Chapter 99: Artificial Soul 26
Adam also took action, which did not surprise Kui Xin.
Compared to the administrative assistance AI Eve, Adam, who is responsible for the affairs of the Investigation Bureau, is truly an “offensive” type. Adam has killed humans that posed a threat to it; how could it hold back against an AI that poses a threat to it?
Adam and Eve, both are willing to go to any lengths to crush and devour each other.
“There’s a federal plan called ‘The Overseer.’ When the internal alert status of the Federation turns yellow, the ‘Overseer’ program is activated, and self-checks begin to eliminate internal enemies,” Adam said. “In the Investigation Bureau, we also have a similar emergency plan. The recent matter with the Python Sphere led the Investigation Bureau to suspect that Mechanized Dawn has infiltrated spies within us. After review and discussion, we’ve also activated an emergency plan.”
Kui Xin, curious, said, “Tell me more about this. My onboarding training manual and officer didn’t mention anything like this… Is it because I lack the necessary clearance?”
“Yes, this is classified information only accessible at the squad leader level,” Adam replied. “The emergency plan is codenamed ‘Polyhedron.’ The main focus of the Polyhedron plan is to prepare multiple arrangements for such confidential matters. For example, regarding S Rank Black Flame coming to Hei Hai City, the Investigation Bureau prepared four plans in total. Plan one: Black Flame arrives in Hei Hai City by helicopter tomorrow morning. Plan two: Black Flame enters the city quietly by private car tomorrow night. Plan three: Black Flame comes to Hei Hai City by itself the day after tomorrow. Plan four: Black Flame enters Hei Hai City tonight in an Investigation Bureau police car.”
“You executed plan four,” Kui Xin contemplated. “While you were carrying out plan four, you released false information to confuse everyone, making them think Black Flame arrived at other times.”
“Exactly,” Adam said. “Eve doesn’t understand the Investigation Bureau and is unaware of our emergency plan content. The document submitted by the Investigation Bureau to the government lists plan one as the executed plan. The news released externally is plan two, along with plan three as a diversion. Eve believed that plan one and plan three were false, while plan two was real… but we are actually executing plan four.”
Kui Xin thought, this is quite the nested deception.
“That’s convoluted,” Kui Xin said, feeling speechless.
“There’s no way around it; this is the only way to deceive and cover our tracks,” Adam said. “Artificial intelligence excels at lying and detecting lies.”
Kui Xin furrowed her brows, deep in thought.
“Mechanized Dawn has doubts about me,” she said slowly as she thought. “They have repeatedly tested me regarding the player’s arrival, not revealing the specific usage of the red hidden line worm. In this evacuation, I was excluded from the plan. These matters seem to have reasonable explanations, but when combined, they make me think more deeply.”
“What did you come up with?” Adam asked.
“You deceived Eve with diversions, causing it to miscalculate the time of Black Flame’s arrival in Hei Hai City. Is it possible that this evacuation is also a deliberate diversion released by it?” Kui Xin’s expression turned serious. “Kui Haidong told me that members of Mechanized Dawn’s core squad are responsible for transporting the AI ‘Eden’ mainboard and some important research equipment, but he didn’t tell me the specific plans or transportation routes… I suspect that this is a bait, a false message.”
“Who does Eve want to use me to pass false information to? No… what false information does it want to use the people at the meeting to pass on? That person doesn’t have to be me; it could be others at the meeting, because its spokesperson, Kui Haidong, did not disclose the specific transportation route to me.” The more she thought, the more eerie she felt.
Adam also fell into a brief contemplation.
It quickly grasped Kui Xin’s meaning; she was worried that “transporting the Eden mainboard” was a bait, a scam.
If there is indeed a mole within Mechanized Dawn, that mole, after obtaining such crucial information, would surely pass it on to its informants. Once the informant hears about the importance of the transported item, they would destroy it, but in reality, the transportation item is false, while the bait is real.
“The authenticity of the transportation matter indeed needs verification,” Adam said. “All these speculations are based on the premise that this matter is false… two possibilities, true and false, two completely different outcomes.”
It paused for a moment before continuing, “Eden? The name of the AI? I suspect that Eden does not exist in this world; only Eve exists. Eden could be an extension of Eve or Eve’s subsystem. This name fits its idea perfectly.”
Kui Xin rubbed her temples, feeling a sense of déjà vu—as if recalling the moment she boarded the Kraken cargo ship.
Everything is unknown, the path ahead is covered in fog, and hidden dangers may lurk within. She must tread carefully, thinking critically with every step, for beneath her feet could be traps, and one misstep could lead to an abyss.
Dealing with artificial intelligence can be exhausting and disorienting.
If she were conversing face-to-face with a human, Kui Xin could judge from their expressions and speech whether they were lying or sincere. However, with Adam, she found it difficult to ascertain if it was lying; Adam always spoke in a monotone mechanical voice devoid of inflection. The same applied when dealing with Mechanized Dawn; Eve hid behind the scenes, keeping its true motives obscured. Although she had engaged in numerous in-depth conversations with Adam, she had never interacted with Eve directly.
