Son of the Stars

Chapter 198 is meaningless
Zheng Yan is still alive.

Her condition was far better than the most optimistic expectations, perhaps because the anti-impact design was excellent enough, or because the 600-square-meter parachute left enough safety redundancy for the life capsule, or because the muscle tissue and bone density of the human body were still strong enough after a year and a half of long-term space travel... In short, Zheng Yan survived at a speed four times the designed landing speed limit of the life capsule.

She unbuckled her seat belt with difficulty, and her remaining limbs rubbed against the rubber pad of the seat. The piercing pain instantly pierced through the fog in Zheng Yan's mind like a click.

Zheng Yan screamed, then fell to the ground holding her own limbs that were bleeding again. The surroundings were full of sharp metal structures left after the lifeboat structure was torn off. She struggled to stand on one leg again, and then jumped out of the lifeboat that was leaking air on all sides.

"Fuck you, it hurts so much." After leaving a dozen right footprints on the surface of Mars, Zheng Yan fell down on a large flat rock. Although the gravity on Mars is weak, it is still too harsh for Zheng Yan, who has been staying in a zero-gravity environment. Being able to jump out with one leg is the best effort she can make under the effect of adrenaline. The effect of hormones is fading with the continuous blood loss and hypothermia, and she began to feel dry mouth and thirst. But Zheng Yan knew very well that if she took off the helmet now, she would only die. The thinness of the atmosphere on Mars is similar to that of the Earth at an altitude of 100 meters, and the mortality rate without a helmet on Mount Everest at an altitude of nearly meters is close to %.

Zheng Yan knew very well that the only ones she could rely on were the astronauts who had landed on Mars earlier, but she was not sure where she had landed. This was Mars, a completely unfamiliar planet. The lifeboat had slightly deviated when it entered orbit, and the landing site would be hundreds or thousands of kilometers away from the forward base.

She could only try to call for help, praying for good luck and hoping that she could be rescued before her oxygen ran out or her blood ran out.

Zheng Yan lay on the stone and took a few breaths with difficulty, then tried her best to sit up.

She wanted to leave something behind in case help arrived and she was already dead... then at least she had to let her colleagues who came to rescue know what happened.

[When Ruan Hongying was walking in space, her life support system suddenly reported an error.] Zheng Yan hesitated for a moment, and chose to record her "last message" on her personal terminal.

Other recording methods may not guarantee that the message will be heard first. Only by modifying one's own "suicide note" can other colleagues immediately notice the changed information when they find their body.

Even if it meant that the last few words he left for his daughter would be completely erased from the storage chip.

[Her life support system suddenly reported a high temperature of 121.6 degrees Celsius, and at the same time, the system reported an abnormal ultraviolet peak, with a wavelength of nm. I ordered the robotic arm to transfer her to the end of the command module farthest from the lifeboat, but an explosion suddenly occurred during the operation of the robotic arm. The orbital module disintegrated under the huge impact. I think what happened to Ruan Hongying was quantum energy release syndrome, but the onset was too fast, which was obviously different from what was observed on Earth. ]

After the most important thing was said, Zheng Yan breathed a sigh of relief and then quickly added other content.

[The disintegration of the lifeboat was not a malfunction. I forcibly opened the expansion parts to adjust the landing direction. The solid oxygen pressurized tank and other parts are still worth recycling.]

Zheng Yan felt a little dizzy. She moved back and tried to find a more comfortable position on the hard alien rock. Then she said, "I was seriously injured and lost a leg before landing. I haven't been able to stop the bleeding very well... Don't be too sad. Just work hard."

This was not only a word of comfort, but also Zheng Yan's most direct statement of her current situation. She had lost a lot of blood, and her body functions were almost on the verge of collapse. Zheng Yan felt that she might not be able to wait for rescue, but... she had to say something so that others could continue to move forward.

She felt her eyes go dark and her body get colder and colder. Zheng Yan held on and said in a slurred voice, "Pepe, Mommy has always loved you - you have to eat well and don't kick off the quilt at night..."

Her eyelids became heavier and heavier, and her consciousness gradually blurred. Zheng Yan leaned against the stone and gradually became unable to speak.

