Chapter 729: 29. The Unchanged
“Boom!”
“What’s happening?”
Fisher raised his eyes to look at the shaking shelter around him, but the shaking only lasted for a moment before the entire shelter went quiet again.
Just as Fisher thought it might be just a secondary impact from the pollution outside the shelter, a terrifyingly intense shaking hit again, even more severe than the previous one.
“Boom!”
“Crack crack crack!”
Dust began to fall “swoosh” from the empty space above the giant door, mixed with black and white mycelium from outside, creating a mist in mid-air. Looking up, Fisher saw that the inner walls of the shelter had burst open with dense cracks like spider webs, and from those cracks, flesh and tissue could be vaguely seen.
Just as Hamon Hamon had said earlier, the entire angelic shelter had been ingested and transformed by His authority, which is why they could see the giant eyes appearing on the surface before entering the shelter.
Fisher and Renee exchanged glances, both understanding that some sort of change might have occurred.
“Let’s go find Gouwen.”
Seeing the shaking around them growing more intense, Fisher planned to take the floating Renee with him to find David and Gouwen who had scattered.
Not long after, Fisher was the first to see Gouwen anxiously tapping the ground and quickly running towards them.
As the two sides met, both Fisher and Gouwen’s expressions slightly changed, and they spoke simultaneously,
“What’s wrong? The entire shelter is…”
“Fisher, they’ve opened the document at David’s side!”
Upon hearing this, Fisher’s expression turned strange.
“What do you mean? What does that document have to do with the shelter? Did opening it cause the shelter to self-destruct?”
“No, it shouldn’t be. This change should have something to do with Hamon Hamon, who knows.” Gouwen glanced at the constantly shaking shelter and said to Fisher, “Anyway, Hamon Hamon has agreed to open the document, and once He sees the answers inside, He will hand over His authority. As for the answers in that document…”
“You’ve seen it?”
“We’ve seen it, but there’s no useful information, you’ll know when you check it. Just in time, I’ll go find Hamon Hamon. After we finish all this, we need to leave quickly.”
David’s location for deciphering the document was not far from there. Gouwen turned to look for Hamon Hamon’s whereabouts, and watching him leave, Fisher couldn’t help but feel curious about the content of the document David had opened.
After all, the document’s name was named after him.
“I have a bad feeling, Fisher.”
Just as Fisher was moving towards David’s direction with Renee, Renee suddenly seemed to sense something. She raised her index and middle fingers to her forehead, closed her eyes, and after a moment of silence, when she opened them, she suddenly said to Fisher.
“What’s wrong?”
“Something seems to have happened outside the barrier; I need to return to my body temporarily.”
Fisher quickly realized that the change happening in the shelter was related to Hamon Hamon’s true form outside the barrier, so he nodded and said to Renee,
“Okay, you go. We’ll take care of things here.”
“Yeah, be careful. I’ll bring back any news once I’m done.”
After saying that, Renee was gradually enveloped by a faint light like moonlight, until her recognizable form was completely consumed and became unrecognizable.
“…”
Fisher withdrew his gaze and turned towards the display screen, where data had been pulled up by Hamon Hamon earlier. Now, the document had been opened, revealing dense angelic texts, clearly being read by David.
He looked at David, who was focused on reading the content word by word, deeply absorbed.
Fisher did not interrupt him but similarly looked up at the large screen, beginning to read the content there.
“Disconnection program launch progress: 100%”
“Disconnection program launched successfully.”
The first lines that caught his eye were these two, leaving Fisher feeling somewhat puzzled.
According to Hamon Hamon, this “Fisher Program” should be a study on how he was able to enter the Sea of Chaos unharmed, but how could it also be related to David’s disconnection later on?
However, as Fisher continued to read, he quickly discovered the answer, as he found more information within the increasingly lengthy records.
It was about Tang Zeming Asuka.
He remembered that earlier, Senior Ashley had mentioned that Mikhail often communicated with them through David No. 1 within the society, and through this connection, communicated about the internal matters of the Creation Society with Tang Zeming Asuka.
Michael was aware of this matter and had specifically reserved a folder in the Holy Realm’s database to save Mikhail’s contacts with the Creation Society.
The name of this folder on the surface was the “Fisher Program.”
From the perspective of the Holy Realm, it was reasonable to record and study a “trans” who could survive the chaos’s influence; and Mikhail must have known about Tang Zeming Asuka’s long wait, though he was unsure if the name also carried that meaning.
As a record of Mikhail’s contact with the Creation Society, the “Fisher Program” preserved a large amount of information about Tang Zeming Asuka before she entered the Spirit Realm.
Michael had always known about Tang Zeming Asuka’s whereabouts but had not disclosed this information to the Holy Realm.
