mchenry-crisis.org Chapter 54 Official Meeting
Chapter 54 Official Meeting
After returning to the vector, he still mentioned that Orion wanted to see the Celestial.
After listening, the other person sat down in the small training room that had been temporarily set up in the basement of the spare accommodation and glanced at her for a second.
"Did he bring it up himself?"
"Hmm." Vector nodded. "And he was quite serious, not just saying it casually."
Zhen Tianzun did not respond immediately.
The cup of high-concentration energy liquid beside him remained untouched, and the repair marks on his outer armor were clearly visible under the light. The damage from the attack a couple of days ago couldn't possibly have healed completely so quickly; he was only slightly more stable than when he first moved here, far from being someone he could mess around with at will.
Yin Xiang stood beside him, looked at him for two seconds, and suddenly wanted to laugh: "With that expression, anyone who didn't know better would think I was going to take you to meet some difficult client."
Zhen Tianzun then looked at her: "You mention him quite often."
"so?"
"So I should at least know what kind of machine it is."
Yin Vector paused for a moment, scratched his head without thinking too much, and simply said, "Then let's meet. Anyway, you two will be connected sooner or later."
Zhen Tianzun snorted, "You arranged it quite naturally."
"Because it should be natural." Yin Xiang crossed his arms. "He already knows a lot of things and has clearly stated that he's on my side. If you really cause any trouble in the future, you can't keep keeping your distance from him forever."
She paused, then added, "And I think you two should get along well."
Zhen Tianzun looked at her: "You seem quite confident in your judgment of me and him."
"Of course," the vector replied quickly. "I've known you for a reason."
Zhen Tianzun didn't speak again, but simply lowered his head, picked up the cup of energy liquid, took a sip, and glanced at her as he did so. His movements seemed quite calm, but there was a slightly subtle glint in his eyes.
She glanced at Zhen Tianzun again subconsciously.
The other person also looked up, their tone cold and indifferent: "Why are you staring at me again?"
Vector immediately retorted: "See if you've recovered too well and are starting to bother me now."
"Do I need a recovery period to cause you trouble?"
"That's true." She nodded, turned and walked upstairs. "I'm going to reply to Orion's message. Fix your face, don't scare the machine away."
Zhen Tianzun chuckled softly behind her.
-
The final meeting place was still set in Iron Fortress.
I don't care about formality; it's just that Orion's side is more convenient and safer.
When the vector arrived, Orion was already waiting. He stood by the agreed-upon quiet reception area, still with his usual clean and gentle demeanor. The lines of his shoulder armor and chest looked even more refreshing in the room's bright light.
Standing beside her, the massive, silver-gray machine, even with its injuries, still exuded an overwhelming sense of power.
The difference in their auras is quite obvious when these two stand together.
One is a heavy cannon that displays its sharpness and weight openly; the other is a warm light that keeps all emotions under control, yet is by no means weak.
Standing in the middle, Yin Vector suddenly had the illusion that he was pulling two completely different, high-risk things onto the same table.
It really suits her current chaotic life.
Orion saw them first.
To be precise, I saw her first, and then I saw Zhen Tianzun beside her.
His gaze lingered on Zhen Tianzun for half a second. He showed no obvious surprise, nor did he look at him unnaturally. He simply glanced at him seriously and then walked over.
"Attraction vector".
"Hmm." Vector nodded, then casually tilted his hand to the side. "Let me introduce you. This is Orion Pax, the Heavenly Lord."
Zhen Tianzun also looked at Orion.
The two machines stared at each other for a second.
There was no attempt by either side to intimidate the other, nor any empty pleasantries or underhanded competition. However, they were clearly both quickly sizing each other up.
The vector could tell that neither of these two guys were the type to make a quick conclusion after meeting them for the first time.
So the atmosphere is currently relatively stable.
Orion spoke first, his voice as gentle as ever, his words clear: "I've always wanted to meet you formally. Today I finally have the chance."
Zhen Tianzun looked at him and nodded: "I've heard her mention you many times too."
Orion listened, his gaze flickered slightly, and then he smiled.
