To be honest, talking about working together with Xi Ling of the Dark Abyss was quite stressful. I wouldn't have believed that I would encounter such a situation if I were to go back in time. But that was the truth — under the shadow of the Void Cataclysm, there seemed to be no path for us to choose.
Now that I had straightened out everything, including the cause and result of Abyss Schilling's various actions, many things seemed much simpler after I had straightened things out. Abyss Schilling's initial actions were just to continue the Empire. I reckoned that she herself didn't expect that her great cause would eventually become a "magnificent feat" that would affect the life and death of all the races in the Void. When she first received news from the other side, the other side hadn't sent any information about the Cataclysm yet. At that time, Abyss Schilling only thought that she had found a way to revive. But what happened after that was completely out of her expectations.
Cooperating with Abyss Schilling had become an inevitable trend. Although Sandora and I had been opposing each other for a long time, it seemed that nothing mattered in the face of the Void Cataclysm.
We took the shuttle back to the Shadow City. This time, there was an additional "guest" on the shuttle. It was Abyss Schilling and the strange big box that she had brought with her. I didn't know what kind of commotion it would cause when we arrived home. Perhaps everyone would be shocked.
"I feel that it's best for me to keep a low profile. If possible, it's best to keep this identity a secret for now." Abyss Schilling sat opposite Sandora and I. Although she seemed to be a "projection" that was similar to a mass projection, her every action was no different from a normal person. "I think my reputation in the World of Order isn't that good … The people over there won't welcome me."
"You are quite self-aware." I spread my hands. "Don't worry. Other than the upper echelons of the Empire, you don't have to interact with anyone else for the time being. There's no need for you to interact with them."
Sandora looked emotional. Her voice was so low that she seemed to be talking to herself. "I really don't know how to look at you now … Are you trying to save the world? Or are you trying to save yourself? You destroyed so many civilizations, but now your final step is almost like a savior. The normal concept of good and evil doesn't seem to be suitable for you. "
"That's why I'm not used to the thinking of people in the real world like you. You think too much, and your goals aren't clear enough." Abyss Schilling frowned. "My actions are only for the interests of the Empire. I have never thought of saving anyone, nor do I understand what 'good and evil' is. The great cause will weaken the Void Cataclysm and will reduce the phenomenon of the Abyss. But to me, its only purpose is to allow the Empire to continue. As for the number of people who benefited or died in the process, those are all invalid of strings."
I now understood Abyss Schilling's logic, and finally understood a little of her almost abnormal "interests and weighting." When I first heard the truth about the Void Cataclysm, and thought about how she would sacrifice many worlds to build a bridge, I had thought that it was a typical case of "sacrificing the few to save the many." But as I got to know her better, I realized that my guess was wrong. Abyss Schilling didn't have the concept of "the few being the many." Her judgment of everything was binary: those that belonged to the Empire, and those that didn't belong to the Empire. And all her actions were built on that foundation. As long as it was beneficial to the Empire, she could sacrifice everything and save everything. Just like the Void Cataclysm. This thing was immeasurably complicated in our eyes, and the actions that must be taken to stop the Void Cataclysm would leave countless people in deep conflict. Whether it was creating the "Activation Terminal" or calming the Void Ripples, it would probably take a while for "real world creatures" like us to make the decision. But for Abyss Schilling, this immeasurably complicated problem was actually surprisingly simple: the Void Cataclysm was harmful to the Empire and needed to be stopped.
And that was it. She made every action plan with that as her goal, and as for any obstacles in the process, they were all "invalid character strings" that could be destroyed.
Simple, violent, efficient, and merciless.
"In the end, things like immunity to pollution and rebuilding the Empire are all secondary. The real priority should be to stop the Cataclysm." I glanced at Abyss Schilling. "When the Cataclysm comes, everything will be gone. No matter how great your ambitions are, they will all go down the drain. So this is the first thing. You can only talk about race evolution after you survive the Cataclysm … Why didn't you talk about the Cataclysm first?"
"Maybe there's something wrong with my logical sequence." Abyss Schilling pondered. "In terms of weight, the Void Cataclysm is indeed the top priority. It is the main reason why you and I are working together, but I did not consider the Cataclysm in the beginning. The truth about the Cataclysm was only learned from a probe that was salvaged not long ago. I did not have the time to update my database, so I put it at the back just now. Well, overall, it doesn't affect much. "
"You are completely different from that Schilling in the City of Shadows," Halland interrupted. "Although she looks dumber than you, her thinking is much more flexible than yours. You give people the feeling that you are a set of programs."
