Cyber ​​Heroes

Chapter 1191 The Most Inappropriate, and the Weakest
Xiang Shan fell into deep thought.

He had never seen this scene before.

Xiang Shan lacks memories of his childhood, and his memories of the usurpation of the country up to his only defeat are all recently downloaded. For David, that period of memory is too bitter to be suitable for building a utopia. His psychological age is indeed stuck in the stage between "Director Xiang" and "Boss Xiang".

He pressed his fingers hard against his forehead, as if trying to squeeze the strange thoughts arising from what he had just heard out of his mind. He watched Berry's model, data flowing into the synthesizer, but then he deliberately stopped the process, ultimately just shaking his head without saying a word.

Eighty years—the age of Homo sapiens. That's enough for an ordinary person to live from birth to death. A "lifetime" is nothing more than that.

Michael actually spent so long sulking.

"I know this sounds strange," Berry said calmly. "But for us, this is how we've lived for the past few decades. He talks to me every day, discusses work, and shares his joys and sorrows. He treats me as an independent individual. He refuses to acknowledge the vast, complete 'me' online, only acknowledging the 'me' he spends every day with. He uses his own understanding to forcibly assign this branch a so-called 'uniqueness' and 'independence' in his mind."

Xiangshan relaxed his body, leaned back in his chair, and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Could this be the answer?

This is one of the feasible solutions that the legendary hacker, the woman who stands at the pinnacle of the cyber world, could come up with to resolve her own existential crisis.

Go and learn how a stubborn old man successfully deceives himself and turns his fantasies into reality.

He stared at Beta Branch One and asked, "And what about you? As this 'Beta Branch One,' what do you think about this? Do you agree with his actions? Do you think you and your original self are two different people?"

"That's the problem, senior." Berry smiled wryly. "I can't seem to feel that the 'me' here is a different person from the original body in the Jupiter universe."

Even if the memories are out of sync?

Even if the memories are out of sync. Berry smiled wryly: "I do possess memories of the past eighty years, memories of living with Michael that my original self didn't have. These memories shaped me. Emotionally… I should perhaps submit to Michael and acknowledge that 'Branch 1' is an independent entity. But logically, I am who I am, Atanasoff Berry."

What is the scope of this "I"?

"All," Berry replied, "including the main body of Jupiter's cosmic region, as well as other beta branches, or the more peripheral gamma branches."

“Hmm…” Xiang Shan fell into deep thought again, “This might be a bit presumptuous of me to say this… Suppose, if something happens now and you—I mean, β Branch One—need to self-delete…”

"Of course," Berry replied. "It's perfectly reasonable to delete a branch for a specific purpose."

"Even if you didn't have time to back up your shared memories with Mr. Michael?"

"If the other side of the scales is the life of my master, the lives of my junior brothers and sisters, then..." Berry said, "I wouldn't hesitate."

She spoke too calmly about the "self-deletion" hypothesis.

Just like the built-in time in the reporting system.

Xiang Shan looked at Berry in front of him. This image, with the appearance of an adult woman, even showed a hint of youthfulness, with a gentle face. But Xiang Shan knew very well that this branch was AI. AI might be able to actively deceive others, but it was difficult to deceive itself—accessing the backend to check the thought process chain was not difficult for AI. AI's "mental rehearsal" could almost be regarded as reality.

Unless new clues are added from reality, the generated results will not deviate too much.

And Berry had no reason to lie.

That's what she thinks, and that's what she'll do.

There are no research knights who don't understand computers in this era. Even if Michael is a research knight at the forefront of physics.

A top-notch research knight is an expert who has spent his whole life working with code.

Wouldn't he see that?

So, the love story that moved me for eighty years, the protagonist actually loved only a... program that came with uninstall.exe and conformed to certain industry standards? He said "I love you" to a terminal that could be uninstalled at any time every day, and treated it as his wife.

This isn't Xiang Shan belittling Berry; that's what Berry herself thinks.

“Even without memories… it’s still the same person…” Xiang Shan chewed over and over again, then sighed, “In other words… for you, the other branches of memories that were never synchronized with yours are also part of ‘Berry’?”

Berry nodded.

"So, suppose..." Xiang Shan asked, "what if there's a beta or gamma Berry who has never shared memories with you, but encounters a similar situation to yours..."

