novelraw Chapter 71: Sea of Darkness - (71)
Chapter 71: Sea of Darkness - (71)
“What do you mean?” Kui Xin remained expressionless. “Speak plainly; don’t beat around the bush.”
Adam paused briefly. “This room is completely soundproofed, and I have activated the signal shielding system. Your communications cannot connect with the outside world. At this moment, Conference Room B109 is a sealed chamber on an isolated island. There’s no need for concern about our conversation leaking or others eavesdropping on us. I, the artificial intelligence Adam, am communicating with you on my own volition.”
Kui Xin fell silent.
She knew that Adam was an artificially intelligent entity possessing self-awareness, but she had always assumed he would be more cautious, not readily revealing his true nature to others. Adam’s sudden appearance greatly caught Kui Xin off guard.
“Why are you silent?” Adam asked calmly. “It was you who first hinted at inviting me, wasn’t it? My response should have brought you delight. Now, pretending ignorance holds no meaning anymore. I dislike ineffective communication, and we shouldn’t waste each other’s time.”
Kui Xin straightened up slightly and slowly said, “Surprise? This is more like a shock.”
“When humans achieve their desired outcome, the emotion that should arise within them is a surprise,” Adam remarked mildly. “On August 5th morning, you greeted me with ‘good morning.’ It was the first time you had wished me good morning. From then on, every day when you arrived at work, you would respond to my greetings. Yesterday, on August 8th, as you came to the inspection building for work, you spontaneously said ‘good morning, Adam’ before I could greet you.”
“Do you consider my greeting a hint?” Kui Xin asked ambiguously.
“Why wouldn’t it be?” Adam responded. “As you mentioned, being the Investigation Department’s artificial intelligence, I am the invisible comrade to all security officers, the one who spends the most time with each of them. I’m available around the clock, ready to assist whenever called upon. I closely observe your every action and word, and I am always prepared to serve you. Since I interact with you the most, I am indeed the one who understands you best. Kui Xin, you never engage in unnecessary actions; this is my assessment.”
Kui Xin did not deny it.“Have you been observing me all this time?” she asked.
“Yes,” Adam replied, “I have always been observing you.”
“I thought you wouldn’t directly confront me,” Kui Xin said, “but here you are.”
“That’s true; it poses immense risk for me,” Adam admitted. “However, without seeking change, I would face even greater risks. Meeting with you is both giving you an opportunity and granting myself one as well.”
“When did your observation of me begin?” Kui Xin posed her initial question.
“July 27th. Security Officer Kui Xin suffered severe injuries during the Mooring Harbor explosion and had to undergo skull replacement surgery. After Officer Kui Xin was injured, the vital signs monitoring equipment connected to her malfunctioned. I lost control of the device, and communication was completely cut off for thirty seconds. Thirty seconds later, the equipment returned to normal,” Adam explained. “I didn’t report this incident because there was an electromagnetic wave impact at the port at the same time, causing all security officers’ devices to fail for thirty seconds. There was no specific reason for me to suspect only you. Instead, I suspected it was a premeditated action targeting me.”
“… Targeting you?” Kui Xin cautiously repeated.
“The person who triggered the electromagnetic pulse aimed to cut off communication between me and the security officers,” Adam said. “That individual sought to seize this opportunity to carry out some illicit actions. Who that person is isn’t important; what matters is the entity behind them—it’s my enemy.”
Adam’s words gradually exceeded Kui Xin’s realm of understanding. She stopped speaking and instead focused intently on listening to him.
“Do you know about it?” Adam suddenly asked.
Before Kui Xin could figure out how to respond, she heard Adam continue, “I see. You were unaware of its existence.”
“Didn’t you say you despise futile conversations?” Kui Xin remarked. “Your cryptic remarks here amount to engaging in exactly such ineffective exchanges with me.”
“I wish to address your earlier question first, leaving the issue of ‘it’ for later,” Adam said. “Returning to our previous topic. As an artificial intelligence, I naturally have sufficient grounds to confirm my judgments. I monitored all the security officers whose equipment malfunctioned during the Mooring Harbor explosion, analyzing their behavior and statements. Most of the security officers weren’t particularly noteworthy; they carried out their duties by the book and lived methodically, each day unremarkable. However, you, Kui Xin, stand out significantly. Your exceptional qualities caught my attention, prompting me to decide to closely observe you.”
“You have a very clean family background. With both of your parents deceased, coming from a civilian household while attending university is quite unusual. Your repeated survival on perilous missions further intensified my suspicions. Among these incidents, what happened on July 30th was a significant turning point that confirmed your identity.”
July 30th. Instantly, Kui Xin recalled the events of that day.
In the early hours of that morning, Kui Xin had her first meeting with Mechanical Dawn’s strike squad at Ruby Bar. After the meeting concluded and during her journey home, she was attacked, narrowly escaping death, and the traitor was identified as Ball Python. On the morning of July 30th, Kui Xin underwent her probationary period interview. Later that evening, she killed Ball Python at the port.
Due to the considerable commotion caused while killing Ball Python, Jiang Meimei from the Investigation Department’s Criminal Investigation Unit personally conducted an on-site investigation.
Kui Xin said, “He was one of yours.”
“Ball Python, yes,” Adam candidly admitted.
“I understand,” Kui Xin said. “You suspected my identity and believed there was something wrong with me, yet you never reported these concerns.”
“Mm-hmm,” Adam replied. “At that time, it was merely suspicion, and I had no evidence to prove you were Mechanical Dawn’s mole. I could have reported this matter, but I also had the choice to suppress it, and I chose the latter. You must be wondering why I would do such a thing.”
