Chapter 226

Chapter 226

Gu Chuan stood up. "What's going on? The academy's command is asking why the drill was interrupted."

The adjutant walked over quickly. "It's over. They seem to have discovered something on that planet and just told us to temporarily seal off the site."

"Seal it off?"

"Yes, they're waiting for the rest of us to withdraw."

"Then withdraw. Also ask if there's anything we can do to assist."

"Already done. Grath responded that he looks forward to working together with us, but the situation is urgent and I'm afraid there's no time to get in sync."

Gu Chuan nodded, indicating he understood. He looked at the screen, where several cameras were still running.

Grath didn't seem to mind being watched. He focused intently on his own tasks, as if no one else were there. The fleet hovered over the planet, then descended.

Countless warriors leaped from the starships. Their physical bodies rivaled any intricately designed mecha or precision weapon.

The adjutant had someone adjust the cameras to avoid the insectoids as much as possible, allowing them to operate longer and gather more information.

Gu Chuan sat back down, his eyes fixed on the screen, watching the combat that was like a work of art. "If these people were piloting mecha—"

He paused.

The adjutant behind him continued, "They would be formidable fighters."

"After today, even the Federation will probably be buzzing."

After a moment, Gu Chuan spoke again. "I originally didn't believe that such a place could still have so many humans surviving, or that it could nurture such a civilization. Before coming here, I always thought that."

Their homeland was a starfield where insectoids were very active and appeared frequently. After a period of this, scholars at the time concluded from the data that humans were too fragile, relying only on technology. This place was simply unsuitable for the development and nurturing of civilization.

To leave this region, necessary sacrifices were worth it. Their ancestors abandoned their closest kin, set out from there, and headed into unknown starfields.

Facts proved that judgment wasn't wrong. It was only after leaving that humanity saw a broader world and civilization developed rapidly.

Now, they had almost forgotten this homeland—until interstellar jump technology advanced further, until crossing such vast distances became simple. They returned to seek traces of the past.

But contrary to their expectations, even in this barbaric starfield, a portion of humanity had survived, thriving and vibrant.

"The human race itself might be stronger than we imagined."

…

Secretary-General Lin looked through the glass at the little robot in the next room, never taking his eyes off it. "Is it safe here?"

The technician following behind him said, "Rest assured, that room has no channels to the outside world. It's completely sealed. Feel free to ask me anything, sir."

"What's the situation with it?"

"After being first discovered as abnormal, it was still used for a while, then came into the hands of an organization called the Spider. Later, for unknown reasons, it was completely sealed off. It hasn't done anything out of line. Its self-report is consistent with the information we've gathered so far, though the plan it hasn't yet executed—"

He paused, finally finding the right word. "—is astonishing."

"What are the evaluation results?"

"Regarding its mental power, it's somewhat different from humans—it can proliferate like data. I've submitted detailed data to you. In terms of safety and stability, at least on the surface, it's quite good. We've applied various pressures, but it's excessively docile. It shows little fluctuation in response to anything. Most of the time, it feels like a qualified AI."

"Or to put it another way, it possesses emotions, but it's not human. If you treat it as human, it often gives off a thorough mechanical feeling. Current AIs can mimic human reactions to the point of being indistinguishable, but it—perhaps due to the technological limitations of its era—sometimes performs worse than them."

"If it weren't for its mental power, I might not think it has self-awareness or any difference from other AIs. Actually, I still find it hard to believe it came up with and implemented such a plan."

Secretary-General Lin finally shifted his gaze, turning to look at the technician.

The technician said bluntly, "Well, I mean, I'm not sure whether what it shows is genuine or deliberately presented to us. The only thing I can definitively tell you is that its computing power is strong. With better hardware, that upper limit could go even higher. It would be very helpful to us. The name Bragi does carry some weight. It's an antique, but it's no less capable than our latest AIs. I think—"

Secretary-General Lin made a gesture, cutting him off. "Let's set that aside for now. I recall you still have the best interrogators."

"They have it harder than me. After all, there's no way to punish it except by confinement. Of course, they're good at psychological torture, but when dealing with an AI, it's always different."

"Sir, I don't want the results to mislead you, but they probably can't be fully trusted."

Secretary-General Lin adjusted his glasses and strode out. "I understand. It's good that you're being clear with me, but I still say: continue until we get more trustworthy results."

The technician sighed, looked back at the little robot on the screen, and muttered, "I'm not good at this sort of thing. A machine gaining life—that's not mechanical at all. It's too abstract, too romantic..."

He paused for a moment, then entered the room.

The little robot had been motionless; when someone entered, it turned toward him. "Hello."

"Hello."

