When the robotic frame attempted to catch Julius, he snapped out of his fear and jumped from the couch, landing several meters away on the floor. He grabbed a lamp in the corner with his right cybernetic arm and held it in both arms.
When the robotic frame walked past the couch, Julius dashed in and smashed the lamp into the body. However, because the robotic frame was made of solid metal rods, smashing against it caused the lamp to shatter into pieces.
Julius took a quick step back and lifted a large table before throwing it at the robotic frame. It raised its hands and stopped the table in mid-air before setting it down on the floor.
"What are you?! What do you want?!"
"I need your body."
Julius gritted his teeth and rushed towards the door. He needed to escape and go outside to survive, but the robotic frame grabbed his shirt and slammed him to the ground.
Blood splattered from his mouth, but he refused to give up. He clenched his jaw and struck the robotic frame with his cybernetic arm. It was a low-grade arm with low power, but it could deliver hundreds of kilograms of force.
The arm made a large dent in the heavy frame's metal sheet, but it did not budge. Instead, it grabbed Julius by the throat and choked him. Julius struggled, kicking and punching, but he could not break free from the insane grip of the pure metallic body. His struggles gradually faded, and his body became limp.
After dragging his body to the basement, the robotic frame carried him down the ladder. After arriving at the lab, it set the body down on a table and began gathering the required equipment. It cut the back of Julius' neck to reveal the brain before attaching wires to it. It then plugged the wires into the computer.
When the preparations were completed, Solus began injecting information into Julius' brain via electrical signals. The signals clashed with the previously stored information and began to overwrite Solus' memories. Solus no longer required a microchip because Julius's body and brain were still alive and healthy. He also started scanning through his memories to find anything odd.
"I wonder who was that woman I saw..."
A familiar face was found during the search. The memory was distorted like blurred footage with harsh overexposure. Yet the woman matched the mysterious figure perfectly.
"Sweetie, don't skip meals. You didn't eat anything last night either."
"Mama, look! I remade the drones and fixed the portal connection port. Others made it 12.24F, but it is supposed to be 22.24F."
A sigh. "Do you really enjoy building those things? Other children your age can't even read properly."
"...are you mad?"
The woman's smile softened. "No, sweetie. Do whatever makes you happy. Here - I brought your food. Your hands are dirty, so I'll feed you. Say ahhh..."
The fragmented memory ended there, cutting to black.
[Are you sure you want to delete this file?]
"Yes."
After hours of sending electrical signals, the process of overwriting Julius' memories was completed successfully. As Solus instructed, the robotic frame carefully removed the wires from the brain before stitching the skin back together. When a wire was used to shock the body with electricity, it opened its eyes.
Once more, Solus noticed the ceiling was more colorful. Compared to dealing with a corpse, the process was considerably simpler. Since Julius's memories had been erased, it was now actually the body of Solus.
Solus' consciousness inside the computer terminated itself for the time being without easing the memories. Ultimately, Solus was able to resurrect himself for the third time.
He got to his feet and examined himself in the mirror. Julius's eyes, black hair, and respectable facial shape were nearly the same as Solus's previous body.
"As long as there is life, I will always come back."
He would no longer need to worry about a legitimate ID because he could now introduce himself to people as Julius. Having only one cybernetic arm and no other external components, Julius was classified as a Type 0.1. He was poor, so it was to be expected.
Solus returned to his home and started looking for any bank information, including cards. He was very familiar with his house, so it only took him a few minutes to locate a payment card and other necessary bank details.
He came back to his lab and sat in front of his computer, trying to find the precise bank. Once the account details were entered, a biometric verification request was made in order to proceed.
Solus scanned his retina with the camera and pressed his thumb on the card before gaining access to Julius's bank account. The balance was just 740 Lins. With that money, he could buy some spare parts, but spending it all at once would be foolish.
He went to an online retailer of cybernetic components, which offered them at a slightly lower price. It had all the components required to progress to Type 2. Solus chose some motorized gears, an eye, and an additional arm.
Just the arm cost 80 Lins, while the others cost 50 Lins. After the payment was confirmed, it issued a receipt with the delivery time. He lived a long way from the company, so the delivery would take at least one hour. However, he had no intention of wasting time waiting.
"Let's take a look at the officer from earlier. How could I let him live in peace after he killed my precious body?"
Solus went to the local report website and looked through every member. When he finally found the officer on the list, he reviewed the information and began investigating his life in depth.
"So his name is Keaton, and he lives with his mother and nephew. What a loving family he has. I should add some despair to that."
Solus took control of Keaton's home's security cameras and observed the situation from his lab.
A woman sat on a couch in the center of a spacious living room. She wore an expensive dress that complemented her long brown hair. There was another child who appeared to be about ten years old. She was putting on her shoes close to the door.
"Grandma, I'm leaving."
"Don't be too late, dear."
"Okay,"
The child opened the door and dashed out. The woman's attention was drawn to the news on the wall's large screen.
—'The Devil's Engineer,' who brought destruction to humanity, was recently executed. He was placed in the most secure prison possible. This is what the infamous destroyer said in his last moments.
"If I were reborn hundreds of times, I would take the same path each time."
"Finally, the nightmare has ended. What a relief," said the woman, sighing softly. "I couldn't sleep properly because of him, but I guess I will have a sound sleep tonight."
[That is great to hear. Sleep is crucial for the human brain.]
The woman froze and looked around, but found no one.
[Greetings. We have never met before, but you know me well. I apologize for your nightmares about me.]
The woman's eyes widened in surprise for a brief moment before settling down, believing it was a joke.
"Who are you? Show yourself."
[I'm Solus.]
"Don't lie! He was executed in front of the entire world yesterday. You are just another person trying to be smart!"
[Did you really believe I would die so easily?]
"I know it's someone else. Do not think you can get away with threatening an officer's family."
[You are brave. But I have your little child.]
"What? You thought you could scare me with such information? I know she's safe!"
[Very well then.]
There was a brief moment of silence before the sound returned, this time in a different voice.
[Honey, I lost. I won't be able to return home. This monster has already cut off my limbs. Please take good care of the kids. I love you.]
There was another pause before the original voice returned.
[What do you think? Does this sound familiar?]
The woman had frozen on the couch. Her eyes were staring blankly at the wall. Her husband died years ago while attempting to capture Solus, but she had never heard the previous message before. She had no doubt that it was indeed Solus. If he said he had her granddaughter, he was not lying.
"Where is my child?"
[Now do you believe me? Good. She is safe, for now. If you want her, you must follow my instructions.]
The woman was no longer in a position to oppose him. She had no choice but to forcefully accept his request.
"What do you want me to do?"