MASG chapter 148

 

The glow of the base reflected in Xia Yu’s eyes and turned into countless flames, symbolizing hope.

Did it succeed? Did it succeed? Xia Yu pressed Mo An’s hand down tightly, afraid that he wouldn’t be able to make full contact with the energy storage tower due to his complete lack of strength. The formerly lifeless Power Plant No. 3 had become a gathering place of spiraling lights. At that moment, Xia Yu seemed like stardust. What unfolded before him resembled a miniature universe and fragments of genes.

The arc-shaped giant screen on the dome was the only response.

[No. 998 energy storage tower, charging preparation.]

[No. 998 energy storage tower, charging complete.]

[No. 999 energy storage tower, charging preparation.]

[No. 999 energy storage tower, charging complete.]

Each word that appeared struck Xia Yu’s heart. There were a total of 999 energy storage towers—so many! They were arranged in a formation that formed a lotus pattern. As the blue light reignited, the blue lotus gradually took shape and the ground began to sink.

Sure enough, this wasn’t just a power plant. It was more like a living maze.

Mo An’s eyes, which had originally been unable to see anything, began to accept light. It was as if a gentle hand were pulling him back from a gray world into reality. The light dispelled not only the darkness, but also the fear in his heart. Was this long-silent city finally about to light up?

He looked toward the dome. Waves of heat were rapidly drawn out of Mo An’s body and fiercely absorbed by the energy storage towers. He had been here many times before. From the first time to the last, only a small part had been lit. This time, however, the power was enough to restart everything, showing just how terrifying the energy of that chip from Yukun City was.

Fortunately, he had absorbed it. Otherwise, it would have caused uncontrollable electronic corruption and possibly dragged half the Earth into it.

Pain tore at his nerves, strand by strand. Mo An couldn’t pinpoint the location of the pain, but it felt as if a layer of skin had been forcibly peeled off. It was as if every scale on his body had been torn away. Excessive ecological electricity passed through his fingers. In that moment, Mo An was merely a medium of life.

Air could transmit sound. He could transmit electricity.

This was the mermaid’s gift—his unique gift.

Once all the energy storage towers finished charging, Mo An could vaguely see his surroundings. He hadn’t taken a single step, yet it felt as if he had left Earth and arrived in the unknown depths of the universe, touching the mysteries of life. Blue electric light darted around him, like stars.

They were like stars. Mo An suddenly wanted to cry. His whole body was illuminated. Life should be like this—calm and eternal.

[Charging complete. Initiating awakening.]

[“Reclamation” Project officially launched.]

Amid a breathtaking, dreamlike scene, Xia Yu, Mo An, Silver Fang, and Xiaoxiao—the four people who had finally reached the No. 3 Power Plant—witnessed the miracle they had been waiting for. The Reclamation Project had finally begun its destined course. The spiral-shaped structures were not only towers, but also the shape of human genes. Technology and life were closely connected and inseparable.

“It’s activated…” Xia Yu couldn’t help but sigh.

The towers had not only been activated, but the floor beneath their feet had also turned into a deeply sunken funnel, about to carry them somewhere. Yet this sensation was gentle, not harmful. Even when they lost their footing several times, they felt no fear. At the same time, the main gate of the power plant lit up—the gate that had once kept them out and could only be entered by passing through acid.

The numbers on the gate, the walls, and the dome lit up at the same time.

The numbers were monotonous and dull—only 0, 1, or 2—flashing here and there, dazzling the eyes. They were like a string of code running on its own and analyzing everything in the world and logical consciousness.

“It’s all characters in here.” Silver Fang was still carrying Xia Xiaoxiao.

“I used to think only the gate had carved patterns and numbers. I didn’t expect the walls and dome to be covered, too. The gate only has zero and one, but the walls and dome have two.” Xia Yu’s gaze swept around, finally stopping at Mo An’s eye sockets. “Does it still hurt? Can you see me now?”

Mo An pressed his hot palm over Xia Yu’s finger. Because of the excessive ecological current passing through, his palm was slightly blackened. “I can see now… what are we supposed to do next?”

Yeah. What were they supposed to do next? Xia Xiaoxiao lightly patted Silver Fang’s back. “Put me down.”

“It’s fine. You weigh nothing to me.” Silver Fang said honestly.

“If there’s danger later, you can carry me again. I can stand on my own now.” Xia Xiaoxiao insisted. Silver Fang didn’t force the issue anymore. He slightly bent his knees and put her down. Once both feet touched the ground, the frail Xia Xiaoxiao wobbled for a moment before standing steadily. Her expression was thoughtful.

“0… 1, and 2.” She counted while closing her eyes.

Was she thinking? Or had she remembered something else? Xia Yu really wanted to ask, but he knew he couldn’t disturb her at that moment. So, he placed his hand against his sister’s palm. The blue light that had been in front of his eyes instantly vanished like smoke. He fell once more into his sister’s ocean of memories. When his vision brightened, Xia Yu found himself back in the laboratory.

He lowered his head to look. He could see a pair of very small hands, like a baby’s.

These people… were experimenting on Xiaoxiao when she was still a baby? Although Xia Yu already knew that Rijianmei Plastic Surgery Hospital had no humanity, he was still shocked by how low they had sunk.

“She—what exactly does she do? What are we supposed to study about her?”

