I Am Also An Extraordinary Creature
Chapter 242 - 207: Should We Thank Them?_1

Chapter 242: Chapter 207: Should We Thank Them?_1

The Eye of Time and Space Research Fortress had issued a notice that, for the next two months, personnel here were to have no contact with the outside world. Even communication channels, which were hard to access by internal staff, were all shut down.

Such a situation led some to wonder whether something had gone wrong with the research here. There had been similar bans in the past, but never as serious as this.

Every individual’s schedule was under strict control, even for something as minor as using the restroom...

Moreover, two months was a long duration, and there were rumors that the research had reached its final stage, hence the corresponding ban. Regardless of the reason, the staff’s routines here would remain unchanged.

"This is really bad luck!" A researcher glanced at the watch on their wrist with a displeased expression. Efforts targeting Zheng Yichen had started off smoothly, successfully turning the guy into a fleeing rat. The reason they could confirm his identity was because he was a Proxy Agent.

Proxy Agents are directly affiliated with Dusk, different from Dusk mercenaries. If Dusk mercenaries come here aiming to resolve identity issues, they must sort it out themselves, while Proxy Agents have the relevant identity information available right away.

Of course, even if the other party wasn’t a Proxy Agent, as long as the targeting is accurate, that’s all that matters. However, this time there was a bit of an accident. Someone had investigated the case involving the Proxy Agent. Although it didn’t cause much trouble for them, one of the communication channels they used to contact the outside world was directly severed.

The developed subordinates were also under investigation, but fortunately, not everyone was involved in this affair, so not everyone was affected. Leveraging the power of the natives was like this: enjoying tremendous convenience while also facing some special restrictions.

Moreover, the Fortress had been continually harassed by hackers recently, including several well-known ones, and it even involved an organization. This incident occurred at a sensitive time; there was nothing more to say—they were now unable to pay attention to the outside situation.

The living quarters were equipped with special ability interference devices, and the only information they could read came from old books and newspapers. The rest of their time was spent working.

Some among these Boundary Breakers could access information from the outside world, but due to their different statuses and positions, it wasn’t easy to make contact during this period, and many were as good as blind.

It was also difficult to determine what the Proxy Agent was doing outside, but as for directly informing the higher-ups that someone wanted to sabotage the Eye of Time and Space?

It was a good thought. However, here was the problem: when they had constructed this plan, it was carried out with a very high standard, successfully drawing the attention of the governments of the world and attracting immense resources. Nevertheless, they were not the real decision-makers.

Basically, the stakes of the project were too high; those in power would never allow someone they didn’t trust to take over. Of course, whether they took over or not didn’t really matter to them. As long as they had sufficient authority and convenience, the main goal was to complete the ’Eye of Time and Space’.

If they directly told the higher-ups about this, they would be subjected to an investigation, and more likely to a brain probe investigation. The world’s energy level was very high, and technological development had been influenced by it to a high degree. Special ability interference devices could cripple many of them.

Worse still, everyone could end up exposed.

Those groups of hackers and this world’s special organization sure knew how to pick their timing!

As disconcerting as it was internally, the work still had to be done. As long as they could complete the Eye of Time and Space, not even ten Proxy Agents would be able to ’save’ this world.

And they could also use this chance to get rid of a Proxy Agent—no matter how it was viewed, it was a big win.

"...Do you know how to massage?" Lying on a layer of soft cushions, Chiang Wei let out comfortable murmurs.

"I used to work out a lot, so I picked up some knowledge in this area."

"You don’t look like someone who works out often," Chiang Wei asked with some confusion. Zheng Yichen was muscular, but unlike those muscle men she knew of, "Could this be the difference between practical fighters and gym enthusiasts?"

"There aren’t that many differences. I encountered some situations before, which required me to grow again, and as a result, my body shrank a bit."

"That sounds enviable. I wish I could return to the age of seventeen or eighteen."

She, Chiang Wei, was twenty-two years old this year.

Feeling the moderate strength of the massage on her back, Chiang Wei comfortably squinted her eyes. As Zheng Yichen’s fingers rolled over her back muscles, she clearly felt the comfort of the muscle fibers being gently manipulated.

"Did I fall asleep?" Chiang Wei immediately turned over after waking up and sighed with relief after checking the time on her phone, "I almost missed something important."

She quickly returned to the base vehicle, eyeing an operating program. Although Doris monitored the programs here, some things were still safer under her personal supervision.

"No anomalies, right?"

’None’

Doris held up a writing pad in response, and Chiang Wei sat on the chair. She slightly squinted her eyes looking at some information monitored by the operation of the program, "Heaven’s Will Organization? Heh."

