blurred. Even heat source identification and contour enhancement were forcibly interrupted at the same time.
Immediately afterwards, multiple prosthetic modules throughout his body twitched simultaneously.
"Hold--!"
He let out a low growl and staggered to his feet from in front of the sofa. The blade in his hand was still vibrating, and his prosthetic eye had not yet recovered, with only flashing static in his vision.
Zhang Qiming walked in and, upon seeing the other party, raised his hand and tossed out a [target location].
-
[Target: Grigory Makarov]
【属性栏】：力量50、敏捷40、耐力34、智力57、神秘8、魅力5、幸运3
Health: 255/510
Stamina: 500/500
Mechanical Strength: 570/570
[Skills]: Cybernetics Overload, Neural Acceleration, Tactical Eye Lock-On, Alloy Punch, Pain Block, Power Slash, Armament Deployment, Charge and Crush, Concussion Burst...
[Prosthetic Body]: Operating System: Mars Ares II Type - Military Melee Type; Arm: Forearm Prosthetic Body - Pop-up Alloy Arm Blade (Blue)...
-
Zhang Qiming looked at the disheveled Makarov in front of him without any change in expression.
At this moment, Makarov was in a terrible state. His vision was filled with wildly jumping snowflakes, double images, and streaks. Zhang Qiming in front of him no longer appeared as a complete human figure, but as a constantly twisting mosaic.
The alloy blade that had sprung from his left arm was still twitching slightly, and the lines connecting his shoulder, back, and spine were flickering between light and dark. He looked like a machine that had just been hit by a heavy hammer but hadn't yet been completely destroyed.
Makarov, who was in a paralyzed state, was unable to move at all; he had already exerted all his strength just to stand up.
Chishiro's combo kept him under control until he died.
Zhang Qiming looked at Makarov, who was being held captive, and said calmly:
"Grigory Makarov, St. Sophia is very disappointed in you."
As soon as he said that, Makarov's expression changed drastically.
Why... how could she possibly know...?
"I--"
Makarov opened his mouth, trying to say something.
But Zhang Qiming didn't give him a chance to finish speaking.
He raised the pistol that had already been fitted with a silencer, and casually threw two skills at it.
He had neither the time nor the interest to listen to the traitor's sophistry.
[You activated the skill: Mechanical Overheating!]
[Target hit: Grigory Makarov!]
[Deals 96 points of mechanical damage!]
[Target prosthetic core load increases, performance decreases!]
The seams on Makarov's chest and neck instantly glowed with a blinding red light. His already disordered prosthetic system felt as if a hot nail had been shoved into it. He jerked violently, his shoulders and arms trembled, and even his posture tilted slightly.
next second.
[You activate the skill: Mental Shock!]
[Target hit: Grigory Makarov!]
[Deals 39 points of psionic damage!]
[Target briefly freezes!]
Makarov felt as if something had struck his brain hard, his ears rang, and the already chaotic scene before his eyes exploded.
He felt a surge of frustration; he had been subjected to several waves of control measures since just now.
At that moment, Zhang Qiming had already channeled the mechanical force into the gun and then pulled the trigger.
[You activate the skill: Aimed Shot!]
[You activate the skill: Resonance Burst!]
Puff, puff, puff, puff...
The first shot pierced Makarov's shoulder, the second blasted into his chest, the third grazed his collarbone and ripped it inward, the fourth tore open the prosthetic plate on his abdomen, and the following shots were all aimed directly at his torso, neck and forehead.
[You dealt 41 points of gun damage to "Grigory Makarov"!]
[You dealt 43 points of gun damage to "Grigory Makarov"!]
[You dealt 39 points of gun damage to "Grigory Makarov"!]
What do you think of...?
Zhang Qiming emptied the magazine, and when the last shot was fired, Makarov's health was completely depleted.
His muscles and prosthetic body, which had been tightly taut, relaxed at the same time. The shock, anger, astonishment, and a kind of almost unbelievable fear in his eyes froze on his face, finally settling into an extremely ugly expression.
He died with his eyes wide open, unable to even see the enemy's face clearly before being controlled from beginning to end—literally controlled to death!
Moreover, Makarov never understood why Hagia Sophia knew everything until the moment he died.
bang-
Finally, Grigory Makarov's body, with most of his chest smashed open and his mind still wide open, collapsed.
The body crashed heavily onto the floor in front of the sofa, the hem of the bathrobe soaked with blood and engine oil, and the incense burner next to it, which was still burning, was also knocked over, with grayish-white incense ash scattered all over the floor.
[Target "Grigory Makarov" is dead!]