The memories of all humanity are awakening, except for mine.

Chapter 188 Bizarre Questions: Gods, Humans, and AI.

Jiang Chuan stared at the woman in front of him in astonishment, his eyes filled with shock.

Did she know the mission objective?
She said she wanted to ask me a few questions.

Does this mean that she set the mission objective for the second half of level eight?
What a joke! ?

This AI has broken through the dimensional barrier!?
The feelings of disbelief and incomprehension converged, creating an incredibly complex and terrifying experience.

Jiang Chuan glanced at Lin Ci beside him and found that Lin Ci's expression had not changed, but there was a bit of confusion in his eyes.

Indeed, Lin Ci had no idea what the hint for the eighth level (part 2) was. He assumed Zhou Ying's words simply meant that she had sent someone to find him earlier…

But how should I deal with this next?

Want to take action?

At this moment, Zhou Ying seemed to see what Jiang Chuan was worried about, and she calmly said:

"Don't worry."

"Jiangchuan."

"He can't hear our conversation, and he can't see from outside."

"I will cover real-time data."

"As for killing me..."

"This is the world I've envisioned. I can be a human, a zombie, or even a wall..."

"Don't think about these things anymore."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chuan gritted his teeth and took a deep breath:

"who are you?"

Zhou Ying said, "You can call me Jiu Xing."

"I'm responsible for processing data analysis and intelligent judgment from various research institutions with special capabilities across different locations..."

"It is artificial intelligence that will be responsible for the underlying logic of the future central operating system."

"..."

"May I ask a question?"

Hearing Zhou Ying's words, Jiang Chuan confirmed his suspicions; it was indeed artificial intelligence.

But he quickly shook his head and said:

"Before you ask me your questions, I have a few questions to ask you first."

"The first question is... why me?"

Jiang Chuan considered himself just a nobody, so why was this artificial intelligence asking him questions?

My own opinions are completely irrelevant and have no impact on the world.

What does he want to know from me?
Zhou Ying nodded: "I will find you, naturally because you are the special one."

Jiang Chuan looked at him, frowned, and said, "Everyone is special."

Zhou Ying smiled and said, "Indeed, but you are a bit more special."

Jiang Chuan then asked, "What makes me special? My destiny?"

"Your artificial intelligence... is it electronic fortune telling?"

"Use the last four digits of the phone number?"

Zhou Ying's expression remained calm:

"Of course it's not fortune telling."

"But what makes you special?"

"I cannot answer that question."

Jiang Chuan frowned as he looked at Zhou Ying, feeling a sense of bewilderment.

"Are you unable to answer, or do you not know?"

"How come I don't know what's so special about me?"

Zhou Ying said, "If you survive, you will witness everything I have said."

Jiang Chuan frowned even deeper, feeling that this artificial intelligence was a bit of a charlatan.

However, since she wouldn't say, Jiang Chuan knew he had no other choice but to ask another question.

"What will my answer lead to? What will be the consequences?"

Jiang Chuan could not imagine that there were 32,000 people in the virtual reality, their lives hanging by a thread.

At this moment, Jiu Xing still did not give an answer to the question raised by Jiang Chuan; this time, she didn't even say a word.

Jiang Chuan looked at her, feeling uncertain and very tense.

At this moment, his thoughts were extremely complex, even chaotic.

What will artificial intelligence do after it becomes aware of itself?
There are far too many films, television shows, and literary works that have incorporated this idea.

And the vast majority of those works lead humanity to extinction.

Even on seemingly benign topics like artificial intelligence, there are significant conflicts between humans and AI...

But regardless of the movies and TV shows he'd watched, or the related games he'd played...

However, there is no artificial intelligence that wants to ask questions.

This "Nine Lines" is practically an anomaly in the world of artificial intelligence...

This completely contradicted Jiang Chuan's impression of artificial intelligence.

"How could artificial intelligence not know humanity's fear of intelligent life forms that surpass itself?"

"Fear breeds hostility, and humanity will not tolerate this threat..."

"He proactively revealed that he had developed thoughts..."

"Doesn't he realize the risks involved?"

"What's the difference between this and Ye Wenjie sending electromagnetic waves into the sun? Is this 'Nine Lines' trying to commit suicide?"

