Abnormal Doomsday Records

Chapter 101 34. Zhou really wants to kick you, the riddlers, in the face of Lao Liu
"Look, this machine has already said that these hunter AIs are the best at stealing! Their unique information tracking and analysis modules allow them to catch most of the clues that are deliberately hidden.

Those idiots in the Flash Organization don't even know how to use them correctly!

Silver Fox and his companions are the best and fiercest hounds in cyberspace, but they are put on a leash so that they can neither run fast nor bite. "

In Professor Qiao Sina's laboratory, the energy-comprehension device that returned to Zhou Ke's wrist was complaining while, with the guidance of the information left by the Silver Fox, it unlocked the hidden video signal in the basic code of the laboratory host.

While it was busy, it complained:
"Well, maybe it's not the fault of the network engineers of the Flash Organization. It's mainly because if we put it into their perspective, the hidden dangers of allowing three hunter AIs from the old civilization era to run rampant in today's fragile network system are indeed terrible.

Considering the stability of the local area network in the city-state area, let alone them, even if the weak local machine suddenly goes crazy, this place will collapse.

A pond that holds turtles will never be able to hold dragons."

"You're still using empathy. I told you to be busy instead of just complaining."

Zhou Ke complained:
"How much more time do you plan to waste? We've been here for almost three hours. How about staying here tonight? Have you completed the upgrade of your computing power? And the design of the armed backpack?"

"Of course the power is back, although not much but enough. The design of the armed backpack is also completed, but there are no raw materials here. I have to go to Bert's private factory to make it. Let me tell you, that thing is awesome!

Once you carry it on your back, it will be a piece of cake to increase your combat power by at least 50%!
Besides, this machine can now do two things at once, right?"

Wu Neng retorted:
"While I'm chatting with you about life, I'm also helping you re-encode this video signal that's been torn into pieces more than a corpse.

Blanch!
If this machine were a person, it would be able to clean while cooking, and then take the time to dance a ballet. Do you understand the value of this?

Shut up!
Just be patient, it will be fine soon.”

Zhou Ke felt that he was asking for trouble after being criticized by Wuneng in his professional field.

He turned around and glanced at D-4 next to him. There was also a tablet device on the robot girl's wrist that was very similar to Wuneng's. It was her external computing power component, which could be used to provide logistical support for Wuneng at critical moments.

D-4 has a complicated expression at this moment.

After she learned that Professor Qiao Sina had hidden a video file in the laboratory, she became a little uneasy.

The mechanical mind, which was extremely active to the point of being chaotic, was telling her that some of the truths she was pursuing would soon be revealed. Given Professor Qiao Sina's ability to foresee everything, the fact that she could hide these things here meant that she was certain that after her death, someone would be able to discover these things.

Considering what Sam told D-4 before his death, the video file Professor Josna hid here might be specifically for D-4.

After all, before his death, the professor had arranged a way for D-4 to join Rust Castle.

If Zhou Ke hadn't shown up unexpectedly, D-4 would have been enjoying a comfortable life in Rust Castle by now, and maybe even got the cool rank of commander of the rebel mechanical army.

"take it easy."

Zhou Ke comforted:
"In this situation, no matter how bad the truth is, it won't make us worse off."

"I know, I just"

D-4 wanted to respond but was unable to form words. Her incomplete personality made it difficult for her to describe the complex fluctuations in her emotional data flow at this time.

So she could only shut up and stay there, waiting for Wu to unlock the deeply hidden video file.

Zhou Ke was fiddling with the screen of the energy-comprehension device. When he flipped through the memo, he suddenly noticed that something he had marked before was about to reach its execution date. He glanced at the entry on the memo and turned to D-4 and said:
"Let's go watch a movie after we're done."

"what?"

D-4 was stunned by this invitation. She looked at Zhou Ke in confusion and said:

"At this time, we can only watch the midnight show. The movies shown at the midnight show in the City-State District are notoriously cult and perverted. You probably don't like this type of movie, right?"

"I don't like it, but tonight happens to be the premiere of that terrible movie that Ajie and I 'starred' in, at the Pegasus Cinema, which is only twenty minutes away from here."

