Adam Hammer's transformation did not disturb Yorinobu in the slightest. Instead, he calmly picked up the ice shaver from the coffee table and tossed it to him.
Sparks burst forth where metal met metal, dancing across Adam Hammer's skin. What followed was Yorinobu Arasaka's mocking laughter.
"Oh, I knew it. Just a low-level cosmetic modification. The body's still metal through and through!"
"Is that so?"
Xiao replied lightly, gesturing for Adam Hammer to explain.
"Lord Yorinobu, please take a closer look."
Adam Hammer raised the ice blade. Flowing mercury surfaced once more, swallowing the delicate ice blade whole. In the next instant, each of his fingers reshaped itself—every one of them capable of transforming into an ice blade.
"This is the result of fully integrating the dimensional chip. I can absorb any object and freely alter my body. More than that—so long as I input the data and blueprints of a prosthetic body, I can acquire all of its abilities."
As he spoke, Adam Hammer's body continued to restructure itself. Like liquid mercury, it flowed and reshaped, morphing into countless forms at will.
"In this state, as long as my brain isn't destroyed, I can achieve true immortality—by absorbing matter and energy."
He finally returned to a human form. A faint black sheen surfaced on his arm.
"This is Haki—an extraordinary power. It doesn't merely harden the body; it allows metal prosthetics to break past their limits and reach a higher tier altogether. It lets me glimpse even greater power."
"Any company can restore human senses with prosthetics,"
Yorinobu shot back stubbornly.
In truth, sensory restoration through mechanical prostheses was already commonplace. The Big Steel Cannon series, for example, represented the pinnacle of such technology—multi-element neural systems capable of delivering sensory feedback even stronger than that of the original human body.
But such prostheses had a fatal flaw: fragility. Excessive neural circuitry consumed internal volume, inevitably compromising structural strength.
"God does not require recognition,"
Xiao's voice rang out at precisely the right moment, as though to awaken the obstinate Yorinobu.
"Mortals will believe in and pursue God of their own accord."
"…Is this a nanoswarm?"
Yorinobu Arasaka turned the dimensional chip over in his hand, eyes gleaming as he tried to peer into its essence.
"You can tell?"
Xiao nodded calmly, fixing him with a questioning gaze.
"Then you should already understand my path."
"..."
Yorinobu fell completely silent.
He could no longer deny Xiao's divinity.
From the chip and Adam Hammer's performance, he had glimpsed the terrifying power and limitless potential of this new nanoswarm. And Xiao had clearly fused his very soul with these special nanomechanical insects.
Soul-transfer technology was nothing new. Ever since the advent of cyberspace, there had been legends of hackers uploading their consciousness into the Net, becoming sentient AIs.
At present, more than eighty percent of Huangban Capital's resources were devoted to soul-digitization research. They had already developed technology capable of backing up human consciousness, even creating relic chips that allowed one's awareness to accompany family members indefinitely.
His father—Saburo Arasaka—had descended into madness in his pursuit of immortality, seeking to use such breakthroughs to seize and overwrite other people's bodies.
Yorinobu understood perfectly what state Xiao was in now.
Xiao had completely abandoned his human identity, becoming the collective consciousness of a nanomechanical swarm.
At that moment, Yorinobu nearly laughed out loud—laughing at his own ignorance, laughing at the century-long obsession his father had pursued, only for someone else to achieve it with ease.
Xiao was no longer a single human. He had become a force, a concept.
He had truly become a god.
With current technology, there was no way to deal with a nanoswarm like this—perfect, omnipotent, capable of infinite replication. As long as it was controlled, true immortality was guaranteed. As long as even a single nanomechanical insect remained, Xiao could never truly perish, reborn again in an instant.
Humanity would inevitably worship him, pursue him with fanatic devotion, all for the sake of obtaining his gifts.
But to accept that power was to become part of Xiao.
All future knowledge, wisdom, technology—even strength itself—would belong to Xiao.
Xiao was one and all things.
Xiao existed nowhere—yet everywhere.
Xiao had become God.
The God of Technology.
The God of All Machines.
He was the Ohm Messiah.
(Also known as the Omnissiah—Ohm meaning resistance, Messiah meaning savior. Originally a prayer for the smooth operation of machinery, it gradually evolved into the symbol of the God of All Machines.)
"Praise be to the Om Messiah!"
Upon fully comprehending Xiao's existence, Yorinobu Arasaka installed the dimensional chip into his neural slot without hesitation. Crossing his arms over his chest, hands resting on his shoulders, he welcomed the baptism of the God of All Machines.
All thoughts of dragging Xiao to the guillotine or burning him at the stake vanished without a trace.
As Xiao had said, he no longer needed power to protect himself. His very existence was supreme.
In that case, it was far better to wield Xiao's power—to complete the revolution, destroy all corporations, and build a new society belonging to the people.
"Bless you, Yorinobu Arasaka,"
Xiao said, raising a finger.
"May your ideals be fulfilled."
At his gesture, the dimensional chip melted and merged into Yorinobu's body—but its effect was entirely different from Adam Hammer's.
Because Yorinobu's body was still largely flesh and blood, like Rogue's, the nanoswarm merely restored his youth and extended his lifespan to the natural human limit.
Adam Hammer's complete nano-mechanized form was possible only because he was already a fully modified cyborg, with barely any flesh remaining—making his transformation far purer.
As the dimensional chip dissolved into a dimensional seed, Yorinobu also received new information, instantly understanding how to wield this power—and how to strengthen it.
The so-called dimensional seed was, in truth, a nanomechanical insect nest, containing tens of billions of nanomechanical insects. They could independently evolve and divide by devouring energy and matter.
The more they multiplied, the stronger the host's body and physique became. At the same time, they could consume technological products, retain their blueprints, and perform instantaneous transformation whenever necessary.
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