32. Entering the Venue

"What is that?" she asked.

Li Nuo took a cake out of the bag and said, "Food given to us by the resistance fighters earlier."

2B shook her head. "We do not require food."

Li Nuo broke off a piece and handed it to 2B. "Want to try it?"

2B hesitated, then reached out to take the cake. It was warm, and holding it felt as if her own body were radiating heat.

"Take a bite, chew, and swallow," Li Nuo instructed.

"Hmm..." 2B complied. Androids were designed to mimic humans; they possessed reproductive organs and were capable of eating, even if neither function was strictly necessary for their daily operations.

Perhaps because the flavor was unappealing, 2B showed no signs of enjoyment, yet she continued to observe the cake intently.

"Hmph, do you have a problem, Miss 2B?" Maljie asked.

"To me..." 2B crouched on the ground, staring at the cake resting there. "It is strange that different materials, when mixed and subjected to temperature changes, can create an entirely new object."

"Indeed. If you just toss bird eggs, flour, and sugar together and throw them into a fire of unknown temperature, you certainly won't get a good result," Li Nuo agreed, having tried exactly that himself.

"Food is also something left behind by humanity..." The fact that one could create something like a cake simply by following operational procedures and recipes left behind by humans was, to 2B, truly incredible.

"Are you interested in the concept of creation?" Li Nuo asked.

2B replied, "Food is just like us. Metal, energy modules, electronic circuits, and imitation human organs combined to move across the Earth like real people... This is what our creators did..."

"Perhaps the creators are long gone," Li Nuo said—a piece of the truth that 2B did not understand. He then walked over to the vehicle and snapped his fingers. "Let's go. To the factory."

2B was the last to board, still holding the uneaten cake.

...

The tricycle continued on its way.

This destination was also the end of their mission: the factory.

Maljie activated his [Android Chip HUD Minimap] and pedaled Emil’s vending cart toward the factory. Li Nuo stood on the rear rack, taking inventory of their gains.

He set the bullets and firearms aside. The most important supplies were four vials of blood medicine specifically for androids.

"Share and share alike; one for each of us," Li Nuo said, distributing the medicine.

When Chen Shou took his vial, he looked noticeably... reluctant. It wasn't that he didn't want it, but rather that he hadn't contributed much to the effort of scamming the resistance. His guilt increased by one.

When Li Nuo handed a vial to 2B, she tilted her head. "Why are you giving this to me?"

"I said, share and share alike," Li Nuo replied. Seeing that she hesitated to take it, he reached out, took her hand, and pressed the medicine into her palm.

"I... why should I take this?" 2B asked.

"How about this," Li Nuo proposed. "You protect us for a while; we'll consider this a contract."

2B didn't understand, but even though she hadn't helped with the task, she chose silence over refusal.

In truth, Li Nuo believed that without 2B’s presence, judging by the strength of the three players, the upcoming journey would be a suicide mission. Therefore, it was necessary to keep their bodyguard well-maintained.

Li Nuo continued searching through their haul. The greatest gain this time was the chips; they looked like small disks the size of a thumbnail.

The resistance had given them two chips.

[Android Chip: Movement Speed Up Lv1]
[Quality: Common]
[Effect: Movement speed increased by 2%~3%]
[Description: When you can insert chips into your body, it means you can definitely stick a USB drive into your nostrils.]

...

[Android Chip: Ranged Attack Power Up Lv1]
[Quality: Common]
[Effect: Shooting weapon power increased by 5%]
[Description: When you can insert chips into your body, it means you can definitely stick a USB drive into your nostrils.]

...

"Brother Shou, the [Ranged Attack Power Up] chip is yours."

"For me?" Chen Shou was surprised.

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Well..." Chen Shou scratched his chubby face, looking embarrassed. Li Nuo saw through his thoughts and teased, "You’re our primary artillery and main damage dealer, so don't be modest."

With that said, Chen Shou took the chip, though he didn't forget to add, "Thanks. I never imagined I'd get so many good things by following you..."

"Brother Shou, since you said that, then to pay me back, remember to run a bit slower when we run into danger."

Chen Shou retorted indignantly, "After that comment, I’m going to sprint like a gale!"

