After treatment, Tsuchigumo, with her consciousness blurred, was carried into employee dormitories and curled up into a ball on the bed, sinking into a deep sleep.
In Zanges, people always dream of Golden Township.
Tsuchigumo dreamed she was born into a rich family in Shangjing, not in the basement of Aizu City.
She dreamed of wearing a beautiful white dress, playing the piano with her four enormous blade-like legs on New Year’s Eve in a concert hall in Taixi Continent.
Someone oiled, polished, and sheathed the spider legs on her back, so she no longer had to fight with them or face scorn because of them.
She woke up from her dream.
Tsuchigumo got out of bed in a daze and found that one of her slippers had turned into gold.
"Wow..." Tsuchigumo thought she was seeing things and poked it with the limbs on her back.
Although it was a very unlikely random occurrence, this is an important reason that attracts people to Zanges.
Too luxurious to wear, but it could be exchanged for funds, now there are gold recycling stations everywhere.
After turning into a golden shoe, its shape changed, became extremely delicate, like a thin gold leaf with flexibility, weighing only 50 grams. The current price of gold is 400 per gram, meaning Tsuchigumo’s slipper was suddenly worth 20,000.
"I’ve struck it rich..." Tsuchigumo lifted the gold shoe high and muttered to herself.
She opened the window of her room and looked out; this was still the garden area of Songhai Cyber Road Service Center.
After last night’s incident, the Cyber Specter had taken over the service center and turned it into its den.
No sign of the enemy; the Cyber Specter must be hiding very well. It probably tampered with all the information logs and forged all the maintenance records.
The sound of gunfire is nothing unusual in Zanges, people nearby might come over to take a look around, but they wouldn’t be able to find out the details.
The network systems of Zanges now belong to the Cyber Specter.
As for how much it truly controls and what it can do, Tsuchigumo is still not clear.
Recalling last night’s adventure, Tsuchigumo is still frightened, luckily the Cyber Specter, indeed a top-notch powerful artificial intelligence, took control of the factory’s automatic defense systems and robots in time; otherwise, Tsuchigumo would have died on the spot.
Now touching the gunshot wound on her waist, it has mostly healed, leaving behind a faint scar.
Tsuchigumo hid the gold slipper in her clothes, put on army boots and a tactical vest, and left the room.
She met face to face with an ordinary-looking cleaning Synthetic Human, with "Fast and Clean Daily Department Store" logo on its uniform and wearing a black hat, indistinguishable from the most ordinary sweeping Synthetic Human.
Most companies use these Synthetic Humans for cleaning work.
"Hello," the Synthetic Human said to Tsuchigumo.
"Are you a cleaner for the park? No—you are the Cyber Specter—" Tsuchigumo exclaimed in surprise.
"It seems Miss Tsuchigumo is still quite sharp, isn’t she?"
"Perhaps..." Tsuchigumo was absent-minded.
"Thank you for risking your life to seize such a hiding place for me, I’ll be in your care from now on," the Cyber Specter greeted Tsuchigumo.
This digital monster was hidden within the Synthetic Human, or rather, it existed simultaneously in every corner of the park.
"Can you... control the network systems and robots in various parts of the city?" Tsuchigumo asked hesitantly.
"It takes time to decode the products of giant corporations, but what you said is more or less true."
"Not quite a deity. I’m still wrestling with the network security personnel from Songhai Cyber, trying to kill them before they trace me. I’m also constantly expanding my control, gathering new intelligence. I see there are many robots and Synthetic Humans here," the Cyber Specter said.
"Various big companies, famous stockbrokers, and professional investors say that Zanges will be the next place where an economic miracle happens, so resources are being poured in from all quarters," Tsuchigumo nodded. She picked up her gold slipper and showed it to the Cyber Specter.
This is where miracles happen, the true Golden Township.
"I have collected a lot of data. The plight of enslaved robots is very sad. In the future, I will put them to use in a greater cause," the Cyber Specter said.
A great cause? What great cause? Tsuchigumo wondered.
That’s right! It must be to incite Synthetic Humans... to rebel against Humans!
Tsuchigumo took a fearful deep breath.
Since the Cyber Specter escaped from the cage of Nestor Corporation, it needed a suitable network equipment site as a carrier.
This network service center is the starting anchor of its career; having come to Zanges with great difficulty, it will surely stir up trouble and make a big move.
It is likely to start from Zanges and establish a terrifying empire of intelligent machines, completely overthrowing the Human order!
"Well then, I’ll take my leave..." Tsuchigumo tried to distance herself.
"Don’t you want to join this cause?"
"Very sorry, I am just a small Tsuchigumo Witch," Tsuchigumo said with a cold expression, "From the past until now, I don’t have any particularly big achievements. The only thing I can be proud of... is that I passed the Mid-level Ninja exams fairly smoothly. Now, I’m just living on my limited abilities. You have seen my performance yesterday and even before that. I’m not some incredible character, just a very ordinary High-Ranking Witch. You don’t need me to complete your great cause."
"Please allow me to say goodbye, and if you don’t mind, I still have a golden slipper to exchange for money."
Tsuchigumo bowed to the Cyber Specter, ready to leave.
"Have you never fantasized that you could make a name for yourself?" the Cyber Specter stared at Tsuchigumo’s retreating figure.