225. Mechanical Charter
Coulomb•Torque lowered his shoulders.
Leoz was definitely no tactician or strategist; he simply maximized whatever advantages he had at hand.
On one hand, his Charisma was overwhelming, prompting the entire planet to protect him.
On the other, his subordinates' execution was far too high, perfectly matching Leoz's mission requirements.
Not everyone can obtain these two traits, and even those who do might not replicate Leoz's actions.
But—
"Turing, Watt."
The two councilors heard his call and immediately turned, eyeing him in confusion.
Coulomb•Torque raised his head, a resolute, almost human-like glint in his electronic eyes:
"Gather the legion. Push the Saint Son core's output to full power."
"What does that mean?" Watt•Rivetsteel growled. "You planning to die?!"
Turing•Binary was startled, hastily saying, "Hey, Coulomb, are you nuts? Maxing the Saint Son core power will damage your consciousness—"
"At this point, you're still hoping to surrender and be captured by the [Crystal Tower]? You think those mages, those bigwigs, will spare traitors like us?"
Coulomb•Torque gazed at Sophia Marlin in the distance, who was continually drawing spirit energy from the spirit world to heal herself and her heroic army. He spoke in a deep voice:
"Give up your fantasies."
"We ended up here because we were oppressed in real life, cornered by the mages who rule this civilization, and so we chose to join the [Mechanical Society]. Even without the Holy Mother's nurturing, we'd still be pariahs rejected by civilization."
"They took everything from us. Our choices are either revolution—or death."
"Mashgegan has granted us a third path—be part of the [Mechanical Society] and wield our blades against the reality that oppressed us!"
Coulomb•Torque's gaze grew fanatical. Through his own speech, he hypnotized himself, gradually regaining unwavering faith in Mashgegan.
"We have no choice—we must proceed with the ritual. Turing, give me the 'institution.'"
Turing•Binary fell silent. He opened the armor on his chest, taking out an old piece of sheepskin parchment.
Such an artifact seemed utterly out of place amid the Mechanical's style, yet the councilors present all knew its age and significance.
"Every single 『Society Institution』 is a precious treasure left over from our [Society]'s era as a civilization. When it ascended into [Society], those cherished treasures became part of the collective, transcending even Star Abyss artifacts in power."
Coulomb•Torque murmured, unfolding the sheepskin.
"[Mechanical Civilization Community Charter]."
The moment that scroll was opened, the entire White Candle Star began to quake violently.
"I hereby proclaim to all citizens, wherever you dwell among the stars, whichever period of history you inhabit, whether you are alive or dead—you must remember: our wave of mechanizing the entire universe is the grand trend of the cosmos; none can hinder it."
The earth cracked, seas roared, beasts and monsters fled in all directions, magma surged over the land like a tsunami.
...
Faithkeep Village.
A great number of villagers collapsed onto the ground, bodies convulsing and wailing nonstop.
"What's going on?"
Nikita sprang upright, glancing around. Only he remained unaffected. He looked to his son-in-law Julian, whose face was stricken:
"Child, what's wrong?"
"Father…my bones…"
Julian rolled in agony on the ground. Nikita's gaze fell on his arm, pupils contracting.
Julian's skin had torn open, black metal spines growing forth. Cold circuit boards spread like fungal threads, replacing his blood vessels and nerves.
"This is…[Society] corruption?"
Nikita recalled his earlier military experience, his mind buzzing:
"Mr. Leoz—are you fighting against [Society]?"
...
Blue Chrysanthemum Village.
In the once-lively tavern, misery lay everywhere. People clawed at their skin as though mad, trying to rip it away. Some had their eyeballs melted by circuitry, staring in a mirror as optical nerves sprouted wires and fibers.
Wild beasts roamed into the village streets. Even weak goblins had plasma cannons growing from their hands, propelled on treads as they fired indiscriminately, their minds clouded. The entire village was plunged into collapse and chaos.
A girl named Jenny hid inside a water vat, peering through a gap at the madness outside.
Humans were being turned into machines alive, roaming like infected zombie undead. A moment ago, they were cordial spouses; now one slammed an electric saw and drill into the other's skull, savagely yanking out components and brain matter.
That once-lazy, adorable stray dog had turned into a vicious armored beast, devouring several people alive. It fused with electronic parts from their bodies, growing even larger, bristling with turrets and missile launchers. Seen from afar, it resembled a mobile arsenal.
Why…why is this happening?
Moments ago, everything was fine. Weren't these high-tech devices of the Night Butterfly folks only seen in the news? Didn't politicians claim war wouldn't affect daily life, that the future was bright, that our days would grow sweeter?
Why are people being turned into weapons, killing each other?
"Luther, where are you…save me, Luther…"
Just as Jenny sank into terror and despair, a voice sounded at her ear:
"Did you hear that voice?"
