"Hmm..."
Li Ang tilted his head, not expressing any particular opinion on the Whale Song Organization's philosophy.
Indeed, the mechanical arm, boasting both weak artificial intelligence and automated mechanical features, would inevitably revolutionize the global industrial system within the coming years. This would trigger a domino effect across all facets of industry—heavy industry, light industry, consumer goods, transportation, commerce, agriculture, education, health care, services... Every industry and its population would be swept into the era of Industry 4.0. This historical process was far beyond human ability to stop.
In time, human production and lifestyles, social structures, world order, and even the question of hegemony would undergo dramatic changes.
However, the infinite possibilities of the killing game would, to some extent, diminish the importance of artificial intelligence and automated mechanical technology.
Not to mention anything else, the [Virulent Poison] in Li Ang's backpack alone could incite an epidemic of unknown scale, and the [Damaged Origin of Life] theoretically had the potential to transform a planet's ecological environment.
As the killing game progressed, other players and organizations would likely acquire equipment and items with similar potential. The focus of the world's future transformation might not be limited to weak artificial intelligence.
Overthinking was pointless. Li Ang shook his head and said to Black Trojan with a cold tone, "People call me the Yin City Batman. You know why? Because I persist in acting heroically. I've done so many good deeds: for instance, lifting grannies and dashing across streets; accumulating virtue by releasing cockroaches and mice; boldly rescuing carps, turtles, and crayfish from the city park's ponds to bring them home for a splendid feast; and shutting down the power at internet cafes to deter the elementary students inside... Bad guys are so scared of my stunts that they don't even dare to talk back. They flee Yin City on the first train they can catch, laying railway tracks as they go.
"I don't care about your Whale Song or whatever; you need to step aside. Now that you're in my hands, you'll face the wrath of justice! Come on, show me the good stuff you have on you."
Black Trojan, who had been lying on the ground ready to plead for mercy, was taken aback by this barrage of absurd claims. He actually wanted to ask why one would save the city park's 'King Carp' and 'eight little crayfish' specifically.
"Wait a minute."
He gathered his wits and struggled to say, "I still have value.
"You're not agents of the Special Affairs Bureau, are you?
"I was quite efficient in finding Chen Furuo, but you caught up with me faster. This means both of you are unaligned players who coincidentally received a related task.
"And if I'm not mistaken, one of the prerequisites for completing the task is to lift the Cognitive Bias Curse on Chen Furuo.
"I was sent by my superiors because I have unique equipment that can remove the curse quickly and effectively."
"Oh?"
Li Ang's interest was piqued. Black Trojan was quick on the uptake, figuring this out so fast. Actually, Li Ang hadn't seriously considered doing him in. After all, the two were acquaintances who had jointly faced the highly challenging mission at Ibaraki Middle School. The threats were just for maintaining Brother Hu's persona.
Li Ang bent down, grabbed Black Trojan by the neck to lift him, and held the Triangular Bone Tipped Spear in his other hand, its blade pressed against Black Trojan's back. He walked slowly towards Chen Furuo, who lay crumpled in the corner.
Suddenly, Tang Ranno, who had been mostly silent until now, slammed her foot down, creating a cloud of thick smoke.
She then quickly retreated toward a corner of the Barrier, took a firecracker-shaped item from her backpack, and pulled its fuse. A brilliant meteor streaked into the sky, exploding with a "BANG!" The dazzling light was incredibly conspicuous even in daylight.
In that split second, Li Ang, one hand gripping Black Trojan's neck and the other tightly holding the Triangular Bone Tipped Spear, thrust the spear at Tang Ranno.
Unfortunately for him, Tang Ranno's figure wavered unpredictably. She bent her body at a bizarre, twisted angle to dodge the spear thrust. Then, with a light wave of her hands over the Idle Retreat Barrier, she canceled it outright. She flashed out to the street beyond, ignoring the stares of pedestrians, and took off at a sprint without looking back. The golden retriever, which had been squatting outside the Barrier amusing itself by spinning in circles and playing with its leash, barked and chased after her.
Upon hearing that Black Trojan had the ability to lift the curse, Tang Ranno chose to flee the scene immediately.
Firstly, once Black Trojan lifted the curse, the task would be deemed complete, removing the friendly fire protection. She wasn't confident she could beat her opponent in a life-or-death fight.
Secondly, she had serious doubts about Brother Hu's character. His approaching with Black Trojan might just be a ruse. He could be pretending to remove Chen Furuo's curse, only to use some means to break Chen's limbs, thereby quickly completing the task. Then, he might exploit the moment Tang Ranno was caught off guard to suddenly attack her.
Thirdly, her Russian best friend should be arriving soon. In a two-on-one situation, even if her opponent wanted to pursue, it wouldn't be so easy.
As a player, one should not harbor ill will towards others, but one must always guard against their potential ill will.
In the face of unknowns about the opponent, running away was actually the best way to survive. After all, Tang Ranno was using a fake identity, with no friends or family to worry about being held hostage.
Moreover, this wasn't running away; it was a tactical retreat, a strategic shift.
The item she set off into the sky as she was leaving was an ordinary-quality piece of equipment from the game called the [Extreme Temperature Sensitive Explosive]. Its only special effect was to create an extremely bright and loud firework.
Members of the Special Affairs Bureau scattered throughout Yin City would surely converge on this direction upon seeing the fireworks. This could cause Brother Hu many troubles and force him to flee as well, unable to pursue her.
All these events transpired in less than a breath. Li Ang, watching Tang Ranno flee faster than a dog, furrowed his brows deeply but didn't give chase.
Black Trojan, dangling in mid-air and wobbling uncertainly, felt uneasy. Although he didn't know what exactly had happened, it seemed that Brother Hu and the pretty lady who ran away had fallen out? What's going on?
Li Ang quickly figured out the specific reasons for Tang Ranno's escape. He would have done the same in her situation.
Time was not on his side, and the Special Affairs Bureau could arrive at any moment. Li Ang shook Black Trojan and said emotionlessly, "Hurry up and lift his curse."
With his life in someone else's hands, Black Trojan didn't dare to play any tricks. His mechanical eyes, flashing with small red lights, stared intently at Chen Furuo, who was lying in the corner. They emitted a vertical red beam that swept over Chen's body.
"It's done."
Black Trojan exhaled sharply, his body tensing instinctively. If Li Ang tried a fatal attack, he would unleash his last two trump cards, aiming for mutual destruction at the very least.
To his surprise, Li Ang, having heard the System's task completion notification, unceremoniously threw Black Trojan further into the alley. He himself stepped out and walked briskly away, taking a path slightly different from Tang Ranno's.