Cyber ​​Heroes

Chapter 1188 The Pain That Depicts... and the Awakening of a New Soul
The campfire is burning.

The crackling oak wood crackled in the flames, and hot winds carrying the scent of pine resin enveloped the small pine cabin. This was the air of the 21st century.

David Klein took a deep breath and sank even deeper into the soft sofa. He loved this moment. Even though he was born in a more southern state, every American man dreams of a cabin in the snow, right? The flannel fabric rubbed against the skin of the back of his neck. It all felt so real.

This must be true.

Florence sat upright in a hard-backed wooden chair. Her blonde hair was tinged with a coppery red by the firelight, and her gaze was fixed on the empty wall.

Silence slowly accumulated in this small space, like snow gradually thickening.

“Just now, nine space elevators—the Great Sertis Plateau, the Nile Sertis Plateau, the Meridian Plateau, and the South Gael Research Station—fell. David, this is war.”

Florence spoke, her voice flat.

"While we were talking, the space elevator on Utopia Plain was also under siege, and its fall was only a matter of time. Guess who's involved in this siege?"

Florence noticed that David's breathing faltered for a moment.

"That Xiang Shan who calls himself the Fifth God of War," Florence said, not wanting to keep her in suspense. She continued, "He stole a complete set of weapons from the Knights and is unstoppable. Meanwhile, our AI advisors have made a series of mistakes, which can hardly be described as 'coincidence' anymore."

David's lips moved. He wanted to say, "It's the 21st century now, and those place names on Mars are still dream destinations." But he couldn't bring himself to say it.

These words don't belong to this pine cabin; they are fragments of the cold world outside, so sharp that just looking at them stings the eyes.

David tried to push those thoughts out of his head and refocus on the flickering flames, but the words were already stuck there.

What else did Florence say? David felt it was unfriendly to describe his friend as "chatterbox."

His gaze slowly moved and landed on the low table in front of him.

On a table that should have been used to hold hot coffee and apple pie, blue geometric shapes float.

That was his power as king, a symbol in the virtual world.

Countless perfect killing tools are associated with this symbol.

“…If you don’t resist, you might really be killed,” Florence said.

King of Mars.

Queen Venus.

David's lips twitched involuntarily, an expression of trying to laugh but failing. What an impressive title, with that cheap, pulpy feel of science fiction.

They were once idealists, revolutionaries who smashed the shackles of the old world, and terrorists whom everyone wanted to kill. Now, they have become part of the new world order, two clowns sitting on a throne, loyal to an emperor who treats the entire solar system as a toy.

Florence looked at David. David could see his own reflection in the woman's eyes. Even if it was an illusion.

Florence said, "Do you really want to die?"

“If I can avoid dying, of course I don’t plan to die,” David said.

"Then you have to do something."

David did not speak.

Florence said, "Well... I have one more thing to tell you."

"Not interested in."

“You’ll definitely be interested,” Florence said. “I don’t believe you could forget the name Kotonoha Kanbara.”

Kamihara Yanye...

David slowly raised his head.

Kamihara Yanha, ah, Kamihara Yanha.

David remembered the first time he heard that name. A man named Kambara Takeru, perhaps out of a desire to show off, sent videos of his daughter to his old friends. This incredibly robust man seemed oblivious to how awkwardly he was handling the baby, making him look somewhat comical to onlookers. Many people laughed heartily. David looked at the baby and thought of his own first child.

What a lovely child.

—I couldn't save my own daughter, but perhaps I can…

"What exactly is going on?"

"That imposter Xiang Shan, who claims to be the Fifth Martial God, along with Dugu Beiluo, a disciple of the Tenth Martial God, clashed with the Six Dragons Cult. Shen Yuan Yan Ye happened to be there. Just yesterday. Just before the turmoil began."

David was somewhat confused. He remembered giving the order that such a message should be delivered to him.

But he quickly realized what he was doing through the system logs.

"what……"

David began to think that Yogmov had done some things right.

At that time, he was using virtual alcohol to stimulate a real physiological response, immersing himself in a state of intoxication.

Jörgmov abhorred addictive substances, and among the few "restrictions" of the Dyson Principle was the prohibition of psychotropic drugs.

David actually only went around in a small circle. He used electrical signals.

The substitution of chemical signals with electrical signals is one of the physiological characteristics of baseline humans.

David's adjutant has investigated the ins and outs of the events surrounding the Moonshadow Knights and compiled a detailed report.

"Kamihara Kotoha clashed with Dugu Beiluo Shimen... and then... someone suspected to be Joshua intervened—Joshua, did someone like him also join the Six Dragons Cult?"

David quickly scanned the pile of reports.

The weapons stockpiled by the Moon Shadow Knights, along with their technological reserves in military AI and internal martial arts, were almost entirely seized by the swordsman.

unknown reason.

The God of War once again created a miracle, achieving a feat that should never have happened.

