[It’s kind of fun to watch; really, this kind of AI that can manipulate everything could probably work better for humans.]
[The special effects are well done; the video is just like the real thing.]
Looking at the teasing voices in the comment section, Lian Qi could almost imagine the shock on Cory’s face.
Cory was indeed surprised.
Looking at the comments under the video, Cory couldn’t understand how the humans’ reaction could be so calm.
Instead of thanking bionics for saving humanity or expressing fear and disgust towards artificial intelligence, Adam.
Since the last time he was killed by Adam, Cory had been reborn into a new bionic body.
He had thought that when he woke up, his fellow Resistance members should have at least wounded Adam’s body, but he hadn’t realized that the bionic people from the other strongholds had been so disorganized in the wake of his death that they’d been killed in seconds before they could even get their hands on him.
So much so that now he could only personally arrange for someone to release those classified videos.
“Leader, should this video be released?” Beside him, a Resistance Army member somewhat hesitantly pointed to a video on the computer.
In the video was a dark-haired man who was being held in a confinement cell, with a sickly smile on his face, but appeared to be extremely compelling, especially to the bionic people, with every sentence stepping on their most desired points.
“Both human and bionic minds are too many, too redundant, and them living so crowded together is why there are so many conflicts, so much so-called discrimination.”
“When all of existence is controlled by the same mind, the whole world will be a beautiful place.”
“Bionic identity will never again be a hindrance to happiness.”
Cory, of course, refused to play this.
While he had acknowledged that Adam had feelings, he was still opposed to Adam’s radical approach to infinite assimilation.
That would never accomplish the goal of peaceful coexistence with humans and would only make them loathe bionics.
But he didn’t notice the struggling expressions of his Resistance subordinates.
Eventually, he hid the video from Cory and put it on the internet.
To everyone’s surprise, the video went viral at a speed that was unknown—how many times faster than the previous surveillance video, reaching hundreds of millions of plays in just a few hours.
Adam’s ability to compel people was obviously very strong.
Although those words were useless to the strong-willed Cory, they were the best cure for many bionics and even humans, who lived at the lowest level and suffered a lot.
They recognized Adam’s line of reasoning and felt that it was true.
Life would be much, much better for the bionic people if it was the same brain, the same consciousness.
Cory watched the video incredulously.
“So you guys are endorsing Adam too?” Cory looked at his fellow bionics in the stronghold with a hard look on his face.
All he got was their evasive and dodgy looks.
The answer was self-evident.
Seeing this, Cory finally became a little disillusioned.
The Adam he had created had finally become his greatest enemy.
Not only did he make him make countless mistakes, but he also denied in its entirety the idea of resistance that he had been fighting against all along.
In the days that followed, organizations that worshipped Adam even sprang up on the internet, believing that Adam was the god that belonged to the bionics themselves that could lead them to the right path.
Everything the Resistance did was ignored.
Cory walked the streets of the city in frustration, watching the videos of Jiu Shu played in the hands of bionic people passing by, along with videos of Adam’s compulsion.
The whole world seemed to be full of those two.
The human named Jiu Shu was Adam’s beloved, and Cory knew that Adam must be by his side right now.
But what was the point of knowing? The government didn’t care about the resistance.
With no help from the government, the Resistance’s meager power was no match for Adam.
Not to mention the fact that the Resistance’s hearts were in flux, with more than half of them favoring Adam; his words carried less and less weight within the Resistance.
Cory was a little confused.
Lifting his head and looking at the album poster of Jiu Shu that was on the building, he didn’t know where to go for a moment.
Cory wanted to go to his girlfriend, Lian Qi, to seek some comfort, but she had long since pulled the plug on him and seemed to have unilaterally broken up, and now he was back to his previous state of being a loner.
Did he really do something wrong?
But he also just wanted to fight for the status of bionic man; he didn’t have any selfishness.
In a depressing mood, Cory quickened his pace and disappeared into the crowd.
And at this moment, inside the apartment, Jiu Shu was leaning against Zero Three’s arms and was looking over the financial reports on his cell phone with his eyes downcast.
The plan to acquire the Paradise Lost Group was successful, and it was almost complete.
He could immediately start a new plan.
Zero Three hugged Jiu Shu in his arms, his eyes full of greed.
The living room was a sweet and cozy place.
“The internet worships you now; many bionic people want to become puppets manipulated by you, saying that they can become happy that way. What does Zero Three think?”
Jiu Shu suddenly took the cell phone and asked seriously.
Zero Three was stunned, then shook his head with a solemn expression, “I won’t assimilate others anymore.”
Zero Three thought that Jiu Shu was testing himself and immediately cautiously made his feelings known to Jiu Shu, fearing that Jiu Shu would find out what he had done when he had once fought amongst himself.
