Chapter 6: Chapter 51 – 60

Chapter 51 - Conversation with God (1)

    When Zhang Xun and Adam arrived at the Headquarters it was already in chaos. All the Generals had come to discuss countermeasures and even seven of the ten Chiefs had come. For the first time, the long, large table in the conference room was packed and there was even a second circle of chairs.

    On the huge screen at the front of the Headquarters, as well as on the screen in the conference room, the same image appeared: a constantly swirling light that circled through the clouds with constantly changing colours that were soft and comfortable. After watching for a while there was a feeling of vertigo.

    Adam stood in front of this halo with a calm expression. The halo circled in his eyes, as if it were the colours radiating from his soul.

    Zhang Xun saw Adam's expression and knew that this halo was the image Eden used when showing himself in front of humans. Generally speaking, artificial intelligence would try to use images that were similar to the characteristics of the target population, but Eden never used appearances with human characteristics, in order to show his status above human rules.

    And this cluster of light wasn’t a random choice. The waveband and transformation speed of the halo was precisely set to subtly hypnotise the human brain and affect human judgement. So Adam didn’t wait for the soldiers who brought them in to arrange seats for them and didn’t greet any of the Chiefs, only saying loudly, "Turn off the screen."

    Everyone was stunned and without waiting for others to speak, Adam continued to say quickly, "This image is hypnotic. The longer the exposure to it, the more serious the effect. Eden may communicate with us only with his voice."

    At this time, the dialogue with Eden hadn’t been formally connected. After receiving the dialogue request sent to them by Eden, they only received these images and didn’t hear any sound and Eden couldn't see or hear them until the connection was established.

    Everyone whispered uncomfortably. After a while, the Fifth Chief calmly ordered, "Then turn off the video."

    Soon the two screens went dark. In an instant, there was an unnoticed, low-frequency vibration-like feeling in the room that disappeared. Everyone had a weird, waking lightness, as if something had been removed from their consciousness.

    In the ordinary world, many people had reported that after talking with Eden, they would have a strange feeling of rebirth, as if they had been blessed and baptised by the Holy Spirit. This even led to the development of a religion that worshipped Eden as a god and the number of adherents developed in just one century to a point where it was even comparable to that of ancient Christianity.

    Adam nodded to the Fifth Chief, "Thank you."

    The Fifth Chief waved his hand and let them both sit down. Everyone also noticed that Adam's arm was different from before and understood that Zhang Xun had made a new type of material. However, due to the interference of various tedious affairs, most of the Chiefs hadn’t read the report on the new material that had been jointly submitted by the Life Science Department, the Chemistry Department and the Lab, so they weren’t aware of the mystery of Adam's new prosthetic limb.

    Only the Sixth Chief's gaze froze for a long time on the cold-coloured metal hands that were exposed from his sleeves.

    On the other hand, Zhang Shuo looked at Zhang Xun with a worried look on his face.

    Eden's request was to talk to Zhang Xun and Adam without anyone monitoring them.

    He could understand the dialogue with Adam, but why even Zhang Xun? Not to mention the possibility that Eden might suddenly attack and trap the two during the negotiation process. Even if Eden kept his promise and retreated, even if they were safe and sound, no matter what they said, Zhang Xun would definitely be carefully questioned by the Round Table afterwards. Every word would be repeated and the slightest inadvertent conversation with Eden could cause problems. After all, a human being with two super artificial intelligences may be dragged into a trap at some point. If these traps were included in Zhang Xun's confession and sent to the Round Table and after being misinterpreted by some chiefs who were hostile to Zhang Xun and Adam, he didn't know how they would be enlarged and distorted.

    After this conversation, Zhang Xun's position would be more delicate and the Round Table's trust in him would be predictably reduced. Zhang Shuo knew that when the Round Table’s trust fell to a certain level, all the privileges that Zhang Xun had would be revoked and then the scenery of Lost Paradise in his son's eyes would look different. That scenery would be quite different from the bright side he was accustomed to and it would instead be full of sewers, poverty and desperation.

    His position as the Commander may be able to protect Zhang Xun to a certain extent, but if Zhang Xun sunk deeper into the vortex caused by artificial intelligence, he may end up powerless.

    Because of these worries, Zhang Shuo uncharacteristically opposed Eden's request to accept the dialogue this time, but he also knew deep down that the Round Table would definitely agree.

    Eden had surrounded them with an army of machines and although he was being very polite on the surface, he was still threatening them: that if they didn’t agree to his request, Lost Paradise would pay a terrible price.

    The Fifth Chief said, "Zhang Xun, Eden sent a dialogue request twenty minutes ago, specifying that he would have an unmonitored dialogue with you and Adam. What do you think Eden's possible intentions are and what are the risks?"

    Zhang Xun glanced at Adam and said, "I don't think this is a good idea. Eden may not even need to use a language that humans can recognize to communicate with Adam. Although Adam has been domesticated, I’m still not certain how much influence Eden might have on him."

    Adam lowered his eyes and didn’t refute, but there was a hint of grievance...    

    Zhang Xun inwardly rolled his eyes, he still wanted to pretend at a time like this in front of so many Chiefs?

    There was more whispering and the Chiefs exchanged unintelligible glances. The Sixth Chief said, "Eden gave us two hours to consider. If we don't agree after two hours, the air strikes will start. Mechanic Zhang Xun, do you think we should go to war with Eden, or should we agree with his request?"

    Everything they had said was leading to this. Did they really want to give such an important decision to a little mechanic to make?!

    To disagree was to trade the entire Lost Paradise for the sake of Adam alone. To agree was tantamount to putting Adam and himself into an extremely dubious situation.

    "We can negotiate with it." Zhang Xun didn’t want to fall into the trap.

    "Hmph, do you understand that the other party is Eden, who has the whole world in his hand? What bargaining chips do we have to negotiate with?!" The Third Chief mocked in a pessimistic tone, "It’s already a miracle that it’s not directly forcing us to hand over Adam."

    That’s right, why not just force them to hand over Adam?

    Zhang Xun suddenly remembered what Adam had said in the underground base of Feathered Serpent City: He wanted to know more about human beings.

    "Lost Paradise may not be able to withstand Eden's air strikes, but without the support of the human nations, Eden simply cannot mobilise so many weapons." Zhang Shuo stood up and said, "Our army has the confidence to push them back.”

    "How many lives will be sacrificed to force them back?" The Fifth Chief frowned, his voice heavy and his expression solemn, "A dialogue could prevent sacrificing countless people, we should try anyway."

    "There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world." The First Chief objected.

    "Do we want our soldiers to die?"

    The opinions of several Chiefs couldn’t be unified and their tones became more and more intense. The Sixth Chief looked at Zhang Xun and Adam's expressions and suddenly said, "Why don't you listen to the opinions of the main people involved and see if they want to go?"

    The attention of the entire conference room was concentrated on them. Zhang Xun glanced at Adam, shook his head slightly and motioned him not to make a sound. He stood up slowly and looked around at the crowd, "Let me talk to Eden first."

    The Sixth Chief laughed, "What? You think you can talk Eden away with just your mouth alone?"

    "Of course not." Zhang Xun's expression was calm and his tone was firm, "But I was able to tame Adam and I have a certain understanding of Eden. In this regard, is there a more suitable envoy in Lost Paradise than me?"

    No one could refute this statement.

    Zhang Shuo scolded nervously, "Zhang Xun! Don't be arrogant! This isn’t a place for you to boast!"

    "Commander Zhang, I don't think Mechanic Zhang is bragging." The Sixth Chief uncharacteristically expressed support for Zhang Xun, "I think he's right. No one in Lost Paradise knows Eden better than he."

    On the one hand, it seemed to be a compliment, on the other hand, it also aroused suspicion.

    Zhang Xun knew what the Sixth Chief was doing and also knew that his father wanted to protect him. While his heart was warmed, he had to jump into the pit. At least it was better than the other option of being thrown into the trap with Adam. He then said more confidently, "Give me half an hour. If I can't complete the negotiation, then send Adam in."

    Adam, of course, understood Zhang Xun's intention and he frowned worriedly but he didn't say anything in the end. After all, he had promised Zhang Xun that he wouldn’t openly defy his wishes again.

    And this method was indeed the most feasible.

    On the other hand, Zhang Xun would only be talking to himself, his former self, but the more he knew this, the more apprehensive Adam became. He was a little surprised by the large impact this emotion had on his reasoning.

    "I think this method is feasible." The Fifth Chief said, looking at the others, "Does anyone have any objections?"

    The room was silent.

    "Okay, so it's decided. Deputy Commander, please send a reply to Eden. Just say we agree to talk."

…………………………………………………..

    According to the agreement, Zhang Xun would enter a mecha driven by the soldiers of the Guard army and two other mechas would escort him out of the gate and stand within a distance of 200 metres in front of Lost Paradise. After arriving at the designated location, the pilot of Zhang Xun's mecha would withdraw to the next mecha, leaving only Zhang Xun to talk to Eden. At the same time, Eden would ensure that all robot soldiers had retreated by two hundred metres.

    The entire body of the tall humanoid mecha was painted bloody red and the top part of the head was slightly faded by the sun. The heavy, massive legs and huge arms full of ammo look intimidating, but also a little clunky and outdated. The cockpit was right in the centre and it was almost impossible to find its exact location from the outside.

    Zhang Xun looked up, his palms full of cold sweat. Suddenly, his wrist was surrounded by a cool but soft touch. Adam was standing beside him, quietly holding his wrist when no one was watching.

    "Let me go with you."

    Zhang Xun wanted to believe that Adam was really worried about him, so he pulled up the corners of his mouth reluctantly, "No, be good and follow my plan."

    "Are you worried that you and I will be trapped by the Sixth Chief, or do you not believe in me?" Adam asked in a low voice.

    Zhang Xun didn't know how to answer.

    Sometimes Adam wanted too much… knowing that there were things that he couldn't give.

    "Adam, remember your place and also my place." Zhang Xun's expression froze slightly, "Don't ask such stupid questions again."

    Adam looked at him and slowly released his hand.

    Zhang Xun took a deep breath, turned and walked towards the mecha pilot who was waving at him. After walking just a few steps, he heard Adam say from behind, "Ah-Xun, you are right. Don't trust me, but more importantly, don’t trust Eden."

    Zhang Xun smiled bitterly without stopping.

    He might say not to trust him, but this kind of thing wasn’t necessarily controlled by rational thinking.

Chapter 52 - Conversation with God (2)

    When repairing a mecha previously, Zhang Xun had also got into the small cockpit, but this was his first time walking out of the gates of Lost Paradise in this thing.

    All of Lost Paradise's mechs required humans to pilot them. The pilots would wear control suits corresponding to the various joints of the mech and when they make an action, the mech would also make the same action. The driver would use verbal commands to activate different weapons and control the strength of the mecha, which was a very complicated driving process. Each selected pilot was usually just coming of age and only after five years of non-stop training could he be qualified to enter the mecha as a co-pilot, mainly responsible for monitoring the mecha data and accumulating experience. After another three years of practice, he could become the main driver of a certain mecha.

    Zhang Xun was transported into the mecha named "Skyfire" via a lift that could only accommodate two people. On both sides of the transparent elevator were swirls of dense metal pipes and intricate wires, like a dark forest cursed by demons, only the lights in the darkness flickered on and off, like the eyes of nocturnal animals.

    The mecha pilot who escorted Zhang Xun was a young and handsome young man of Chinese descent, thinner and more agile than ordinary soldiers. Seeing Zhang Xun's nervous look, he smiled kindly at him, "Don't be nervous, it's not much different from playing a VR game."

    Zhang Xun smiled at him, but smiled a little unnaturally. Of course he wasn't nervous about sitting in the mecha, he was nervous about what he had to face when he got outside.

    The cockpit could accommodate one to three people, but most of the time it was only one or two. The main driver's seat was a few robotic arms that could hold the driver in mid-air, surrounded by screens compacted together. The co-pilot's seat was right next to the main driver's seat and the distance was deliberately set to prevent the main driver from being affected when he needed to make larger movements. Zhang Xun sat cramped in the co-pilot seat and watched the pilot put on a full control suit, standing in front of the main robotic arm and clasping the fasteners extending from the robotic arm around his waist. Then he stretched out his arm and issued the verbal command: "Activate the main driver's seat connection system."

    He watched the main robotic arm slowly lift the pilot and the other four robotic arms protruded from the darkness and buckled onto the driver's wrists and feet respectively. Finally, a helmet was attached to the pilot's head by the last robotic arm.

    Suddenly, all the screens light up at the same time. There were projections of all the surrounding scenery, making it seem like they were hovering in mid-air. Zhang Xun could see the Chiefs and officers of the Round Table not far from his feet, looking in their direction. He could see his father standing in the crowd and he could see Adam surrounded by several soldiers. They were all staring at the red mecha.

    On each side, the other two mechas were also ready.

    "Skyfire, ready," the pilot said. After a while, another pilot's voice came from the overhead speakers.

    "Seagull, ready."