"That at least means that my reputation with her isn't too bad."
Zhen Tianzun said in a flat tone, "Indeed, it's not bad."
Yin Xiang was not nervous standing in the middle, because she quickly realized that although the two of them were evaluating each other at first glance and neither of them were the kind of people who would make the machine feel at ease, they were not so hostile after they actually sat down.
Or rather, they are simply not the type to waste time on such things.
After the three people sat down, the first few sentences were very ordinary.
Orion first asked how Zhen Tianzun was recovering.
Zhen Tianzun's answer was simple: "He won't die."
The vector reading rolled its eyes as it listened from the side: "Why do you all love using this kind of expression?"
Orion turned his head to look at her, a hint of a smile on his face: "I haven't used that line before."
"So you're normal," she said. "Keep it up."
Zhen Tianzun glanced at her but didn't say anything.
But that one look clearly said: You'd better not compare me to anyone else.
I'm too lazy to deal with the vector.
The conversation then naturally turned to Iron Fortress, the Lower District, and some recent developments in the situation.
And it was from this point that her statement, "You two should get along well," proved to be entirely true.
Because the two machines did indeed quickly connect their ideas.
When Orian mentioned the recent retrieval and unusual flow of resources at Iron Fortress, his tone remained calm: "Many things may seem like just tighter management on the surface, but if you compare the previous and subsequent rounds of resource allocation, you can see that control is no longer simply about maintaining superficial order."
Zhen Tianzun gave a low snort: "Order is just a word they always have on their lips. What they really want to maintain is to keep whoever is in their rightful place forever."
Orion nodded. "I agree."
Yin Vector leaned back in his chair, quietly watching the two machines.
Orion continued, "The space for mobility at the bottom level is being compressed. Education, data, and technical access may still seem to offer possibilities on the surface, but in reality, it's becoming more and more like a sieve, only allowing a very small number of machines to pass through."
Zhen Tianzun looked at him, and the scrutiny that was originally there in the light blue optical glasses was noticeably fainter.
"You can see more clearly than many of the people sitting in those seats."
Orion didn't show any extra expression at this comment, but calmly replied, "Because I was looking at these things anyway. I was thinking about how to stop them from rotting away."
"What I'm thinking is that keeping something that's already rotten to this extent will only kill more machines," Zhen Tianzun quickly added. "If you really want it to change, persuasion alone won't work."
This statement did not completely freeze the atmosphere, but it did highlight a core point of contention.
However, it is precisely because it is core that it is worth discussing.
Orion didn't evade the question. He looked at Zhen Tianzun seriously and said, "I understand what you mean, and I don't think what you said is entirely wrong. However, I will still prioritize thinking about whether there is a way to allow more people to see the problem clearly without being further torn apart, and then stand up."
Zhen Tianzun stared at him for two seconds: "You're a little more idealistic than me."
"You're a bit more direct than me," Orion said, chuckling softly. "But that doesn't mean we're on opposite sides."
Upon hearing this, the corner of Yin Vector's mouth twitched slightly.
Yes, that's it.
She had a vague feeling before that although the two machines seemed to have very different personalities and methods, they were not essentially going east and west respectively.
They are just gathering strength to overthrow the top, and one is seriously thinking about how to make more people see clearly why they want to stand up.
The goals may not be exactly the same, but the direction is the same.
Once this was clear, the subsequent conversations went much more smoothly.
Orion inquired about the Great Surge's public speech.
Zhen Tianzun clearly hadn't expected the other party to actually have seen it, and raised an eyebrow slightly: "You've seen that?"
"I've seen them," Orion answered frankly. "More than one."
"What do you think?"
“Very powerful,” Orion said. “And very few machines can articulate so clearly, in that situation, many things that the underlying mechanisms have already sensed but cannot articulate.”
Yin Xiang sat beside him, initially just listening.
Hearing this, he couldn't help but turn his head to glance at Zhen Tianzun.
She could almost see that although the other person still looked the same on the surface, they were probably subtly more comfortable inside.
After all, these are serious viewers, and from a place like Iron Fortress.