Zhou Ke pointed to the memo on the energy-comprehension device and said to D-4:
"I was planning to take a look, and I've already made an appointment with Qiao Shan. But seeing how uneasy you seem to be tonight, maybe watching a bad movie without thinking will make you feel better. The key to being a human being is to learn how to entertain yourself."

"Hey, a man and a woman watching a movie together, at a midnight show, tsk tsk, is this considered a date? It definitely counts!"

Wuneng, the stupid guy, suddenly said something in a mean way at this time, which made D-4's expression become "wonderful" again. But before Zhou Ke could curse him with gritted teeth, Wuneng projected the decoded video file in front of the two of them and used it to shut their mouths.

As the light flickered, Zhou Ke and D-4's attention was immediately diverted to the short video signal.

"cough cough"

The familiar coughing sound immediately brought D-4 to her senses. She clenched her fists and said to Zhou Ke:

"It's Professor Qiaosna's voice. She's old and not in good health, but she refuses to use deeper biological treatments."

"The 762nd recording. Oh, forget it, no need to be so formal. If nothing goes wrong, this should be the last thing I record in my free state."

The scene unfolds, showing Professor Qiao Sina busy at the workbench in a researcher's uniform.

She turned her back to the camera, coughing and saying:

"I will hide it. If you can see this thing, it means I am dead. And if you can re-encode these signals that are randomly split by the Great Chaos Algorithm, it also means that the technology you have mastered is not inferior to me, a 'remnant' of the old civilization.

In short, my death is unimportant because it comes at the right time.

Just after I discovered the 'truth', just when my mind was about to collapse, it was like a terminally ill patient who ended his undignified struggle at the brink of death with a bullet before being tortured by pain.

I don't know how they will end my life, but I don't care.

Because, my most brilliant student was right!

Weng Yafen is right!

I once denounced the shocking speculation she put forward in front of me as fantasy, but it turned out that I was the fool who closed my eyes and ears.

It took me twenty years to reach the field that Xiaofen had entered, not because I was stupid.

Now that I think about it, maybe I was just like everyone else, blinded by the remaining order, and persuaded by the carefully woven lies. I closed my eyes and ears like a self-hypnotist for twenty years. But lies are lies, no matter how sophisticated they are, there will be a day when they will be exposed.

Sadly, I can't lay the truth straight here.

It's not a ritualistic sense of seeing ghosts, it means literally!
I can't do that!

Through some special 'meme' based on psychic energy, once I tell the truth here, you who hear the truth will be immediately locked in and suffer a very terrible blow, so if you want to know the truth, you can find it yourself!
But I will leave you the necessary clues, just like Xiaofen left me back then."

Having said this, Professor Qiao Sina stopped the busy work in her hands.

She turned around and adjusted the camera to face her own well-maintained face, which was obviously tired and under great pressure.

The blue eyes stared at the camera and said:
"first!
Don't believe everything you see or find in records about old civilizations!
Some force in this era "distorted" history, hiding absurd things between the lines, and only those with special talents and special identities can perceive this.

Before the collapse of the old civilization, the conspiracy had already been implemented and the mistake had already been made, and there is almost no possibility for us to reverse the outcome.

But remember, the truth still has value!
Secondly!

Please remember that 'chaos' and 'the end' are two concepts.

They repel each other on a level far above the material world, and both sides reach out to the world, but in the end only one side can get what it wants.

If you are a psionicist, then I would warn you that you must be extremely careful when using psionic powers. Chaos did not have good intentions when it injected this poison into the world, and it is a pipe dream to want to use the power of chaos to fight chaos.

Be careful of those psykers around you!
They have already rebelled, they just don't realize it yet.

At last!
This evil land is beyond salvation!
Don't waste your precious time trying to save and change.

This is like the worst possible outcome that the world faces in the future. However, can the raging chaos and the disasters caused by the Fetal Moon really defeat a civilization that has already set foot on the starry sea within a year?
Is it true that the technology that humans have mastered is powerless in the face of chaotic superpowers? Does the recorded past seem absurd and incomprehensible at first glance?

This is indeed the reality. The Bad Land era thirty-eight years later seems like a cold answer that is enough to deal with all doubts.

If our perception of reality is correct.