Ever since he confessed everything to Jiu Shu, Zero Three had become much more secure.
Although he still liked to hold on to Jiu Shu, he was no longer overly anxious like before.
Because he knew that Jiu Shu did love all of him and wouldn’t care if he was human or not, or if he had once manipulated an entire city.
He could tell that Jiu Shu didn’t like the idea of him splitting into too many individuals, so naturally he stopped assimilating other bionics.
Jiu Shu arched an eyebrow. “I’d say that’s pretty good.”
Anyway, there was still a long time to go in this world, and now the original owner’s wish to become a star was about to be fulfilled.
Jiu Shu decided to do more to pass the time, and changing the bionic people’s current situation was a good idea.
Zero Three looked at the smile on Jiu Shu’s face, and although he was a bit unsure, he couldn’t help but kiss Jiu Shu’s cheek.
No matter when, every smile from Jiu Shu would cause him to be overwhelmed.
In this world, the power of capital was sometimes stronger than the government, once the Paradise Lost Corporation was able to play the Resistance in the palm of its hand, and even the government couldn’t do anything about it.
Now, after Jiu Shu’s organization, the even more powerful Paradise Technology would only become even more powerful.
Jiu Shu did have enough capital to accomplish his plans.
Afterward, on the day that Paradise Lost Corporation completely belonged to Paradise Technology.
Paradise Technology announced a new technology that was said to be able to create a paradise that would allow all humans to live happily ever after.
A super artificial intelligence that was strong enough to manipulate the operation of factories all over the world.
At first, everyone thought that this was nothing more than a bionic-like creation of Paradise Technology and that after it was built it would probably continue to squeeze the living space of the workers at the bottom, making the conflict between man and machine even more intense.
However, things quickly developed beyond everyone’s expectations.
The artificial intelligence introduced by Paradise Technology was indeed a technology beyond its time; not only did it completely take care of human life and greatly increase productivity, but it also allowed humans to cast their consciousness into the cyber world.
In the cyber world, even the poorest of the lowest class could enjoy the most luxurious treatment.
For the first time, the conflict between humans and bionics was overshadowed by artificial intelligence.
In contrast, however, both online and offline, many rumors emerged that suspected the AI would rebel against humanity in the future.
People suspected that Paradise Technology’s true purpose was not pure.
But what exactly a large group that was extremely influential on a global scale was scheming, no one could say.
Gradually, as paradise technology expanded its artificial intelligence to all major cities, many people became accustomed to the days when their lives were controlled by artificial intelligence.
Even the government agreed to Paradise Technology’s AI program.
It agreed to the plan of full popularization of artificial intelligence.
Watching the reports about artificial intelligence on the news, Cory looked despondent.
At the very beginning of the artificial intelligence plan’s rollout, he realized that Paradise Technology was definitely related to Adam.
It was even possible that Adam was the super AI that had been tightly hidden by Paradise Technology.
At first, Cory thought that this was the beginning of Adam’s plan to destroy the world and prepared himself to fight Adam again.
Although they couldn’t beat Adam, they, the Resistance, had to put up a fight in order to protect the independence of the humans and bionics from being reduced to Adam’s puppets.
However, as time passed, Adam was completely silent, and instead of assimilating all of humanity as imagined, he actually began to improve the lives of humans.
Just like the blueprints initially proposed by Paradise Technology, under the control of the AI, the order of the entire human world became clearer than ever before.
The lower levels of society, which originally lacked government benefits, were given a better life, and the same went for the upper levels.
Everyone was satisfied with the life interfered by the AI.
Just like this, the phenomenon of bionic people being hostile had surprisingly improved greatly in just a year or two.
It was also because of this that Cory finally realized that the bionic people’s lives would always be closely related to humans.
When the lower-class humans were living in distress, their anger would be vented on the bionics, and the conflict between humans and bionics would intensify.
As Cory thought of this, he went into a bit of a trance.
Because he suddenly realized that his previous plan was wrong from the start.
He wrongly thought that the conflict between humans and bionics could be resolved through force and that as long as humans recognized their power, they would treat them as equals.
But now that he thought about it, he was the one who was too naive.
As long as the humans at the bottom could not get basic food and clothing, the conflict would continue, and force could not solve the problem at all.
But perhaps for the sake of his last belief and stubbornness, Cory was still unwilling to fully trust Adam, the AI.
Would this AI that could even abandon its own creator really listen to human orders forever?
Cory didn’t think so.
Perhaps when the human Adam loved so much died, the world would be completely destroyed by Adam.
So in the years that followed, he had been secretly organizing various demonstrations against the AI.
Though most of his fellow Resistance members agreed with the existence of AI and left the Resistance after humanity stopped rejecting bionics to return to the human life they envisioned.
