Chapter 1, The Heart Snatcher (Part 1)

The lines of thought in his mind have begun to operate, transmitting images of simulated ambushes into his consciousness

Although it was something anticipated, seeing this surreal and supernatural scene still made Gwen's heart tighten—despite the fact that he no longer had a heart.

A set of extremely vicious plans involving kicking in the groin, poking the eyes, and then shooting to blow out the opponent's eyes gradually emerged

Gwen awoke on the surgical chair, experienced in letting his body settle into a state akin to 'death.' This was not difficult, for he was now merely a corpse. Like a vagabond sustaining life by chewing on a dead rat, he quietly opened his eyes a crack in the gap between death and survival

It is still difficult to say whether this old thing is a person or not

Thus, the source of power becomes quite evident

Everything is just as it was simulated in Gwen's mind

Is it because of me that you are unwilling to dissipate

Looking down with squinted eyes, what is seen is a gory, gaping hole.

Finally leaving this place, doing what all newcomers do for the first time, opening my eyes to see this world

At this moment, the old man had his back turned to him, presenting a good opportunity for a sneak attack. If it weren't for the scene that played out in Gwen's mind, where he imagined himself being taken down in just a second by the old man transformed into a devilish muscle man shouting, 'Behold the power of the source force,' he might have actually gone for it

He felt a mysterious force protecting his chest, allowing him to think and to "live" even in a state of having "no heart," much like the warmth radiating from a cozy stove. However, this force is ultimately limited, and it is clearly and reluctantly dissipating.

A hole had also been opened in her chest, but the delicacy of the wound was different from that of the corpses treated like garbage. In the chest cavity of this exquisite corpse, where the heart should have been, there was embedded a mechanical device, emitting a strange glow of orange and red.

Damn it

Gwen nearly lost control of the corpse state. Although he did not know where his simulation construction ability came from, he could only say, 'This old thing is indeed not human'

While waiting for an opportunity, he carefully examines his own condition

The physical endurance of the Source Force Envoy has far exceeded the imagination of an ordinary person. He must be even more ruthless in order to cause its sudden death.

He has gone mad

The corpses bore almost identical faces, each a handsome and charming visage. The pallor was not one of sickness, and the delicacy was not garish; it was a clean and attractive face. In a previous life, such a countenance would surely brighten one's mood, a face that even the most envious would find hard to resist admiring.

Three identical surgical chairs were placed around him, each occupied by a corpse with its chest cavity violently opened to extract the heart

Source Power

At the feet of the old man lay the 'fuel', a certain type of red liquid, which, after the essence was extracted from the hearts of their four corpses through a ritual, was injected into the diesel, allowing the diesel to be transformed into this red liquid. This is the fuel for that mechanical heart

It seems necessary to find an alternative approach, as the damage inflicted through physical means is insufficient. Even though in my previous life I successfully defeated some beasts that would seem impossible for a human to conquer using these techniques.

The only cost is pain

To eliminate this ancient being endowed with supernatural powers, a meticulous design is essential, and it must be a single, fatal strike

Praise the diesel, praise the supreme mechanical spirit of the steam deity, let this corpse move like a swarm of cats

Although my physical strength may be slightly inferior to that of an adult male, if I were to be caught from behind and thrown to the ground using such perfect fighting techniques, as if I were a small chick, it would indicate that my opponent is likely not human

I do not wish to die

The alchemical vessels were placed on the long table

This time it comes from the chest

Gwen analyzed the data she had no idea how to obtain through her intracranial training. I approached and choked the opponent while simultaneously delivering a heavy knee strike to their spine, imagining breaking the opponent's spine like Bane did to Whitehead Man, only to be caught by the opponent with a grotesque strength reminiscent of a mid-lane crocodile man, thrown to the ground, and subjected to a Hulk-like stomp

A person who is not insane would not speak to themselves to this extent, but it is also possible that this is merely a desperate act by a university student repeating the sentences from the manual mechanically when their experimental results are completely erroneous

He seemed to be saying: Kill him for us, outsider

It is not the power derived from resurrection that enables one to awaken; if the power of resurrection could indeed awaken a person and continuously infuse them with a force known as the Source Power, then that old man would not have needed to create that mechanical heart. Moreover, it is worth noting that after his own resurrection, the other party did not even have the thought of looking back. It seems he is convinced that even if the resurrection was improperly performed, a soulless corpse lacking a heart would still be unable to stand, let alone attack him.