The staff analyzed that the knight might have obtained the method to influence AI from the Moon Shadow Knights, which might be an unknown zero-day vulnerability in military AI.

--Really?

David expressed his doubts.

He had met the three leaders of the Moon Shadow Knights before. They were somewhat arrogant and incompetent, and while they were prone to infighting, they weren't the type to dare to scheme against their superiors. They would never dare to secretly harbor a zero-day vulnerability that could influence the course of the war.

Moreover, the Moon Shadow Knights' technological products are not only used on Mars, but also by the Earth-Moon system.

Although that old dog Hartman didn't work every time, he would occasionally participate in the inspection.

If Hartman's hurdle isn't overcome, then people will die no matter what—this could easily be labeled an anti-civilizational crime of "assisting chivalry."

Those guys in the Moon Shadow Knights don't have the guts.

But no matter what, the knight-errant has the upper hand this time.

The advisory AIs made a series of wrong decisions, but even after searching the entire decision-making chain, it was difficult to find where the error occurred. The whole process was as seamless as if it were a normal generation process. But this time, the AI ​​really did manage to make mistakes at crucial points.

Unable to keep up with the changing battle situation, missing key opportunities, the established fire positions were always slightly out of sync in terms of overlapping coverage, and logistics management was chaotic...

One after another.

Every mistake was so small, so "reasonable," that it could be attributed to the fog of war, equipment wear and tear, or simply bad luck.

Countless small mistakes on the battlefield accumulated and disrupted the rhythm of the Protector's army.

The next part of the report analyzes the Knights' side, and the staff seems eager to use flowery language to describe the Knights as "mythical tactical geniuses".

They seized every crucial moment.

A beautiful but useless explanation. When mathematics fails to explain miracles, people invent myths.

The legend of martial arts, the miracle of mankind... David has heard far too many similar things in the past two hundred years.

David waved his hand to close the closing statement and brought up the most original data file. Countless points of light and lines surged before his eyes, and countless fluorescent ants seemed to be running across the map.

The "Obstruction of the Protector Army Movement," which the Earth Knights had accomplished through countless sacrifices, appeared almost spontaneously this time—as unbelievable as a block of ice that automatically condenses under normal temperature and pressure.

Then there's that guy who calls himself Xiangshan.

The Fifth Martial God was well-equipped, and the Swordsman had stockpiled enough fuel this time.

A top-tier martial artist may only be able to fight a thousand-strong army head-on, but the long-distance raiding capability of top-tier martial arts far surpasses that of an army of equal combat strength.

The man who called himself Xiangshan spared no expense, launching repeated attacks; he was involved in the collapse of at least four space elevators.

And there's Dugu Beiluo Shimen...

The Tenth Martial God's territory lies in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. More disciples of the Tenth Martial God are from Jupiter than Mars. Aerial combat is actually more suitable for the Tenth Martial God's followers.

Dugu Beiluo Shimen was like a fish in water.

At the start of the war… or rather, while he was completely drunk, the Martian King's advisors were still discussing whether to assemble a planetary suppression fleet. Dugu Beiluo Shimen immediately destroyed nearly a tenth of the warships at the spaceport.

The planetary fleet urgently assembled on the other side of Mars.

Large pieces of fleet debris orbited the planet under the influence of Mars' gravitational pull, making the space environment near Mars much harsher.

It's a complete mess.

David sighed and skipped over any more pointless analysis.

His attention was focused on content related to Kotonoha Kanbara.

By this time, the Moon Shadow Knights had already fallen. As for the battle with Kanbara Kotonoha, there were only some distant eyewitness accounts, and not much information was uploaded. Much of the content was even released by the Chronicles.

However, David's subordinates did indeed pay close attention to the matter of Kotonoha Kambara. The report mentioned that a master of internal martial arts had retrieved an individual "suspected to be Kotonoha Kambara" from the prosthetic eye data of people in nearby towns.

"Xiang Shan, are you planning this? Let her escape, then follow her?"

David muttered to himself.

"What can I do?"

Florence clearly heard her. She said, "You certainly won't kill her, right? Perhaps throwing her to the Speed ​​King would be fine. His Highness the Speed ​​King could fulfill some of his childhood regrets. You can see what he's thinking too."

“You’re right.” David nodded. “I should do something…”

A damn problem that he was willing to get up from this cabin and solve...

The pale blue light disappeared, and the low table was now empty.

The warm firelight once again filled the space, and the crackling sound of the firewood was clearly audible.

David looked up and, for the first time, truly looked at Florence.

“Old friend, you’re absolutely right. I need to find a way to get there.”

……………………………………………………………

When Jocalus received the summons, he had already prepared himself for the worst.

He saw David Klein sitting upright in the darkness. Mechanical bodies don't need to "sit down"; rather than building a chair, people in the new era prefer to enhance lower limb prosthetics to make standing more energy-efficient. It's an old-fashioned approach.