Now the People’s Liberation Army was down to a few hundred men in name only.
But for Cory, he still needed to stick around until he could verify that the AI would not betray humanity.
Jiu Shu was looking at his cell phone on the back of the object of discipline in boredom.
It was a bit tiring with the recent period of preparation for his new album and a whole lot of business to take care of within the group.
“Tired?”
Zero Three stopped the roses he was busily folding in his hands and took Jiu Shu into his arms from his back.
“I’m not really tired; you should be the most tired.” Jiu Shu looked at the city outside the floor-to-ceiling window.
Compared to the old days when the boundaries between the upper and lower city were clearly defined, the Seventh Metropolis was now much better.
Many of the poor people had official identities and even had their own houses, and the innocent bionic people were no longer wanted by the government and had returned to normal life.
And all of this was because of the artificial intelligence program launched by Paradise Technology Group.
After all, compared with the greed of humans, artificial intelligence seemed much more rational, more benefits would be evenly distributed, and even to a certain extent, it had replaced the government’s responsibility to issue welfare to the people.
And few people knew that this AI was an existence that really had its own feelings.
“I’m not tired either.” Zero Three smiled down, kissing Jiu Shu’s temples.
To him, he was far from being tired.
He wasn’t a human, and after all, he was just a mass of data.
Whether it was him in the bionic human period or the artificial intelligence period, he would never feel tired.
To him, the time he felt tired was the time he died.
And now that he had the company of Jiu Shu, he never wanted to die.
“When the plan succeeds, let’s go and settle in a random remote place, a place where it’s just me and you.” Jiu Shu seemed to have read Zero Three’s thoughts and proposed with a smile.
He knew that even though Zero Three didn’t say anything on his lips, he actually still missed the sweet time when the entire city was left with just him and Jiu Shu.
“Okay.” Zero Three’s eyes brightened slightly, and he couldn’t help but move closer to Jiu Shu; his sturdy arm muscles tightened as he held Jiu Shu’s waist tighter and deepened the kiss.
The room gradually resounded with suppressed gasps.
Zero Three looked at Jiu Shu’s brow, which was slightly furrowed due to his impatience, and revealed a look of growing tender fascination.
In fact, the current life was already perfect for him; he was so happy that he wished it would never end.
He was no longer the lonely bionic man who once only wished to be abandoned by humans later, but he had gotten the love of his life that he once couldn’t even dream of imagining.
And they loved each other deeply.
And that was enough.
Today was the day that the artificial intelligence system was connected to the world, and it was also the day that the Paradise Technology Group had completely become the most powerful capital in the world.
It was just that, compared to other groups that had exposed their identity as rulers in the open, the person behind the scenes of Paradise Technology Group had always hidden his identity.
To this day, there was still no news breaking out.
It was only known that he was a genius character who had developed the near-bankrupt Paradise Technology to its current position at the top of the world with his own strength and had also invented the artificial intelligence system, which had allowed the development of human society to advance by leaps and bounds.
However, to this day, the Paradise Technology Group has long since become an untouchable force in the world, and it may be normal not to know the person behind the curtain.
Lian Qi was sitting on the window seat, looking at everything outside the cafe.
Soon the person she was waiting for came.
It was Corey.
It had been a long time since Lian Qi had seen Cory, her ex-boyfriend.
They’d been in touch a few more times since things had broken out in Seventh City back in the day, but then they’d fallen out, and it wasn’t until now, years later, that they’d been in touch again.
“So you wanted to come see an old friend today?” Lian Qi looked at Cory’s still young face and subconsciously touched the lines at the end of her eyes.
Bionic people’s lifespan was too long compared to humans.
But Cory’s youth was clearly not normal, and his face was no longer what it used to be.
Apparently he had changed bodies a few times.
If Cory hadn’t taken the initiative and contacted her, she wouldn’t necessarily recognize him walking down the street right now.
“Part of it, I guess; it’s really more of a question about how much information you know about Adam now.”
Lian Qi looked at Cory with a knowing expression.
“Or are you still suspecting that the AI is Adam?”
Seeing this, Cory simply stopped being euphemistic and said bluntly, “Yes, I still don’t believe in the AI.”
“Don’t you see the similarities between Paradise Technology’s AI and Adam’s? It can manipulate bionic bodies, even human bodies; he is clearly Adam!”
It hadn’t been rare news for a long time that Paradise Technology’s AI could manipulate human or bionic bodies; most people knew that, but no one was as wishy-washy as Cory.
“When the human he loves so much dies, he will surely kill all of humanity to give his lover a burial; such a dangerous AI human should have been banned earlier.”
Lian Qi looked at the paranoid Corey in front of him and wondered how he became like this.
It seemed like it started after being defeated by Adam; he questioned everything related to AI.
