CHAPTER 408: CHAPTER 408 NOAH - BECOMING HUMAN (PART 1) (FROM TODAY ONWARDS 8K WORDS)

A few days later, Gu Fangyi looked at the pile of materials, keys, documents, and a bank card in his hand and fell into deep thought. Eighty million in funds, the Sunset Association’s cooperation treaty—an extremely unequal one; the keys to the mountaintop villa and its deed—the kind one could remodel at will; and a whole bunch of other stuff that he didn’t quite understand!

All these were things Lu Luo had sent over via local express delivery, reportedly costing only 8 yuan.

To ship such items for just a few yuan, Gu Fangyi found Lu Luo’s actions absurd.

Of course, what was even more absurd was what Lu Luo had done these past few days.

In just a week, Lu Luo had already secured the base. Did he have to be so ridiculously efficient?

Acting like this, you make me look dumb!

Brother Lu’s progress... is it really this fast?

Gu Fangyi glanced at the ugly takeout uniform he was wearing and then at the 8 orders in his hands.

With resolve, he directly canceled his account with the food delivery service.

Delivering takeout is truly a futureless job. For someone like me to be delivering food is a waste of resources. Better off not delivering at all.

Gu Fangyi looked at his new car, wondering if he should just punch it into scrap metal now that he wasn’t working anymore.

After mulling over it, he still couldn’t bring himself to do it.

We all come from the Circular, scared of poverty!

Gathering his thoughts, Gu Fangyi rode his bike towards the location of the mountaintop villa.

According to Lu Luo, he had found a way to get in touch with Zhou Kai and had arranged for some people to help out, to clean up the villa at the top of the mountain and to increase its security.

Their numbers were not large, with only 200 core members.

In a place like the Imperial, 200 people weren’t considered much.

But no matter what, they still had to get the base settled first.

Compared to delivering express packages, I am better suited for assassination and reconnaissance work.

「...」

Meanwhile, Qi Xinzhu was also rapidly absorbing knowledge about Imperial societies in the Cain Secret Cultivator Society, preparing for the upcoming society conference.

Perhaps the Circular was really wealthy now, but being wealthy required having appropriate channels to spend money. If you suddenly brought out dozens of kilograms of Dark Spirit Stones or the like, you’d be investigated anywhere, or even targeted by Imperial officials.

So, having a legitimate source of income was essential. It’s similar to money laundering channels; without them, you really can’t call yourself a power. Especially for an armed organization like the Circular Transcendent company.

Finally, there was Lu Luo, leisurely drinking coffee in the office.

By his side, Luo Yi swayed her hips, having freshly ground a pot of coffee, and was pouring Lu Luo a refill.

Following the incident at the Sunset Tower, although Luo Yi wanted to ask if Lu Luo was responsible, she didn’t dare to inquire since he hadn’t mentioned it voluntarily. This matter was different from previous ones. It was too big, so big that Dong’an City might not be able to handle it. Her perspective was rather limited, and she felt overwhelmed by such a huge incident. Luo Yi, being someone who was quite self-aware, thus chose not to ask.

It was naturally a happy occasion that Lu Luo had returned safely.

However, since then, Luo Yi’s attitude towards Lu Luo had completely changed. Unlike the Half-Mountain Villa case, the impact Lu Luo brought this time was more direct.

From the unreasonable negotiations that came from the Sunset Association, it was obvious that they were afraid! At least, the Sunset Association in Dong’an City was frightened!

The negotiations were completely unequal; they even concocted the outrageous idea of a regional protection fee with a 9:1 split. Wings of Blazing Sky 9, Sunset Association 1.

What could make the Sunset Association afraid? What kind of strength?

Luo Yi certainly wouldn’t think that this was because the Sunset Association had suddenly developed a conscience, nor did she believe it was the result of her own efforts in developing the society.

Clearly, the instigator behind all this was still Lu Luo.

This great deity Lu Luo had brought about a different kind of change to the Wings of Blazing Sky. This change, for now, seemed to have tremendous benefits. As for the future... let’s live well in the present first.

Never mind hand-grinding coffee for Lu Luo; even if it was warming his bed, Luo Yi would be the first to volunteer.

With the strength, age, appearance, and potential that Lu Luo had shown, there were plenty of people who would want to warm his bed. It could even be said that there would be fierce competition for the opportunity. So, it wasn’t a question of shame; at least Luo Yi didn’t think so.

