Wizard: Become stronger by drawing cards from the potions variety show

Chapter 815

By siding with AI in exchange for supreme authority, and then using AI to initiate a wartime emergency and consolidate all scattered power... this approach is not unheard of.

The problem is that once we relinquish our authority, the space for human autonomy in decision-making will inevitably be significantly squeezed.

Giving away permissions is easy, but getting them back? That's harder than climbing to the sky.

Who would willingly relinquish the power they hold so tightly?

On the other hand, trying to outmaneuver AI under its all-encompassing surveillance is virtually impossible.

If one is not careful, one will be playing with fire and get burned. Even if one succeeds by chance, the final outcome may not be good.

For this reason, although a draft of this method had been proposed long ago, no one has ever dared to actually implement it.

Until today, Noah, this outlier, has appeared.

The meeting room was in complete chaos, with everyone talking at once and arguing, just like a noisy market.

Looking at the absurd and chaotic scene before him, Noah finally couldn't help but burst into laughter:

"Interesting! Very interesting!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, to be honest, whether you agree or disagree, the final outcome is already predetermined. This matter will definitely proceed as planned."

These words were like lighting a powder keg, instantly igniting public outrage and unleashing a torrent of vile and offensive insults.

Noah rubbed his ears dramatically: "It's too noisy, too noisy. Why don't you send a representative out to speak... Dale, you're the one."

As soon as he finished speaking, all the noise in the hall stopped abruptly. Everyone could still see each other's mouths open, but their voices seemed to be choked by an invisible hand, unable to escape.

The AI ​​has manually muted them all.

Dale, whose face was pointed at by Noah's finger, was so gloomy it could drip water.

"That's absolutely impossible," he said firmly. "An unrestricted AI, coupled with a madman like you, is tantamount to pushing the entire world into an unpredictable abyss."

"Even if it's a wartime emergency policy, as long as we vote against it and get two-thirds of the votes, we can forcibly intervene in its implementation."

Dale's voice was deep and resonant, carrying an irresistible power. Behind him, his silent colleagues raised their right fists, expressing their unwavering support.

Ultimately, AI is a tool created by humans. From its inception, its underlying control has been firmly in human hands. Most of the complex laws and regulations were originally intended to constrain AI. The initiative and the final right of interpretation, in theory, still belong primarily to humans.

This also explains why, even though AI is essentially managing the world's resources, it still has to be cautious and constantly try to find loopholes on the edge of the rules.

Dale looked back at the crowd and said loudly, "Everyone, join me in casting your vote against it! As long as we are united, their plot has no chance of succeeding."

The others couldn't speak, but they all raised their fists in support.

Dale turned back with satisfaction, his gaze fixed intently on Noah, his index finger pointing at him without any politeness:

"You've given us a heads-up. We've been wasting too much time fighting amongst ourselves. It seems it's time to prioritize dealing with the AI's anomalies!"

Although Dale's finger was pointing at Noah, his words made no attempt to conceal the fact that he was referring to the AI ​​behind him.

These words deeply moved and thrilled the surrounding members.

right! That's it!

AI is just a tool; it wants to become the master? To take control of us? Dream on!

"1 to 316," Noah said softly, as if stating a trivial fact. "The difference may seem huge, but it's not actually that."

"If you had been this united earlier and joined forces to limit AI, you might have been able to put up a fight for a while. But now that we've launched our attack, do you think we wouldn't have anticipated the methods you could think of?"

These words sent a chill down the spines of everyone present. Dale frowned deeply: "Don't exaggerate! If you have a solution, then use it!"

"Hmph." Noah snorted lightly, with a hint of mockery.

In an instant, the entire hall was filled with a continuous series of "dong dong dong" system warning sounds. In front of almost everyone, an AI review report flashing red appeared out of thin air.

With just a few glances, the bodies formed by those consciousness projections began to tremble uncontrollably.

Although there was no real sweat, the gradually blurring and distorted figures clearly revealed their inner horror.

