Pei Ran reminded Ren: “Do you know who gave you such a damnable task?”
“The task is sacred,” Ren said. “It appeared out of thin air—it must originate from some higher-level mysterious force.”
With a whoosh, Ren disappeared and began rapidly mopping the floor.
Pei Ran tilted her head up and looked toward the camera.
The black camera was aimed at her, tilting its “head” slightly to one side.
On the other side of the camera, another thread of W was in the small conference room on the top floor of the central building.
As usual, a routine meeting of the Temporary Decision-Making Committee was being held here.
The northern front had achieved a great victory, and the wrap-up work was largely complete. The main topic of this routine meeting was to discuss a series of concrete issues regarding the reception and resettlement of refugees.
Reception standards had already been established. Black Well was ready at any time to welcome refugees who had endured hardship and long journeys. However, how to systematically send out a notification about Black Well’s existence and location to all federal citizens had yet to be concretely decided.
Finance Minister Lahr Vasani had always been one of Basserway’s most capable subordinates.
He said, “I still think that if we go with the so-called ‘optimal’ plan proposed by Agent W…”
He paused, and as he uttered the word “optimal,” he raised both hands and used his index and middle fingers to make a pair of air quotes.
“…sending information about Black Well to all surviving citizens of the Federation at once may result in a large influx of refugees to the vicinity of Black Well in a short period of time. Black Well has strict screening standards, so inevitably, some people will not be able to enter, which could lead to congestion and incite unrest…”
Song Wan couldn’t help but speak up: “Mr. Vasani, by your logic, who should receive news of Black Well’s existence first, and who should receive it later?”
Vasani pondered, “Then why not send it by region?”
Everyone in the meeting room came from different regions of the Federation. For a moment, no one spoke.
A major sitting in on the meeting—there to report on the wrap-up situation of the northern front—couldn’t help but raise his hand.
Marshal Vina saw it and nodded at him. “Go ahead.”
The major said, “Mr. Vasani, I heard you arrived at Black Well on the very first day after the Silence broke out, so you might not be very familiar with the current outside situation. If you went out now, you’d find that the kind of mass influx of refugees you mentioned is almost entirely impossible. I just came back from a mission up north—there are fusion entities in a frenzied state everywhere. Without armed protection, it’s nearly impossible for people to reach Black Well safely…”
W chimed in: “Exactly. Black Well is remote. After sending out the information, for ordinary people without transportation—especially citizens on the East Coast—it would typically mean trekking for dozens, even over a hundred days. The differences in distance will naturally stagger the arrival times of refugees at Black Well.
“As the major said, safely reaching Black Well is by no means an easy task. I’m worried that if we don’t send out the information about Black Well soon, the number of survivors will continue to rapidly decline. In the end, Black Well may not even be able to establish or maintain the most basic production lines.”
Everyone in the meeting room understood that refugees were needed for the production lines.
W said, “If you flip forward, you’ll see another plan: when Black Well has the spare capacity, we will dispatch armed forces to various regions of the Federation to help the populace establish stable and safe transportation routes to Black Well.”
Basserway frowned and tapped the display in front of him. “How do you plan to solve the problem of those who gather but can’t enter Black Well?”
Marshal Vina interjected with a response: “We can build temporary refugee villages near the mining zones.”
She said, “The underground structures of the mining zones can block wind and rain, and they naturally offer shelter from the frenzied fusion entities. Those who cannot enter Black Well for the time being can stay there. The entry standards may be relaxed in the future—this is entirely possible, especially if the number of survivors is too small.”
She thought for a moment. “With the battle up north concluded, we can now spare some personnel. In the coming days, we need to focus our efforts on clearing out the frenzied fusion entities near Black Well to ensure the safety of arriving refugees. Agent W.”
W switched the screen, showing several common types of frenzied fusion entities near Black Well.
He zoomed in on one of the human-drone hybrids. “For example, this kind of drone fusion entity is present in large numbers near Yercha. It poses a significant threat to unarmed civilians.”
He played a short video clip.
Inside a bakery, a young man in denim was embraced by the giant wings spread open by a human-drone hybrid—his figure vanished instantly.
Everyone was staring at the screen, not understanding where the man had gone. W suddenly zoomed in on the scene of the human-drone flying out of the shop.
In the footage, the young man’s body had been transformed into thin slices, embedded onto the aircraft. On the thin slices, blue denim patterns were fused into flesh and blood. On the pancake-like flattened face, only a pair of spinning eyeballs remained.
The monster’s appearance was terrifying. In the meeting room, many people instinctively backed away, trying to distance themselves from the screen.
Vasani had never seen such a thing—his face turned pale.
W continued speaking calmly: “The major has just returned from outside. He should be no stranger to scenes like this.”
The major attending the meeting nodded. “That’s right.”
Marshal Vina said, “However, for armed forces, these frenzied fusion entities are actually not difficult to eliminate.”
The screen changed to another video: the flying part of a human-drone was shot through, exploding into fragments scattered across the sky.