Afterward, Li Nuo naturally took the first chip for himself. Speed boosts were extremely useful for his low-health critical-hit playstyle.

In the "Endless Corridor," chips functioned like accessories. The system did not restrict how many weapons or accessories a player could equip; one could theoretically wrap themselves in cooking knives like a barrel if they wanted to.

However, overconsumption of anything caused a backlash. For "humans" like Li Nuo and his team, the cost of installing chips was cognitive overload—simply put, installing too many would cause hallucinations, much like a Cyberpsycho in *Cyberpunk*.

But if he could find a scenario that allowed him to add slots and smart-link ports to his body, he might be able to carry more chips, or even a [Sandevistan].

For example, regarding 2B’s severed arm—if they were in a futuristic sci-fi world, perhaps they could replace it with a cannon.

This was the infinite potential of the "Endless Corridor." Thinking of this, the thought of amputating his own limbs crossed Li Nuo's mind.

"What have you two been doing this whole time?"

The question came from 2B, who had been left on the sidelines. Her eyes were filled with confusion; she watched Li Nuo and Chen Shou fiddling with the chips, only to then sit on the cart in a daze, completely unable to decipher their actions.

The process of players opening their panels to organize items appeared as staring blankly into space to game characters, so it was impossible to explain.

"Pre-battle preparation."

Li Nuo responded briefly before pulling [Emil’s Mask] back over his face. He continued, "Maljie, pull up the map and navigate us to the nearest large building."

Ten minutes later.

When steel reinforcements began to appear in the surrounding scenery, the system’s voice rang out:

[Entered Factory Area]

Unlike the factory they had imagined, the large structure made of scattered steel beams had turned into a pile of junk ruins, resembling a scrapyard. Only a single, rusted, high-rise cylindrical building stood tall in the distance.

[Special Mission: Hidden Worldview: Take the fragments of the Flower of Destruction to the top of the tower.]

"If I had known, I would have waited to set off with the resistance," Chen Shou said.

"Not realistic," Li Nuo replied. "They aren't leaving for another half hour; we can't afford the delay."

[All players have entered the final zone.]

"What was that?" Chen Shou looked around upon hearing the system's voice.

Li Nuo’s face, hidden behind the mask, suddenly tightened. A sense of unease surged directly into his brain.

[The final story is about to begin.]
[Calendar Year 11942, January 30th.]
[The gears of reincarnation turn.]
[The world of perpetual daylight.]
[Being invaded by darkness.]
[Dawn shall become the loading point.]
[Initiating a new...]

"Isn't this the same string of phrases we heard on the train?" Chen Shou asked.

"Hmph... sounds like there's something fishy going on," Maljie said.

"What are you all talking about...?" 2B asked.

The rocks around them began to tremble. Li Nuo looked at the debris and discarded steel on the ground and shouted, "Get into the factory, fast!"

The moment he spoke, the ground began to collapse in square sections.

The cart sped across the crumbling earth. Li Nuo wedged an iron rod into the frame to keep from being thrown off. Large boulders fell ahead; Maljie swerved violently, and Chen Shou let out a scream, nearly falling over the edge.

2B drew her long sword. "I will go ahead."

"Big sister, stay put!" Li Nuo grabbed her arm. He could not afford to lose his bodyguard now.

In the distance, countless steel bars and stones rose into the air as if defying gravity, converging toward the cylindrical building ahead. They twisted into a spiral, forming an iron tower over a hundred meters high.

At the base of the tower was the factory entrance.

As they drew closer to the gate, the collapse of the surroundings became increasingly absurd; ejected steel beams rained down like iron.

Amidst the swirling dust, Maljie steered the vending cart sliding into the factory gates.

Li Nuo and the others were thrown from the cart, flying in an arc into the factory's interior.

At the exact moment Li Nuo tilted his head back to look at the sky, unable to control his momentum, a subtle shadow in the mist began to grow larger.

It had wings, and its form appeared massive.

It looked like a dragon.

But before he had time to think, in a single instant, the collapsing ruins of the factory swallowed his vision and his consciousness.

As his mind faded into a blur, he heard only one faint voice in his ear:

[The final crossover arc of "Final Fantasy" and "NieR: Automata" has begun.]
[Main Mission: Please restore the world to its original state.]