"Will you be handling cases today? A new batch came in yesterday," Luo Yi said in a soft, gentle voice, putting down the coffee. "Some of the new cases look very interesting; you might find them intriguing too."

She didn’t quite understand why Lu Luo, being so powerful, still bothered with such menial tasks as handling Transcendent case files. Why not delegate the work to others and focus on cultivating?

However, she was sensible; the more bizarre the situation, the less she would ask questions. And through their interactions over this period, she had faintly grasped what Lu Luo needed. Lu Luo liked strange cases; the more peculiar and odd the things were, the more interested he became. That’s why she proactively asked, catering to his preferences.

Lu Luo picked up the coffee and took a sip, nodding slowly. "Hmm, I’ll go out with Yang Di later."

"Alright, the society has just prepared a car for you, and your driver’s license is also being processed."

"Thank you, Miss Luo Yi. Many things wouldn’t go so smoothly without your help."

Lu Luo was not making an empty compliment. Just considering how tirelessly Luo Yi helped him and Gu Fangyi with all sorts of documentation, he could only be thankful. Getting an identity card in the Imperial wasn’t very difficult because there were no other hostile nations, so issues of spies didn’t exist. However, identity verification was tough to forge. Such things required registration; Luo Yi’s ability to get these matters settled for the two of them was truly commendable.

"Don’t say that, Lu Luo, you’re not like the others," Luo Yi said, casting a coquettish glance at Lu Luo, but he acted as if he hadn’t seen it.

He wasn’t a pile driver, to take on every woman who came his way; he would die of exhaustion. Women were the most troublesome creatures; too many of them would only affect the speed at which he drew his sword.

"Alright, it’s about time."

Lu Luo stood up and made his way to the Wings of Blazing Sky case room. Although the efficiency of the Wings of Blazing Sky was top-notch lately, it was still too soon to promote its response time and case-solving rate. Hence, the cases handled by the Wings of Blazing Sky were not numerous.

When Lu Luo arrived in the case room, the few scattered Wings of Blazing Sky members all kept their heads down, not daring to speak. This was how relationships worked among Transcendents. Lu Luo’s dominance exerted a lot of pressure on these ordinary members.

Whenever Lu Luo came, everyone would subconsciously stop what they were doing and let Lu Luo choose first. This was a form of respect for the powerful and also a way to avoid interacting with Lu Luo. After all, not everyone wanted to climb upwards or was willing to flatter those stronger than themselves. There would always be people who were content with just clocking in for work.

Lu Luo was indifferent to this behavior. If it had been before, he might have considered these people’s gazes a bit more. But in the Imperial, his time was limited, and he didn’t have the energy to foster relationships that were unlikely to matter later.

As usual, Lu Luo casually picked up a few case files. For his strength, the cases that Wings of Blazing Sky could handle were nothing challenging at all. He took on these missions just to quickly get to grips with the kinds of Transcendent cases currently popping up in the Imperial, to understand the Imperial’s anomalous environment and the origins of its anomalies. That was all. Put plainly, it was a field investigation.

"Yang Di!"

After leaving the case room, Lu Luo headed to the training grounds to call for Yang Di. Yang Di, a member of the Phoenix Miracle, was taking selfies in front of a mirror. When she heard Lu Luo’s shout, she quickly dropped down and did two push-ups, indicating she was working hard.

Little did she know, with Lu Luo’s Observer ability, understanding many things didn’t rely on sight.

"Working hard on your cultivation, I see!" Lu Luo asked with a face full of sincerity.

"Yes! Yes! If I don’t do 3,000 push-ups today, I’ll eat three pounds of shit live on stream."

I think we’d better forget it. With her training method, I’m worried there won’t be enough shit in the toilet.

"Good, still as motivated as ever. Truly worthy of being my partner."

Lu Luo’s flattery made Yang Di feel completely at ease. See, what is called vision? This is called vision. Is she not serious about her cultivation? Of course not, she just lacks a soulmate like Lu Luo who understands her.

"Are we going out to investigate a case now? I can put the cultivation aside. The branch’s training facilities are limited; I should give more opportunities to the young people to prevent them from slacking off."

Lu Luo, looking at the nearly empty training room, still couldn’t figure out how Yang Di managed to say such things without blushing. Well, perhaps it was because his cultivation was lacking! And his vision too small.

