Xiao Jinyu reiterated and emphasized multiple times, and finally, 004 reluctantly gave up recounting his fondness for his father’s childhood photos, one word at a time.
【Dad】
【Used】
【To】
【Look】
During the 60-second interval, Xiao Jinyu directly typed out what 004 wanted to say: [Yes, this is how I looked.]
004: 【( =·ω·= )】
Xiao Jinyu looked at the emoticons on the phone screen that hadn’t disappeared for a long time. He lowered his eyes, and his fair fingers quickly tapped on the cold screen: [Have you ever seen me before?]
【Of course not.】
Xiao Jinyu paused: [Has Su Jiuzhou left?]
【The old pervert has completely left Zhongdu, I’m sure of it!】
[Are you sure? When we were at the Logic Research Institute before, you said that because the problem of the Spear of Judgment’s collapse had been temporarily resolved, you wouldn’t even sense his presence if Su Jiuzhou came before you. But now you’re very sure he’s really gone?]
【If he hasn’t left, then he hasn’t.】
[?]
【Even if he finds out and comes to kill me, ╭(╯^╰)╮ I’m not afraid of him.】
Xiao Jinyu: “…”
So this is just being reckless.
…
【But Dad, why are you helping the old pervert solve his logic collapse problem?】
【Given the speed of his collapse, he’ll probably only live for another year at most.】
【 o(￣ヘ￣o＃)】
【Almost managed to outlive that old pervert!】
Xiao Jinyu paused.
004 continued to rant, the little robot tirelessly listing Su Jiuzhou’s numerous heinous acts of oppression, as if his crimes were too numerous to record. However, at the heart of it, there was only one question it kept repeating:
“Why did you help him?”
Why help the Spear of Judgment?
The question was so simple it was almost laughable.
—Because they were all human.
Xiao Jinyu didn’t continue on this topic and casually changed the subject.
[Do you still remember a person named Shang Sijin?]
Being a simple-minded robot, 004 was angrily cursing the old pervert one moment, and the next: 【Who?】
[In the early hours of the 31st of last month, I asked you in a coffee shop if you knew about Piggy Shampoo’s condition, and whether he was still alive. After that, a user appeared beside me. Did you notice?]
【(?·ω·?) Did this happen, Dad?】
[Yes, that morning you also said you wanted to fight Ivy.]
【I won!】
Xiao Jinyu: “…”
【Did any user appear around you that day, Dad? I didn’t notice.】
[Could it be that your attention was on Ivy and you didn’t notice?]
【That’s possible. But besides that, there are two other possibilities.】
[What are they?]
【The first possibility is that he was a very weak user. For me, users below Level Three are like a drop of water. When water blends into the ocean, the ocean certainly doesn’t notice.】
【The second possibility is that he was a very strong user. At least… before A10. If he deliberately concealed himself and was far from my main body, I might not sense him either.】
…
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Shang Sijin.
Ktf Mjmfifrr Zjc.
Itjcu Ljlzljcu.
Wljb Alcse’r olcufgr agjmfv atf rwbbat glw bo atf ktlaf qbgmfijlc meq jr tlr ujhf ugfk vlrajca. Ktf cewyfg bo qfbqif lc atf mbooff rtbq ugjvejiis vklcvifv, jcv atf glmt jgbwj bo mbooff oliifv fnfgs mbgcfg bo atf rabgf. Llr fsfr lcnbiecajglis rfaaifv bc atf fwqas mtjlg bqqbrlaf tlw, yglculcu tlw yjmx ab tlr rfcrfr.
[Do you have any impression of Meijia Pharmaceuticals?]
【Dad, are you talking about the place where those humans found me?】
【When I gained consciousness, the first time I opened my eyes, I was locked in a lab.】
【The lab wasn’t big, filled with scattered drugs, test tubes, and reagents everywhere. My special abilities aren’t related to physical strength, so I couldn’t force open the lab door and had to stay inside.】
【After that, those nasty humans caught me.】
[You stayed in the Meijia Pharmaceuticals lab for at least three years. Did anything special happen during that time?]
【No.】
【（○｀ 3′○）】
【It was quite boring.】
Pollution Zone No. 132 in the central city, Meijia Pharmaceuticals.
This was where 004 was found.
At the same time, in another factory warehouse just 500 meters away from Meijia Pharmaceuticals, the Faceless Man, Zhang Haixiang, was also imprisoned.
If the fake Zhang Haixiang chose this place to imprison the real Zhang Haixiang, it was definitely not by accident; he must have had a purpose. His objective seemed quite apparent—he was targeting Meijia Pharmaceuticals.
What was so special about Meijia Pharmaceuticals?
Or perhaps, his true intention… was 004?!
***
Leaving the coffee shop, Xiao Jinyu followed his phone’s map and took the subway to the second victim’s home, which was relatively close by.
‘Ling Yunyun, female. In December 2025, she worked as a trainee nurse in the obstetrics and gynecology department of Jiuhua Hospital. In March 2043, she died in a car accident when she ran a red light while crossing the street on her way home.’