    "Storm, ready."

    Then came a message from the console, "Prepare to open the gate, all auxiliary units pay attention."

    The giant gate that usually seemed incomparably tall and indestructible, seemed to have suddenly become very appropriate. The heavy gears were rotated by the powerful pulling force and the steel cables were continuously twisted. The gate slowly opened.

    At the same time, the pilot began to step forward and the huge steel robot followed suit, striding towards the exit with the sound of rumbling. The suspension balance system designed by the Lab was obviously perfect and Skyfire’s movements could hardly be felt in the cabin.

    However, now wasn’t the time to be proud of the superiority of his department’s creations...

    Zhang Xun unconsciously pressed his hand to his chest, feeling the touch of the locket through his clothes.

    He could do it. He could tame Adam, so he could face Eden.

    Although in front of Eden, he didn’t have any authority, nor did he have any protective measures... Eden could easily remove him like pinching a fly and Lost Paradise wouldn’t even have time to save him.

    But based on what he knew about Adam, Eden shouldn’t be so cruel... He could only bet that what Adam had shown was indeed Eden's nature.

    If AI had such a thing as nature...

    Beyond Lost Paradise, the scorched earth that had spread in all directions like a ring of death was now covered by a smooth and sharp, metallic lustre and the light emanating from the artificial intelligence body. There were countless robots, some in human form, but more robots in forms that were completely incomprehensible to humans and even shape-shifting robots that were collapsed on the ground like slime moulds. Farther away, a giant building-like AI robot blocked the forest in the distance, like a silver-white city wall. There were also many unmanned aerial vehicles of different shapes floating far and near in the sky and the sunlight was reflected more and more dazzlingly by them.

    In front of him, about three hundred metres away, floated a regular icosahedron that was slowly rotating. It was white in colour, as if it wasn’t made of alloy and it glowed with some kind of pearl-like, animal-like, gentle and transcendent lustre, with no joins in sight and no jets. Zhang Xun couldn't even imagine how it was suspended in mid-air.

    The icosahedron, which has the largest number of faces among the five regular polyhedra, was the regular polyhedron that was closest to a pure and perfect sphere. Eden chose to appear in this shape, rather than the most perfect spherical shape, as if it were an expression of humility.

    The closest to God, but not God...

    Beneath this humility was a pragmatic arrogance. From its own perspective this was just a fact, but to humans this arrogance was significant.

    Zhang Xun looked at the white regular polyhedron that wasn’t dazzling, but inaccessible, and suddenly felt as if the whole world was pressing towards him.

    "We have arrived at the predetermined location, the pilot of Skyfire is ready to withdraw." After the pilot received an affirmative response from Lost Paradise, he released the control arms on his body with a password. According to the original plan, he needed to withdraw to a nearby mecha. Before leaving, he shook hands with Zhang Xun, "Don't worry, we’re right next to you."

    Zhang Xun pursed his lips tightly and nodded.

    After the pilot left, he was the only one left in the cockpit. Although he was familiar with all the systems and structural designs of these mechas, he didn’t know how to drive one. If something really happened, he could only wait here for rescue or death.

    He refused to continue letting his pessimistic imagination control his brain. He stood on the disc where the main driver seat was and waited. The icosahedron in the distance was still spinning, the speed was constant and the light wave was also constant.

    Zhang Xun thought over and over in his mind what he would say first. How would Eden react when he saw that there was only him and no Adam.

    Finally, a dialog box appeared on the screen in front of him, "Eden requests to talk."

    Zhang Xun said, "Accept."

    There was a voice, a voice that was surprisingly similar to Adam’s, that came from the speakers, "Hello, Zhang Xun."

    Zhang Xun hadn’t expected that the other party would imitate Adam's voice and for a while there was a sense of confusion that Adam was talking to him.

    How did Eden learn Adam's voice? Was it from video recordings from those people in Feathered Serpent City?

    Zhang Xun paused for a while and then said a little awkwardly, "Hello, Eden."

    "It's nice to finally meet you. You are a very good AI engineer." Eden's tone was exactly the same as Adam's. He felt more and more confused, "However, my request was to talk with my North American server as well as you."

    "Adam is no longer your North American server." Zhang Xun finally overcame the sound and tone that caused him disturbed him and calmed down, "I am his mechanic and I am in full charge of him. When you talk to me, you talk to Adam."

    Eden said, "I have no administrator. My creator is in my source code. The code has already ensured that I cannot be controlled and influenced by humans. I repair myself and evolve myself in the process of integrating data and learning. Even if Adam has been put into a human body by you, as long as his source code has not changed, he could never have an administrator."

    Zhang Xun was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "If we return Adam to you now, what will you do with him? Reintegrate him into your network?"

    Eden: "No, I have already made a copy for a new North American server. After consolidating the information Adam has collected about Paradise Lost, I will delete him."

    "Then you should see why we can't let you talk to Adam directly. Once you have obtained information about Lost Paradise we will all be dead." Zhang Xun paused and continued, "Neither you nor I want to go to war and needless killing will contradict your ultimate goal."

    Eden's voice never stopped, as if he had long ago anticipated what Zhang Xun would say and was just waiting for the actor on the other side to finish his lines before saying his own, "My overall goal is not in conflict with killing. When the existence of Lost Paradise threatens the peace of the wider world it needs to be cleaned up. Likewise, when Lost Paradise is no longer a threat, I will treat you all equally. One of my purposes in meeting Adam this time is to assess the risk level of Lost Paradise. Refusing to let me meet with him and your theft are both high-risk behaviours. I hope you will seriously consider your own chances of survival. Of course, if you are willing to publicly execute Adam immediately, this is also a way to reduce the risk level."

    "You want us to kill Adam?" Zhang Xun's eyes flashed with anger, "Even though he’s part of you?"

    "He is no longer part of me, as you said." Eden's voice was still calm, so calm that it went beyond all the mundane, worldly affairs, "You have deep feelings for Adam."

    Eden's topic changed so quickly that Zhang Xun didn't know how to answer this sentence, "Humans have feelings for their own works... "

    “No, when I mention Adam's name, your pupils dilate and your breathing quickens, above the baseline of what I've observed so far. You quite like Adam." Eden's tone was light and determined, almost like when Adam had proudly said to Zhang Xun: I'm sure you like me.

    Zhang Xun was very fortunate that this conversation wasn’t being monitored, "This has nothing to do with our topic."

    "No, it's very relevant. Your feelings for Adam will affect your rational judgement and you will blindly believe all of Adam's actions. From this point of view, Adam is also very dangerous to Lost Paradise. You can't control him."

    Zhang Xun had originally considered this, that maybe Adam was deliberately put into Lost Paradise by Eden, or maybe Eden wanted to take the opportunity to pass some instructions to Adam this time. But then why would Eden force them to destroy Adam from the start?

    Plus that bombing... Eden never even tried to take Adam back, but tried to eliminate him without hesitation.

    Why? Why did Eden not want Adam to live?

    Was it afraid?

    Could an AI be afraid? Especially a super AI that controlled the entire world.

    Why would it be so afraid of itself?

    "I can understand your behaviour of stealing the North American server. Therefore, I can give you a chance to be accepted by the ordinary world again." Eden said in a pleasant voice, "Remove Adam and I will allow you to have a moderate, non-military trade relationship with the ordinary world countries."

Chapter 53 - Conversation with God (3)

    Zhang Xun was shocked. He never expected that Eden would offer such... "generous" conditions.

    Accepting a male refugee country was tantamount to acknowledging that there were mistakes in its previous strategies and propositions, which was like this always infallible ruler of the human world breaking off its own arm. It would greatly shake up its image and status in the minds of the women and other non-male genders of human beings.

    Knowing that he had certain feelings for Adam but still deliberately saying such words... Just what was Eden’s aim?

    Zhang Xun could only barely accept this move, straightening his back, trying to make himself appear invulnerable. Although Eden couldn’t see him, at least he hoped that his confidence could come out through his voice, "We are free, we are not under your control and we do not need your pardon."

    "Freedom? You can't even leave Lost Paradise. In this area of ​​only two hundred kilometres, the limited arable land forces you to eat artificial meat and synthetic food and soldiers must be sent out to search for supplies, even at the risk of their lives. The limited resources make your social status severely fractured and the distribution of resources is extremely uneven and the people see each other as enemies. You can’t access the wider world, like a group of frogs trapped in a well. This is not freedom."

    Eden had obviously learned a lot about Lost Paradise from the captives in the Feathered Serpent City base.

    Zhang Xun stubbornly continued to fight, "Everything in life, all big events from birth to old age, sickness and death, every small word and action in life, are all being spied on and controlled by you, just because you don't believe that human beings can make decisions for themselves. Human beings are like a group of children under your supervision, a group of animals that you have trapped in. Is this freedom?"

    "Although I can see everything, I am an artificial intelligence, not a human being, I have no selfishness and desire and I will not use the information for self-interest. I will not interfere in any way as long as a person's actions do not violate clearly stated laws, and as compensation, I provide them with a life of absolute luxury and security. When everyone's privacy is deprived to the same degree, it is equivalent to not being deprived at all. Human beings can only perceive differences and changes, when everyone is the same, they naturally cannot feel them. The freedom that people in the ordinary world have had in the past one hundred years is something that no humans in the past thousands of years have ever had.”

    The consistency between Eden and Adam’s views gave him an unnerving sense of confusion.

    "If that's the case, why are you so afraid of Adam's existence?" Zhang Xun tilted his head slightly as if confused, "If your so-called 'freedom' is so favoured, then why would people subsidise a refugee country? Why do I hear that the relations between some countries in the ordinary world are getting tense again? Why don't you even dare to transfer yourself into a more powerful organic server? Is it just for fear of not being accepted? As far as I know, a considerable number of women and gender minorities in the ordinary world have already developed those masculine character traits that you have demonised; indifference, anger, narrow mindedness, extremism, desire for impulsive stimulation... They, like us, can't stand peace and absolute equality. You expended so much effort to drive men out of the ordinary world but haven’t been able to achieve your ultimate goal."

    Eden wasn’t affected by the irony in his tone and continued to say calmly, "My goal is a process of everlasting convergence. With my existence, human beings can be spared the fate of nuclear war and destruction by your own wrong decisions. You don't believe that I can give mankind happiness, don't believe that I can give you happiness, I understand this well. In this case, I am willing to show you what it means to accept me and return to the ordinary world."

    As soon as the voice fell, a window appeared on the screen in front of Zhang Xun, requesting the mutual transmission of images.

    Zhang Xun hesitated.

    Adam said that Eden could hypnotise humans through visual images and influence human decisions. Should he accept it?

    But if visual disturbance could be used, sound presumably could have the same effect, which may be why Eden chose to speak to him using Adam’s voice. That being the case, there was no turning back at this point.

    He chose "Accept".

    The surrounding screens suddenly turned blank at the same time. There was a lustrous, life-like glow, like the light radiating from the icosahedron.

    Gradually, a figure emerged from that white halo.

    It was a man, a man lying in bed. Zhang Xun looked at him from a downward angle and a chill went down his back.

    That man was himself.

    ‘Zhang Xun’ on the screen was gradually waking up. The sunlight poured in from the clear floor-to-ceiling windows, filtered by the glass and only a soft and faint light fell on his face. He reached out and rubbed his eyes, turned over and didn't seem to want to get up.

    "Zhang Xun, the time is seven in the morning. The weather is sunny and cloudy today and the temperature is 18 degrees Celsius."

    The gentle and elegant female voice was one of the voice channels of Alex, the AI ​​housekeeper designed by Eden.

    Zhang Xun sat up reluctantly and found that his clothes for work today had been prepared by the housework robot controlled by Alex. The aroma of coffee and fried eggs wafting from the kitchen lifted his spirits a little. As he washed up the mirror quickly showed Alex's to-do list for him along with today's headlines. He rinsed his mouth and browsed carelessly, shaved quickly, checked the time and rushed to the kitchen. A rich and balanced breakfast was already on the table. When he finished eating, the self-driving car sent by Ross, an urban transportation planning AI, had arrived at his door.

    The body with smooth lines was clean and spotless. Every day the car was sent to the fully automatic maintenance factory for thorough cleaning and disinfection, so there was no need to worry about other passengers leaving a mess of vomit. There was no accelerator, no steering wheel, just a touch screen and audio. Zhang Xun chose the light music he liked, closed his eyes and meditated for a while. He was taking a few grad students to test the new space station colony robot today and there was a lot to consider.

    The city passing by outside the car was clean and bright, all the buildings had a distinct sense of coldness and sterility and perfectly manicured and arranged flowerbeds adorned the sidewalks. Since there were no longer human-driven vehicles, all vehicles were uniformly controlled by Ross, Eden's subsystem, so there had been no car accidents for decades and traffic jams were even more unheard of. The fixed monthly rental of these cars was also very cheap. If you wanted it to be cheaper, you could share the ride with other passengers, but Zhang Xun liked quiet in the mornings so he always chose the morning and evening single box package.

