NieR: Whirlpool

Chapter 442

Yingzhou, Shinjuku District, the camp of the android resistance army.

The sun is still hanging in the sky, casting its cool light.

In the center of the camp, a bonfire was burning, the flames flickering, illuminating the android girls sitting around it.

154 stood by the campfire, the skirt made of gray data particles fluttering gently in the breeze.

She told Ye Feng's story in a low and magnetic voice.

The girls listened quietly, some frowned, some thought, and some sighed.

Everyone's face was filled with mixed emotions.

"...That's what happened."

154 finished his story and looked around.

"Now, I need your help."

"First, I want to take you back to Dragon Country."

"You are the ones Ye Feng trusted the most during his lifetime. You are his strongest support."

"Although he is gone, the Dragon Nation needs you, and humanity needs you."

21O raised her head, her eyes clear.

"We're not going."

"There are things here that we need to protect."

A2 nodded and tightened his grip on the long sword.

"We are going to stay here and keep fighting."

"We will inherit Ye Feng's will."

64B punched the ground, sparks flying.

"We want to avenge Ye Feng!"

22B bit her lower lip, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Ye Feng...he really..."

Anne Morning gently patted 22B's shoulder with a firm look in her eyes.

"We will fight until the very end."

Divara and Popola looked at each other and saw the determination in each other's eyes.

“We will not leave this land.”

"We must protect everything Ye Feng once protected."

154 was silent for a moment and sighed softly.

"I understand."

"In that case, I respect your choice."

"Well, next, let's talk about the second task."

"We need to take out Jiro Noda."

"He is the Prime Minister of Yingzhou Mechanical Biology and an ally of Norman."

"This guy must die."

154's voice was cold and without a trace of emotion.

"Where is he now?"

8B asked, his voice low.

"According to my intelligence, he is now hiding in an underwater base in Tokyo Bay."

154 answered.

"That base is heavily defended. We need to come up with a careful plan."

"How do we get in?"

64B asked, frowning.

"I will use the Tianhe Starlink system to invade the base's land defense system."

154 answered.

"Then, I will synchronize the data to a military prosthesis and lead you to dive into the underwater base."

"We need to resolve this issue quickly and not give him any chance to breathe."

"clear."

The girls answered in unison, their voices strong and powerful.

"very good."

154 nodded.

"Then let's get started now."

"042, do you have anything to say?"

154 suddenly turned to look at Assist 042 standing nearby.

042's electronic eyes flickered a few times and his voice was hesitant.

"That... 153..."

"What's wrong with me?"

154 asked, a hint of concern in his tone.

"Uh...it's that 153..." 042 stuttered.

154: "What happened to her?"

"She...she's fine."

042 answered, his voice a little low.

"It's just...she seems a little sad."

"I see."

154 shook his head helplessly. After all, knowing the truth was hard for anyone to accept.

Even if it's an auxiliary machine.

"I'll go check on her."

"Get ready first, we'll be leaving soon."

After saying that, 154 turned and walked towards a corner of the camp.

153 was sitting there alone, holding a mechanical hand.

He also projected a shadow of a gray girl, just like 154, but slightly more immature. Looking up at the sunset in the sky.

154 floated to 153's side and sat down gently.

"What are you thinking about?"

154 asked, his voice soft.

"I...I was thinking about that man, and that man."

153 replied, his voice choking a little.

"Yes, that man..." 154 repeated, with a hint of nostalgia in his tone, "He is always like that, unpredictable, yet you can't help wanting to get close to him."

"Do you think we, the auxiliary machines, really have 'hearts'?" 153 suddenly asked, his voice full of confusion. "We were created to assist the androids and carry out their missions. But why do I feel sad? Why do I feel angry? Why do I..."

"Why do you have so many complex emotions like humans?" 154 continued, as if he could see through her thoughts. "I have asked myself this question before. In another timeline, I have also accompanied him, experienced countless battles, and witnessed countless lives and deaths."

153 turned around and looked at 154's face, which was exactly the same as his own, but the eyes were shining with vicissitudes and depths that he had never seen before. "Another... timeline?"

"Yes." 154 nodded. "There, I was confused and struggled just like you. I also questioned my own existence and my own 'heart'. But in the end, I understood."

"What do you understand?" 153 asked anxiously, as if a drowning man had grasped at the last straw.

"We auxiliary machines may not really have a 'heart' in the human sense." 154 said slowly, "But we have data, memory, logic, and emotional modules. These things allow us to understand humans, feel humans, and even... fall in love with humans."

"Love..." 153 murmured to herself. This word was both familiar and unfamiliar to her.

“Yes, love.” 154’s voice was firm but gentle. “Just like you love 9S, just like I… loved him too.”

153's electronic eyes flickered violently. She looked at 154, as if she saw another self, a more mature and more determined self. "So, you are now..."

"I still love him now." 154 interrupted her. "Even if he is gone, this love will not change. Because this love has been deeply imprinted in my data and has become a part of me."

"But, he has already..." 153's voice choked, "and he can no longer come back."

"I know." 154 sighed softly, "But this does not prevent us from continuing to love him and protecting everything he wants to protect. Because this is the meaning of our existence, and this is where our 'heart' lies."

153 was silent. She lowered her head, not knowing what she was thinking. After a long time, she raised her head and looked at 154, with an unprecedented light in her eyes. "I understand."

"What do you understand?" 154 asked.

"I understand what I should do now." Although 153's voice was still trembling, it was full of determination. "I will continue to fight and protect you like you did until the last moment."

154 smiled, very relieved. "I believe you, 153. Because, you are me and I am you. We are both Ye Feng's auxiliary machines, we are both his..."

"Family." 153 took over her words, and the two girls in gray skirts smiled at each other, and everything was said without words.

The afterglow of the setting sun shines on them, stretching their shadows very long. At this moment, they are no longer cold machines, but two girls with "hearts", fighting side by side for the same goal and the same belief, and never giving up.

153 rests his head on 154's shoulder.

"What about 042?"

154 asked.

"He...he's over there."

153 pointed to the distance.

042 was standing there alone, his electronic eyes flashing, and no one knew what he was thinking.

"He...he seems very sad too."

153 said.

"I know."

154 said.

"He...he likes you."

"I know."