"Mhm, let’s go. The society has even arranged a car for us today, so we won’t need to take taxis anymore."

"Really? Then let’s hurry, I’m super skilled at driving!"

「...」

During the day, Lu Luo was still as efficient as ever. He had resolved two cases in just a morning’s time. Yang Di had long been numb to this situation. As the mascot of the team, she made no comment on Lu Luo’s efficiency. Mhm, don’t believe in rumors, don’t spread them, don’t invent them.

But today’s third case seemed a bit different. This case actually required a trip out of town.

"Huh, a paranormal investigation in Coal Capital? Supposedly there have been attacks by aberrations on humans along the way. It’s so far away, how could it be assigned to us? Oh, the route there, I see, that makes sense. But usually, such cases tend to be troublesome. Lu Luo, shall we go?"

"Coal Capital!"

Lu Luo knew that Coal Capital was the district capital of Guixi, roughly equivalent to a provincial capital city. Certainly, such a city would be far superior to Dong’an City. Having spent the past few days feeling out the situation in Dong’an City, he had come to grips with most of it. Except for not having had any contact with local official departments, he had grasped the general operations of various societies and the conditions under which Transcendent events occurred.

Visiting Coal Capital was also an option!

"Since we’ve taken on the case, naturally we’ll have to do it. We can go."

"Hehe, then that’s great, we can go have fun in Coal Capital. Oh no, that’s not right, we’re going to work on the case, yep, official business."

Watching the excited Yang Di, Lu Luo started to look forward to it as well. Coal Capital would be the first major Imperial city he would visit. How would such a place differ from smaller cities and the Wasteland Alliance?

It’s time to take a good look indeed!

「...」

Late at night, within a water treatment plant in Coal Capital, a silent yet fierce battle was taking place. Countless strands of black hair entangled a person clad in red general’s armor. But the entwining hair was clearly incapable of restraining the sturdy and powerful armor before them.

"Blades of Thousand Cuts!"

CLANG!

The armor burst forth with fine blades, instantly shredding the surrounding strands of hair to pieces. The armored warrior surged forward in an instant, arriving in front of Qin Wanyu, and slashed downward with his sword. The layers of obstructing hair could no longer withstand the high-frequency vibrations of the blade, and her shoulder was instantly cleaved open. Blood flowed freely.

Once the two were close, Qin Wanyu instantly crushed a skull.

BOOM!

The explosive force from the skull’s detonation pushed the two apart once more. Qin Wanyu was bathed in blood, yet the warrior in armor remained completely unharmed.

Just like a turtle shell! Her own methods of attack were utterly ineffective; the defensive capability of this armored warrior was completely unreasonable. Qin Wanyu could feel that the opponent’s strength and energy were inferior to her own. Yet it was this set of armor that made her unable to fight back.

This can’t go on!

Qin Wanyu clenched her hands, and countless strands of hair erupted from her body, swarming like a vast, descending black curtain, blocking out the sky.

Guan Sha, the warrior in armor, also grew slightly solemn. The strength of the woman before him had surpassed his imagination; despite her youth, she had reached such a level. In his normal state, he was no match for her; only by donning the Godless Armor could he suppress her. This was simply inconceivable. Guan Sha even started to wonder if this woman might be the core offspring of some major force who had fled.

What surprised Guan Sha was that this woman seemed to have no special weapons or equipment. Although her combat skills and strength were stunning, her equipment was virtually nonexistent.

Regardless, I must capture her first, then everything that needs to be known will be revealed!

As he looked at the sky-obscuring black hair, Guan Sha plunged his battle sword into the ground beside him and began to chant: "Mankind sings praises to the gods, prays to them, worships them; I do not believe. Mankind resents me, envies me, harms me; I am not angered. Without faith, without gods, ghosts and gods cannot harm me. Where the sword light points, all shall turn to ashes!"

As his words fell, a column of sword light soared into the sky, cutting through the dense black curtain. It was like a glimmer of hope in the darkness of the night. The countless strands of hair struck the Godless Armor, creating a constant DING! DING! DING! sound. Yet this was clearly Qin Wanyu’s strongest attack, and still, it had no effect on the Godless Armor.

This feeling... it’s like... Lu Luo?

PFFT!

Qin Wanyu could only watch in despair as the sword light pierced through her, with copious amounts of blood erupting forth. Her mangled body was barely held together by strands of hair.