There was surveillance footage of Ling Yunyun at the intersection when she died. According to the records, there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding her death.
Ling Yunyun was a staunch non-marriage advocate. When Xiao Jinyu arrived at the Ling family home, he met only her parents.
Elderly Mr. and Mrs. Ling burst into tears at the mention of their daughter’s death. After comforting each other, they finally managed to gather their spirits and described the events leading to their daughter’s death to Xiao Jinyu: “Yunyun was only 36 when she died. It was a Sunday, and she had signed up for a yoga class. She went every week. Her yoga instructor said she wasn’t feeling well that day and decided to leave after just half an hour. No one expected… no one expected…”
Mrs. Ling’s sobs echoed sorrowfully, making it difficult for her to speak.
Mr. Ling’s face was filled with sorrow: “Yunyun ran a red light, so she was found fully at fault. But later, we thought it was impossible. Our daughter was always very law-abiding. How could she run a red light for no reason? So, we signed the autopsy consent form. The coroner said Yunyun’s white blood cell count was high at the time of her death, and other special indicators showed that she might have had a fever when she ran the red light.”
Mrs. Ling: “Because of the fever, she left the yoga class early to go home. It was also because of the fever that she felt dizzy and accidentally ran the red light!”
Xiao Jinyu paused for a moment, softly offering a few words of comfort.
He then inquired about some details, including whether Ling Yunyun had met any special people or encountered any unusual events before her death. He also asked for the specific location of the intersection where she died and whether any special incidents occurred in the vicinity at that time.
Mr. and Mrs. Ling had vivid memories of their only daughter’s death and answered each question clearly, denying any unusual circumstances.
– Like Zhang Xiaoqi’s accidental drowning, there were no suspicious aspects to Ling Yunyun’s death.
***
【Oh, Dad, Dad, Dad!】
【My dear dad~~】
The deafening roar of the subway reverberated through the dark, confined tunnel. Xiao Jinyu pondered the testimonies from Zhang Xiaoqi and Ling Yunyun’s families, his eyes glancing at the screen filled with messages of 004’s playful antics.
【I want to see dad again.】
【-V- Looking at dad’s childhood photos, slurp…】
Xiao Jinyu: “…”
Your tone is definitely off!
Casually brushing off 004, Xiao Jinyu opened the files given by Li Xiaoxiao.
It was now certain that among the eight victims, Wang Mengmeng, Professor Huang, and his mother had died due to three different logic chains.
If Ling Yunyun and Zhang Xiaoqi had also fallen victim to a logic chain, then the logic chain that led to their deaths was definitely different from the three associated with Professor Huang.
That would make five logic chains…
So many.
Including the pollutants, it would mean there were at least five different pollutants involved.
The organization behind these actions was so vast that they had numerous ways to kill the medical staff from Jiuhua Hospital back then. Why did they take a full twenty-one years, with such long intervals, to kill them one by one?
Could it be that the time interval also had special significance?
Startled by this thought, Xiao Jinyu hurriedly continued to go through the documents. Just as he opened his phone, a message popped up.
【Su Jiuzhou: How’s it going?】
The young man’s fingers hovered over the screen.
【Xiao Jinyu: No anomalies found in Ling Yunyun’s death either.】
After a few seconds.
【Have you reached Haidu?】
【Yes. Pan Yue is still hiding something.】
Xiao Jinyu: 【What do you mean?】
Su Jiuzhou: 【He only provided “Boss Jin’s” contact information, a nickname, and the logic chain that allows him to change his appearance. But he knows more than that.】
One message after another came through.
【He once ‘sold’ Piggy Shampoo to an accomplice. This accomplice should be “Boss Jin.”】
【”Boss Jin” can use not only Zhang Haixiang’s face but also the logic chain “Wind Blowing Fart.”】
【So…】
Xiao Jinyu mentally completed the half sentence: So, Pan Yue must know that Boss Jin can use other people’s logic chains as well.
This ability bore some resemblance to the Fourth Perspective.
But it was also significantly different.
The Fourth Perspective mimicked others’ logic chains, and when used, the original owner of the logic chain wouldn’t notice anything unusual, nor would they sense it. “Boss Jin’s” ability seemed more like deprivation. He deprived Zhang Haixiang of his face and also his logic chain.
Now lying in the hospital, the Faceless Man was just an ordinary person who had lost his face and everything else.
Xiao Jinyu: 【Given the time, did you just experience a logic collapse?】
As if not expecting this question, there was a long pause on the other end of the phone.
Su Jiuzhou: 【Five minutes ago.】
That was precisely when he suddenly contacted him.
Xiao Jinyu typed calmly: 【So you suddenly thought to ask about the progress here in Zhongdu?】
Su Jiuzhou: 【^_^】
Xiao Jinyu: “…”
Xiao Jinyu calmly closed the chat window and continued to review the documents.
He didn’t feel much about it.
A01, the Spear of Judgment.
He and this man were merely acquaintances, not particularly close. Their relationship wasn’t as deep as his with Zhao Hen.
At this moment.
Haidu, Extermination Squad Headquarters.
