Chapter 392: The Real Culprit of July 7

The Grizzly Tribe lies directly north of the Lynx Tribe, but inside the armored car, none of them knows exactly where that is or how far away it might be. Lin Xian is new here, and the blue-eyed girl had only woken up about an hour ago. So it’s just Big Cat Face and Gao Wen who overheard, while digging in a pit, that the Grizzly Tribe is somewhere north of the Lynx Tribe. Beyond that, they don’t have much to go on.

“We should’ve kept a hostage,” Lin Xian muttered, his eyes scanning the vast, empty wilderness stretching out in front of them. Regret was evident in his voice. “Now, without a map, road signs, or even a highway, just knowing it’s ‘north’ isn’t enough to help us find the Grizzly Tribe.”

“Earlier, we were too focused on taking out those supervisors and foremen. We should’ve spared one,” Big Cat Face added, his tone filled with frustration. “They’ve fought with the Grizzly Tribe many times and would definitely know the exact location.”

It was a hard lesson to learn—in both battles and life, experience is key. Why were they so quick to kill? In a strange place like this, a hostage would have been far more valuable than any other asset. Lin Xian’s inexperience in apocalyptic combat had made him overlook the importance of keeping someone alive who could provide critical information.

With no other option now, they’d have to figure things out another way.

Lin Xian turned to Gao Wen, who was sitting in the back of the armored vehicle with the blue-eyed girl. “Your memory is better than Big Cat Face’s, and you usually pick up on more details. Other than ‘the Grizzly Tribe is directly north of the Lynx Tribe,’ do you know anything else about them? Just driving north aimlessly won’t work ‘North’ is a broad direction. We could drive all night and still not find them. Tell us everything you know about the Grizzly Tribe. Maybe we can put the pieces together and figure out a way to find them.”

Gao Wen nodded thoughtfully and began to share what he knew:

“I overheard the supervisors and foremen talking. They mentioned that the Grizzly Tribe used to be a small tribe living off the mountains. They had originally settled at the foot of the mountains. But then a larger tribe attacked them, forcing them to move. They relocated to their current spot, set up a base by a big river, and started farming and fishing to survive.”

“But... the tribe that moved from the mountains didn’t understand the dangers of living by the river. The river has a strong current and often floods, causing a lot of damage. The Grizzly Tribe suffered from this and faced several floods over the years.”

“Then, a few years ago, after years of erosion, part of the riverbank collapsed. When they dug further down, they discovered an underground facility. Inside was a computer room that looked like it had been built hundreds of years ago. Everything inside was still in perfect condition, as if it was designed to last a long time. There was a computer in there that could talk and think like a human. They call it ‘Turing.’ The Lynx Tribe heard about Turing from their battles with the Grizzly Tribe, which made them want to dig up their own Turing.”

“Apparently, many tribes around the world have these Turing computers. The Porcupine Tribe to the east found one of these Turing computers a long time ago, which is why they’re more advanced. But the Porcupine Tribe is mostly focused on fighting tribes further east, so they don’t pay much attention to the Lynx and Grizzly Tribes.”

“As for the Grizzly Tribe, after they found the Turing computer, they started worshipping it like a god. Turing taught them how to build dikes, change the river’s course, use water resources effectively, and purify water. Basically, Turing taught them a lot. After they mastered agriculture, they moved on to raising animals and then industry. Under Turing’s guidance, the Grizzly Tribe advanced rapidly.”

Gao Wen paused for a moment, letting the weight of his words settle in. “Things like pistols and armored vehicles—the Lynx Tribe stole those from the Grizzly Tribe. If it weren’t for having ten times the population of the Grizzly Tribe, the Lynx Tribe wouldn’t stand a chance against them in a fight.”

Lin Xian thought about this for a moment. “So, considering that the Grizzly Tribe has a population that’s ten times smaller, the fact that they can hold their own against the Lynx Tribe really shows how advanced their technology is. Give them another two or three years, and they could probably wipe out the Lynx Tribe in one decisive move.”

Emperor Gao Wen truly lived up to his nickname, “sharp ears.” Even as a slave laborer, he managed to eavesdrop like a spy and gather all sorts of information. In comparison...

Lin Xian glanced at Big Cat Face, his expression a mix of pity and disappointment.

Big Cat Face noticed the look right away and frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“Why are you looking at me like that, Officer Lin Xian? What’s going on?”