BOOM!

Guan Sha, clad in the Godless Armor, landed thunderously, his battle sword now pointed at Qin Wanyu’s brow. "Alright, woman, it’s futile to resist before the Inspection Department. Whether or not you have something to say, you must come back with me. Don’t worry though, we won’t harm you for the time being, and we hope you’ll cooperate."

Qin Wanyu looked into Guan Sha’s exposed eyes and suddenly felt this was a rare opportunity. She drew upon her last bit of strength and struck again.

DING! DING! DING!

But as her hair had barely made its move, the visor of the Godless Armor naturally fell, blocking her attack.

THWACK!

The long blade pierced through Qin Wanyu’s back and into her body, pinning her firmly to the ground.

"I knew you still had some energy left, so I deliberately exposed that flaw to you. And you took the bait! Such a naïve creature. Don’t refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. My time is precious, and you don’t have much left either."

By then, other members of the Inspection Department had also started to arrive one after another. They were formidable, with the lowest among them being Fourth Tier Masters. More than 20 Fourth Tier fighters quickly surrounded Qin Wanyu. In such a situation, escape seemed impossible.

Qin Wanyu, somewhat dazed, lifted her head and looked at the moon in the sky.

How beautiful!

Everything in the Imperial seemed so beautiful; it was just a shame that none of that beauty belonged to them. They were from the Wasteland Alliance, not even considered human. In the mouths of the Imperial people, they, Exotic Species, were commonly referred to as aberrations.

It’s a pity I couldn’t see him one last time, huh.

At the moment when Qin Wanyu was resolved, a black light descended from the sky.

BOOM!

Dozens of Inspection Department soldiers were scattered by the shockwave, with only a few remaining Fifth Tier masters barely withstanding the impact.

"MEOW!! WHIMPER!"

The black cat Tong Yuan bristled her fur all over, baring her fangs and growling furiously at Guan Sha, who was clad in the Godless Armor. By now, she was covered in scars, the blood on her wounds dried and half-coagulated. But there were many fresh injuries atop them as well.

What’s going on with Luo Jing? How did he let the black cat get away...

Guan Sha was somewhat dissatisfied, but he wasn’t too concerned either. By that time, Qin Wanyu and Tong Yuan, having joined forces, had already killed 43 Inspection Department personnel. Now, Qin Wanyu had completely lost her combat effectiveness, and the black cat Tong Yuan was also at the end of her strength.

Perfect timing, catch them both in one go!

"Prepare the hunting net."

"Yes!"

The jointly launched hunting net instantly spread out. Based on Tong Yuan’s usual speed, she definitely could have dodged these barbed nets. But beneath her was Qin Wanyu, barely clinging to life.

The relationship between her and Qin Wanyu was complicated. Friends, sisters, mentor and disciple? Tong Yuan didn’t know what Qin Wanyu meant to her, but to some extent, Qin Wanyu was an existence even more important than her master, the Nightmare Demon.

Tong Yuan was slow to learn human knowledge, but after living with the human rhythm for so long, she had come to understand a principle. Between friends, there needs to be protection! And now, it was her moment to protect Qin Wanyu.

ROAR!

Black Dark Energy began to spread around her, and a pillar of black light burst forth from Tong Yuan’s eyes. This power was immense, instantly piercing through the hunting net above. Tong Yuan picked up Qin Wanyu from the ground and, with a sprint, escaped the net.

But just as she had jumped halfway, she felt a tightness around her body, and she crashed heavily to the ground. Countless tiny hooks in the hunting net had already caught onto her, and with that vigorous leap, the hooks immediately tore through Tong Yuan’s fur, dragging her down with brute force.

Tong Yuan hurriedly climbed up, forcibly tearing through the steel wires, flesh and blood clinging to them. As for those that couldn’t be torn off, she just let them hang from her body and then fled towards the river.

Qin Wanyu lay on Tong Yuan’s back, with copious amounts of blood pouring from her mouth. "Tong Yuan, can’t we escape?"

"Nonsense, we will definitely make it out."

"It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t insisted on following him, we wouldn’t have ended up in this bizarre place. Tong Yuan, you don’t like it here, do you?"

Qin Wanyu’s gaze had already started to become hazy, while Tong Yuan was filled with an unprecedented fighting spirit. "No, I love it. I like anywhere you are!"

Qin Wanyu passed out, and it was unknown if she had clearly heard Tong Yuan’s final words.

