Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 34 The Wandering AI
The deeper you go, the more signs of destruction and abandonment you see.

They encountered two malfunctioning laser tripwires and a sealed door that needed to be forcibly broken through, eventually arriving at the entrance to a massive facility marked "Low-Risk Sample Storage Repository".

The heavy blast door was stuck halfway.

The facility is vast, with towering ceilings and rows of server racks and storage array frames that stretch as far as the eye can see.

Most of these server racks were severely damaged. Some had their outer shells torn apart, exposing charred circuit boards and melted storage components inside; others appeared to have been twisted and deformed by some enormous force, with fixing bolts broken and supports lying crookedly to one side.

A faint smell of burning and metal oxidation lingered in the air, and occasionally the crackling sound of an electric arc could be heard.

Some relatively intact rack units were covered with thick dustproof cloths, but most were exposed to the air and covered with thick layers of dust.

“Low risk?” Rebecca kicked away a charred circuit board at her feet. “I think it’s a ‘high risk’ fire scene.”

"Separate teams, Falco, try to find any usable terminals or logs. Sasha, check over there the workstations," Mann ordered.

The team dispersed, carefully navigating between the massive server arrays. Fighter jet crews remained at the entrance to stand guard.

Falco found a partially damaged terminal in a corner. "Hey, this one still seems to have some power... I'm trying to recover the data... Damn, it was completely deleted... Wait, there are some fragmented log records."

He read aloud the fragmented messages on the screen: "'...Sample 7-B has abnormal activity...It is recommended to upgrade to 'Yellow**' level...', '...Unauthorized access attempts...from...main...server array...', '...Must...isolate...protocol 'Beidou'...'"

“‘Beidou’?” Mann frowned. “That word again.”

Just then, Sasha's voice came from the other side, in front of a relatively intact workstation: "Mann, come here for a second. I might have found something... The physical isolation of this system is very good, and the uninstallation program doesn't seem to have completely covered this area."

The others immediately gathered around. Sasha's fingers flew across the portable interface device, and strings of ancient data scrolled across the screen.

“I’m recovering some deleted fragments of surveillance logs… and experimental records,” Sasha said quickly. “It’s about… the capture and research records of a non-biological, highly intelligent entity. They call it… ‘the object.’”

Some blurry static images flashed on the screen, vaguely revealing a complex structure diagram that was blocked by multiple logical firewalls and physical isolation layers, constantly generating abnormal data streams, as well as a large number of incomprehensible parameter readings.

“Records show that during the last corporate war, Military Technology accidentally intercepted this…existence during a raid on a hostile network node.” Sasha’s voice trembled slightly as her fingers slid rapidly across the interface device, bringing up a deeper layer of encrypted files.

"It's described as a piece of highly adaptable, aggressive, and mimicry-capable... intelligent code. It's not a program in the traditional sense, but a digital entity with self-awareness and the ability to think." She searched through the data, then paused, looked up, and stared at Mann with a shocked expression from beneath her hood: "'Project Little Big Dipper'... this project isn't just about analysis and control..." She quickly cracked another layer of defense, "...they want to reverse engineer its core offensive protocol, intending to weaponize it to counter... God, to counter Arasaka Corporation's 'Soul Killer' technology!"

The log information on the screen scrolls faster.

“But they seriously underestimated the danger of the target… The logs mention multiple serious containment breaches, codenamed ‘Phantom Breakthrough’… causing cognitive dissonance and neurological damage to a large number of researchers… It seems to be trying to… assimilate the contacts?” Sasha’s speech quickened, her face turning pale. “The records show that it broke through almost all the digital cages, and it was only through absolute physical isolation and an extremely stringent set of protocols that it was barely contained.”

The last few records... didn't suggest destruction, but rather emphasized the need for indefinite, deep isolation, awaiting the emergence of 'more mature control technology.' Military technology has never abandoned it; they simply can't control it!

She jerked her head up, looking at another, even heavier isolation door leading deeper into the facility: "Mann! The log indicates it's been moved to a deeper isolation zone! That area sealed off by multiple protective barriers! Military technology couldn't destroy it, nor could it utilize it; it simply buried it here like a time bomb!"

Just then, Sasha quickly transmitted her findings and data summary to Chen Yu via an encrypted link.

Almost instantly after the transmission was completed, Chen Yu's voice rang out directly in Mann and Sasha's auditory implants via remote connection.

The voice was no longer its usual calm, but filled with an uncontrollable elation and excitement at discovering an unparalleled treasure: "A complete roving AI?! A weapon that military technology has dreamed of but could never control?! Sasha, are you sure?!...This is amazing! This is a billion times more valuable than any blueprint or data!"

His tone became scorching and urgent, even tinged with greed: "Mann, Sasha! Listen up! Plans changed! Top priority target! I want it! I want it intact! At any cost!"
Try every security measure to bring back the entire core storage array, along with that 'treasure' inside, intact!

If physical relocation is not possible, at least ensure that the core data is completely copied and uploaded!
Note that you should never attempt to activate or interact with it directly in any way; it is far more dangerous than those junk robots!

It can corrupt the mind and manipulate perception! Your fighter servants will assist with physical dismantling and protection. Execute immediately! This is the true value of this mission!

Mann and Sasha exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes. A wandering AI! A being that had touched a forbidden existence beyond the Black Wall!

"Pira, Dorio, increase vigilance! Falco, assist Sasha, prepare to break through that isolation door!" Mann immediately gave the order, his heart racing, both because of the danger and because of the exorbitant reward promised by Chen Yu.

The team acted swiftly. Sasha and Falco cautiously began attempting to establish a secure read-only connection to the isolation door's control system to avoid triggering any defense mechanisms or alerting the "objects" inside. Pira and Dorio stood guard at the other entrances to the storage facility, vigilantly watching the shadowy corners.

Suddenly, a low, ominous buzzing sound came from deep behind the isolation door, and several status indicator lights on the door began to flash wildly and irregularly!
"What's going on?!" Mann demanded sharply.

“I don’t know!” Sasha replied nervously. “We didn’t perform any write operations! We were just trying to read the access control’s basic status information… It’s it! It seems… to have sensed us!”

(End of this chapter)