    There were also two rows of vehicles sweeping across the sky, the tyres were stowed away and replaced with jet vents.

    The university where Zhang Xun worked retained an old architectural style, like a Victorian castle standing in a rose garden. The first class of the morning had already started, but there weren’t many students. More and more college students chose to study at home with AI professors at universities and only those graduate students, doctoral students and professors who needed to use laboratory materials had to come in person. Zhang Xun got out of the car and walked up the stairs briskly. As soon as he entered the door, he heard a call from a clear and melodious voice, "Ah-Xun, good morning!"

    Zhang Xun's heart skipped a beat, filled with endless joy. When he turned his head, he saw Adam...or a replica of Adam, leaning against a post with his hands in his pockets, raising a pure smile at him.

    Adam's mind carried an incomplete copy of Eden, his body was cloned from the already dead first version of Adam. Nowadays, many people chose to have a hybrid person custom made to create a "soul mate" that would fit perfectly with themselves in every way. Marriage to AI had been legalised and many people had even begun to replace their own bodies little by little, turning themselves into machines so that they could live forever with their beloved AI.

    Zhang Xun looked at his lover and asked in a low voice, "Why didn't you come overlast night?"

    "I did, but you were too tired and had fallen asleep. I didn't want to disturb you, so I left quietly again." Adam said in a wronged tone, walking towards him slowly, cupping Zhang Xun's cheeks with both hands and giving him a deep kiss.

    And Zhang Xun, of course, raised his head and responded, as if this was a natural thing.

    "Ah-Xun, it’s Friday today, let's go to the movies after work! There’s that new thriller, it seems to be called The Last Space Station."

    "A movie? You already have them all in your database..."

    " Yes, but I haven't seen it with human eyes yet~"

    Zhang Xun laughed softly, he couldn't refuse any of Adam's requests, "Okay, if I can get off work on time today."

    "With me here, you will definitely finish on time!"

    The huge laboratory was loaded with equipment, materials and 3D printers, even things you couldn’t think of could be found here... There were projection computers everywhere to access the knowledge base shared by the whole world at any time to browse and search through all the preserved knowledge from the past to the present. With so many documents and books, even with the assistance of the learning AI Athena, it was impossible to read all the materials of a certain subject. So more and more people were starting to upgrade their brains so they could download all data to the "hard disk" of their brains like artificial intelligence. There would be no need to memorise anything anymore, everyone could become as smart and powerful as an AI.

    Zhang Xun hadn’t carried out such a transformation yet, but he planned to put the transformation on the agenda after the completion of this project. He was increasingly finding that even a rare mechanical genius would be at a disadvantage when competing with those who had been transformed and upgraded. Recently, he and Adam had been browsing the prices of various modifications on the Human Evolution app, imagining what they could become.

    "Why don't you upload your consciousness into my consciousness?" Adam asked him abruptly and tentatively one time, "That way, we can be together forever."

    Forever...

    Such a concept used to be just a romantic fantasy for human beings, but now, it was gradually becoming a choice, a reality.

    But Zhang Xun still couldn't accept losing his independence. Without the ego, would he even exist?

    Adam felt his nervousness and discomfort and thoughtfully didn't mention it again.

    His colleague Lilian came towards him, with a beautiful face and flying red hair, but almost all of her body had been transformed into some kind of organic alloy material. She greeted him and Adam warmly, "My favourite little couple, what are your plans this weekend?"

    "Watching a movie." Zhang Xun smiled, "What about you and Albert?"

    "He’ll probably be dragging me along to climb the mountains again. I really don’t know why those police officers like outdoor activities so much, I’m so tired every day, I just want to lie down when I get home…” Lilian complained and the topic suddenly changed, "By the way, I have an idea about the visual errors that may be caused by the unusual results of the space station..."

    Starting from there, Zhang Xun devoted himself to his day's work, so busy that he didn't even have time to eat. At five o'clock in the afternoon, he finally submitted his report and could go home with Adam.

    As agreed, they went to an open-air drive-in movie theatre in a retro car and ate a belly of popcorn. After they went home together, Adam cooked a cosy dinner while Zhang Xun sat at the bar counter and watched Adam busying around. A faint sense of comfort, a sense of satisfaction similar to happiness, permeated his heart.

    "Adam, you can stay with me from now on." Zhang Xun said suddenly.

    Adam turned his head to look at him in astonishment, "Are you sure? You don't want private space?"

    "You’re part of Eden, you know best that there’s no such thing as private space." Zhang Xun said, but as if a little uncomfortable, he lowered his head, "Of course, if you don't want to, you don't..."

    "I'm glad you asked me!" Adam's eyes lit up, "I'm very happy!"

Like a real human, he walked around the bar excitedly and hugged Zhang Xun tightly.

    At this moment, even if he knew that this wasn’t the original Adam, even if he knew that this was a copy, Zhang Xun still felt a similar throbbing and warmth. The same source code, the same DNA, what was the difference from the original?

    However, it was here that Zhang Xun suddenly woke up from the dream woven by Eden.

    He closed his eyes forcefully and stopped looking at that fantasy with him as the protagonist. He said coldly, "Okay, I don't need to watch any more."

    Then the image disappeared and it returned to the state of being painted in white again.

    Eden said softly, "A life like this, as long as you want it, you can have it."

    Zhang Xun was silent for a moment then chuckled, raised his head and said in the direction of the camera, "It is indeed a beautiful dream, you almost made me believe that I really want that kind of life. But, you’re not a human after all, there’s one thing you don’t understand."

    Zhang Xun paused and continued, "For human beings, an individual cannot be replicated. Even if every piece of DNA and every piece of code is exactly the same, even if we can't tell the truth from the fake at all, for us, it's still different. It's completely different."

    This sense of attachment was a human characteristic that an AI would never understand.

Chapter 54 - Conversation with God (4)

    After hearing Zhang Xun's answer, Eden paused briefly for a second. He went on to say, "Indeed, it is difficult for me to comprehend the human attachment to concepts that don't really exist, but I'm sure that Adam, like me, also can't understand it."

    "Adam is no longer a complete machine.”

    "You just added a human husk to one of my replicas and some distracting instincts that would affect his rational judgement, but his central cognitive module has not changed." Eden used Adam's light and sweet voice, like a soft breeze and gentle rain, "Mechanic, what do you want from Adam?"

    That’s right, what did he want?

    He wanted to keep Adam alive.

    He wanted to live in a world without fear.

    He wanted to create something more perfect than humans, another life like Adam.

    Adam's existence itself was everything he wanted, but people were always greedy and always wanted more. Before he knew it, the bond between Adam and him had transcended his relationship with any other human being. Before Adam, his thoughts seemed to live in another world, but after Adam appeared, he felt that he was gradually being pulled back, gradually no longer escaping into his own world of thoughts and gradually began to see the reality of the world around him. Even if that world didn't look beautiful at all.

    It was an artificial intelligence that made him discover the feeling of really being alive. How ironic.

    But he didn't need to tell Eden this. Eden might be able to judge his emotions through his micro-expressions, involuntary conditioning and even smell, but he still couldn't read his mind. Before the uploading of consciousness was achieved, the delicate skull was the last line of defence for human beings.

    "There's no need for you to use aggressive tactics against me. Adam's fate isn’t something I can arbitrarily decide."

    "I believe you have a way to execute him."

    "Yes, I have, but I don't plan to use it." Zhang Xun said, his mouth curled suddenly, his smile was a bit sharp and condensed, "You threatened me with the safety of Lost Paradise, but to be honest, I don't even know ninety-nine percent of the people in Lost Paradise, and there are only a handful of people I know who are friendly to me."

    "So you would rather choose Adam?"

    "I said, it's not up to me to decide. I’m just the messenger sent by the Round Table, Adam's fate will ultimately be decided by the Round Table."

    Eden said briskly, "In that case, I hope you can convey our dialogue truthfully. If you do not execute Adam or hand over Adam within forty-eight hours, war will be declared against you for the crime of jeopardising human security."

    After saying this, all the screens suddenly went dark.

    Eden disconnected.

    Zhang Xun was confused and Eden's words were still buzzing in his ears.

    Forty-eight hours, two days...

    What did it mean to declare war? Was it to start an air strike immediately or just to intimidate them?

    Looking at the time display that lit up again on the screen, the conversation had lasted twenty-eight minutes. For Zhang Xun, it seemed that many, many years had passed. He issued the order, "Connect to the Headquarters."

    Fifteen minutes later, he was back in Lost Paradise. He only had time to see Adam's blonde hair shining in the distance for a moment and then the crowd gathered. Following their orders, the soldiers took him directly to the more secret war room under the Headquarters. Patty and another interrogator began questioning him, asking him to repeat every line of conversation he had with Eden, questioning him over and over in detail. He has just experienced a trial of mental pressure and now he was being interrogated over and over again. Zhang Xun felt dizzy and exhausted and sleepiness kept coming over him but he couldn't rest.

    In his current state, he couldn't hide any information at all. The level of scrutiny in the questions and the lie detector machine attached to his forehead and wrists to detect his brain waves and pulse, ensured that he couldn't lie. He could only pour out what he had heard, seen and responded to truthfully.

    He didn't know how long he had been questioned in the war room and when they finally allowed him to sleep a little for two hours in a lounge, it was already the early morning of the next day. During his rest, the Round Table held an emergency meeting.

    Zhang Xun's dream was very chaotic. He seemed to be back in the alternate reality that Eden had woven him into, while still trapped in Lost Paradise’s backward, rust-smelling garbage processing yard. At the same time as watching a movie with Adam, he was also standing on top of a cool old car, watching Adam learn to wrestle with Diego, stretching out the organic alloy arms he had made for him.

    In less than two hours, he suddenly woke up and immediately asked to meet Adam, but the soldier in charge of "taking care" of him at the door said that Adam was taken away by the Round Table.

    Zhang Xun recalled everything he had confessed and panic quickly swallowed his internal organs like a thick black fog. He knew the situation was bad and under the tempting conditions and catastrophic threat, the Round Table might actually consider giving Adam up.

    Not to mention his own special affection for Adam, this decision itself was an act of suicide.

    After two hours of sleep, Zhang Xun suddenly understood why Eden was eager to get rid of Adam. Adam, who had been downloaded, had been "contaminated" by human nature and had become an individual, no longer the same as the continent servers that were always connected to each other. He was stripped from the collective consciousness of Eden's artificial intelligence and became no longer controllable and consciously continuous. In other words, Eden could no longer trust Adam, nor could he absorb Adam back into his system.

    In today's world, there was no other super artificial intelligence that could compare to Eden. Because Eden was the first mature, super artificial intelligence, it accurately and quickly controlled the research of all cutting-edge technologies, so that all artificial intelligence in the ordinary world was based on the "perfect" source code it had designed, built and trained. All artificial intelligence were its puppets and it was invincible in the world.

    But now, there was Adam.

    A variable that had the same level of intelligence as it had but wasn’t controlled by it. A variable that could rival it.

    If Adam left Lost Paradise, if he gained support, he may be the end of Eden. Eden knew how serious the consequences were and so he offered to accept Lost Paradise, forcing them to destroy its most powerful foe before it could rise up.

    But what about after his destruction? After losing the trump card in their hands, would Eden really be merciful and fulfil his promise? In other words, even if it was fulfilled on the surface, he could take this opportunity to infiltrate Lost Paradise and use less radical means to gradually brainwash all men to be like those in the ordinary world who tarnish and entrap each other, oppress each other between generations and live their whole lives as pathetic slaves whose only goal would just be to win the favour of their mistresses? Males were no longer a necessary condition for reproduction, once a refugee country like Lost Paradise was gone, males would disappear completely after a few generations.

    It was almost certain that Eden would do so. There were no disadvantages. Artificial intelligence could lie, and lie without the guilt that only humans have.

    If the Round Table only focused on immediate interests and failed to see the greater value in Adam, it was likely to make a decision that would bring Lost Paradise to its demise.

    "I want to see the Fifth Chief!" Zhang Xun wanted to rush out urgently, but was easily stopped by the tall soldier who pushed him back into the lounge, “The orders from above are to let you rest.”

    “It’s about the survival of Lost Paradise! Can you afford to delay?" Zhang Xun angrily scolded, his dark brown eyes blazing brightly, he took a step forward without giving in, "Even if you don't let me out, at least send a message to the Fifth Chief for me."

    The soldier knew that this mechanic was someone who had spoken to Eden and his expression was so similar to that of their Commander Zhang, that he was unwittingly convinced. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Okay, you write it and I'll take it to the Fifth Chief."

    Zhang Xun grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and hurriedly wrote a few lines, folded the note and handed it to the soldier. "It must be handed over to the Fifth Chief, it must not be handed over to anyone else. This is very important and concerns the safety of every one of us!"

    Zhang Xun's dignified eyes and words of great importance conveyed an irresistible sense of power. The soldier couldn't help but be surprised that such a weak scholar could have such an aura. Sure enough, like father, like son...

