Fantasy Game: Infinite City

Chapter 719 Purification Operation (Part 2)

A few days later, Wei Qinglin and Anger simultaneously received a communication from Merlin. Upon arriving at Merlin's office, they found him assigning tasks to his subordinates via holographic projection. Seeing the two arrive, Merlin sped up the communication and quickly shut down the channel.

"what's up?"

"The message has been successfully sent out, but it seems only the Ferdinand family has received the news. They've now isolated the area where the Creation Engine is located using the editor, and all players entering the Upper City have been unknowingly placed in their newly constructed area. But..."

"But he didn't show up?"

"Yes, not only did he not appear, but no other forces besides the Ferdinand family appeared in the vicinity of the Creation Engine in the Upper City, and his disguised identity did not appear in the Upper City either."

Through intelligence gathering, Merlin has gradually released information about the existence of the corrupted creation engine over the past few days. Using a carefully designed method, this crucial information can only be understood by those who have come into contact with the creation engine. Even if others know this intelligence and the leaked information, they won't consider it important news. Therefore, after several days, the Ferdinand family and Han Zu should both be aware of this information. However, compared to the Ferdinand family's swift action, Han Zu's complete silence seems unusual.

Unlike Unger and Merlin, who were discussing the situation, Wei Qinglin sat silently on the sofa. Despite having an additional intelligence channel, he, like them, had no extra information. According to the message Christina had sent back two days prior, she had accompanied Han Zu to an important area within a contractor's territory, and for safety reasons, communications might be interrupted for a period. Christina also brought back crucial information: Han Zu seemed to be conducting an operation, but he hadn't told anyone the specifics—not even her, not even Gloria, whom he trusted even more. Furthermore, he had been interacting with a contractor known as Gamma 4, and they were communicating in the contractor's language. Because the contractor's language contained many words that normal humans couldn't pronounce correctly, Christina couldn't understand it at all.

This news wasn't good news for Wei Qinglin. He believed that what Han Zu was currently doing was related to his agreement with the contractors. Han Zu was able to get the contractors' help because of this agreement, so matters related to the agreement were definitely the highest priority for Han Zu. Therefore, even if Han Zu knew about the corrupted creation engine, he might not necessarily deal with it or even participate. But if that were the case, then the corrupted creation engine would essentially be handed over to the Ferdinand family and Sebastian, which wasn't the positive outcome Wei Qinglin had envisioned. At that moment, even Merlin and Unger, who were unaware of so much information, came to the same conclusion.

"If Han Zu hadn't discovered this information, or if he had known but chose not to investigate, wouldn't we be essentially handing over this corrupt creation engine to Sebastian? Shouldn't we do something about it?"

“We shouldn’t just sit idly by, but right now the company doesn’t have any extra manpower. The only ones who can handle this task are the three of us and the guys in the development department.”

Wei Qinglin waved his hand, denying Anger's statement.

"The development department's focus can only be on the development and application of the next-generation editor. At least in the short term, they cannot leave their posts, nor can they stop their research, as this is related to our subsequent plans. As for the three of us, Unger cannot leave the research institute for too long, otherwise all research will have to be extended, and some research and plans will even have to be slowed down or suspended. We don't have that luxury. As for you, Merlin, you absolutely cannot show your face in public. If something happens to you, then our contact with Earth will be completely severed. At such a time, we absolutely cannot lose our intelligence advantage."

After hearing Wei Qinglin's words, Anger spread his hands and frowned.

"Then you absolutely cannot go. If something happens to you, our main energy source on Mars will become unstable, and all research, including communications, will become very difficult to solve. To put it bluntly, if you die, we won't be able to talk about any future plans or arrangements. Even leaving Mars and entering lunar orbit will be a problem under the blockade imposed by the Ferdinand family. I'm not ready to go from being an Earthling to a Martian."

Silence fell over the air. Merlin tapped the table lightly with his fingers, as if he had thought of a solution.

"The medical department and the intelligence department also have some 'backup' teams that might be able to..."

However, before he could finish speaking, Wei Qinglin interrupted him.

“No, those ‘reserve’ forces are meant for a real crisis. If we send them, we can’t let them use their full strength. And without revealing our trump cards, their combat power won’t be enough to handle the massive numbers of the Ferdinand family’s troops already gathered in the Upper City. If we do that, they’ll just be a bunch of more accurate intelligence agents. And if they’re discovered, it’ll be a huge loss for both the company and themselves. Sebastian may be radical and ambitious, but he’s not stupid to have reached the position of head of the Ferdinand family. He’ll easily connect their existence with what happened on the moon.”

"So what do we do now? Do nothing? Just let the Ferdinand family take over this corrupt creation engine?"

After much deliberation, Wei Qinglin finally made up his mind and made a decision.

“We won’t send any people to let Sebastian get what he wants.”

Merlin didn't entirely agree with Wei Qinglin's decision, but she understood that deliberately leaking information about the corrupted creation engine was a gamble, and with a gamble, there's no such thing as only winning and no losing. They had only lost this time, and although this action had now become a voluntary handout, it wasn't an unacceptable situation for the company.

"Should I have the intelligence personnel at the front withdraw?"

"Withdraw gradually, so as not to arouse the suspicion of the Ferdinand family. And on the bright side, even if only the Ferdinand family knows about this corrupted creation engine, they may not be able to handle it. After all, this creation engine is completely different from the ones we have encountered before."

Upon hearing Wei Qinglin's words, Anger and Merlin's eyes lit up; they realized there was more to Wei Qinglin's words than met the eye.

"Wait a minute, what do you mean by 'not a thing at all'? Does that mean this thing isn't the Creation Engine?"

"No, but this creation engine... how should I describe it? It might... have self-awareness."

