Rebirth of the Super Battleship

Chapter 475: A Calamity from Nowhere

Fear comes from the unknown, just like how humans in Earth’s era feared ghosts, but if all information about ghosts’ properties, characteristics, and how to guard against and eliminate them were made known to humans, humans would probably no longer fear ghosts.

This was exactly Xiao Yu’s situation now. Previously, Xiao Yu was very afraid, afraid that Vichy would wrest control of the fleet from him, afraid that Vichy would manipulate a part of the fleet to attack him, afraid that Vichy would do something bad, and so on. But at the instant he hemmed Vichy in here, Xiao Yu was no longer afraid, because he had completely and thoroughly understood the form of Vichy’s existence and knew that Vichy could not pose a threat to him. Even if he were let out, he would have no way to stir up waves within the Divine Ark Civilization. If Xiao Yu wanted to kill him, he could do it at any time.

Vichy’s form of existence was not the same as his own. Xiao Yu could freely merge with computers and borrow their vast computational power to accomplish his tasks, and could also construct an enormous database to store all scientific knowledge as his own memory; but Vichy could not. Vichy was more akin to a segment of read-only code that could freely travel in the digital realm, possessing some abilities beyond ordinary imagination, such as breaking through certain firewalls and invading certain computers. Put him on Earth in the human era, and he might become an omnipotent existence. But this was the Divine Ark Civilization. Under the terrifying suppression of Xiao Yu’s strength, Vichy’s little bit of ability really counted for nothing.

The most crucial point was that he could not construct an enormous database to serve as his memory bank. This meant Vichy could never reach the state of being thoroughly familiar with any discipline the way Xiao Yu was, and being unable to master vast computational power meant Vichy could not control even a single Village-Class spaceship.

Therefore, the moment Xiao Yu saw Vichy, he set aside all worries, and thus did not hurry to kill him. Since Vichy could not pose a threat to him, what interested Xiao Yu more was the process of Vichy’s transformation. Xiao Yu wanted to know what Vichy felt when he came into contact with that black stone, what that feeling signified, and whether secrets about that black stone were hidden behind it.

“I am Xiao Yu. I have some questions to ask you. Vichy, do not be nervous.” Xiao Yu said.

Xiao Yu could very clearly perceive that Vichy’s emotions were extremely unstable at this moment. From the constantly fluctuating code segments, it could be seen that Vichy was currently plunged into extreme fear and bewilderment.

“Master, Master, save me.” The message Vichy sent was full of panic. “I do not know how I became like this. I have no body, no eyes. I do not even know what state of existence I am in now. I can feel many data streams washing over my perception. I can feel myself gradually growing weak. What is going on? What exactly has happened to me?”

At this moment, Vichy was exactly like a child thrown alone into the night, wandering and helpless.

Xiao Yu confirmed the truthfulness of what Vichy said. He keenly perceived that the code fluctuations representing Vichy’s existence were gradually weakening. Although the speed was very slow, the steps were unusually steadfast. Xiao Yu did not know why this was so; he only knew that even he had no way to stop Vichy from weakening. Calculated at this speed, at most in ten years Vichy would completely lose this property and become a fixed segment of code that would no longer change. At that time, it would mean that Vichy was truly dead.Xiao Yu did not care whether Vichy lived or died. What he cared about was what this phenomenon signified, why it had not occurred in himself, and what differences existed between himself and Vichy.

“The elder Specter once said that most intelligent beings do not have souls. But now it seems that the so-called soul, the Specter elder’s understanding is not the same as mine. The soul is not those things in the traditional sense of Earth civilization. Here, the soul seems to represent something else. Humans have souls, while Vichy, as a member of the original Species Number Seven, does not have a soul. Perhaps it is precisely because of the difference in souls that this situation has arisen. I can live safely in the digital realm and continuously strengthen my abilities, while Vichy cannot do so and can only grow older day by day.”

In that instant, Xiao Yu made many conjectures. But the realm of the soul was truly not something Xiao Yu could access. Among these conjectures, Xiao Yu could neither confirm any one of them nor deny any one of them.