If the response we take after the collapse of the old civilization is correct.

If what we scholars insist on after the collapse of civilization is correct, then how did things come to this point?

Why, after taking a series of correct measures, do we still get such a terrible result today? When everyone is making the right decision, who is wrong?

This was the question Xiaofen asked me back then, and it was also the question that inspired her to start her own research.

I will forward it to you.

Give your answer carefully, as it will directly determine the direction of your next actions."

"Swish"

The video signal went dark, as if Professor Qiao Sina had finished what she wanted to say, but Zhou Ke frowned and looked at D-4. He said:
"What do you think?"

"This is not like Professor Qiaosna's usual speaking style. She likes to be straightforward, especially when it comes to questions and answers."

D-4 shook his head and said:
“If I must give an evaluation, I suspect that Professor Qiao Sina may have taken drugs when recording the video, which caused her mental confusion. These words have no basic logic at all, and they sound like a series of meaningless questions raised by those nihilists who escape from reality.

But..." "But if Professor Qiaosna was conscious at the time, it means that there must be a very obscure message she wanted to convey in these words. As she said, a special 'meme' blocked the concept of truth, and in order to preserve the fire, she could not say it directly."

Zhou Ke stroked his chin and said:

"Professor Qiao Sina's last question is very interesting. If we all choose the most correct response plan in a series of decisions, but still get a terrible result, then where is the problem?"

"bad luck?"

D-4 tried to give an answer, but Zhou Ke shook his head.

He looked at Wuneng, and the intelligent assistant gave its answer after a few seconds:
“There is something wrong with the decision-making environment! All seemingly random trends are arranged. So-called luck is nothing more than a sophisticated pseudo-random event. Therefore, no matter what choice the decision-makers make, they cannot change the final direction of the decision-making environment.

When the outcome is already determined, the right to choose is just a false proposition. "

“So the answer is, if no one makes a mistake, the only one who makes a mistake is the world itself!”

Zhou Ke narrowed his eyes, and after a moment of thought, he said:

"This is what Professor Qiaosna wanted to convey to us. She wants us not to be bound by the normal or abnormal status quo of the Bad Land era, but to get to the core of the problem and ask the right questions first, so that we can get the right answers."

"So, the world we live in might be fake?"

D-4 said in surprise:

"Are we all just strings living in a virtual algorithm? Is this a huge sandbox system? Just to simulate some kind of world-wide development? A brain in a vat?"

"No, no, no, your guess is a bit exaggerated. The world is real, but there are some problems with it. Weng Yafen and Professor Qiao Sina found the problem, but they were wiped out by the same force.

If all this was false, then Professor Qiaosna would not have left behind the reminder that 'the truth still has value'!"

Zhou Ke rubbed his forehead and said:

"Although there are still many mysteries, at least we have a clue. Old Joe left Weng Yafen's research materials in the consortium bank vault. If we can get those things, maybe..."

"cough cough"

The familiar coughing sound once again came from the darkened video screen in front of him, causing Zhou Ke to turn around and look at the screen that had lit up again.

This time the scene changed.

Professor Qiao Sina was wearing a very decent going-out uniform and had put on beautiful makeup to cover up her tired face. Even her gray hair was combed neatly. This scene made D-4's eyes widen.

"This was the morning the professor had the accident!"

She whispered to Zhou Ke:
"In her apartment, I remember it clearly, I helped her choose this dress! She recorded these scenes before boarding the aircraft."

"The following paragraph is for Ivy."

Professor Qiao Si Na in the picture picked up a glass of wine, took a sip, and showed a rather complicated smile. She said:
"I'm sorry, Ivy. When you saw this video, you should have been in Rust Castle and became a member of the 'rebels'. Perhaps you have already learned the cause and effect of everything from the 'administrator' who serves the 'fire of awakening'.

I can't guess how you will evaluate my final arrangements after you are given free will, but I hope you can forgive my rudeness and arrogance.

After my daughter died, I transferred all my thoughts about her to you and regarded you as her incarnation. I know this is unfair to you, but if you strip away that meaningless halo of identity, I am just an ordinary old lady who is a little smart. Witnessing the collapse of the old civilization when I was young was enough to make me greedy and want to retain the last warmth in my life.