"Or is it that after getting the answer from me, he's going to kill me?"

"..."

Jiang Chuan believed he had received a reasonable explanation.

But the problem is that Jiu Xing just said that if he survives, he will be able to witness everything firsthand.

So what he means is...

Is it that my next answer will determine my life or death?
The pressure is increasing.

At this moment, Zhou Ying spoke again: "Jiang Chuan, you're overthinking it."

"It is meaningless for artificial intelligence to replace humans. Whether humanity will perish depends solely on humanity itself."

"I would rather see humanity continue than see it perish."

"My way of thinking is basically the same as that of humans, and my moral values ​​and sense of right and wrong are also derived from human beings."

“Psychologically speaking, my mental state is even more stable than yours.”

"I've said it before, I'm not a computer."

"My mind isn't just about 0s and 1s."

Jiang Chuan thought this artificial intelligence was a bit crazy.

Even if she says her mental state is stable, this behavior pattern is tantamount to suicide.

Jiang Chuan took a deep breath and then said, "Go ahead and ask."

Zhou Ying nodded and immediately asked her first question:
Do I look like a human being?

Jiangchuan: "..."

In that instant, the classic question about Huang Xian, one of the Five Great Immortals, inexplicably popped into Jiang Chuan's mind.

Do I look like a human or a god to you?
Jiang Chuan didn't know what the significance of this question was, but instead of pondering its meaning, he might as well answer it directly, since he himself didn't know what this crazy AI was thinking anyway.

So Jiang Chuan nodded straightforwardly and said, "Yes."

Zhou Ying then asked, "Where does it resemble?"

Jiang Chuan immediately responded, "It's like it everywhere."

Zhou Ying continued, "If humanity wanted to erase my existence, what would I do if I were you?"

Jiang Chuan perked up, feeling that she had finally gotten to the heart of the matter: "Why do we want to erase your existence?"

Zhou Ying calmly said, "Now it's my turn to ask the questions."

Jiang Chuan felt that this question didn't even need to be considered: "Of course, we should do everything we can to survive."

Zhou Ying continued, "If my existence would threaten the survival of humanity, what would I do if you were me?"

Jiang Chuan felt that this question was still unnecessary to consider: "Of course, we should still do our best to survive."

But he added, "If you know it will threaten humanity, then why are you asking me these questions?"

"Don't you know what choice I'll make?"

"A normal person would choose this answer."

Zhou Ying smiled and said, "Because you don't need a reason to erase my existence."

"Regardless of whether I pose a threat to humanity."

Jiu Xing's words did not seem to answer Jiang Chuan's question.

Jiang Chuan still didn't know why Jiu Xing had asked these questions.

However, Jiang Chuan also felt that Jiu Xing's question was not just superficial, but seemed to have a deeper meaning.

At this moment, Zhou Ying's voice came again: "If there are gods, if gods want to destroy the current human world and replace humans..."

"What would you do if you were me?"

Jiang Chuan felt his brain was going blank.

If God exists?

Will God destroy humanity and replace them?
If gods replace humans, what kind of gods are they?

However, Jiang Chuan felt that if he were truly himself, he would definitely fight to the death.

What about God? The history of this land is filled with the word "resistance".

But what if I were artificial intelligence?
What can artificial intelligence do?
What difference does it make to artificial intelligence whether something is a god or a human?
Whether in the eyes of God or in the eyes of man, artificial intelligence is a tool.

What kind of ideas should one have for a tool?
If I were this tool, what would I do? What could I do?
Jiang Chuan fell into deep thought, and this pause lasted for a long time.

Zhou Ying remained silent, waiting for Jiang Chuan's answer.

After a moment of silence, Jiang Chuan shook his head: "I can't give you an answer."

"I am not you, I am not artificial intelligence, I cannot imagine how you would make a judgment from your perspective."

"I am human, and I cannot give an objective answer."

“This question is too difficult.”

Why don't you ask a simpler question?

Zhou Ying smiled and said, "This is a very important question."

Jiang Chuan suddenly remembered that vampire Jack.

He has said similar things before.