However, once Tong Yuan reached the riverside, she stopped as well. Looking at the river water before her, Tong Yuan slowly said, "Let’s go. Whether we survive or not, it’s better than falling into the hands of these people. If we make it, let’s go find him! Fulfill your wish; that’s probably my wish now."

SPLASH!

Tong Yuan threw Qin Wanyu into the roiling river water, then turned back around to face the Imperial Inspection Department catching up from behind, and the armored warrior that was putting the most pressure on the two of them, Guan Sha!

Guan Sha glanced at the Red River, his expression a bit grim. "Why bother with this? Come back with us, and you won’t die at least."

"But we won’t have freedom either. Without freedom, I’d rather die!"

Tong Yuan, like a black bolt of lightning, ferociously attacked Guan Sha, but Guan Sha’s defenses were simply too strong. His heavy fists pounded Tong Yuan into the ground time and again. Yet Tong Yuan did not retreat a single step, biting to death anyone who approached the Red River.

A cornered beast still fights!

In Tong Yuan’s state of desperate combat, even the members of the Inspection Department began to falter. No one was willing to lay down their lives for nothing.

Guan Sha noticed the hesitation among his team members, but he didn’t say much about it. Everyone was just clocking in for work; perhaps they truly held some kind of ideal. But to sacrifice their own lives for an ideal—while noble, such people were, after all, in the minority. So, he issued an order that was somewhat more humane.

"Raise guns, suppressive fire."

"Yes!"

The members of the Inspection Department quickly drew their backup firearms. A concentrated fire began to burst upon Tong Yuan’s body.

RATATAT!

Tong Yuan howled in agony; her Constitution of over 200 allowed her to be immune to most of the damage from regular firearms. But the shots fired by these people all carried a certain amount of energy. Though not much, the current Tong Yuan was already in a state of exhaustion. The shots left numerous bloody holes all over her body.

The heavily bleeding Tong Yuan grew more unsteady on her feet, looking ready to collapse at any moment.

"She’s not going to last, Captain!"

"Go check."

"Alright."

A few members of the Inspection Department felt their moment of glory had come, gripping their net guns as they moved to approach Tong Yuan. However, Tong Yuan’s keen sense of smell easily detected these few individuals. Her eyes once again gathered energy.

Dark Curse!

The approaching members of the Inspection Department instantly turned into black powder, their lifeforce rapidly shattered and dissipated. The effect of this instant kill was so shocking that even Guan Sha himself was stunned!

This level of aberration! It has far exceeded a common Sixth Tier, and with this half-human, half-beast shape, what on earth is going on?

Right after Guan Sha’s astonished moment, Tong Yuan actually charged towards him. Because Tong Yuan knew that she was done for; her Life Energy was completely overdrawn. The power lent to her by the Nightmare Demon had also dissipated thoroughly. Now, she was down to her last breath.

She wanted to kill Guan Sha, because he was most familiar with her and Qin Wanyu, and he had the best understanding of their abilities and strength. If she could kill Guan Sha, then the Imperial would have to put in much more effort to find Qin Wanyu!

Death Curse—Death Grudge!

The power of Netherflame, mixed with Tong Yuan’s last life force, burst forth. This power was astonishing, like a black net that swiftly enveloped the entire shore in an instant. The members of the Inspection Department consumed by the darkness died instantly.

Guan Sha, watching the flying energy, also felt a strong sense of crisis. He covered his chest with both hands and whispered again: "All things in this world are but illusions; only by embracing faithlessness can one attain the beginning and end."

HUM!

The power of Death Grudge invaded his entire body, and even someone as strong as Guan Sha couldn’t help but grunt and kneel on one knee. Black tears streamed down Guan Sha’s eye sockets, and a large amount of dark energy began to float around the Godless Armor.

10 seconds, 1 minute, 10 minutes, 1 hour.

Guan Sha knelt on the ground for a full four hours before he slowly recovered. The arm of the Godless Armor suddenly fell to the ground. This was not because the Godless Armor had been broken by Death Grudge, but because the power of Death Grudge had seeped in through the gaps of the armor. It had completely corroded Guan Sha’s arm, leading to this outcome.

Who would have thought that this black cat, on the brink of death, could still unleash such a move. It’s incredible; if it weren’t for the power of the Token of Faithlessness, I would have certainly died. The Godless Armor truly lives up to its reputation as an almost perfect combat instrument.