When Zhen Tianzun finally spoke, he simply said, "Your evaluation is quite high."
Orion said calmly, "Because it's worth it."
That's too direct.
Even Zhen Tianzun was silent for a second before responding softly, "You understand things much better than many who only listen to the noise."
Okay, that means it's officially recognized.
Sitting in the middle, listening to their back-and-forth conversation, Yin Xiang felt a wonderfully relaxed sensation.
It wasn't because the situation had improved, nor because the enemy planes had all been wiped out.
It's not that they met and cared about each other separately, but now that they've actually met, they can talk to each other without any difficulty. They don't just exchange a few words; they naturally connect with each other.
This feeling made her feel a little more relaxed.
With her relaxed demeanor, she naturally became more talkative, occasionally interjecting to steer the discussion back on track.
For example, when Orion mentioned a particularly sharp metaphor used in a speech, she naturally added, "He himself speaks even more sharply than that."
Zhen Tianzun turned his head to look at her: "You were quite adept at undermining me today."
"truth."
Orion chuckled beside him.
For example, when Zhen Tianzun mentioned that places like Iron Fortress, although they looked orderly, were actually subject to the selection and allocation process by the higher-ups, Yin Xiangfu added in the middle: "What he said was a bit harsh, but the general direction is correct. Your side just has more presentable packaging."
Orion looked at her: "The way you put it, Ironfort is somewhat hurt."
"Then let it reflect on itself first," the vector replied confidently.
The atmosphere gradually became more lively.
The three machines sat together, their personalities vastly different: one was cold and hard, one was gentle, and the other kept interrupting, occasionally blurting out something that made the machine cough up its drink.
Not only did the atmosphere remain lively, but the conversation deepened and flowed more smoothly.
Later on, it wasn't just a simple introduction; they were genuinely exchanging their views.
Looking at the light on the table, Yin Xiang felt that this scene was quite rare. She hadn't felt this relaxed and at ease for a long time.
Orion looked at her then, his tone carrying a faint smile: "You seem much more relaxed now than you did a couple of days ago."
Vector was taken aback, and subconsciously touched his face: "Is it that obvious?"
"Yes," Orion said.
Zhen Tianzun casually chimed in from the side, "You practically had 'I'm very satisfied with this conversation' written all over your face just now."
Pointer vector: "..."
She looked to the left, then to the right, and finally honestly admitted, "Okay, a little bit."
"Just a little?" Orion asked.
"Quite a lot." She leaned back, no longer pretending, "because you two really do get along better than I thought."
Zhen Tianzun snorted but did not deny it.
Orion looked at her, the gentleness in his eyes becoming clearer: "That at least shows that this meeting was worthwhile."
After hearing this, the corners of Yin Vector's mouth also turned up slightly.
Yes, it's definitely worth it, absolutely worth it.
She looked down, picked up the drink in front of her, and took a sip.
Just as he put it down, he heard Zhen Tianzun suddenly speak.
"If there's ever a chance in the future, I can also see your documents and public records."
This was said to Orion.
It wasn't particularly warm, and it was still in the style of Zhen Tianzun, but the meaning was very clear: he was an opportunity worth befriending.
Orion clearly understood this implication and nodded in agreement: "Sure. I was also looking for a compilation of your recent public statements."
The vector, sitting in the middle, suddenly laughed.
Her smile drew the attention of the two machines next to her.
"What are you laughing at again?" Zhen Tianzun asked.
"It's nothing." She waved her hand, but couldn't help herself, "I just suddenly felt that this meal was really worth it."
Orion looked at her, amused by her words, and said with a slight smile, "Then it seems we'll have to maintain this cost-effectiveness from now on."
"Don't raise her to such strange standards," Zhen Tianzun said calmly.
"What's so strange?" Yin Xiang immediately turned around. "It's quite an achievement that you two managed to get together at the same table and not blow it up with your conversation."
Zhen Tianzun looked at her, and finally just snorted.
The lamplight on the table fell, and the atmosphere grew more and more peaceful with each round of conversation.