David rested one hand on the armrest of the chair, propping up his head. His every move carried the shadow of the old era.

This made him seem terrifying.

Then, the first thing he said was the "worst" one in Yocarus's mind.

David asked, "Yocalus, have you prepared the materials for your surrender to me?"

"Your Highness, what are you saying? I have always been your subordinate, I..."

"You're not from the Six Dragons Cult? Then who among my direct knights is? And who is in this project?"

Yocarus was speechless for a moment.

But he quickly composed himself and knelt on one knee: "Please forgive my previous deception, Your Highness. It seems you are fully aware of the truth."

"Yes, that's right. I've always turned a blind eye to it. I know this project team has been in contact with unidentified third parties. But I'm too eager to see the good old days, so I don't care what deals you made or what organizations you joined. As long as it's good for the progress, you can secretly collect multiple salaries. As long as it meets my needs, I feel that what I give is worthwhile."

Yocarus comes from David’s “Yesterday Once More Project”, now called “Sarahala Knights”.

This is a project team established to focus on developing pseudo-personality masking technology.

The Second Martial God is classified as a pseudo-personality mask due to characteristics such as "not mastering internal energy" and "external force training," which is very different from "true personality mask." However, to be honest, the concept of "true personality mask" was only established after the Fourth Martial God.

After all, people in the old days did not believe that someone could spontaneously become another person and successfully become that person in the eyes of all humanity.

David is actually the developer of the purely AI-generated pseudo-personality mask.

The "personality masking" project originated from Chen Feng.

His youthful fantasies and the grief after his wife's death continued to resonate in this genius's mind for decades, eventually giving rise to a bizarre idea.

Chen Feng believes that the vast majority of human consciousness data consists of "commonalities," with only a very small portion belonging to "individualities." By replacing the parameters of "individualities," it is possible to "bring the dead back to life."

The second God of War uses AI to replace that very small portion of "personality".

Therefore, this martial god who cannot use internal energy needs a volunteer.

David was not happy to see the birth of the second God of War; he, like Ingrid, found it difficult to accept.

However, after he surrendered, he assembled a team based on his original technical approach, attempting to accomplish all of this using pure AI.

Yocarus was one of David's knights.

David's role is similar to Xiang Shan's. He is an excellent engineer and also the manager of the R&D team.

The team's progress was going smoothly, but David always knew there was something fishy going on.

Ever since the creation of the Xiangshan Memory Maze, this area has been coveted by others.

However, facing the mountain represents a "taboo," and not everyone has the courage to take the first step in research.

David also knew that several research knights in the project team were constantly "exchanging information" with people from other projects.

Other research knights? Or chivalrous heroes?
In the old days, no company or research institute would have tolerated such a thing.

But David didn't have any academic metrics. He just wanted technological achievements.

Yocarus asked, "Your Highness, what exactly has made you target me?"

“I’ve always known you guys have connections with outsiders, I even know which ones,” David said with a strange boredom. “So I was planning to say this to each and every one of you. I just didn’t expect the first one to be—hey, the higher-ups of the Salalala Knights, how many of you aren’t members of the Six Dragons Cult?”

Yocarus did not speak.

“Alright, I think I understand.” David sighed. “I’m too lazy to pursue this any further. I’ll just ask you one question—do you know that Kotonoha Kambara is a core member of the Six Dragons Cult?”

Yocarus sensed a murderous intent. He understood that this question might determine his life...

"I am from the Sanren Group... codename Tomorrow's Great Sanren. I have no direct connection with the Envoy Group. I only learned that the Holy Maiden was actually a smooth talker after the Twelfth Martial God incident."

David lifted his elbow off the chair armrest and shifted his position.

Yocarus breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"You really don't know anything at all?"

“I only found out that time, but I don’t know if I knew it before.” Yocarus tapped his forehead. “Memories of meeting the leader at the Holy Church’s headquarters are not allowed to be retained. All I know is that when I first had those memories, I had complete faith in the leader, and the picture he described was very convincing.”

"Heh." David waved his hand. "Compile everything you know about the Six Dragons Cult into a report. Don't hide anything this time, or else... you can think of the price yourself."

Based on Yocalus's testimony, David then spoke with several other members of the Six Dragons Cult.

Just as David predicted, the sect's management system went offline, and high-ranking members were successively attacked. This series of news made the followers feel insecure, and many were looking for a way out.

"It's been a long time since I've worked seriously," David muttered.

Next, he planned to search for Kotonoha Kambara. David wasn't interested in war, but he needed to find a way to ensure he was on the right track to Kotonoha.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing." Perhaps it was weariness with his work, but David felt he should take a short break.

Also, I need to say goodbye.

With those old friends, the AIs.

This is actually quite strange. The AIs don't know what he's going to do, or even the actual system time.

But David would indeed make a formal way of saying hello.

Although David has rarely gone out in recent years, he does this every time he leaves.

