Gun of Ashes

Lorenzo’s expression was slightly twisted; he wanted to show Joey a look of joy, but since he had detonated the [Wangchuan] within him, the vast anti-meme repeatedly ravaged Lorenzo’s will, not to mention that his will had just been invaded by Roger earlier.

He only felt his head aching, almost splitting, combined with the triggering of the anti-meme, those concealed memories slowly surfaced, stripping away the disguise of Death Row, Lorenzo realized the existence of the Mechanical Deity, this massive influx of information struck him into a moment of daze.

”It’s okay, within The Cleaner, people like me have a special nickname, they call me Returnee.”

Joey chatted leisurely, this was probably the last relaxed time as the Armed Iron Serpent advanced all the way to the Mechanical Institute; before joining this final battle, they could casually reminisce like this.

”Returnee?”

”Yes, specifically referring to those like me, who were supposed to die but inexplicably survived.”

Listening to his words, Lorenzo scrutinized Joey, who was wrapped tightly, exposing only his face, with a demeanor different from the familiar look, like a Soul-Reviving Corpse.

Lorenzo sighed heavily, leaning back in his chair, picking up a few Flodren Potions, injecting himself while relaxing.

”At least, I think Red Falcon should be very happy; he was lost for quite a long time after that... Speaking of which, this guy is at the Perpetual Motion Pump now.”

”Do you think we’ll meet again there?”

”Resurrected, reunited with old friends,” Lorenzo murmured, ”what a great plot.”

”Not there, that’s not a good place for a reunion,” Joey’s eyes drooped, looking at the filthy ground, ”just like here.”

Neither spoke, Lorenzo gazing out at the monotonous scenery, that endlessly repeating rain mist.

”Roger suffered a direct hit from the [Wangchuan], although it’s hard to cause him any severe damage, I think he’s aware that we possess such high-intensity anti-meme weaponry, making him anxious, uneasy.

Over the long years, he’s grown accustomed to solving problems with absolute force, coupled with The Inexpressible’s erosion and Ed’s dark threats, he’ll only become increasingly frantic, eager to destroy us.”

Lorenzo calmly recounted.

”This sounds bad.”

”On the contrary, it’s the effect I have been pursuing,” Lorenzo said, ”A mad enemy is not frightening, only a rational one is.”

”Are you ready, Lorenzo?” Joey asked.

Lorenzo nodded, appearing exceedingly calm and at ease; in the game against Roger, he not only proved his determination to Ed but once again proved himself.

He was delighted, remembering his purpose, and not becoming a monster like Roger,

”So long...”

Lorenzo whispered.

....

”Mobilize! Guard all passages!”

The order echoed through the Mechanical Institute via broadcast, and similar sounds reverberated in the Furnace Pillar and Perpetual Motion Pump, any place where people might be.

Thanks to preparations in Death Row, the Mechanical Institute now mainly held combat personnel; most technicians were evacuated early, leaving only a small number ensuring system operation.

After receiving Lorenzo’s message, everyone was aware this will become the final battleground, but they felt no fear, maybe they were numb, unable to feel anything.

”Left Garrison, that damned guy is coming, you Anonymous have to do something!”

Merlin shouted into the communicator.

At this moment, he stood inside the Perpetual Motion Pump, Red Falcon holding a weapon behind him.

Unlike the anxious Merlin, Red Falcon appeared calm, resembling the serenity before death, or the daze after a massive shock.

Initially, during personnel deployment, Red Falcon felt immense pressure; with his understanding of the Purification Mechanism, an elite employee with outstanding experience, capable in both combat and escape, skilled in literature and martial arts, cheap yet effective, was destined for the frontline, facing demons head-on.

For this, Red Falcon wrote several pages of a will, filled with sloppy handwriting intertwined with various colloquial expressions, besides recalling life, gratitude for the beauty, and distributing his inheritance - entrusted someone to mail novels to Hebdo, was a complaint against this damned unscrupulous corporation.

Unexpectedly, Red Falcon was not sent to the frontline but to protect Merlin.

Upon seeing this, Red Falcon tore up several pages of his will, his eyes filled with tears, thanking the organization, believing his years of dedicated work finally softened these cold-hearted folks.

Indeed, this war need not involve him extensively; knowing that the Perpetual Motion Pump could be considered the heart of the Purification Mechanism, the so-called rear, if it’s unsafe here, nowhere is safe.

Red Falcon had planned to leisurely stay here, waiting for Lorenzo to save the world, or others to save the world; either way, it had nothing to do with him.

Relaxation, comfort... just a few minutes ago, he was extremely leisurely, but everything changed with Lorenzo’s message.

Roger Cruz was heading to the Mechanical Institute, his goal clear, attacking Death Row.

Red Falcon guessed he wouldn’t mind destroying Death Row while conveniently demolishing the Perpetual Motion Pump, thus this safest place ironically became the core battlefield.