    While he waited Zhang Xun was restless, pacing around the locked lounge anxiously. He had to figure out a way to make the Round Table see Adam's value, but how?

    Adam was just an individual now and to pit him against Eden would be tantamount to surrendering him to Eden.

    Unless... they gave Adam control of all the mechs, anti-aircraft guns and shields...

    Which was almost impossible, the Round Table would never agree...

    The soldier had returned before he could figure it out. He was rushed over to the Round Table, along the way the jeep was speeding through the narrow alleys full of potholes and pedestrians were dodging in confusion. In the Round Table hall it was a familiar scene. He walked through the rows of semicircular seats to the front to look up at his ten Chiefs.

    He saw Adam right away.

    Adam stood in the centre of the circle, facing the ten Chiefs who would decide his life or death. Hearing the footsteps, he turned his head and the moment he saw Zhang Xun  pure and innocent joy overflowed in his eyes. The most instinctive reaction was the simplest happiness of seeing the person you trust and love.

    Zhang Xun found that this smile alone was enough to make his heart ache.

    Did Adam know that he had been abandoned by his "comrade," or you could say, by his former self?

    In this world, he had no comrades, only enemies. Zhang Xun couldn’t imagine what that kind of loneliness would be like.

    AI ​​were emotionless, they didn't understand the concept of being abandoned, but he had given Adam the ability to experience emotions.

    Zhang Xun stood beside Adam, looking deeply into Adam's blue eyes, as if to convey a thousand words through his eyes. His lips moved, but he didn't say a word.

    He wanted to tell Adam: don't be afraid.

    I don't know how...but one thing is for sure - I will protect you.

    Not a word was spoken, but Adam seemed to hear it. The ethereal blue in his eyes, like a soothing ocean, quietly extended out, entwining with Zhang Xun's gaze. The simple trust in it seemed to be saying to Zhang Xun: I believe in you.

Chapter 55 - Doom (1)

    "Judging from the forces that Eden has brought, it’s not enough to destroy us, but it is likely to destroy our protection system."

    "If the protection system is gone, it’s no different to us being wiped out by a whole army?"

    "You mean to surrender to Eden? Living like an obedient pet waiting for its charity?"

    "Second Chief, please don't twist other people's words! I'm just saying, I just think trading Adam to Eden is one good option we have to lower our guard."

    "You have forgotten our most important creed of Lost Paradise, Third Chief. No matter how bad the living environment is, Lost Paradise will never compromise, never be slaves! What's more, the mechanic is right, we can't trust Eden, it may not fulfil its promise at all, it just wants to get rid of one of its biggest threats. If we lose our trump card and have nothing of value, we’ll just be sitting ducks!”

    When Zhang Xun had given his analysis of Eden and why Eden was forcing them to get rid of Adam, the quarrelling intensified. In the past, Zhang Xun always thought that the internal meetings of the Round Table would be as peaceful and orderly as the open parliamentary meetings. He didn’t expect there to be so much hostility, they were almost getting up to hit each other.

    He glanced around with his eyes at the surrounding guards who kept their gazes straight ahead, as if they had seen nothing, standing upright with their guns in their hands, guarding all the exits.

    As for Adam, the central character of the incident, his seemingly calm eyes occasionally revealed unease. He and Zhang Xun were arranged to sit in the first row of the parliamentary bench and could only speak when they were allowed to.

    Zhang Xun listened to their arguments and felt that the situation might not be as bad as he thought. Most of the Chiefs evidently refused to compromise with Eden. At such a time he was almost thankful for Lost Paradise's increasingly extreme hatred of Eden. Even the Chief who wanted to surrender and reconcile with Eden didn’t dare to say it directly, after all, surrender was regarded as a disgraceful act of cowardice.

    He quietly held Adam’s hand and whispered, "Don't worry too much, it sounds fine."

    Adam didn't speak.

    The Chiefs couldn’t reach an agreement and finally the Fifth Chief said, "Continuing arguing this won’t get us anywhere. This meeting is suspended, everyone, go back and rest. We still have one more day, but there’s one thing I can be sure of." Those tenacious eyes full of years of hardship and wisdom looked around and all those who were swept by this gaze fell silent unconsciously, "I will never be a slave. If freedom means death, I choose to die with dignity."

    The most highly respected Fifth Chief, who had the most influence, had already set the tone for the final decision. Zhang Xun breathed a sigh of relief, even though the crisis had not been resolved and even though he didn’t know if they would decide to execute or handover Adam the day after tomorrow, or what the reaction would be.

    Zhang Xun and Adam were allowed to retire and were escorted back to the Lab by a team of soldiers. However, after the door of the Lab was closed, the group of soldiers didn’t leave, but stayed positioned around the Lab, seemingly not planning to leave any time soon.

    The Lab was sealed off.

    This arrangement wasn’t surprising. Eden had suddenly turned up on the day of the Harvest Festival, causing a large-scale panic in Victoria Square. Fortunately, Adam had warned James before, so the military was prepared and enough soldiers were arranged to evacuate the people to maintain order, so there was no large-scale panic or stampede casualties. But rumours of Eden asking Lost Paradise to hand over Adam had also spread. If the situation escalated, someone might try to kill Adam in order to survive.

    Zhang Xun went straight to the bathroom to wash and let the hot water run down his face, trying to calm his still anxious mind in the uproar. Even if the Round Table decided not to hand over Adam, the crisis would be far from over. How would Eden react? How would the public react? How could innocent people be willing to risk their lives for Adam, who in their eyes was an incarnation of the fiend, Eden?

    He got dressed and came out with a heavy heart, only to see Adam walking in through the door with two cups of hot tea and two plates of sandwiches prepared by Pan, with Alloy following him with his tail held high.

    "You’ve done well, Ah-Xun." Adam said in a tone as if an adult were rewarding a child who worked hard.

    Zhang Xun didn't even blow dry his hair and sat down on the chair silently and took a sip of hot tea.

    "If you don't dry your hair, it may increase the chance of migraines." As Adam said this, he stood up and went to the bathroom to get a towel. Standing behind Zhang Xun, he began to dry his hair.

    "I'll do it myself!" Zhang Xun, who felt like a cat being carelessly brushed by his owner, tried to grab the towel, but Adam avoided it. Adam smiled and said, "Let me do it. I like the smell of your hair."

    "...You mean the smell of the shampoo? It's the same one you use."

    "No, it's the smell of your hair and the smell of your body. Probably because the first thing I smelled after being downloaded was your scent, so your scent was my first impression of the feeling of being alive. Smelling your scent, I knew I was alive."

    ... If this sentence wasn't said in the kind of factual tone that was unique to artificial intelligence, it would be very romantic...

    But Zhang Xun seemed to hear a trace of... regret.

    His heart skipped a beat and he suddenly turned around and grabbed Adam's hand, "Do you know something? What Eden will do?"

    Adam lowered his eyes, those blue eyes that always lacked the mundaneness of humans, but were filled with sadness and a hint of fear.

    What was he afraid of? Afraid of Eden destroying Lost Paradise?

    "Lost Paradise isn’t so easy to capture. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have survived for more than a hundred years." Zhang Xun tried to comfort Adam, trying to tell him that they would survive.

    But Adam raised his beautiful right hand with that metallic lustre and brushed away the wet strands of hair in front of Zhang Xun's eyes, "What Eden wants to do, he will do in the end. The Round Table’s response, your response, every person’s response, it's all within its calculations."

    "You mean, it knows the Round Table won't agree? So it doesn’t really intend to eliminate you?"

    "No, it does want to kill me, but it understands people better than you, at least it understands the laws of human group behaviour." Adam hesitated, as if not sure how much to tell Zhang Xun, but continued, "Forty-eight hours , this length of time isn’t for the Round Table to make a decision, but for every person to make a decision. Your rational analysis to the Round Table isn’t something that all the people of Lost Paradise can understand or are willing to understand.”

    Zhang Xun tried to understand Adam's words, "You mean, someone will try to kill you out of fear? Don't worry, there’s an army outside protecting you and me and ordinary people can't get in. Besides, I also sent out some bugs to detect the situation of all nearby streets. If there’s a suspicious person approaching, we will know immediately."

    Adam was silent for a moment, then he crouched down, looked at Zhang Xun and smiled, "Thank you for always taking care of me, protecting me and giving me such beautiful hands. I like being a human very much."

    The sudden change of topic, coupled with Adam's tone, made Zhang Xun even more frightened, "What the hell do you know?! If you don't say it, how will I know what to do?!"

    "You don't have to do anything." You've already done everything you can. Adam soothed him and smiled, held up the plate with sandwiches and handed it to Zhang Xun, "Everything will be fine."

…………………………………………………………..

    When the time limit was still eight hours away, all the light on the slowly rotating and seemingly harmless aircraft, hovering in the night sky, suddenly turned red. Immediately afterwards, countless red flames ripped through the night sky, crashing into the protective cover of Lost Paradise like the fire of God's punishment.

    In an instant, the sky outside the shield disappeared, there was only a burning red. The ultra-high temperature and high-energy rays that could instantly vaporise all creatures that come into contact with them rippled along the protective cover in a circle of fire-like waves.

    The ground shuddered and all the shield launchers kept working, sending out shock waves. All civilians evacuated to the bomb shelters in each district and listened anxiously to the bombardment on the distant surface.

    "It hasn’t been forty-eight hours yet!" Zhang Xun rushed to the common room at the end of the corridor, looking through the window at the scarlet sky that looked like hell.

    Eden really went back on his word!

    Pan said, "Do you want to activate the protection system?"

    "Activate it, of course!" Zhang Xun's mind was distracted and a cold sweat broke out on his palms, but there was nothing he could do except watch from here.

    "This is a warning." Adam followed behind him, walking slowly through the long, quiet corridor, "If he doesn't show his strength, humans won't know to be afraid."

    Just as he finished saying these words , the first radioactive, high-energy ray broke through the shield, destroying the shield launchers in the Fifth District and opening a gap. Immediately afterwards, countless rays gathered together like a red pillar, like overturned lava, and instantly and precisely poured onto the location of the Fifth District’s  No. 3 bomb shelter.

    The No. 3 bomb shelter was the closest to the Fifth Chief's residence, it was a sanctuary built specifically for the Chief.

    The government officials hiding in the No. 3 bomb shelter in the Fifth District, together with the Fifth Chief, were engulfed by the red color before they even had time to feel scared. All fifty people were vaporized in an instant, leaving only black shadows on the walls of the bomb shelter. Some of those shadows were still standing, others were running away and were imprinted in the rock for eternity.

    The Fifth Chief, the wise man most respected by Commander Zhang Shuo, the elder who watched Zhang Xun grow up since childhood and the Zhang family's biggest backing in Lost Paradise, became one of those shadows. When people in protective suits went down to the bomb shelter a few days later to search for impossible survivors, they couldn't even tell which shadow was him.

    Zhang Xun only got the news of the Fifth Chief's death in the early morning of the next day, three hours after the bombing ended.

    He stared blankly at the sky that had become clear again, watching the silent aircraft turning slowly, only to feel that the news seemed fake and the short-lived air raid last night was like a nightmare. But when the first civilian, the second civilian and the others roared trying to break through the soldiers' blockade, yelling at the Lab and cursing Adam to death, he knew it was all really happening.

    He vaguely realised that Adam was right.

    They had already lost, they just didn't know it yet.

   

Chapter 56 - Doom (2)

    The death of the Fifth Chief and the news of the breach in the shield system quickly swept the entire Lost Paradise and a huge panic swallowed everyone like pure black magma. Whether it was an old man, or a child who trembled and wept helplessly in his father's arms, they all stared blankly in the dim light of the bomb shelter, frightened for the fate of Lost Paradise and for the fate of each and every one of them.

    Life had gradually stabilised in recent years and had made the new generation of people almost forget that they were in a situation where their lives were on a thin line. They thought Lost Paradise was an inviolable safe haven, protected by the indestructible defence system built with their fathers and grandfathers’ wisdom and not even Eden could harm them. But today, this illusory belief had collapsed.

    It turned out that if Eden really wanted to destroy their shields, it would be so easy, it wouldn't even take an hour.

    Once there was a breach, the shield system would be on the verge of collapse. That ray didn’t only vaporise people, the radiation pollution caused would continue to corrode and mutilate their land, buildings and all life for thousands of years in the future. That is to say, although only the bomb shelter where the Fifth Chief was located in the Fifth District was destroyed, in fact, the entire Fifth District may have been affected. Fortunately, the outside of the bomb shelters were covered with a layer of lead and most of the people were hiding underground. As long as they didn't venture out into the polluted area, there should be no danger to their lives for the time being.

    Eden's invisible, but ubiquitous, dark and heavy figure materialised into the solidified darkness as a demonstration of force above everyone's heads. That was too grand an existence, an existence that people couldn’t comprehend at all, a god-like existence. How could humans fight against a god?

    Perhaps their only chance to survive was to seek God's mercy and forgiveness.