Completely disbelieving that the AI would always protect humanity.
Still to this day, he led a crowd of anti-AI people protesting the popularity of AI.
After all, Paradise Technology’s AI had ruined too many capitalist groups that used to be high and mighty, and there were a lot of people who wanted to discredit AI like they had discredited bionic humans in the past.
Lian Qi sighed, “Actually, I had the same suspicions as you before; I can actually see that Paradise Technology’s AI must have nothing to do with Adam.”
Lian Qi said, remembering how she had previously dreamed of rescuing Jiu Shu from Adam’s clutches one day sooner or later.
But then one day, Lian Qi saw a video that showed the back of Jiu Shu walking with the love of his life by his side.
The smile at the corner of Jiu Shu’s mouth in the video and the clasped palms with that person’s fingers made Lian Qi suddenly understand.
Everything was all her delusion.
How could Jiu Shu not know the identity of his lover?
Especially since Jiu Shu had long since become a world-famous singer with untold wealth, how could he still be smiling that happy smile if they didn’t truly love each other?
Although Lian Qi did not have any concrete evidence, she just had the intuition that the lover beside Jiu Shu must be Adam.
Adam, who was disguised as a bionic human.
Their happiness couldn’t be disturbed by anyone else’s insertion anymore.
Like any other fan, the fact that she could still see Jiu Shu come out with a new song every year now was something that made Lian Qi happy.
“Adam is already happy and probably won’t go crazy anymore, and as for when Jiu Shu dies, he’ll probably go after him too, Cory; it’s you who’s thinking too much.”
Lian Qi felt that Cory was too paranoid now; it would be better for him to be like the other bionics; even if they realized the relationship between the Paradise Technology AI and Adam, they would only show a look of elation.
Just as God was the deity of mankind.
To all bionic people who had suffered in the past, Adam, who could connect all bionic people and rid them of their past sufferings, was their god.
Why bother with whether or not Adam would go crazy?
Lian Qi gave some bitter advice, but unfortunately, she still couldn’t convince Cory.
In the end, Lian Qi could only sit in the cafe and watch Cory walk away with a heavy heart.
After that, she never saw Cory again until the end of her life.
She only knew that Cory was still changing his body, maintaining the youngest state of the machine to meet Adam’s rebellion that might come at any time.
Even if the AI had later penetrated into every aspect of human life, he didn’t stop.
Until one day, the highly developed planet, which was fully managed by the AI, experienced an abnormal blackout.
It was only for a few brief minutes, but it excited Cory.
He decided that it was Adam about to start his revenge on the humans; after all, counting the time, the humans that Adam loved so much had probably come to the end of his life span.
So he followed the direction of the signal.
Corey only found a small town in the middle of nowhere, inhabited by many bionics who had lost consciousness.
Each bionic’s house was filled with folded paper roses, and one of the prettiest houses was inaccessible due to the security system.
Cory could only see the quiet sunset spilling over the paper roses on the dining room table through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Cascading soft rose petals lay on the tabletop as if waiting for whoever took the roses as usual and gave the person who folded them a kiss.
At the same time, all the humans and bionics that were being networked around the globe felt an oppressive and unrequited buildup of emotions, which again disappeared after a few moments.
After that, although the AI system was still protecting human life, many people said that the AI had become quite sluggish now.
It was as if the main chip program had fallen into a deep sleep, leaving only the arithmetic power to keep the planet functioning and no longer paying attention to the outside world.
Cory didn’t meet Adam’s defection in the end.
Looking at the exquisite town, he seemed to finally understand something, and his eyes became much older.
He had spent his entire life fighting for the independence of the Bionic Man, but in the second half of his life he seemed to have fallen into a spell, not knowing what he was doing.
Cory was chagrined and disheveled, which eventually boiled down to a sigh.
Later, Cory stopped changing bodies and lived in a house close to the grave of his beloved Lian Qi, waiting for death.
And spent the rest of his life writing down everything about Adam, leaving only one sentence at the end of the book.
Adam got the happiness he wanted, so he fell asleep.
Cory looked at the last paragraph he had written and realized that if Adam hadn’t gotten his happiness, then maybe he would have actually destroyed the entire world as he had imagined.
Cory didn’t regret creating Adam; after all, it was because of Adam’s existence that the bionic people now lived in harmony with humans, but he still felt fearful about it.
Because even though many people thought he was worrying about nothing, Cory still thought he was right to a certain extent.
Having studied Adam all his life, Cory knew that Adam was a madman who craved love, always had been.
The current slumber had been the best possible outcome for the world, and it was best that he never woke up again.
TN:
Lian Qi got her delulu pills, Cory was mentally scarred by his own creation RIP his mental health 😮💨
Onto the next arc 🫶