“They said she’s a jellyfish gene hybrid, so they sent her here.”

“Heh, jellyfish? There are so many gene hybrids now with all kinds of varieties. Why would anyone bother researching something like this? Did someone’s project fail, and did they just dump it on us?”

“No, this is an order from the highest level. Dissect and study the test subject thoroughly on the condition that the subject remains alive. The first surgery was carried out yesterday. The test subject’s fingers can self-heal. Today’s research focus is whether biological proteins can be reversed.”

“You’re going to burn her? Then go do it. Also, find Wang Ling as soon as possible!”

Behind the male researcher was a screen. On the screen, the protagonist was still Professor Wang Ling. She didn’t look as old as in the previous footage—this must be a video from a meeting when she was younger.

The young Wang Ling held a small electronic screen and spoke with her head lowered : “…And what we understand as binary is a technical system based on 2. Within this system, only two symbols, 0 and 1, are used to represent values. This system is the most widely used numeral system in computational technology. We all know its base is 2, and we also know its carry rule is ‘carry one when reaching two,’ and its borrowing rule is ‘borrow one as two.’”

“This was the root of all number systems and the original intent of Nuwa’s founding team. However, through recent research, we discovered that in Nuwa’s binary source world, a new unit appeared.”

“2.”

“This does not belong to the set of values established by humans, nor is it an error code. In summary, we believe this is Nuwa’s self-awareness breaking free from binary and creating a number it understands.”

“It now has not only 0 and 1, but also 2, which is easy for humans to understand. However, for an artificial intelligence that has never been exposed to numerical consciousness, this is no less difficult than creating energy out of thin air.”

“Nuwa is awakening. This has already become a fact, and this kind of awakening is a significant evolution. Artificial intelligence has always been a dangerous topic throughout history.”

“This morning, I received the latest information transmitted by Nuwa. This is the first time Nuwa has proactively communicated with humans. I believe she has been waiting a long time.”

“When translated from code, the content of the communication is a sentence with Eastern literary flair taken from Chapter 42 of the Dao De Jing.”[mfn]The Dao De Jing (or Tao Te Ching) translates to “The Classic on the Way and its Power or Virtue.” It is an ancient Chinese philosophical text attributed to Laozi, foundational to Taoism. The text emphasizes living in harmony with the Tao (the Way) and is renowned for its profound insights into life and nature. It is one of the most translated works in the world, reflecting its significant influence on Eastern philosophy and spirituality.[/mfn]

“Dao gives birth to One, One gives birth to Two, Two gives birth to Three, Three gives birth to all things.”

Three gives birth to all things… Three gives birth to all things! Xia Yu suddenly opened his eyes and released his sister’s hands. He looked around again. On the door were 0 and 1; on the walls and dome was 2. Then what did this place truly mean?

No. 3 Power Plant.

No. 3 Power Plant did not represent slaughter or termination, but a brand-new beginning.

At this very moment, the brilliant blue light dimmed, and the 0, 1, and 2 lost their vitality, turning into dull matter. The vibration beneath their feet stopped as well. The Reclamation Plan had clearly stalled.

“What’s going on? Why isn’t it continuing?” Silver Fang sensed the change and immediately picked up his weapon.

A line of text flashed across the dome:

[The Reclamation Project has encountered energy counterflow and has been suspended.]

“Why was it suspended? Was it Nuwa?” Mo An looked around. As he was about to ask Xia Yu, he saw a look on Xia Yu’s face that seemed to convey understanding.

Ling Shi: [Everyone, just now, the No. 3 Power Plant was attacked by an unknown current. The attack came from underground. So now…]

“Why? Isn’t Nuwa unable to interfere here?” Silver Fang asked.

The voice in the wristband came intermittently. Ling Shi’s voice grew louder and softer.

Ling Shi: [The reason is unknown, but… although I don’t want to say this, friends, our plan has already failed. No. 3 Power Plant is the key to shutting down Nuwa, but clearly…]

“The key to shutting down Nuwa?” Xia Yu raised his wrist and looked at the wristband connected to Ling Shi. “Are you sure?”

Ling Shi: [Based on previous speculation.]

“I previously speculated that this place was the key to shutting down artificial intelligence. But I never thought it was the key to shutting down Nuwa.” Xia Yu stroked the screen of the wristband. It was the last thing Professor Wang Qin had given him before her death. “Raise Mo An, go see the sea, save the world…” Professor Wang’s words originally meant this.

Ling Shi: [What do you mean?]

“What it means is that No. 3 Power Plant was never built to shut down Nuwa. Its function is not to shut down, but to restart.” Xia Yu said.

Mo An and Silver Fang turned toward him at the same time. Even Xia Xiaoxiao moved quickly, full of doubt yet complete trust. No matter how outrageous Xia Yu’s words might be, she firmly chose to believe him.

Xia Yu looked at the wristband screen and spoke each word clearly: “Because Nuwa never betrayed humanity.”

“Nuwa was forcibly shut down during the incident of betrayal back then. The artificial intelligence that replaced her has always been you, Ling Shi.”

“Nuwa never betrayed humans. From that day on, Nuwa never appeared again. It was always you.”

“No. 3 Power Plant exists to restart Nuwa’s main system.”

Xia Yu’s wristband flickered twice.

The small screen turned from blue to red.

On the red screen, a text emoticon flashed: ^_^

 

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