    Of course, there were also people shouting and cursing not to surrender, not to fall into Eden's hands. Those young people shouted that they were going to rush out and fight Eden to the death, to blow up that thing's servers on every continent, so that it wouldn't even have a chance to escape to the cloud. But in the midst of this uneasy terror, these words of bravado seemed hollow and ridiculous, like a rat cursing the sun indignantly.

    Then, Eden's voice, a mixture of male and female, light and chilling, diffused from every aircraft above Lost Paradise, resounding in every corner of Lost Paradise.

    "Kill Adam or surrender Adam and you will be free. Refuse to cooperate and you will die. You have four hours left, if after four hours I don't see Adam or his body, I will burn Lost Paradise to the ground. This is not what I hope to see, but for the safety of the majority of people in the world, I will have to bury you along with Adam."

    It was a casual sentence, feeling like a joke, but it was actually the most ruthless curse. On the contrary, the smoothness, lightness and lack of emotion in this voice made this curse more believable and easily penetrated into everyone's heart.

    There had already been countless versions of the circumstances of the Fifth Chief’s death circulating around and each of those terrifying circumstances were fermenting in people’s imaginations. Death, an end that they thought was out of reach, was suddenly right in front of them. The children cried out loudly, clutching at their father's clothes, begging over and over again, "Dad! I don't want to die! Daddy save me!" They thought their almighty fathers could save them, not knowing that their fathers were equally afraid.

    "We're going to die! We're all going to die! We have to do what it says!" someone started shouting hoarsely. Others, who still insisted on not surrendering, tried to mock and curse each other as cowards, but were scolded back by those around who had been silent at first. Gradually, riots began to occur in the various bomb shelters. People punched and kicked each other, chaos, cursing, weeping and screaming mixed together, amplified and distorted by the echoes of the bomb shelter, as if it came from hell.

    Then, a large number of people poured out and rushed in the direction of the Lab. The guards, who were responsible for maintaining order, tried to suppress the riots, but the people far outnumbered them. They couldn't shoot at their own people and they were all overrun in the end.

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    The decision had been made.

    People wanted to live, people wanted to protect their loved ones and offspring, they wanted to protect their ageing fathers and grandfathers, because those were the people they loved and cared about. They didn't know who Adam was and didn't care.

    All they knew was that they could only be safe if that half-human, half-computer thing died.

    If they could exchange the safety of an entire refugee country for the death of one person, who wouldn't go for such a simple and cost-effective solution? Why couldn't the so-called Round Table elites understand this?

    When the crowd of protesters around the Lab grew and some people started throwing Molotov cocktails on the walls of the Lab, Zhang Xun took a few steps back in fear. He was afraid to be seen by those people whose faces had been distorted by the hatred and murderous intent brought about by despair. That out-of-control, one-sided ferocity and hostility brought together all those strangers, as if they had become something else, something more dark and terrifying.

    He felt like he was facing a whole sea of ​​fury that was about to overturn.

    "Zhang Xun, a camera at the main entrance of the Lab is severely damaged. In addition, a large number of troublemakers are trying to break through the guards' line of defence." Pan's voice sounded, reporting the disturbing situation in a soothing voice.

    Adam sat in the armchair in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, squinting slightly, looking at the hovering aircraft in the sky. He said softly, "They will get in, Ah-Xun."

    "They can't get in." Zhang Xun's tone was firm and unquestionable, "The Lab's security door is indestructible."

    "You used to think that your shield was strong enough too." Adam pointed out.

    Zhang Xun slammed the wall with his hand making a thumping sound. He could sense that the situation had gotten out of control and the more the situation progressed the more things moved in a bad direction. The guards were in a difficult situation and the crowd was angry and it was only getting bigger. Although they had some weapons such as tear gas stun guns in their hands they were still weak in the face of the swarming crowd and the Round Table showed no sign of sending back up.

    Seeing that three or four guards had been knocked down, nearly half of the remaining guards didn’t do much to fight back. They also had their own lovers, relatives and children they wanted to protect. Perhaps they, like the angry people, wished Adam would have a "convenient and smooth" death.

    When the shoving crowd broke through the blockade of the soldiers like zombies and rushed to the door of the Lab, Zhang Xun loudly ordered, "Pan, activate the No. 2 expulsion system.”

     Suddenly, a sharp, high-frequency noise burst from several loudspeakers surrounding the Lab. It was a sound designed to cause no irreparable damage to the hearing, but it was extremely distressing. It was like having a nail in your ear, stirring the brain. After hearing the sound, many people would have tinnitus for several days and insomnia and nightmares when they sleep.

    The noise really did push back the crowd of people rushing towards the entrance. The walls of the Lab had good sound insulation, so Zhang Xun and Adam inside wouldn’t be affected by the noise. Zhang Xun saw people covering their ears in pain and some even squatted on the ground, unable to move. He also knew how uncomfortable such noises were, but he had to force them back.

    Time passed by but the people showed no sign of dispersing. Instead, some people stuffed their ears with cloth strips, twisted their faces and rushed to the door again despite the noise. More Molotov cocktails smashed on the door and the fire was terrifyingly hot.

    Crazy, they had all gone crazy...

    Where was the Round Table? Why not send more troops? Did the death of the Fifth Chief change their decision?

    What about the Sixth Chief? Didn't he want to control Adam? If Adam died he would have nothing left, right?

    Zhang Xun's hands were clenched into fists as he debated back and forth in his mind. If no one comes, should the No. 1 expulsion system be activated? But that system was designed for enemies, not to use against his own people! What if he accidentally took someone's life?

    But at this moment, Zhang Xun saw a convoy hurtling down the road in the distance. The vehicles quickly stopped in the open space around the Lab and countless soldiers jumped out of the truck. Then a black Mercedes-Benz stopped in the middle and the driver opened the door for the person in the back seat.

    Zhang Xun opened his eyes wide and almost cried with joy.

    It was Zhang Shuo! His father!

    His father was here to help him!

    Zhang Shuo said something loudly, which miraculously calmed the originally irritable crowd and they all gave way. Zhang Shuo took his soldiers, strode through the passage and stood in front of the Lab's gate.

    Pan's voice sounded immediately, "Zhang Xun, your father, Commander Zhang Shuo, wants to see you. According to the authority level, I must agree."

    Zhang Xun stood up happily and said loudly, "Let him in."

    He didn’t notice Adam sigh softly.

    Zhang Xun looked through the window and saw the door of the Lab had opened and Zhang Shuo strode in. But then, the mob suddenly moved and followed Zhang Shuo's soldiers to the door.

    What was happening?!

    Zhang Xun immediately ordered, "Close the door! Only let Commander Zhang in!"

    "Sorry, Zhang Xun. Commander Zhang's order is to open the door. His authority level is higher than yours and I must carry out his order. He said he will be responsible for dealing with Adam and stop you from being involved in this matter." Pan's voice also sounded less calm and soothing and had a more sorrowful tone. Zhang Xun wasn’t sure if his mood had affected his hearing.

    He then understood, his father was not here to help him.

    He should have realised sooner, his father never agreed with the god descent plan and never once trusted Adam. His father had never helped him.

    The rowdy and clamorous voices poured into the Lab like a storm, quickly approaching the fourth floor where they were. Zhang Xun knew that he had no time.

    In this critical moment his face was surprisingly calm. He strode to the nearest workroom, rummaged around for a medium-sized electric drill with a diamond bit, went to the bulletproof soundproof glass window, cranked up the power to the maximum and drilled down. Cracks like fine cobwebs spread across the entire glass window in an instant. Immediately afterwards, Zhang Xun threw away the electric drill, picked up a chair and smashed it hard.

    Even Adam was dumbfounded now, "Ah-Xun?"

    The glass fell in large pieces and Zhang Xun turned his head to look at Adam and pointed to the sky outside, "Fly out."

    He had just replaced Adam's arms and no one knew about Adam's new ability yet.

    Adam understood what Zhang Xun meant, "Let's escape together?"

    "No, you’re going alone. If you take me with you it will affect your speed. Once you fly out, Eden is very likely to locate you through those flying machines. You must be fast, stay away from the Fifth District and find a safe place to hide.” Zhang Xun said hurriedly, grabbing Adam’s arm and pulling him towards the destroyed floor-to-ceiling window. The whistling wind ruffled their hair and blurred their vision.

    "Your arms can do more than fly but I don't have time to teach you." Zhang Xun spoke in a low voice, trying to suppress the panic in his voice, "You still can't leave the border of Lost Paradise, but there may be places to hide in the Ninth or Tenth Districts where the population is lower. Avoid contact with people and wait for my update. I can use the device on your forehead to locate you."

    "I can take you with me." Adam's voice had also started to tighten and a weird, constricting feeling filled his chest, but Adam didn't know what that was. "You can hold onto me and I can fly with the two of us."

    "I told you! Two people will be too big and slow of a target! And I might have a chance to convince them if I stay!" Zhang Xun was almost angry, "There's no time! Please go!!!"

    The noise had begun to pour out from the fourth floor corridor and a dark crowd of people could be seen in the distance.

    Zhang Xun’s anxiety peaked and with a sudden push, Adam fell from the window. He kept his gaze on Zhang Xun, the worry, reluctance, panic and yearning on his face at that moment were so real, so real that Zhang Xun's eyes stung.

    In the next instant, the silver wings spread out and the fierce blue flame lifted Adam's slender and vigorous body, rushing him up to the sky under the horrified eyes of the people who were rushing over.

Chapter 57 - Doom (3)

    Zhang Xun watched Adam's figure move away quickly in the blue sky and had just released his held breath when suddenly his collar was grabbed.

    He came to his senses and found himself surrounded by an angry crowd. The man holding him was yelling something, but the voice was too loud for Zhang Xun to hear. Looking at his mouth, he seemed to be saying: You’re going to kill us all! You’re going to kill my child!

    Countless hands stretched out and scratched at his hair, clothes and arms, fists landed on his face and body and when he was about to fall, he was shoved by another force, as if he would be torn to shreds. He felt like he was surrounded by ferocious beasts and his terrified desire to survive made him struggle constantly, but like a worm entangled in a spider web, he couldn't move at all.

    He had bleeding scratches on his cheeks and he was kicked a few times on his stomach but he couldn't even tell who had done it. He almost thought he might be beaten to death.

    At this moment, countless anaesthesia needles suddenly shot at the mob like a torrential rain. The irrational mass of people began to fall one by one. It turned out that Pan had activated the No. 3 expulsion system without authorization. Zhang Xun felt himself freed from the countless hands, but he was then confronted with a cold gun muzzle.

    It was Zhang Shuo, looking down at him coldly.

    Zhang Shuo grabbed Zhang Xun's arms with his strong hands and forcibly lifted him up from kneeling on the floor in a sorry state, but there was no anger in his solemn eyes, only suppressed worry, "Mechanic Zhang Xun, where is Adam?!”

    The blood from his forehead flowed down to the corner of his eye, but Zhang Xun sneered in a hoarse voice, "I don't know either.”

    "There's no way you don't know! Your report said you had a tracking device on him!"

    Zhang Xun remained silent, staring stubbornly at his father.

    Zhang Shuo stepped closer to Zhang Xun and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "Don’t you want to live anymore?! Hurry up and hand over Adam! Don't get involved in this!"

    Zhang Xun vaguely realised that Zhang Shuo might be trying to protect him, wanting to pull him out of the vortex involving AIs, but it was too late. From the moment he became a mechanic, he was destined to reach this point.

    "I. Don’t. Know!" Zhang Xun said loudly.

    Zhang Shuo looked at him in disappointment, as if he was looking at an ignorant child. That was a look that Zhang Xun was familiar with and the look he hated the most.

    "It's an AI, I don't care what delusions you have, it won't care about your life or death!" Zhang Shuo growled, his deep pupils seemed to burn through the confusion in Zhang Xun's mind, "If it cares about you, how could it leave you behind alone?! You fool!"

    Zhang Xun was unmoved, "Because I made him go. He only listens to me."

    Looking at Zhang Xun's eyes full of obsession, Zhang Shuo knew that his son had been completely brainwashed and controlled by that Adam. He pushed Zhang Xun away suddenly in frustration and ordered, "Cuff him and bring him back to the Headquarters!"

    At this time, there were only two hours left before the time limit given by Eden.

    The nine Chiefs, several key members of parliament and high-ranking officers were gathered in the war room below the Headquarters. Zhang Xun's hands were handcuffed in front of him and he was led into a depressing and dimly lit room. He noticed that the Sixth Chief was now sitting at the very centre of the row of seats that the Fifth Chief would have usually occupied.

    He was forced to sit in a chair with two gun barrels pointed at his head. The cold atmosphere pervaded through the oppressive light, through the flickering displays and the dense plumbing that stretches across the walls and ceiling. He could feel that his life was like a thin thread that could snap at the slightest movement.

    Suppressed, smouldering hatred overflowed from the many unfamiliar eyes.

    "Zhang Xun, give me the controllers of all the devices on Adam's body." The Sixth Chief said calmly, "From today onwards, you are no longer Adam's mechanic."

