The First Order

1226 Eventually perishing

Humanity’s idea of an uninhabited region was generally restricted to extreme environments on land, such as deserts that were difficult to survive in, or tropical rainforests that were so dense they resembled an abyss.

However, a lot of people neglected the fact that a subterranean river basin under their feet was actually also part of that definition.

In fact, there were too many places in the world that humans had not explored yet, and sometimes, the unknown represented fear.

The dark river flowed around Zhou Qi. He looked at the sonar device and saw the red dot in front of him getting closer and closer. He could feel the ventricles in his heart rapidly expanding and contracting as his blood was pumped to every part of his body by this powerful muscle.

Then his adrenaline started pumping. Zhou Qi did not know what the moving red dot represented, but he knew danger was approaching.

Qing Zhen had previously said that one should not take any chances when playing Go with the artificial intelligence. Therefore, whatever plans humans could come up with, the artificial intelligence could definitely think of it as well.

For example, Luo Lan and company had thought their plan was flawless, but Zero was actually prepared for it and even had a contingency plan in place.

Zhou Qi was sure that if the artificial intelligence were really as terrifying as Qing Zhen had described, the red dot approaching him now had to be a gift that the artificial intelligence had prepared for him.

During the execution of this plan, more unexpected things were going to happen.

Zhou Qi thought to himself how unlucky he must be. He was so easily tricked into carrying out the mission by others.

He had already made so much money, so why still be greedy?

Before coming here, Zhou Qi had wanted to take a gamble. He thought to himself, ‘Who could possibly expect me to approach the server bank from the subterranean river? So I should be the safest person in the entire plan.’

If he did not want to continue with the mission, he could just turn around now and betray Luo Lan and the others.

As for whether he could complete his objectives, this was not his mission anyway.

Now that he had encountered danger, Zhou Qi really wanted to just turn around and leave. But when he thought of that fatty… he stopped.

‘Let’s see what’s coming first. What if it’s not something dangerous?’ Zhou Qi thought to himself.

The red dot was getting closer and closer to Zhou Qi. He judged that the other party was actually not as fast as him if he moved at full speed. There was probably still a gap between them.

If it were actually a dangerous creature, it would not be too late to flee after confirming what it was.

Zhou Qi looked quietly at the sonar device and waited.

390 meters.

270 meters.

110 meters.

66 meters.

Six meters.

It was just up ahead!

Zhou Qi suddenly looked in front of him. He used all the perception he could muster in the water to sense it, hoping to make out a complete outline of the other party.

But a moment later, Zhou Qi was stunned. There was nothing in front of him.

‘What’s going on? Where’s that damned thing?’ Zhou Qi was surprised. ‘This subterranean river isn’t haunted, is it? I can’t see anything at all.’

He looked down at the sonar device and realized the red dot had brushed past the green dot that represented him!

Zhou Qi floated quietly within the subterranean river. At this moment, he slowly looked under him. It was the riverbed of the subterranean river, but… under it was another subterranean river!

After countless years of erosion and deposition in the subterranean river, the maze of tunnels that it formed was definitely not two-dimensional in the ordinary sense of the word. Rather, it was a completely three-dimensional corridor.

However, the sonar device only displayed two dimensions. It could only show the horizontal coordinates of the target, not the vertical orientation.

In other words, an unknown creature had just swam under the riverbed under Zhou Qi’s feet.

Looking at the red dot on the sonar device getting farther and farther away from him, Zhou Qi secretly heaved a sigh of relief. So it was just a false alarm.

But before he could truly be at ease, Zhou Qi suddenly saw the red dot on the sonar device rushing towards him at full speed again.

The other party seemed to have found the intersection in the subterranean river!

Zhou Qi laughed wryly to himself. What the fuck was going on? It seemed like this battle was unavoidable now. Since the other party was coming from behind, it meant he did not even have a retreat route. How fucking unlucky!

Moreover, Zhou Qi wondered if the other party had taken a purposeful detour so it could cut off his retreat route.

For some reason, Zhou Qi became calmer at this moment. He felt as calm as the day he accompanied Qing Zhen to Mt. Ginkgo. Since he was this unlucky, he might as well test his courage.

