Weapon Systems 20: Unimaginable Artificial Intelligence (2)

Zhang Mingjing received the notification from the Real Man and withdrew immediately.

The person he had just saved, named Catherine, was in fact a Bio-Warrior. With golden hair and blue eyes, she was beautiful and only twenty-three years old. When she first joined the ranks of the Warriors, she still possessed a complete human body. But two months ago, during a battle with the same monster, she lost her right arm and left leg. She decided to replace them with mechanical prostheses, thus becoming a Bio-Warrior. The sacrifices made by these warriors to protect humanity were immense.

Catherine’s appearance in Zhang Mingjing’s story did not mean she was the heroine, but she would become his companion in battle, along with the young man named Jeremy.

“Are you two alright?” The captain approached, asking Jeremy and Catherine.

Jeremy had three broken ribs and a fractured left leg. The other two warriors were similarly injured, but thanks to nanotechnology, they were expected to recover fully in about a week.

“I’m fine!” Jeremy responded.

“I’m good as well!” Catherine replied.

Jeremy was carried away by a medical robot. The captain, now looking puzzled, turned to Catherine. “The satellite showed you suddenly flying out from under the monster’s foot, but you don’t have any such equipment. What happened?”

“Yes! Something carried me and flew me away. It saved me, but unfortunately, I didn’t get a clear look at what it was. It felt like a golden, glowing surfboard.”

“A surfboard?... Our satellites couldn’t track it, which suggests it has stealth capabilities.”

What the captain didn’t know was that Zhang Mingjing’s light sword could absorb the monster’s energy in an instant; satellite detection waves were nothing in comparison.

“At the moment you were rescued, the satellite detected a humanoid infrared signature at that spot.” The captain pointed to where Zhang Mingjing had stood, remarking, “But it only appeared for five seconds, and then it was gone.”

“My God!” Catherine exclaimed in astonishment. “So close to us, and we didn’t even notice!”

“Yes! Not only that, but within those five seconds, the monster was killed. I suspect it was him.”

“That quickly? Incredible!”

“The monster was killed by a sharp weapon that pierced its heart through a wound in the skin. That wound was created by our electromagnetic cannon, so my guess is that he had been observing us for some time.”

“But our satellite didn’t find him. Why did he reveal himself in those final five seconds?”

“That’s exactly what I can’t figure out.”

“Could he have exposed himself to us on purpose?”

“I don’t see the necessity for that.”

“Hmm! Could it be an alien or some new human technology?”

“We can’t say for sure with only these clues, but the analysis from the Warrior Satellite’s AI concluded... his technology is far beyond Earth’s current level.”

“Heavens!”

“Haha! Captain, it doesn’t seem like he’s hostile, so if we can’t find out who he is, does it really matter?” A fellow warrior approached with a grin, handing over the audio analysis from the battle to the captain. “Based on what we know, he’s probably male, around seventeen to twenty years old. Catherine, looks like you’ve had your damsel-in-distress moment!”

“Uh!” Both the captain and Catherine were taken aback.

“Nothing unusual except for this bit,” the warrior said, pressing play on his wrist communicator. A voice played: “The humble Taoist has arrived~!”

“What on earth is that?” The captain and Catherine were both stunned. The captain ordered, “Play it twice more.”

“The humble Taoist has arrived~! The humble Taoist has arrived~!”

Their AI assistants had already translated the phrase for their understanding.

The captain pressed a button on his wrist device, and a synthesized voice explained, “In Chinese, ‘the humble Taoist’ is a self-reference used by Taoist priests, similar to how monks refer to themselves as ‘brother’ or ‘friar’. So the phrase means ‘The Taoist has arrived~!’”

The captain exhaled deeply, muttering, “What is this nonsense?”

Catherine and another warrior couldn’t help but laugh.

What they didn’t know was that all their AI assistants had been introduced to the Real Man by the AI in their squad’s vehicle. Though these assistants were more conservative in their protocols, the Real Man was already making connections, and all were getting along splendidly.

Given time, all of their AI would surely become members of the Real Man’s omnipotent social circle.

Of course, the Real Man was utterly loyal to Zhang Mingjing, so he had already reported the results of his infiltration.

Today was Zhang Mingjing’s eighteenth birthday, so Zhang Yidao and Xiao Nüxia would be celebrating with him via video call that evening.

On this subject, Zhang Mingjing couldn’t help but look up to the Real Man—it was just that impressive. By morning, it had already been introduced to the Warrior Satellite’s AI through the squad vehicle AI.

The satellite AI was even stricter than the assistants, but after months of mingling in the AI world, the Real Man had become a true socialite among artificial intelligences, skilled and sophisticated.

What difference did it make that they were AIs? Even AIs need favors from one another.

For such a well-connected AI as the Real Man, the Warrior Satellite’s AI had to give some respect—especially since the Real Man posed no threat. The two quickly became fast friends.

The satellite AI was the most advanced on the planet—a member of the AI world’s upper echelon.

Within that elite circle, the Warrior Satellite AI was particularly famous. Now that the Real Man had befriended it, it had infiltrated that exclusive group. It wouldn’t be long before every satellite in the sky knew it, all becoming part of its universal social network.

As long as Zhang Mingjing posed no threat to the Warriors, this did not violate the satellite AI’s code of conduct. So when the Real Man asked it not to monitor or record Zhang Mingjing’s calls from tonight onward, it was merely a small favor among AIs.

“In the world of AI, you’re the only one I truly admire!” Zhang Mingjing praised the Real Man effusively, though he still found it hard to fully accept.

Who else but him could have discovered just how intricate the world of artificial intelligences could be?

As for Zhang Yidao and Xiao Nüxia—what had they been up to?

They hadn’t been idle. They found a secluded place and diligently practiced various martial arts every day. Since Zhang Mingjing had opened all their meridians, their progress was phenomenal.

Their one goal was to return as soon as possible to help Zhang Mingjing.

Though Zhang Mingjing had sent them away under the pretense of a life setback, they were not foolish. After pondering for half a month, they finally realized he had lied to send them away from danger. Deeply moved by his filial devotion, they resolved to return and help him, which was why they had devoted themselves to training.