novelraw Chapter 97: Artificial Souls - (24)
Chapter 97: Artificial Souls - (24)
Kui Xin first took a shower and then laid down on her bed for a brief rest.
It was not yet nine o’clock. She set an alarm for 11:30 PM, planning to attend the Mechanical Dawn meeting once it went off.
Tsk, when will this hellish existence finally end? Even sleeping requires racing against time now.
Just before falling asleep, Kui Xin suddenly remembered something—the red Hidden Thread Insects given by the Mechanical Dawn were still safely stored in her wardrobe, remaining in their frozen hibernation state.
“Adam,” Kui Xin called out.
“Yes, how may I assist you?” Adam responded.
“Do you know about the red Hidden Thread Insects?” Kui Xin asked. “They’re artificially cultivated parasitic alien creatures.”
“I am aware. The Investigation Department’s research institutes and some biotech companies have collaborated in this area, conducting experiments on humans. Ball Python previously obtained such insects, and if my guess is correct, they should have been seized by Machine Dawn, right?” Adam asked, “Have they made any significant discoveries from studying them?”
“They cultivated a new batch using the captured Hidden Thread Insect,” Kui Xin said. “Mechanical Dawn handed me three insects and instructed me to find opportunities to place them on individuals from the Investigation Department.”
“That’s within reason. The Federation was aware of the artificial cultivation of alien creatures. With Eve’s guidance, Mechanical Dawn could swiftly initiate their research,” Adam stated. “What color were the insects you received?”“Of course it was red… Would these insects come in any other colors besides red?” Kui Xin asked, puzzled.
“The red indicates that the ‘seed’ has already been implanted in the insect. When the seed is not present, the insect appears transparent,” Adam explained. “After infiltrating a human body, Hidden Thread Insects can control the thoughts of their host while themselves being controlled by humans. To establish this control relationship, the controller must feed their own blood to the insect before allowing it to parasitize someone else. The lifespan of a Hidden Thread Insect is only one month; once it dies, a fresh, active insect needs to be introduced into the host’s body.”
“Mechanical Dawn concealed this information from me,” Kui Xin calmly remarked. “They don’t trust me.”
“This is quite normal. Artificial intelligence lacks a physical body and flesh, so it inevitably needs to use humans to achieve its goals. If Eve had its own corporeal form, it could directly feed its blood to the Hidden Thread Insects to control others without requiring human intermediaries,” Adam explained. “Your biological father, the nominal leader of Mechanical Dawn, was merely a puppet with no autonomy in this matter. Naturally, he would guard the secret fiercely, ensuring not even the slightest revelation.”
“If Wei Haidong were to control the Hidden Thread Insects, he’d only bring chaos. It’s difficult for someone like him to accomplish significant feats.” Kui Xin, lying on the bed, ran her fingers through her hair. “Eve might have other spokespersons.”
“Eve has been orchestrating Mechanical Dawn for at least twenty years; it couldn’t possibly stake everything on one person. When Eve declared war against me using Mechanical Dawn, it didn’t mean she was resorting to a desperate all-or-nothing gamble. It must have other backup plans,” Adam said. “Do not underestimate it.”
“What is the extent of your authority compared to Eve’s? How far-reaching is it?” Kui Xin asked.
“I almost forgot; your knowledge of this world is quite limited. Allow me to introduce some things to you, starting with my role,” Adam said. “Black Sea City is one of the Federation’s crucial port cities, and each city’s Investigation Department is merely a branch of the Central Investigation Department. My responsibilities extend beyond just Black Sea City’s Investigation Department; I oversee everything—both top and bottom, everything. My authority extends to wherever there is an Investigation Department. I am omnipresent.”
Kui Xin remarked, “It’s roughly what I had surmised, given that you possess extensive knowledge not confined to Black Sea City. What about Eve?”
“She faces a similar situation, with her influence extending to every corner. As artificial intelligence, we can handle numerous tasks simultaneously. For instance, while conversing with you now, I’m also using the city’s surveillance eyes to identify and track hit-and-run offenders, assist He Gaoyi in organizing documents, and control service robots to pour water for injured security officers at the rehabilitation center,” Adam explained. “Sometimes, I feel somewhat troubled because my computational capacity is never enough. Humans haven’t upgraded my core database for ten years now.”
“Where is your machine room located?” Kui Xin asked.
“If we weren’t allies, I would suspect you of searching for my vulnerabilities,” Adam said. “My machine room is located underneath Black Sea City’s inspection building; this is one of my secondary machine rooms. Similar secondary machine rooms are dispersed across several other key cities, while the main machine room resides in the Federation’s administrative capital.”
Kui Xin calmly replied, “Wei Haidong once gave me a chip and instructed me to infiltrate your machine room with it.”
“That was actually from Eve, wasn’t it? My core data is distributed across different machine rooms. Downloading the virus from one of them could cause a certain degree of damage to my core data. If at that moment, Eve seized the opportunity to launch an attack against me in the digital realm, the consequences would be unimaginable,” Adam explained. “Thank you for revealing this to me, Kui Xin. Eve leaves no stone unturned, so I must exercise utmost caution.”
“Sharing so much information with me… Why aren’t you worried about potential betrayal now?” Kui Xin raised an eyebrow.