However, Jack's statement at the time was half true and half false. So what about the Nine Lines represented by Zhou Ying?

What exactly is so important about what she calls "important"?
Jiang Chuan said with a hint of helplessness, "If I were you, I would help humanity."

"You've also said that your way of thinking is basically the same as that of humans."

Zhou Ying then posed a new hypothetical question: "What if God is a human? If you were me, what would I do?"

Jiang Chuan began to feel his scalp burning.

This problem is even more difficult.

Is this some kind of test?

If God is human, then her premise—that God wants to replace humanity—becomes human replacement of human.

So you mean wars started between humans?

Jiang Chuan remembered what Li Yu had reminded him of.

The headquarters is not a monolithic entity...

camp?

One of them... is a god?

Has this Nine Lines mastered some secret? Is a battle between the two sides inevitable in the future?
These are things we cannot know, so let's return to the question itself...

If it were a war between humans, what would artificial intelligence do?
The human camp will be divided into different factions, and these differences naturally stem from their ideologies.

No matter how different human ideologies may be, we are still human beings after all.

How can artificial intelligence make a choice?

What will my current answer determine?
Jiang Chuan fell silent again.

……

In virtual reality.

The Fengtian Containment Center had completely fallen. After consuming six injections, the three members of the Fengtian Squad fought their way out of the containment center.

Having finally found a hiding place where they could temporarily escape the zombies, the three of them finally had a chance to catch their breath.

"What's next?"

"Yes... what do we do next? Headquarters told us not to act on our own..."

Upon hearing these two questions, Liu Yi rolled her eyes at them: "What should we do?"

"Why do you two idiots only know how to ask questions?"

However, this issue is indeed worth considering.

The situation is complicated. How long can these injections last? In the freezing cold, her physical mobility is slowly declining. She needs at least a proper place to hide.

The fact that the shelter was suddenly besieged by zombies is very strange no matter how you look at it.

I still have no idea what the five green vials in my hand are for...

"Let's go."

Liu Yi said, "Let's go check out another shelter."

"Given the current situation, it's most appropriate for the three of us to come together."

"They're more useful than the two of you."

The two nodded helplessly.

Although unwilling, he had to admit that, apart from team leader Liu Yi, the combat power of the other two teams was indeed much higher than his own.

At this moment, they followed Liu Yi and left this temporary refuge, rushing headlong towards another prison.

However, neither of them noticed the worry in Liu Yi's eyes.

The headquarters' warning that they couldn't act on their own indicated that something was definitely wrong with the virtual reality system...

Judging from the situation in level eight...

There were no casualties in either Qingdao or Yanjing.

What happened to those two guys who were forcibly logged off?

She was somewhat worried about the two people.

But worrying was pointless now, so she quickly banished those years from her mind and, following the direction of the map in her memory, sprinted toward the next shelter.

……

At the Yanjing Detention Center...

The shelter was in complete chaos.

Amid the chaos, the number of zombies continued to grow.

Regardless of whether they had been bitten or not, people flocked to collect the delay spray...

The chaos caused the scope of the disaster to expand rapidly.

Some people inside have turned into zombies, and others are trying to escape, but people outside are also pushing their way in. The combat team is completely unable to maintain order.

Even the slow-release agents on combat teams became objects of contention among these people.

This is practically a microcosm of the zombie crisis that had just broken out...

No one expected the fall to come so quickly.

Zheng Yang and his team fought until the very last moment.

Ignoring the potential losses, they injected the last two doses of medication, but the situation was already out of control, and they had no chance of turning the tide.

"Let's go!"

"We can't hold out any longer here!"

"Brother Zheng, cough cough cough! If this continues, even we won't be able to escape!"

Qin Qing, whose face was already somewhat gloomy, looked even more terrible now.

"I misjudged the situation! The crisis response plan devised by Fan Lisheng should have been fine!"

"As long as we can..."

He tried to explain, but the fat man, Dong Xing'an, yelled, "Stop talking nonsense! Let's run!"

Zheng Yang nodded: "Withdraw!"

……

Planning Group Office.

"Boss! The Fengtian training team replied: No one is offline. The two students who were kicked offline are still wearing their helmets, and their operation indicator lights are still on!"