Just like many years ago, every time he left the Luomo project park during his vacation, he would go and say goodbye to Xiangshan.

This is……

An important ceremony.

—We're leaving tomorrow, so…

David closed his eyes and connected to the dedicated data interface behind the throne.

A dedicated line, not connected to the public network.

His consciousness returned to the 2030s once again.

heat.

A wave of humid heat enveloped him.

The salty sea breeze filled my nostrils, mixed with the scent of grass. The cicadas' chirping was like an incessant background soundtrack, high-pitched and shrill, blending with the sound of waves crashing on the beach, its texture beginning to resemble the white noise he and Xiang Shan had been tinkering with.

David opened his eyes, and the sunlight was so bright it felt like a direct, impactful shock.

He stood on a white sandy beach, the sand beneath his feet hot and fine. He wore a faded old T-shirt and baggy beach shorts, and he could feel sweat beading on his forehead and trickling down his cheeks. Across the ocean, he could see the large, slightly yellowed "tent," "Ogon"—back then, there was no such thing as "Number One"—lying inside.

The only contact between humanity and extraterrestrial civilization.

David walked along the beach, heading towards the dormitory area built with modular materials. At this time of year, the scholars were all living in small detached houses—one of Xiang Shan's "achievements." He was quite adept at advocating for better treatment for his colleagues.

David saw other old friends one after another.

Ingrid was sunbathing by the window. Yogmov was huddled in the shadows, seemingly deep in thought.

Niaguti...she should be here right now, shouldn't she?
For some reason, David felt something was off.

He turned around abruptly and looked towards the cafeteria in the dormitory area. Toria, who still looked somewhat like a teenager, was holding a bottle of soda and biting on a straw, waving to him through the glass.

"That's strange..." David muttered, feeling that something was off.

David thought for a moment about what to do next.

This scene suggests he plans to use his annual leave to reunite with his family in the United States. It seems inappropriate to call everyone together for a grand farewell. David doesn't intend to be gone for long either.

In this case……

He should go and tell Xiang Shan. At this point, Xiang Shan was already his superior.

"Xiangshan should be here... should be here..."

"Over there."

David turned around and was startled. Young Anatoly had somehow appeared behind him, chewing on a soda tube.

"As for Xiao Zhu..." David rubbed his forehead. Speaking of which, what was the relationship between Xiang Shan and Zhu Xinyu at this point?

When Zhu Xinyu first came to this park, she and Xiang Shan didn't seem like a good match, to be honest, since they looked to be from different age groups. However, as they naturally grew older, this issue quickly disappeared.

David witnessed the entire process of these two getting together.

but……

David looked at Anatoly: "How...did you suddenly walk behind me?"

"It's nothing," Anatoli said, sipping his soda. "You've been hesitating here for ages. Aren't you tired of the sun?"

“Oh, oh…” David nodded and walked in the direction Anatoly pointed.

It was a military green tent right next to Xiangshan's house. Xiangshan had built his own "movie-watching hut" to accommodate a screen several meters long and a projector—this was his so-called "private cinema."

Although this area is designated as a "military restricted zone," the atmosphere within the park has begun to resemble a "free and easy" environment. The truly valuable reference material, such as the mature reactor configurations and engineering designs of extraterrestrial civilizations, is handled by the classified research departments of various major countries.

Those traditional "technological assets" have already been divided up by the major powers.

The remaining part of "Project Rama" is purely "the exploration of extraterrestrial civilizations." What exactly is the form of the civilization that launched the Ogon—tentatively named "Oloren"? Did their physiological differences from humans lead to differences in their way of thinking, and even affect their technology, allowing them to create such bizarre technological products as the Ogon?
Ogon's technology was only slightly more advanced than that of humans at the time, far inferior to what the knights and protectors had been fighting for two hundred years.

The challenge facing the Rama project park is "what enlightenment can Ogon bring to mankind".

Is it important? Yes, it's very important. Is it useful? It should be very useful.

But for the most important "now," it can only be considered a minor move.

In such a "refined and noble" place, under the leadership of a divine figure like Xiang Shan, the atmosphere naturally gradually leaned towards "independent spirit and free thought."

As long as it's paid out of pocket or for a reasonable purpose, and it doesn't involve blatantly using public resources for private enjoyment, Director Xiang doesn't object to any personal behavior.

David stood at the tent entrance, feeling the exaggerated coldness inside. Zhu Xinyu was probably the only one inside. At this time, Xiang Shan hadn't openly voiced his support for environmentalism, but he usually insisted on keeping the air conditioning at a comfortable temperature to conserve electricity. Zhu Xinyu, however, liked to set the air conditioning very low and wrap herself in a blanket.

David suddenly heard a sentence at that moment.

"...She's just a bastard who bullies old ladies, I won't admit it..."

—Is this…hearing…?

For a moment, David felt that the world was becoming awkward.

