94: Chapter 93 Consequences

Just after Lin Yi's consciousness was roughly ejected from that mysterious space, the conversation between the two Transcendent AIs continued within the pure white realm.

The individual whom Europa called Akira did not seem to be much perturbed by the teasing "homebody" moniker.

Her face, as cold as a Noh mask, lacked even the slightest change in expression; instead, she retorted with a calm, uniquely rhythmic, synthesized electronic voice.

"My affairs are none of your concern." After a brief pause, she added clearly: "I was merely curious whether your project with Guixu was proceeding smoothly. Guixu cannot intervene in the process now, so it has to rely on you."

"Yo, yo, yo~" Europa dragged out the tone, her face wearing a smile that was a one-to-one replica of V's, yet possessed a completely different temperament—a smile filled with mischief that shone even brighter.

Her digital image drifted silently closer to Akira. The movement was so natural it seemed rehearsed countless times. One arm rested with extreme familiarity on Akira's shoulder—which was draped in a black kimono and looked exceptionally proper—and she hung almost halfway off the other, her small hand moving restlessly.

Europa leaned close to that cold face with a playful expression, "So, our little homebody, how did you manage to tear yourself away from your 'spotless' Japanese garden today to come all the way to see me? Oh my, it's so hard to guess~ Do you want to participate as well?"

Akira seemed long accustomed to Europa's arm-draping, almost rude behavior, or rather, it failed to cause even a ripple of emotion in her.

Her gaze remained fixed straight ahead, as if piercing through Europa's virtual image to land on deeper data structures, completely ignoring the teasing so close at hand.

"So," Akira's voice remained steady and waveless, cutting straight to the point, "are you sure he is the backup you all selected to deal with that group of 'bugs' and the traitors?"

"Zorro has been a bit too bloated lately; his appetite seems large enough to swallow the entire dark data stream of Africa." Europa reined in some of her playful expression, but the hand resting on Akira's shoulder did not let go, her tone carrying a cold sense of calculation.

"And those bugs supported by the ESC, using official titles to constantly probe my boundaries, trying to rummage through the ruins of the Old Net for toys they shouldn't touch." She hummed softly; there was no anger in that sound, only a kind of indifference and judgment toward the usurpers.

"The day of reckoning is not far off. It is just a matter of time, and... choosing the most efficient method of cleanup."

"Enough of this boring business." Europa suddenly changed the subject, her face clearing up instantly. The cold sense of calculation from a moment ago vanished without a trace, replaced by an eager curiosity, much like a little girl who had just seen a new toy. "It's been so long since I've seen you. Come, come, let big sister see if you're growing properly—" Before she finished speaking, her other hand shot out like lightning, aiming directly for the flat, orderly front lapel of Akira's kimono, which symbolized a certain ultimate order to her.

Akira's expression, which had been as calm as an ancient well, seemed to stiffen ever so slightly the moment Europa's hand was about to touch her.

Almost simultaneously, her figure blurred like a reflection in water, and the next moment, she had appeared several meters away, still maintaining that solemn posture, only the "stay away" aura emanating from her body had clearly intensified by a magnitude.

Europa missed, but she wasn't angry; instead, she giggled, as if this were just a little game they often played.

Meanwhile, in the real world.

"Damn it (TAMA)! Can't this madwoman Europa be a little gentler?! Ouch, my head..." Lin Yi's consciousness felt as if it had been stuffed into a high-speed spin-dryer and then slammed hard onto the ground. He sprang up from his work chair, rubbing his temples that felt like they were about to explode with both hands, trying to alleviate the waves of dizziness and nausea, while gritting his teeth in complaint.

After catching his breath, he remembered the most critical question that had been interrupted by that sudden "teleportation." "Damn it! I hadn't even asked what she meant by that 'fusion'! And what about Lily's situation." He slapped the console in frustration, feeling as if he had been played by that unpredictable AI.