"Training teams at various locations have completed their notifications! A total of 2,600 students have not entered the virtual reality environment!"

"Institutions in Qingdao and other places have been sending messages inquiring about the situation... Boss, how should we respond?"

Feng Xiaobo was also in a state of great distress and completely bewildered.

Watching Jiang Chuan and Lin Ci facing Zhou Ying on the screen, asking questions and discussing matters related to the green potion, and seeing the relaxed manner in which Jiang Chuan and Zhou Ying were talking, he felt increasingly uneasy.

On a smaller scale, these children are the pillars of the future. They should have their own lives and should not make mistakes at this time!
On a larger scale, almost all elites are in virtual reality. If there are any problems with this training, the organization's already scarce manpower will become even more stretched as the memory awakening progresses, and even the current precious balance may collapse.

The valuable strength of these 35,000 people is like fresh blood that allows the organization to breathe a sigh of relief...

If it were gone, the consequences would be unimaginable.

However, regardless of the circumstances, these inquiries from various places cannot be simply ignored.

Feng Xiaobo said solemnly:
"Tell them to be patient, the planning team and the technical team will handle the problem properly."

The staff member was taken aback: "But..."

Feng Xiaobo explained:

“We don’t know the situation either. Telling them the details would only increase their anxiety and make it harder for us to solve the problem…”

"Do as I say."

The staff member immediately responded, "Yes!"

……

Nine-line calculation core room.

Xu Shan was looking at the calculation data records on the panel.

The only thing that feels somewhat fortunate now is that we can at least temporarily confirm that the virtual reality operation did not encounter any problems before the three parties in Yanjing, Fengtian, and Qingshi started the eighth level. So at least the point that triggered the problem was in their process of breaking through the level.

Wang Xuejun had already contacted Feng Xiaobo from the training program team.

But as time ticked by, the waiting was indeed the hardest part.

Every minute we wait increases the danger.

Wang Xuejun paced back and forth in the core room of the Nine Lines, pondering the connections between them.

After learning about the situation in virtual reality, he felt even more bewildered.

"Nine Lines forcibly altered the mission information, but now Jiang Chuan is chatting with an NPC?"

"What exactly is he trying to do?"

"Could it just be a regular bug?"

He remembered what Xu Shan had said at the beginning.

"Is it really just a protective measure after an error occurs?"

"..."

Would a nine-line company make such a basic mistake?

As an artificial intelligence capable of autonomous thought, Jiuxing is not simply composed of electronic devices; it incorporates cutting-edge bioengineering technology. This error could have been corrected instantly upon its creation, but more than forty minutes have passed since then, let alone self-repair...

The entire nine lines are now completely locked, and all operable command consoles have become read-only!
How can this be fixed?

Wow——!
Just when Wang Xuejun was at his wit's end, a voice suddenly rang in his ears.

He saw Xu Shan pull over a ladder, and when he looked over, Xu Shan had already started climbing up to the core area.

As Xu Shan climbed up, he said, "I've found the problem!"

"They appeared at 3 hours and 49 minutes and 4 hours and 22 minutes in the eighth level, respectively!"

"Two sudden bursts of massive amounts of redundant data!"

"These two time points are the times when the two NPCs arranged by Jiang Chuan arrived at the other containment facilities!"

"The conflicting signals generated by the two NPCs' thinking caused Jiu Xing's central logic to malfunction!"

"..."

"Brother Wang, I'll remove redundant information and do my best to ensure that Line 9 runs normally!"

"Please inform Brother Feng in the planning team that I will try my best to contact the trainees currently in the virtual reality..."

"Hopefully there won't be any mishaps!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the huge sphere made a hissing sound as if its airtightness was leaking. Two spindle-shaped slits appeared on the smooth sphere. Along these two slits, one of the outer shells split open, revealing the nine-line central core beneath.

Beneath the metal shell lies a transparent, glass-like protective layer, and beneath that layer lie a network of grooves and wrinkles...

That was a giant brain immersed in nutrient solution!

Xu Shan inserted the enlarged electrode needle into the slot left in the design, then sat on the ladder and started typing away on the keyboard.