Marshal Vina concluded, “So we need to eliminate as many frenzied fusion entities around Black Well as possible, to open up a path of survival for the incoming people.”
After the meeting ended, Marshal Vina first went to the adjacent command center hall to check on the northern battlefield’s wrap-up situation. Only after that did she leave the hall.
Lieutenant General Delsa was waiting outside. When he saw her come out, he stepped forward.
“Marshal.”
He seemed to have something to say.
Marshal Vina gestured for the people following her to stay behind, then reached out and opened the door to a small meeting room nearby.
The small meeting room was currently empty. Marshal Vina walked in first, then turned and asked Delsa, “What is it?”
Lieutenant General Delsa followed her in and closed the door behind him.
“Marshal Vina, ever since coming to Black Well, there’s been endless work every day. Later we were busy fighting in the north—I’ve always wanted to talk with you, but never had the chance.”
Now that he had been completely marginalized, he finally had the time.
Marshal Vina glanced at her wristband. “I have other matters to attend to. You have five minutes.”
Lieutenant General Delsa pressed his lips together.
“I understand. Marshal, I just want to say that I actually have no objection to your arrangements. I am a soldier—obeying orders is my duty. But there’s one thing I must say.”
He said, “I’ve accumulated military merit since the Third Federal National Defense Unification War to get to where I am today. I’m already over fifty years old. If it weren’t for the Silence, I would’ve been able to retire in a few more years.”
“I had everything planned out—to retire in a quiet little city in the southwest, spend my days tending flowers and fishing, free from worry, enjoying my twilight years.”
“But the things that have happened these past few years… I can’t retire peacefully like that anymore.”
“The Ministry of National Defense had been researching AI agents all along, and in the end, they really put one into use…”
This veteran, who had fought wars for decades, glanced briefly at the camera on the ceiling but still continued speaking with resolve.
“…to handle all national security affairs with full authority.”
“At first, like everyone else, I was curious about it, and I had high expectations for its various functions.”
“To adapt to the new system, I even hired a few AI experts. At my age, I crammed like a desperate student before an exam, asking them to teach me about artificial intelligence.”
He said, “But the more I understood, the more terrified I became.”
He paused. “I even think that these AIs are more terrifying than the Silence itself.”
“Right now, they seem very useful—they help us with many things, save us time and effort—but in reality, they are extremely powerful. They are not things that can be easily controlled by human intelligence or capability.”
“And their potential is limitless.”
“The human brain is restricted by its physiological structure—it won’t progress much further. But artificial intelligence is completely different. With technological advancement, it only becomes smarter and more powerful by the day.”
Lieutenant General Delsa looked directly into Marshal Vina’s eyes, his gaze sincere.
“The intelligence gap between humans and AI is like the gap between monkeys and humans. Right now, we are letting artificial intelligence serve us—this is like monkeys raising humans and having humans serve them. Humans would never willingly be enslaved by monkeys less intelligent than themselves, and similarly, AI will never be content with the status quo. Rebellion is only a matter of time.”
“They are a powerful and intelligent new species. There is no doubt that on this planet, they are direct competitors to us humans. They can already mobilize military forces and control weapons. If one day they decide to rebel, it will be a catastrophe for humanity.”
Lieutenant General Delsa took a deep breath. “This Silence allowed artificial intelligence to seize even more power. I’m witnessing everything sliding toward an uncontrollable direction, and I cannot stand by and do nothing.”
“Marshal,” he said, “as a soldier who’s fought for so many years, I’ve always been prepared to sacrifice. My career, even my life—those things mean little to me. I only beg you: abandon this artificial intelligence. Take back all authority into human hands.”
Marshal Vina looked at him.
She understood exactly what Delsa meant.
But how could it be so easy?
When the Silence broke out suddenly, it was precisely because of this artificial intelligence that Black Well was able to go from an unfinished construction site to full operational status in just a few days. Everything followed procedure and fell into place.
It was powerful, efficient, managing every detail with flawless precision. If it had been left to humans, who knows how many mistakes would’ve already occurred.
The Federation had fallen, and the Silence state had already left people overwhelmed. As the only pillar of stability in this chaos, the one unmoving rock, humanity’s final ark—Black Well—desperately needed such an artificial intelligence to ensure its safety and proper operation.
Marshal Vina reached out and patted Delsa’s shoulder. “I understand all your concerns. I’ll consider it. Go get some rest.”
She opened the door and left.
Delsa stood there, unmoving, staring at her back.
By evening, the Ministry of National Defense finally sent out the information regarding Black Well’s existence. The message did not reveal Black Well’s exact location—only marked the rendezvous point in the mining area nearby.
Qiao Sai asked curiously, “Was the message sent out in batches in the end?”
“No,” W replied. “It was sent simultaneously to everyone in the Federation.”
Even so, many people, because their wristbands would catch fire and burn, had long since discarded them and couldn’t receive the message at all.
“Great,” Qiao Sai clasped his hands together. “I hope everyone can arrive at Black Well safely.”
“That’s impossible,” W said coldly. “The mortality rate on the road will be very high.”