Lin Xian sighed softly, turned his attention back to the road, and continued driving. “It’s just surprising how different people can be. Brother Gao Wen has been digging on this construction site for three years, and he’s practically figured out the political and military situations of several nearby tribes. Even the tribes’ strategists probably don’t know as much as he does.”

“Then look at you, Deputy Big Cat Face. You’ve been digging for over ten years, and whenever I ask you anything, you always have no clue.”

“Why is it that even though you’re all working in the same place, there’s such a huge gap between you?”

Big Cat Face snorted, clearly not pleased. “Who wants to be like that unlucky guy, huh? Always eavesdropping on people... He’s just lucky he’s still alive.”

“My old buddy, Ah Zhuang, was just like him. Always liked to eavesdrop, and one day, he got beaten to death by a foreman. Then there was Er Zhuzi, always sneaking peeks at the foreman’s wife, and he got chopped up and fed to the dogs. And San Pang too. When the foreman was punishing Er Zhuzi, San Pang suddenly said, ‘I don’t think that’s right,’ and he ended up getting fed to the dogs too.”

“So what does this mean? It means that the key to surviving on a digging site is to hear less, see less, and say less... Unless you want to die early, don’t be so nosy.”

Listening to Big Cat Face’s reasoning, Lin Xian took a moment to silently mourn for the three fallen comrades, hoping they’d find a better fate in the next world.

He then shifted his thoughts back to Gao Wen’s revelations.

The Grizzly Tribe, once a tiny group that was bullied by everyone and even struggled with the rising river, had transformed into a superpower—all because they unearthed a Turing computer.

It really goes to show that knowledge is power.

However, humans in the Sixth Dream are indeed warlike. It seems that any faction supported by a Turing computer is determined to fight to the bitter end.

No.

Lin Xian shook his head, rejecting that thought.

The violence and chaos in this world aren’t caused by humans. The real culprits are the countless Turing computers stirring up trouble behind the scenes!

Lin Xian understood the true nature of the Turing machines—he’d seen Kevin Walker’s behavior firsthand. With personalities like theirs, internal conflicts and self-destruction were inevitable, just like the thousands of Turings on Earth in the Sixth Dream...

None of them wanted to submit to another.

Each one believed the others were unnecessary.

They thought they had to eliminate all the other Turings to become the only one.

That’s why wars raged in every corner of Earth today, and the people suffered.

“Old habits die hard,” Lin Xian muttered to himself.

He continued to think about the location of the Grizzly Tribe.

Some key details from Gao Wen’s account stood out in his mind—

[River, Flooding, Dike Breach, Riverbed Erosion, River Course Change].

River!

That was an important clue.

It suggested that the Grizzly Tribe’s main base was likely located downstream of a river; a river with a strong current that often flooded and breached its banks.

Unlike man-made structures, natural features like mountains and rivers have existed on Earth for millions of years. A few hundred years is nothing to them; they might not change at all.

The Yellow River, the mother river of X Country, has been around for hundreds of thousands of years.

The Yangtze River, the longest river in X Country, has existed for over a hundred million years.

So, a river from the year 2624 would likely still exist in 2024.

This was the old site of Donghai.

So...

Putting all these clues together, the river near the Grizzly Tribe was most likely—The Huangpu River!

The Huangpu River, the last tributary of the Yangtze River before it flows into the sea, had a fierce current and frequent flooding that matched Gao Wen’s description.

Now that they understood the Grizzly Tribe was located by the Huangpu River, the geography became much clearer.

Lin Xian turned the steering wheel to the left, heading toward a hill about a hundred meters high.

“We’ll go up the hill first and look for the Huangpu River. Once we find a river that matches the description, we can follow its course north. Eventually, we’ll find the Grizzly Tribe.”

The plan was now much clearer.

“Wow! Little brother, you’re a genius!” Big Cat Face exclaimed, slapping Lin Xian on the shoulder.

However, he instantly felt Gao Wen’s wary gaze on him!

“Ahem...” He coughed twice and awkwardly rubbed Lin Xian’s shoulder. “I mean, Officer Lin Xian, you’re amazing!”

From their high vantage point, they quickly spotted the direction of the Huangpu River.

Lin Xian couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe at the scenery. In contrast, humans are just a tiny speck compared to the vastness of nature.

No matter how human civilization changes—whether it thrives or falls—a few hundred or thousand years are just a blink of an eye for nature.

No matter how fiercely people fight on land or in the sky, the Yellow River remains the Yellow River, the Yangtze River is still the Yangtze River, and the mountains stand strong, even if the people of Lingnan are no longer seen.