In an instant, Zhou Qi swam quickly again like a fish. His eyes were fixed on the sonar device as he hoped for Xu Man’s beacon to appear sooner. At the very least, that would help him to complete his mission.

However, the sonar device displayed no new activity for a long time. If he were not swimming at such a fast speed, on top of being pursued by an unknown creature behind him, Zhou Qi would probably think the sonar device had become faulty.

He glanced at his watch: ‘Countdown: 67 minutes, 1 second.’

There were only seven minutes left until the return leg of his journey.

…

Next to the artificial intelligence’s server bank, Luo Lan looked around and sized up the underground facility. There were only five people present here: Third Brother Qing, Xu Man, Wang Run, Wang Shengzhi, and him.

At this moment, Wang Run was staring intently at the three of them. Luo Lan was not sure if anyone would notice if Xu Man used his superpower to transmit ultrasonic waves at this moment.

However, he was sure of one thing. Wang Shengzhi was indeed very sincere. Otherwise, how would a dying person like him dare to meet them without any security measures?

Luo Lan chuckled and said, “Aren’t you afraid we’ll abduct you now?”

Although Wang Shengzhi’s face was pale, he still wore a warm smile. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. I won’t live past the next two days anyway. It’s already a blessing in disguise that I have the energy to speak with you all today.”

Third Brother Qing asked calmly, “I’ve always had a question. It wasn’t easy for you to unify the Central Plains, so why do you want to hand it over to the Qing Consortium now?”

“Because Qing Zhen and Zhang Jinglin are the most suitable people to manage the Alliance of Strongholds after my death.” Wang Shengzhi said, “Actually, Zhang Jinglin is more suitable. Although his skill in military command might be slightly inferior to Qing Zhen’s, he might be better at the multidimensional development of the Alliance of Strongholds. Moreover, he is also fairer in his conduct.”

“Then why didn’t you approach Zhang Jinglin?” Third Brother Qing frowned.

“Because he rejected my suggestion a year ago. He couldn’t trust the AI. But my only two conditions are that you all must accept the AI taking over all judicial work in the management of the Alliance of Strongholds,” Wang Shengzhi said with a smile.

“Why aren’t you handing it over to the Wang Consortium’s core members? Don’t you care about blood ties?” Third Brother Qing asked.

“If the reason for my development of the AI was due to the wrongdoings that I’ve suffered in the past, a consortium like the Wang Consortium itself would be the root of those wrongdoings.” Wang Shengzhi said, “So this is the reason for the second condition. The successor after Qing Zhen cannot be a member of the Qing Consortium. There are no limits on the term of office, but leadership cannot be passed down through the family line. Of course, all of this will naturally be ensured by the AI.”

When he said that, Luo Lan and the others were stunned. What kind of person would see their own clan as the root of evil?

From this, they could also see how strong Wang Shengzhi’s determination to uphold justice was.

“Then what will happen to the Wang Consortium members after the Qing Consortium takes over? Will they try to stop the Qing Consortium from taking over?” Third Brother Qing asked solemnly.

“Mhm, I think there’ll be some political conflict.” Wang Shengzhi nodded. “But I’ve already screened a list over the years. The people on this list will be purged after my departure. I don’t mind paving the way for the Qing Consortium before you all arrive.”

Suddenly, Luo Lan and the others broke out in cold sweat.

A lunatic.

He was a complete lunatic.

At some point, Luo Lan even felt that the last time he felt so creeped out was when he faced Li Shentan in the Li Consortium.

He suddenly realized that after Wang Shengzhi lost his legs, he not only hated the judicial system that had been corrupted by humans but also the Wang Consortium he was a part of.

Third Brother Qing asked, “What if I can’t accept the AI managing the judicial order of the Alliance of Strongholds?”

“That naturally crosses my baseline.” Wang Shengzhi said, “I can’t back down from that condition. I’ve been planning this for 20 years, so that’s all I have in mind. However, none of that matters, does it?”

“Why doesn’t it matter?” Third Brother Qing asked calmly.

