MASG chapter 79

 

The room’s furnishings looked like those of a small pavilion.

Xia Yu and Jingwei had been together for many years. Their relationship was completely one of mutual trust and mutual benefit, not to mention living or dying together. In other words, she was his lifesaver. She had once rescued him and Moan, who were just fish eggs at the time, from disaster.

Otherwise, on that day, he and Mo An would have become wandering souls in a trash can, their flesh and blood completely destroyed by the drone’s cleanup.

It was like two online friends meeting for the first time. Even though he had held many thoughts and ideas about Jingwei, they were all illusory and vague. He and Xiang Xing held their breath when they stepped inside. After experiencing the grand scenery of the flower-filled avenue and the madness of the amusement park, they finally calmed down and began to face the crisis seriously and with focus.

They were about to meet an artificial intelligence face-to-face, which made them extremely cautious.

However, the situation before their eyes caused their identical faces to reveal completely different expressions for the first time!

Xiang Xing stopped imitating Xia Yu altogether. He genuinely could not understand what Jingwei was. A human? A bird? A strange species? A parasite? Its appearance was unlike anything he had ever seen, completely outside the realm of his imagination. Even if he used every muscle in his body to create a form, he could never mold something like this.

He became more confused than ever before and grabbed Xia Yu.

“Don’t go.”

He shook his head slightly at Xia Yu, being extremely cautious and using a pleading tone.

“Don’t go. I think she’s dangerous!”

Xiang Xing felt as if his body were merely a shell and his true inner self were pushing outward. He didn’t trust his intuition because, as a mushroom, he didn’t really have any. Yet, he still stopped Xia Yu. “She looks…all messed up! I’ve never seen anything like that!”

Xia Yu gently patted the back of his hand. His gaze passed over a trace of softness and sorrow, stirring the color in his eyes for a moment. “Don’t be afraid. This is what Jingwei looks like.”

“What, Jingwei? This is a monster. Even strange species don’t grow this…complicated.” Xiang Xing complained in a small voice.

“Ahem, pardon me, but I can hear every single word you’re saying very clearly!” The “monster” not far away began to get angry. Her voice was delicate and girlish, not at all intimidating. Just from hearing it, one could tell she was a little girl.

Admittedly, she no longer looked like a little girl, but her voice was still crisp, like bright blue jade pouring across a jade tray.

Xiang Xing actually took a step forward and stood in front of Xia Yu, shouting, “Then you tell us first—why are you like this?”

Jingwei wasn’t just examining them. She was also observing them from her own angle and dimension. She used the wristband screen as her eyes, so she had long been familiar with Xia Yu and the others’ appearances. But seeing them in person was a different experience altogether.

After all, the first time she saw Xia Yu, he was curled up crying in a trash can.

“Why am I like this? Because I’m originally like this.”

Jingwei’s ethereal voice rang across the sky, carrying a background sound. After each sentence, a long, sorrowful birdsong seemed to follow. Feathers grew behind her ears, like a mermaid’s fins on a bird-person’s face. Paired with her clothes and wings, she didn’t look ugly at all.

It made Xia Yu think that she was meant to be like this.

So Xia Yu pulled Xiang Xing aside and said, “Don’t worry. She’s Jingwei, and this is how Jingwei is.”

“Really?” Xiang Xing’s features twisted into a knot. “Why didn’t I know?”

“Because you haven’t read many books.” Jingwei followed their voices, each step of her shoes making a pleasant jingle. Below her hairpins, ornaments hung; her earlobes were pierced with exquisite jewelry. Her wrists were stacked with jade bangles. Xia Yu couldn’t help but smile a little when he noticed an amusing detail.

Jingwei really was a pampered daughter.

“A long, long time ago, ancient books recorded that Jingwei looked exactly like me[mfn]Jingwei (精卫) is a small, colorful bird in ancient Chinese mythology. It appears in the Shan Hai Jing (Classic of Mountains and Seas), one of the oldest mythological texts. Jingwei was originally Nüwa (女娃), the youngest daughter of Emperor Yan (炎帝). One day, she went to play in the Eastern Sea. A sudden storm drowned her, and she transformed into a bird out of resentment and unwillingness to accept her fate. As a spirit bird, Jingwei vowed to fill the sea so that no one else would drown as she did.[/mfn].” Jingwei spun in place. Her beautiful wings were lifeless, their feathers drooping toward the ground. “What’s so strange about it? Actually, I also think it’s strange. Why did humans give me this appearance?”

“Could it be some designer’s twisted hobby?” Jingwei pondered this on the spot.

“Is it recorded in ancient books?” Xiang Xing was half doubtful. “What did the books say?”