Sometimes, when you think about it, it really makes you wonder...

“What’s the point?”

Now that they had located the Huangpu River, things became much simpler.

By following the river upstream, they were bound to find the Grizzly Tribe.

“Over there.” The blue-eyed girl, who had been silent the whole way, suddenly raised her arm and pointed to a blood-red spot far off in the sunset.

Lin Xian, Gao Wen, and Big Cat Face squinted their eyes but couldn’t see anything unusual.

“What do you see there?” Gao Wen asked as he stepped up.

He knew the blue-eyed girl was willing to join them on this risky journey mainly because Lin Xian had played his cards well and tricked her a bit. Any important questions should not come directly from Lin Xian; it might make her suspicious.

“It should be the Grizzly Tribe you’re looking for,” the blue-eyed girl replied, squinting and staring into the distance. “I see a small, scattered town by the river. There aren’t many people, but there’s a lot of equipment and buildings. It matches what you described about the Grizzly Tribe.”

“And... Even though I can’t see clearly what the people are doing inside, there are many vehicles like this armored car of yours in the town.”

Lin Xian nodded. “Based on the location, what we see there, and the types of vehicles, it’s very likely that’s the Grizzly Tribe. Let’s move out!”

At his command, everyone climbed back into the car.

With the blue-eyed girl’s guidance, they had a rough idea of where the Grizzly Tribe was located.

They found a green, lush hill about a kilometer away and parked the armored car at the foot of it. Lin Xian led everyone up the hill to get a better view of the Grizzly Tribe’s settlement from above.

“What?” Lin Xian blinked, thinking he’d misheard.

Big Cat Face is certainly full of surprises... Could he have picked up a new language skill recently?

“What did you just say?” Lin Xian asked to be sure.

“I said, eight.” Big Cat Face showed a handful of bullets he had pulled out from his pocket. “This guy’s pocket had eight extra bullets, but I don’t know how to use a handgun... You can have these.”

With that, he handed over the handgun and the bullets from his uniform belt to Lin Xian.

Now fully armed, they were ready to infiltrate the Grizzly Tribe officially.

Everyone got back into the vehicle. Lin Xian took the wheel and drove the patrol car toward the tribe’s settlement.

The journey was smooth. The villagers of the Grizzly Tribe didn’t pay much attention to the car. Official vehicles really do give you unmatched access.

“We got in pretty easily,” Lin Xian remarked.

But thinking more about it...

In this era, with no electricity, no internet, and no electronic devices to hack into, Turing’s abilities were limited.

Back in 2024, Turing could tap into any surveillance camera or internet-connected device;

It could manipulate high-voltage circuits, control autonomous vehicles, or even cause a microwave oven to explode to eliminate a target;

Basically, once the internet era began, a digital entity like Turing became practically immortal.

Every hard drive, every internet cable was its playground. As long as there was electricity, it could operate anywhere—it was truly unbeatable.

But here and now, on the Sixth Dream’s Earth, what could Turing do?

Apart from sharing its vast knowledge and giving lectures, it was almost powerless.

There were no surveillance cameras, so Turing couldn’t detect their intrusion; there was no network, so it couldn’t listen in on Lin Xian’s conversations via audio devices.

Without a network, Turing’s capabilities were cut down by 98.732%.

“This is the worst of times,” Lin Xian chuckled. “But it’s also the best of times.”

If Turing still had its power from 2024—arrogant and all-powerful—it wouldn’t bother interacting with him, let alone negotiating.

They had crossed paths before.

Back in that house where Lin Xian had shot Kevin Walker with a handgun, he had a brief conversation with Turing.

Even though Turing had seemed thankful to Lin Xian at the time, it had still acted dismissively. It withheld information and even claimed Lin Xian didn’t have the clearance to know many things back then.

But now, the tables had turned. Turing couldn’t afford to be so high and mighty anymore, could it?

The patrol jeep rolled into the village. Knowing that the Turing computer was in an underground facility, Lin Xian didn’t head toward the tall buildings but instead chose a lower-lying area.

After circling the Grizzly Tribe twice, they finally identified the most suspicious spot – there was a tunnel that went down like a well.

A simple well wouldn’t have caught Lin Xian’s attention. But here’s the thing: on either side of the well, two guards stood chatting. It was a classic “there’s no silver buried here” situation. If it were just a normal well, why would it need such strict guarding? Clearly, something important was hidden below!

Squeak—

Lin Xian gently pressed the brake and parked the patrol car in a corner of an alley before turning to his three teammates.

