Chapter 187 - 53: He Really Did It

The Hyena across from Duan Fei immediately jumped up to flee, but the mech’s Reaction was faster.

Two new arms shot out from its legs. Their sharp chainsaws sliced through the Hyena’s legs, severing his mechanical limbs and sending him tumbling to the ground.

Sprawled on the floor, the Hyena spun around, whipped two pistols from his coat, and fired frantically at the mech.

The bullets struck its head with a series of metallic PINGS, but they couldn’t even leave a scratch on the reinforced mech.

Having neutralized the Hyena, the humanoid mech took heavy steps toward the door, each stride leaving an inch-deep footprint in the floor.

Just then, however, it sensed Duan Fei’s presence. It turned its head to face him and asked, "Where is your personal terminal?"

"I don’t have one. Is it required?" Duan Fei asked.

"Unauthorized removal of a personal terminal is an act of extreme immorality. You will be deducted 99,999 Morality points. As you do not possess a personal terminal, you are hereby judged to have -99,999 Morality points. For your extremely despicable behavior, you are sentenced to death! The sentence will be carried out immediately. You may now say your last words."

"You’re actually giving me time for last words? You’re too kind."

"Are you finished?"

"No. Look into my eyes."

Tapping his eyes, Duan Fei temporarily deactivated his Void Glasses, revealing his passive ability: [Eye of the Void].

Instantly, without the shield of the Glasses, the Void itself descended through Duan Fei’s eyes. Everyone present felt a shudder run through their very souls and began to scream uncontrollably.

Even with modified bodies, their flesh replaced by machine, their brains were still human—and still vulnerable to the Void’s influence.

The humanoid mech was closest to Duan Fei, and thus the most deeply affected.

It felt itself sinking into an endless darkness. A long-forgotten terror and pressure washed over it, reminding it of a sensation it hadn’t felt in ages: fear.

Its senses began to peel away. The people who had died by its hand began to appear, their mangled limbs clinging to its back, screaming themselves hoarse in its ear, "Why wouldn’t you let us go? We didn’t do anything wrong!"

"AHHHHHH!"

Intense pain made the humanoid mechs shriek. All three of them clutched their heads and screamed, plunging the room into chaos.

Amid the screaming, Duan Fei felt someone grab him, yank him out a window, and dash toward a sewer manhole on the side of the road.

A few shots blasted the manhole cover open. The person dragged Duan Fei down with them, then sprinted nimbly through the pipes, finally reaching some kind of control room.

The control room appeared to be a safe house. Inside was a moldy cot, a full maintenance rig, some food, and an emergency power source.

Igniting a gas lamp, the person who had brought Duan Fei there opened the maintenance rig. They took out a spare pair of legs and attached them, then pulled out two bottles of water and tossed one to Duan Fei.

"Drink up, Young Master."

"Thanks, Hyena."

Hyena cracked a small smile and looked Duan Fei up and down. "No personal terminal," he said. "So, are you some young master from the Glazed Tower, or just a really bold stowaway?"

"Couldn’t I just be some clueless country bumpkin?" Duan Fei asked.

"Impossible. The air in this world isn’t fit for natural humans anymore. We all need filters installed in our throats, otherwise we get black lung disease. Ever heard of it? Your alveoli slowly fill up with tiny particles of black carbon. You gradually lose the ability to breathe until you eventually drown in open air. It’s the cruelest death I know. I never want to witness it again."

"So, you’ve seen it happen?"

In response to Duan Fei’s question, Hyena fell silent for a long moment before sighing. "Yes. My mother. Our family only had enough money for one last filter, so she gave it to me. Her action was rated as highly moral. After she died, the Morality Standard awarded me fifty Morality points as a reward."

Hearing this, Duan Fei processed the information for a moment, then asked, "This ’Morality’ you keep mentioning... is it the kind of morality I’m thinking of?"

"It’s not."

"I haven’t even finished my question!"

"I’ve lived here this long. You think I don’t know what you’re about to ask?" Hyena chuckled. "I’m really starting to think you’re a stowaway now, because everyone here knows what Morality is. It’s a currency, but at the same time, it isn’t. Our every action is monitored by our personal terminals. Our behavior is reported to the Morality Standard, and in return, we earn Morality."

"You saw it in the bar. Morality can be used to buy food, drinks, or even for trade. That’s all it’s used for."

"Hold on." Duan Fei cut Hyena off. "Does that mean the Morality Standard can hear everything you’re saying right now?"

"No. The sewers are a blind spot. Personal terminals can’t report to the Morality Standard from here, so it’s safe. If any trouble starts, this is the place to run. Okay, come on."

"Where are we going?" Duan Fei asked.

"To get you a personal terminal. And don’t give me that look. I know there’s no such thing as a free lunch. I just get the feeling you’re a capable guy, and I want you to join me on a big job."

"I’m listening. But if it’s not something on the level of overthrowing society, then forget it. Don’t waste my time with all this cloak-and-dagger talk if you’re just going to suggest robbing a bank. I’m not bragging, but back home, I killed six people just by going to school. A bank job is easier than breathing for me."

Hyena looked at Duan Fei, about to laugh and call him out on his bluff.

But looking at Duan Fei’s expression, he had the sharp sense that the man wasn’t.

’He’d really done it!’