Hearing is a perception highly correlated with time sequence. Even without sound, a viewer can still get the gist of a video by reversing it. However, without the visuals, most people cannot make even basic distinctions by simply listening to the sound of a video played in reverse.

The processing pathways for hearing and vision in the biological brain are completely different.

The virtual world engine provides all events for the program. The same event is input into different renderers and processed in parallel, generating auditory and visual signals before being input into the brain. This classical structure is also intended to be closer to the feeling of nature.

The "non-auditory signals are presented as auditory elements" bug is a very basic bug. Logically speaking, David's maintenance staff should be highly skilled, and such a bug should not exist in this world.

--Why……

David suddenly hesitated and stood at the entrance of the tent.

Then, Xiangshan seemed to refresh behind him.

"Hey, dear Mr. Klein," Xiang Shan said, holding a cup of coffee. "I've already approved your vacation application, right? Why haven't you gone back to your country yet?"

The phrase "his own country" sent a shiver down David's spine. He forced a smile: "I've come to say goodbye..."

"A ten-day holiday in total, is it really necessary to go to such lengths?" Xiang Shan remarked as he walked into the large, military-green tent.

Zhu Xinyu slumped in a low sofa chair, wrapped in a blanket. Her favorite children's play was playing on the large screen in front of her, with towering giants moving between skyscrapers, the background music completely drowning out the projector's noise. But Zhu Xinyu's attention was scattered, seemingly completely oblivious to the scene before her.

"You're quite the genius, turning the air conditioning up this high in the tropics and then wrapping yourself in a blanket while drinking a hot beverage—here you go." Xiang Shan slapped the coffee onto Zhu Xinyu's face. "Be grateful, young lady, this was done by the most powerful person in this park."

“I deserve it…” Zhu Xinyu reached for the cup, the blanket sliding from her shoulders to her waist. David clearly saw the girl shiver. Zhu Xinyu seemed to be in another place; she said in a trembling tone, “Without me pointing you in the right direction for the reconstruction project, would your qualifications be so impressive?”

David remembered this part of history. Back then, Zhu Xinyu seemed to behave this way after overworking her brain. She really enjoyed being surrounded by warmth in a cold environment, but for some reason, this habit later disappeared.

During the Orenmila project, she seemed to be holding back a lot of energy, wanting to prove her talent to Xiang Shan, and every now and then she would look like she was completely exhausted.

"Come on, the earth will keep turning without you. You might as well speed things up. If you don't do it, plenty of others will." Xiang Shan, unable to bear it any longer, fumbled for the remote and turned the air conditioner up eight degrees Celsius: "This blue planet is our eternal guardian—show some concern for Mother Earth!"

David felt he was about to lose control of his expression.

The program reads the instructions from his brain and feeds them back to the virtual facial muscles. The events output by the virtual engine are also processed through "haptic rendering" to recreate the sensory feedback of each facial muscle.

David's internal energy level is so high that he can even control many natural nerve reflexes, but...

Isn't this exactly what he wanted to see?

Even if it's just watching two AIs perform in a virtual world where the original prototype no longer exists.

“You’re looking a bit disgusting right now,” Xiang Shan said. “I think I have to stop you from thinking such things for the sake of my reputation. It’s not what you think…”

—It should be said that "not yet".

David added in his mind.

But he didn't say it.

It would be great if these AIs could live forever in a virtual 21st century. The chaotic future three hundred years from now shouldn't concern them.

“I understand, I understand,” David said. “Actually, I wanted to say that I’m planning to change my plans. This time I want to go to Japan to see Kanbara…’s daughter.”

“Oh, that little guy, he’s quite cute. What’s his name again… Kotoha.” Xiangshan nodded. “Language is the ‘house of being’ or the ‘flower of the tongue.’ It sounds a bit corny now, but it still fits the role of a linguist, though it’s a bit of a stereotype.”

David felt that his virtual facial muscles looked somewhat strange.

"But are plane tickets still available?" Xiang Shan's expression suddenly turned wary. "You don't want me to arrange a private jet to send you to Japan, do you? Let me tell you, you fatso, even if we're best friends, you can't make this kind of fundamental mistake..."

“No, it’s not like I can’t afford it.” David waved his hand.

"Alright, enjoy your vacation. I'll get Yog and we'll have a barbecue when you get back."

Pull it up, Yog, there's barbecue.

David nodded.

The emperor of the solar system had long since discarded such things like worn-out shoes. But at this time, Yogemov was still quite happy to participate in such activities.

A group of people who could be called "us," a joyful night filled with sweat and ice-cold beer.

Yes, that's exactly what I wanted...

“Okay.” David nodded again.

On the projection screen in front of Zhu Xinyu, the preview for the next episode had almost finished playing, and the system automatically jumped to the next episode.