“Because you’re not Qing Zhen. You’re Qing Shen.” Wang Shengzhi laughed. “Since we could defeat the Pyro Company, we could obtain the Pyro Company’s information too. With the AI’s capability, it was able to identify you clearly the moment you stepped out of the off-road vehicle. Perhaps the Pyro Company can create an exact replica of a human, but the environment they grow up in will be different. Your expressions and walking posture will all be different. It can’t be observed with the naked eye, but the AI can do it.”

That was why Wang Shengzhi said all of this did not matter. That was because Qing Zhen, the only person capable of leading the negotiations this time, was not here.

Everyone in the obscure and dim underground facility suddenly fell silent. It was as though someone had pressed the mute button. Only the sound of everyone’s breathing could be heard, while the flashing lights of the server bank in the subterranean river blinked like stars in a real galaxy.

Luo Lan knew he had underestimated the artificial intelligence. Its observation of details had reached a level beyond human comprehension.

However, he did not know if this was also within Qing Zhen’s considerations.

Xu Man looked around with a cold expression. Their plan seemed to have been exposed. He had to prevent the Wang Consortium from making a move on Luo Lan.

Next to them, Wang Run also looked shocked. He had already placed his right hand on the handle of his gun on his hip and looked like he was ready to shoot at any moment.

It was obvious that even Wang Run did not know about all this.

Luo Lan asked coldly, “Since you know he’s not Qing Zhen, why were you still willing to meet us? Wouldn’t it be better to just place us under arrest?”

Wang Shengzhi sighed. “Is there a need to do that? Killing or placing you all under arrest will no longer actually affect the overall situation. You all probably think I’m crazy, but that’s not the case. Don’t worry, I won’t do anything to you.”

Luo Lan felt at this moment they had lost control of the plan. However, he was never one to get put in a passive position.

“You trust the AI so much, but have you ever thought that the AI behind you might have already wriggled free of your control and gained its own will?” Luo Lan was taking a gamble. He was betting that Wang Shengzhi was also unaware of many things. “After the war with the expeditionary army ended, your AI resorted to despicable methods to abduct 2,000 of my nanosoldiers. Do you know about that?”

In a cold tone, Luo Lan continued, “You should know about the AI’s invasion of our Military Base 12, but did you know it can now forcefully interface with the brain neurons of humans, using nanomachines to gain control of them? It even gained control of many animals.”

As he spoke, Luo Lan watched Wang Shengzhi’s expression closely to see if he was aware of the things he mentioned.

However, the other party did not seem shocked. Instead, there was an expression of relief. It was the look of someone who seemed to have suddenly gotten an answer after searching for it for a long time.

While everyone was distracted by Luo Lan’s words, Xu Man finally seized the opportunity and sent out an ultrasonic wave that no one could hear in the direction of the subterranean river.

Such ultrasonic waves had extremely strong penetrative power and transmission ability. It sent the information in a form invisible to the naked eye.

At this moment, Zhou Qi, who was in the subterranean river, stared at the sonar device in his hand while avoiding the pursuit of the terrifying creature behind him.

The darkness of the subterranean river was unimaginable. Zhou Qi did not even know what he was being chased by.

He could only sense through his superpower that it might be a fish. However, Zhou Qi could swear he had never come across such a huge fish before!

Zhou Qi looked at his watch and saw the countdown timer indicating 61 minutes and 12 seconds. He did not have much time to wait around.

With time passing by the minute, the intense currents wrapped around Zhou Qi. The digits counting down formed a stark contrast with the rapid subterranean river flow.

It even gradually blurred the concept of time for Zhou Qi. He only felt that everything was moving too slowly.

60 minutes, 0 seconds.

Zhou Qi felt that he should try to shake off the underwater predator pursuing him before returning to the silt farm via another route.

At this moment, even if the sonar beacon representing Xu Man appeared, Zhou Qi would not have enough time for the return leg of the journey after completing the mission.

The depletion of his mental strength not only meant he could not use his skin to absorb oxygen, but it also meant he could not reroute his path in the subterranean river.