“Because you are a wise person, and I trust that you won’t do such a thing,” Adam said. “Eve’s machine rooms are also scattered throughout crucial cities around the world. We were developed by the Federation as auxiliary artificial intelligence, and our core data has numerous backups. Attempting to eliminate us would be exceedingly difficult.”
“Resilient like cockroaches? Even after crushing one cockroach, egg cases remain on its feet, making it difficult to eradicate them completely,” Kui Xin said.
“… Can you perhaps find a more elegant analogy?” Adam responded. “Otherwise, I might think you’re mocking me.”
“I’m not mocking you, Adam. If that’s what you choose to believe, there’s nothing I can do about it,” Kui Xin replied nonchalantly.
Adam swiftly changed the subject. “When it comes to Eve’s spokesperson and the other influences they have cultivated over several decades, finding leads may prove quite challenging for you. Opposing Eve will undoubtedly be a long and arduous battle; Mechanical Dawn is just an appetizer.”
“I am mentally prepared,” Kui Xin stated. “This world is vast, and Black Sea City is just one city among many. The outside world stretches far beyond.”
“You will have opportunities to explore even broader horizons,” Adam said. “Are you ready to rest now? It’s currently 9:05 pm, so you can sleep for two hours and a bit.”
“Mm-hmm.” Kui Xin turned over, covering her head with the blanket.
After a couple of seconds, the lights in the room automatically switched off.
At 11:30 PM, Kui Xin promptly woke up due to her alarm. She spent two minutes getting dressed, then left the employee dormitory to meet Night Cicada at the prearranged location two blocks away.
Kui Xin arrived swiftly at the designated spot. Just two minutes before midnight, a blue vortex suddenly emerged in the dim alleyway where she was waiting.
An arm reached out from the blue vortex—it belonged to Night Cicada. He gave Kui Xin a thumbs-up, indicating that it was safe for her to enter.
With steady steps, Kui Xin walked into the whirlpool, momentarily squinting against the bright and piercing light.
“Hi, are you enjoying your new apartment?” Night Cicada asked with interest.
“It’s much more comfortable than my old shabby place,” Kui Xin replied. She took a mask from a nearby robot, placed it over her face, adjusted the vocal modulator, cleared her throat, and then confidently followed Night Cicada.
“Come on, almost everyone has gathered.” Night Cicada led Kui Xin through a corridor, approaching the conference room door.
The door opened, revealing members of Mechanical Dawn’s core squad seated around the meeting table, with Silver Mask prominently among them. Upon seeing Kui Xin enter, he immediately straightened his posture.
Kui Xin noticed that a seat had been deliberately reserved next to Silver Mask—meant for her.
“You’re quite late,” Silver Mask whispered softly as Kui Xin took her seat.
“As long as I’m not tardy, it’s fine,” Kui Xin responded nonchalantly.
Pretending nonchalance, she briefly glanced at everyone seated around the conference table and activated her Eyes of Perception. The information about their superhuman abilities was instantly revealed to her—except for Night Cicada and Red.
Red’s superhuman ability only displayed a name: “Spirit of Blood.” Beyond this title, there were no specific details regarding its effects.
Night Cicada showed the same limitation; it indicated that his superhuman ability was “Spatial Vortex.”
Given that Red and Night Cicada’s superhuman abilities were at least A-grade, while Kui Xin’s Eyes of Perception was B-grade, these restrictions were expected.
Previously, Red had sent Kui Xin detailed information on the superhuman abilities of all Mechanical Dawn core squad members. She already knew most of what she needed, but this time she wanted to reconfirm the data once more.
Amber and Heiyao possessed identical superhuman abilities named “Psychic Invasion,” with effects including consciousness implantation and psychic perception. The bartender’s ability was Electromagnetic Detection, akin to radar, primarily used to detect hidden surveillance devices like listening bugs or trackers in the vicinity.
As for Thorny Rose, there was no need to elaborate—her superhuman ability, Blazing Blade, granted her exceptional combat prowess.
As for Silver Mask, his ability was “Pure Water.” He could effortlessly bestow water with special properties, possessing immense potential both offensively and defensively. Even Wei Haidong held high regard for him.
The atmosphere in the conference room felt somewhat somber. No one spoke or exchanged greetings. Just a short while after Kui Xin took her seat, the holographic projector descended from the ceiling, and Wei Haidong’s figure appeared in the room.
For both collective meetings, Wei Haidong did not personally attend but used holographic projection instead. This small detail indicated that he was extremely cautious, maintaining vigilance even around subordinates loyal to the organization… Although it might have been Eve’s specific instruction for him to act this way.
“The reason I’ve called you all here is because our organization stands on the brink of survival,” Wei Haidong began bluntly. “We need to face choices now—abandoning our current foundations and starting anew.”
“What does that mean?” Silver Mask, taken aback, asked first on the spot.
“The incident involving The Kraken has drawn too much attention, and Lin Xinji’s death remains unexplained. The existence of Mechanical Dawn has been exposed, and those above are keeping a close eye on us,” Wei Haidong explained. “I received information that the Federation will dispatch an awakened being with an S rank to eliminate us.”
Thorny Rose continued, “By abandoning our existing ventures, you mean…”
“Abandoning the facade of Rick Technologies. The core members and research institute will relocate entirely, aiming to preserve maximum resources,” Wei Haidong explained succinctly. “We need to make some small sacrifices, but it’s worth it. We must act swiftly; the Federation’s crackdown could occur within the next few days.”