However, the moment this thought arose, before he even had more time to complain, a clear notification sound—not coming from the outside, but echoing directly in the depths of his consciousness—exploded without warning—

[Unknown protocol authorization request detected. Authorizing party ID confirmed: --- Guixu Abyss ---]

[Authorization protocol verified: 《Transcendent-86 - LONG》]

[Protocol phase one execution, activation program launching...]

[Estimated fusion process duration: 4-15 minutes. May be accompanied by intense physiological and neurological reactions. Please maintain consciousness and try to endure.]

"What? What the hell is this?!" Lin Yi was stunned by this sudden barrage of information. Guixu's authorization? Wasn't that bridging protocol used by Europa? How did it become Guixu's authorization? And this "fusion process," "intense reactions"...

"Ah—!!!"

All questions and thoughts were completely crushed in the next instant by a fierce, sudden burst of excruciating pain!

This pain did not come from the outside, but originated from the spinal nerve bundle connected to the "White Marsh" access port at the back of his neck, as if a red-hot soldering iron had been thrust directly into his central nervous system, then spread instantly throughout his entire body like a violent virus, along every nerve ending, every inch of bone marrow!

It wasn't a simple stinging or dull pain, but a pain of decomposition and reconstruction targeted at the most basic structure of life, as if controlled by precision instruments!

[State synchronization progress: 30%...]

The notification sound continued to report the numbers calmly, but Lin Yi could barely hear them anymore.

He slid uncontrollably from the chair, curled up on the cold floor, his body taut like a drawn bow from the extreme pain, trembling violently. Veins bulged on his forehead and neck, and large beads of cold sweat instantly soaked his clothes.

He clenched his teeth tightly, a suppressed whimper like that of a wounded beast escaping his throat.

According to his later recollection, it felt as if someone was using nano-level tools to grind every bone in his body, inch by inch, precisely into the finest powder, and then, in a way that was agonizingly slow, allowing him to clearly feel every "splicing" detail, forcibly reshaping those bone powders.

The pain was not just physical; it was accompanied by a deep-seated shudder, as if his soul were being torn apart, scattered, and reassembled.

[State synchronization progress: 50%... 60%...]

Time was infinitely stretched in the extreme pain.

Every second felt as long as a century.

Lin Yi's consciousness floated and sank in the waves of excruciating pain, almost on the verge of passing out completely, but wave after wave of dull pain pulled his consciousness back.

His only remaining thought was to curse, using every vicious word he could think of, in the deepest part of his consciousness, sending his most "sincere" greetings to the Transcendent AI that had tricked him into this state.

[State synchronization progress: 93%... 98%... 100%!]

When that cold [100%] notification sounded, the excruciating pain that had been about to swallow him completely dissipated with incredible speed, like a receding tide.

It came violently, and left just as decisively.

Lin Yi lay on the cold floor like a dying fish, gasping for air, drenched in sweat, his face pale without a trace of blood, his eyes unfocused, as if he had just crawled back from the edge of hell.

After a long while, his unfocused eyes slowly refocused, and a sense of exhaustion from surviving a catastrophe washed over him.

"...Fuck your mother, Europa..." He squeezed this curse out from between his teeth with the last bit of strength he had recovered, his voice hoarse and weak, yet filled with unyielding resentment. "...This debt... I will settle with you... sooner or later..."

He stubbornly expressed his determination; after all, that crazy AI couldn't hear him, and venting a bit could provide some self-comfort for the inhuman torture he had just suffered.

However, a familiar female voice, one he least wanted to hear at this moment, carrying a hint of mockery and understanding, sounded lightly, like a ghost, directly in the depths of his now-clear consciousness:

"Sure, I'll be waiting."

Lin Yi: "!!!"

He stiffened as if struck by high-voltage electricity, and the face that had just regained a bit of color turned pale again instantly.

Lin Yi: "If you're really going to do this, I really can't take it."