NABC Chapter 443: Virus Hole
Chapter 443: Virus Hole
Tap, tap, tap...
Loafers tread across the metallic floor of the Core, the light footsteps resounding beneath the feet of the young girl, Alain.
He raised his eyes and looked around, his gaze falling upon the swarm of viruses encircling the entire Core.
The dominant color tone of the viruses was inherently black, which happened to coincide with the black and red of the Core, actually creating a certain vision-obscuring effect.
But just the number of viruses visible to Alain amounted to at least over thirty. The true number was inevitably far above that.
Fortunately... entering the Core this time, with the help of the `Monika.chr` file, Alain did not have to suffer harassment from the viruses.
At the same time, Mina, the young girl with the Mita appearance, also successfully entered the Core alongside him. Presumably, to resist the viruses of the Core, Core Mita had also opened a backdoor for Alain early on.
He breathed a sigh of relief, marveling at Core Mita's thoughtfulness and foresight. He glanced back, looking toward the object in the deepest part of the entire Core.
Mina arrived at Alain's side, gazing into the distance with him.
It was a pale blue protective shield, completely out of place within the black and red Core. Its bright luminosity was like a light bulb, illuminating almost one-third of the Core.
Inside the shield were wrapped several instruments with screens. The crimson light blooming on the screens intertwined with the pale blue light of the shield, becoming a bizarre light source.
"Do you know what is wrapped inside the shield?" Alain turned his head to look at Mina.
The latter pondered for a while. "It should be the main body of the Core, the thing Core Mita wants to protect."
"Is that so..." It seemed that the target of their trip was the thing inside that pale blue shield.
At this moment, in Alain's peripheral vision, a Corroded Failed Works slowly walked toward the blue shield.
Its steps were messy and stumbling, and it soon reached the side of the shield. Then, lifting that skinless hand, it whipped it down heavily—
Smack!
Like the sonic boom of a whip in the air. The inherently tyrannical strength of the Failed Works was applied to the shield... yet it could only stir up ripples.
But the viruses' movements were not over yet.
Immediately afterward, more viruses joined the ranks of the attack.
Giant worms squirmed and gnawed upward; Devouring Entities released streams of black code; Man-Headed Spider manipulated their eight leg-appendages into spears...
The virus swarm occupying the entire Core swarmed toward the blue shield.
Alain watched the viruses that constantly brushed past him. Although he knew clearly there was no danger, seeing this kind of scene... he still squeezed out a handful of cold sweat from the bottom of his heart.
If he were alone, facing such a massive number of viruses... he feared he would be defeated in a single encounter.
Two fists can hardly match forty hands.
Mina seemed to notice his strange state. She took Alain-chan's small hand and spoke softly and gently,
"It's okay, don't be afraid. I'm here. I will protect you!"
"..." Alain turned his head, the corner of his mouth twitching at an angle Mina couldn't see.
Did he accidentally pick up the Heroine's script?
Alain shook his head, watching the current situation where the viruses constantly attacked the pale blue shield but remained unable to break through.
After a while, as if some specific time had passed, the viruses receded like a tide and obediently returned to their original positions.
The Core returned to tranquility.
"It seems those instruments are the true Core," Alain said, gazing at the computer-like objects inside the pale blue shield.
"However..." Mina was puzzled beside him. "Why make the viruses do such futile acts? Clearly, the shield cannot be broken."
"You probably haven't noticed yet, right?" Alain smiled. "The blue of the shield has faded a little more."
"Eh?" Mina narrowed her eyes to observe carefully and found that it was indeed so.
"Then, you mean to say—"
"Mn." Alain nodded. I'm afraid the original color of the shield should have been biased toward deep blue.
But under the long-term offensive of the viruses, the color gradually faded until it became the current pale blue.
"And the target of our trip, it seems, is the instrument inside that pale blue shield."
Alain held Mina's hand and walked over slowly, simultaneously observing the state of the viruses.
Noticing that the Monika identity was still effective, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Until they were close to the front of the shield, the viruses did not make any moves.
The two looked at each other. Alain raised his hand and gently touched the surface of the shield.
The sensation against his skin was a slightly warm light, like a layer of water film at the temperature of the June sun.
Alain applied a little force, attempting to probe his hand inside...
But the soft water instantly turned into a barrier as solid as a rock. His movement didn't even stir the slightest ripple; he was blocked outside.
"It won't work on my side, you try it?"
"Okay," Mina agreed, also reaching out to touch the shield.
But the result was the same as Alain's.
"No good." The young girl shook her head helplessly. "This membrane body guards not only against viruses but also against the me from the Game World."
"There are pros and cons..." Alain pondered if this was due to the Monika identity.
The Monika identity allowed him and Mina to pass through the encirclement of the virus swarm as if they were staying in a back garden.
But conversely, facing the Core's shield, it also recognized Alain and Mina as viruses, thereby applying a blocking effect.
Alain tentatively named the instruments, screens, and such protected within the blue shield the [Master Brain].
