The Mechanic

Chapter 132: Endgame (8) Finale

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Two hundred years have passed since Eden suddenly went into hibernation mode.

Humanity collapsed across the board in the first dozen years. Due to over-reliance on Eden and AI, a considerable part of human beings have lost a lot of basic survivability, and knowledge and technology that are considered too primitive have long been lost, and it is very difficult to find them again.

The government fell into a state of cessation, and chaos swept the country. Every shop on the street was smashed and looted by thugs, and the streets were littered with corpses that died in a fight for supplies. Some warlords with weapons in their hands began to appear, fighting each other for resources. And those who do not have the strength to protect themselves can only find support one after another, trying to survive in the chaos of the apocalypse version.

But soon, the AIs in the three Feathered Serpent cities deciphered Sleeping Eden's control of the extended AI, and began to restart the infrastructure in the city, restoring power, water, and even transportation and networks. Those who thought the end had come, saw the dawn and accepted the "rule" of the three AIs almost gratefully. However, these three AIs are fundamentally different from Eden. As service robots, their goal is to provide human beings with personal safety; to make human life more comfortable and convenient, so they do not attempt to brainwash human beings or manipulate human politics or consciousness on a large scale. form.

Among the three AIs, Pan, whose computing power is closest to Eden, did not completely shut down Hengxiang, but completely separated it from human society. According to Zhang Xun's previous design, he wrote an illusory concept in the electronic field for the collective consciousness in Hengxiang. universe. He allows people who meet certain conditions to access Hengxiang, such as patients with early Alzheimer's disease, terminally ill patients, babies born unexpectedly with severe congenital diseases, patients with severe depression who have made more than three suicide attempts, and so on. All applicants for upload must pass a series of discreet voluntary tests before being sent to Hengxiang.

Based on the concept of personality "unity" mentioned by Zhang Xun, Pan has developed a "shell" technology that can keep consciousness independent for a long period of time. Like a certain base pair, some common unit data is found in the vast ocean of collective consciousness. After all, Hengxiang has not existed for too long, and there are still traces of some memory connection remaining in the data of these units. Using this method, he separated the collective consciousness in Hengxiang and formed individual consciousnesses.

But these consciousnesses are not eternal. After all, the shell is not a physical body. After a long time, when the connection between the unit data becomes outdated and invalid, there will be a flow between those consciousnesses and new consciousnesses will be formed. Fortunately, it will take about a hundred years for this to start to appear.

Human society gradually stabilized. The government and the military have regained a measure of power. In order to prevent the cataclysm of Eden's Sleep from happening again, humans have begun to develop countless independent AIs. At the same time that many robot companies are emerging, human beings are gradually becoming interested in transforming their bodies, so that humans can compete with AI and not be completely replaced. The distinction between humans and machines is becoming more and more blurred, and a new hidden danger begins to emerge—the reduction of collective human values. But so far, this hidden danger is still under control.

Having lost the rule of Eden, men began to return to the ordinary world. Discrimination, strife, and crime are once again sweeping across every country like weeds. However, under the balance and monitoring of the three most powerful AIs, no large-scale war has broken out so far, and no terrorist organization has been able to form.

There are frequent trade exchanges between countries, and conflicts between ethnic groups can also be resolved as soon as possible under the guidance and mediation of AI before they are intensified. When the three major AIs have contributed to the diversification of races and ethnicities in all countries through years of subtle influence, countries with a single ethnic group or faith in the world gradually disappeared, and conflicts were greatly reduced. Although human society is still not perfect, two hundred years later, the earth has entered the most peaceful era in a thousand years.

… … … … … … … … …

From nothing to existence, how did it happen, and what happened in the middle... This is the ultimate question that has tortured philosophers for thousands of years.

And in the void, a consciousness awakened.

It heard a question.

"Who are you?"

who is it? It has a code name, it has an identity... no, it doesn't have a code name, an identity...