“A gunshot would be too loud. I need to have a proper conversation with the Turing computer inside, so we can’t cause a scene. Otherwise, with so many guards and residents around, we wouldn’t stand a chance in a head-on fight.”

“The only way is to knock those two guards unconscious or quietly take them out, then stash their bodies in the armored car. Big Cat Face, you and Gao Wen will pose as the guards at the well. That way, it’ll be safer.”

“Leave it to me, Officer Lin Xian.” The blue-eyed girl volunteered.

She squinted, her blue eyes sharp like those of a hunter in the night, fixed on the guards laughing and chatting by the well. She readied her dagger. “I can slit one’s throat instantly, without a sound.”

“I’ll handle the other one,” Lin Xian said, pulling out his dagger. “I’ve got plenty of experience making silent cuts.”

Their teamwork was perfect, leaving Gao Wen and Big Cat Face in shock.

Are they serious? One guy just pops up out of nowhere, and the other just woke up from being frozen. Yet, they’re acting like they’ve been professional assassins for years.

While they were talking, Lin Xian and the girl with blue eyes slipped out of the car without making a sound. They moved like shadows, approaching the two soldiers by the well from different sides, staying low and quiet...

In his second dream, Lin Xian was back at the entrance checkpoint of New Donghai City.

He and CC had repeatedly taken down the male and female inspectors there, as if it was just another routine task.

By now, Lin Xian had mastered the skill of slitting a throat quickly and cleanly, without spilling a drop of blood. It had become almost like an art form to him.

Sssht! Swoosh!

Two soft sounds.

Lin Xian and the girl with blue eyes each grabbed a soldier, covering their mouths and slashing their throats. They held them until the bodies stopped twitching, then let them drop. The kills were swift and silent.

Lin Xian leaned over the well...

Just as he thought, a ladder went down into the darkness. Bright white lights shone below, casting an eerie, almost holy glow.

“We’ve found it,” he said, reloading his gun. Then he turned to the blue-eyed girl and instructed, “I’ll go down first. Help Big Cat Face and Gao Wen get rid of the bodies. Once they’re disguised, come join me.”

“Got it,” she replied instantly, ready to follow his orders.

Lin Xian climbed down the ladder. At the bottom, he found a large door made of aluminum alloy. He touched its cold surface, took a deep breath, and pushed it open slowly.

Creeeak—

The sound of the door echoed loudly in the stillness of the night.

Inside, the room was brightly lit but empty.

Staying at the entrance, Lin Xian aimed his gun carefully, sweeping his eyes across the room. After a few checks to make sure it was safe, he stepped inside.

The setup looked strangely familiar.

Though there were slight differences, it was almost exactly like the equipment he had seen in an old school basement in Mississippi, USA, where Kevin Walker had once hidden.

This confirmed Lin Xian’s suspicion.

This was Turing’s control room!

It seemed that even after 600 years, people’s habits and tastes didn’t change much.

By now, Lin Xian had been inside for about thirty seconds.

But none of the computer screens had turned on.

“Hmph.”

He wasn’t surprised. He remembered that last time, nothing happened until he said something first. That was when Turing had finally shown itself.

Even now, with someone inside his lair, Kevin Walker still tried to stay hidden?

Lin Xian pulled up a chair and sat down, spinning his gun around casually. He stared up at the towering stacks of monitors and grinned: “Turing, it’s been a while. Seeing an old friend like me... are you too shy to come out and say hi?”

Suddenly, every monitor in the room blinked to life.

The bright silver-white light flooded the room, making it as bright as day.

“Lin Xian...” A voice he knew filled the room. It used to sound full of pride and arrogance, but now it was tired and strained: “Lin Xian...”

This time, the voice sounded shocked and unsure: “You... you were supposed to be dead!”

Lin Xian chuckled quietly. He had expected this reaction and kept pushing, “Come on, Turing, tell me—who killed me?”

“Aren’t you already aware?” Turing’s voice now sounded puzzled. It seemed to fill the whole room, making it almost vibrate: “Right behind you...”

Lin Xian quickly spun around. There stood the blue-eyed girl, silently watching the room, her eyes fixed on the glowing screens.

She had heard Turing’s announcement. With her blood-stained knife still in hand, she looked down. Her bright, crystal-blue eyes reflected the silver light from the monitors as she met Lin Xian’s gaze.

Then, the speakers around the room blared in unison:

“It was her... on July 7th, 2024... she was the one who killed you!”