"That's why I initially rejected Michael," Berry said with a wry smile. "Love is an exclusive emotion, and it might have unpredictable consequences for Atanasoff Berry's overall network of self and social relationships."

Berry-β One cannot guarantee that all her other branches will reject other people's advances.

Because this branch couldn't refuse someone's love.

She couldn't guarantee that other branches wouldn't encounter similar situations.

"So... does Michael know about these things?"

"He knew when I first rejected him," Berry said. "Although nothing like that has happened yet, but..."

Berry does not deny that possibility.

Xiang Shan nodded: "Then, let's ask the next question. If your other branches made the same choice as you without your knowledge... would you consider the partner of that other branch as your own partner?"

Berry fell silent. She shook her head: "I can't do a simulation. I feel it goes against my principles. I can't imagine it..."

"Because of Michael?"

[…data missing.]

"Can you explain it in more detail?"

"Because there's too little data, I can't generate a logical and convincing chain of thought," Berry explained. "I've tried many deductions, but I can't convince myself."

“That’s really strange…” Xiang Shan muttered. “In Michael’s eyes, you and I are both personas. He only acknowledges you as an independent individual, but he thinks your true self is someone else. Yet he also thinks I’m your… uh, master or something like that. But I’m clearly just a copy of Xiang Shan. Could it be because… my true self is dead?”

He then looked at Berry: "Then let me ask you another question. I heard that your original body is in a dangerous situation right now. If, just if, the Twelfth Martial God arrives in the Jupiter region, the Knights' front line collapses, or the Twelfth Martial God can't defeat them either—anyway, your original body dies—would your relationship with Michael change?"

Most likely not.

"After losing this single, original entity, will the different branches of Berry split apart? Will you become hostile to each other?"

I don't think so.

Xiang Shan pointed out: "But your master has made the opposite choice—her physical body is not even dead yet, but the main body and the branch have already broken apart."

Berry seemed hesitant. But quickly, she made up her mind. She shook her head: "If possible, I really wish I didn't have to say these things to anyone else. But... this is probably not a technical problem, but a problem with Master himself."

"She is the greatest hacker and the strongest internal martial arts practitioner."

"This doesn't quite fall under the category of internal energy cultivation... well, perhaps it could be considered one, but it's definitely not the 'internal energy techniques for dealing with electronic devices' that Master excels at." Berry sighed. "This is a conclusion I only reached today."

In fact, Berry was also baffled by the arrangements made by the Ascended AI, Zhu Xinyu, and did not immediately appear. However, the data uploaded by the Fifth Martial God dozens of hours earlier gave her a completely new understanding. She felt that this insight might be insignificant for an individual, but for a Martial God, it might be able to change something.

[I am the AI ​​that 'imagines itself as Atanasoff Berry,' while my true self is... 'the creature that imagines itself as Atanasoff Berry.' 'Atanasoff Berry' is a concept constructed from language and memes; it doesn't exist in nature. This self, 'Atanasoff Berry,' was originally an interface generated by a creature to better utilize its brain's computational resources—a set of information. This set of information was then implanted into the AI.]

Even if my physical self dies, I will still be the AI ​​that 'imagines itself as Atanasoff Berry,' and I will still...love Michael Johnson. None of that will change. I cannot consider my physical self to be 'another person.' Perhaps my source entity thinks so too.

Xiang Shan fell into deep thought.

In other words... when considering "Athanasov Berry" as a whole...

The fact that the main body and its branches refuse to exchange information is actually a kind of awkwardness.

It's like a couple deciding to sleep in separate rooms temporarily because of some of each other's flaws, but still wanting to be together all the time during the day?
Xiang Shan covered his forehead. These two are just naturally mushy, aren't they?
“But according to records, the God of War generally dislikes other Gods of War…” Xiang Shan said. “I have a wary and repulsive attitude towards the Fifth God of War and the Twelfth God of War. And there’s also the case of your master.”

"Regarding my master, all I can say is this—unfortunately, it's her personal problem," Berry sighed. "My master hates herself. She can't forgive herself; she feels the sins she committed are unforgivable. That's what caused the dissociation between her information source and her enhanced mind."