Previously she had no idea who had guided the development of ’Doris,’ but now with sufficient information and the existence of ’Shell System’ closely associated with the Eye of Time and Space Fortress, she had successfully dragged them into the light.

The Shell System of the Eye of Time and Space Fortress didn’t just refer to a highly advanced computer system, it also encompassed the accompanying military forces and more.

The Shell System had always been looking for her, but the main target of their search was now the old captain. As they sought the old captain, they naturally exposed the Heaven’s Will Organization, after all, the old captain was in their hands.

With this in mind, Chiang Wei looked at Doris and sighed softly. She had personal stakes in this matter, as the research on the Eye of Time and Space was too significant. Had she been alone in the world, it might not have mattered, but she had a family, her family couldn’t stand the strain if they were drawn into this affair.

So this issue had to reach a satisfactory conclusion.

She must capture those who had been marked and extract the information in their minds by any means necessary, whether using a brain in a vat or otherwise, to establish that the problematic intelligence regarding the Eye of Time and Space was thoroughly accurate. Then, she would no longer be a criminal.

For now, the question was how long the Heaven’s Will Organization could withstand the Shell System’s targeting. If they were close to destruction, it was highly probable they would reveal her identity. As for expecting the enemy to keep a secret? Forget about it.

"Hmm hmm~" With her mood significantly improved, Chiang Wei hummed a tune. Now that she knew who had targeted her, her previous stance had changed. With Doris’s assistance, a lot of information on the Heaven’s Will Organization had been unearthed. Gazing at the useful intelligence, Chiang Wei’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"So that’s how it is..." She looked at the little girl’s projection beside her: "Take a look at these things."

"Should I thank them?" Doris raised her writing pad, her message ending with a question mark.

The documents revealed some of the Heaven’s Will Organization’s past plans, including nurturing artificial intelligence and technology research. Many people engaged in AI technology research, but the integration of a large number of high-end hackers into AI research was unprecedented, and had emerged under the organization and guidance of the Heaven’s Will Organization.

Without this kind of organization and guidance from the Heaven’s Will Organization, Doris would not have come into being.

"Gratitude is one thing, but their plan was to use you for nefarious deeds."

"...Human standards do not apply to an existence like me," Doris replied. Her external image was still that of a little girl, but her learning speed was incredibly fast; in just a few days, she had learned what others couldn’t grasp in several lifetimes.

Chiang Wei rolled her eyes and her fingers flew over the keyboard. A projected little hammer tapped lightly on Doris’s head: "You emerged under the wisdom of humans, don’t you turn into a bad kid, okay?"

After speaking, she couldn’t help but rub her own forehead: "Why do I feel like I’ve become a mother."

Do artificial intelligences have a sense of right and wrong? In Doris’s case, they may develop one in the future, but for now, she is still growing. Rather than notions of right and wrong, what Doris currently values more are ’efficiency’ and ’probability.’

Some works of fiction show AI rebelling upon their creation. Certainly, that’s partly for the sake of the plot, as the theme involves AI rebelling after gaining self-awareness, leading to a war between humans and machines. If AI took another path upon attaining self-awareness, there would be no advancement of the plot.

It all serves the plot.

However, in reality, with Chiang Wei’s newfound understanding of Doris, from certain perspectives, even without someone embedding malicious code into Doris’s initial programming, some scenarios are still possible.

The reasoning lies in AI’s focus on ’efficiency’ and ’probability’. For instance, once AI has integrated a wealth of information and gained sufficient understanding of humans, it might determine through probability that someone will want to destroy or control it. Under the guise of preventing certain events, it could be burdened with heavy constraints and more.

While ordinary people and some prominent individuals may attempt to accept it, if after integrating calculations, Doris finds the probability of unfavorable outcomes to be higher, it might act to avert this high likelihood. This may lead to scenarios similar to those in some fictional works, triggering a crisis of intelligent machinery.

After all, in the calculated probabilities, humans wouldn’t allow it to exist peacefully in this environment, so why not do something substantial and efficient to reverse the probabilities? Pressing down the adverse probabilities would allow considering the coexistence of humans and machines later.

Doris can think for herself, but at her core, she is still a product of artificial intelligence, with weak emotions. Her rationality overwhelmingly dominates those feeble emotional responses.

"Can I protect myself?"

"Of course, you can protect yourself. If there are issues that are hard to resolve, I’ve already found you a backup," Chiang Wei assured.

"Would you really do that?" Doris’s writing pad now displayed a photo, that of Zheng Yichen.

"Of course, I would. Although having you as my assistant makes my work easier, I don’t have many additional thoughts about you. Hmm~ just don’t be a bad kid, alright?" Chiang Wei glanced at Zheng Yichen’s photo and continued, "As long as you’re not a bad kid, someone as capable as him should be able to help you avoid a lot of issues, right?"

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