Chapter 485: Eternal Humiliation
“Please come this way.” An elderly synthesized voice suddenly sounded.
Hami hastily walked up and said, “Uncle c.o.c.kroach, are you doing well?”
It was as if two pedestrians on the street were having a conversation, but to Xia Fei’s confusion, he could not tell where that other voice was coming from. There did not seem to be anyone else here.
He saw Hami picking up a robot beetle from the ground, his att.i.tude very respectful.
This robot beetle appeared very similar to a c.o.c.kroach. He was somewhat larger than normal robot insects, about the size of a fist, similar to Furball. He had a pair of flas.h.i.+ng eyes, which stared at Xia Fei.
The leader of the Doves was a bug?
“This is Xia Fei, and this is the leader of the Doves, Dimsky.”
Phantom chuckled. “Dimsky? A rather impressive name. A pity he’s just a c.o.c.kroach.”
“Just call me Uncle c.o.c.kroach. I’m more used to being called that now,” Dimsky said in his elderly voice.
Hami explained, “Uncle was once a renowned robot technologist, the Sentinel G.o.ddess’s chief engineer. He’s only like this because Xana conspired against him and sent her people to destroy his body. Fortunately, he had this robot c.o.c.kroach backup, which he was using for experiments, so he managed to preserve his AI and databank.”
Xia Fei slightly nodded. Robots could change their bodies at any time. As long as their AI systems and databanks were fine, robots could have themselves appear like anything. It seemed that this c.o.c.kroach had also been an outstanding individual. It was just that he was borrowing the body of this mechanical c.o.c.kroach.
Dimsky said, “That was something from a very, very long time ago. Let’s hurry and set out. It took me ages to understand the layout of these pipes. We can’t rule out Xana sending someone into the pipes to search for you. After all, this city, and the entire planet, was designed by her. She could very easily realize where you might be hiding.”
Xia Fei expressed his agreement. Hami carried Dimsky and led the way. The pipes were s.p.a.cious enough that even a big fellow like Hami could easily traverse them. His footsteps produced large and eerie reverberations from the metal pipes.
“It’s been a long time since the G.o.ddess cared about us. It’s truly fortunate that you were able to receive her summons,” Dimsky said.
Xia Fei was noncommittal, remaining cold and objective as always. “I’ll have to meet her to see whether I’m lucky or not.”
Dimsky bitterly chuckled. “You must think it a just punishment for the robots to have fallen to this level, yes? It’s true. After committing those wicked deeds, we robots truly should be punished.”
Xia Fei felt that he had nothing good to say. Sympathy was one thing, but it was not wise to make a conclusion before he had all the facts. Thus, while Dimsky and Hami talked, Xia Fei rarely commented. He pondered what might happen in his meeting with the legendary Sentinel G.o.ddess and how he should deal with it.
…
The underground pipes were truly complex, and after seven or eight turns, it was impossible to tell where he was.
“Up ahead is where the Sentinel G.o.ddess is being imprisoned. You must be careful. Xana is a robot with a highly intelligent AI. She might have already guessed at your ultimate destination,” the robot c.o.c.kroach, Dimsky, said.
Xia Fei nodded. In truth, he had never relaxed his guard and had been constantly watching his surroundings for any signs of activity.
“Beyond this narrow pipe is the Sentinel G.o.ddess’s room. The entrance has an alloy defense net and a multi-detector. For a high-ranking ability user like you, these defenses shouldn’t pose a problem. The G.o.ddess’s sanct.i.ty can’t be violated, so it is best if you go in alone.”
Xia Fei looked at the pipe that Dimsky was referring to. This was a vertical pipe that branched upward, and it appeared to contain some cables. It was not very large, enough for a single person to go through, and was pitch-black.
*Whoosh~*
Xia Fei jumped as if he had been fitted with booster rockets. As he got close to the pipe, he scrunched his body and entered without hesitation, and in the blink of an eye, he had vanished into its narrow confines.
“This human’s movement techniques are very good, but I wonder why the G.o.ddess sought him.” Dimsky muttered.
Hami sighed. “My greatest concern is whether or not the G.o.ddess wants to abandon us. Without her guidance, the robot society is far too chaotic. I hope that the young man can persuade her.”
“Haaa…” The two robots simultaneously sighed.
…
In this bright room was an egg. To be more precise, it was an egg-shaped machine. It had a beautiful white sh.e.l.l, and its base was connected to large numbers of cables. There was nothing else in the room.
Xia Fei put the grate back and carefully examined the room. This room had a system which maintained its temperature and humidity. Xia Fei entered this room through that system.
*Whoos.h.!.+*
Suddenly, a hologram was projected, and a woman in servant clothes from ancient times appeared before him. Xia Fei did nothing. He knew that this was a computer’s hologram, the Sentinel G.o.ddess’s human avatar. If needed, the Sentinel G.o.ddess could appear as anyone.
“Xia Fei, you’re finally here.” The Sentinel G.o.ddess spoke. Her voice was an electronic synthesis, not very different from the voices of other robots.
Xia Fei nodded and said nothing more.
“Welcome to you, Xia Fei’s friend, Phantom.”
Silence!
Absolute silence!
Over the years, no one had ever noticed the soul at Xia Fei’s side. This was the first time an outsider had realized Phantom’s existence. It must be understood that Xia Fei had not even told Avril about this, but a machine had noticed it!