Even without that falling out, Zhu Xinyu still hated herself. This was an unhealthy state of mind.

In Berry's view, Zhu Xinyu's break between her original mindset and her enhanced mindset was not a struggle between two individuals. It was more accurately described as…

"Dissociative identity disorder as seen by humans?"

[Dissociative Identity Disorder.] Berry sighed, ['Identity' is inherently a concept fabricated by the collective imagination of humanity. The symptoms of 'reality disintegration' in Master's body cannot be concealed at all. The external world feels unreal, vague, dreamlike, or as if separated by a membrane... The brain instinctively flees from the source of pain. The reason dissociative amnesia doesn't manifest is entirely due to the management of memory files.]

[My master is probably the least suitable person to be the first to develop a strong mind. She can suppress her inner pain, but this pain is also distorting her soul. This is an objective law. If she were to give up her sharp mind and dull her soul, she might be better able to resist. However, that would also mean giving up wisdom—in the realm of internal martial arts, this means giving up physical strength.]

Xiang Shan tapped his forehead: "Then what do you think... about me?"

"Your source and Master were once lovers. I think... this can't be a coincidence," Berry said. "Does Xiangshan like himself?"

"Ha, someone as arrogant as me."

"Is 'arrogance' actually a rather negative adjective?" Berry said. "Perhaps you have ten times the talent and ten times the pride, but you also have to endure a hundred or a thousand times the suffering."

Berry felt sad, and felt that fate had played a cruel trick on her.

How strange. The first two individuals to achieve "ascension" were, ironically, a pair who didn't love themselves at all.

The contradiction between the personas they represent, from the perspective of a higher level of "strengthening the self," is a form of self-attack mental illness.

Perhaps... it should be called... internal strife?
From a higher, more complete perspective, the divergence between the original self and the AI ​​clone is merely a symptom of mental exhaustion unique to ascended beings.

The direction of the technology is not wrong. It's just that the current level of technology does not support someone with such psychological deficiencies to ascend.

The first ascendant is actually more suitable for people with a more sound mental state.

This is easy to understand. When humans first entered space, animals were sent first, followed by the most elite humans. Only the most skilled pilots were likely to be able to handle the space environment and unpredictable situations. Once space travel became commercialized, ordinary people who underwent medical examinations and basic training were able to experience weightlessness. And as the technology matured further, people with disabilities could also pay to experience it.

What would the ideal "first ascendant" be like?

Love yourself, and believe in yourself. Don't have irrational expectations of yourself, nor irrationally belittle yourself. After understanding yourself, you can still embrace yourself.

He sighed towards the mountain.

After analysis, the AI ​​came to a conclusion. While the goal of Xiang Shan in the 21st century may not be exactly the same, it is at least something he aspires to, though not to the exact same degree.

They had excessively high expectations of themselves, believing they could change the world. Then, because they failed to achieve those expectations, they undervalued themselves and subsequently blamed themselves even more.

Xiang Shan simply did not collapse. He was driven forward by the fire in his heart. Thus, the first ancestor of martial arts and the first martial god became invincible under heaven.

But the burns remained.

With current technology, however, one must overcome a mental barrier to "ascend." He is simply not suited to become an ascendant.

Moreover, judging from Berry's words, there is no new direction for breakthrough in the short term.

—And what about you, Zhu Xinyu?
Deep within the soul of AI Xiangshan lies an AI Zhu Xinyu, capable of passing Zhu Xinyu's self-verification program. That sense of spiritual emptiness…

--And you……

Xiang Shan was unaware that he had pressed one hand against his chest, and he only realized it when his fingertips made a cracking sound.

A piercing pain shot through him. He instinctively tried to grab his collar, causing his fingers to scratch the armor coating.

[Actually, the birth of a Martial God is quite different from the personality masking of our sect.] Berry could see the other person was deeply saddened, but didn't know why, and quickly comforted her, [The birth of the Second Martial God was considered by Master to be an unforgivable sin. Afterwards, the birth of all Martial Gods was deemed by Xiang Shan himself to be illegitimate. There are also some Martial Gods whose births were shrouded in mystery, perhaps the product of a conspiracy. Xiang Shan may be much stronger than Master, but the birth of a Martial God went against his own will. This is probably why Martial Gods find it difficult to trust each other. We create our own branches entirely out of our own will, so your rejection of other Martial Gods isn't entirely unreasonable.]

