Welcome to the Wasteland - Chapter 54

Chapter 54: Choosing

“Shouldn’t you be off being chased around by the police? How’s it possible that you’ve come to the lab?” Seeing Zhou Qingfeng slowly walking toward him with a gun in his hand, Tony Parker could only raise his hands up because the Zhou Qingfeng in front of him was completely different from the one he had met three days ago.

Three days ago, Zhou Qingfeng had just arrived in 2030 New York. He was not familiar with the place nor the people and could only stumble around, improving his relationship with the Lawrence family little by little. He could only use his pioneering spirit and slight foresight to increase his chances of survival.

Nevertheless, in the span of the three days, the things Zhou Qingfeng went through were enough to scare someone for a lifetime. It could be said that he had experienced the end of the world in advance. He desperately struggled in confusion, madness, courage, and despair. Then, after going through a baptism of blood and fire, he completed a beautiful transformation, changing from a typical deadbeat to a steel-blooded warrior.

The current Zhou Qingfeng’s clothes were slashed, messy, and covered in blood. Pieces of combat equipment hung over his body—he had everything from guns to grenades to first aid kits. His cold gaze carried a fierce aura. Softhearted weaklings would be frightened by his gaze.

Tony Parker was not a fearless person. When he saw Zhou Qingfeng walking toward him, he was so scared that he even moved back quite a few steps. Tony Parker let Catarina, who had collapsed to the ground, take place in front of him.

Zhou Qingfeng’s right arm could not be used at the moment, so he could only use his left arm to hold his gun. After recovering some of his strength secretly, he gritted his teeth and walked down the corridor. On the floor, Catarina glared at him. Nevertheless, her gaze held more suspicion and confusion than anger.

“Victor, don’t fool around. If you want that dog, take it.” At this critical moment, Angie was the one who spoke up. She was terror-stricken as she stood protectively in front of Catarina.

Seeing Catarina so badly injured that she could not even hold her gun properly, Zhou Qingfeng was relieved. The Catastrophe was already here. The days to come would only get tougher. He did not want to go against the two women in order to prevent affecting things that were supposed to happen in the future. “Put your guns down. I don’t want to kill you guys.”

Catarina stuck her gun back in its holster and raised her head proudly as she said, “I can give up my hostile state, but unless you kill me, nobody can make me give up my weapon.”

The crazy woman’s stubbornness was just as bad as her temper.

Zhou Qingfeng furrowed his eyebrows. He could only give up on disarming Catarina. “Alright then. You can keep your weapons, but I hope don’t do anything rash. In exchange, Angie, can you help me lure that dog out?”

“Okay. As long as you don’t hurt us,” Angie hastily agreed. She felt as if the current Zhou Qingfeng was a stranger. The big boy in front of her no longer carried that optimistic, naïve air. Instead, he carried bloodlust that made it hard for others to approach him.

Angie pulled Catarina up, and the four of them headed to the core area of the lab step by step. They finally reached the large biochemical operating room. There was a sealed sterile control room within it that could not be accessed. It could only be controlled by a robotic arm. It was Dog Meat’s assembly room.

Dog Meat was not a random dog, it was an experimental body. Its experimental body parts included motion, framework, drive, and other systems. Nevertheless, what was important was its artificial intelligence.

The workers of Babylon Lab had used living brains to achieve its level of intelligence. It even included brains donated by volunteers who had died from serious illnesses.

“The Babylon Intelligence Lab spent more than ten years researching this subject. They tested more than a thousand living brains during this period. The brains are all kept in the sterile control room within the assembly room. According to my deductions, the specimens that have four serial numbers are those that have recently produced successful research results.”

Like Angie’s explanation, Zhou Qingfeng saw a thousand boxes arranged on storage racks in the sterile control room.

“Then, take these four brains out and test them. I want the best one,” said Zhou Qingfeng. Aside from the different serial numbers on the four boxes, there was nothing visibly different about them.

“I can’t completely crack the master computer. Dog Meat’s owner set up the procedure so each person can only use it once.” Angie pointed to a brainwave analyzer in the room. “The instrument rejects admissions of brainwaves that have already been registered. Each person only has one chance to affirm their relationship with Dog Meat.”

“Each person has only one chance?” Since Zhou Qingfeng had come face with such a luck-reliant situation, he could not help but throw a glance at Tony Parker. With that lucky bastard there, it was hard for Zhou Qingfeng not to be wary. “Nobody knows which serial number is the most effective living specimen?”

Angie shrugged and then looked at Catarina who was slumped in a corner. “The supervisor of the lab was given a severe concussion by Catarina and won’t wake up in the next three to five days.”

Three to five days? In three to five days, a large number of Brooklyn thugs would infiltrate the Manhattan area and cause trouble. ‘How could I wait that long?’

Catarina even shrugged like it was a small matter, saying, ‘So what if I did?’

“You, come choose one.” Zhou Qingfeng truly had no grasp over his own luck. He thought it over three times before deciding to let Angie try. Zhou Qingfeng would rather give Dog Meat to Angie rather than Tony Parker.

Angie obediently sat in the brainwave analyzer and stuck the brainwave-controlling electrodes onto her own scalp. A moment later, her brainwaves were recorded and the robot arms in the sterile control room started moving. The lab’s main control computer was choosing a living brain for her.

In the end, the brain that was retrieved, according to the computer, was a volunteer’s donated brain. The computer asked: Does it need to be loaded into Dog Meat’s body?

Angie chose no and then hopped off the brainwave analyzer.

Zhou Qingfeng asked doubtfully, “Are human brains not good?”

Angie answered, “Human brains are too complicated. They can’t coordinate with Dog Meat’s body.”

“Which brain is the best?”

“A biochemical brain. They’re mostly retrieved from the skull of a police dog that has died in an accident. When matched with a smart computer, they can reach the level of intelligence of an eight-year-old child. Although Dog Meat won’t be able to talk, it will be able to understand human language and carry out complicated orders.”

The moment Angie finished speaking, Tony Parker spoke up. He was very eager to attempt it as someone who had nothing to do said, “Let me go next. I want to try.”

“I decide who goes next. Not you.” Zhou Qingfeng refused Tony Parker’s request without hesitation. He said to Catarina who was still in a state of recovery, “You go.”

Catarina looked at Zhou Qingfeng and propped up her limp body. She sat in the brainwave analyzer and then walked down silently a few minutes later.

“What brain did you get?” Zhou Qingfeng asked.

“I didn’t notice.” Catarina had an ‘I don’t care’ expression on her face.

Angie ran over and looked at the screen before saying, “According to the computer, it was an ‘abnormal brain’.”

“Suits you very well,” Zhou Qingfeng muttered to Catarina.

“Hmph!” Catarina glared viciously at Zhou Qingfeng.

At last, there were only two living brains left. Zhou Qingfeng looked at Tony Parker, and the latter looked back at him. After looking at each other for a long time, he sat in the brainwave analyzer with a dark expression in his face. “I’ll go this time.”