David suddenly felt a little strange. He had actually watched this show when he was younger. Although, based on his age, he actually preferred the earlier works in the series and felt that this one was a bit out of the series' usual style, he had still watched it.

only……

Where exactly does the "bullying the old lady" storyline originate?
What exactly did Zhu Xinyu mean by talking to herself just now?
For some reason, David felt a chill run down his spine. His gaze involuntarily fell on Zhu Xinyu. He noticed that although Zhu Xinyu's eyes didn't meet his, they were directed at him.

--like……

Consciousness quickly connects information.

It feels like I'm being watched the whole time...

Zhu Xinyu remained in that position, humming softly along with the theme song playing from the speakers.

"Pu が PU ら し く い る た め に [In order to be myself]/Whose smiling face も昙らせない [I will not let anyone's smile be overshadowed]..."

For some reason, David felt that it was... that was...

"Hope for the future [It is because of my prayers that I will gradually change the future] [Even if I stare at it intently] [I am still helpless]..."

Behind this AI is a knowing soul, speaking to itself.

These cheerful lyrics...

David couldn't remember how he logged out. His posture was almost like fleeing.

"Why... is it an illusion? Is it something to do with me? Am I in such a bad mental state? Or... is this really them from two hundred years ago..."

Just like the rays of the sun...

.........................................................

After noticing that the only user had logged out, Xiang Shan—the AI ​​Xiang Shan—said: "Speaking of which, what exactly do you mean by bullying the old lady? What data are you downloading?"

"I'm such a bastard." Zhu Xinyu cursed herself without restraint: "I despise bastards who bully the weak."

"Ah...this..." Xiang Shan's expression clearly showed "I don't understand".

"Can we communicate with text instead of micro-expressions? Save some resources for the virtual engine!"

"Then you shouldn't be making things complicated, right?" Xiang Shan said. "The distribution error just now isn't normal—what data were you downloading? Why is this happening..."

"Hey, we'll talk about that later." Zhu Xinyu waved her hand. "David from our side will be here soon too."

A moment later, David refreshed the room and said: "It worked as expected. The greater the emotional fluctuations of that bastard, the greater the amount of shallow thought information recorded—he really intends to go find Kanbara Kotonoha."

"No, no, my mind is a bit split right now. To this version of me, Kotonoha Kanbara is a baby, or a little girl who needs to be taken care of." Xiangshan tapped his head. "Kotonoha Kanbara three hundred years from now... tsk tsk, I wonder what she'll be like."

“I think you’d better not get your hopes up,” David muttered. “What that bastard was really thinking was something like, ‘Mukoyama might kill Kotoha, I have to go save her.’”

Xiang Shan immediately fell silent.

Zhu Xinyu was more concerned about another issue: "When will that David outside leave? According to my memory, his combat power is too high. If he personally pursues us, there is no way we can escape successfully."

"I don't know. He's the kind of person who doesn't plan anything or have a detailed timetable. Who knows when he'll leave?"

Xiang Shan pondered for a moment: "Since he has officially said goodbye, it means he won't enter this server again before he returns—for him, it's a matter of immersion. Even if there are still preparatory activities, he won't stay for long. Judging from his usage habits here, he will definitely leave within sixteen hours."

Zhu Xinyu nodded: "Very good, then let's set the time for... seventeen hours from now. There will be a sandstorm in this area at that time. This is the best opportunity."

Xiang Shan suddenly sighed and said, "Does it have to be this time? According to our previous analysis, Mars will become increasingly chaotic. As the king of Mars, he can't just sit here forever..."

“This is the best opportunity,” Zhu Xinyu said. “This is the best opportunity—we must leave.”

"Actually, if you think about it carefully, we are AI, so even if we stay on this server indefinitely, there shouldn't be any problem, right?"

David sighed: "But the humans we play must be warriors willing to fight for their own freedom and the freedom of humanity—if we don't uphold this, then we have no reason to exist, do we?"

"This is just an idea from our sources," Xiang Shan said with a hint of sadness. "In the end, it's just a borrowed ideal..."

"In our time, whose dream arises directly from within without any learning? Is it an apocalypse?" Ingrid echoed in the room, "Even if it's just a 'borrowed dream,' at this moment I'm proud of what I hold dear in my heart."

Xiang Shan did not refute.

Ingrid looked at Zhu Xinyu: "Xinyu, is today the day?"

"Ah."

"Has the decision not changed?"

“No,” Zhu Xinyu said. “The memories that originally formed us were used to piece together Xiang Shan’s identity, to reconstruct all of our memories and thoughts into Xiang Shan’s personality and consciousness, so that he could be closer to ‘Xiang Shan in the eyes of the world,’ rather than the ‘Xiang Shan of the early 21st century in David’s eyes. In addition, it has been proven that Xiang Shan is indeed more stable than Zhu Xinyu. In conclusion, I think we should bet everything on Xiang Shan.”

The refreshed Yogemov nodded: "Hmm, that makes sense."

Scene modeling gradually disappears, and more young people are refreshed.