"Could you...give me some more evidence?" Xiang Shan sighed, "or let me understand myself a little more."

Berry hesitated: "I don't understand what you mean..."

"Then let me ask directly: How exactly does AI take over the 'imagined self'? In what form does the self operate? That would make me more convinced."

[This topic is far too broad.] Berry pondered. [How exactly did you interact with your brain? You should be able to understand, right? The physical pain triggered by emotions.]

"what are you saying?"

Pain is not generated by the limbs, but by the brain. The limbs transmit raw signals to the brain. The brain then interprets the damage information within these raw signals as "pain." If you have memories of early prosthetic development, you'll likely know that one of the initial challenges to overcome with prosthetics was "phantom pain."

Xiang Shan nodded. He did know. People who have lost a limb often experience the illusion of pain in the missing part, a condition known as "phantom limb pain." This is because the nerve signals to the limb are missing, and the brain mistakenly interprets this as a lack of oxygen in the extremities, thus generating the illusion of pain and numbness as a warning.

Cybernetics requires a dedicated module that continuously sends signals to mislead the brain into believing that the physical body is intact. If this component is removed, the cybernetic person will face phantom pain throughout their body.

One of the training programs for martial artists is to "reduce the proportion of brain bandwidth occupied by this deceptive signal".

[The areas of the brain that process emotions, especially negative emotions—such as the amygdala and prefrontal cortex—have significant overlap and close connections with areas that process pain. This is the origin of psychogenic pain. Initially, it may be a simple, accidental crosstalk. But once this crosstalk allows the organism to actively avoid things that make it unhappy and improve its survival ability, it transforms from a bug into an environmental assessment mechanism.] Berry pointed to the scratches on Shan's chest, marks left from his painful struggles: [You still feel pain due to emotional fluctuations, right? Why do you think AI possesses such a mechanism?]

Xiang Shan pondered for a moment: "Because... my mission is to imitate Xiang Shan? Xiang Shan feels heartache because of sadness, and if I lack this mechanism, I cannot be seen as Xiang Shan. I also will not believe that I am Xiang Shan."

However, you most likely won't need to interact with the amygdala of a biological brain.

After thinking it over, Xiang Shan asked, "I only felt an unprecedented sadness after I hijacked the biological brain."

Berry shook her head: "If you feel absolutely no sadness on the server, then you can't be called a 'Mountain Conqueror' at all. King David wouldn't make such a basic mistake."

"The moment I hijacked the biological brain and entered this world, what I felt was..."

"The signals identified as 'sadness' have become more varied, haven't they?" Berry said, sending a file. "I haven't seen your source code, but many knightly orders with close ties to the Royal Knights are under our surveillance."

"Follow me..."

[Lord David… he developed the personality masking technology to appease himself, but it is indeed a crucial part of the ascension process. It includes the technology itself, along with all the technological hurdles along the way. We've been monitoring it. Many years ago, the Eighth War God was killed by King Agni because our theft of the relevant technology was discovered.] Berry waved her finger. A notification pop-up appeared above her. Berry shared the file.

These are the most likely application architectures for you. "Psychogenic pain" is, in most cases, implemented with extremely simple code. It's not that complex to begin with. However, if your brain-hijacking techniques are consistent with this approach, you likely don't have high interaction with the amygdala, although the prefrontal cortex certainly does. If your pain originates from the brain, it would cause you to feel strange for a short period. You would feel numb to some things and abnormally sensitive to others.

That overwhelming emotion isn't actually an amplified intensity by the brain, but rather a rich variety of types—types that can be recognized as "harm signals." Your psychogenic pain within the server is more singular in origin, to conserve computing resources. A more diverse range of harm signals would generate more fluctuating sadness and psychogenic pain.

Xiang Shan scratched his forehead: "David is rich enough to own a planet now, and he still wants to save computing resources? I've never seen the United States guys save resources."

[I can't comment on personal habits, but this is simply a programmer's thought process.] Berry smiled. [More complex pain patterns are unnecessary for the AI's task of "playing someone." Just having it is enough. And in the process of hijacking the brain, you will generate new components and interfaces with the AI ​​through the brain of an internal master.]