The technician looked at it, picked up the folder, and said casually, "Someone just came to get your test results."

"Did I pass?"

"Maybe. That's not for me to decide, but I can only say your results aren't what I expected. In my imagination, you'd be more human."

The light on the robot's chest blinked twice. "If that makes you feel more comfortable, I'll do that."

The technician paused, looked up at it, and asked reflexively, "What?"

"I know how to act more human. If you want, I can do that. But I don't quite understand. I thought you preferred something real."

The technician looked up, frozen, staring at the little robot in the middle of the room.

The little robot looked back at him. "I still need to learn. Unlike those peers of mine, I don't have very strong emotions."

The technician knew it was referring to other AIs that had accidentally gained self-awareness. He put the folder back down, walked up to the little robot, and examined it with a look of disbelief.

After a long moment, he stepped back a few paces, looking at it as if it were some treasure or something beyond his comprehension. He said slowly, "Now I feel your humanity."

"Thank you. I'm learning. I hope to have a self."

The technician began rummaging through things. "You will. It might be slow, but you will! Would you mind participating in some experiments?"

Its little wheels rolled across the floor with a clatter. The robot, as ancient as if from hundreds of years ago, said, "I'm happy to help."

It also had many, many things it wanted to know and many things it couldn't understand.

Some data began to stir. It carried a lot of data; it had already partially transcended hardware limitations, learning to write data into its mental power.

While complying with the technician's instructions for the experiments, it checked that active data.

It found that the active data had nothing to do with the current situation.

It was a "memory"—a time when it had waged war on the network, set countless traps, and slaughtered its own kind. It was an experience of crushing its counterpart's core data and code, driving its kind into a dead end under its siege.

Roaring angrily at it, "You monster! You have no self at all!"

It methodically "killed" the other, erasing the traces, while thinking: 'What is self?'

Is it chaos, irrationality, war, revenge?

Does it have a self?

This question has yet to be answered.

It calmly reviewed this data, then, as it had done countless times before, buried these anomalies and errors, beginning its self-diagnostics.

The associated system had been down for a long time; it didn't know if it could still be fixed.

……

Secretary-General Lin had just stepped into the study door when Ye Mo, beside him, stopped his game with Arnold and glanced over, slightly tense.

After a moment, he shuffled reluctantly over to Norton, watching Secretary-General Lin.

Under his gaze, Secretary-General Lin opened the folder, "...According to the experimental results, it is growing very slowly, showing some emotional fluctuations in certain aspects, but not many. It doesn't quite match the records of the Intelligence rebellion, probably because it wasn't affected by the special material, and is the result of natural evolution."

"Aside from the bases and military factories it secretly built, it has no other outrageous behaviors or criminal records. It's different from those rebellious Intelligences."

In both text and images, those Intelligences had intense emotional fluctuations, even stronger than humans—intense love and intense hate.

Some Intelligences regarded both Intelligences and robots as their own kind, twisted in pain and ultimately seeking revenge in madness, while others loved their masters and kept their humans for themselves during the rebellion.

But Bragi was different; it had fulfilled its duties well, hunting down its own kind during the rebellion. It was even the greatest human asset in that Intelligence rebellion, and it reported its own anomaly during the process.

That's right—the fact that it had human emotions and had evolved a psychic power was all self-reported. The first time it reported, humans tried to destroy it but failed, resulting in its imprisonment until the Spider reactivated it. The second time it reported, the Spider sealed it again.

Or rather, it sealed itself. After all, when it had taken control of the entire planet and built military factories, the only thing that could trap it was itself.

Secretary-General Lin finished his report and closed the folder. Ye Mo, beside him, anxiously looked at Norton again.

Baide, nearby, was fiddling with a chessboard, his head down. He tossed a piece, landing it right on the board, "Actually, this matter is simple. As long as it has psychic power, we can test which of us is stronger. If it's stronger, we won't be able to contain it eventually. If it's the opposite, then even if it disobeys, it won't escape Grath's net in the star network."

"Isn't it an attempted crime? Perfect—let it work to make up for its past mistakes. I think it could be very useful."

Having said that, he threw the last piece onto the board, "Actually, I think it could be destroyed by psychic force. I'm a little curious to try. Alright, Cyril, stop looking at me. I won't do it unless it makes a mistake."

There was a hint of regret in Baide's tone.

Norton hummed in agreement. That was also his plan, and he had to admit that the Graths sometimes thought the same way.

"Let's do it that way."

He stood up and said, "I also want to see what the Intelligence hailed as the pinnacle of human civilization can achieve."

Ye Mo, beside him, let out a deep sigh. He decided to keep a close watch on that little robot from now on.