She felt that the sound she heard was gradually disintegrating, and the sound entering her ears was like a tape being played in slow motion, with its own echo. "Sister Yan, hold on, I see you!"
-
"Give up, you have no chance." In the swamp forest of North America, Wu Hou was trying to persuade Li Xiaohui. "Humanity is bound to perish. This is not even my credit but the law of nature. Saving the current human society is meaningless and will not succeed. Destroying it and then rebuilding it is the best choice."

Li Xiaohui waved the machete in her hand expressionlessly, slowly but step by step clearing the way for herself. She had a clear direction, but she couldn't find the base with 27,000 biological brains as the computing core that she entered last time. Perhaps Wu Hou closed the hidden door to prevent herself from finding its core.

However, Wu Hou's shortcomings are also clearly revealed here - after all, it is just an AI, a cyber ghost that obtains a "soul" by using 27,000 biological brains to calculate together. Maybe it is very powerful, able to design and arrange the fate of each person in units of decades, and can interfere with a person's subconscious without his consciousness, making him react as designed by Wu Hou under certain conditions... But Wu Hou's ability to directly intervene in reality is zero.

It can unconsciously manipulate the direction of human society, but its ability to interfere with reality is limited to controlling a few doors and lights in the base. Such a defect was not a big deal for Wu Hou. The United Government has a population of four billion, and the chess pieces that can be manipulated are easily available.

But in the swamps of the North American region, in the ruins of Memphis Itasca State Park... there is no sign of human life within dozens of kilometers. Apart from verbal attacks and inducements, Wu Hou had no other way to deal with Li Xiaohui.

What's even worse is that Li Xiaohui, who originally had clear weaknesses, suddenly became like a mental patient. She had no reaction to Wu Hou's temptations or attacks, just like a paranoid who would never give up until she achieved her goal.

Even when the fact that she murdered her boyfriend and covered up her relationship with the cult members was brought up, Li Xiaohui did not show the expected reaction. She was like a possessed person, determined to sneak into the state park ruins and unplug all the 27,000 biological brains from the life support system.

According to Wu Hou's estimation, Li Xiaohui would find the entrance to the base's emergency passage in about thirty minutes. Once this woman completed the invasion, she would be able to disconnect at least five thousand biological brains in less than three hours.

The biological brain has superior intuitive computing capabilities, but its ability to resist losses as a cluster is poor. The loss of 5,000 biological brain computing nodes is the bottom line for Wuhou to maintain its work. If there is one more, it will collapse.

For Wu Hou, this was a matter of life and death. And the chess piece he could control would take another four hours to get here and kill Li Xiaohui. If left alone, the probability of it collapsing was at least 85%. It had to fight for its life - it had to interfere with Li Xiaohui no matter what, at least slow her down.

"You know, all humans will inevitably suffer from the Great Collapse and develop Quantum Energy Release Syndrome. No one can escape it, and it's just a matter of time before the disease occurs." Wu Hou presented facts and reasoned, speaking in a calm tone but with irrefutable confidence, "You know this better than me - this group of humans is hopeless. If you want the human species to continue to exist, you can only kill everyone and let clones take the place of the original humans. You are creatures destined to die, why don't you leave civilization and society to those who come after you? Don't continue to resist, accept your fate."

Li Xiaohui stopped chopping the vines and wiped the sweat from her face. She suddenly laughed when she heard Wu Hou's words.

"No matter how good you are at manipulating humans, you are just an AI after all." Li Xiaohui shook her head. "Humans are selfish creatures, a product of countless flaws. They are fickle, naked bipedal apes, and short-sighted primates. You view humans as too simple and noble. The inevitable death does not mean that we can meekly walk into the night. In addition to a lot of shortcomings, humans have a strength that you don't have."

Li Xiaohui, carrying a machete, finally broke through the encirclement of vines and weeds. Not far away, she could see the emergency exit hidden as a mountain rescue hut, and she smiled with satisfaction.

"When humans have no way out, they will just turn the table over." Li Xiaohui swayed towards the mountaineering hut and said with a sneer, "Why should we give our things to the clones? Even if humans are doomed to perish, they can't take away what belongs to us!"

What about the overall concept of mankind, the significance of the existence of species, and the survival of civilization equals the continuation of species... these things are just banners used to deceive people.

Civilization without people is meaningless, and according to the law, clones are not considered people.

(End of this chapter)