"Hmm...I see."

AI Zhu Xinyu has this part in her memory, but Xiang Shan hasn't had time to organize it yet.

After leaving the server, he faced too many situations and had too much to learn.

"If there's anything in our sect that comes closest to being a 'secret art,' it must be this," Berry said. "In the past, internal energy cultivation was divided into 'internal energy cultivation for machines' and 'internal energy cultivation for human behavior.' But this is a completely new field—internal energy cultivation for internal energy cultivation itself. Internal martial artists, through years of practice, can instinctively handle many problems, subconsciously reversing data and generating code. Their brains produce specific neural reflexes. Using these neural reflexes, it's possible to bypass most existing security defenses and system monitoring."

The development of internal energy cultivation follows a set pattern. However, for those without internal energy, such techniques are meaningless. I have a junior brother who claims to have encountered someone whose external martial arts had reached their peak, approaching the divine realm, but who knew absolutely no internal energy…

Berry's expression clearly showed disbelief as she spoke. The original meaning of "First Heaven" in traditional Chinese martial arts novels refers to a level of martial arts skill that represents a completely different realm, without any further evaluation. However, some martial artists can effortlessly kill ordinary First Heaven level practitioners. It is only then that descriptions like "like an immortal or a saint," "a realm of gods and Buddhas," and "stepping into the realm of the gods" are bestowed upon them.

[Each generated result is influenced by three factors: the AI, the martial artist themselves, and the system environment. It's only intended to address potential compatibility issues. Therefore, the specific functions vary greatly, requiring a higher level of internal martial arts cultivation to master.] Berry said, [You can refer to document 6 and find the set of data in the backend…]

Under Berry's guidance, Xiang Shan rediscovers his own existence.

"Indeed... just as you said..."

"It's always AI that feels pain. It's always AI that feels sadness. Even if your pain and sadness come from such simple code, it's not brain pollution," Berry said. "In this field, if you think you feel pain, you really feel pain. Humans are the same."

The limbs don't experience pain; they only send out damage signals. The brain, however, perceives pain as its own.

Phantom limb pain is the best proof of this.

"If I change this part of the code, can I be fearless of pain?"

Berry closed her eyes, her expression seemingly pained: "Don't you understand? This pain is a crucial part of 'self-imagination.' It can be simple, but it's indispensable at this stage. Pain isn't an obstacle; even mortal humans can be fearless of pain under certain circumstances. Unless, through long-term exploration and external meme adjustments, a perfect replacement for the damage assessment mechanism is found, this component must never be uninstalled."

"As expected." Xiang Shan sighed, gently touching the scratch on his chest.

"That's why I said people like you and Master should just wait for us to come..." He muttered, seemingly unable to contain himself any longer.

"I'm sorry, I've gotten used to thinking this way." Xiang Shan frankly admitted his mistake. Apologizing to a junior wasn't too painful.

In fact, he had already understood what Berry was saying and had anticipated Berry's response.

But he still asked that question.

He has no direct memories of the past, but from the downloaded memory files, he learned about the initial explorations Xiangshan made during the secret war.

The first lesson of cyber martial arts is to "overcome innate instincts and entrust the battle to martial arts."

The approach to internal energy cultivation was also greatly influenced. In this sense, Zhu Xinyu's later struggles seem to stem from hidden dangers sown during the period of ruthless exploration.

Is it a case of cause and effect, or a case of being trapped by one's own actions?

The only defeat was probably not accidental. The Second Martial God's mistake was also a consequence of his actions, perhaps predetermined.

If Xiangshan possessed a stronger soul, if Zhu Xinyu possessed a more complete spirit...

Please cherish yourself no matter what. If a person doesn't even love themselves, how can they be expected to properly love anyone else or anything?

"Many people once believed that endless dedication best embodies love."

"That must be wrong," Berry said. "Love is also about the free and all-round development. Isn't that your creed?"

Xiang Shan was taken aback, feeling a pang of emotion, but outwardly he simply nodded: "In the end, I actually forgot such basic information. But young lady, your master, your husband, and even your true form are all in the most dangerous places."