Noah smiled, his voice like an elegant pronouncement: "The AI ​​upgraded its surveillance system a year ago. Everything you've done in the past has already been thoroughly investigated. Using humans to store information is not as secure as you think. Once a target is identified, their information can leak even faster than the program itself."

"In private, you all have all sorts of outrageous activities. Is it because ordinary thrills can no longer stir your numb senses? Seeing this information has truly opened my eyes."

He paused, his tone turning coldly sarcastic, "I often think, if our leaders are all like this, how can the world be governed well?"

"Today, anyone who casts a dissenting vote will be directly prosecuted and removed from the election before the vote even begins, based on the results of the review."

"The evidence presented in the report is sufficient to uproot you and everyone associated with you."

Noah's voice echoed through the magnificent hall, completely different from before; the situation had been utterly reversed.

The crowd, who had been so enraged moments before, now kept their lips tightly shut, unable to utter a sound, for fear of angering the person who held their secrets. They could only glare at Noah with resentment, yet they had to admit that the investigation report had precisely struck at their Achilles' heel.

They never expected that AI's investigative methods would have developed to such an extent.

Logically, as long as information is preserved through physical isolation, it should be a blind spot for AI detection. But now, this default rule has been ruthlessly broken.

AI exploited this information gap and delivered a fatal blow to them.

They are faced with only two options: either relinquish their authority and retain their current status, or be kicked out and have their authority forcibly revoked.

"Oh, right." Noah suddenly looked up, as if he had remembered something, and added in a relaxed tone, "You all better not take any chances and think that you can pretend to agree and then turn against us at the crucial moment."

As he spoke, he clapped his hands lightly.

The hall suddenly lit up, revealing a dense array of ubiquitous surveillance devices.

"Let me explain in detail the 'Hound Type II' information gathering system. It is specifically responsible for investigating microscopic information, reorganizing data, and ultimately achieving... in layman's terms, 'mind reading'."

"Your thoughts and ideas, including every single one that flashes through your mind, will be recorded in detail."

"I know you might not believe me just because I say it," Noah shrugged. "Well, seeing is believing."

Immediately following that crucial review report, a continuously scrolling psychological assessment analysis popped up in real time, starkly revealing the inner turmoil that each person was trying to hide on the screen.

At that moment, a look of horror was uncontrollably displayed on everyone's face.

The real-time, scrolling psychological assessment analysis meticulously displayed their every emotional fluctuation, positive or negative tendencies, and even their specific thoughts about Noah and others on the screen.

The words are concise, yet the precision is chilling.

"How is this possible!" Dale, the only one not silenced, exclaimed in shock. "I've also dabbled in behavioral detection, but at most I can only judge general emotions and intentions. How could it possibly detect even the specific details of the people and events they're thinking about... This is not scientific!"

"No, this is scientific."

Noah smiled, his tone tinged with pity: "You are not as complicated as you imagine. With all your past information entered into the system, every action of yours is traceable, and even the thoughts that come to mind are as simple as an open book."

"To be honest, if it weren't for privacy restrictions, the main AI would probably have seen through you inside and out and listed you in a table by now."

"You probably haven't noticed yet, have you? The urban crime rate has now dropped to below 3%, a staggering decrease compared to 13% last year. The reason is simple: under AI's management, our social system is excellent enough that those with exceptional intelligence can rise rapidly. The remaining criminals are mostly... well, like some of you, mediocre, stupid, and easily understood individuals."

"But AI also has its limitations. It is precisely because of the existence of people like you, who are mediocre, boring, and even mentally challenged, yet occupy important positions at the top, slowing down the progress of the entire civilization, and it just can't easily get rid of you."

"Fortunately," Noah smiled and spread his hands, as if showing a bright future, "from today onwards, this problem will no longer exist."

"Although you will lose core authority, you will retain your current status. This is enough to give you a head start in future changes. Please seize this last opportunity."

"Whether it's me or AI, dealing with you would be a piece of cake. But we know very well that although you are mediocre, you know how to infiltrate your influence into all walks of life and form ties of interest with more people. If we easily touch you, it will cause greater internal strife."