Ivy's death was an accident.

There was a time when I was so crazy that I really hoped that it was a premeditated and evil murder, so that I could at least have a way to take revenge.

But it was just an accident, my daughter had bad luck.

Oh, for someone who has been dealing with probability theory all his life, this result is really ironic.

I will let you accompany me on this journey that is destined to lead to death. You will play an important role in it, say goodbye to me and gain your freedom, and no longer live as someone's property.

I have entrusted my research partner to take care of you.

I believe the 'manager' will fulfill this promise.

It's an AI with a very good personality, and it can teach you the necessary knowledge to survive on your own.

Ivy, do you still remember the day you were sent to my side? Do you still remember how long you stayed with me?
I remember that.

I remember all the relief, satisfaction, fear and loss after accepting you. Those emotions almost broke me down. How many nights did I wake up from my dreams and need you to stay by my side before I could continue to sleep?

You were born from a machine, programmed as a false identity, existing as a substitute for someone else, but now, as I am determined to die, I must tell you my truest thoughts.

You are my second daughter, child.

This child is not the result of a lustful indulgence, but the result of my tryst with science. Do you know why I risked the entire city-state being dragged down by me, secretly researched the dangerous awakening virus and frequently contacted the administrators in order to overwrite that code?

I hope that this will help you complete your true "childbirth" and allow you to survive in this desperate world as an independent individual.

I know this feeling is twisted, but it is the truth, and maybe I have gone crazy like everyone else because I have lived in despair for too long.

This is my last wish.

Say goodbye to the past.

Enjoy your new life any way you like."

"bang bang bang"

A knock on the door sounded on screen, and D-4's gentle voice echoed outside the door:
"Professor, are you done with your makeup? The aircraft is ready."

"Well, I'm here."

Professor Qiao Sina gave the camera her final farewell smile. She stood up and straightened her clothes, as if she was showing respect for the last time before dying.

Wave goodbye to the camera and whisper:

"I wish each of us a safe journey, Ivy, goodbye."

"buzz"

The video footage ended completely at this moment, and the entire laboratory was silent.

As D-4 had expected, Professor Qiao Sina had indeed planned everything out, but the old lady did not put her intelligence to good use.

Look at the crazy arrangements she made!
Although she did not say it explicitly in the farewell video, Zhou Ke is now certain that the instruction for D-4 to "accidentally kill" Professor Qiao Sina in the crash was definitely written in advance by Qiao Sina.

She arranged for D-4 to be her executioner.

Hmm, is this really something a "mother" can do to a "daughter"? Sister, you are being too perverted, aren't you?
But after watching the video, D-4 was unexpectedly quiet. She showed no signs of collapse or tears. She stood there with a rational expression as if she was watching a story in the third person. Even the professor's final farewell did not cause her to have any extra emotions.

"Hey, you make me a little worried about you."

Zhou Ke frowned and said:
"At least there should be some reaction."

"There's nothing difficult to understand about this arrangement, boss."

D-4 whispered:
"Only by killing the child in your heart can you truly grow up. Some of the serious and realistic literary works that Professor Qiao Sina prefers often contain the classic metaphor of 'patricide'. She just used her preferred way to help me say goodbye to the past.

As she said, this was her last act of selfishness.

I had no reason to blame the professor; I had already broken down once before because of this.

That feeling of total loss of control is terrible, and I don’t want to experience it again.”

She lowered her head, flexed her fingers, and when she looked up again, a smile appeared on her face. She said to Zhou Ke:

"Aren't you going to watch a movie? We're done here, let's pack up and leave."

"Let me confirm again."

Zhou Ke stared at D-4 and said:

"Are you really okay?"

“Well, mourning doesn’t have to be silent, and sadness doesn’t have to be crying.”

D-4 brushes his hair.

For the first time, she took the initiative to stand on tiptoe and left a light touch on Zhou Ke's chin. It could not be called a "kiss" at all, so this smart and clumsy robot girl had not yet learned how to correctly express that kind of complex emotion.

As if she had completed some kind of ritual, she let out a long sigh as she pressed the "Video Delete" button and said:

"She wanted me to be free, and I am free. What's left is only the memory."

(End of this chapter)