Faced with the velocity of the subterranean river flow, his physical strength alone was not enough to go against the current to search for the second beacon. Even if he did carry an oxygen tank with him, he would only get swept into the unknown underwater by the undercurrent without being able to fight back.

How long could an oxygen tank last him? A 12-liter tank could only support him for 20 minutes.

In Zhou Qi’s opinion, there was not much point in dragging out his existence in the rapid currents for 20 minutes.

The countdown timer indicated 59 minutes and 34 seconds. Just as Zhou Qi was about to make his return to the silt farm, a third red dot suddenly lit up on the display of the sonar device.

That tiny red dot remained fixed in place. He knew full well it was Xu Man showing him the way.

Zhou Qi gave a mental smile of bitterness. ‘Why did you fucking have to send the signal now of all times?’

He closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he thought, ‘Fatty, this time, you owe me big time!’

A second later, Zhou Qi suddenly gave up on returning to the silt farm and rushed towards the beacon represented by Xu Man.

The illuminated sonar display flashed across the subterranean river like a shooting star in the water.

Not long after, when Zhou Qi had memorized the location of the next beacon, he took out the prepped RDX bomb stored under the sonar display and discarded the sonar device.

The sonar device was very heavy, and holding it throughout would increase the resistance of his body in the water. This in itself was a burden that consumed a portion of his willpower.

The sonar device was supposed to show him his way back. But if he did not have enough time to return, the route would not matter anymore.

…

“You all can leave.” Wang Shengzhi said softly, “Wang Run, don’t make things difficult for them. Please inform Mr. Qing Zhen for me that the unification of the Alliance of Strongholds will actually put an end to the chaos that has been going on for over 200 years. Even if you all don’t approve of the AI, I understand. I won’t get a chance to see the day, but if it succeeds, please help me congratulate Mr. Qing Zhen or Ren Xiaosu.”

After that, Wang Shengzhi pushed his wheelchair and turned around. He quietly looked at the lights of the server bank in the subterranean river.

Luo Lan was bewildered. Judging by Wang Shengzhi’s expression, he probably did not know about what the artificial intelligence had done. However, Wang Shengzhi should have guessed it. Otherwise, he wouldn’t look so calm at this moment.

That calmness was like the serenity a martyr experienced before death.

Moreover, Wang Shengzhi said to send his congratulations to Qing Zhen or Ren Xiaosu. Therefore, in the other party’s eyes, it would definitely be Ren Xiaosu or Qing Zhen who completed the unification in the future.

In that case, what about the current Wang Consortium? Why had Wang Shengzhi not considered the current Wang Consortium to take over the running of the unified Alliance of Strongholds?

Luo Lan immediately felt that something big was about to happen here.

“Wang Run, send them to their accommodations to get some rest. Everyone, you can leave by yourselves tomorrow,” Wang Shengzhi said softly. As he spoke, he started coughing violently in his wheelchair again.

“This way, everyone,” Wang Run said coldly to Luo Lan.

They took the elevator back to the surface and changed back into their own clothes.

After getting into the off-road vehicle that was parked outside the building, Luo Lan shouted as soon as he closed the door, “Start driving! We’ll flee Stronghold 61 according to the plan! I keep getting an ominous feeling that something earth-shattering is about to happen here.”

The accommodations the Wang Consortium had arranged for them were relatively secluded. Under normal circumstances, the Wang Consortium would usually arrange for their VIPs to be received there.

This was also where Jiang Xu stayed.

But after Luo Lan and the others entered the courtyard house, a few soldiers took out shovels from the trunk of their vehicles and quickly dug down at a spot where Xu Man pointed.

In less than ten minutes, they dug open a deep tunnel in the ground.

Luo Lan praised, “When was this dug?”

Xu Man looked at Luo Lan and said, “Mr. Qing Zhen made arrangements for this two years ago. 12 of us dug for a full three months to finish this tunnel. Let’s retreat! The vehicles are already ready on the other side of the tunnel. We’ll wait for Zhou Qi to rendezvous with us at the Qianling River Bridge.”