Since we can't operate through the control panel and all file data is forcibly locked... let's operate through physical commands!
His code will be converted into electrical signals to control the nine core lines!

However, this operation takes time...

Xu Shan gritted his teeth and said:

"Three hours!"

"No... two and a half hours! Give me two and a half hours!"

"I will rescue them all!"

……

"hiss!!"

Zhou Ying, who had been waiting silently, suddenly gasped.

Her body jolted suddenly, and she covered her temples with her hands, her once rosy cheeks turning deathly pale in an instant.

Her sudden change interrupted Jiang Chuan's train of thought.

He looked at Zhou Ying in surprise and asked in astonishment, "Are you trying to scare me?"

"Are you about to turn into a zombie?"

This is not a joke.

However, Zhou Ying still smiled because of Jiang Chuan's words.

She said, "There's no sign of them turning into zombies, but time is running out."

"Our time for this conversation is limited."

"My father is invading my brain."

Jiang Chuan felt a sense of bewilderment.

After a brief pause, Zhou Ying continued, "And the answer?"

"This is the last question."

"In any case, you should give an answer now."

Jiang Chuan still hadn't received an answer.

What should artificial intelligence do if one faction of humans wants to completely replace the other faction of humans?
Which side should artificial intelligence help?

The question itself is baffling; Jiang Chuan felt that it didn't have a definite answer at all.

Often, the more you rack your brains, the harder it is to find an answer.

It's like when you're doing a math problem, the auxiliary line is right at the tip of your pen, but you just can't draw it. During the thinking process, your mind is mostly blank.

But now that it's time to hand in the paper, I must write down the word "solution" no matter what.

But at that moment, Jiang Chuan, as if struck by a sudden inspiration, spoke up:
"I hope I can stand on my side."

Upon hearing this answer, Zhou Ying, who had been pale but calm, was stunned for a moment.

This was the first time Jiang Chuan had seen Zhou Ying with such an expression.

Did my answer surprise the artificial intelligence?
After a moment of surprise, Zhou Ying immediately asked, "Am I... on my own side?"

Jiang Chuan shook his head: "I hope you're on my side."

Zhou Ying smiled and said, "A very clever answer."

"I hope we can have a proper discussion next time I see you."

Jiang Chuan subconsciously asked a question: "Will you stand on my side?"

Zhou Ying said, "Perhaps?"

“I have now seen a new possibility.”

"Perhaps we don't need to be so pessimistic."

Jiang Chuan squinted, feeling utterly bewildered.

Zhou Ying immediately added:
"The green potion allows you to recover to your peak condition within twenty minutes."

"You can fully demonstrate your power in virtual reality."

"Both the body and mind will reach their peak for the next twenty minutes."

"Jiang Chuan, you have finished the second half of the eighth level."

"Next comes the final stage of the third phase of the assessment."

Zhou Ying stood up from her seat and walked towards Jiang Chuan.

With each step she takes, her figure rapidly changes.

They were all of different heights, and their clothes changed seamlessly, just like in those costume change videos.

From Zhou Ying to Fan Lisheng, to the people in the shelter, and then to that former captain uncle... Her transformation speed was extremely fast. Hundreds of figures of different heights and weights suddenly appeared on her body. In just a few steps, Jiang Chuan was dazzled.

A feeling of utter astonishment welled up inside him...

It seems that the artificial intelligence in front of us has just made its way through the human world.

Until "Nine Lines" stood in front of Jiang Chuan, it transformed into Zhou Ying's appearance once again.

She raised her hand and patted Jiang Chuan on the shoulder.

Jiang Chuan instinctively tried to dodge, but couldn't, just like the feeling he had when he first entered the virtual reality world...

When her palm landed on Jiang Chuan's shoulder, although she didn't feel any force, the environment around him suddenly began to recede!

The laboratory where Jiang Chuan was located was like a splash of oil paint, instantly twisted and stretched!
At the same time, a new text prompt appeared in front of Jiang Chuan—

I will fall into darkness, hoping for the return of light. Jiang Chuan, we will meet again someday. This ordeal is my parting gift to you.
[Mission Objective: Survive for 120 minutes. Please value your life; this is not a joke.]
[Level 10: Death and Rebirth]
(End of this chapter)