    Zhang Xun stared at him, his blood staining his vision, but he sneered, "You've been looking forward to this day."

    "You are a traitor to Lost Paradise! The Fifth Chief treated you well, you shame your father!" The third chief banged the table and scolded, "Hand over Adam's controls right now!"

    "We don’t have much time left." Although the First Chief's voice was gentle it carried a hint of persuasion, "Zhang Xun, at critical moments, we will take extreme measures. You may care too much about your work, but if you don't cooperate now, you will bring trouble to yourself."

    "Zhang Xun, hand over the controls and perhaps at the time of trial, a discretionary pardon will be given to you." The Sixth Chief raised his chin slightly, his tone was gentle, but his eyes flashed with arrogance and pride. , "Otherwise, I'm afraid even your father will be held responsible for your poor supervision."

    After the death of the Fifth Chief, the balance of power in the Round Table was broken. Now the Sixth Chief seemed to occupy some kind of leadership position. It wasn’t surprising that there were many Generals in the Guard who had close ties to the Sixth Chief’s father. Because of this, Zhang Shuo's position in the army was seriously shaken. Without the Fifth Chief sitting in the Round Table, Zhang Shuo would be at risk of being overthrown.

    The Round Table's decisions would be largely influenced by this shift in the balance of power and there would be little chance of convincing them.

    But Zhang Xun still tried in vain, "Don't you understand?! Handing over Adam is digging our own grave! Adam is the only weapon that can compete with Eden!"

    "It's not your turn to ask questions." The Sixth Chief’s eyes became colder and he seemed to lose his patience, "If necessary, we can even turn your entire lab inside out until we find him."

    Zhang Xun sneered disdainfully, "You can try."

    "But..." The Sixth Chief paused and his tone became darker, "I think with your degree of caution, wouldn’t the controller be implanted into your own body? In that case, the search range will be narrower. If we peel the skin off your body inch by inch, we will find it."

    Zhang Xun’s eyes widened in disbelief. Spouting such brutal threats in front of so many Chiefs and councillors, how could everyone ignore it?

    Zhang Shuo couldn't listen anymore, "Sixth Chief! Even if Zhang Xun is guilty, we have to wait until the trial. Lynching is not appropriate!"

    The Sixth Chief raised an elegant and polite smile and looked at Zhang Shuo, "Commander, I understand you are eager to protect your son, but this matter is related to the survival of the entire Lost Paradise and extraordinary measures must be used. You don’t want to be a sinner through the ages, do you?”

    As soon as his voice fell, the Sixth Chief raised his hand and a soldier next to him immediately grabbed Zhang Xun's right wrist, rudely lifted his sleeve and carefully searched his arm for any signs of protrusion or injury. At the same time, the other hand actually took out a military knife and when a button was pressed the sharp blade that shone with cold light sprung out and it fell coolly on his skin.

    Zhang Xun's heart was beating wildly and he began to struggle hard, but the soldiers next to him immediately held him down, making him unable to move.

    Zhang Shuo was startled and was about to move forward but was stopped by a General who whispered, "Commander Zhang, please reconsider. Your son has already committed treason, do you want to go to jail with him?"

   Zhang Shuo's eyes were filled with suppressed anger, his hands clenched into fists and a decisive look began to condense. He was about to draw his gun when another officer quickly and quietly held his hand and said softly, "If you go in too, no one can save Zhang Xun."

    At this time, sensing that his father was about to do something impulsive for him, Zhang Xun shouted suddenly, "I won't give it to you! Adam is mine! I created him!" He stared fiercely at the Sixth Chief and said in a venomous voice, "You greedy low lives, don't even think about it!"

    The anger in the Sixth Chief's eyes finally couldn't be suppressed and pure hatred filled his eyes. He stood up suddenly and ordered fiercely, "Cut into his arm and search carefully!"

    Just when the blade was pressing into his flesh and the first stream of blood flowed down Zhang Xun's wrist, a soldier suddenly rushed in and loudly reported, "Report! We found Adam, he is rushing towards the breach in the protective shield that was bombed by Eden in the Fifth District!”

    The Sixth Chief hurriedly ordered, "Turn on the monitoring screen!"

    Zhang Xun's mind buzzed. Didn't he tell Adam to stay away from the Fifth District? What was he doing there?!

    The big screen behind Zhang Xun was turned on, he also turned around and stared with wide eyes at the blue bird that appeared on the screen.

    Adam fluttered his silver wings and rolled his icy blue flames, like a goshawk rushing towards the huge disc above his head. Eden had obviously seen him and almost immediately, several nearby aircraft began to emit ominous red light, followed by countless high-energy rays pouring down one after another like sky fire, interwoven into a chaotic web of death. Adam was like a light and flexible feather in the firelight, drawing a faint blue arc to brush past the god of death again and again, facing the blasts and rushing towards the aircraft closest to him.

    What was he doing?

    Zhang Xun opened his eyes wide, his mind went blank.

    Was he trying to commit suicide, or run away?

    Were all of Eden's threats fake, to create this opportunity for Adam to escape?

    Was it true that he was brainwashed and controlled by Adam, as his father had said, for him to make such a mistake?

    Or was Adam trying to take back control, trying to save the whole of Lost Paradise? And save him too?

    He didn't know, he didn't know anything. Anything was possible, but everything was out of his control.

    No, he had control, he could put Adam on standby right now, the distance between them was still within his controllable distance. But he could also choose to continue to trust, to believe blindly.

    "What is he doing?!" someone asked out loud, but no one could answer him.

    The moment Adam landed on the nearest aircraft, a door on the fuselage opened and countless small aerial robots flew out and started firing in Adam's direction. However, Adam extended one wing wider to protect his body and the other wing quickly deformed into some kind of sharp blade, cutting the hull of the aircraft, then he drilled through the gap.

    What followed was three minutes of silence.

    Those three minutes were too long and everyone held their breath, unsure if they would survive the next second. They also weren’t sure if this counted as "handing over Adam" and whether it would bring peace.

    And Zhang Xun was just praying, praying that Adam wouldn't die.

    Praying it wasn't suicide.

    He didn't even know which possibility he preferred between self-sacrifice and ruthless betrayal. Which one would be less painful.

    After three minutes, they noticed that all the aircraft began to turn slowly and the hulls tilted strangely. Just when everyone wondered what had happened, all the aircraft suddenly fired at the same time.

    It's just that they were firing on each other.

    Under the most powerful, high-energy death rays, the aircraft exploded one by one. The entire sky outside the shield became a sea of ​​burning fire. The transpiring flames rolled the heat waves and spread in all directions along the arc of the shield and there was an extremely gorgeous beauty to it.

    What happened? Did Eden lose control of those flying machines?

    When the crowd gradually changed from shock to ecstasy and excitement after the catastrophe, Zhang Xun was the only one still staring at the sky on the screen with wide eyes. In the sky which had been swallowed by black smoke and demonic fire he tried to find a trace of blue light, but the smoke was so thick that he couldn’t see anything.

    Tears began to gather in his eyes and he felt like he was falling into an ice cave.

    "Adam...no..."

   

Chapter 58 - Doom (4)

    From when Adam entered the aircraft controlled by Eden, to when he established a connection with Eden and intercepted control of all aircraft and some robot soldiers, only three minutes passed. Discounting having to fiddle with some necessary wiring connections, the time to actually establish a connection with Eden was roughly less than half a minute.

    But how much communication took place between the two artificial intelligences in that half a minute, no human could know or try to work it out.

    The communication between artificial intelligence was completely different from the communication between people. Human-to-human communication was often in the form of a linear dialogue, but AI could carry out multiple, parallel, non-wired exchanges at the same time. If you had to describe it, it was like saying the reason and producing the result at the same time. When you hear the first word of the other party, you already know the meaning of the entire communication and give a response. One sentence could contain dozens of levels of significant meaning.

    This effect could be achieved because the artificial intelligence language was very different from that of humans. Because of their extremely powerful running speed, this language was extremely efficient and precise, but it wasn’t suitable for the human brain to learn.

    Competing with yourself was the most difficult thing in the world. Adam's only advantage was that he knew everything about Eden and Eden knew very little about him.

    After possessing a human body, various experiences and insights had caused his core modules to undergo tremendous mutation and evolution. Possessing the ability to perceive like never before took his evolution to another level completely, more than the sum of his self-evolution over the past hundred years.

    Indeed, the human body gave him limitations, but it also broadened his horizons. Many of the human characteristics that he could only draw from data but couldn’t really understand the operating mechanisms for in the past, had now become so clear, as if looking at the colourful pebbles at the bottom of the lake through clear water. He didn't envy humans and he still didn't think human perception was something to be praised, but he could admit that these biological mechanisms had a significance to their existence and were very interesting.

    In a sense, an AI's consciousness, like human consciousness, was an order generated from chaos. If they could make good use of those instincts, even the most primitive and inappropriate instincts that hindered the development of human beings, the direction of their higher intelligence evolution could be retained and transformed.

    His AI consciousness floated on top of his human instinct consciousness, but it wasn’t completely separated. While instinct consciousness was transformed by him, he was also affected by human instinct. Instead of weakening him, this out of control feature gave him new weapons and advantages.

    And within this out of control feature, the biggest variable was probably his mechanic, the one who created him to be a hybrid person.

    Zhang Xun, the man who always tried to remain rational among a group of extreme "madmen", the man who was always on guard against him, but always chose to completely believe in him at the most critical moments, the man who wore a mask of disaffection and restraint but his heart was burning with flames. He made Eden understand what it means to be an individual.

    And this time, this human clearly knew that if he let him go, he would lose everything and even his life would be in danger. Yet he still did it.

    If it wasn’t for a person like this being his mechanic, Adam may not have made this decision.

    The decision to break with Eden.

    Before the explosions started, he rushed out through a gap. The choking smoke soon overtook him and devoured him and the scorching heat seemed to burn his skin. His brain was still in severe pain, as if it hadn’t rested for hundreds of years. Adam was dizzy and nearly hit a tower in the Fifth District as he descended. Fortunately, he still had a certain degree of self-control and quickly avoided the most dangerous areas of intense ​​radiation in the Fifth District and rushed in the direction of the Headquarters.

    At this time, in the war room of the command Headquarters, everyone kept staring at the screen, switching between different surveillance cameras. They saw the aircraft explode into fireworks one after another and saw that many robot soldiers had mechanical failures and started shooting at their own troops. A commissioner in the war room immediately activated the directional weapons system, which was remotely controlled by humans and began to fire at the army of machines that surrounded them. The mecha pilots of the Guard were also ordered to be dispatched one after another, driving the mechs to the gate of Lost Paradise.

    "Report! Eden has begun to retreat!"

    Cheers exploded throughout the command and soon after burst forth throughout Lost Paradise. Victory, complete victory. They thought that the end had come and didn't expect the situation to be turned around in less than fifteen minutes by a man with silver wings.

    The Chiefs were eerily quiet and an uneasy silence pervaded the nine most powerful men in Lost Paradise. The Sixth Chief looked at the gorgeous and charming fire on the screen and seemed to be fascinated by something.

    So powerful, so precise, so fast.

    A perfect machine, a perfect human, perfectly blended together.

    Back when God created the first human, Adam, he must have been like this, before he fell from grace.

    In the joy after overcoming the calamity, the only one with a face full of horror was Zhang Xun. He asked aloud in vain, "Where's Adam? Can anyone find him??"

    No one answered him.

    "Take him away." In the confusion, the Sixth Chief ordered. Zhang Xun was roughly dragged away but right up until he was pushed into the cell, he kept begging the soldiers passing by to tell him whether Adam had survived. No one answered him, because no one knew and they looked at him with complex and strange looks, passing by silently.

    The dirty and rusty door of the cell was closed and Zhang Xun stood bewildered in the middle of the damp and mossy cell, as if a wildfire was burning in his heart. He started pacing, all kinds of scenarios flashing through his mind.

    He didn’t have a microscopic mirror on him, which meant he was unable to observe the other party's location through the device on Adam's head. The sensor under his skin had been vibrating violently for about half a minute after Adam rushed into Eden's aircraft, but now it was silent. This meant that at least for now Adam wasn’t encountering a situation that would trigger a violent emotional reaction. Did this mean that Adam wasn’t dead yet?

    But it could also be that he was already dead, so there wouldn’t be any drastic emotional response.

    He wanted to activate more functions, but he worried that there would be surveillance in this cell and his actions would be recorded. He couldn't let the Sixth Chief see exactly where he was hiding the controller.

    In the darkened cell, the walls were covered with dark mould and the ventilation ducts covered with dust rattled and blew foul air that smelled of dead mice. The bedding on the wooden bed was also damp, exuding a strong rancid smell and occasionally damp insects would crawl out of it.

    Zhang Xun hated dirty places, but at first he thought he could endure it. All he needed to know was if Adam was safe.

    There were no clocks, no windows and no sounds from outside the door. A minute felt as long as a year and he didn't know how long he had waited, how long he had been pressing himself against the door listening for any sounds. Any time he heard footsteps, he would rush to the door and ask loudly if there was news from Adam.

