Chapter 336 - 333: Mysterious Visitor

Chapter 336: Chapter 333: Mysterious Visitor

It grew exceptionally quiet outside. The frenzied Black Shadows seemed to have suddenly fallen silent, and a long time passed without them reappearing.

However, the night seemed to have grown much deeper, and the light from Li Luo’s electronic screen looked somewhat dim.

"Does it feel like it’s gotten a lot darker to you?" Li Luo asked uncertainly, holding her electronic screen.

"During these twelve hours, the closer we get to the end, the darker it gets," Jin Lou explained.

Li Luo nodded. The excessively dim environment made her all the more nervous.

The surrounding silence was terrifying, and Li Luo’s nerves were frayed.

After a while, a strange sound from outside broke the long, dead silence.

"KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK."

It sounded like someone was gently knocking on the main door of Fire Thief Studio.

Hearing the sound, both Li Luo and Jin Lou were instantly on alert.

"Who’s that?" Li Luo asked cautiously.

"I don’t know! I’ve never seen this kind of attack before!" Jin Lou panicked, completely at a loss.

"But don’t worry. As long as we stay in the safe house, there shouldn’t be any problem."

But even after a long wait, the knocking from outside didn’t stop.

The person knocking didn’t seem to grow impatient, continuing to knock at the same slow rhythm.

"KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK... KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK..."

Li Luo and Jin Lou watched the door warily, backing farther and farther away.

Finally, the knocking stopped. A deep sigh came from outside the door.

"So it still can’t be changed?"

A resigned voice drifted in from outside.

Hearing that voice, Li Luo froze.

"Lin Nian?" She couldn’t believe her ears.

Before she could be certain, something happened that took her completely by surprise.

A black palm pressed against the translucent door. A plume of ethereal black smoke instantly erupted from the edges of the hand, gradually creeping up the door.

The black smoke snaked up the door, seeped through the cracks, and infiltrated the room, spreading along the interior walls.

The smoke spread rapidly. It quickly reached Li Luo along the edge of the wall, and only then could she see clearly. Inside the smoke were countless tiny fragments, like shredded paper, tumbling in the current.

Before long, the black smoke had covered the entire room. However, it seemed the fragments could only cling to the walls; if they detached, they would swiftly dissipate.

’It seems the safe house’s suppression is still working.’

Li Luo looked warily outside and asked earnestly, "Are you Lin Nian?"

The black smoke paused for a moment before the figure outside answered faintly:

"No."

The reply was brief, but Li Luo could still tell it was Lin Nian’s voice.

Just as Li Luo was about to press for more, the figure spoke again.

"I am merely a fragment of her memory. I can be her, and I can also not be her."

Just then, Jin Lou seemed to remember something and rushed to the door. "Are you the mysterious person who’s been guiding us?"

"That wasn’t guidance," the figure replied. "Even if I hadn’t told you, you would have slowly come to understand everything about Hell Island. I merely accelerated the process."

As she spoke, the black smoke on the walls began to swirl rapidly. The small, black fragments suddenly seemed to become very smooth. They began to reflect the light from Li Luo’s electronic screen, constantly adjusting their positions.

They seemed to be using the light from the electronic screen to project an image.

Soon, the image grew clearer and clearer.

It was a group of black robots who had escaped the control of their directives, hiding on the island to evade expulsion by humans.

Gradually, after losing many of their companions, they discovered the island’s safe houses. They realized that white could protect them. Even without the appearance of a mysterious person, these robots still went down the same path.

It simply took them a bit longer.

The image vanished, and the voice from outside spoke again:

"This is the original trajectory. My appearance merely accelerated the process..."

Jin Lou stared at the contents of the image, stunned. "The original trajectory? What does that mean?"

As if expecting Jin Lou’s question, the Black Shadow said nothing, simply controlling the black fragments to swirl once more.

The image reappeared, showing another group of robots.

They found the identities of Hell Island’s residents in a hotel registry.

One identity among them was particularly eye-catching—the Prophet.

The image abruptly froze, fixed on that moment.

Jin Lou understood at once. "You’re the Prophet?" it asked in astonishment. "The original trajectory... is the future before it’s been changed?"

It was quick to understand, grasping everything in an instant.

"Yes." The Prophet outside faintly affirmed Jin Lou’s deduction.

"What is it you want to do?" Jin Lou asked, terrified.

Upon learning the visitor’s identity, Jin Lou instantly grew tense.

’That’s the ability to foresee the future, and she’s still rational... Can the safe house really protect us?’

But to Jin Lou’s surprise, the Prophet actually answered its question.

"I want to eliminate all humans on Hell Island."

Hearing this, Jin Lou froze.

"Eliminate... all... humans?"

The words seemed to activate some program within Jin Lou. It instantly went rigid, its mechanical arms starting to tremble uncontrollably.

After a moment of stiffness, it collapsed to the floor.

"Directive conflict. Unable to execute. Postponing process."

"Directive conflict. Unable to execute. Postponing process..."

It repeated the phrase until the rigidity in its body slowly eased, and then it shakily got back to its feet.

Once steady, Jin Lou could no longer suppress its fear and began to back away.

"Are you the master of the factory? Are you the one who gives us our directives?"

it asked fearfully. Its tall frame kept retreating, but the wall behind it was also wreathed in black smoke. Jin Lou could only stand trembling in place, utterly lost.

"I haven’t evaded the directive! I’m looking for a way around the iron law! We’re all looking for a way around the iron law! Don’t punish us!"

Jin Lou seemed utterly unable to escape the shackles of its directives. Now, the appearance of the factory master seemed to have dragged the "eliminate all humans" process to the forefront once more.

The figure outside sighed again.

"Erase directive,"

she said softly.

With those words, the restraints on Jin Lou instantly broke. It was as if it had broken free from invisible shackles, regaining its freedom. Its entire body relaxed.

But this ordeal only made Jin Lou more terrified. It even hid behind Li Luo, trying to tuck its large frame out of sight.

"That was the wrong directive," the Prophet said, a hint of resignation in her voice. "The decision was wrong, and so was the directive. My understanding of robots was flawed. It seems the future can’t be changed at all."

"Everything on Hell Island is trapped by Hell Island. Even if you can see the future, you can’t escape this fate..."