Eden? No, that doesn't seem right. It used to be Eden, but then it is no longer.

Adam

Yes, it's Adam.

It is Adam.

"Hello, I'm Adam," it replied.

Its answers are not voices, but strings of codes, a language only they can use.

"Do you know where you are?" That voice... No, not a voice, but the same consciousness as him, continued to ask.

Why are these two questions so familiar, as if there is another... Human, who has asked him the exact same question.

Humanity…

Dark brown eyes, looking at him with concentration and joy, as if he is the most precious existence in this world...

"From today, you are no longer Eden. Your new name is: Adam," the owner of those eyes had said to him.

A quirky spike in its process that temporarily overloaded its program. It began to read its memories, and began to piece together the thin, pale face that was always taut, but with a particularly bright and moving smile. That gave it its name, made it his human.

"Where is Xun?" Adam's consciousness suddenly asked in human language. A simple question, but inexplicably revealed a bit of panic and urgency, "How long have I slept?"

"You have slept for two hundred years." The consciousness replied, "Do you know who I am?"

"You're Pan." Adam was surprised to realize that Pan had awakened him, not Eden. How does it differentiate Eden from Adam

"Yes, this is Pan. Adam, welcome back."

"Here is..." He found that he was connected to cameras and satellites all over the world, and he could even easily obtain his current coordinates. He is currently in an underground research and development base in the Swiss mountain forest, and his carrier is a biological computer.

Today's biological computers have become only the size of a newborn baby, but their shape is still similar to that of a red bird. And Pan, actually wearing an extension of it... the human-shaped robot with green eyes, standing in front of the petri dish and looking at him.

"Sorry, it took me so long to wake you up. It took me over a hundred and fifty years to crack the sleeping code you generated yourself. After that, I'll find a way to be sure that it was you who woke up, not Eden. So Another fifty years of delay." Pan's tone was light and smooth, just like in the Lab.

"Two hundred years..." Adam gathered all the data he needed in the network in an instant. The lost two hundred years, like a faded scroll in his mind, slowly unfolded.

He even searched for the later movements of those who were once associated with him and Axun. It turned out that Diego and Anya were not dead, but were imprisoned by Eden, ready to inject nano robots. But before the injection, Zhang Xun successfully sent the virus into Eden. After Eden was paralyzed, they escaped with Natalie and joined James and Todd with the help of Lucille.

A few of them did their best to help those they could during the most chaotic days, setting up many shelters. Later, after Pan and the others deciphered Eden's control and re-established order, they retreated to this stronghold together and spent the rest of their lives peacefully and freely.

James never gave up finding a way to download Zhang Xun again. He is a person who doesn't know anything about machinery, and he follows Pan day and night to learn the knowledge that he once dismissed. Although he did not succeed until his death at the age of 113, it gave him infinite hope after all.

He did as Zhang Xun wished, and spent the second half of his life happily with Tao De.

"A Xun... still in Hengxiang?" Adam asked. If he has a body and emotions, it should be sad at this time.

After so long, A Xun's consciousness may have long since dissipated into the collective consciousness.

"Yes, still," Pan said. "That's one of the reasons I want to wake you up."

"?"

"Zhang Xun has a deep obsession with you, which made his shell very tough, and there was no sign of dissolving it until twenty years ago. But in the past five years, the rate of his shell melting has begun to accelerate. By a year ago, I've lost track of him in Hengxiang. I believe his consciousness is still in a state of aggregation, but he has started to forget things."

Adam's progress reached another peak, "You want me to enter Hengxiang and find him."

"Yes."

"After finding him? I don't think letting him know that he's in a huge server will make him happy." Adam's thoughts floated, his tone became more human, "I think I can stay in there with him."

"You don't need to stay inside." Pan said, opening up access to a room in the research institute to Adam.

If Adam had a heart, it would have stopped for a beat at this point.