She turned to see there was actually a four- or five-year-old boy in the water vat. He gazed up innocently, asking in confusion:
"Ander heard a voice—big sister, did you hear it too?"
"Hear…what?" Jenny asked hesitantly.
"A mother's voice."
Ander whispered:
"A mother…so gentle, so stern, speaking in my mind."
A scorched stench flooded the water vat. Jenny shuddered, freezing.
"She said…"
Ander's flesh slowly liquefied, peeled away, fell off, revealing a metal skeleton and hollow electronic eyes. His still-beating heart was gradually consumed by metal, becoming a radiant engine that emitted dizzying radiation.
"Mashgegan's executor needs me…I don't need to think of anything…"
Ander opened his mouth, his tongue turned to cable, lunging at Jenny in a single bite!
"Sister, Mother said, glk…zzz…uh—urp!"
"Sister, tasty."
...
Shing!
Nastisha withdrew her magitech gunblade, slicing a mutated survivor apart. She unleashed a bolt of lightning that cleared an entire street, her expression grim:
"These are proto-citizens corrupted by [Society]—what's going on? The [Secret Society] should have been driven out long ago; White Candle Star's immunity should last at least five hundred years…"
"Maybe it's another [Society] eyeing us!"
Her colleague Ye Wangnan spread a tangle of monstrous vegetation, shredding a horde of mutated proto-citizens. Her newly bought dress was stained with blood.
Nastisha frowned:
"How's that possible? We beat the [Secret Society] before. Isn't it said that other [Societies], sensing the aura of the [Secret Society], wouldn't dare approach?"
"Who knows!"
This mage, renowned for her vanity, no longer cared about appearances. She lifted a rifle to blast a hill-sized proto-citizen to pieces, speaking gravely:
"It takes a narrative-level civilization to predict the approach of a [Society]. We're just a marginal star system that hasn't joined the Abyss-level interstellar alliance. Nobody here is worth their notice!"
As harsh as it sounded, it wasn't wrong.
"It never ends—there's too many proto-citizens. Our higher-ups can barely handle Trivira as is, and now crises are erupting across the planet, we're way out of manpower!"
Carl•Rufus's voice came through comms magic, evidently stung by the reality of the [Society] invasion. He was fighting harder than ever to address the crisis.
"Damn it, Minister Balkomon is still tied up. The Night Butterfly folks must've planned this! Colluding with Remaining Moon, colluding with [Society]—damn them!"
"If you don't like it, take it to the interstellar alliance. See who they'll sanction."
Principal D'ergan snapped:
"That's war. We've committed plenty of sins, too. Enough chatter; do your job. The planet's in flames. Don't burden higher-ups or sway their judgment."
"Yes, sir…" Carl quickly muted and focused on the fight.
Nastisha sighed. After eliminating the monsters here, she confirmed no survivors were missed and hurried to the next zone.
'I just left the school. I hope the students are all right…'
And that Leoz—though an ascendant on the [Domination] path, there was no denying he saved the school, defeated the Remaining Moon criminals, and genuinely loved campus life.
Loyal to friends, diligent in study, caring toward those around him, always stepping up—someone like that could indeed be her student.
'Whoever it is, kids, please be safe.'
[Society] had already taken too much from her, even forcing her to break her vow never to step onto a battlefield again.
Nastisha felt helpless. If she could, she'd never serve as a reserve commander, never send children to war, never lift a magic staff to kill.
All she wanted was to be a proper teacher, instructing and nurturing students.
But now, she had more to do, more lives to save.
'Often, to save more lives, you must take other lives.'
Nastisha reassured herself, gathering resolve and heading to the next battleground.
...
The world was in fear.
"This is our only way forward. Over the vastness of the universe, only this cause is sacred! Only we are the single righteous side! Only the citizens of the Mechanical are supreme!"
He threw back his head, raising his arms in fervent declaration.
"Come, my mechanical brethren! Never again shall you be swindled, exploited, and robbed of your hard-won gains by the academic tyrants of the [Crystal Tower]! Let those mages and intellectuals tremble beneath our steel and gunpowder! Let them be cut to ribbons and forced to write their research in blood! Let their children freeze on snowy mountains as our slaves, ripe for our devouring pleasure!"
From the mountain peaks to the ocean depths, from rural forests to bustling metropolises, from downfallen nobles to trendy immigrants—
Every citizen of the [Crystal Tower] felt Coulomb•Torque's proclamation of the Charter echoing in their hearts:
"This is your final chance."
"Join our cause, or be sacrificed to the tide of mechanization!"
"Once, this civilization oppressed us. Now, it's our turn to oppress the world!"
"Citizens of the Mechanical, unite, and devour every last scrap of the civilized world!"