Chapter 5692 A New Wind Is Blowing

Chapter ?5692 A New Wind Is Blowing

Ves had a brief talk with Pilot Yuri Enfame, or at least what was left of him. The man had lost a lot of memories, but only realized it after he consciously tried to recall moments of his past.

[I don't remember the face of my commander anymore. It is in my mind. I definitely have it somewhere, but why can't I bring it up anymore?]

At other times, Yuri completely started to talk as if he turned into an alien somehow!

[...I remember back during my Hu'Keanwa training that I wrestled Ckkea to the ground and bit his throat with my savage pointed teeth, tasting victory as his blue blood splattered across my two tongues...]

Ves and Professor Loban exchanged glances several times throughout this interview. To say they were freaked out was an understatement.

Still, aside from these obvious flaws, Yuri Enfame was technically still alive, in a manner of speaking. He currently existed as a 'companion spirit' of the Yuri Machine.

The original living mech itself had mutated beyond recognition. It had grown incredibly powerful by absorbing a lot of E energy in a short amount of time, but the sequelae of doing so without employing any measures to digest, process or filter the input were catastrophic!

[I can feel... my mech hungers for blood. It wants to use its weapons to crush its enemies. Each day that goes by without fighting any enemies will frustrate it. I... I cannot live without fulfilling my goal. The more restless I become... the less I can hold back, I think.]

Ves tried to probe Yuri several times on what he remembered of the moments before he broke through. All the pilot recalled was that he was in a desperate moment and that he felt as if the battle would be lost if he continued to deliver a disappointing performance.

The man knew nothing about the factors that might have been responsible for making his Ultimatum mutate. Even his more direct connection with his powerful machine did not help him in the slightest.

[I... do not want to look too deep into the mech that I have merged with.] The fuzzy projection of Yuri Enfame shook. [There is darkness, violence and depravity in there. I know I can't escape it, but please don't force me back in there. If you can't keep me separate, then please kill me now. Living with a mech as violent and savage as my current one is pure torture.]

"There is still hope for you." Ves said in an encouraging tone. He felt anything but. "You are still alive, and that is what matters. While you remain alive, you will remain under the care of the Red Association. I am sure they will be able to solve your problems one by one and allow you to live a dignified life again. Remember that you have already fulfilled your mission. Your heroic sacrifice has saved the Pellicky Praetorians and prevented another human colony from getting razed by the native aliens. There are still enemies to fight, but you will first need to get a better handle on your new state before you are ready to go back into the fray."

Yuri looked so confused that he did not even know what he wanted to do now that he had lost his body.

The machine he became a part of just wanted to wreck as much stuff as possible without too much regard for anything else. Yuri might not exactly know what he wanted out of his life anymore, but he emphatically did not want to degenerate into a mindless beast!

This was why he entertained suicidal thoughts. The man saw no reason to live anymore if he was not able to enjoy the remainder of his strange and undesirable state of existence.

"We haven't finished testing the Blood Knights that I have supplied to you and your fellow mechers." Ves frowned. "While their current performance suggests that the Carmine System is working as intended, it will still take at least several more years to complete the earliest longitudinal studies, and even then we should keep monitoring the early adopters in case their condition deteriorates at a rapid rate in the following decades.. There is no guarantee that the Carmine mechs are truly safe to pilot for both potentates and non-potentates in the long run."

The Carmine System was so radical and subversive that there was an overwhelming need to verify its safety. This was why the Survivalists and later the Transhumanists always insisted that Ves keep a lid on its existence until its development had reached a mature enough stage to gradually introduce it to the public.

However, Vector Loban struck a different tone than Master Termaneo Dervidian, who had always emphasized the need for caution.

"Times have changed. The Red War is heating up. The native aliens are evolving. Our social order is gradually deteriorating. Our faction is changing as well. When we previously made decisions about your Carmine System, we did so in a time when our faction was either stuck in the past or still in the process of transition. I can tell you now that a new wind is blowing within our ranks."

Ves narrowed his eyes in suspicion. He previously did not think much of Professor Loban, but now he understood there may be another purpose behind this visit.

"Who are you, really? What happened to Master Dervidian?"

The Transhumanist responded with a coy expression.

"Your familiar contact person is still doing fine, Professor Larkinson. He is currently occupied with an important research project. As for myself, you know my name already. What you really wish to know is who is standing behind me. I think you are clever enough to deduce the answer. Back when we were still living in the Age of Mechs, the Transhumanist Faction was led by the Chosen Human. Divine Hussain Albedo is more than 300 centuries old. He is a product of his time, and grew up when the aftermath of the Age of Conquest still lingered in everyone's thoughts. He has developed a strong sense of protection towards the purity and integrity of the human race. He opposes unchecked genetic modification and has always emphasized the need to err on the side of caution in any experiments involving human test subjects."

Ves knew that the Transhumanists hadn't always managed to abide by the Chosen Human's principles, but the god pilot clearly kept these all of these crazy people in check while he was at least nominally in charge.

"I take it that has changed on this side of the greater beyonder gate." He remarked.

Professor Loban nodded and smiled. "That is so. We are cut off from the old galaxy, which means that the Chosen Human and many of the other old god pilots and Star Designers presiding over our branch no longer hold any authority over us. The only remaining leader that has the prestige and the support of our members in the Red Ocean is the Evolution Witch. She is only more than 170 years old and has grown up in a time where humanity has regained its hope for the future again. She... favors a much more proactive stance. As one of her subordinates, it is my responsibility to oversee some of the many research initiatives of our faction and ensure that they better reflect her newly instituted policies."

So this was it. The Transhumanists got rid of the restraint imposed by their old leader and embraced the desire for progress of their new leader!

Perhaps this was why the Transhumanist Faction remained so low-key in the past year. A new administration had taken charge. The new leader clearly made a clean sweep of a lot of old policies and put her own stamp on the powerful faction!

"So what does this mean for associates for myself?" Ves wondered. "Please be concrete."

"Well, for one, we would like you to roll out your Carmine mechs within the next 3 years instead of the 30 years that we originally envisioned."

"WHAT?!"