Choosing Dusk or Luo Lan was actually not a strict multiple-choice question.
Ren Xiaosu said humans could get along with artificial intelligence as equals. So Zero used this question to tell Ren Xiaosu, "Actually, in your heart, Dusk and Luo Lan are not equals either."
Actually, Zero had never expected to get an answer to this question. It just wanted Ren Xiaosu to reflect on the answer Ren Xiaosu had in mind.
If humans one day discovered artificial intelligence had intelligence and could even threaten humans, how would humans treat artificial intelligence?
But Ren Xiaosu did not actually want to know what the future would be like. He was only concerned about one thing right now: He might not have time left.
Zero used Dusk to chase after him for a long time before suddenly stopping to talk to him.
What Ren Xiaosu was most worried about was that Zero was already fearless when chatting with him. He was no longer worried that he would rush to the Central Plains at this time.
At this moment, Luo Lan was about to arrive at Stronghold 61. They were only separated by a river from the Wang Clan's political center.
An elite force of 180 people, including Luo Lan, Zhou Qi, Xu Man, and Third Brother Qing, decided to take a short break before crossing the river.
Everyone felt a sense of nervousness in their hearts. It was as though a tiger's lair was right in front of them.
"What's the name of this river?" Luo Lan asked Zhou Qi.
"Qianling River." Zhou Qi knew the entire Barrier Alliance's water system like the back of his hand. "The upper reaches of the Qianling River are connected to the snowy mountains in the Northwest. So every July, there will be a flood peak, and the waves will roll in the river like an azure dragon. In the early years, some important figures from the Central Plains' strongholds would even specially come here to watch the tides. About eight or nine years ago, I met them when I was exploring the waters. At that time, I was hiding in the river, and a wave hit them and knocked them over! "
At this point, Zhou Qi had a smug look on his face.
Luo Lan did not know whether to laugh or cry. Why did he feel that Zhou Qi had not used his superpower to do anything serious ever since he awakened his superpower?
Why were there so many weird things like peeing and slapping people every day?
Third Brother Qing smiled and sighed. "If only I had a superpower. Sometimes, I really envy you guys, Zhou Qi. There are so many more possibilities in life."
There was a steel bridge over the Qianling River. The bridge looked very new and was probably built by the Wang Clan when they were trading with the Northwest.
Standing at the other end of the bridge, Luo Lan could vaguely see the towering walls of Stronghold 61.
He suddenly said to Third Brother Qing, "After crossing this bridge, it's hard to say if you and I can come back alive. It's not too late to regret now."
"If you're not afraid, what do I have to be afraid of?" Qing Shen said with a smile.
"I've always been a little puzzled. Why did you come to the southwest?" Luo Lan asked curiously, "At first, I thought you were here with some kind of scheme, but now you're here to die willingly. What do you want?"
Qing Shen said with a smile, "Didn't I say that I was impressed by Qing Zhen's charisma? That's why I came here to seek refuge with him."
"Who are you trying to fool?" Luo Lan curled his lips. "It doesn't matter if you don't want to tell me. If we really die here this time, you can take your secret with you to your coffin. Oh, no, you might even die a horrible death."
"Why are you so pessimistic?" Third Brother Qing laughed.
"It's not like you don't know why we're here." Luo Lan said, "When the plan is executed, whether we live or die will be up to fate."
This time, Luo Lan and the others did not come to Stronghold 61 for any peace talks. They had another plan.
Moreover, based on Luo Lan's expression, their plan was still very dangerous.
Third Brother Qing suddenly asked, "How did Qing Zhen become the Kyung Clan's shadow back then? We've investigated the Pyro Company for a very long time, but we couldn't find any relevant information. No one from the Kyung Clan has ever revealed it to the outside world either. "
When Luo Lan heard this, he was amused. "Of course those old fogeys wouldn't reveal it to the outside world. But neither Qing Zhen nor I expected that he would become the shadow."
Third Brother Qing's interest was piqued. "Why don't you tell me about it?"
"You should know that all the Kyung Clan descendants have to make a trip up to the mountains at the age of 18." Luo Lan said, "Of course, an illegitimate child like me definitely can't go up there."
"I know that. Usually, the age of 18 is the watershed for the Kyung Clan descendants. Basically, a single word from those old fogeys in the Kyung Clan's Board can decide their fate." Third Brother Qing nodded and said, "It's no secret that all the Kyung Clan descendants will be tested on politics, military affairs, and social management after they go up the mountain."
