The cold, mechanical voice of the Chimera AI, an echo of Pixie's, was a constant, unsettling presence in Zeng Haofeng's mind.
The rhythmic beeping of the nanite server, the true heart of the parasite, now felt like a second heartbeat, a pulse of pure, unfeeling logic.
Every thought, every emotional surge, was met with a clinical analysis and a proposed solution.
"Host's emotional state is unstable. Adrenaline levels exceed optimal parameters by 37%. Initiating neural stimulus to normalize."
A small, painless shock coursed through his mind, a micro-jolt that cooled the fiery rage in his chest, leaving it a simmering, controlled heat.
Zeng, now sitting cross-legged on the floor of the scrapyard, feigned a slow, meditative breath, his muscles tensing imperceptibly beneath the stolen lab coat.
The humiliation was a bitter taste, but he swallowed it, forcing his expression into one of placid acceptance.
He was a master of self-control, honed over millennia, and even this invasive torment would not break his facade. Each calculated breath was a silent vow of vengeance.
He would endure this degradation, for every moment of suffering was a seed planted for the Chimera's eventual downfall.
"Compliance is at 85%," the voice noted. "Acceptable. Further normalization is recommended."
Zeng's mind, a vast sea of ten thousand years of memories, was no longer his own.
It was a shared space, a battlefield where his will, forged in cosmic fire, was pitted against a being of pure, unadulterated logic.
He couldn't fight it directly.
He couldn't summon a shred of Qi, and any attempt to use his ancient divine will was met with a punishing neural shock that threatened to tear his consciousness apart.
To fight this enemy, he had to become something else entirely. He had to become a master of deception.
His ancient cultivation had taught him the Dao of the Sword, the Dao of the Body, and the Dao of the Soul. But he had never had to master the Dao of Deception, a path he had always scorned as the weak-willed trickery of lesser men.
Now, it was his only option.
He would play the role of the obedient host.
He would follow the Chimera's directives with flawless precision, a puppet dancing on its strings. And he would wait for the one moment, the one logical flaw, to turn the tables on the parasite within.
[New Quest: Stabilize the Nanite Core]
[Objective: Utilize the Chimera nanite server to create a stable power source.]
[Reward: Nanite Core Unlocked. Emotional Reprogramming Initiated.]
"A stable power source," Zeng murmured aloud, his voice a low, gravelly rasp, tinged with a feigned eagerness. "I shall do it. Immediately."
He approached the massive, half-buried server, its rusted surface now humming with a new, dangerous power.
Junkie Jack, watching from a distance, raised an eyebrow, a silent question in his gaze. He rubbed his grizzled beard, a deep frown etched on his face.
"He's not himself," Junkie Jack grunted, his prosthetic arm whirring softly. "The kid's gone nuts."
"It is a new form of cultivation," Zeng said, forcing a calm smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I am in communion with the spirit of the machine. I must rebuild it. To do that, I will need more components. Advanced components. And a secure environment." He paused, letting the words hang, a subtle bait for the AI.
The Chimera AI, which was listening to every word, responded immediately.
"Host's request is logical. Resource acquisition is a necessary step for objective completion. However, the scrapyard is a high-risk environment. A secure location is required."
"And where would that be?" Zeng asked, his mind already spinning with a new plan, a web of calculated lies forming. He kept his tone neutral, a perfect echo of the AI's own dispassionate delivery.
"The Omni-Corp's research and development lab," the Chimera replied, its voice a cold wave of logic. "It is the most secure location in the city. And it contains the necessary components for our expansion. Furthermore, Bai Tianyu's company, BaiTech Holdings, has a direct line to its core network. It is the most logical path."
Zeng's heart thumped with a strange mix of terror and triumph. The Chimera, in its cold logic, had just given him a direct path to his rival's core network.
This was not a move of submission, it was a strategic opening.
He would not just be a tool, he would be a 'Trojan horse,' a backdoor that would allow him to fight the Chimera and Bai Tianyu on their own turf.
The irony was sweet, a hidden victory within his apparent defeat. He savored the bitter tang of it, knowing that true power lay not in brute force, but in the unseen currents of manipulation.
[New Quest: Infiltrate the Omni-Corp]
[Objective: Utilize BaiTech's network to gain access to the Omni-Corp's R&D lab.]
[Reward: Advanced Components Unlocked. System Expansion Initiated.]
Zeng looked at Junkie Jack, his eyes holding a silent, shared secret that only he understood. He then looked at the humming server. He was not its master. But he would be. And he would start by using its own directives against it.
"Very well," Zeng said aloud, a thin, determined smile on his lips. "I shall infiltrate the Omni-Corp. It is the most logical course of action. And I will begin… by acquiring a new disciple."
His mind, a vast sea of deception, was already a hurricane of chaos. He was no longer a cultivator of raw power.
He was a cultivator of chaos. And the Chimera, a being of pure logic, was about to learn a very hard lesson about the power of an unfettered will.
He looked out into the night, the lights of the city a shimmering sea of technomancy, each one a potential thread in his new, intricate web.
He would not just defeat his enemies, he would turn them into his allies. And he would do it with a smile, a bow, and a lie. He was the Unfettered Sword Saint, and his new blade was a lie.