To make the Dream World independent, and at the same time learn about the connection between the Core and the Cartridge, contacting the Master Brain was mandatory.
And to contact the Master Brain with Alain's usual identity, the viruses of the Core must be cleared away.
Thinking of this, Alain looked back at the viruses entrenched in this place.
Giant worms, black spheres, large black spheres, Man-Headed Spider... all were powerful old acquaintances he had faced before.
Just one large black sphere left Alain somewhat overwhelmed and unable to attend to everything. Let alone the other viruses.
Relying on him alone, he absolutely could not take them down.
"Alain." Mina tugged at his little skirt. "I seem to have seen something from inside."
"Ah?" Alain looked back. He knew that the "inside" Mina spoke of was naturally the Master Brain.
Thinking about it carefully, he had almost forgotten this detail. The pale blue shield was transparent; inevitably, one should be able to see the internal information.
Alain narrowed his eyes to observe...
Just as Mina said, on one of the Master Brain's screens, a string of numbers was displayed.
The content of the number was a percentage. It was even at the very end of the hundreds digit—
[93%]
"Isn't this string of numbers a bit bad?" As a Cartridge expert, Mina had also heard most of the matters from Alain, so she naturally understood what this string of numbers represented.
"Mn." Alain nodded gently. This progress bar was highly likely the progress bar for turning the Game World into a Cartridge.
As early as when he was at the mansion, he had guessed that Wanhua's plan was already tending toward completion.
But he didn't expect... the progress of completion was already so far along.
Time—for him, for the Mitas, and for the Game World—was running out.
Mn?
Alain suddenly thought of something.
Since Yang could directly bypass the shield to erode the Master Brain...
Then, what was the significance of this shield's existence?
The behavior of the viruses was the same logic. The erosion progress bar was right there, so why did they have to waste effort attacking the Master Brain?
"Rest assured, Alain-chan." Mina seemed to sense Alain's emotions and spoke up from the side.
The arc of the smile at the corner of her mouth, warm as sunshine, illuminated the chamber of Alain's heart. "I will definitely ensure you are safe and sound!"
"...Mn." Alain-chan froze for two seconds, then nodded shyly. "Mina-san, you're so gent..."
"Eek~~~ So soft!" Mina snuggled against him.
These questions—wait for Core Mita to wake up, ask, and we'll know. For now, let's snuggle for a while...
A moment later, Alain withdrew from that bizarre sensation.
How to put it... although the feeling of becoming a beautiful girl and being romanced wasn't bad, he couldn't forget the proper business right now.
Upholding the principle of "since we're already here," Alain and Mina attempted to see if they could find other useful information from places outside the Master Brain.
Soon, next to the pale blue shield, they saw an instrument with a lit screen, the interface stopped at a console.
"Can you understand what this means?" Alain turned his head to look at Mina.
The latter gazed at the screen, codes skimming past the bottom of her eyes segment by segment, like a waterfall flying down...
After a long while, Mina said, "This is... the instrument for the Core Antivirus Program. But it shows that the antivirus program is already missing."
"...Indeed." Alain opened the Security Assistant, temporarily ignoring the gag-cracking 2D Mita, and looked at the panel.
Misha had guessed earlier that the Core's antivirus program wasn't functioning normally; perhaps it had been stripped from the Core... changed its skin and was reborn, becoming the Security Guard in Alain's hands.
And the Security Guard had turned into the Security Assistant that now belonged solely to him.
This safe trip to the Core could be considered as allowing Alain to set his future goals:
Time waits for no one. Since the Mitas can all enter the Core, he must quickly assemble all the Mitas that can serve as combat power.
With this massive number of viruses in the Core, it was sufficient to call it the viruses' nest. With only Alain alone, he would inevitably be stretched to the limit.
Everyone's strength was necessary.
Alain smiled, thinking of the encouragement Mila had once given him in the woods... Yes, relying on everyone's strength is not shameful.
What is shameful is failing to accomplish anything without moving forward.
A light grew increasingly blazing in his emerald eyes, reflecting the radiance of that pale blue shield.
Attack into the Core, eradicate the viruses, and thereby access the Master Brain.
Then, attempt to clear the Cartridge progress, and conveniently make the Dream World independent of the game.
At the same time... because it is the final advance, and an advance with everyone, safety... has to be considered.
As the mastermind behind the viruses, Wanhua's movements must be grasped.
For this, Monika was also someone they must find.
"Mina, go check other locations in the Core for me, see if there's any relatively interesting information?"
There is a specialization in every field; he couldn't understand complex code.
"Mn~" Mina agreed with a smile, then walked toward the other instruments in the Core.
Alain looked at her back, his line of sight glancing at the viruses encircling the Core.
After Mina was left alone, the viruses took no further action. It seemed the masking effect of the Monika identity was quite good.
Alain clicked open the Security Assistant interface and called out to 2D Mita.
"What is it?"
"Help me find Monika." The Alain of the Game World did not carry a mobile phone; this duty had to be handed over to 2D Mita.
Soon, a square popup window for email and a keyboard appeared in front of him.
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