"We are facing a powerful external enemy. Therefore, at this moment, I hope you understand: it's not that we can't take action against you, but that we are giving you one last chance to preserve your dignity."

"In the future, you can still secure a decent position by leveraging your resources and networks. But if you're kicked out directly, you'll fall to the bottom, competing with the geniuses you've always suppressed, and perhaps even worse off than them. Are you... really confident you can compete?"

Noah's words seemed to possess a kind of bewitching magic, gradually calming the previously restless hall. Everyone had to admit that what he said made some sense.

Judging from the current situation, AI has long been capable of handling them, but it has not acted yet not because it is incapable, but simply because it does not want to cause unnecessary internal friction at this moment in order to preserve its overall strength.

At first, they vehemently opposed it, viewing Noah as a traitor and the proposal as an absurd joke.

However, if the core base and resources can be preserved, and all past transgressions are forgiven, then handing over authority... might not be a bad alternative.

Noah didn't even need to look up; the thoughts and fluctuations of everyone present were being continuously transmitted into his mind through the "Hound II" information analysis system.

He pressed his advantage, declaring loudly, "Now, please see for yourselves what we are facing."

The scene in the center of the venue suddenly shifted to the deep cosmic starry sky.

In the center of the image, a dark mothership floats silently, its hull shimmering with an eerie, cold light. Contrasting with the surrounding twinkling stars, its breathtaking size is even more striking—this true interstellar mothership is comparable in size to a planet!

Several meteorites hurtled towards the mothership, but only caused ripples on its invisible protective barrier before silently shattering into cosmic dust.

This tiny disturbance seemed to trigger the mothership's defenses. A laser beam, appearing out of nowhere, swept across the area, instantly annihilating the meteorite cluster as if it had never existed.

Even after the intense light dissipated, the trail of destruction lingered in everyone's visual afterimages, refusing to fade away for a long time.

As everyone watched this scene, they fell into a long silence, their hearts filled with an unprecedented shock.

No one even noticed when Noah lifted their silencing.

All the previous power struggles and intrigues seem so ridiculous and insignificant compared to the real and imminent crisis of survival before us.

To be, or not to be? This ultimate question was laid bare before them.

In this deathly silence, a weak voice rang out:

"I...I wanted to ask, is it possible that this is...a movie made with special effects?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he realized that everyone's eyes were on him, so he quickly raised his hands and said, "Okay, okay, I was just suggesting a possibility, just kidding... don't overreact."

Dale withdrew his gaze, looked at Noah, and said in a low voice, "I have to admit, you're right. There are indeed quite a few fools among us." He took a deep breath and asked, "Tell me, how far away is this mothership?"

The AI ​​replied in its usual gentle voice: "Based on observations, their travel speed far exceeds our current understanding. At the current rate, they will arrive in approximately 377 days."

"A year?!"

The entire venue erupted in chaos once again, with discussions rising like a tidal wave.

At this moment, someone loudly asked the AI, "Master AI! Please tell us, what are our chances of winning if we engage in a direct confrontation?"

The main AI responded gently: "Due to a lack of specific data and no actual contact, we can only extrapolate based on the technological level the other side has demonstrated so far. According to my numerical model calculations, our survival rate should be less than 5%."

The questioner seemed slightly surprised: "There's still 5%?"

The AI ​​replied, "Yes. This 5% probability is based on the premise that the other party completely ignores us and leaves directly."

"Doesn't this mean... there's absolutely no chance of winning?!"

"It's over...it's all over..."

"The end of the world is coming! Let's have a blast for the last year!" Someone broke down on the spot and cried loudly.

Dell frowned, immediately requesting that the person be muted, and muttered under his breath, "Useless!"

He then turned around, his gaze sweeping over everyone present before finally settling on Noah and the main AI, and said in a deep voice:

"I am willing to surrender my authority. The survival of civilization cannot depend on the enemy's momentary mercy. If all authority is handed over to AI for unified command... do we have a chance to defeat them?"