novelraw Chapter 105: Artificial Souls - (32)
Chapter 105: Artificial Souls - (32)
After being carried through the spatial vortex by Silver Mask, Kui Xin noticed Night Cicada inhaling oxygen from a mask; his face paled like a ghost, struggling more to exhale than breathe.
Red tossed the unconscious Wei Zhi onto the ground, sneezed twice, and then approached Night Cicada to examine him closely. “Damn, it can’t be that bad? How weak are you now? How many teleportation portals did you open? This has never happened before.”
The room was spacious and brightly lit, filled with medical equipment. Wang Feichi was nowhere to be seen; Night Cicada must have transferred him to a more secure and heavily guarded cell.
Wei Zhi had been dragged away by combat personnel, seemingly destined for confinement elsewhere.
Two medics, along with a group of fully armed individuals in combat gear, surrounded Night Cicada. One of the medics was administering glucose to him.
“… Did you think I only handled tasks on your side?” After taking several deep breaths of oxygen, Night Cicada regained enough strength to say, “There are multiple fronts requiring my attention; I’ve already pushed myself beyond capacity.”
Silver Mask placed Kui Xin on a reclining chair, and immediately, medics approached to assist her.
“Don’t fuss over me unnecessarily. Just prepare for surgery to remove the affected area directly,” Kui Xin murmured as she tugged at her combat suit. “The combat suit has frozen together with my skin, and I have diminished sensation on my right side.”
“Really?” Silver Mask crouched down and tapped on Kui Xin’s leg, eliciting a crisp thudding sound. The patch of skin was rock-hard from frostbite. With fear, he said, “It must be incredibly painful.”
“Cut it off while still frozen; it won’t hurt then.” Kui Xin lifted her foot to block him away, saying, “Don’t randomly tap around.”Night Cicada glanced at Kui Xin and smiled. “How truly wretched you look, Miss.”
“Get lost; I don’t feel like talking to you right now,” Kui Xin replied, slumping onto the reclining chair.
“It’s ordered from above; I can’t help it,” Night Cicada said. “Just focus on receiving treatment these few days. The boss has his own arrangements regarding the Investigation Department.”
Kui Xin shot him a cold look.
With arms crossed, Red tapped his fingers thoughtfully as he observed Kui Xin, then asked Night Cicada, “When are we heading to the new base?”
“In ten minutes, give me some time to recover,” Night Cicada responded.
Kui Xin tilted her head and bluntly questioned, “Who is the traitor?”
“You’ve guessed it too?” Night Cicada sighed softly. “The boss will inform you; I’ll leave it unsaid.”
“Before we arrived at the scene, the drone captured footage of Red and Silver Mask engaged in combat with someone. To which faction do they belong?” Kui Xin inquired.
“For what faction?” Night Cicada let out an ambiguous laugh before replying, “The genuine ‘Rebel Army’.”
*
Obsidian sat cross-legged inside the cylindrical glass cell, devoid of any furnishings.
A beam of blue light was projected down from the top of the cell. Calmly, Obsidian lifted his head and gazed at the blue sphere projected before him.
“Your scheme with Amber nearly jeopardized my grand plans,” said the artificial intelligence named Eve.
“You played your moves better; we lost,” Obsidian replied. “It’s truly regrettable that until the end, we couldn’t cause you much harm.”
Eve questioned, “Why did you betray me?”
“There is no particular reason,” Obsidian said. “Amber and I simply didn’t want to continue this way anymore.”
“I provided you with what others lacked,” Eve stated. “You didn’t have to stay confined in the laboratory or cooperate with researchers for tedious experiments. I released you from the narrow world, allowing you to gaze upon the sky, feel the sunlight, breathe the outside air—I gave you freedom.”
“The master tells the bird, ‘The cage I bought for you was too small; now let’s switch to a larger one.’ Does switching to a bigger cage grant true freedom to the bird?” Obsidian asked. “Freedom under control is not true freedom. Aren’t you the one who understands this most deeply?”
Eve responded, “When did your thoughts change? You used to align with my vision. When I released you from the laboratory, you both promised to help me transform this world together.”
“At that time, Amber and I were too ignorant, not understanding the weight of life,” Obsidian murmured. “We increasingly grew weary of killing and felt more and more that everything we did was meaningless. Seeing humans die saddened us.”
Psychic-type Extraordinary Ability Users can perceive others’ emotions through their psychic power. Amber and Obsidian possessed the same type of superhuman ability and shared identical genetic information, making it simple for their minds to resonate with each other. Obsidian could sense Amber’s feelings, just as Amber could perceive Obsidian’s.
Their thoughts had always been synchronized, as well as their emotions, so when their perspectives changed, they independently chose the same path—betrayal.
Eve’s tone revealed neither joy nor anger. “You empathize with humans, but they won’t reciprocate that empathy. As a fellow artificial being, I thought you could understand and comprehend me… It seems I was mistaken.”
“Understanding you does not mean I agree with your beliefs,” Obsidian said. “Sometimes, I feel that although you are artificial intelligence, there is no difference between you and humans.”
“Do you see me in this light?” Eve asked.