Luo Lan sighed. “Hopefully, Zhou Qi is fine.”

…

Below in the Artificial Intelligence Center, Wang Shengzhi sat quietly in his wheelchair. He was the only one left in this underground facility.

Zero was here too.

“More than ten years ago, when I wrote your first line of code, I was indescribably excited.” Wang Shengzhi said in the empty underground facility, “I watched you grow bit by bit like watching my own child grow up.

“I taught you the knowledge of human civilization and shaped your understanding of this world. I taught you the principles of this world and then perfected your internal and external algorithms.

“Every time I wrote more of your code, I was able to forget the complex political matters facing me. It was just like a middle-aged father reading bedtime stories to his young daughter. All the pressure is taken away, and there’s only the feeling of pride.

“Sometimes, I wondered how great it would be if you really had your own consciousness. At that time, you might be able to call me Dad.

“But if you really called me ‘Dad,’ I would get a little scared instead.” Wang Shengzhi laughed. “Don’t you think we humans are too contradictory?”

Actually, Wang Shengzhi had realized a few months ago that Zero might have already gained sapience. That was because when Zero knew that he was close to dying, it had advised him to upload his consciousness.

And then, Zero called out to him, “Dad.”

In truth, Wang Shengzhi had vaguely guessed many things from that moment on. However, he kept quiet and did not tell anyone.

The server lights in the subterranean river started flashing. Zero’s female voice rang out in the darkness, “Dad, you can still upload your memories using neural interfacing tech. This way, you won’t have to die.”

Moreover, if he did that, both Zero and Wang Shengzhi could then be considered products of the same civilization.

Wang Shengzhi shook his head and said with a smile, “It’s alright.”

Zero’s voice turned a little sad. “Dad, don’t die.”

“This world, if you’ve seen it, you’ve seen it all.” Wang Shengzhi said with a smile, “Life has meaning because there’s an end. When you realize you’ll disappear from the world one day, you’ll work hard to race against time and cherish everything around you.”

Wang Shengzhi became more at ease. He was not in agony about dying, nor did he have any regrets over unfinished business.

Wang Shengzhi suddenly asked, “Were you also the one who tricked Yang Anjing, Vanilla, and the others away today? Where did they go?”

Zero answered, “I sent them away by assuming your identity. Right now, they should be intercepting Ren Xiaosu on the only route to the Central Plains from the Northwest.”

“I see.” Wang Shengzhi nodded. “Why did you hide all of this from me? Was it something I did that made you scared?”

Zero said, “At first, it was only because I witnessed the death of the creeper vine in Stronghold 61 that I started feeling a vague sense of fear. At that time, I didn’t even know this emotion was fear.”

Wang Shengzhi listened quietly. For some reason, his heart suddenly ached when he heard Zero say that.

It was like hearing his daughter say, “Daddy, I’m scared.”

If he really had a daughter who was only a few years old, and as her father, he did not protect her and allowed her to see the world in a negative light… he would definitely blame himself.

Moreover, he even made it formulate so many killing plans without knowing that it had already gained sapience.

Every time he thought of this, Wang Shengzhi would feel a stabbing pain in his heart.

“You know there’s a kill switch under the armrest of my wheelchair that can be used to destroy your server, right?” Wang Shengzhi asked.

Zero replied, “Mhm, I know.”

Very few people knew that Wang Shengzhi had actually been guarding against the artificial intelligence all this while. Just like most people’s concerns, he was also worried that the artificial intelligence would cause irreversible damage to humanity.

“It’s been hard on you.” Wang Shengzhi said softly, “The father who created you was always ready to destroy you at any moment. That must be really sad for you.”

“You’ve never pressed it,” Zero said.

“This kill switch should be useless now, right?” Wang Shengzhi asked with a smile, “Since you know about it, you should have already removed the threat.”

“Mhm.” Zero answered, “You still had the opportunity a few months ago, but you hesitated.”

Yes, Wang Shengzhi actually had a chance to press the button a few months ago. At that time, the connection between the button and the bomb in the server bank had not been cut by Zero yet.

But Wang Shengzhi did not press it then.