“Nothing is wrong. I will help you.” Xiao Yu sighed inwardly, gently soothing Vichy’s emotions, then asked, “Tell me, what happened to you?”

“I do not know, I do not know.” Vichy said in panic. “When I heard your order asking us to put down the things we were carrying on us, I put down what I had on me. But when I touched my backpack strap, I suddenly felt as if there were a suction pulling me. I felt my whole self come to a strange existence. In that place, there were only bizarre, kaleidoscopic data streams. I could not feel my body. I do not know what is going on. Master, please, help me. I want to go back. I do not want to stay here. My family, my friends, my beloved are still waiting for me. I want to go back. I do not want to stay here.”

What Vichy described was basically similar to what Xiao Yu had experienced back then. The only difference was that one was voluntary and the other passive.

Xiao Yu let out a slight sigh. Vichy’s reaction basically matched Xiao Yu’s deductions. By analyzing all of Vichy’s information from birth to the more than three hundred years up to now, Xiao Yu had completely grasped Vichy’s character. In such a situation, reacting like this did not surprise Xiao Yu in the least.

But reality was very cruel.

“Vichy, I am very sorry. I do not have the ability to save you.” Xiao Yu said slowly. “I have already understood your state of existence. In my estimation, you have only ten years. After ten years, you will completely lose your consciousness. Here is what we will do. In these ten years, I will grant you certain conveniences for action. You can use your own abilities to accomplish some things that you could not do before.”

Upon hearing Xiao Yu’s words, unexpectedly, Vichy actually calmed down.

“Is there really… no way?” Xiao Yu keenly sensed a trace of bitterness in the message Vichy sent. “I, I can only end my life like this? Very well… Master, you said, my… my abilities? Things I could not do before? What, what abilities do I have now?”

“You have many abilities now.” Xiao Yu said. “For example, you can invade the internal banking and financial systems of society and add many deposits to the accounts of yourself or your friends and family, or you can invade the social maintenance system to change your, or your friends’ and family’s, credit records and the like. As long as it is not excessive, I will turn a blind eye to such behavior. You have only ten years. After ten years, you will completely disappear, so cherish this time.”

After confirming that Vichy posed no threat to himself, a trace of kindness began to surface in Xiao Yu’s heart. When all was said and done, Vichy was also a pitiable person, who had suffered this unprovoked calamity for no reason. As the saying goes, the fox mourns the rabbit, and giving him a bit of special care before he dies would also make Xiao Yu feel a little better.

There was another reason for Xiao Yu to do this. Xiao Yu was still full of curiosity toward this lifeform whose mode of existence was similar to his own. During this period, under conditions of confirmed safety, Xiao Yu would carry out research on him. In the days to come, these studies might be of use to Xiao Yu.

“Really, really… only ten years?” Vichy murmured. “Thank you, thank you, Master.” Then he left this place.

Xiao Yu had already opened the data channel leading to the Continent-Class habitation ship. Now Vichy could safely leave. Of course, Xiao Yu would not give up monitoring him. In fact, Xiao Yu had no intention of letting go of such an excellent experimental observation subject. He had already allocated at least one ten-thousandth of his computational power to conduct long-term observation of Vichy.

That portion of Xiao Yu’s computational power followed Vichy all the way to City Number Sixty Nine University aboard this habitation ship. Xiao Yu watched the data fluctuations representing Vichy proceed all the way into a personal computing terminal.

Xiao Yu quickly pulled up all the data of this personal computing terminal. The information indicated that this personal computing terminal belonged to a female Species Number Seven intelligent being named Taier. She was also a student at City Number Sixty Nine University. In Vichy’s previous records, it seemed that Vichy had always maintained a certain intimate relationship with Taier.

Xiao Yu originally thought Vichy intended to communicate with Taier, but Vichy did not do so. Xiao Yu saw that Vichy simply stayed quietly inside Taier’s personal computing terminal. From the changes in Vichy’s code segment, Xiao Yu perceived that Vichy was quietly watching that female intelligent being named Taier through various external devices.

He only watched quietly, without any communication.

“Another infatuated one.” Xiao Yu sighed softly.