“Mikhail, it seems that David No. 1 has encountered some issues and keeps throwing errors.”
“Received, I will check and respond as soon as possible.”
“…”
“The issue has been identified and fixed.”
“Thank you, Mikhail.”
“You’re welcome. The artificial intelligence we created in the original world operates according to certain algorithms and is based on databases for real-time calculations. In this sense, the mechanism providing the calculations is equivalent to the cerebral cortex, while the network-connected database is the place for storing memories. However, I gradually discovered that our world’s original artificial intelligence still has certain flaws; it overly relies on the originally built-in algorithms, which causes all the ‘Davids’ to exhibit similarities. Once the data in the network becomes chaotic, the algorithm constructs erroneous thoughts based on the disordered information, leading to errors.”
“So, we just need to refine the algorithm?”
“That’s one way to solve this issue, but both Michael and I are also researching a new intelligent structure to replace this flawed algorithm. I will inform you once we achieve results.”
“…”
“The new type of intelligent structure has been successfully experimented with. Based on consciousness as a carrier, Michael and I were inspired and have begun testing subjects.”
“Really? That’s wonderful!”
“…”
Such dialogues continued for thousands of lines, covering almost everything. Many matters seemed quite serious at the time but, considering that several millennia had passed, from Fisher’s current perspective, they had long become mere dust in the long river of history.
Yet Fisher still picked out a few key pieces of content that were about the prototype of a new intelligent structure.
However, after that, the document ceased to contain any news about Tang Zeming Asuka, indicating it was already a time node after she entered the Spirit Realm, at which point the narrative changed dramatically.
After Tang Zeming Asuka left, the dialogue between Mikhail and the Creation Society became fewer, but the document still left other records, concerning
“David.”
Looking at the records above, Fisher finally understood why David beside him stared at the screen in silence for so long.
Ever since Tang Zeming Asuka entered the Spirit Realm and never returned, and the Mother began to harshly interfere with reality, the division of the entire world began to become extraordinarily agitated. The situation with the Duke of Peach being polluted by chaos further stirred undercurrents between the elves and angels.
Mikhail’s legitimacy as a subject of research by the Holy Realm was questioned at that time.
Yet, ultimately, under the research of Mikhail and Michael, more and more results from the mechanisms were produced, allowing Michael to ultimately retain Mikhail.
Amidst such a backdrop, the experiments of Mikhail and Michael succeeded.
They created a unique artificial intelligence different from the past using a new structure and placed it into a carefully prepared mechanism body, naming it.
David.
There was no number attached; this was his name, enough to show that in Mikhail’s heart, this intelligence birthed through him and Michael could be regarded as his true offspring.
“Sometimes I can’t tell whether I am a trans or a being born and raised in this world.”
In the records, Mikhail candidly mentioned,
“I only lived less than forty years in my original world, yet here, I have lived for five thousand years. What a long time this is! All things considered, my original world seems to have been modified by nuclear bombs only for a few hundred years, yet I have unknowingly experienced a time far longer than that, alongside Michael.
“What exactly should my relationship with Michael be?
“Sometimes I can’t help but wonder.
“If we say we are friends, it still cannot accurately describe the intimacy between us or depict every inch of detail of him that I meticulously remember, nor explain the time we spent inseparably together; if we say we are partners, he is not female and has never had any intention of becoming female, and our direct interactions are few— as if even a brief touch on the workbench, or the occasional long hair intertwining could be considered intimacy.
“Considering this, I am still not as carefree as Fisher, who can interact intimately with the angels without any psychological burden; and Michael, unlike the empathic Hela who left the Holy Realm long ago, makes me difficult to fathom.
“He seems like my closest companion, my unspoken confidant, my steadfast supporter, my backing when I am isolated and helpless— it’s truly hard to articulate, and still unclear. Perhaps without him by my side, the chaos within me would have long spiraled out of control like a runaway horse. I always feel a sense of tranquility when he is near, enabling me to achieve many things I dared not to imagine before, for which I am very grateful.
“Back then, Gabriel used the tears from the World Tree that Fisher left before leaving to create this world’s unique holy artifact of wisdom. Although Michael publicly does not say it, how could he, who is keen on craftsmanship and has a strong competitive spirit, be at ease with this? Hmm, perhaps this is why I have always focused on researching artificial intelligence.
“Although I consider myself quite skilled in artificial intelligence technology, both Michael and I must admit that the David we created cannot compare in vitality to the book-shaped holy artifact made by Gabriel, which Gabriel treats as a child. The soul within that cold intelligence seems to burn like a blazing flame, making it entirely incomparable. Michael deeply cares about this, and perhaps it’s also the reason I’ve been committed to studying new intelligent models since then.
