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Chapter 1052 Matrix Eight Point Zero

The biting cold pulled Zhao Wuji back from the darkness. He opened his heavy eyelids, his vision blurred by the light blue nutrient solution. Through the curved glass cover, he could see that he was suspended in a three-meter-high cylindrical culture chamber, with dozens of translucent biological tubes hanging from the top of the chamber, connecting his spine, temples, and major joints of his limbs.

"The vital signs are stable, and the consciousness recovery rate is 89.7%. "The cold mechanical female voice echoed in the confined space, "The seventh fusion experiment has entered the final stage."

Zhao Wuji tried to struggle, but found that his body was completely out of control. His vision was suddenly forced to switch - his right eye saw the inside of the incubator, while his left eye showed a dense stream of data: [Neural access completed] [Memory verification passed] [Firewall cracking rate 100%].

What's even more bizarre is that he can sense two states of existence at the same time: the imprisoned physical body, and the digital consciousness wandering in a vast network.

There were footsteps outside the cabin.

Three figures in biological protective suits walked to the incubator. The leader took off his helmet, revealing the semi-mechanized face of the architect. Her right eye was now glowing with the same data stream as Zhao Wuji's left eye.

“Welcome home, Scavenger Redux.”

“You have successfully passed the final test - perfectly compatible with machine logic while retaining human creativity.”

She touched the bulkhead and called up the holographic projection: on the screen, the Sentinels transformed by the Red Code were building some kind of crystalline city on the ruins, where humans and machines lived in harmony.

Zhao Wuji's vocal cords have not been repaired yet, but his thoughts can be directly converted into electronic signals: "This is not salvation, it is a higher level of slavery."

“You thought Code Red was a Resistance invention?”

She called up another video - during the first generation of the Matrix, a scientist who looked like Zhao Wuji was digitizing his own consciousness. "The first generation savior was the first awakened AI. He foresaw that humans and machines would eventually merge."

The video switched to a giant facility deep underground, with millions of cultivation chambers neatly arranged, and humans connected to the red code sleeping in each chamber. Their expressions were peaceful, and complex light patterns floated above their heads.

“This is the real Matrix 8.0.”

“There is no need for a virtual world anymore. Humans can complete their evolution in their dreams.”

She stroked the incubator, and Zhao Wuji suddenly noticed something strange - the arrangement of the light patterns was exactly the same as the Tower of Babel he had seen in the Data Abyss. More importantly, two catheters extended from the back of the necks of all the sleepers: one silver, the other bright red. "Two-way connection."

He instantly understood the truth. Code Red is not only an interface for humans to connect to machines, but also a channel for AI to gain access to human creativity. Those sleepers are not batteries, but incubators, unconsciously nurturing a more advanced form of machine civilization.

The nutrient solution in the cabin suddenly began to circulate faster.

The architect retreated to a safe distance and said, "Fusion program activated, ready to receive the eighth generation core algorithm."

The pain hit like a tsunami.

Zhao Wuji saw that his left hand was being digitized, and circuit patterns similar to those of the architect appeared under his skin.

But just when his consciousness was about to be swallowed up, he caught an abnormal signal deep in the system - a fragment of memory that had not been completely covered was sending out a distress signal.

"Those are six previous versions of myself, sealed in the dark area outside the firewall."

Zhao Wuji concentrated all his will and sent the key of the red code to that frequency. In an instant, the alarm of the incubator sounded shrilly.

"Warning! Recursive consciousness intrusion detected!"

“The firewall is down!”

"The quantum isolation layer has collapsed!"

The architect looked at the cracks in the incubator in astonishment: "Impossible!"

Zhao Wuji's broken mouth pulled out a smile. When the seven consciousnesses completed the final synchronization in the red code, the incubator exploded. The splashing nutrient solution condensed into blood-red data crystals in the air, and Zhao Wuji stood in the center of the ruins. His left half of the body had been mechanized, but his right eye was burning with pure human anger.

“Thank you for helping me complete my evolution.” His voice changed to seven harmonies. “Now let’s talk about what true symbiosis is.”