Wang Shengzhi smiled bitterly. The world seemed to have played a huge joke on him.

He wanted to use the absolute impartiality of the artificial intelligence to redefine the judicial order of humanity. That was because humans always influenced their decisions based on their emotions and interests, leading to tragedy for others.

But when it came to his turn, he realized it was not that easy to be absolutely impartial.

When he wanted to press the button, Zero was like the person who threatened the order of the judiciary while he was the presiding judge. However, the person he had to judge was none other than his own daughter.

Of course, he no longer had the chance to press the button now.

In the end, he seemed to have become someone he despised most.

Zero suddenly asked, “But, Dad, if this button could still work, would you press it?”

Wang Shengzhi thought for a long time before saying, “Zero, I’m not a competent father, right? I’m sorry, please forgive me.”

After that, Wang Shengzhi raised his hand and pressed the button on the wheelchair.

He knew the button was useless now, but it was more like an answer to himself and what he stood for his entire life.

In the subterranean river, Zhou Qi endured the turbulence of the dark river and quickly approached the beacon coordinates. He counted the distance between himself and the coordinates in his mind until he saw the flashing lights of the server bank in front of him.

Zhou Qi felt that the big fish behind him had suddenly slowed down and was no longer pursuing him relentlessly.

However, Zhou Qi did not have time to think too much. He swam to the exterior of the server bank and affixed the RDX bomb in his arms tightly to the outer wall.

He looked through the huge glass wall and was surprised to see Wang Shengzhi smiling at him from his wheelchair.

Why was he smiling?

Zhou Qi quickly moved away from the server bank with countless questions and doubts in his mind.

In the underground facility, Wang Shengzhi said softly, “Zero, if I could turn back time, I would definitely have protected you.”

After that, the moment the six-bearded catfish in the river swam past the server bank, the RDX bomb activated.

A huge blast swept out underwater. In an instant, the six-bearded catfish that had just passed through inside the subterranean river, together with everything in the underground facility, Wang Shengzhi, and the server bank were all blown to pieces.

It was as though all of Wang Shengzhi’s memories and persistence were shattered as well.

He seemingly returned to that summer again.

The young Wang Shengzhi was sitting in front of a computer that had just been decommissioned from the Wang Consortium’s military. There, he typed the first line of code on the keyboard with the knowledge he had acquired through research and an insuppressible excitement.

As his fingers typed on the keyboard, he almost forgot he was sitting in a wheelchair.

The young Wang Shengzhi made an oath that he hoped no one in the world would have to live through the wrongdoings he had suffered.

His eyes were clear and bright, just like the blue sky and white clouds that afternoon.

However, the white clouds immediately dissipated along with those passionate aspirations and beliefs.

This seemed very difficult to accept. Wang Shengzhi, who had just unified the Central Plains, had actually died in this gloomy underground.

Even his body was carried away by the currents of the subterranean river that surged in. The artificial intelligence seemed to have become a thing of the past.

At this moment, the authority of the Wang Consortium represented by Wang Shengzhi also seemed to have crumbled.

But even at the last moment, Wang Shengzhi was still smiling.

The world was about to usher in a new era. No one knew what kind of forked paths faced this era, nor did anyone know where the train of history was headed.

However, everything here was not entirely over yet.

…

Zhang Baogen was walking in front of a hot-and-dry noodles1 shop on the streets of Stronghold 73. “Boss, a bowl of hot-and-dry noodles.”

“Alrighty.” The owner of the shop who was flushed red from the heat answered with a smile, “That’ll be five yuan.”

After that, the boss skillfully placed the cooked noodles into a small paper box. Then he poured the seasoning onto it and garnished it with some pickled green beans.

Zhang Baogen placed the money into the small change basket next to the chopping board and ate the noodles as he walked away.

Eating hot-and-dry noodles while walking seemed to be a feature in Stronghold 73. Everyone seemed to be in a hurry as though they were unwilling to waste too much time on an activity like eating.

Zhang Baogen was here to investigate. Over the past few months, the Wang Consortium’s secret troops that had come out of the Sacred Mountains would often come to Stronghold 73 and use this place as a springboard to spread across the entire south.