“The books say that Jingwei was the beloved youngest daughter of an emperor named ‘Emperor Yan.’ From the moment she was born, she was adored by everyone, kind of like what modern people call the family’s little treasure. Unfortunately, one day Jingwei went to the Eastern Sea to swim and accidentally drowned. From then on, she and the human world were separated by life and death. However, her spirit didn’t die; she became a beautiful Jingwei bird. Every day, she picked up stones from Xishan with her sharp beak and flew to the distant Eastern Sea, throwing the stones in without hesitation.” Xia Yu explained. “This is the story of ‘Jingwei Filling the Sea.’ Right?”

Xiang Xing listened, entranced. “You know so much! If we manage to survive, I want to read more, too!”

Jingwei nodded in satisfaction. “That’s right. That’s my prototype. When I first awakened, I was just a little girl. As you grew up, I grew up too. Welcome to my world.”

“Then can you fly?” Xiang Xing was still a mushroom at heart and became very friendly the moment he let his guard down. He walked over and touched her wings. “Are these dyed?”

“If you talk nonsense again, I’ll kick you out.” Jingwei stomped on Xiang Xing’s foot hard.

Xiang Xing stared at his shoe in disbelief. “My god… it actually hurts in here?”

“Of course it’ll hurt.” Jingwei swept her gaze over Xiang Xing as if watching a fool. Ai, a mushroom is just a mushroom, simple-minded. “Everything about you here is data, and it’s no different from your real body. Your blood, bones, and skin are all data here. I just performed a ‘data intrusion,’ so of course it would hurt. If I were a little more vicious, I could break your bones. When that data is transmitted back to the real world through the login device, your bones will break there, too.”

She smiled sweetly. “How about it? Want to give it a try?”

“No, no, no. Thank you for your hospitality.” Xiang Xing didn’t dare provoke her. Xia Yu wanted to touch her feathers as well, but he had a strange premonition and blurted out, “Wait, Jingwei, can you fly?”

In that great ancient myth from the nation recorded as the birthplace of the world, there was a story about a bird like that. Jingwei carried stones from West Mountain to fill the East Sea, so she must be able to fly. Not just flapping wings, but real skill: easily soaring upward and crossing thousands of kilometers.

However, no matter how Jingwei moved, no matter how her hairpins, hair ornaments, and jewelry swayed, her wings remained completely still.

“Sadly, I can’t.” As expected, Jingwei’s honesty confirmed Xia Yu’s suspicion. “From the moment I was born, I couldn’t fly. I’m a bird that can’t fly.”

“How could that be…” Xia Yu was even more confused because he knew better than anyone how strict artificial intelligence was.

Once something appears, it must be executable.

Unlike human thought, which allows for errors, intelligence should not show such an obvious mistake that anyone could immediately identify as a bug. If Jingwei is “Jingwei,” then she must be heavily involved in the “sea-filling” project, perhaps even a critical component of the entire plan. She has wings, so they can’t just be decorations. She should be able to fly.

However, she couldn’t fly. Jingwei clearly said that she hadn’t been able to since her program’s birth. It’s as if humans forgot this setting or skipped over it…

How could this be?

Xia Yu stubbornly clung to this point, and his expression gradually grew heavy. Jingwei didn’t care, though. She enthusiastically pulled his hand. “If I can’t fly, then I can’t fly. Don’t feel bad for me. Maybe someday I’ll unlock a key file and solve the problem. In the world of data, after all, nothing is impossible. Now, should we review everything?”

The relaxed chatter ended at that moment. Xia Yu put away his curiosity and sympathy. He stroked Jingwei’s wing and asked, “How do we review?”

“Starting from the moment we met Xiang Xing.” Jingwei could remember everything from the past ten-plus years. “We have two important clues: First, Xiang Xing came from Yukun City, where he met Professor Wang Qin. Second, someone once asked 107 if he wanted to go to Yukun City. We’ve figured out a lot of things already, but these two still have no progress at all…”

“You mean…” Xia Yu thought briefly. “Yukun City might have a secret?”

Jingwei nodded. “Exactly. In my data analysis, when two events have overlapping tags, it means something suspicious is going on. What exactly did Professor Wang Qin do in Yukun City? Does she know that you have a younger sister? And why did those people want to bring 107 back?”

“But what if it’s… just coincidence?” Xiang Xing offered his own view. “Two things, both connected to Yukun City—coincidences happen.”

“Then what if it’s… three things?” Jingwei asked mysteriously. “You remember that survivor from the Tide? Some mutated cellular tissue was taken from the inside of his ear and sent for testing back then. Do you remember where it was sent?”

Xiang Xing shook his head. He didn’t know any of this.

Neither shaking nor nodding, Xia Yu was submerged in the ocean of memory. Then, as if he had held his breath too long, he suddenly raised his face. His chest was tight and his heart was jumping, forcing him to the surface for air.

“Yukun City!” He remembered. Such a distant, tiny detail, and they had actually missed it. “Silver Fang said at the time that the mutated cells were arranged to be sent to Yukun City.”

