Chapter 691: Mars No.1!
Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation
Mars No.1 !
Yue Zhong was shocked, and he said solemnly, "Bring me there!"
Computers had an advantage over humans, that was the disregard for rest. Ordinary people cannot function without sufficient rest, as for computers, even running for a few months was no problem. Gaining the artificial intelligence would only spell benefits for Yue Zhong.
Song Ben replied, "Yes!"
Under his lead, Yue Zhong came to a small room beside the main satellite building, and revealed a tunnel.
The tunnel went on for quite a distance, before a huge electronic gate appeared in front of the 2 of them.
Song Ben pointed to the door and spoke apologetically to Yue Zhong, "This is the place where the supercomputer is kept. To enter, one must have the security clearance. I only know of this place, but I don’t possess the security clearance. I’ve been in there a few times to conduct maintenance, but it was under the lead of other higher-ups."
He continued, "There’s an automatic defense system in there as well, if one were to break in forcefully, then the automatic defense will be triggered to eradicate all invaders."
The supercomputer was the product of hard work, sweat and countless resources by the government prior to the apocalypse. Once humanity could utilize it well, then technology would advance at an insane pace. With the right amount of A.I, different appliances and technology could be produced to enhance quality of life.
With artificial intelligence, wars could be fought with robots instead of humans tearing into each other, hence protecting precious human life.
This sort of research was extremely cla.s.sified, regardless of country. Ordinary people would never get a chance to get near it. Yue Zhong had never expected even his own China, that most had a.s.sumed to be lagging behind in technology, had already developed artificial intelligence under the shroud of secrecy. Even if it was in its initial stages, it was a feat to behold. Such a research location would definitely be protected heavily.
Yue Zhong looked at the electronic door and spoke mildly, "You back up first. I will open it up."
Song Ben knew the danger and he quickly found a place for cover, "Yes!"
Yue Zhong came to the door and pressed his fingerprint to the scanner. It was the first lock he had to clear.
"Scanning fingerprint, not included in database. Does not have clearance to enter. Please get someone with the clearance to scan within 2 minutes, otherwise, will be treated as invader and eliminated!"
After that, there was the whirring of gears, and a latch opened up above the door, as a number of 25mm heavy machine guns appeared, pointing at Yue Zhong.
The 20 guns locked on to Yue Zhong, sealing his route of escape entirely. Even an armored vehicle would be blown apart by these numbers.
Yue Zhong’s eyes flashed coldly, and 20 Devil Flame b.a.l.l.s flew out, incinerating the 20 guns into ash, "Burn!"
Song Ben hid in one corner and saw how Yue Zhong took care of the defense mechanisms, his eyes filled with shock, "Powerful!"
After destroying the 20 cannons, the flames in Yue Zhong’s hands condensed to form beautiful blades.
He slashed out at the electronic door, and the blade made out of flames tore into the metal as easily as a hot knife through b.u.t.ter.
After tearing a hole in the door, he walked in with large strides.
The moment he stepped through the door, Yue Zhong noticed various machines that he did not recognize fitted within the huge room, which was about 50m wide and 20m tall.
At the center of the room, there was a cylindrical area that linked to the roof, and there were display screens mounted throughout. All sorts of equipment and supercomputers were laid out in front of him.
Song Ben also entered the room quietly behind him.
The moment Yue Zhong entered the room, the supercomputers lit up and began to whir to life. There was a holographic projection beamed out, forming a young man with huge eyes, dressed in military uniform and a star-shaped hat.
The young man looked at Yue Zhong and spoke in a robotic voice, "I’m Mars No. 1!! Outside, you have no authority to enter this room. Since you have forced your way in, according to the country’s laws, you have committed serious treason and endangered your country, public security as well as your people… and so on. Please stop your actions immediately."
Yue Zhong looked at Mars No. 1 and asked, "Mars No. 1, as an artificial intelligence that controls the satellites, you should know about the situation outside."
Mars No.1 responded, "Yes! The zombies that are similar to those of Resident Evil have overrun the earth, and they are continually encroaching on the living s.p.a.ce of humans. This is the situation outside."
Yue Zhong spoke solemnly, "Very good! Since you know that, then you know how dangerous it is outside. I need your help to clear up the zombies and to re-establish the stability of the country."
Mars No.1 replied mechanically, "No! You don’t have the authority to command me. If you want to gain my help, you must get No. 1 Head to enter the pa.s.sword, and a.s.sign you control. Otherwise, I will not a.s.sist you."
Yue Zhong’s eyes flashed, as he continued to persuade this artificial intelligence, "Since the earth has already become like this, the No.1 Head is no longer here. The capital now has turned into a zombieland, and most of the governing personnel of this base is no longer around. Naturally, I have the ability to command you. Just a.s.sist me, Mars No.1!"
Mars No.1 continued to reject in its robotic voice, "In my programming, only those with access can give me commands. I can only a.s.sist those with the confirmed security clearance. Since you don’t have it, please leave."
Yue Zhong’s face turned sullen, "You’re truly not willing to help me?"
Mars No. 1 replied, "This is part of my programming. I cannot go against my core programming."
Yue Zhong’s expression turned cold, "Since it’s like this, then I should just destroy you. I will stop your energy source and reformat you. I have no need of something like you that is not useful! Since your base hardware is still powerful enough, I will wipe you away and leave only the basic functions."
Although the A.I was powerful, if it could not be used by Yue Zhong, it was just a piece of junk. Even if it was the precious product of China’s research, he could not allow its existence to continue.
The A.I was capable of churning out large amounts of data every second, and without a supercomputer, there was no way the A.I could be supported.
Yue Zhong pointed to Mars No.1 and asked Song Ben, "Song Ben, tell me, where is the core of this thing? I want to take it and reformat it."
Hearing his words, Mars No.1 finally had some reaction, as it quickly shouted, "No! You can’t do that! I am a top-secret research of China, and it was the cost of sweat, tears, and blood of countless scientists! If you were to remove me, based on your current technology, there will be no way to recreate another me even after 20 years! If you reformat me, you’re a traitor to the Chinese people!!"
Yue Zhong looked at Mars No.1 and his eyes flashed with a desperate look, "You fear death! What an incredible A.I. Fearing death is something that belongs to those with life. Seems like you have already developed some life-like traits. What a pity, no matter how good something is, if I can’t make use of it, then it’s just a piece of trash. You might be the darling of the country in the past, but now, since I can’t use you, your value is less than the supercomputer supporting you. After I wipe you away, I might not have gained as much, but it’s not too bad already."
Mars No.1 seemed to struggle for a while, before it gave in, "Fine! Please don’t wipe me away. I can work for you. However, before you fully conquer the country, I can only extend your scope of control. After all, only the person of the highest status in this country can control me. It was one of the conditions carved into my programming. If I were to go against this protocol, my entire being will collapse. If you’re still not satisfied with this, you may erase me now."
Yue Zhong asked, "Releasing some of the restrictions, what does that do for me?"
Facing the restricted control, Yue Zhong was more concerned about the help Mars No.1 could bring him. In this world, even as Yue Zhong’s power was expanding, he constantly felt a sense of danger weighing on him.
After all, after he gained the Evolving Temple, Yue Zhong had been clear that the zombies and Mutant Beasts were just the 1st level of difficulty on this earth. The next stage was going to be more terrifying, and who knows what dangers await the already-struggling humanity.
Mars No.1 replied, "I can help you control the satellites, and report the movements of overseas troops. I can also make use of the satellites to triangulate locations and maintain telecommunications. When you fight the zombies, I can be your eyes, and monitor the movement of the zombies. If you want to conquer the capital, I can provide you all the images of the capital.