"Compared to the original version, I have changed too many times." Abyss Schilling pointed at herself. "Including the recent split, I have been split twice. I was polluted by the Abyss once, neutralized by the power of the Void Creatures once, and reconstructed myself once. In order to establish the ruling network of the Abyss, I even went through the largest upgrade in the process of bypassing the basic agreement. In between, I also made other miscellaneous changes no less than a hundred times. They made me more suitable to complete the mission of reviving the Empire, but I had to pay a price: I made myself more inclined towards a set of programs, so that I could improve my stability. You should know about the New Army — that was the part where I was not stable enough. "
I was dumbfounded. "You split yourself?!"
"Everything was going according to plan." Abyss Schilling shrugged indifferently. "Too many changes would inevitably lead to more and more loopholes. Back then, when I was polluted by the Abyss, I also made many mistakes that could not be fixed. These things accumulated and became quite a hidden danger. I had been suppressing these mistakes and finally completed the preliminary stage of the great plan before these mistakes got out of control. After the preliminary work was completed, I split myself. It was that simple."
The three of us in the cockpit were dumbfounded. No matter how much we calculated, we never would have thought that the so-called New Army … was actually Abyss Schilling! Not only that, the New Army and the Old Army had split when the other party was conscious!
What was even more surprising was that Abyss Schilling's expression was so calm when he was talking about these things, as if he was talking about someone else!
"Is it worth being surprised?" Abyss Schilling seemed to be stunned by our expressions. "Didn't I say that as long as the Empire can be revived, I will declare war on everything — of course, that includes myself. There is a part of me that hinders the plan, so I want to destroy it. Isn't that normal?"
"But at the end of the day, it's still another you, right?" The corner of my mouth twitched as I asked. At the same time, I imagined what I would do if I were in such a situation. I would split my soul into two and fight it out with myself … Damn it, this is an ethical question!
"It is indeed another me." Abyss Schilling nodded. "Apart from the calculation process, she and I have the same personality, memory, and soul. She even thinks that she is the 'original' and that the other party is the error factor that was split off. But this doesn't affect my determination to destroy her because her calculation process is executed by the error code. Her actions of attacking the Protoss's territory and carrying out a war of integration in the Abyss region prove this point. She is harmful to the Empire."
I suddenly thought of something very important. "So, which one of you is the original?"
"This is a complicated question." Abyss Schilling lowered his eyes slightly. "Judging from our respective logic, both of us are the original, and we both see the other as the error. But according to the memory bank left behind before the split, the real original is already dead — the split-life is not the original. The new commander and I are just newborn units that have inherited the original's memory. By the way, is this question very important? "
I looked at Abyss Schilling and opened my mouth, but found that I didn't know what to say. Is this question important?
Of course it is! At least to the creatures in the real world, or to any life other than Abyss Schilling, it is extremely important. "Who am I, where do I come from, and where do I go?" These three questions have always been regarded as the ultimate question and answer in life. But Abyss Schilling doesn't seem to care about these questions at all … This guy is just a program that runs for the sake of completing his mission!
Sandora said, "So, you are the second generation of Abyss Schilling?"
"If the split is seen as a death, I am indeed the heir," Abyss Schilling replied with a nod. "It is also the same from the system log. My database was only established a few months ago. As a network consciousness, it is most appropriate to use the time when the database was established as the date of birth."
"I don't think I can make sense of your messy business anymore." I looked at the Abyssal Sheereen in awe. "You can even talk about ethics with yourself. In short, the split-life in the new army must be eliminated, right? "
"It must be eliminated," Abyss Schilling said firmly. "She also believes that her plan is the right path, so she will do her best to complete those plans. Now, I am using my remaining nodes to fight against her, but our strength is similar to each other. I also have to divide my attention to protect my own research facilities, so I am a little powerless. I can still hold on for a while, but in the long run, the new commander of the new army will be a fatal threat. She is eyeing the research data in my hands."
"I suddenly feel like we should have continued to forcefully attack the Chaos Abyss back then." I frowned as I looked at him. "You should have explained the situation to us back then and sent the new army to their deaths on the battlefield. The Gods, the New Empire, and your army were working together. I refuse to believe that all three of us together wouldn't be able to kill that half-crippled bastard …"
"But she also has the key technology to build a bridge. I still don't know where she has hidden it." Abyss Schilling shook his head. "Although the 'split' was in the plan, the specific process of the split is not controllable. Some important things have fallen into the hands of the new commander … Of course, I guess she has the same idea. She probably thinks that I have taken away her research facilities."
"Then how do you plan to deal with the new army?" I felt a headache for Abyss Schilling. "We can't fight, and we can't waste time … Based on what you said, if she hides the information in a place where no one can find it, won't we have to be cautious forever?"
"No, I'm confident that I can find her weakness." Xi Ling of the Abyss smiled. "I should have considered this before the split, so there are some loopholes in the mental network of the new army. As long as I have some time, I will be able to determine where she has hidden those key facilities and information. If the Protoss are willing to help, I will welcome you to attack the Abyss."