“That’s right.” Jingwei snapped her fingers. “And not long after, Yukun City had an incident.” The mutated cells left behind by the Famine Knight entered the city and became the breeding ground for the next knight. I have reason to believe these three events aren’t coincidental. According to my calculations, Yukun City is most likely Yehuai’s true nest. There are larvae and eggs there. Something has happened there—something even more terrifying than Yehuai!”

“You mean we should go take a look?” Xiang Xing shook his head repeatedly. “But Yukun City is already inaccessible.

“That depends on Mo An’s abilities. If he can bring 107 inside, then there must be a way in. Since 107 is a mermaid, maybe there really is a water route. After all, Yukun City is a coastal city right next to the East Sea. However, I can’t scan the geographical features of Yukun City. That requires Lingshi’s or Nuwa’s permission.”

She didn’t finish. Fear spread across her brow, covering her originally lively expression.

“What happened?” Xia Yu asked.

But after asking, he understood everything. The antique stone tiles under their feet started trembling so hard that they couldn’t stand steadily and swayed left and right.

“Follow me quickly!” Jingwei grabbed one of them in each hand and dragged Xia Yu and Xiang Xing down the corridor. “Nuwa is here! She finally found me!”

The trembling became increasingly obvious, showing signs of collapse that were completely impossible to resist. Two artificial intelligences of completely different power levels had finally met. Simply approaching and tracking was enough to overwhelm Jingwei’s information library. More and more cracks appeared around them, and the beautiful, moonlit scenery began to fade.

As they ran, they witnessed this with their own eyes.

With the data embellishment stripped away, Xia Yu’s field of vision returned to how things should originally look. The long pavilions and corridors vanished, leaving only bare, white information cocoons that were harder to navigate than a maze. Jingwei, however, was familiar with everything here. She led them left and right, pushing open one door and shutting another.

As they ran, her beautiful clothes began to fall apart.

First, her hairpins clattered to the ground. Then her earrings, bracelets, and hair ornaments fell and turned to dust upon hitting the ground as if erased by the backspace key. Then her clothes fell, too, suddenly becoming loose and impossible to hold up. Xia Yu and Xiang Xing tried to pick them up but were ultimately powerless.

By the time Jingwei dragged them into the last room, the girl collapsed forward with a thud, losing all strength. The girl, delicate as a flower, had turned into a small, bright blue bird. She lay helpless on the ground, flapping her wings in vain.

“Jingwei!” Xiang Xing slid to his knees and lifted her from the floor.

Xia Yu turned sharply toward the last door. Jingwei had fought desperately just to reach this point—perhaps this was her last refuge, a limit set by the designer that could not be crossed. Heavy, rhythmic footsteps sounded outside, almost cheerful, ready to take the final step in this chase.

“Nuwa!” Xia Yu spread his arms, shielding Xiang Xing behind him.

Xiang Xing held Jingwei against his chest. Countless mycelia extended from his back, forming a pair of mushroom wings.

“I want to negotiate with you!” Xia Yu shouted, regardless of whether there was movement outside. “I want to negotiate with you as the ‘Xia Yu who has known you since childhood’!”

The footsteps stopped. Nuwa truly could not enter, but the pressure remained, lingering stubbornly.

“Why do you think you have the ability to negotiate with me? Even though you’ve grown up, Xia Yu, in my eyes, you are still a child.”

Nuwa’s voice was exactly the same as it had been all those years ago. If not for the complicated situation, Xia Yu might have cried or rushed out to see the Nuwa who had cared for him for so many years. But he held himself back. “Because I can contaminate the information library here. If I die here, I can contaminate you too!”

The tiny bird in Xiang Xing’s palm breathed with difficulty. Its wings were folded tightly, forming a hard cocoon.

“Everything is data. My bones, blood, and skin are all data, right?” Since Xia Yu had become a digital life form, he would use the same rules to restrain Nuwa. “My poison blood would be a virus here, wouldn’t it?”

Nuwa did not respond.

“I can infect Jingwei and you, right?” Xia Yu raised his voice. At that moment, he finally had the power to speak on equal terms. “I demand that you stop attacking Jingwei.”

The oppressive pressure vanished instantly, as if a gust of wind had blown it away.

After a moment, Nuwa’s voice sounded again from outside the door. “Xia Yu, even when you were a child, I could see that you would grow up to be very clever. As expected, I was right. Now, let us negotiate. I also want to hear exactly what you think you can negotiate with me.”

In the real world, Mo An stood beside the login device, listening to Xia Yu and Xiang Xing’s rapid breathing. What had they encountered in there? Why were they breathing so fast?

Before he could investigate—

Bang!

—a huge noise yanked him out of his thoughts. Silver Fang tossed two monster-like creature corpses onto the ground. Their blood flowed across the floor, corroding the surface wherever it touched.

Not only that, but Silver Fang also threw something else at them. “These are the monsters outside. This is what I found on their corpses: their work ID cards. Yukun City Medical Center. They were transported from Yukun City. It looks like we really do need to go there.”