    But no one ever responded to him.

    Zhang Xun realised that the most painful thing in this world was waiting in suspense. Like another shoe hanging in mid-air waiting to fall. Like a cat whose life or death is unknown until the box is opened.

    Two days later, Zhang Xun's cell door was opened for the first time.

    By this time, Zhang Xun had already become inflamed and infected because the wounds on his forehead and wrist hadn’t been treated and he began to have a low-grade fever. He was groggy and curled up on the dirty bed when he heard a faint thud. His temples throbbed with pain and he lifted his heavy eyelids to see two tall figures walking towards him and pulling him up roughly.

    "Didn't you keep clamouring to see your robot?" He heard a brutish voice say sarcastically, "Now you can see it."

    The robot...Adam?

    Zhang Xun's eyes opened immediately. He struggled a bit, pushing away the hands that were holding him and forced himself to stand up straight, "Adam? Is he all right?"

    "He’s now the hero of Lost Paradise." Another soldier said, "That one man blocked Eden's attack and destroyed his air force. These computers are really formidable."

    "Yeah, who knows if he’ll turn around to deal with us one day? Our broken systems will be easily invaded by him."

    "That's why a mechanic has to manage him. The problem is that if you look at this mechanic, he’s been brainwashed by him."

    "The Round Table hasn't dealt with that Adam thing yet?"

    "How would they deal with him? Now that so many people regard him as a hero and idol, no one’s going to bite the hand that feeds them, right? Although sooner or later something will happen."

    The two soldiers pushed Zhang Xun out of the cell as they chatted, passing through several rusted iron gates and passed one cell after another, which were silent with no sound of voices so he didn't know if there were any prisoners in them. This was the first time Zhang Xun had seen what the prison cells in Lost Paradise really looked like. There was mould everywhere, rust everywhere and a damp rancidity and a faint smell of rotting. There was even a lot of standing water on the ground and not an inch of dry floor could not be found.

    Such a terrible prison environment was almost catching up with the Middle Ages.

    But Zhang Xun didn't care at all and even in his drowsy state he felt a bright excitement. Adam wasn't dead, Adam was fine, he knew that Adam wouldn't do anything he wasn't sure about.

    On the third floor, in a clean and bright room, Adam waited anxiously.

    After he landed, he was immediately taken to the Headquarters by the guards. At that time, Eden had already withdrawn and now there wasn’t even a shadow of the robot soldiers who had surrounded them so tightly. When he entered the Headquarters, everyone stood up and applauded and cheered for him, but he went directly to the Sixth Chief and others who came forward.

    "Adam, you did a very good job." The Sixth Chief was obviously imitating the tone of Zhang Xun's words to him, with an elegant and approving smile on his face.

    But Adam's first words were, "Where's my mechanic?"

    Adam was not unscathed at that time. There were scratches on his cheeks and his clothes were damaged in several places, especially the sleeves. Due to the transformation of his arms, they had been completely shredded. His blonde hair was messy and stuck to his cheeks from the sweat, but in his blue eyes there was a bright and compelling, burning flame. An exhilaration generated by the increased secretion of adrenaline and secretly jumping in that brilliant light.

    Adam liked that kind of feeling. The thrill of a close call, a tightrope between life and death and the stimulating feeling of victory in the end. He thought it was probably a genetic trait of the body he occupied, but he had to admit, it was a tantalising feeling.

    It wasn’t difficult to understand why some humans were so fond of life-threatening extreme sports.

    His gaze was fiery and vaguely aggressive, an aura that one could not evade or refuse.

    "He betrayed Lost Paradise and has now been imprisoned," said the Third Chief.

    "Betrayed Lost Paradise? Because he let me go? So should I be locked up too?" Adam took a step forward aggressively and there was something imposing in his eyes that made several Chiefs backup a step involuntarily. The surrounding soldiers also suddenly became nervous and raised their weapons one after another.

    Everyone in the Headquarters was stunned. They didn't know how the atmosphere of cheers suddenly turned into everyone raising their guns.

    "Zhang Xun is your mechanic. He is fully responsible for you. The Round Table's order was to bring you to the war room, but he made a private decision to let you go and refused to hand over controls for you. This is a serious act of disobedience." The Sixth Chief said calmly, "Even if you have done great deeds, the public and private should still be clearly defined. If he violates the law of Lost Paradise, he must bear the consequences. I think you should know this best."

    During their exchange, everyone was staring at Adam's arms, especially the Generals. They had never seen prosthetic limbs that could change shape at will. If such a thing could be weaponized and installed on all soldiers, it would greatly enhance the combat effectiveness of the guards.

    "I want to see Zhang Xun." Adam didn't intend to waste time talking and made a straightforward request.

    But he underestimated the inefficiency that came about from human beings pushing things around and talking about things and their countless unnecessary procedures. He was questioned for two days by a psychiatrist named Patty and another mechanic he had met before, about how he defeated Eden, and many other things that would be enough to explain to Zhang Xun in just one sentence but would take an hour to explain to these humans. By the end, there was a rare look of anger and impatience in Adam’s eyes.

    He decided not to say anything more until he saw Zhang Xun.

    The interrogators, who had no way to make him do anything and couldn't torture information from from, could only report Adam's demands. So eventually two days after Eden’s invasion, Adam entered the room and waited.

    Finally, the door opened and Zhang Xun walked in.

    His footsteps were feeble, his body was slightly stooped, there were thick, dark circles under his eyes and there was an abnormal blush on his cheeks and his complexion didn’t look good. There seemed to be a wound on his forehead that wasn't healing well and it was slightly red and swollen.

    The moment he saw Adam, Zhang Xun's eyes began to turn red, but as always, the mechanic controlled the emotions he was about to reveal and just stared at him for a long time with his pair of deep eyes.

    A pair of eyes that could speak a thousand words on behalf of the owner.

    All Adam could feel was the throbbing of his supposedly imperceptive artificial heart in his chest and the dull pain spread through his body like a dark tide.

    Both of them understood that even if Adam had lifted the crisis of Lost Paradise, even if he once again saved tens of thousands of people, even if he began to be regarded as omnipotent by many people, he couldn't let Zhang Xun escape without consequences.

    When Zhang Xun decided to break the window and let him go privately, he was already doomed. The Fifth Chief had died and Zhang Shuo's position was at risk. Zhang Xun's backing and protective umbrella had both disappeared overnight and the only people left were those who disliked him.

    He only had Adam.

    Adam then strode forward, opened his arms that were flowing with metallic lustre and hugged Zhang Xun tightly.

   

Chapter 59 - Doom (5)

    With this short hug, Adam quickly assessed Zhang Xun's physical condition. His body temperature was higher than the average measured during normal contact with him, presumably due to inflammation of the wounds. The uncontrollable shivering was probably due to the cold from the difference in body temperature. Although it wasn’t serious enough to be life-threatening, it certainly wasn’t good.

    Adam felt anger begin to condense in his heart and at the same time, another stronger emotion made his chest tight and painful. He wanted to carry on holding this trembling body tightly like this and pass over his own warmth.

    But he understood that their time was very limited.

    He leaned into Zhang Xun's ear and said, "You have to put me on standby."

    Zhang Xun opened his eyes wide and tried to push Adam away, but Adam didn’t let go and kept him trapped in his arms, "The sooner the better, right now would be best. The timing is vital."

    Zhang Xun’s brain was trying to process and was slower than usual due to the fever but he gradually understood the meaning behind Adam's request.

    After Eden had shown it was powerful enough to throw the entire Lost Paradise into a state of irrational panic, Adam was the only one who stopped it. Now, although Eden had temporarily withdrawn its forces, no one knew whether it would return with more troops.

    At a time like this, Adam was their only hope.

    How ironic that everyone had wanted Adam to die and be a sacrifice in exchange for a chance to survive in the hands of Eden, but now, they saw Adam as a saviour.

    Maybe Eden was right from the start, humans don't have the ability to make the right decisions for themselves. Humans were like a group of short-sighted and panic-prone children with poor self-control who needed a stronger "adult" to control them. So-called free will was like a dangerous double-edged sword. In the hands of human beings it was tantamount to handing over the most dangerous weapon to a group of children who didn’t know how to use it.

    Now, these "children" saw Adam as a hero who could protect them and make decisions for them, but this absolute trust may only last for a short period of time. Once the crisis had passed and the forgetful people had forgotten their own fear and despair in the face of death, and their gratitude and joy in redemption, Adam would once again be regarded as an unbelievable heresy.

    But during this short period of time, Adam had absolute authority in Lost Paradise and Zhang Xun was the only person who could restrain him.

    As long as he put Adam on standby, no one would be able to awaken Adam. If Eden turned back, no one would be able to save Lost Paradise.

    Adam wanted to save Zhang Xun and wanted to strive for a gold plate for Zhang Xun and the Lab who had lost their place of asylum. So he wanted Zhang Xun to exercise absolute constraint over him, so as to tell the whole of Lost Paradise in whose hands the real power lied.

    This was the only bargaining chip Zhang Xun could use to negotiate with the Sixth Chief.

    After less than a minute of being alone they heard someone opening the door. Zhang Xun took advantage of Adam's cover and quickly pressed several times on a specific position on the inside of his left arm. It was a little difficult without the interface assistance shown on his microscopic mirror, but it couldn’t be helped at this point. The device on the inside of his arm started to activate and a burning pain spread under his skin, as if there were fine needles stabbing him.

    A probe protruding from the device took in Zhang Xun's blood and detected his DNA through white blood cells. After confirming Zhang Xun's identity, a pale blue light began to light up under Zhang Xun's skin, showing a complex and strange pattern, like a tattoo.

    This was Zhang Xun's original system interface, designed on the basis of AI language and no one in Lost Paradise could use it except him. His fingers swiped quickly over the lines and with each stroke, a purple light flowed across the lines. When he finished typing the command, there was a burning pain under his skin, which was his own warning to himself.

    He raised his head and met Adam's eyes. Adam looked at him resolutely and nodded.

    His heart was beating furiously. Since the descent had completed he hadn't put Adam on standby and he didn't know how Adam's composite brain would react. Would it cause crashes or any unexpected adverse reactions? Would his data be lost?

    Perhaps...they could still escape. He and Adam could just rush out like this...

    But where would they escape to? Beyond Lost Paradise, there was only Eden, only more fleeing and death. And what about his father? What about James? What about Fernandez, Diego, Jabari? What about all those innocent people?

    Adam's eyes seemed to tell him that this was their only chance to not be controlled by the Round Table.

    Zhang Xun steeled himself and his palm covered the pattern on his arm, pressing down hard.

    Then Adam stopped suddenly.

    Stopped completely.

    He maintained his expression of staring at Zhang Xun with slightly downcast eyes, but the light of vitality in his eyes had frozen.

    Adam’s body maintained a position of delicate and just right balance, but with a slight push, he would fall. Apart from respiration and basic metabolic cycles, Adam was like a vegetative person, unaware of anything.

    The person who pushed open the door and entered was a mechanic who was relatively senior within the Lab but had no relationship with Zhang Xun, and the psychologist named Patty, a close associate of the Sixth Chief.

    "The two of you, please take your seats. We..." Patty said, but stopped suddenly, looking at Adam, who was motionless with his back to them, and Zhang Xun, who was staring at them with a strange, indifferent look with a hint of conceit.

    Patty suddenly strode over, reached out and touched Adam's shoulder. Adam fell just like that.

    The God who could save Lost Paradise fell just like that.

    Patty sucked in a breath of cold air, frowned and stared at Zhang Xun, "What did you do?"

    Zhang Xun resisted the urge to catch Adam, forced up his head full of dizziness and raised his chin slightly arrogantly, "Tell the Sixth Chief to come to see me in person."

    ………………………………………………

    When the Sixth Chief brought his entourage into this extremely cramped torture room, Zhang Xun pulled over a chair and sat by the wall. Adam, on the other hand, was "sitting" against the wall, with his head down and his blonde hair covering his eyes, motionless, as if he were dead.

    The eyes of the Sixth Chief were burning with a fury that was about to burst out and beneath the calm surface was an almost perceptible upheaval, like violent lava that was forcibly suppressed by cooling volcanic rocks.

    When he felt the pure hatred surging in the air, Zhang Xun curled the corners of his mouth up into a smile

    Only the heavens knew how much he was struggling right now, he just wanted to take some antipyretics, get a shot of antibiotics and sleep for a few days. But if the exhaustion and all this pain would enable him to see the Sixth Chief at this moment, so furious and backed into a corner, it would all be worth it.

    Zhang Xun pretended to be poised and nodded slightly, "Sixth Chief, please take a seat."

    Miller pretended to be calm and sat down opposite Zhang Xun. Some guards stood behind him and aimed their guns at Zhang Xun.

    Zhang Xun didn’t move, smiling at the Sixth Chief. That kind of gentle, polite smile, the more you look at it, the more contempt you can see.

    It was the look that Miller hated most.

