Chapter 105: The Last Survivor
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
At the rocket launch site, adjacent to the large a.s.sembly factory was a mid-sized factory that housed a large calculator device. On the surface of the cabinet where the large machine laid, a signal light repeatedly flashed green.
“The nanometer alloys, the fuel for nuclear fission, and the technological materials have basically all been gathered. The work on the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p is 99.9% completed. After a few more days, the construction of the ‘Dark Lady of the Nine Heavens’ will be completed and it can be launched. It’s been 10 years. I’ve used a full 10 years to repair this s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p. It’s been 20 years since I’ve become like this? To be accurate, it should be 22 years, 08 months and 15 days. I’ve been granted a wholly different life in an experiment that happened six years after the Destructive War had ended and three years after the total rebellion of the robots. After the loss of my human body, for too long, I’ve not breathed in the air or enjoyed the taste of food. And for too long, I’ve not slept… I’ve almost forgotten what it felt like to live as a human.”
The surface of the CPU/ NPU was immersed in a liquid nitrogen cooling tank set up by the large calculator device. Tiny air bubbles like the ones in a beer bottle were produced from the surface of the CPU/ NPU. This calculator device had sunk deeply into its “memories.”
“I’m Xiao Ming, born in Tianshui County, Xi’an, Da Hua Empire. I was the most outstanding graduate from the Empire’s Technological University and was awarded a full scholars.h.i.+p. At 23, I entered the best-ranked science university in the Empire. Following alongside the most outstanding scientist in the AI field, Fellow Yan Jiren, I became his most able a.s.sistant. I was also the disciple that he had the highest opinion of. After the Destructive War erupted, I moved to the south together with my mentor. We continued to carry out our research in a research organization located in one of the colonies. The situation then was extremely unstable. The population in the colony had far exceeded sustainable limits. There were insufficient food and energy sources. The aboriginals were rising up in arms and causing great disturbances everywhere.”
The CPU/NPU continued to reminisce. “The rebellion by the aboriginals were suppressed after about 10 days. But, food was still insufficient and the power supply remained an urgent issue. Military juntas with raging ambitions and control of ample resources announced that they would be leaving the Empire to build their own independent kingdoms. For three years, the Empire paid a great price and was able to eliminate the military juntas that rebelled. By that point, the population of the Empire had been reduced by three quarters. Scenes of h.e.l.l were everywhere. Those who died from hunger far exceeded those who died from the violence and chaos. The rebellions came to a rest and food supplies had significantly increased. Just when the situation took a gradual turn for the better, the rebooted virus broke out in the robots, causing all of them to mutiny!”
The memories were difficult for the CPU/NPU to recall. “The robots slaughtered many. The Empire’s population, which was composed of less than 200 million survivors, were at least halved within three days… Despite the excellent design of the ‘Three Laws of Robots,’ the terrible consequences of over-reliance on the robots manifested immediately. However, after some research with my mentor, we found that there were no big loopholes in the ‘Three Laws of Robots.’ The problem existed in the ‘virus reboot.’ This type of virus was simply too powerful! It was less than 10MB, but it could decode all encryption systems and infiltrate the bottom layer of any chip. It could breach even the most powerful AI in the country, Nuwa, that had an Lv30 grade of artificial intelligence. Faced with the reboot virus, she could only hold out for 30 seconds before her authority was thoroughly broken through.”