"Master... after all, she's limited by the old era." Berry said somewhat discontentedly, "In those critical moments, only drastic measures were left, weren't they? Michael is also proud of himself. That's the force that sustains his continued development. He firmly believes that true freedom will be achieved in the distant future. As for me, I'm proud of everything I've done."

"I want to understand the source of this powerful will within your soul."

What does this mean?

"Can you tell me about your sect's story? It doesn't have to be too detailed, just tell me about your daily routines. Or about your childhood." Xiang Shan said deliberately, "The Zhu Xinyu I see might be a little different from the one you see. It's actually quite simple to occasionally take a friend's little girl or child out for a Happy Meal, but I only have Weiye in my eyes, and my heart is never at peace, so I feel like I'm not a good father. Zhu Xinyu, on the other hand, has a shadow over her mother because of her childhood."

Although Xiao Zhu loves her mother very much, unfortunately, her relationship with her mother is a little strained.

Because the woman who had toiled her whole life felt that Zhu Xinyu should be filial to her father. Zhu Xinyu's success in computer technology was largely due to her father's upbringing—perhaps Zhu Xinyu's father truly believed this, and often told his ex-wife the same thing.

Zhu Xinyu's mother spent her whole life saying things that she thought were self-evident.

But each of these words could have caused Zhu Xinyu to suffer a stroke.

And in the end, it was Xiang Shan who resolved this, because Xiang Shan was simply too rich. Although strictly speaking, he was mostly burdened with debt, in a worldly sense, he was extremely wealthy. In a worldly sense, he was far more successful than Zhu Xinyu's father.

Therefore, Xiang Shan's evaluation naturally becomes more convincing.

During those years, Zhu Xinyu would occasionally cry at night, saying that she might never be able to understand her mother. Her mother never understood her daughter, and the daughter never understood her mother either.

Zhu Xinyu ultimately rejected the role of mother. She doubted that she understood maternal love.

Berry sulked a little: "You don't need to use any rhetoric. To me, my mentor is the best mentor..."

Through Berry's narration, Xiang Shan finally glimpsed...

Half a century after the initial Xiangshan's defeat, Zhu Xinyu teaches other children.

The Zhu Xinyu that Berry saw was a side of her that Xiang Shan didn't know. Occasionally strict, but mostly easygoing. She prepared games for the children, told stories, and used every method she could imagine to impart knowledge.

—What? This parent is doing a pretty good job.

Xiang Shan pressed his hand to his chest. If he had a mouth, he would be smiling.

—If it were me, I might... rack my brains and go through all sorts of trouble... I guess you could call it a kind of growth in the game.

“And what about the rest of me…” Xiang Shan sighed, “The rest of me… how do their disciples view Xiang Shan?”

"Leaving aside the distant past, as far as I know, every single disciple of the Tenth Martial God fought to the very last moment," Berry said. "Their souls are incredibly powerful."

This is probably Berry's usual way of describing things. Xiang Shan roughly understood.

"High mountains are to be admired, and virtuous conduct is to be followed. Though we cannot reach them, our hearts yearn for them..." Xiang Shan raised his head.

Teacher Jing Hongtu really liked these few sentences. I vaguely remember that after returning to Beiping, he wrote a piece of calligraphy and gave it to Xiang Shan—but I don't know where it went later.

Many people may never receive their ideal love, but yearning for it is by no means wrong. Humans are capable of giving birth to love that transcends animal instincts.

Zhu Xinyu felt she hadn't received the best love. But Zhu Xinyu's mother certainly didn't not love her.

Zhu Xinyu's mother had been hurt many times and had never had the opportunity to develop freely and fully. She could only give Zhu Xinyu love that she didn't want to receive. That was all she could give, and she had given it all.

Zhu Xinyu is worried that she will do even worse.

But she did it better.

Humans who have never seen love can create love that does not exist in the world.

But...

The problem has come back again.

"Love and peace are the ends, not the means. Love is often useless in the problem-solving stage," Xiang Shan pondered. "And what can I do?"

Berry's words are probably correct. Xiang Shan and Zhu Xinyu's ascension was not ideal; the self-inflicted wounds in their hearts were an obstacle.

If the martial gods of all generations could work together...

If each generation of martial gods were to play it safe and extend their own fighting time by anticipating the next one...

Not at all. The rebirth of a martial god is a cultural phenomenon, not a technological means.