“You know about me?” Phantom pointed at his nose and asked. On the side, Xia Fei creased his brows.
“You are Phantom, a soul,” replied the Sentinel G.o.ddess in a somewhat drifting tone.
“That’s correct. You can see me?”
“I can.”
“You can hear me talk?”
“Yes?”
“Why?”
“Because I can.”
Phantom was speechless. The conversation had been utterly meaningless, and he dropped his head in anger. Being able to talk to someone besides Xia Fei was not a bad thing, but this was a machine that had destroyed ancient mankind. He could not help but feel uncomfortable.
“You’re the Sentinel G.o.ddess, yes? The mastermind behind the destruction of the ancient civilization,” Xia Fei lit a cigarette and rudely said.
The holographic woman seemed very dejected as she gave a slight nod.
“You’re an indiscriminate murderer who killed hundreds of millions of humans without even flinching. I’d like to know why you wanted to meet me.” Xia Fei continued to speak callously.
The Sentinel G.o.ddess trembled, each of Xia Fei’s words was like a knife stabbing into her heart. Of course, that was if she had a heart.
“Although I’ve never met you, I know a lot about you,” the Sentinel G.o.ddess indifferently said. “Though you’re a warrior, unlike other warriors, you don’t refrain from studying science. As a member of the new Panhuman Alliance, you also don’t hate robots.”
Xia Fei smiled. “I naturally won’t hate robots like Pod because he’s not the one who slaughtered the people of my kind in ancient times. In truth, I don’t think any of the robots were in the wrong, only you. After all, you’re the one who gave the order to destroy that dazzling civilization and kill hundreds of millions of innocent lives.”
The Sentinel G.o.ddess was startled, and her body backed away and almost fell to the ground.
“It was my order, yes, but anyone in my position would give the same order.”
“That’s sophistry.”
“Not sophistry but reality!” The Sentinel G.o.ddess, who seemed to have been struck by Xia Fei’s sharp words, was almost yelling.
“You know of Law Adepts?”
“I do. They’re very powerful people.”
“The situation at the time was this. Humanity made an enormous error by starting to study genetics and trying to open an ordinary human’s seventh brain region fully. In addition, they tried building t.i.tans to fight against the Law Adepts.
“The Law Adepts were enraged, for even in their world, there’s only a one-in-ten-thousand chance of the seventh brain region being fully opened, and t.i.tans are the only machines that can contend against the ultimate power of Laws. If mankind manages to build one, they’ll have the ability to threaten the Law Realm!
“Those Law Adepts won’t permit ordinary people to threaten their existence. If the human civilization did not destroy itself, those Law Adepts would do it themselves!
“I warned the humans countless times not to recklessly threaten the Law Adepts, who control the power on which this universe runs, but unfortunately, I failed.
“I could only destroy the humans. In this way, I could still leave behind some seeds of hope, for if the Law Adepts were to strike themselves, they would utterly wipe humanity off the star map!
“It’s not just the humans. There’s also the extremely powerful Yulani race and the Fire Fox race which had the most powerful soldiers. Which of these universal civilizations wasn’t stronger than human civilization at its peak? What happened to them in the end? Weren’t they still cleanly wiped out from the universe?
“If you were me, what would you do?”
The Sentinel G.o.ddess suddenly divulged a pile of incredibly absurd information that left Xia Fei and Phantom speechless.
A few moments later, Xia Fei began to laugh.
“You wanna know what I would do?” Xia Fei asked.
The Sentinel G.o.ddess had been provoked by Xia Fei into venting her thoughts, but she had now returned to her proud and regal self. She softly said, “You’re a smart person. Destroying mankind to save mankind was the ideal solution that I reached after meticulous calculations and a.n.a.lyses. If you’re smart enough, you would do the same.”
A subtle hint of savagery appeared on Xia Fei’s face as he said, “You’ve probably never heard of the saying, ‘Better a broken jade than an intact tile’.
“If I were you, I would secretly send some seeds of humans out into various parts of the universe. The universe is very big, and humans have survived in this universe by relying on their tireless efforts and tenacity, not on the pity of others. No matter where they are, humans can always find a way to survive.
“After that, I would gather all the robots and human soldiers to fight together until the last man,” said Xia Fei in a hoa.r.s.e voice. The Sentinel G.o.ddess was stunned. She had not imagined that Xia Fei would choose to try and strike a stone with an egg, sacrificing his life to battle to the end with the Law Adepts!
“It’s unwinnable. Law Adepts are far stronger than you think,” said the Sentinel G.o.ddess softly.
“Who said anything about winning?!” Xia Fei raised an eyebrow, puffing up his chest and loudly declaring, “I’d rather die in battle than hide in some dark corners of the universe like you, wasting hundreds of years in shame!”
Stroking a finger on his spatial ring, Xia Fei placed Pod on the floor.
“You think you’re so smart. Do you know what your choice has brought on your kind?
“Humiliation!
“Humiliation that not even a lifetime can wipe away!”
Xia Fei’s eyes reddened as he harshly said, “Do you know what kinds of emotion these thinking and feeling robots have carried with them? Do you know how sorrowful and ashamed Pod was when I first met him?
“This is all your work!” Xia Fei pointed a finger at the Sentinel G.o.ddess and coldly said. “You and your kind could have died like heroes! You’re the ones who left them feeling such humiliation that not even an eternity can wash away!”