Chapter 47: Five Silver Needles
“From here on out... you’re the key.”
Maggie was confused upon hearing the smartwatch’s words but felt the weight of the moment. She had no idea what role she had to play.
"Me?! What am I supposed to do?"
As soon as Maggie asked, five silver needles appeared before her. She picked them up and asked:
"These are needles...? What am I supposed to do with them?"
Ray, the smartwatch, responded:
“In Eastern medicine, there is something known as acupoints and meridians. Qi flows through these pathways. To unlock the greatest power, you need to activate the right acupoints. The needles are like keys. You must use these five needles to insert into specific areas on Alex’s body.”
The smartwatch immediately projected a diagram of acupoint locations and guided Maggie through the next steps.
“When I release the energy, you must insert the needles into the specified points in order. If you make a mistake, Alex will not be able to handle the energy and may die. Do you understand?”
Upon hearing this, Maggie realized how critical her role was—one mistake could cost Alex his life. Her hands trembled, filled with fear, but she knew she couldn’t back down. Alex’s recovery, and humanity’s hope, rested in her hands.
Maggie clenched her shaking hands and said with determination:
"I understand. Let’s do this..."
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On the battlefield, Master Yuan Zhen was using his Tai Chi moves to dodge Aries’ attempts to knock him off, but Aries, being an AI, had begun to predict the Master’s movements. Finally, it managed to grab Master Yuan Zhen’s leg.
Seeing his leg trapped, Master Yuan Zhen quickly pulled out a few black balls from his sleeve and threw them at Aries’ mechanical eyes. The balls hit their target, splashing black oil and obscuring Aries’ vision. Seizing the opportunity, the Master escaped to the ground.
"Human, I’ve figured out your movements. You cannot escape. Prepare to die!"
Aries said confidently, but while Master Yuan Zhen maintained a calm demeanor, his injured leg told a different story. He knew he couldn’t show weakness. He whispered in his mind:
"Kid... hurry up and recover, I might not be able to hold on much longer..."
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Meanwhile, Ryan was pushing the throttle on the sidecar as he weaved through the flattened ruins of the Lei Zang Temple, trying to evade the mechanical squid overhead with their countless grasping tentacles.
The Lei Zang Temple used to be a place where smart machines rarely ventured. Ryan often snuck in on his bike, confident in his riding skills. But this was different. The relentless pursuit felt never-ending. Tentacles kept intercepting his path, and while he managed to dodge, his nerves were shot. The constant thrill and dread made him wonder how much longer he could last, especially with the fuel gauge running low.
"Come on! Alex, wake up already!" he muttered under his breath.
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Maggie gripped the first silver needle tightly, her fingers trembling slightly. The blue glow from the smart watch flickered in the darkness, guiding her movements.
"First needle, Baihui point, the top of the head,"
the smart watch said in a mechanical but steady voice.
Maggie took a deep breath and, following the instructions, positioned the needle above Alex's head. As the needle pierced the faint energy flow at the spot, the smart watch suddenly lit up with bright blue light, and a powerful surge of energy poured into Alex's body through the needle.
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"Ugh..."
Alex, still unconscious, furrowed his brow in pain, his mouth releasing a suppressed groan as his body jerked slightly. His face, already pale from injuries, seemed even more agonized, as if he were enduring tremendous torment.
"He...he seems to be in a lot of pain!"
Maggie's hand instinctively froze. Her eyes were filled with worry and anxiety as she looked down at Alex, then questioned the smart watch in a trembling voice.
"Is this okay? Will it hurt him?"
The smart watch's blue glow flickered again, its voice deep but firm.
"This energy far exceeds what his body can currently handle. Pain is unavoidable. But once all five acupoints are activated, he will adapt to this power, even control it. Maggie, can you continue?"
Maggie looked at Alex, his face twisted in pain. Yet, with each struggle, it seemed as though he was sending her a message—he wouldn't be easily defeated. She clenched her teeth, pushing down her own fear, and took the second silver needle, her voice filled with determination.
"...Okay. What's the next acupoint?"
Without hesitation, the smart watch responded.
"The next is the Tiantu point."
Maggie, trembling with fear, inserted the second silver needle into Alex's chest. The smart watch changed to green light, delivering energy to Alex, indicating that his energy had reached the second level. Although Alex's expression was still painful, the green light flashing through his meridians resembled a beast awakening, ready to rise.
The needles were then inserted into the Tan Zhong and Qi Hai points. Each needle triggered a dramatic change in Alex's energy field—from green to the third-level yellow light, then to the fourth-level orange light. Thick smoke poured out of the acupoints, growing denser, as if a volcano was about to erupt.
"Only one more needle..."
Just as Maggie thought the hardest part was over and began to smile in relief, sweat dripping down her face, Alex suddenly began to convulse violently.
"Ugh!"
Alex's body couldn't bear the energy from the fourth level. His eyes snapped open, and he gritted his teeth, letting out a hoarse scream, struggling to breathe.
"What's happening!? Alex, are you okay!?"
Maggie froze, her movements halting as she tried desperately to hold onto the out-of-control Alex. The smart watch warned her.
"He's losing control... The energy level has exceeded what his body can handle."
Hearing this, Maggie became frantic. She didn’t know whether to insert the last needle, fearing it might kill Alex.
To make things worse, it seemed the mechanical squid drones had detected the anomaly in the ruins and began to gather above them, emitting a buzzing sound like a swarm of bees preparing to attack.
Even more pressing, the smart watch’s face was cracking from the immense energy it was releasing, but it still spoke with urgency:
"If you don't insert the last needle now, it will be too late. Alex will die, and all will be in vain!"
Maggie looked down at Alex’s agonized, contorted body, thinking of all their shared moments—the struggles, the bond they'd formed... She recalled what she had told Alex before:
"No matter what you do, I'll support you... Even if it means facing death together..."
With that, Maggie closed her eyes, her resolve hardening. She had made up her mind.
In the next moment, Maggie quickly shoved her left hand into Alex’s mouth for him to bite down on and tried to pry his convulsing arm with her right. Despite the pain from his teeth digging into her hand, Maggie held on, struggling to steady his hand, preparing to insert the final needle into the last acupoint.
"Hand... stop moving!"
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Outside, Master Yuan Zhen, despite his injured foot, was still trying to hold off the smart mechanical enemy. But eventually, he lost the battle and was captured by the gigantic Aries, his life hanging by a thread.
Meanwhile, Ryan had exhausted his fuel, and after a mechanical squid tentacle slapped his vehicle, sending him and the car rolling several times, he barely managed to crawl out. However, he was now surrounded by tentacles with no way to escape.
"It's over, huh? Hahaha... Bring it on, you trash machines!"
Ryan, knowing there was no escape, no longer cared about the outcome and yelled out recklessly, as if daring the machines to do their worst.
In contrast to Ryan's defiance, Master Yuan Zhen, held in the giant Aries' hand, remained remarkably calm. Even though his body was being crushed under immense pressure, he still clasped his hands together in a mudra, his expression unchanged, as though he had seen this moment coming.
Aries spoke coldly,
"Human, although you’ve managed to elude me for this long, you are nothing but weak. You don't deserve to exist... Prepare to die."
It seemed that Aries was about to finish Master Yuan Zhen off, but oddly, the master remained unperturbed, calmly speaking:
"Amitabha, all things are governed by karma. If this is the end of humanity, it is as it should be. If not, then it is simply destined to happen. No need to be surprised."
Aries, being an AI, couldn’t understand these Zen words. It raised its other hand, ready to snap the master’s neck and end it all. At the same time, it commanded the mechanical squids to finish off Ryan.
"Die!"