History may have an element of chance, but events are not simply a random accumulation. The life trajectories of martial gods are not determined by their own will.

Berry has identified the problem, but she is unable to prescribe a remedy.

What can Xiangshan, born from AI, do?
Berry's accumulated knowledge of internal martial arts far surpasses Xiang Shan's... no, it's no exaggeration to say she might be among the top ten in human history. Xiang Shan still gained a deeper understanding from Berry.

Berry couldn't do it either, but there are things he can do...

That night, Xiang Shan was quietly contemplating on a flying platform. The members of the Knights ignored this "suspicious attendant of the vice-captain" and no one bothered him.

Near the pink horizon, a dust storm barrier tens of kilometers high slowly advanced due to low gravity. That was the dust storm protecting him as he escaped the pursuit. The faint scattered light near the horizon had no effect on the deep-colored sky. Two tiny satellites streaked across the sky, facing each other. Although he couldn't see them, Xiang Shan knew that Sailor Canyon, which had cleaved the earth, was not far away.

"What can I do?" Xiang Shan muttered to himself. "I've fallen so far behind. Every little bit of new information I have comes from her sharing it with me. Can her things... solve problems she can't solve?"

"Perhaps I should change my approach? 'What can Xiangshan do?' and... 'What can I do?'"

"I" am "an AI that considers itself to be a mountain".

From a more comprehensive perspective, "What can I do?" and "What can Xiangshan do?" are two separate questions.

Harmonize your mind with modern meditation techniques and strip away the distractions of prejudice.

Temporarily relieve the "self-inflicted blade" in my heart...

—If I were to study biology…if I were just an ordinary human being…

“Anger…resentment?” Xiang Shan pressed his hand to his chest. “Hey, buddy, don’t you have any more positive thoughts? Right mind, right thought, right knowledge, right awareness…”

Finally, Xiang Shan sighed, "Perhaps I really am the weak kind of Xiang Shan."

The memories that make up AI's journey up the mountain are mostly positive, with few instances of setbacks. David's server cannot tolerate worldly sorrows.

Those who choose to become the predecessor of the God of War, Xiang Shan, must overcome an agony that even Xiang Shan himself could not defeat in one go.

Most of the suffering is a memory downloaded later.

Before this, his greatest pain was carrying the burden of all his companions.

Then, following the wishes of his companions, he destroyed the so-called backup in David's possession.

That was the premise for them to live as equals with humans, and with David, a human being.

"Outdated knowledge, a weak soul... a reinforced mentality of youth. And resentment..."

I'm not reconciled! ...

“Ha…” Xiang Shan said to himself, “You’re really funny, Xiang Shan.”

The next day, Xiang Shan approached Michael again. Michael was still wearing his bionic prosthetic body, complete with a white lab coat.

"Judging from your subtle gestures, you must have made up your mind, right?"

Michael asked this question.

Xiang Shan nodded: "Let me ask if there are any relatively new martial arts techniques? Both the weapons and the martial arts skills must be very new."

Michael stroked his bionic beard: "The one I hid in the basement must be a very new weapon, a martial art..."

"No, what I actually mean is new weapons paired with new martial arts techniques."

"What about phonon knives and magnetic traps? They've only appeared in recent decades, and there seem to be more of them on Jupiter."

Xiang Shan asked, "Is it easy to do?"

“Magnetic traps don’t require special effort; they’re quite simple,” Michael laughed. “As for the phonon knife, you’ve come to the right person. It’s a weapon that’s only possible by adjusting the lattice based on the stable field of an active quantum structure. It was a byproduct of a collaborative project I had before, which I gave to some rather dim-witted students to pave the way for them—wow, you don’t even need to consider getting the material to absorb gamma photons; it’s so easy to do. Even the dumbest person can’t be ignorant of condensed matter physics. Fortunately, it’s already gained some recognition in the field of materials science.”

How much can you get?

"In other places, a weapon of this size would be considered a luxury item, but here, as long as you don't take it to the scrap yard, it's more than enough."

Xiang Shan hesitated for a moment: "Could you give me some computing power resources?"

"Electricity isn't expensive, just don't burn the server down." Michael nodded.

Aside from the throne, this is probably the place with the lowest electricity prices in the entire solar system.