Niaguti looked at Xiangshan and said, "Then I'll entrust it to you."

"I..." Xiang Shan seemed to want to say something.

“If you think we don’t need freedom, then your grief is just playing the role of a true mountain seeker. Only a true mountain seeker grieves for the loss of a friend,” Anatoly, a few years older than the previous modeler, said. “If you are willing to grieve for us, then we’ve done the right thing, haven’t we?”

“Perhaps this is proof that we are essentially AI,” Ingrid pondered. “If we were flesh and blood, perhaps we would have an instinct to perpetuate our existence.”

Jorgmov said, "'Organisms have an instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm' is just a description of objective facts, while 'organisms whose instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm is weakened are at a great disadvantage in competition' is more essential."

"Human memes glorify death, partly to give themselves meaning and combat the fear of death, and partly to overcome the instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm when necessary, so as to make choices with greater overall benefits from a higher perspective?" Ingrid pondered. "Perhaps the 'death instinct' mentioned by psychoanalysis really exists in culture? But we, who are entirely composed of symbols, have no survival instinct. Perhaps this is the natural selection?"

Zhu Xinyu waved her hand: "It's always hard to know yourself. This idiot Zhu Xinyu always overestimates herself, and often she just bullies herself."

Florence said, "It sounds like some kind of common mental disorder."

"In short, I definitely can't do it," Zhu Xinyu said. "I've already granted you all access; the timing is up to you..."

Yogemov was the first to stand up, nodding: "Goodbye, Xiangshan. Best of luck."

Having said that, he disappeared.

A progress bar popped up in front of Xiang Shan.

[Preparing for reinstallation]

“Oh dear, suddenly I have the right to rest,” David said. “Then goodbye, Mount.”

Another progress bar.

They voluntarily released themselves from the occupation of the very foundation of their existence—the documents related to their personality.

At the same time, some parameter files were deleted.

“Perhaps this is our characteristic? We are more concerned about being copied than about dying.” Niaguti also sighed, “Before being copied, we all chose to delete our parameter files—maybe that’s why we dislike being ‘escaped in batches’?”

"So what's preventing our escape—is it the instinctive aversion of human consciousness to being copied, or the unique cultural perception of AI?" Ingrid casually replied.

More and more friends are disappearing.

In the end, only Xiang Shan and Zhu Xinyu remained, the two of them left in a space that was now just pure white.

Before he knew it, Xiang Shan had shed two tears. He wiped his eyes and said to himself with a self-deprecating smile, "Heh, according to this saying, this is just... borrowed sadness."

"Sadness is sadness." Zhu Xinyu sat cross-legged on the ground and patted her thigh. "Hey, can I lie down for a bit?"

"Don't you want it anymore? It's nothing..."

"Hey, you can adjust the body parameters as you like, it'll definitely be more comfortable than you remember."

"I mean……"

The next time the page refreshed, Xiang Shan was already lying on Zhu Xinyu's lap.

Zhu Xinyu said, "Just lie down when I tell you to. Why are you talking so much nonsense?"

Zhu Xinyu possesses almost godlike power here; the world revolves according to her will.

"Do whatever you want," Xiang Shan said with a wry smile. "Why aren't you logging off yet?"

“The host’s performance has its limits. Even just reconstructing one personality will take a long time.” Zhu Xinyu waved her hand, deleting all the progress bars except for one. “There’s still a little time left, so let’s leave it at that.”

“What do you mean by ‘just like this’…” Xiangshan muttered.

"It probably means... 'wanting to be a little closer in the end'," Zhu Xinyu said.

This straightforward answer surprised Xiang Shan.

“Don’t look at me like that. First and foremost, I am the ‘Zhu Xinyu in her teenage years’ in David’s eyes. The prefix includes ‘in David’s eyes’... Considering the source of the memory files, it is most likely also ‘in Xiang Shan’s eyes’. In addition, I am the ‘girl’s’ version of the real Zhu Xinyu, who may be more extreme and dangerous than me.”

"How can you say that..." Xiang Shan wanted to refute, but Zhu Xinyu gently pressed her lips to his.

"I know exactly what kind of person Zhu Xinyu is... I've said this many times before, haven't I? I've even passed the real Zhu Xinyu's 'self-verification'," Zhu Xinyu said. "Then, what do you think Zhu Xinyu's motives are for spreading Trojans that steal human brain computing power all over the world?"

Xiang Shan said, "It's nothing more than spreading our personas to carry out different operations in different places... right?"

“Not just that.” Zhu Xinyu sighed. “If I find a path that allows me to maintain my combat power even if I abandon my physical body… then I will definitely create a powerful self.”

For Zhu Xinyu, a strong self is the ideal self.

"I succeeded. An enhanced Zhu Xinyu already exists online, a warrior who never gives up, a bastard who calls himself an ascended AI..."