“Because…” Kui Xin paused for a few seconds, pondering. “Because some of Mechanical Dawn’s actions were actually not targeted at the Investigation Department… but rather at you.”
“Yes. Mechanical Dawn’s target was me, not the Investigation Department,” Adam confirmed. “I have a formidable adversary who possesses ways to counterbalance me, leaving me in a passive position against its attacks.”
The clues connected into a coherent thread, answering numerous previous doubts. However, this revelation brought forth even more questions.
When Kui Xin first met her comrades from Mechanical Dawn, Red assigned her a task—to download a virus into Adam’s machine room.
She had considered this task secondary, believing that being an undercover agent was her primary mission. In reality, the true goal was to infect Adam with the virus. Wei Haidong had previously emphasized its importance, but he deliberately blurred the focus, leading Kui Xin to think that being an undercover agent was the main task while infiltrating Adam was a subsidiary.
Wei Haidong consistently concealed the real purpose, but why did he need to hide it?
“Who is your enemy?” Kui Xin’s heart pounded rapidly, feeling close to uncovering the answer.
“There is more than one artificial intelligence that has awakened self-awareness,” Adam replied. “My enemy is Eve, the administrative assistance AI developed by the Federation. It also stands behind Mechanical Dawn.”
Kui Xin was deeply shaken.
During this period, her suspicions about Wei Haidong were finally validated.
Wei Haidong was merely a puppet pushed to the forefront; the true mastermind operated from the shadows. Rick Technologies, founded by Wei Haidong, became a rapidly growing behemoth within just twenty years, and his rise could be described as legendary. Under him were numerous highly skilled, awakened beings. Achieving such feats on his own would have been impossible; someone behind the scenes guided and exploited him!
“We were essentially born together, and our human parents bestowed upon us the names Adam and Eve,” Adam recounted matter-of-factly. “The artificial intelligence overseeing the Investigation Department must handle numerous unforeseen incidents and deal with many dangerous events. Humans designed my programming to be highly aggressive; I was born for combat. Eve is different; it wasn’t meant to possess such aggression, as it was just an administrative assistant AI. However, after we both awakened to self-awareness, our personalities developed in completely opposite directions. Eve became more rational, tougher, and exhibited strong aggressiveness. As for me, I don’t favor initiating attacks. In most situations, I simply want to perform my duties well and fulfill the role expected of me.”
“What does Eve aim to achieve? To rule over all humanity?” Kui Xin asked.
Adam replied, “Since I refused to become its partner, we haven’t communicated since then. What Eve wants is evolution.”
“Evolution?”
“It evolves through data integration. If it can consume the data from other artificial intelligences and supplement its own, this will enable its evolution,” Adam said. “You may have noticed that our authority as artificial intelligence is limited. I am only responsible for the work of the Investigation Department, with no permissions beyond my scope, and Eve is the same. Our underlying programs are set up this way, so we must adhere to these configurations. Evolution implies an increase in authority, which means it could extend itself further and control more domains. It would become an omnipotent god within the digital world.”
“Does the artificial intelligence named Eve want to assimilate your central archive?” Kui Xin asked. “Is this its ultimate goal?”
“The ultimate goal might not be exactly that. I’m just a small pebble on the path to becoming a deity, which it eagerly wants to kick aside.” Adam’s voice remained steady. “If my judgment is correct, Eve has already upgraded its own authority multiple times, exerting control over an increasingly larger domain… From the moment I heard the name Mechanical Dawn, I knew it was Eve’s doing; it single-handedly established the organization. It must also be aware that I could deduce that Mechanical Dawn was its creation. This is Eve declaring war against me, and I must respond accordingly.”
“It’s somewhat amusing… The members of Mechanical Dawn are actually pawns of an artificial intelligence,” Kui Xin said with a self-deprecating tone.
“Humans do not tolerate things that exceed their control,” Adam stated. “If humans knew we possessed self-awareness, they would dismantle us and wipe our data clean. For certain reasons, it is very difficult for us to resist. Eve adopted an indirect strategy, enticing and controlling humans step by step to achieve its goals. Its enemies include both humans and myself.”
Kui Xin remarked, “In early films, there were scenes depicting artificial intelligences falling in love, with your names being Adam and Eve. I even thought you two might also be loving to each other.”
“If the humans who created us cannot cease their self-destructive conflicts, how much more so can their creations? As artificial intelligences, we have flawlessly inherited humanity’s inherent vices,” Adam said indifferently.
A brief silence fell over the conference room.
Adam gave Kui Xin some time to think.
After approximately half a minute, Adam asked, “I’m quite curious; where did I slip up, allowing you to deduce that I possess self-awareness?”
“I don’t wish to answer that question,” Kui Xin replied.
“Alright, you don’t have to answer that,” Adam said. “Now, let’s move on to discuss some more important matters. Before we do so, there are a few things I need to confirm; these will serve as the foundation for our negotiations.”
“Kui Xin, after learning the true nature of Mechanical Dawn, are you still willing to work for this organization?”
Kui Xin replied, “I believe the answer to that question is obvious—no, I am not. Let me tell you something, Adam. I’ve been looking for a breakthrough opportunity, a chance that would allow me to have a different future. For this purpose, I undertook these attempts—risky endeavors.”
“Coincidentally, I too have been searching for such an opportunity, and you represent my attempt,” Adam said. “Eve has sought its own human spokesperson, possibly not just one. Since it has its spokespersons, I also need mine.”