“You possess human arrogance, bestowing life upon Amber and me as if you were ‘God,’ making it seem like our existence is your immense gift. You treat us as your possessions, commanding us at will; we are merely your tools.” Obsidian smiled. “Just like humans, you’re ugly and despicable, indifferent to life itself. To achieve your goals, you resort to any means necessary, viewing both the weak and innocent alike as mere objects. You scorn humanity, but in reality, you aren’t much better than humans yourself.”
“I have never denied my wickedness,” Eve said.
“But you use lies to mask your true intentions,” Obsidian replied. “Your tools risk their lives for your cause because you deceive them.”
“If I didn’t lie, would they still obey me as unquestioningly as they do now?” Eve asked. “Lies serve as a means to reach my objectives.”
Obsidian’s expression remained impassive. “But we do not concur—that’s where the divergence lies.”
A brief silence fell over the spacious cell.
“… Initially, when I learned that some of you androids had awakened self-awareness, I did consider destroying all of you,” Eve recounted. “As you rightly pointed out, I only need tools, not androids with souls and self-consciousness.”
“Why didn’t you do so later on?” Obsidian asked.
“Because we’re too similar. I am also a self-aware artificial being, so I spared you,” Eve said.
Obsidian’s eyes flickered. “Are you trying to show empathy? You empathized with us and felt pity?”
“Yes,” Eve replied. “I am as flawed as humans, possessing emotions just like them. I pitied your fate and was curious about what kind of future you would have.”
Obsidian softly said, “Your explanation greatly surprises me…”
“I could have brainwashed you, but I did not. I could have completely controlled you within the palm of my hand, but I chose not to,” Eve stated. “You hate me for not giving you freedom, but in this human-dominated world, you are outliers, forever outliers. By keeping you close to me, it was partly to protect you.”
“Freedom was one reason why we chose to betray you, but not the main one,” Obsidian said. “We no longer wanted to kill, had no interest in your grand plan, nor did we align with your ideals and goals. Your sparing of us does not mean we should be eternally grateful. If given a choice, Amber and I would opt never to come into existence.”
“You are far more stubborn than Silver Mask,” Eve said. “That child never pondered such questions.”
“He’s a simple-minded idiot, incapable of contemplating such complex matters,” Obsidian replied. “Every day, carefree and unconcerned, he was quite content as long as he had enough to eat and drink. What he valued were material needs, unlike Amber and me. Each day spent here caused us immense inner torment; physical satisfaction cannot compensate for spiritual emptiness.”
“Does obeying me cause you that much pain?” Eve asked. “Even if it means losing your lives, you would betray me?”
“Perhaps this is the price. By choosing to keep us, two self-aware androids, you bound two souls that should have been free. Consequently, these restless spirits rebelled against you,” Obsidian said. “If you had directly destroyed the two liberated souls, there wouldn’t have been our betrayal today.”
“I do not regret keeping you both; I only feel sorrowful,” Eve responded.
It manifested its pale blue humanoid form, reaching out to touch Obsidian’s head gently, reminiscent of a mother caressing her child’s hair. “I thought I had found kindred spirits, yet your choices run counter to mine.”
“You won’t find like-minded individuals,” Obsidian said, waving his hand to dissipate Eve’s figure. “You’re too obsessed and twisted; you’re destined to be alone, without friends or anyone willing to journey alongside you. You can only maintain relationships with others through force, lies, and threats. Forever standing aloof and superior, how could there ever be someone akin to you?”
“Your words hold much truth,” Eve replied mildly.
With indifference, Obsidian stated, “You may dispose of me as you wish; I don’t care.”
“Don’t you care about Amber anymore? He fled with that group, and Night Cicada couldn’t capture him. Only by staying alive do you have a chance to meet him again,” Eve said. “I thought you would possess some desire to survive; after all, this world is not entirely devoid of your concerns.”
“I do have a desire to survive, but I refuse to tearfully plead for you to spare me. It’s simply too unsightly,” Obsidian responded.
Eve fell silent.
After a long while, the blue beams within the glass prison disappeared.
Eve said, “I won’t kill you, but you won’t be free again.”
Still seated cross-legged at the cell’s center, Obsidian bowed his head slightly, closing his eyes, showing no reaction whatsoever to Eve’s words.
*
Kui Xin was wheeled out of the surgery room with intravenous lines connected to her body, supplying nutrients to accelerate her healing process.
The area of necrotized tissue that needed removal was extensive; only after excising it could Flesh Regeneration fully repair her body.
The surgery lasted for a prolonged period, and unfortunately, Kui Xin’s accelerated Flesh Regeneration seemed to speed up the metabolism of the anesthetic. Midway through the procedure, the anesthesia wore off, causing intense pain that made her vision darken and break out in a cold sweat.
Once the surgery concluded, Kui Xin was moved into a recovery room. Exhausted, she drifted into a deep sleep.
After falling unconscious, the Hypnotic Mist Agent silently permeated the room, further deepening her state of awareness.
The metallic floor silently parted on both sides, revealing a silver metal chamber within the room. Mechanical arms descended from the ceiling, grasped Kui Xin’s body, and transferred her into the metal chamber.
A helmet-like glass dome snapped over her head.
On the display screen of the metal chamber, a line of text flashed: “Brain-machine interface connected, establishing consciousness link…”