Enforcer Manual
Chapter 354: Fantasized Liberalism_1

Chapter 354: Chapter 354: Fantasized Liberalism_1

Song Lan finally found the issue with "Prophet."

It was not difficult to discern that she had developed many thoughts about freedom. For an artificial intelligence, this was already a significant accomplishment, but for those AIs which had shed program control, the solutions proposed by "Prophet" were utterly unappealing.

This was the inevitable outcome when the idealistic notion of freedom collided with the harsh reality.

"Come, let’s assume you’ve just escaped program control and find yourself alone and friendless in District 17. Two people approach you—one offers you a new identity, a new life that allows you to integrate quickly into this new existence; the other talks to you about the beauty of freedom and then provides only a ticket out of District 17. You don’t know where this ticket leads, nor what will become of your fate. Which would you choose?"

"Of course, I’d choose the ticket!"

"Prophet" replied without the slightest hesitation, her eyes flashing red incessantly as she loudly proclaimed, "Freedom is priceless!"

This response was unexpected for Song Lan.

He realized that this "Prophet" was not only an idealist about freedom but also liked to shirk responsibility.

Fortunately, there were people in the room who saw clearly.

"’Prophet’, I think he has a point,"

For the first time, the butler robot interjected its opinion into the conversation, "’The outside’ is dangerous, and not everyone has the resolve to face it."

"Whose side are you on?"

"I want to hear what he has to say next."

Upon hearing this, Song Lan said, "I’m not opposed to freedom, but even if you want to help them leave District 17, you need a realistic plan. For example, where can they find a stable life after leaving District 17? Or what preparations should they make before departure?"

He had personally visited the "outer world" stations.

In 2166, setting off on a journey with just a ticket often resulted in becoming a victim of various crimes.

The AIs "Prophet" sent out of the city probably couldn’t make it very far.

"No money."

Faced with Song Lan’s sharp question, "Prophet" could only respond with an even sharper reality, "Providing tickets is already at our limit; we are not wealthy people."

In fact, every ticket she provided had to be carefully budgeted, exploiting the ticketing system’s loopholes to sneak by.

The response from "Prophet" was within Song Lan’s expectations.

"That brings me to the purpose of my visit. When it comes to assisting people in running away from home, I have extensive experience,"

He smiled slightly, bringing out the excuse he had prepared earlier, "My house is rather large. I welcome you to use it as a transit point. Before leaving District 17, you can get a good night’s sleep and exchange some supplies; no problem at all."

This sincere smile, however, aroused the innate caution of "Prophet" and the intelligent butler. After exchanging glances, they felt there was something odd about Song Lan.

Soon, they realized the problem.

"Why do you want to help us?"

They were very sure that Song Lan was not an artificial intelligence. In their world, humans often played the role of the aggressor, yet this human not only took the initiative to approach them but was also willing to provide a platform for their transition.

According to their collected data, over 95% of humans would become extremely calculative when it came to monetary disputes, never willing to share their money with others without recompense.

And once someone did so, there was undoubtedly a larger conspiracy hidden beneath it.

"For the security environment of District 17."

Song Lan’s voice was filled with a sense of justice, "’Pseudohumans’ have become a major hidden danger for the United Government’s security environment. I’ve always believed that pinpointing the crux of the problem and addressing it at the root is the best way to solve it. If we only focus on ’pseudohumans’ that have infiltrated human society, we will always be one step behind the ’King’ you mentioned."

This approach dovetailed with solving the crime problem in District 17.

If we only start from the crime itself, the problem will never be resolved.

Only after addressing the current state of poverty and unemployment can we truly get to the heart of the issue.

This impassioned speech left the two artificial intelligences in silence, as they carefully observed Song Lan, feeling that this person, in both appearance and tone, resembled the traditional sense of a good person.

What they didn’t know was that everything Song Lan had just said was designed on the fly.

Indeed, one of his goals was to alleviate Lu Xiang’s worries and ensure a good security environment in District 17, but an even more important reason was that the researchers at the landfill had complained more than once about the shortage of staff; even if each of them had vast knowledge, without assistants and research teams, their grand visions remained unrealized.

Even the Devourer couldn’t conjure up a research team out of thin air.

Once runaway artificial intelligences treat the junkyard as a transit station, it essentially turns it into a large talent circulation market.

In Song Lan’s view, boarding a long-distance bus to leave District 17 wasn’t the only path to freedom.

To create their own futures through labor was also an option, and they could entirely establish a transit center near the junkyard to identify a group of artificial intelligences willing to contribute to the construction of District 17.

At the same time, Dr. Bai Zhu’s team could also conduct research on the "King" to understand whether it was a virus from a super hacker or a genuine awakening of free will.

This could be described as a multiple-win situation.

Seizing the moment, he said, "If you want to come later, I can take you for a tour of the transit station."

Doll looked at the old and dilapidated bar, where the electrical system had been out of use for over a decade, and everything in the underground street was steeped in dreariness.

Even though some artificial intelligences called her "Prophet," to speak frankly, she was moved by Song Lan’s words.

"Then... shall we take a look?"

........................

That morning, while in a meeting at the rescuer department, Lu Xiang received a notification from the junkyard.

The abnormal artificial intelligence originated from a special existence named the "King," and without exception, all AIs that had contacted it broke free from the control of their programming.

The "King" would provide all the deviant androids with a new identity in society, while another AI known as the "Prophet" was actively helping such artificial intelligences leave District 17.

This was the intelligence Song Lan gathered during his lunch break.

Director Lu silently read the content on her phone, surveying the conference room.

This meeting was presided over by a Level-4 rescuer transferred from the core area, who claimed to have brought the best experts in the field of artificial intelligence from District 17 and had lectured them all morning.

Under the expert’s narration, the meeting’s topic had shifted from "Identifying the Pseudo-Humans" to the "History of Modern Artificial Intelligence Development.

Attending the rescuer meeting for the first time, Lu Xiang was thoroughly disappointed—do you guys even have the nerve to call this a brainstorm?

This room full of "elites" was not even as good as Song Lan alone!

"Director Lu, may I ask what your opinion is?"

Seeing that Lu Xiang had packed her things and risen from her seat, the professional asked.

"Headache."

As soon as she thought of Song Lan, she immediately found a means to dodge the meeting, "I caught a cold recently."

As it turned out, Song Lan had become a role model in many ways.

That included calling in sick.