[VR => Virtual Reality Headset]

---------------

Inside Zero's VR headset a display screen had already carried out a simulated calculation for the plan.

The TS-283 nuclear bomb is a secret strategic military weapon from "Kael Technology" a leading company within the "Mechanical Alliance."

A small TS-283 nuclear bomb can blow up a 100-meter-tall building. A medium one can wipe out nearly half a city. As for a big one—there's no official info, but Kael Technology says it can erase an island.

In the [simulated image], a meteor-like point of light appeared in the dark night sky over the Blackhole Plains gathering area. It grew bigger at an incredibly fast speed. Within just a few minutes, this meteor transformed into a blazing fireball, crashing into the southeast corner of the Blackhole Plains. A few tenths of a second later, the explosion's powerful shockwave destroyed all the buildings within the gathering area. Below the hellish sea of fire, a massive mushroom cloud billowed up.

(((This is all in her imagination, or be clearer the simulative imagination that she created)))

[Simulation completed]

[Time Taken: 29 minutes and 17 seconds]

[Enemy Organization Destruction Rate: 99.9%

[Operation Evaluation: Perfect]

Not just these data, Zero's simulation report also included civilian casualty rates, the rate of destruction of the Blackhole Gathering, radiation pollution, and other numbers.

Emotional circuits began to flicker at this moment. Although all other parts of Zero's body were brand new, only this circuit, located at Zero's "heart," seemed to have aged significantly. After supporting for just a few seconds, it completely dimmed out.

In its place, more and more "red codes" appeared on Zero's display screen.historical

These red codes were different from regular ones; they were twisted and irregular, sometimes blurry, sometimes clear, emitting a strange aura. Each one seemed to speed up Zero's "review" process for this plan, urging Zero to quickly execute the nuclear program.

lightsΝοvel Just when it seemed that Zero's entire field of vision would be filled with red codes,

\text[?``[oaicite:18]``?] \text[?``[oaicite:17]``?] \text[?``[oaicite:16]``?] \text[?``[oaicite:15]``?] \text[?``[oaicite:14]``?]

[Error. Error!!]

[Data anomaly detected, originating from Emperor Ashen's Biological Signal. Request to reevaluate.]

[Request approved. Starting corrections]

The tide of red codes abruptly stopped, and the nuclear plan's progress was forever stuck at 98%.

If there was anything that could override these "red codes," it would perhaps only be...

Zero returned to the statue hologram of the young man.

From her VR, two beams of light shot out and began scanning the hologram of Renji from top to bottom.

Soon after...

[Physical strength: D. Cellular vitality: D. Miasma concentration: 0%. Supernatural power: D]

[Nuclear Bomb Survival Rate: 0.1%]

[Measurement complete, successfully recalibrated Emperor Ashen's status, current master status: Severely Injured!]

Back in the day, every metric for Emperor Ashen in Zero's database reached the highest measurable standard of S-class. Now, all have returned to a level just slightly above that of an average person, D-. Thus, Zero immediately categorizes this as a Severely Injured.

[Plan Changed]

[Activating 'Emergency Protocol']

[First Priority Objective Updated: Treat the Emperor]

[Identity information successfully registered]

[Successfully enrolled master into the 'Emergency Medical Squad' premium membership, distress signal sent out. Estimated time until the fastest 'Emergency Medical Squad' arrives: Nine minutes and fifty-four seconds]

[All Pre-Action Conditions Set to: Stealth.]

On the screen inside Zero's protective VR headset, lines of information flashed by rapidly. It was evident that Renji's change in strength had a significant impact on Zero.

According to the 'Emergency Protocol,' if the Emperor encounters a life-threatening situation, Zero should use her communication ability to send this distress signal to the other "Four" personal guards, summoning everyone to rush over.

But Zero did not do that. Instead, she started erasing her traces, also completely eliminating the record of her "awakening."

Because, according to Zero's judgment, if Emperor Ashen was severely injured and powerless for some unknown reason, informing the other "Four" personal guards would actually be more dangerous.

Five hundred years have changed many things, including the "Four" of them.

So, right now, only "she" is trustworthy, only "she" can help the Emperor, only "she" is the most loyal to the master.

Zero intends to boost her master's strength, allowing her master to regain his peak power as quickly as possible, so that "they" would not dare to have other thoughts about her master.