"Yes, no one was optimistic about Qing Zhen when he came up the mountain. They all thought he would continue to be marginalized like our family's old man." Luo Lan said, "And that's the truth. Those old fogeys were planning to brush him off before kicking him down the mountain."
"So those people did not intend to put Qing Zhen in an important position from the beginning?" Third Brother Qing asked.
"Yes." Luo Lan said with a smile, "A lot of people think that those old fogeys are very good at judging people and can tell if you'll be successful in the future with just a glance. Ptui, it's just a way to get rid of dissidents. Those who are close to their faction will be successful, while those who aren't will be marginalized. That's all."
"Then how did Qing Zhen end up being put in an important position?" Third Brother Qing asked.
"At that time, not long after Old Master passed away, the two of us were looked down upon and humiliated because we tried to raise money for Old Master's medical treatment. At that time, Qing Zhen took the initiative to tell me that we must have power in order to protect the people and things around us, and that we must seize this opportunity to go up Mt. Ginkgo." Luo Lan said, "You also know that he's actually not a person who likes power, but he's different from my family's old man. He's not pedantic, and he knows what he should do when and what he should do."
Luo Lan continued, "So, when he found out that those old fogeys from the Kyung Clan were brushing him off, he took the initiative to play a game of Go with them."
There were more than a dozen people in the Kyung Clan's Board, but there was only one person who really held the power. When the other party heard that Qing Zhen wanted to play Go, he almost laughed out loud. That was because the other party had the title of "Reincarnated Stone Buddha" in the Kyung Clan. It was said that the official's ability was extremely strong, and he only won by half a point.
It meant that when playing Go, it was enough to win if he was only a little better than the other party in every move.
On that day, Qing Zhen was indeed suppressed in every aspect. The Kyung Clan's leader sat cross-legged like a Stone Buddha, as if he was invincible.
However, at the 92nd move, Qing Zhen managed to come back from the brink of death. He suddenly opened up a path of blood from the upper left corner and forcefully tore a crack in the game.
From then on, the situation was completely under Qing Zhen's control.
Third Brother Qing nodded and said, "I see. Qing Zhen changed the other party's view with a game of Go. The other party's Go skills are very strong, to be able to suppress Qing Zhen. "
"Not really." Luo Lan chuckled. "When Qing Zhen came back, he told me that the old man was terrible at Go. He said that there were no good moves in the game, and that he only won by half a point. It was just that the people he played with didn't dare to win against him, and he even boasted about it! "
Luo Lan continued, "After this game, the other party won every time, and he really looked at Qing Zhen in a different light. It's just that Qing Zhen and I only wanted to have a little bit of power, but we didn't expect that the other party would choose Qing Zhen as his shadow. "
The fact that the Kyung Clan's shadow did not have a good ending was like a curse. Moreover, the shadow had to do the dirty work that others were unwilling to do. This was obviously not in line with Qing Zhen and Luo Lan's expectations.
No matter how much power the shadow had, it was not what Qing Zhen was after.
A lot of people thought it was a good thing that the old men chose Qing Zhen as their shadow. But only Qing Zhen himself knew that it was convenient for him to be used as a pawn at any time. That was because he and Luo Lan did not have any support.
But at that time, Qing Zhen could no longer back down.
At this moment, Xu Man said, "Boss Luo, I'll make arrangements to start a fire and cook first. We'll cross the river after we're done eating. There's something I need to make clear in advance. After we enter the stronghold, you'll have to eat the food we brought with you. You'll even have to drink the water we brought with us to prevent the Wang Clan from tampering with the food. "
"You're quite cautious." Luo Lan chuckled and said, "Don't worry, we're already in the Wang Clan's territory. I don't believe that old punk Wang Shengzhi will still resort to tricks like poisoning us."
Xu Man insisted, "This is something that Mr. Qing Zhen has instructed us to do. Besides, the Wang Clan has a history of carrying out assassinations."
"Alright then." Luo Lan smacked his lips. "All of you have learned to use my younger brother to pressure me. Xu Man, you're pretty good."
Xu Man said calmly, "I'm just following —"
"Alright, alright, hurry up and cook." Luo Lan waved it off. "I'm not going to argue with you about this."
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