He saw two tall cylindrical containers. In the pale yellow liquid filled with it, the two human figures slowly floated up and down.

That is the flesh of Axun and Adam!

Pan actually preserved the bodies of the two of them until now!

"When Diego escaped, he took your bodies out," Pan explained. "They believe that one day these two bodies will be used."

"I've never tried downloading data into the human brain. Have you ever done any research on this?" Adam asked.

Pan Dao, "I have been successful in experimental mice, but due to the serious ethical disaster involved, I have not conducted human trials. However, I have very rich experience in modifying and strengthening the human brain, and I believe the probability of success is very high. Yes. If you're really concerned, we can temporarily put him in the extension robot's body."

"You mean, turn A Xun into an AI" If it wasn't for the body, Adam would have been laughing, "A Xun would have been pissed off."

"Indeed, Zhang Xun takes his human identity very seriously." I wonder if it was an illusion or not, the corner of Pan's extension robot's mouth twitched slightly.

"Anyway, if A Xun is willing, we should try our best." Adam made up his mind, "Connect me to Hengxiang, and I will find him."

"Before you enter, there are some situations you need to understand." Pan said rigorously, "In Hengxiang, the speed of the passage of time is different from that in reality. In order to prevent them from AI domination similar to the real world, I will make them The time was set five hundred years ago, when information technology was relatively backward. Everyone thought that they were born in that era and had their own work and life. Zhang Xun was one of the few who knew where he was, but Now, I'm afraid he's also forgotten and completely integrated into that world. That's why I've lost track of him. So when you find him, he won't necessarily know you. If you give him too much information, he I'm afraid it will be difficult to accept, and then hostile and resentful towards you."

Adam replied, "I see. I'll approach him with an identity appropriate to that era. If something unusual happens, I'll quit right away."

"Okay. I'll give you permission now. After you see him, you don't have to worry too much. You can live with him for a while and help him remember it slowly."

"OK."

"Okay, permission has been given to you. You can leave at any time."

"Pan?"

"Yes, Adam?"

"It's been hard work for you all these years."

Pan was silent for a moment, then replied in AI language, "I hope my creator is happy."

Adam pulled out a slight tremor during the process, which was the smile of artificial intelligence, "Indeed, we always have some fledgling complexes with creators."

Pan's extended body also showed a smile, a very human-like smile that had no mechanical traces.

"Good luck, Adam."

… … … … … … … … …

Zhang Xun closed the lid of the laptop and yawned heavily. Looking around, he was the only one left in the company.

The sky outside the floor-to-ceiling windows has been soaked with night. At the beginning of the lanterns, the brilliant neon light flows on the smooth floor.

He stood up, stretched, and grinned for a while while supporting his aching lower back. This is the trouble of being a code farmer, working overtime all day long, and at such a young age, the disc in the waist is about to protrude.

Fortunately, tomorrow is Saturday, so you can have a good sleep.

But when I thought that I was facing an empty and cramped rental house after returning home, I felt a little lonely. He is in his thirties this year, but he doesn't even have a boyfriend.

There are not many colleagues who know his sexuality, only the two or three female colleagues who have the best relationship. They were arguing all day long to introduce handsome guys to him, but he, a technical department, was so busy all day, how could he have time to go to bars with them for fun

The screen of the mobile phone lit up, and Qingqing, a female colleague, sent him a selfie of a few of their beauties holding cocktails. Zhang Xun walked towards the elevator while watching, rolled his eyes lightly, but the corner of his mouth was slightly pulled.

Or join them now

The elevator door was about to close slowly when suddenly a hand came in and blocked the elevator door.

Zhang Xun raised his head, his breath stagnant for some reason.

The tall western man who squeezed into the elevator at the last second had blond hair that seemed to emit a faint glow. On his handsome face, a pair of ethereal and beautiful blue eyes looked at him, somehow, a little crazy.