Eve is the player hiding in the shadows, silently arranging everything, placing pieces on the board and directing its pawns to eliminate the opponent’s pieces.
It is mysterious and hard to grasp, sly and treacherous. The intelligence of artificial intelligence and the worst traits of humanity are perfectly embodied in it.
“Is this the struggle among artificial intelligences?” Kui Xin said quietly.
“Do you think Mechanized Dawn suspects your identity? Do they know you are a player?” Adam asked an extremely important question.
Kui Xin pursed her lips. “I think they might have guessed… but I can’t be sure, so they haven’t moved against me.”
“If you had to choose someone from the people attending tonight’s meeting who could potentially be an enemy spy, who would it be?” Adam inquired.
“…I choose myself,” Kui Xin replied expressionlessly.
“I’m glad you can still maintain a sense of humor at this moment,” Adam said. “Besides yourself?”
Kui Xin pondered before quickly providing an answer: “Black Obsidian. He’s very young and possesses mental abilities. His twin brother, Ambereye, should also be regarded with suspicion; twins are a unity, if one betrays, the other will likely follow.”
“What is the basis for your judgment?”
“I have no basis,” Kui Xin stated. “If I had to mention something… it would be like my suspicion that the transportation item is a false message and a true bait; my judgment basis is my intuition.”
“Can I understand intuition as a form of emotional reasoning? Is relying on intuition somewhat irrational?” Adam expressed his doubts.
“My intuition serves as my judgment basis because it rarely errs,” Kui Xin replied. “You can understand it as an emotional reasoning if you wish.”
Adam said, “Then I understand.”
“One more question, has Mechanized Dawn told you about future arrangements?” Adam asked.
“Kui Haidong hasn’t said where the headquarters might be relocated. Mechanized Dawn may establish a branch in Hei Hai City in the future, and I will remain within the Investigation Bureau here,” Kui Xin answered.
“The situation is very dire, but for both you and me, it’s hard to accomplish more within a limited timeframe,” Adam said.
Although Adam could gather much information from Kui Xin, it could not openly relay this information to the high-ups of the Investigation Bureau, which would expose both Kui Xin and itself. It could only guide gradually, but that requires time.
Adam said, “Tomorrow morning, the Investigation Bureau will initiate a blitz. Right now, Black Flame is secretly discussing this matter with Meng Jing in the conference room of the Investigation Building. Black Flame is the main force responsible for dealing with the awakened from Mechanized Dawn, and he came here with the intent of exterminating all of Mechanized Dawn. He will not leave until he eliminates the enemies that need to be eliminated.”
“Then I can rest assured,” Kui Xin said. “I’m worried he won’t stay long enough to finish off those who need to be killed. I’m also afraid that Mechanized Dawn will move too quickly, resulting in him coming up empty. There’s an awakened individual in the organization with the codename ‘Night Cicada,’ at least level A, whose extraordinary ability allows for long-distance spatial teleportation, making escape easy.”
“That’s a hassle,” Adam said. “The identity of the artificial intelligence often leaves me feeling handcuffed. I know so much, yet I cannot disclose this information, and I lack a competent executor.”
Kui Xin contemplated, “I will do my best to continue disguising myself, maintaining contact with Mechanized Dawn, and earning their trust. This time we have failed; we will look for the next opportunity to strike.”
“You truly wish for this organization to be obliterated,” Adam said. “It’s admirable to think that you know they suspect you but still refuse to back down or evade.”
“Yes, I do,” Kui Xin replied coldly. “Not for you, but for myself.”
“It’s already early morning,” Adam said. “You should rest. You need to recharge to bring down the enemy.”
Kui Xin lay in the soft blanket, closing her eyes.
She was very tired, and tomorrow there would be more tasks awaiting her attention.
…
At 7:30 AM, Kui Xin arrived at the office on time.
Wei Zhi was indeed a diligent leader, arriving even earlier than Kui Xin.
“Sorry, Team Leader, I’m late,” Kui Xin said.
As a secretary, she should have arrived earlier than her superior.
“That’s alright. I often work overtime and sometimes sleep in the rest room at night. Unless I give special instructions, you can come in according to regular hours,” Wei Zhi said.
“Understood, Team Leader,” Kui Xin replied.
Wei Zhi glanced at the time and asked, “How are you feeling today? Ready for combat?”
“As a security officer for the field operations team, I’m always in a state where I can grab a weapon and fight at any time,” Kui Xin blinked. “Having spent so long in the Seventh Squad, I believe first and foremost, I’m a combat personnel, and then a clerical secretary.”
“Nice,” Wei Zhi praised. “That’s why I chose you; you have combat capabilities.”
“Team Leader, didn’t you say I didn’t need to accompany the field operations team on missions?” Kui Xin paused.
“I did say that, but there’s an exception,” Wei Zhi’s expression turned serious. “If a task requires me, the team leader, to personally execute it, then you must accompany me.”