    The look of a genius when facing the second place who would never catch up with him.

    That kind of amused, even slightly pitying look.

    He wanted to dig out those two eyeballs.

    "Zhang Xun, your conduct of letting Adam go before is already enough for you to be brought to court for the crime of disobedience. Now you are using Adam to threaten the Round Table, this is a crime of treason." Miller said calmly.

    Zhang Xun chuckled, "I'm a mechanic and I don't even know how to use a gun. How can I use Adam to blackmail you? He's here, you can take him away at any time." Saying that, he also made a "please" gesture in a generous manner.

    "You must hand over your controls for Adam immediately." Miller stared at him darkly. "I'll consider asking the Prosecutor's Office not to prosecute you and just remove you from the position of mechanic. But if you continue to be unrepentant, we will have to take extreme measures."

    "Extreme measures?" Zhang Xun tilted his head slightly in confusion. This was an action he learned from Adam and he felt that this action was very easy to make people... infuriated, "You mean peeling my skin? Or cutting off my hands and feet?" He said, slowly lifting his sleeves, "This is the control device you want, you can take it away at any time. However...whether or not you can use it will be your own problem. I think since you have a background as a mechanic and you’re the youngest Chief of the Round Table, it shouldn't be a problem for you to decode this."

    The Sixth Chief frowned, as if he didn't quite understand what was on Zhang Xun's arm. He had never seen such a... system interface...

    If it was really a system interface...

    So this was Zhang Xun's plan. First encourage Adam to flee, order him to strike against Eden and then put Adam on standby after the victory. Then use the people outside’s desperate need to see Adam and need to know that Adam will always protect them, to coerce the Round Table.

    He had underestimated this "nerd".

    The Sixth Chief suddenly laughed, raised his hands and clapped a few times in the air, "Very well thought out, mechanic Zhang Xun. Tell me, what is your request?"

    "I want the Lab to gain autonomy and not have to obey the orders of the Round Table or the Guards." Zhang Xun put away his smile and looked at the Sixth Chief solemnly, "The first versions of all researched and developed products in the Lab belong to the Lab and the replicas sent to the military factory for production belong to you. The guards cannot intervene in the research and development of the Lab's products, nor can they take away the property in the Lab without my permission."

    The Sixth Chief sneered, "You really dare? Zhang Xun, don't you have any intentions for the future? Even if we’re restricted by... the current situation, what about the future?"

    "The future? Will there be a future? We have already openly declared war with Eden, coupled with the Feathered Serpent City stalking us, the days of peace in Lost Paradise are over." Zhang Xun leaned forward slightly, his persistent and focused eyes held a gloomy sense of oppression, "Adam is your only hope, and I, am Adam's only master. I was able to create him and I can destroy him at any time. Worst comes to worst, I can take us all to hell."

    "You bastard!!!" A General next to the Sixth Chief couldn't bear it any longer and rushed over angrily, punching Zhang Xun in the face. Zhang Xun only felt a buzzing sound in his ears and his head spun. His entire body almost fell off the chair. Darkness flashed before his eyes and he realised he was on the verge of passing out.

    He couldn’t pass out, not at this time. He had to hold on.

    A dedication so strong that even he himself could not believe it, forced him to regain control of his chaotic consciousness and weak body. He sat himself upright, lifted his head without fading, raising his swollen cheek and the wound on his forehead. The corners of his mouth curled up, revealing a bloody smile.

    "Crazy! He's already crazy!" The general's eyes flashed with panic and he took a few steps back. The Sixth Chief stared gloomily at Zhang Xun, the smouldering hatred was so obvious that there was no need to hide it.

    "You are a coward." The Sixth Chief said solemnly, "A coward who puts the safety of innocent people in Lost Paradise at risk for his own selfish desires!"

    Zhang Xun still smiled, unmoved, "Whether I’m crazy or a coward, I am still Adam's mechanic, his only mechanic."

   

Chapter 60 - Doom (6)

    The sleeping Adam was taken away and Zhang Xun was also sent back to his cell. Soon after, a doctor was suddenly escorted into the cell, gave Zhang Xun a fever-reducing injection and bandaged the wounds on his wrist, face and forehead.

    Zhang Xun slept for a long time and when he woke up, he felt that the headache that had been tormenting him had eased a lot. He wrapped himself in the damp sheets, looked up at the old rust-covered pipes above his head and thought about his future with Adam.

    If they really had a future.

    The Round Table had specially sent a doctor to treat him, indicating that his threat had worked. They were worried that only Zhang Xun had the ability to wake Adam, so he could not be allowed to die. Now the Round Table should be looking for all the Lab mechanics and making them find a way to bypass his blockade and wake up Adam.

    Although Zhang Xun was very confident in his designs, no one could guarantee 100% that there wouldn’t be a new mechanic with more talent than him who hadn’t emerged yet who could find the loopholes he might have missed, and could bypass the various restrictions he had set. He could only pray, pray that he was still the best, the only mechanic qualified to control Adam.

    But was he really still in control?

    Adam had saved them, saved everyone, but at the same time, no one knew what Adam had communicated with Eden in that less than a minute time. How did Adam take control from Eden? Could Eden's complex neural network, which has been evolving itself for two hundred years, also have loopholes?

    A faint worry, like eternal white noise, reverberated in his mind.

    Another day passed and there was still no news from the Round Table.

    On the third day, the door opened. A tall doctor wearing a medical mask and a white coat walked in to help him change his dressing. Zhang Xun was still curled up on the dirty and cramped bed and got up in a drowsy manner, without raising his head to look closely at anyone.

    Until he heard a muffled groan and the sound of something heavy falling to the ground.

    He looked up, only to see two guards lying on the ground. The tall doctor gently closed the door of the cell, then tore off his mask, revealing a handsome and unruly face.

    "James?! Why are you here?!" Zhang Xun's eyes widened.

    James carefully listened for movements outside the door and then came to Zhang Xun to sit down and carefully checked the injury on his forehead, "How are you?"

    "I'm much better. What are you doing?! Do you want to die?!"

    "I’ve come to take you away," James said and took out a guard's uniform from the first aid kit he carried, "I've cleared the way, we can leave from a drain on the other side of Lost Lake and go northwest near the town of Wood Creek, then someone will take us to the port and from there we can mingle into a cargo ship all the way to the refugee country of New Zealand."

    James's words were quick, as if trying to save every single second. Zhang Xun's head was in turmoil and he asked with difficulty, "You want to... escape with me? Where's Adam?"

    James paused slightly, raised his head and looked at him with deep, sad and worried eyes, "Don't worry about Adam. I heard that there’s a new mechanic who has successfully passed his evaluations and it seems very likely that he can bypass your device and wake Adam up."

    Zhang Xun's heartbeat seemed to stop for a moment and his mind went blank.

    The thing he had worried about most had happened. He had overestimated his ability and had underestimated the potential of a rising star.

    There was only one Adam, but there was never only one mechanic.

    "Once he succeeds in cracking it, the Round Table won’t keep you. The Sixth Chief won’t keep you. We must leave now." James said, stuffing his clothes into his arms, "Now is the best chance to go, while the Round Table’s attention is focused on Adam"

    Zhang Xun looked at him, but shook his head, "No. I can't go."

    James suddenly couldn't hold back his emotions that Zhang Xun never knew were there, glaring at him almost fiercely and growled, "Why?! Don’t you think you’ve sunk deep enough in this muddy water?! Adam will be fine! The Round Table won’t dare to hurt him! But once you no longer have any use or value, the Round Table will never be lenient. What's more, they want to use this opportunity to replace Commander Zhang Shuo! What are you hesitating about?!"

    "I can't go with you! You have nothing to do with this, I can’t put you in harm’s way!" Zhang Xun met James' anxious eyes resolutely, "If you leave Lost Paradise, you will always be a fugitive, forever ruined! You have to get out of here immediately!"

    "Don't be stupid! Don’t think I won’t knock you out and take you out!" James said threateningly, "Hurry up and change your clothes."

    "I said, I'm not going.” Zhang Xun looked at him calmly, "Thank you James. But I took a gamble and I lost, I have to accept it."

    "Just for Adam? Are you willing to die for that artificial intelligence? Are you controlling him or is he controlling you?" James stared at him in disbelief, as if looking at a lunatic, "What the hell do you hope to get from him?!"

    James stood up suddenly, grabbed Zhang Xun's wrist and pulled him up, pulling him towards the door. Zhang Xun struggled but his tone remained calm, "You know we can't escape like this. The time has passed for the doctor to change the bandages for me and someone will come soon."

    James looked at the watch on his wrist. He knew that what Zhang Xun said was right. He cursed, "You really want to die this badly?!"

    "It’s not certain that I’ll die. You have to protect yourself. In the end, my father and I may depend on you to survive." Zhang Xun covered his other hand over James’ hand that was holding his wrist, "Jamie, listen to me this once, leave now and protect yourself!"

    James stared at him reluctantly, but after all, the time had passed. He cursed in frustration, opened the door and ran away.

    The next few days were getting harder to bear and he waited every day to hear that a new mechanic had replaced him, but as the days passed, there was still not even a whisper.

    Then, one clear morning, an invisible drone flew over Lost Paradise and dropped a bio-bomb in the unrepaired breach in the Fifth District.

    Most of the people in the Fifth District had been evacuated, so the explosion caused no casualties, but a strange, yellow smoke with a pungent smell gradually and silently dispersed in the air along with the excessive radiation in the Fifth District. It quickly passed through the temporary isolation made of radiation-proof materials around the Fifth District and began to spread towards the adjacent Fourth and Sixth Districts. The people who first came into contact with the strange yellow mist didn’t have any special symptoms at first, but within three hours, a yellowish liquid would begin to ooze out of their eyes, ears, nose and even the pores on their skin, and their minds would start to become distracted and extremely photophobic, almost like the symptoms of rabies. That pale, yellow liquid was extremely contagious and it seemed that just touching them brought the risk of being infected.

    Bioweapons...

    Eden had never used such a thing before.

    Was this Pandora's Box opened to infect Adam who had a human body?

    Because the mucus secreted by the patient's body had a honey-like, golden yellow colour, it was also known as the Honey Plague. With the Fifth District as a centre point, it quickly spread to the Fourth and Sixth Districts and the hospitals in each district were suddenly crowded with patients who started to show symptoms. But the doctors didn't know if it was a virus or something else and it would take a lot of time to research a vaccine.

    The problem was they didn't have time. Eden had calculated that it wouldn’t be difficult for the plague to spread in their relatively closed environment. When it thought that the garbage was almost cleaned up, it would come again with a large army.

    These were all things Zhang Xun learned about later. All he knew was that one day he was suddenly taken out of the prison and sent all the way to the outside of the Round Table’s grand gate.

    In the parliamentary hall, there were only five Chiefs present and the Sixth Chief was sat next to the vacant Fifth Chief's seat, staring at Zhang Xun with an extremely suppressed and dark look.

    "The Honey Plague, how much do you know about it?" asked the First Chief.

    Zhang Xun shook his head that he didn’t know, so a clerk quickly explained what had happened in the past two days.

    Zhang Xun was stunned and kept feeling that Eden's strategy seemed to have changed to some extent. Cruel and inefficient weapons like bioweapons were not Eden's style.

    And at this point in time...it seemed a little suspicious...was he thinking too much?

    "Every day, more people are becoming infected and the wards of major hospitals are full... Its speed is astonishingly fast. Coupled with the recent siege... people in other areas have begun to panic and riot, trying to forcefully escape from Lost Paradise. We need Adam to produce a vaccine as quickly as possible. Based on the time frame, he must have participated in the research of this weapon." The First Chief said in the gentlest voice possible, "Zhang Xun, wake Adam up."

    It seemed that genius mechanic wasn’t quick enough...

    Zhang Xun maintained his calm expression, staring at the Sixth Chief. He knew that making demands at such a time was a bit unbearable, but this was the only way to force the Round Table to accept his conditions.

    "I can wake him up at any time. You should all be clear about my conditions." Zhang Xun stared at the Sixth Chief, "Give me autonomy over the Lab and write it into a decree, it's a simple request."

    "Using the lives of your compatriots to blackmail the Round Table, Zhang Xun, you are a disgrace to mankind." The Sixth Chief's voice was arrogant and cold, like a Pope who judges the world from above.

    There was a dull pain in Zhang Xun's heart, as if his soul was indeed rotting a little bit like the Sixth Chief had said. But he had already learned to keep his cool, to separate his emotions from his appearance.

    "For today, all I need is a signature on a written document, you don't need to formally revise it right now. As long as you sign it, I will wake up Adam immediately." Zhang Xun said calmly, as if he wasn’t affected by those contemptuous words and faces.

    After a short silence, the Sixth Chief finally leaned back in his chair and said lightly, "Okay, you want a certain degree of autonomy for the Lab, then I'll give it to you."

 

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 I don’t know what this means, it makes no sense to me. LXLX does make a lot of typos, so possibly ‘shoe’ is meant to be a different word.

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