Wei Qinglin's words stunned Anger. As the manager of all the company's R&D departments, he immediately understood the meaning behind his words. Although Merlin was not as professional as Anger in research, she also sensed something amiss.

"So, the intelligence Merlin gathered back then was actually true?! Her findings were correct???"

"Yes."

"Damn it! I knew it! So you really did tamper with my information back then?"

"Sorry, that's all."

A simple sentence instantly ignited the emotions of Unger and Merlin, making them excited. The cause of the matter dates back several years.

That was long before Han Zu had come into contact with the Infinite City. At that time, Merlin did not have the status she has now. Back then, she was considered a neutral faction with a low status. She was considered a talented person who had not been given the opportunity. She had not sided with Wei Qinglin's faction. At that time, she was an ordinary manager in the intelligence department. She investigated a strange piece of information.

Back then, Infinite Corporation had already conceived of this massive replica. Although it differed significantly from the actual replica concept, the underlying framework was similar. Therefore, Infinite Corporation dispatched numerous individuals from various departments to "select a location," and Merlin was one of them.

The current questline on level 94, and the Upper City of the Neon Metropolis where the corrupted creation engine was located, were not originally designed or envisioned to be connected. According to the initial design, the Upper City wasn't actually part of the current Neon Metropolis; it was intended to be an employee activity area for the maintenance staff of the Infinite City. After all, for a massive questline, or even a complete instance in the early designs, the manpower and resources required to maintain it were considerable. The editor at the time was an early model, not as feature-rich as the editors used today, so many tasks required manual intervention. The dilapidated buildings within the Upper City now were actually the living and activity areas for the employees. Merlin was one of those residents in that area.

During the expansion of the upper city, some casualties occurred in the outermost expansion team. However, since the casualties were not high-level and were consistent with the Infinite Company's usual 'consumption', the matter did not attract the attention of the company's senior management. But Merlin sensed something was amiss, so she went to investigate personally and discovered the unusual aspects of these casualties.

All the wounded who were not dead gave identical descriptions of how they were injured. The medical team could confirm that their memories were not distorted or altered, proving that their accounts were indeed true. However, this presented a significant problem. During Merlin's investigation, many wounded, especially those who had lost consciousness, were able to clearly and completely recount what happened after they fell unconscious. This seemed highly improbable. Yet, when questioning those wounded who did not fall unconscious during the process and remained fully conscious, the medical equipment on the unconscious wounded and the surveillance equipment on the guards clearly captured footage of some wounded falling into a coma.

Merlin naturally sensed the anomaly. She quickly compiled the information and sent it back to the company, whereupon orders a further investigation. Merlin, being the first to relay the intelligence to headquarters, naturally became the head of the investigation. Under the protection of a security team dispatched by higher-ups, Merlin ventured deep into the unsafe area slated for expansion, reaching the location where the expansion team had suffered casualties. There, she indeed discovered something unusual: a large number of flesh-and-blood constructs generated by the Creation Engine. At that time, they were not yet corrupted, but in a normal state. Furthermore, the Creation Engine was not nearby, and Merlin had no prior knowledge of what these flesh-and-blood constructs were.

At that time, Wei Qinglin was still one step away from becoming the chairman of Infinite Company, but his power within the company was already extremely high. Coupled with his proactive intervention, almost all firsthand intelligence within the company passed through his hands before being reported to the then chairman, who was also the first person from Infinite Company to contact Han Zu and Chu Yi's elder. Naturally, the news reported by Merlin was first known to Wei Qinglin.

For Wei Qinglin, who had long been aware of the Creation Engine and had begun to study it meticulously, this news was undoubtedly explosive. His thinking back then was even stricter than it is now: the Creation Engine's information must not be leaked to any faction within the company that is not his. So, he used his authority to erase Merlin's intelligence and, after investigating and contacting her, he recognized her abilities and gradually placed her under his faction. Her outstanding abilities and the appreciation she received quickly led Merlin to join Wei Qinglin's faction, making her an indispensable part of his management system.

Because of her exceptional abilities, Merlin quickly discovered that the intelligence she had uploaded had been erased. Judging from Wei Qinglin's attitude, this person was most likely him. He not only possessed sufficient power and authority, but in Merlin's view, Wei Qinglin certainly knew what those bizarre flesh-and-blood structures were, or at least had relevant information. Furthermore, her abilities must have been valued by him, and he was intentionally trying to recruit her; otherwise, Merlin wouldn't have been transferred back to the company from the front lines and promoted so quickly within months, becoming one of the top executives in the intelligence department. However, out of caution, gratitude for Wei Qinglin's promotion, and the impossibility of finding evidence, Merlin, despite her suspicions, never voiced them. Until now, she and Anger had become Wei Qinglin's right-hand men.

"You knew about the existence of the Creation Engine back then?"

"Well, maybe a few years earlier."

"So what do you mean by saying this corrupted creation engine is different from the others? Also, is this corrupted creation engine the same one that Merlin investigated and found clues about back then? But that doesn't make sense. Although a creation engine is theoretically a biological entity, once it takes shape, shouldn't it be unable to move?"

While listening to Unger speak, Merlin glanced at Wei Qinglin and quickly detected a hint of guilt in his eyes.

"Is there anything else you haven't said?"

"You figured it out? Well, actually, from what I understand, the creation engine isn't something that can't be moved once it's formed. And although I don't have actual research data or samples, I have a bold guess: perhaps the creation engine, like other things, also has different models, and each model will have significant differences."

Unger frowned, thinking that Wei Qinglin was about to say something unpleasant.

"I feel like you're about to say something... that's not very reassuring, right?"

Wei Qinglin nodded, confirming Anger's statement.