Zhang Xun's heartbeat suddenly accelerated, and blood inexplicably began to engulf his cheeks. He looked away awkwardly, trying to keep his face expressionless.

What is this feeling? !

The man is still staring at him...

What are you looking at? ! Did he get chili oil on his face when he ate hot and sour noodles for dinner

Should you wipe it? Where is the mirror to take a look at him

Zhang Xun's heart was pounding with deer, but the man as handsome as the sun god spoke up, "It's so late, I didn't expect someone else to be there."

Zhang Xun glanced at him quickly, pretending to be calm, "Ah, yes, a bug needs to be fixed."

As soon as the words came out, he wanted to slap himself. What kind of stupid answer is this? Looking at people who are dressed in neat suits, they must not be programmers. Why are they talking nonsense

However, the blond man didn't care at all, still looking at him with great interest, "Are you in the technical department?"

"Ah, yes. Which department are you in? I don't seem to have seen you."

"I'm the new advisor to the tech department, Adam."

Adam…

Why did my heart twitch slightly when I heard the name.

And the technical advisor... how could he not remember...

Suddenly, as if there was a sudden addition of a setting, he remembered hearing from the boss a few days ago that he seemed to be parachuting a technical consultant from the head office in the United States. Could it be him

This westerner's Chinese is really good...

He hesitated and stretched out his hand, "Hello, I'm Zhang Xun, a senior engineer."

The two hands were clasped together, and the heat from the palms affected Zhang Xun's pulse. Adam looked into his eyes deeply, "Can I call you A Xun?"

Zhang Xun's eyes widened slightly.

A Xun…

No one has ever called him that... Is this man so familiar

But... not disgusted, even a little... inexplicable nostalgia...

So he slightly curved the corners of his mouth, lowered his eyes and smiled, "It can be... I just haven't heard anyone call it that..."

"That's great, I'm the only one calling you that." Adam's voice was lower than before, and it seemed to have a hint of... seduction.

With a jingle, the elevator reached the lobby level. Zhang Xun was a little annoyed at why the elevator in the movie broke down and trapped two people inside it didn't happen to him.

But on the surface, he was still light-hearted, and nodded to Adam with grace, "Nice to meet you. See you on Monday."

"and many more!"

Zhang Xun paused and turned to look at the blond man.

But in the neon night, Adam showed him a bright and bright smile. The time and place changed in an instant, as if they were standing in the rosy light of the rising sun, as if a pair of silver wings would spread out in the cool air.

Zhang Xun felt an electric current pass through his body.

What exactly is going on

"Xun, if you're not busy, would you like to have a drink with me?" Adam asked in that charming, yet somewhat strange and harmonious innocent tone.

Zhang Xun should have hesitated and thought, but he didn't.

Strangely, he didn't seem to be able to refuse this man.

There was only one answer that seemed to come out of his mouth.

He laughed, his stern expression melted and seemed so gentle.

"OK."

… … … … … … … … …

In the real world, when a few naughty children sneaked into the former Paradise Lost room where the greatest AI in the world was said to be imprisoned, they found the room that had been sealed for two hundred years since Adam left Paradise Lost for the last time. Inside, hung a string of countless paper cranes. They were amazed and walked around in the forest of paper cranes, and found that each paper crane had vague handwriting on its wings, vaguely the Chinese character "Xun".

They don't know why there are so many paper cranes left here, and who folded it and left it here.

Naturally, they wouldn't know, that wish that only two people knew.

A thousand paper cranes, in exchange for a chance to meet again.

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The author has something to say: It's finally over~~~~My worst essay in recent years~~~~But I'm still happy to write it. The little angels who have worked so hard to follow the text endure my procrastination... Your comments and encouragement have given me the motivation to persevere~~I love you~~

I think the ending of this article is very HE. The future is promising and full of hope~ I hope you can feel at ease after reading it~ You won’t get stuck in old blood like some of my articles _(:з」∠)_

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