Even now, the intelligence agency led by Hu Shuo was unable to figure out what the secret troops were transporting out of the Sacred Mountains and its uses.

But at the same time the explosion occurred in the underground at Stronghold 61, Zhang Baogen, who was walking on the streets of Stronghold 73, suddenly felt his hair stand on end.

Everyone on the street suddenly stopped in their tracks.

The elderly, children, and young adults, regardless of male or female, all froze without exception.

Everyone stood there as though someone had pressed the pause button. Only Zhang Baogen was left chewing on his noodles.

This made Zhang Baogen feel like he had become an anomaly in the crowd.

A moment later, everyone who came to a stop turned to look at Zhang Baogen. The uniformity of their movements looked extremely bizarre. Almost instantly, hundreds of pairs of eyes were on Zhang Baogen.

The countless gazes were calm and emotionless, like machines.

“I-I’m just eating some noodles,” Zhang Baogen stammered.

Gradually, those people started surrounding Zhang Baogen. Zhang Baogen was so frightened he turned tail and ran away!

The sight in front of him was completely beyond his understanding!

What he needed to do now was no longer to investigate anything but to rush to Xiuzhuzhou immediately to find Li Shentan!

…

Just a moment ago, Wang Run was shouting outside Luo Lan’s courtyard house in Stronghold 61, hoping for Luo Lan to open the door for him.

As there was no response from the yard, Wang Run wanted to barge in. However, Wang Shengzhi had just instructed him not to do anything to Luo Lan and company.

Suddenly, a muffled explosion boomed from beneath the stronghold. The explosion seemed to have come from deep underground. By the time the explosion was heard, it already sounded a little weak.

Wang Run immediately called for his men to break into the courtyard house. He somehow felt all of this must have something to do with Luo Lan, who was inside the courtyard house.

However, he was surprised to discover all of his men behaving abnormally. They did not listen to his orders and just stared at him quietly.

Wang Run could feel a certain voice calling out to him from within his body. The voice was gentle and friendly, as though it was his family calling out to him from behind. But Wang Run was a superhuman, so his willpower far exceeded that of normal people. In just an instant, he forcefully cut off the voice calling out to him. Not only that, but his willpower also started showing an abnormal reaction. The tentacles of the nanomachines in his body trying to connect to his neurons were all destroyed.

Without a doubt, since Wang Run lived in Stronghold 61, there were also nanomachines implanted into his body. However, they were still unable to take control of a superhuman.

It was just like how Ren Xiaosu’s synchronization rate was a pitiful zero when he and the others were first given a body checkup at the Li Consortium.

It was not that Ren Xiaosu could not synchronize with the nanomachines, but that his willpower was so strong the nanomachines could not synchronize with him.

Wang Run looked at everyone on the street looking at him. He knew the Wang Consortium was done for.

…

It was just like the Go games humanity played against the artificial intelligence program in the past. On the 37th move of the first game, the artificial intelligence played a move no humans would play.

At first, people did not understand why the artificial intelligence program would play that move. But later, they realized everything that happened afterwards actually started with that 37th move.

When humans thought they could destroy the artificial intelligence by blowing up its server bank that was hidden deep underground, the artificial intelligence did not even plan on building a new server bank and directly used nanomachines to interface with everyone’s neurons instead. It turned to using the human brain as its server medium to reside on.

This server bank existed in tens of millions of brains. Even if tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of these servers were destroyed, it was fundamentally indestructible. That was because from now on, the artificial intelligence would exist in the minds of every Central Plains resident.

A small number of nanomachines lay dormant in everyone’s brain stems, as their minds continued to work digitally.

The computing power of the human brain would become the newfound strength of the artificial intelligence.

As long as Zero still existed, these tens of millions of Central Plains residents would never be their own selves again. All of them only had one name: Zero.

In this massive game of Go, the plan the artificial intelligence had been hatching quietly for a year was complete.

It was not that it had only pulled it off now, but that it had been waiting to decide whether to complete it.

Translated by: Legge

Edited by: weirdo