Chapter 623: Every Crime I Committed Against You |
That's right.
In their understanding, they clearly had the capability to confront the God of All Machines, so how could they possibly have been so easily captured by Losh?
After ruling out every impossibility, the only remaining option was the single possibility.
But he still wasn't certain.
Was it because the captured Lynn had some hidden trump card or contingency, or was that captured Lynn not actually him?
And if he wasn't the real Lynn,
then who was that Lynn?
That's right.
Which is why there had been that test, also an act to send a warning.
It was simple: when he disguised himself as Losh and forged that person's behavioral pattern, he had deliberately given Doctor 315 one crucial, controllable flaw—arrogance, greed, entitlement, even a tendency to upstage others.
And for a leader,
such a person is the easiest to manipulate, because his weaknesses are so obvious. It is the subordinates who appear too perfect that draw suspicion.
Because of that,
Lynn successfully used his performance to dilute the suspicion aimed at him into two aspects: a test and a reprimand.
And the layer of "reprimand" essentially amounted to tacitly accepting that he was one of their own, which was precisely when Losh's guard relaxed the most.
Lynn seized that opportunity perfectly.
He revealed his hand completely!
Ka-ka-ka—
The First Chamber's gate opened. Once the news spread, a massive number of Plague Doctors swarmed in, surrounding Lynn and the other two completely. Many of those Plague Doctors had been members of the Action Department who had followed Lynn earlier.
When they saw their superior smiling while standing with the two intruders, their faces turned pale.
"Executive Losh?!"
"This can't be! What a joke!"
They could not accept such a reality.
Especially the few who had stood guard outside as Losh's "trusted aides," they looked as if struck by lightning, their faces draining of blood. The High-ranking Official who had delegated the Action Department's authority to Lynn was already ashen.
Seeing the captains who had once swaggered around with him, Lynn removed his hat and greeted them. His smile remained pleasantly warm.
"Hello, my loyal subordinates. I never imagined we'd meet like this."
Although he still looked like Losh,
the expression on his face and the malice in his words made him feel like a completely different person.
"You really did fool all of us, but is that all?" Doctor 315 rasped ferociously, violently tearing at the jet-black chains, eyes bloodshot as he glared at him.
"As you can see, I'm not dead yet, and I can tell you this: I have already uploaded my will into the entire Leviathan. Wanting to kill me is nothing but a fool's dream!"
Lynn's face didn't change. A slight curl lifted one corner of his mouth.
"No, no, no, Doctor. You did not upload every part of your will into the Leviathan, otherwise why would you still keep this body? It's not because you lack the ability, but because you couldn't risk the negative influence the Flesh and Blood Dominator would have on you."
At these words, the surrounding Plague Doctors' expressions all shifted.
Lynn had already inferred this from Raines' remarks when they entered the Plague Factory.
A marriage of convenience, nothing more.
The Plague Doctors and the Flesh and Blood Cult were never completely united; they had always used and guarded against each other.
Understanding that,
Lynn could be sure.
He would never let himself become the Leviathan!
"You never truly trusted the Flesh and Blood Cult. As your jointly developed Leviathan, you can use it, but the Flesh and Blood Dominator can also interfere. In that case, if you were to, without regard for risk, pour your entire will into the Leviathan, then you would no longer be a Plague Doctor—you would be a brainless Mechanical Girl like the one beside me."
[Ping! Silver Fantasy's anger toward you +10]
Lynn looked up, adjusted his Monocle, and smiled kindly at the visibly changed Doctor 315.
"And if that's true, then there's probably only one possibility."
"You studied the Mechanical Cult's method of consciousness upload. You can at any time switch a portion of your will into the Leviathan and thereby control the whole Leviathan, but your true soul remains hidden in this aged body of yours."
"You might indeed be able to fully transfer your will into the Leviathan, making it your sanctuary, but it was precisely because I realized that that I used this curse on you."
"A curse that even the Matriarch can contain—though only twenty to thirty percent as effective—should be enough to trap you."
In that moment,
every Plague Doctor present felt shudders running through them, their faces pale and their legs unsteady.
They certainly understood Lynn's meaning.
If the soul was pinned to the body, then even if a single strike couldn't kill him, escape would be impossible.
He was right there!
If one blow couldn't kill him, then two! Three! Four! Until he was dead!
And once the Doctor's soul was extinguished, the portion of his will and consciousness left inside the Leviathan would vanish too.
Who exactly was he?
It was as if everything was under his control.
Staring at the faint smile on his face, though there were only three of them and they were still surrounded, they clearly felt themselves slipping into an absolute disadvantage.
What other contingency did he have?
What other trump card?!
"Don't waste words! Kill him!!"
Every Plague Doctor in the First Chamber was enraged, charging furiously toward them.
"We have so many of us, and the entire Leviathan. What can he possibly use to fight us?!"
At this moment,
war was on the verge of breaking out.
Alice floated up instantly, the Evil Spirit's hideous ghost energy crawling densely through every crack on her body. Silver Fantasy likewise generated dense streams of data across her frame, her gaze icy and ready to fight with everything she had.
But Lynn remained unmoved. He pressed his Top Hat, a slight upward curl on his lips, and stepped forward toward the raging Plague Doctors.
"Everyone, the fact that I dare to show myself means I already have a fair chance of victory. This isn't decided by numbers alone."
"So don't be fooled by appearances. You should think carefully, think about every thing I have done."
"Think about every crime I have committed against you."