The quickest way to do this now is—

Zero raised one of her hands, which quickly transformed into a sharp blade. Then, Zero aimed the blade at the arm of the young man's [projection image] and—lightsnovel

Swish!*

The blade flashed, and in the projection, Renji's arm was severed by Zero.

[Physical form. Fragile] Zero muttered.

Then, Zero manipulated the data to construct a new arm at the young 'projection's' severed limb—a new mechanical arm.

Because these are all just "models," the process was fast.

Looking at the mechanical arm she gave her master, which is far more robust and more explosive in strength than before, lined with various circuitry, this robotic arm could not only transform between dozens of weapons but also has multiple chip slots in its regular arm form. By installing advanced chips, it can achieve master-level proficiency in various scenarios that require arm usage.

[Perfect. Absolutely perfect]

For Zero, it was as if she had opened Pandora's Box. She wasn't content with only transforming one arm; she needed to do the other as well.

Swish!*

With a flick of her blade, Zero severed the left arm of Renji's 'projection' and repeated same process.

Both arms were now transformed into A-class powerful robotic arm, greatly enhancing her master's abilities. Zero quickly turned her attention to the young man's leg 'projections'.

Swish!*Swish!*

The legs of the Renji model had vanished, replaced by mechanical leg similar to the arms.

They were lighter, quicker, and sturdier than flesh and bone, equipped with a high-end jump system and rocket vents on the soles, enabling flight. They can autonomously adjust movement speed, with a top speed comparable to a top-of-the-line sports car.

But this posed a new problem.

'Could master's other organs withstand such powerful A-class military technology??'

The answer didn't require analysis; it was clearly no.

Zero's arms transformed into surgical blades. She became an artist sculpting her most cherished work, an outstanding prosthetic surgeon.

She removed Renji's eyeballs, replacing them with state-of-the-art robotic eagle-eye.

She opened Renji's back, swapping out his spine for a robotic one that had more sensitive nerve conduction and quicker response time.

She cut open Renji's chest. Initially, she replaced just the lungs with more powerful robotic ones, but soon enough, she was unable to restrain herself—like replacing the heart with a controllable fusion reactor.

As time passed, the young man's [Projection's] original organs were becoming fewer and fewer. In contrast, from top to bottom, his body was increasingly filled with intricate and luxurious mechanical parts.

The whole process took about ten minutes.

The original 'projection image' of Renji had long since disappeared.

Now standing before Zero was a mechanical giant over two meters tall, transformed entirely by prosthetics. Perhaps the only thing remaining that connected this figure to Renji was his face, which Zero didn't touch.

Although the young man looked entirely different from a human perspective, for Zero, he was the 'Perfect Master'.

She had successfully protected her master and restored his lost power.

This was Zero's "rescue" plan for Renji, and this model had been confirmed and recorded by the highest-spec "Emergency Medical Squad" that had arrived just a minute earlier.

The so-called "Emergency Medical Squad," like "Kael Technology" that produced the TS-238 nuclear bomb, is also a corporate giant within the "Mechanical Alliance" As the name suggests, it's a medical company, specialized in providing emergency aid to their insured clients.

Appearing silently inside the Sea Sand Bar, behind Zero, were seven mechanical maids dressed in battlefield nurse uniforms. This is the premium coverage benefit. Even outside the "Mechanical Alliance" they could be deployed from a valuable, one-time-use mini satellite pod.

Ordinarily, such emergency aid would be quite conspicuous. However, because all operations had the "Stealth" precondition added by Zero, they appeared without a sound.

Lastly, within the "Mechanical Alliance," no matter how large any company or corporate power is, they always have one unchanging superior.

That would be the highest intelligence entity that created the "Mechanical Alliance" the central hub of all technology and machinery—Zero.

[Data model analysis indicates that Master should still be in Blackhole Plains. Make every effort to rescue master and then perform prosthetic mechanical modifications according to the model specifications I created to enhance master's strength] Zero instructed.

After all, Zero right now was only a virtual projection. To truly intervene in reality, she relies on her mechanical forces.

Upon receiving the command, all the "Emergency Medical Squad" maids were about to leave the Sea Sand Bar immediately, splitting in seven directions to search for the young man, Renji, within the Blackhole Plains and commence the "rescue" operation.

However,

Just as the first emergency maid's foot had barely stepped out of the bar,

Buzz!*

From the darkness, a beam of holy light descended from the sky, piercing right through the body of the emergency maid.

Then, from the shadows of the bar's doorway,

A nun slowly stepped in.