Chapter 1512 Inspection

Because Harlan still had a lot of things to do, he said goodbye to us at the entrance of the research center and went to the military headquarters to handle the affairs of the independent group. In the end, Sandora and I brought the Abyss Xiling to the first stop in front of Tavel. The reason why it is the research institute instead of the headquarters is because we have to first check the big box brought by Abyss Xiling.

This brings us to the "just in case" issue. Although Abyss Xiling's revelations made everyone a little confused, we are not completely deceived by her words. After all, in the field of deception, I I consider myself to be one of the best, and have no other talents. I am very proud of my unyielding mentality in the face of all kinds of noise. Now, although I have brought Abyss Xiling to the Shadow City, some necessary reviews and restrictions are still there. essential. These restrictions will not be easy, and the most stringent conditions may even be like imprisonment. However, what is gratifying is that Abyss Xiling seems to understand these very well, and she said that she can take all restrictions in stride.

In fact, it's normal to think about it. The highest restriction we impose on her in Shadow City is to prevent her from having casual contact with others through the communication terminal she stays here. This guy's body is in the abyss, and she has nothing to do with it. Of course there is no problem with the limitations of the interactive interface.

This is the private research room of Tavel (the body). Abyss Xiling is sitting on the scanning platform in the center of the room, with her big box next to her, and the girl with glasses is curiously analyzing the structure of the black box. . Since it is a professional field where laymen cannot speak, the atmosphere at the scene seemed dull. Shandora and I were both a little idle, but Tavel seemed to be very interested. Whether she saw the abyss Xiling or the box, her glasses would be filled with tears. There was a flash of light, and I firmly believed that the glasses were her true form, so this guy's whole body lit up when he saw the new research subject.

"You are quite cooperative," I tried to talk to Abyss Xiling out of boredom, "I thought the supreme commander of the Abyss Zone was a bit arrogant. At least you had to complain a little when you stood on the scanning platform. right."

"Arrogance? I don't understand," Abyss Xiling's expression was very indifferent, "And I don't think 'commander' is a special status. There is no hierarchy in the empire, some are just parts. I rule the Abyss Zone just because I have this mission, node They obeyed my rule only because they had this mission. Now I want to cooperate with you because I have this mission. I know you. Don't you often go to the front line or even fight in person when necessary? You are the emperor. Do you feel awkward doing the job of a soldier?"

"Well... you have such a serious character..." I let Abyss Xiling say what he said but didn't know how to continue, "Okay, what you said makes sense, don't mind, I was born and raised on earth. It’s been more than ten years, and this idea is still in the transition period. Let’s not talk about this, let’s talk about your box. As far as I know, you can’t talk to me directly. Because your nodes will be purified, then you Did you come to contact us for the first time because of the help of this box? What kind of black technology is this? "

Abyss Xiling patted his box: "Actually, it's not that complicated. First of all, the box's protective barrier uses some technology and materials from the other side. Although most of the technology from the other side will fail on 'this side'. But only for the Abyss The protection can be reverse engineered. If you are interested in this aspect, I can share it. Secondly, in addition to the communication array, there is a set of virtual node generators in the box. It is easy to understand: creating virtual nodes, through deception The protocol allows them to be loaded into the network for a short period of time. It is equivalent to a group of ghost apostles that do not exist. The task of these nodes is to be purified by you, then deleted, and then created new virtual nodes... the cycle repeats. I just need Just solve three technical difficulties. The first is that the computing speed of the virtual node generator must keep up with the consumption, the second is how to make the virtual nodes survive for a certain period of time, and the third is how to disguise these non-entity nodes so that they can Mount into the network without touching the agreement. The third point gave me a headache for a long time. Just like you can't lift yourself up by your hair, I can't break the agreement while complying with it, so until I only managed this after the recent network split: part of the security protocols were destroyed during the network split, and a large number of node vacancies appeared on the split chain, which gave my virtual nodes a chance and a place to insert them, and this is what you see. Once the set is installed, it doesn't last long, but I'm safe until it breaks."

