Chapter 77: Archiving
2023-10-23 Author: Rowing Without Oars 233
Orin Vale seized the initiative. While accelerating his advance, he activated his Super Speed, flashing in front of the first robot. A punch empowered by his thruster smashed its metallic skeletal face to pieces.
That punch was like a lit fuse, instantly raising the curtain on the fierce battle within the dark factory.
A large number of Brainiac's robots emerged from the darkness, their smooth steel bodies reflecting each other's eerie green lights. They were equally fast, rapidly deploying into formation to completely surround Orin Vale from the air and the ground.
"Collection... Collection..." one of the robots emitted a strange, mechanical voice.
Orin Vale leaped into the air. In the same motion, an accelerated knee strike tore a huge gash in the machine's chest. The robot's eyes flickered, and then its body tilted and fell.
"Knowledge must be collected. Worlds must be archived," another robot said.
Orin Vale soared into the air on jets of flame, and more robots rose with him. A dense barrage of energy beams shot at him from all directions. With so many enemies in an enclosed space, the crisscrossing green laser beams left no room to maneuver, no matter how fast he was.
But the Ultra Barrier's energy had already been released, enveloping his battlesuit in the form of a force field. The dense energy beams impacted from all sides, creating a continuous series of explosions around Orin Vale, but they couldn't shake the sturdy shield.
"How's the force field?" Orin Vale asked.
"Integrity at 86%. It can definitely hold," Pal replied.
The shield system was incredibly effective, taking tons of damage without even showing a crack. Orin Vale attacked with both hands, firing continuous blasts from his palms. One after another, the Brainiac robots burst apart under the impact of the palm cannons.
"They used to say that mass-produced units are always trash. I thought they were just kidding."
As he spoke, Orin Vale had already charged in and broken the robots' formation. A Rocket Punch pierced straight through one machine, and with a backhand swing, he smashed another robot to the ground.
"The scan has found that these robots utilize various forms of extraterrestrial technology, but the metallic elements composing their bodies are all native to Earth," Pal reported. "The theory is that these are vanguards produced by Brainiac after hijacking Earth's assembly lines. But because they use local assembly lines and raw materials, their durability isn't high. A light cannon at over 7% output is sufficient to destroy their outer shells."
"Seven percent. Got it."
Orin Vale threw out an Eight-Split Light Wheel, and an entire row of robots was sliced neatly in two.
Barely a minute had passed since the fight began, and the roomful of robots had already been reduced by more than half. But they knew no pain and no fear. The remaining ones continued to surge forward, wave after wave, still eerily chanting.
"Lakes and seas shall be annihilated, every bird and beast eradicated—"
"All eradicated—"
"All things of importance will be taken over by us—"
A Specium Bullet descended, and its explosive, blazing flames, carrying lethal matter, swept across the area. The bodies of numerous machines shattered one after another. Explosions, sparks, and the clang of steel intermingled, leaving behind a vast, scorched black mark.
The last machine also disintegrated, and in the darkness, a giant screen lit up.
Orin Vale walked closer. On the screen, a green background appeared, along with a cartoonish, skeleton-like face.
"I am... Brainiac."
The mechanically synthesized voice seemed to come from some distant place.
"You are a planetary anomaly. You do not belong to this planet. I have been observing..."
"Is that so? I'm truly flattered."
Orin Vale said calmly, while Pal was already attempting to trace the signal's source.
"What do you want?" Orin Vale asked.
"Knowledge. Collection. Archiving," Brainiac said. "I collect myriad worlds, archiving the Knowledge of every Civilization born of the Universe."
"So you're targeting Earth next?"
"Correction. I am not targeting Earth next. I have already arrived, and the Knowledge of this planet has already been archived," Brainiac said calmly. "The species living on this planet—they call themselves 'Humans'."
"They are primitive and backward, yet at the same time, full of suspicion and self-righteousness. The appearance of you and the Kryptonian has made them feel insecure, forcing them to seek a solution."
"And I provided them with a solution. So they willingly opened their gates to me, handing over everything I wished to collect on a silver platter."
"What do you mean?" Orin Vale narrowed his eyes, glancing at the tracking progress bar in the corner of his vision.
In theory, as long as he found the signal's origin, Orin Vale could use Body Digitization to follow it back—though whether to do so was another matter. Charging in headfirst while the environment, deployments, and enemy status on the other side were all completely unknown would be reckless, and was clearly not advisable.
Pal silently displayed the progress on the screen. The tracking had been localized to a point outside the atmosphere, somewhere in the boundless space. But then the progress bar got stuck. The loading icon spun round and round, but it seemed unable to trace the signal's source.
"I know you are stalling for time. You wish to find my location, but that is impossible." Brainiac's voice was perfectly calm. "I am everywhere."
But at least Orin Vale confirmed one thing.
Old Bu's true body was probably not on Earth.
"I originally came here merely to collect Earth's Civilization, but after arriving, I found an unexpected prize," Brainiac said faintly. "The remnant Kryptonians are also here. A Kryptonian who grew up on Earth from infancy... an important specimen. It needs to be collected."
"And then, there is something even more important. You."
Orin Vale could almost feel the super AI's scorching gaze through the electronic screen.
"I have collected one Civilization after another, conquered one World after another, but I have never seen a Creature like you. A being of pure Energy, like a nascent Star, possessing immense Power and endless possibilities..."
"Thanks for the praise, but forget it if you want me to be your pet."
"You will... *bzzzt*..."
The signal seemed to be growing unstable. The screen began to flicker, and Brainiac's voice was now laced with static.
"Just... give it a little... *bzzzt*... time. But before that... *bzzzt*... first, the Kryptonian... Archiving has already begun... *bzzzt*..."
The screen went dark. The signal was lost.
Orin Vale frowned slightly.
*Archiving has already begun? What did that mean?*
But he would soon find out.
A call came through to the battlesuit. The display showed it was from Kara.
"Kara? What's going on?" Orin Vale asked.
"Orin Vale! You... you have to come back! Did you see the news? It's Kal... Oh my god, Kal, he's been..."
"Calm down, Kara. Speak slowly. What happened to Superman?"
As he spoke, Orin Vale had already signaled Pal to bring up the Metropolis news on the display.
And then he immediately understood what Kara was talking about.
Nearly every channel was broadcasting this breaking news.
*Superman Successfully Captured?*
(end of chapter)