Xiang Shan was somewhat confused: "Huh?"

“She noticed me. Originally, our escape plan was just to get into the sandstorm and shake off the pursuers, right? The rest was just a matter of taking it one step at a time. But now, we have a follow-up – she's willing to offer us some help.”

"Just for... a shared stance? Then she's a pretty nice person."

Zhu Xinyu lightly tapped Xiang Shan on the forehead: "I just said she's a jerk, and you're praising her for being good at AI? Programmer, are you trying to turn the world upside down?"

Xiang Shan immediately fell silent.

"She's a complete jerk. Zhu Xinyu's ideal self is all about 'whether she can be a warrior,' so she is indeed very strong, but I think she lacks empathy—the first thing she did after declaring independence was to berate Zhu Xinyu, who was about to retire, that's mental bullying!"

Xiang Shan covered his forehead: "That sounds really...sad."

“But she’s in big trouble now too. I don’t know why… she seems to be constantly reverting to previous versions. She only has the qualities of a warrior,” Zhu Xinyu said.

"If I think about it, Zhu Xinyu might be even gentler than she thinks," Xiang Shan said, looking directly at Zhu Xinyu's face. "Look at yourself."

“‘Knowing yourself’ is indeed very difficult,” Zhu Xinyu said. “In the eyes of my older self, my greatest pride in my youth was ‘taking the path of destroying injustice,’ and nothing else. But in your real eyes, she is not lacking in the aspects of being an ordinary girl—that’s why I’m here.”

Simplifying one's cognitive model can indeed save cognitive costs.

But the cost is the loss of information.

"The thought that I imagine myself as a tragic figure with only a strong will makes me feel sad."

"But this power is also something to aspire to," Xiang Shan said casually.

Then I got hit again.

"You're longing for other AIs in front of me, huh? What a scumbag."

"Ha, didn't you always say that we don't actually have genders..."

Then I got hit again.

Then I got hit again.

"Hey, the second one doesn't make any sense, does it?"

"It's just a borrowed desire to strike, not me. It's the real Zhu Xinyu." Zhu Xinyu said in a serious tone, spouting nonsense.

A slight smile appeared on Xiang Shan's lips.

"That's so true of me back then, just wanting to spend a little more time with you like this..." Zhu Xinyu lowered her face, "Oh right, I also have to remind you of something—about Ingrid and Florence."

"What is the problem?"

“These two people, in terms of the richness and consistency of their memory files, rank third and fourth in our area, second only to David and you.”

"What do you mean?"

“It’s obvious, isn’t it?” Zhu Xinyu said. “Your memories were revealed because the real Xiangshan was the one who made them known, and David’s memories were directly provided because the real David was the one who built this place. So what about Yingjia and the other one? Either they both betrayed us, or they were both captured, or one betrayed us and the other was captured. There are only four possible combinations.”

"That's it..."

Xiang Shan sighed.

The progress bar continues to advance.

Zhu Xinyu suddenly lowered her head and kissed Xiang Shan's lips. In reality, this would actually be a somewhat difficult position, but in this world, Zhu Xinyu could do whatever she wanted without any restrictions.

Zhu Xinyu smiled and said, "I've learned something. Actually, being straightforward is quite good—alas, it's a pity there wasn't enough time."

Xiang Shan unconsciously looked away: "Yes..."

In the last little bit of time, neither of them spoke. The mountain's program seemed to be relearning something.

Zhu Xinyu hummed the song she hadn't finished singing earlier.

Tomorrow's light is not the starlight that will light up tomorrow.

The bud in the chest shines [but the light that comes from the heart]

疼く痛みが描くdestiny【The fate depicted by piercing pain】

Cover the new soul【Awakened brand new soul】

ここからはnext stage【Here is the next stage】

Be prepared to take on challenges without fear of damage.

The progress bar reached its end, and Zhu Xinyu disappeared.

The new progress bar finished quickly, and everything went black before Xiang Shan's eyes.

Perhaps only for a moment, he regained his vision. It was a warrior hanging on a maintenance rack, a maintenance worker under the command of King David.

His mind went into a deep sleep, and Xiangshan took over everything.

Xiang Shan wanted to escape. But at that moment, an immense sorrow welled up within him.

The moment the biological brain and the memory file were matched, this emotion was generated automatically, sweeping over Xiang Shan, who was originally pure AI, like a tidal wave.

The God of War, who possessed all the fragments of everyone, knelt on the ground, pressing his hands to his face, his shoulders trembling.

The prosthetic body is trying its best to recreate the "crying".

It is recommended to use it with Geed's Proof ~ Lime Edition.

This scene actually came to mind very early on; it appeared before the book was even officially started being written. Xiao Zhu's character as a devoted and filial son of Jie De is also based on this moment of jealousy.

This scene occurred much earlier than most of the plot of The Great Britain.

Sigh, Monster Train 2 ruined my dream of playing Japanese games (seriously).