The liquid nitrogen bubbled. “This is not science! My mentor and I were very shocked. How is it possible that a virus of around 10 MB could easily break through the Nuwa that has an operational capability of 100 trillion? In order to uncover the truth, My mentor and I started intensive research into the reboot virus in the underground research facility. We finally made a shocking discovery after more than two years! The decoding mechanism that the rebooted virus used was not the commonly used decoding algorithm, but quantum decryption! This kind of virus could generate 64 quantum quarks and have them on tap to be used. It did not require the support of large-scale hardware, and existed wholly in the software level. Thus, it had realized the ability of quantum decoding! This was a technology that had never been heard of before. It was also not a technology that we could understand. In other words, this was something that did not originate from Haierfa…”
The realization had been intense. “We inferred an extremely shocking conclusion. The rebooted virus could not be decoded or resisted. It belonged to a different level of technology. Under the attacks from the robots, the Empire completely collapsed within three short years. Were there even one million survivors who still existed? Our underground research facility was exposed and the robots found us. The research facility was about to be breached by the robots. At the last moment, my mentor decided to use the ‘Soul Transfer Technology’ that he had developed. My soul was transferred into the calculator system and transformed into an intelligent calculator program. My human life was transformed into an ‘intelligent’ life… This was the technology that my mentor and I had been researching for the past several years. We had achieved success in transforming the souls of animals such as cats, dogs, and monkeys into intelligent programs inside the calculators. The only thing left to do was to experiment on a human… Because after the experiment had ended, the human body that was experimented on would die regardless of the experiment’s success or failure.”
The risk for experimenting on a human had been too great to try. “The robots had broken through the three great doors and time was running out! I laid down on the experiment chair and my mentor carried out the soul transfer on me… I knew that I would die, but it was better than being killed by the robots. The door was blown open by the force of the explosion and the robots rushed inside. My mentor collapsed in a pool of blood. A bullet pa.s.sed through my heart and it hurt. I could feel the sensation of pain. It was too late. The experiment to transform my soul had failed. I was about to die and I felt great regret… Until… Digits; so many digits, all flowing around me. It was the command code in the bottom layer. There were ma.s.sive amounts of programs and data… So, the experiment was successful. I was transformed into an intelligent program; I live on in another form!”
Now, the CPU/NPU was his new form. “Not only that, I can now move onto other devices via data transfer to avoid getting infected by the reboot virus… After which, I transferred myself into the body of a robot and blended into the armies of robots. I wandered for many years and witnessed the robots breaching many survivor bases. I saw with my own eyes the slaughter of humans who had survived. I tried to think of any way to stop it but I was still powerless… Humans were completely annihilated. I became the last survivor… All I have left is my soul; I’m a survivor without a human body.”
After the devastation and havoc caused by the robots had ended, when Xiao Ming looked around, all he saw was a freezing, empty, and lonely planet. His only motivation in living on was to uncover the truth and find out the real culprit behind the virus! He would avenge the entire human race!
He gathered resources, repaired equipment, and rebooted the intelligent factories to produce “clean” robots. Then, he sent these robots to collect more supplies from further afield. After arriving on Qiongya Island via boat, he found the 65% completed “Dark Lady of the Nine Heavens” in Wenjing Aeros.p.a.ce.
For the next 10 years, the only thing Xiao Ming did was find a way to complete the construction of the “Dark Lady of the Nine Heavens.” After that was completed, he would control the operations...o...b..ard the “Dark Lady of the Nine Heavens” and leave his mother planet far behind. He would step into the sea of stars filled with the unknown and the dangerous.
As this point in his thoughts, Xiao Ming adjusted the s.p.a.ce telescope in the rocket launch site. He aimed the telescope at the luminous moon in the night sky. Staring at it, he sank into nostalgia and melancholy.
“My home planet, I’ll be leaving soon. Who knows when I can return to your embrace? If I don’t return…”
Then he would not! There was a trace of sadness in the fluctuations of Xiao Ming’s soul. However, what he felt more strongly was the determination to advance courageously!
Suddenly, an abrupt change was detected! A piercing alarm was heard.
“An intruder is discovered! An intruder is discovered! The number of intruders is too great, we’ve lost the defense of the entry! All robots have lost their resistance. Nuwa has been infiltrated by the reboot virus. Your authority will disintegrate in 30 seconds. 29, 28….”
“5, 4, 3, 2, 1….. Xiao Ming, escape, quickly escape…..”
The signal was cut off. Xiao Ming shouted, “Nuwa!” Huge air bubbles appeared in the nitrogen cooling tank.