“After being inspired by the material existence in this world, I seem to have truly created something that satisfies Michael significantly. I reserved the original, precious name for him; he may become a unique consciousness without needing an identification number.”
The records did not abruptly stop; down below, some accounts of the lives of Michael, Mikhail, and the newly born David were recorded.
It was evident that Mikhail and Michael put much effort into this creation; perhaps they truly regarded David as their own child. Even after the outbreak of the mutation virus, Mikhail sent David away from the shelter, and David continued to search for them even after losing memory due to disconnection.
At this moment, reflecting on the “disconnection command” from the beginning of the execution program, Fisher couldn’t help but think about the situation back then.
When Michael and Mikhail were about to face death due to the mutation, Fisher did not know what thoughts they would have while looking at these records, nor did he know what thoughts David had while looking at these records at that moment.
“We’re here. Hamon Hamon, we’ve opened the document.”
Fisher and David’s silence was abruptly interrupted by Gouwen’s sudden remark from behind. Fisher and David turned their heads to look back and saw Hamon Hamon, whose body also bore cracks, walking back expressionlessly alongside Gouwen.
He looked up at the document above, and a glimmer of light flashed in his eyes before gradually dimming during the quick scan, as if finding nothing.
David looked at Hamon Hamon with a solemn tone and said,
“I have opened the document.”
Hamon Hamon shifted his gaze back to Fisher and David, nodded, and said,
“I understand, I will keep my promise. In fact, even if you hadn’t opened the document, I would likely still grant you the authority to assist you.”
“Why?”
Fisher furrowed his brows and asked.
Hamon Hamon remained expressionless. He looked up again and began to reread the content in the document, even if he gained nothing,
“Because the ocean that came is not the ocean; it is the dream.”
“Dream?”
“Yes.” Hamon Hamon’s voice was calm, as if recounting events unrelated to himself. “At this moment, outside the barrier, dreams are attacking my true form. Even before the ocean arrived, dreams detected that I had completed the mutation and no longer recognized the previous covenant. So, they took the initiative to eliminate me to prevent future concerns.”
Fisher opened his mouth, momentarily at a loss for words.
He could only watch Hamon Hamon continue looking up at the information, utterly puzzled as to why this answer was so critical to him.
“You may leave now; I will honor my promise. I have begun to separate the authority within me, preparing to sever consciousness. Soon, I, who will lose this authority, will quickly perish at the hands of the dream. At that time, the shelter that has become part of me will also collapse; if you don’t leave now, it will be too late.”
Hamon Hamon read the information above word by word, without looking at them, only stating this.
“This is what you deserve.”
David gritted his teeth and said. Meanwhile, Gouwen’s gaze turned to Fisher, who pondered for a moment and then said,
“Let’s go.”
Fisher and David passed by Hamon Hamon, who stood still and made no further movement. David glanced one last time at the illusion of Mikhail and Michael frozen under the mycelium; after a moment of solemnity, sadness reflecting humanity appeared in his eyes, but he still followed Fisher and Gouwen out of the shelter.
“Boom!”
Passing through the enormous door from before, Fisher and Gouwen retraced their steps, their journey silent, with only the sounds of collapse from all directions providing accompaniment.
“Quickly, this place likely won’t hold much longer. What about Renee?”
“She went to the barrier; something urgent happened there. It should be just as Hamon Hamon said.”
“Is that so?”
At this moment, Fisher’s mind was still swirling with the information he had just read in the document. They had just reached the outskirts of the shelter, where a platform resembling the Holy Realm was constructed by Hamon Hamon.
The chaos races had all fled due to the changes in the shelter; under the pressure of spiritual pollution, it could be said that they had maxed out their escape skills.
However, when Fisher’s eyes caught a glimpse of the Holy Realm outside, a spark of insight suddenly exploded in his mind, freezing his thoughts in place. His lifted foot paused in midair.
“What’s wrong?”
Gouwen and David turned to look back, and Fisher, dazed, looked up at David. After pondering for a second, he suddenly said,
“You all go ahead; I need to go back for a moment.”
“Huh? Why?”
“I need to grab the completion manual. I haven’t picked it up.”
“…” Gouwen opened his mouth, then said, “You really have a terrible memory. I’ll go back with you.”
“No, no need. You must immediately take David away; I will return soon.”
After saying this, Fisher did not explain further; instead, he used all his strength to turn and dash back to where they had just come from, disappearing from David and Gouwen’s view without looking back.
Is it because of the completion manual?
No. Not at all.
Though he did forget, it was because just now he was contemplating the so-called unchanged matter regarding Michael and Mikhail, the answers that Hamon Hamon sought.
And now, in a flash of insight, he seemed to have found that so-called answer, that so-called unchanged matter.
(End of Chapter)
