Chapter 19: The Heart of the Machine

Seeing the nurse’s solemn expression, Robin took the newspaper and began to read.

"Shock! Grand Duke Benito Cowardly? The So-Called Silver Wing Medal Has Become a Joke in the Grand Duke's Hands"
"Grand Duke Benito’s Men Rescued Robin Rommel; Is the Hero Too Afraid to Duel?"
"The Fastest Hero to Run Away—It’s Enough to Make You Laugh Your Teeth Out"
"Was the Silver Wing Medal Bought? How Much Did It Cost?"
"Night of the Dead: Robin Rommel Shoots Twelve Soldiers at the Hospital"
"Treated Like a Hero Out of Trust, Without Extra Guards, Yet Robin Fires Upon the Soldiers"
"Hero? Or Coward?"

"I only had six bullets at the hospital and managed to kill twelve. I’m quite impressive," Robin remarked dryly.

It seemed Marquis Sid was a master of manipulating public opinion. I was rescued from St. Peter’s Hospital, yet they made no mention of the incompetence of the garrison there; instead, they framed the event as a betrayal of the trust and care they had shown me. Before, I was a fearless war hero; now, I had become a war-shy coward.

Robin was well aware of the ignorance of the masses and knew how easily they could be led. Even in the modern era, just a few years ago, netizens only believed what they wanted to believe. A woman’s hypocritical crying could topple a media company, and a cake shop without a basement could be "proven" to be abusing children in one based on mere rumors... There were many things that could be verified with a simple search, yet people still insisted on arguing to the bitter end. People in this era, with lower levels of education and without the convenient access to information found in the modern world, were the easiest group to exploit.

"Keep reading..." the nurse said, fighting back tears.

"What..."

Robin turned to the next page, his pupils constricting as he abruptly stood up. At the city entrance, several long wooden stakes had been erected. The heads of the driver, Mery, and the three male orderlies were displayed upon them!

Their faces remained as they were in life; some scarred by grenade shrapnel, some merely smeared with dirt, and others with holes blown through their skulls by bullets. Their eyes were closed, their complexions ashen and bloodless. The driver, in particular—the man he had been fleeing with just yesterday—was now mounted there. His thick beard and the cigarette still dangling from his lips made him look disturbingly lifelike.

They had killed these people and then mounted their heads, even going so far as to stick a cigarette in the driver's mouth... Was this not just murder, but a strike at the soul?

Robin’s grip tightened on the paper, his hands trembling as if he wanted to tear it to shreds.

***

Who did this? Who ordered this?

He quickly noticed the text in the report:

*“An Enraged Captain Vincent Calls Out to Robin Rommel: ‘Robin, you damned coward! You don’t deserve the Silver Wing Medal, and you don’t deserve my respect! The people who rescued you are hanging here now. If you have any shred of manhood left, come and face me in a fight to the death! Win, and I will return their heads and bodies to you!’”*

"What happened to the driver? We were together at that time, weren't we? I sniped all their spotters last night—I had suppressed the enemy so they didn't dare show their heads!" Robin looked sharply at the young nurse.

"What good does it do to kill even more people? You are only one man! You can kill ten, twenty, but what if they send out a hundred, a thousand?" The nurse gripped the fabric over her knees, her knuckles white, her body trembling. "If the driver hadn't left us behind at the stronghold, if he hadn't drawn the enemy away, would we have survived?"

"Vincent..." Robin felt an urge to grab a gun and charge out to fight him to the death.

"The squad leader said, don't blame yourself. It is Marquis Sid who is too cruel." The nurse finally let her tears fall; she wiped them away, her voice raspy. "If you don't help the Grand Duke liberate the city of Volscini, you will have failed everyone who died!"

She had added that last part herself. She knew her own limitations; she knew she couldn't avenge everyone or see their wishes fulfilled. It was Robin's marksmanship that had ignited a glimmer of hope in her. She knew that everyone had joined the Grand Duke's Black Mountain Army because they believed the Grand Duke was the savior of Volscini. Only if Robin helped the Grand Duke liberate the city would their deaths not be in vain.

"I will..." Robin suppressed the impulse in his heart. He knew that impulsivity was the devil; charging out to find Vincent now would not only fail to avenge them but would make their sacrifice meaningless. Clearly, he had taken Matthew's words to heart.

Robin didn't feel like the nurse was using moral blackmail. From the perspective of a soldier, this was his duty. These people had died for him, one after another, so that he could continue to display his prowess on the battlefield.

"I’m out now, but what next?" Robin focused his gaze on the nurse.

"I don't know... but we need to get out of the city..." The nurse shook her head, looking lost. "We are in a veterinary clinic inside the city now. There are many soldiers on the streets, and the checkpoints have become much stricter. I don't know if we can slip out..."

"I'll go get your new medicine."

Only after the nurse left did Robin notice the IV drip in his arm. He didn't know what kind of medication it was. He touched his abdomen, which had been re-bandaged. Although the situation yesterday was intense and his wounds had reopened, causing him to lose much blood, he felt his condition was exceptionally good. The medicine used here seemed to be of much higher quality than what they had at St. Peter’s Hospital.

Watching the nurse leave, Robin steadied his mind.

How to get out of the city?

Wait, my transcendent trait!

Thinking of this, Robin decisively opened his system panel.

[Host: Robin Rommel]
[Gender: Male]
[Age: 18]
[Strength: E+]
[Durability: E+]
[Agility: E+]
[Spirit: D]
[Mana: E]
[Transcendent Trait: Heart of the Machine (Awakening, 79%)] +
[Achievement: Silver Wing Medal Holder]
[Ability: Sniper (Master)]

My spirit and mana have increased, my name is fixed, and my pre-transmigration age has disappeared. Is this the manifestation of a perfect fusion?

Seeing the plus sign next to his transcendent trait, Robin controlled his focus to click on it.

[Heart of the Machine: Can communicate with machines, significantly improve their performance, and perform repairs and maintenance.]
[New functions may emerge after the second awakening.]

Heart of the Machine? Is this my transcendent trait? So, the gun in my dream and the auditory hallucinations I experienced were not mere coincidences. It seems this is much more advanced than Vincent’s leg enhancement and far more functional, though it is more dependent on machinery. If I were dropped into a primitive tribe, this ability would be useless.

The question is, how do I complete the awakening?

Robin still knew far too little about the transcendent realm.