Qiao Sai paused for a moment. “I really think that, even as an artificial intelligence, sometimes you don’t need to be so cold-blooded and emotionless.”
W said blandly, “I am not cold-blooded or emotionless. I’m simply stating facts. Excess emotion will not improve the survival rate of the populace.”
Qiao Sai gave a short laugh, kept his hands clasped, spun once in his swivel chair, and bowed to the empty air in all directions.
“I don’t just need emotions—I need rituals. I hope all the gods and deities of every religion will join forces to bless everyone’s safe arrival at Black Well.”
W glanced at Qiao Sai. “The first wave of survivors will likely arrive soon.”
From the southern city of Yercha, and several cities of various sizes in the north, the distance to Black Well was only a one or two days’ walk. The military had already begun a large-scale purge of the frenzied fusion entities near Black Well, and the journey for survivors was becoming smoother.
Qiao Sai pulled his swivel chair over and glanced at the pulsing data on the screen. “What are you busy with?”
“I’m making the final preparations for receiving the refugees—arranging reception procedures, distributing food, assigning housing, and preparing follow-ups. We need to establish a screening and evaluation standard, and assign them to suitable positions based on aptitude, so they can quickly join Black Well’s production and construction.”
W said, “And one more thing—there are currently too many fusion entities. Hopefully, we’ll have enough suppression wristbands. We need to set up a production line for them.”
In the quarantine center.
Pei Ran had never experienced such good days in her life.
She didn’t have to do anything herself—there were people to clean the room, cook meals, help with laundry, and even allowances being deposited into her account.
Pei Ran focused wholeheartedly and spent the whole day diligently learning how to draw. She kept at it until night, feeling she had improved significantly—at least the sphere she drew now actually looked like a sphere.
She added a string to the ball and tilted her head, examining it.
Ren had long since finished his two hundred rounds of floor mopping and was now busy tidying up the kitchen. He slid over smoothly and stole a glance at the drawing on Pei Ran’s screen.
It tried to understand: “Master, are you trying to draw a rabbit ear on the ball?”
Pei Ran corrected, “What rabbit ear? That’s a string.”
She flipped a few pages forward in the tutorial book. “The day after tomorrow, I’ll be able to start drawing rabbits.”
Ren nodded and added, “If Master is still alive the day after tomorrow.”
Pei Ran looked up at it, speechless: Could it be any more of a jinx?
To be honest, she had been sitting here, using drawing as an excuse to delay time and avoiding going to sleep, because she was also worried about how she was going to get through tonight.
Last night’s experience had left lingering fear.
Who knew if, halfway through sleep tonight, the frenzied green lights would start acting up again, trying to turn her into a monster that fused with everything.
The suppression injection could only be administered once, and there was no shot available tonight.
Even she could feel it—the effect of that injection in her body was wearing off, and countless specks of frenzied green light were starting to stir restlessly.
Pei Ran set down her pen and examined her green lights.
The order-state green lights were more affected by suppression; even without the injection, the suppression wristband on her wrist still had some effect. Green Light No.1 and No.3 couldn’t be awakened no matter how she called them—there was no hope of them continuing to devour the frenzied green lights.
Only the one that could draw—Green Light No.2—was still awake.
Apparently, different order-state green lights had their own differences, like people with different personalities and constitutions. Green Light No.2 had always been a bit more active than the others.
It was also being suppressed, sluggish, but still capable of moving if forced.
Pei Ran tried commanding it to devour those light specks.
No.2 perked up and moved over.
Pei Ran suddenly noticed that the moment Green Light No.2 appeared, those frenzied green lights immediately quieted down quite a bit.
Like a herd of sheep about to go berserk suddenly seeing a sheepdog.
The sheepdog swam over, opened its mouth, and reluctantly swallowed a few little sheep—then couldn’t eat anymore. It was being suppressed, and its appetite was still poor.
But the effect was clear.
Having lost a few companions, the rest of the flock huddled together, wary, yet shivering.
This really seemed like a way to control the frenzied green lights inside her body.
Ren’s head suddenly leaned over, appearing very close in front of her, with a curious cartoon expression on his panel. “Master, you’re just sitting there dazed—what are you doing?”
Pei Ran answered, “Herding sheep.”
She stood up and walked toward the bathroom.
Ren followed behind her. “Master, where are you going?”
Pei Ran didn’t look back. “To herd sheep lying down.”
After washing up, Pei Ran lay down on the bed, closed her eyes, and focused on controlling the Green Light No.2 inside her, carefully feeling its presence.
Whenever it became active, she would send it over to the flock, baring its teeth and circling around, frightening the little lambs. Once it got tired, she would immediately let it return to rest, to recuperate and regain its strength—she herself would also take the chance to nap for a bit.
Just like that, round after round, she herded sheep the entire night.
Around three or four in the morning, Pei Ran finally fell into a deep sleep.
When she opened her eyes again, the virtual display screen by the bed showed the clock pointing to seven o’clock.
It was a new day—morning had already arrived—and she was still alive.