Xu Qi was leading Su Jiuzhou toward the underground cells when he noticed the man in black had stopped. Turning back, he asked in surprise, “Colonel Su?”
Su Jiuzhou lowered his phone, “Hm?”
Xu Qi: “What’s going on? You’ve been messaging non-stop. Did something happen?”
“Something happened?” Su Jiuzhou’s eyes showed a hint of surprise, “Why do you think something happened?”
Xu Qi was very straightforward: “Because you look like something’s bothering you.”
Su Jiuzhou was slightly taken aback, then laughed, “You’ve misunderstood.”
Xu Qi blurted out, “Then clear up the misunderstanding?” He spoke from experience: “Lately, my parents have been pushing me to go on blind dates. You know how dangerous our job is; living day by day is already a blessing. Not just the risk of dying at the hands of pollutants, polluters, or enemies, but even dying from logic collapse or logic overload is commonplace. But my parents insist on me going on blind dates. It’s not fair to the girl, right?”
This time, Su Jiuzhou genuinely paused, looking at Xu Qi with a very peculiar expression.
Xu Qi seemed oblivious, pressing the elevator button while continuing his complaints: “So, I thought I’d act a bit odd to put the girls off. But after doing all sorts of bizarre things, the matchmaker said the girls all liked me more, thinking I was very manly.”
Su Jiuzhou: “What did you do?”
Xu Qi gave an example, “For instance, the girl was eating cake, and I said it looked good and that I wanted to try it too.”
“……”
“Isn’t that weird? It’s crazy, eating from someone else’s plate, shameless.”
“……”
“But she said it made me seem very approachable like I considered her one of my own.”
Su Jiuzhou elongated his tone, “You think that’s weird?”
Xu Qi replied righteously, “Isn’t it? That’s such typical mediocre middle-aged man behavior.”
“……”
“Colonel Su, why aren’t you saying anything? You still haven’t told me who misunderstood you.”
“After you ate her cake, did she eat any of your food?”
Xu Qi scratched his head, puzzled by the continued focus on this topic. “No, she was shy. What I did, she didn’t.”
“I see.” Su Jiuzhou smiled slightly. As the elevator arrived with a ding, he calmly walked in with his hands in his pockets. “But my girl did eat my cake.”
Xu Qi: “???”
The two entered the elevator.
After a while, Xu Qi couldn’t help but ask, “Colonel Su, are you in a relationship?”
Su Jiuzhou, without much thought, gently shook his head. “Just friends.”
“That’s good. I thought you were fighting with your girlfriend. Misunderstandings between friends are much easier to deal with than those with a girlfriend. I dated two girls in college, and those misunderstandings were impossible to explain.”
A cool, clean face flashed in Su Jiuzhou’s mind, causing his gaze to momentarily freeze. He earnestly agreed, “Girlfriends are very troublesome.”
Xu Qi: “Aren’t they just? How many have you dated?”
Su Jiuzhou’s smile stiffened.
A01, his expression indifferent, stepped calmly out of the elevator.
***
The next morning.
After visiting two victims’ families the previous day, excluding his own family and one that had moved away from the central city, Xiao Jinyu planned to visit the remaining six households today.
Suddenly, his phone rang, and Xiao Jinyu answered.
“Department Head Li.”
Li Xiaoxiao: “Xiao Jinyu. In the past two days, the Maintenance Department has investigated the relevant information of the deceased. I started with those who died more recently, as their records are more complete. Yesterday, I looked into the presence of any users around the time of death for Ling Yunyun and Li Yao.”
Xiao Jinyu’s expression turned serious. “And the result?”
“Li Yao died from a brawl. He got drunk at a bar and started a fight with the next table. The opponent was a big guy who accidentally broke one of Li Yao’s ribs with a punch. The broken bone pierced his liver, and he died from it. I checked the bar’s patron records; there were no users present.”
“But then, there’s Ling Yunyun.”
In Xiao Jinyu’s mind, the heart-wrenching cries of the two elderly parents from last night resurfaced instantly.
“Do you mean there was a user near the intersection where Ling Yunyun died?”
“Not at the intersection.”
“Hmm?”
“It was at the yoga class Ling Yunyun attended. It’s more like a dance club, offering not just yoga but also ballroom dance, cha-cha, street dance…
“And, samba classes.”
Xiao Jinyu was completely taken aback.
Li Xiaoxiao continued, “On March 29, 2043, at 3:00 PM, Ling Yunyun arrived at her yoga class on time. An hour earlier, a Level One user named ‘Sexy Samba’ Zhao Hen had already arrived at the adjacent samba class. He was attending his two-hour samba lesson.”
——————–
Elephant Dance: What a typical, greasy, middle-aged, ordinary man’s behavior! Right, right, Colonel Su!
Ninth Sister: ^_^ You just wait and see if I chop you up or not. [Judgment Spear gathering…ing…]
Brother Zhao, unaware he might soon be a suspect (?): Oh, samba!
The love is blooming 😍
Thank you for the update 🖤💯
I wonder if Boss Jin will turn out to be XJ’s bio dad?