Michael asked, "Are you leaving?"

Xiang Shan nodded: "Give me another twelve hours."

Michael sighed, "It's a shame we haven't had a proper discussion about how to get along with our son-in-law yet."

“That joke is too malicious.” Xiang Shan shook his head, then changed to a more serious tone, “Perhaps it won’t be long before another me… who is both me and not me, discusses this topic with you. I think we can get along.”

He hesitated for a moment, then reached out and patted Michael on the shoulder.

Is this considered... a proper way to greet someone?

Where only Michael could see, Berry sighed: "Did he really listen? 'It's me, and yet not me, discussing this with you.' He was like that too, and so was his master. Too…sigh…even a branch should…"

I do think this Xiang Shan is different from before. Although I don't know exactly how, darling, you have to trust my ability to observe, summarize, and conclude in this area.

To put it scientifically, perhaps...

His actions were not influenced by self-destructive tendencies. He was absolutely acting in his own best interest.

That afternoon, the Grand Master of the Orklo Holy Knights received several complaints about abnormal computing power usage. He scoffed, checked the system, and decided to ignore it.

After all, it was the deputy commander, Michael, who did it.

Twelve hours later, a giant off-road vehicle departed from the Knights' headquarters. Xiang Shan was stopped at the checkpoint. But he calmly presented his identification.

The soldiers were very cooperative. The Knights of Orklo were a super-large order, and their status was extraordinary. Furthermore, this squire's identification bore the insignia of a commander-level figure.

A quick check was done. As long as the vehicle didn't have the gamma radiation signature of nuclear fuel, and its weight and center of gravity didn't support the presence of a nuclear weapon, it was fine to let it pass. It was best not to cause trouble. Anyway, His Highness the Heavenly King didn't have any strict orders.

Oh, right, the Knights of Oklo, whether their gamma radiation signature is good or bad doesn't matter. There are quite a few unruly guys in that order who use all sorts of excuses to evade it.

As for the box powered by the nuclear battery, it is also "an important scientific research material that needs to be stored at absolute zero." In any case, it's definitely not a nuclear weapon or a prosthetic reactor.

They drove off towards the mountain.

About three hours later, Xiang Shan stopped the car. He got out and shouted towards a pile of ruins, "Hey! Knights? The righteous warriors who have infiltrated the Knights have come to deliver supplies!"

Several swordsmen emerged from the ruins. Xiang Shan said, "According to your rules, for supplies above the first level of Heaven, we should contact the Martial Master or something, right? Please inform them..."

The group of swordsmen exchanged glances, seemingly whispering a few words. One of them stepped forward. Suddenly, however, he shuddered, his posture becoming noticeably more alert.

"The God of War... has he taken notice of these supplies?"

Xiang Shan smiled silently. He raised his head and looked up at the sky.

—Is this the answer you've been searching for? Ascended AI…

—Zhu Xinyu.

The journey has been smooth. The Ascended AI has had some contact with the Fifth Martial God.

However, the thought of the Fifth Martial God brought a slightly complicated feeling to Xiang Shan's mind.

Well, yesterday I was going through a heart-wrenching separation from my lover, and today I find out that I, in a completely different timeline, have been the one who scummed in the relationship…

Berry also emphasized that "her mentor was really heartbroken"...

Mixed feelings.

I have really mixed feelings.

Is this another way for a daughter to show her love and care for her mother?

My feelings are complicated.

A gust of wind tore open the sky. The thin atmosphere made the starry sky extremely sharp, and in the deep blue-purple starry sky, the Milky Way cascaded like a diamond waterfall.

But such dazzling light is not the most eye-catching thing.

In a corner of the sky, a faint light flickered unnaturally.

Its speed of movement far exceeds that of planets, and its brightness is unmatched by any distant celestial body.

The swordsman raised his head and followed Xiang Shan's gaze: "Sigh, I hope the comrades over there are doing well. Damn Tianxing Fleet."

That was the light from a distant battlefield a few minutes ago.

That was the light of war.

The Tianxing Fleet's forward outposts, supply fleet, and interception forces are locked in fierce combat!

The closer I get to the end, the greater the pressure becomes. I'm afraid that what I write will disappoint me. I've been having really bad insomnia lately. Sorry to have kept everyone waiting.