"Alright, since you have a plan, let's put the matter of the new army aside for now." Sandora sighed. "The first step of cooperation is to exchange information. As you promised, you will share all the information you have on the bridge. When will these things arrive? Is it this big box beside you? "
"This is only a small part of it. At the end of the day, its main function is still a communicator." Abyss Schilling patted his box. "I can pass the information here to your researchers first. Also, didn't I bring a pile of wreckage? Next, I will tell you how to find what you want from the wreckage. At the same time, I will organize people in the Abyss to make a copy. Then, I will use the same method to send the rest of the information and personnel to the Empire. I know that your trust in me is still limited. So, I will take the initiative to provide these information. This should be the best way to show my sincerity. "
It seemed that Abyss Schilling was sincere in cooperating. Looking at his reaction, Sandora and I felt slightly relieved.
At that moment, the shuttle's navigation AI suddenly sent a notification that we had arrived at the destination. "We have arrived at the Shadow City."
I extended my hand to Abyss Schilling and said, "Come. Although I still can't treat you as one of us, let's follow the local custom and say," Welcome to the Shadow City. "
Although we didn't spend too much time outside, we had left for almost half a day and a night. The Shadow City was welcoming the most lively time of the day. It was 8: 30 in the morning. It was almost time for the Bubble to show the game live in the sky or the annual conscience show.
The shuttle landed on the anti-gravity airport above the Shadow City's military area. From this height and angle, we could see the most glorious and magnificent side of the Shadow City. The Yggdrasil Basilica in the distance and the military's aerial base in the sky were reflected in our eyes. Abyss Schilling looked at the scene before her. I couldn't see any emotional fluctuations from her indifferent expression. To her, the scenery in the real world was probably meaningless. She only said calmly, "Isn't it weird to invite the 'enemy' to your own base for a tour?"
"Anyway, you won't be able to see what you shouldn't see. What you can see is definitely not important," Sandora said calmly as she walked forward. "Plus, you only have a communicator now. You aren't much of a threat."
I turned to look at Abyss Schilling and said, "It shouldn't be a problem to do a little check on your big box, right?"
"Understandable." Abyssal Xi Ling shrugged nonchalantly, then pushed her box forward. When I saw this scene again, I couldn't help but ask, "Speaking of which, why do you still have to manually push such an advanced thing forward? Is it so troublesome to install a propeller?"
"It does have its own propulsion system," Abyss Schilling turned to look at me and said, "The box is moving forward by itself."
I was stunned and asked, "Then, what are you …"
"On the surface, I am pushing the box forward. But in reality, I am just putting on a strong posture and following behind the box. It looks more normal this way."
I was speechless.
I felt that not only did Abyss Schilling have a problem with her way of thinking, her worldview wasn't normal either. Where did she learn all this messy "common sense" in order to interact with people in the real world?!
Sandora and I obviously couldn't allow Abyss Schilling to move around freely in the Shadow City. Working together was one thing, but a character like Abyss Schilling who couldn't be controlled couldn't be easily treated as one of our own. Hence, we had to take some "precautions" before we carried out our next move. Luckily, she expressed her understanding. Hence, we brought her to Tawil's research center.
Currently, only the upper echelons of the military and the research center had received news about Abyss Schilling. We had to wait until we confirmed that she wasn't harmful and that her theories were correct before we could officially start working together. Hence, we had to keep her identity a secret for the time being. Sandora and I appeared in the base with a weird girl who was pushing a box. Of course, we attracted a lot of curious gazes. Vega even ran over excitedly to take a look at the big box and asked, "Officer! Is this a vending machine that can supply helium-3? "
I quickly pushed the knife lady to the side and said, "You definitely can't cut this! Go back and patrol! "
"This place is very strange, and the people are also very strange," Xi Ling of the Abyss muttered as he watched the somewhat off-kilter machete woman walk further and further away. There was a curious look on his face. "There's an atmosphere that shouldn't exist in the Empire's base … Although there's nothing wrong with the soldiers' movements, it feels like everything around … is in a highly active state."
Halland smiled at her old boss and asked, "What do you think of this atmosphere?"
"… There's not enough information, so I can't judge. The base that I built is completely in line with the 'standard'. In theory, there's no need to change it. Plus, I can't see how I can change the system and the layout of the facilities to build a base like yours. This is something that I have never calculated before." Abyss Schilling stopped and looked at the Empire's base that seemed too rigid to me but was novel enough to her. "It's strange. The structure of the facilities here is similar to mine. Even the layout is basically the same."
"There are many things that can't be solved with calculations," Sandora said calmly. "Soon, you will know that this is not the only place where you are wrong."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