Under normal circumstances, a person treated this way might owe Gwen one to two lives

Gwen quickly ran through the things she ought to do in her mind

Although it is somewhat rudimentary, it is something that must be accomplished at present

Gwen felt the warm power protecting her empty chest, naturally closing her eyes: I will kill him, not for revenge, but because I want to live

This is an operating room ... ... but it is not a modern sterile room; rather, it resembles a medieval physician who, after drinking, anesthetizes patients with a large hammer and performs amputations with torture-like bone saws in a basement operating room. A brass machine burning diesel is placed in the stone fireplace, and the bookshelves are crammed with books, to the extent that more books are stacked on the floor.

In the scene, I attempted to make a sound to attract the opponent, then swiftly delivered a strike to their throat cartilage, followed by a sudden knee strike to their most vulnerable point as a male, and finally, I struck their temples with both palms.

I do not wish to die burdened by such things—although revenge is not my primary thought, if I could stand on the moral high ground and thoroughly beat such scum, it would naturally be as refreshing as drinking a cold beverage on a hot day or curling up in bed on a cold day, providing a certain level of mental satisfaction

It feels like a pain from frostbite, a sharp and throbbing pain in the head

However, this old scoundrel is extraordinary; after enduring such an attack, he is merely insulted in terms of character and dignity, and feels a bit of pain. In the midst of his howling, he retaliates and transforms himself into a headless corpse.

One of the corpses still had a pair of azure blue eyes open, and its gaze seemed to rest upon Gwen, yet it appeared as if the focus was set on something far away

Even a heartless person can still survive

Gwen hopes for the latter, as the despair of others is somewhat more interesting than their madness, especially in the case of those who have already lost all human decency.

Gwen endured the pain, having already seen the scene of what would happen to him if he could no longer withstand the suffering

In front of four surgical chairs, there stood a coffin made of brass gears, levers, and a large transparent crystal, before an elderly man dressed like a professor, within which lay a remarkably exquisite young girl in slumber

Although the eyes mentioned here are generally considered the opponent's weakness, the fact that the opponent shows no concern about this suggests that it is likely not a weakness that someone like me, who is not a superhuman, can exploit with mere physical strength

As he began to feel anxious about the countdown to death in his chest, the simulations in his mind also became chaotic and disordered

The situation has become clear

How effective is the tactic of poking the eyes

He glanced at the bodies beside him and suddenly noticed a holster hanging at the waist of one of the corpses

An aged voice was angrily cursing, as an old man who looked like a university professor was roughly berating the books in the tone of a dockworker: "The materials are correct... four materials resembling the resurrected, regardless of gender... diesel? Premium black oil... source power? Of course! I invested ninety percent of my own source power into it, and yet there hasn't been a damn bit of response!"

Gwen, in a state resembling that of a corpse, squinted her eyes as she organized the information at hand

Strangely, he now possesses two lines of thought. One line of thought continuously deduces the story and simulates scenarios through existing clues, much like 'predicting the future.' Meanwhile, the normal line of thought does not hinder his thinking; he can even reflect on his own 'thinking'.

I took the mechanical heart from that female corpse and installed it on myself. Although I feel sorry for the corpse, who says it should be you who is resurrected instead of me? Equipment is made for the living, and soldiers are replenished for the living contestants

In the simulation, the old man opened his mouth, and surprisingly, an eye appeared inside.

The pain has begun to act up again

Gwen slightly tilted her head and looked at her 'companions'. Although the three corpses bore almost identical features, their identities and attire were completely different. Perhaps one of them had a questionable character, or perhaps one had habits and hobbies that were distasteful, but these were not the reasons they were subjected to heart dissection as experimental subjects

... ...

is a superpower user

This old man was conducting a certain heinous resurrection experiment, by murdering four individuals whose faces resembled that of this female corpse, accompanied by a mystical ritual, to perform the art of resurrection. However, for some unknown reason, an accident occurred; perhaps it was due to the presence of my foreign soul, as the resurrection did not manifest in the corpse but instead manifested in me

Time is likely running short

He chewed on these two words; as a time traveler, the desire for supernatural powers is natural. However, he must first survive

He harbored this suspicion in his heart and speculated about the source of this power

Launch a surprise attack and kill this old man

There is nothing in one's chest cavity, no heart

It can be said to be the finished product of the faces of the corpses

Currently, there seems to be no effective way for the headless man to survive

possesses a special power known as Source Force