As for the loss of one of his arms, Guan Sha wasn’t actually very concerned. The Imperial military’s medical technology was extremely powerful; many non-civilian technologies had reached the point where they could help Transcendents regrow amputated limbs. It’s just that these technologies had never been made public, so civilian Transcendents didn’t even know about it.

Looking at the corpse of the black cat, Guan Sha gazed in a trance. He always felt that the black cat and Qin Wanyu didn’t seem like Imperial citizens; their situations were just too special.

These two fellows, are they aberrations or human? Too bad there are no survivors. Forget it, the corpse is still valuable. No matter what, this case can also be considered closed.

Soon, new members of the Inspection Department arrived. Looking at the scene of the devastating battle, these members cautiously asked Guan Sha, "Team Leader Guan, your squad..."

"All gone."

"Uh, about this aberration..."

"Take good care of it. Arrange for the cryo-preservation vehicle, and send it to the Imperial laboratory as soon as possible. Also, take me to the branch office; I have very important matters to report to my superiors."

"But, Team Leader Guan, your injury?"

Guan Sha looked at his severed arm and smiled. "This minor injury, it’s nothing at all. Move quickly; today’s matters cannot be delayed even for a moment."

"Yes, I’ll get right to it."

The official institutions of the Imperial are far more powerful than most people can imagine. When a country’s military, medical, scientific research, and many technical resources are all concentrated into a single department, this department will wield a power that is beyond anyone’s imagination. What’s more suffocating is that, in addition to technology, this department also gathers the most outstanding talents of the entire Imperial. Maybe they are not all of the most talented individuals, but a significant portion of them are retained within this organization.

This department is the Imperial Inspection Department. It is the place many young people of the Imperial yearn for with passion and also the nightmare of countless civilian associations.

「Wasteland Alliance, Second Ring.」

A character who should not have appeared was in a corner of the Church district. This place had been destroyed due to the battle between the Judgment Chief and the Pope, and because the Second Ring was currently lacking resources, it had not yet been rebuilt. From the abandoned items, one could tell that this used to be a place similar to a prayer room. Moreover, it was private, with only a podium and a chair.

The person standing on the podium at this moment had almost nothing to do with the Church. He was Noah, the Monarch of mechanical Exotic Species, who invaded the Fourth Ring and nearly devastated the Wasteland Alliance.

The person sitting in the chair was also somewhat unexpected. She was the woman who had just ascended to the zenith of power within the Wasteland Alliance, the acting Pope, Luo Dan.

These two characters, who were unlikely to have any association, had actually met here. Moreover, between them, there seemed to be some enigmatic transactions taking place.

"Meeting like this is indeed quite ironic!" Luo Dan said to Noah, who was making commanding gestures on the podium, her expression somewhat awkward. No matter what, she was now the Pope of the Church. For the Pope of the Church to be trading with the greatest war criminal in the history of the Wasteland Alliance’s humanity, how laughable that story would be if it got out. What’s even more laughable was that Luo Dan was quite looking forward to this transaction.

"No, this isn’t irony; this is making a rational choice. Everyone makes rational choices, and Miss Luo Dan is no exception."

Miss Luo Dan... Luo Dan hadn’t heard this form of address in almost 10 years. However, coming from Noah’s mouth, it didn’t feel out of place at all.

"Alright, Noah, can you tell me what you really want? Or rather, what do you want to gain?"

Noah tilted his head, continuing to emit music akin to that of a violin from his mouth, yet he held no instrument in his hands. At the end of the piece, he shook his head and then looked back at Luo Dan.

"Such a beautiful piece of music. What I want is just this—music that can be played by my own hands. The delicacies and fine wines of the world, experienced through my taste buds. I want to witness beautiful colors and breathe fresh air. Are these demands really too much?"

Noah spoke slowly, but what he said didn’t seem too excessive to Luo Dan. "Really, is that all there is?"

"What else then do you think a mechanical being would pursue? Revenge? I’ve already directly or indirectly killed more than 3,000,000 humans. Immortality? There probably isn’t another being in the Wasteland Alliance with a longer life than mine, if you exclude Leviathan! Seeking the Ninth Tier? Eternity? Heh, I’m actually not that shallow. All I want is to become a true living being. For these past 100 years, my plan has been titled [Noah—Becoming Human.]"