"It's just a set of physical firewalls," I could still understand these things. "You have really tried your best to prevent me from being purified... But I just can't figure it out. What's wrong with being purified? Even me I feel that you are different from ordinary fallen apostles. Your way of thinking is obviously very logical, and your various plans are well-organized... You don't seem to be controlled by the abyss at all... Wait, that's not true! You It doesn’t look like it’s contaminated at all!”

Only then did I suddenly realize that the sense of disobedience I felt during my previous contact with Abyss Xiling originally came from this: the other party's methodical way of thinking, calm attitude, and completely self-controlled logic. These characteristics add to the It can only make people think of one thing: this is obviously the result of purification.

And she also has two of the most unexplainable behavioral traits:

First, she stopped her destruction of the world of order consciously, or in other words, her destruction of the world of order from the beginning was not the result of being controlled by the abyss. She stole the heart of the world and triggered the end of the world in the process. It seems to be an abyssal act, but her fundamental purpose is just to weaken the void cataclysm! In other words, she has an orderly motive, which is completely different from the behavior pattern of the Abyss-infected people: the destruction of the Abyss-infected people is uncontrolled and has no motive!

The second and most important point is that she is self-excluding the wrong and crazy parts of her network, that is, the great schism that occurred in the abyss zone. It is absolutely impossible for an abyss-infected person to consciously "heal" himself, because most people infected by the abyss The distinctive feature is the collapse, the continuous collapse of itself, and the continuous collapse of everything around it. However, the Abyss Xiling... actually has the ability to take measures to prevent itself from collapse, and can even "detoxify" itself by committing suicide and reorganizing!

The expressions on Shandora and I's faces were no longer calm, but Tavel next to us was still immersed in work. I looked into Abyss Xiling's eyes, trying to see what her logic was: "Are you considered infected now or not?"

"Are you really going to ask this..." Abyss Xiling frowned. "Then let me tell you the truth: I am indeed in a state of contamination, but unlike ordinary infected people, I am in a state of balance and have the ability to maintain my own state of balance."

I suddenly thought about 70,000 years ago: "Is it because of the unfinished 'neutralization'?"

"Well," Abyss Xiling nodded, "'neutralization' protects my will and allows my thinking to still be controlled by myself, but at the same time it also changes or destroys my code of conduct, just like removing all shackles. I am not restrained when carrying out any destructive actions, and I have no resistance when facing the abyss. Sober yet sinking... That's how you describe it in words that you people in the real world can understand. But I don't think this is the case. What's wrong? You have to know that the only way to weaken the Void Cataclysm is to build bridges, and the only bridge-building solution currently available requires huge early sacrifices. If I am not contaminated, then neither the original empire nor the Protoss will be able to do it. Maybe if you start this plan, 'Justice and Order' will become an obstacle to you, and eventually all civilizations in this season will miss the opportunity. I am very grateful for this pollution, it turned me into a madman. So I can do things that you can't do. It's a matter of hands. Maybe this is the arrangement of the void... I don't believe in the theory of 'destiny' in the real world, but I believe that the evolution of the void has its own arrangement. Since a catastrophe will occur, it will naturally end or Weakened. I just happened to be chosen to be the executor responsible for the deviance."

"So you do everything you can to avoid being purified," I finally understood what the other person was thinking, "because once you are purified, your 'mission' will no longer be able to be performed."

In order to weaken the void cataclysm, she couldn't become a "good person" for such a nonsense reason.

"That's not entirely true," Abyss Xiling's voice sounded a little uncertain for the first time. "Perhaps I also have concerns... This involves a very abstract issue: the current 'I' is the 'I' based on all the abyss nodes. If all the nodes are purified or changed into anything, So the combination of these nodes is still not the original 'I'? Even if I still existed at that time, would my thoughts, logic, goals, and willpower still be the same as now? Your purification first acts on the specific polluters. The polluters will only act on the network composed of them after they wake up, and I am a group consciousness that was only assembled at the final stage, so no one can tell what will happen in this process. I can't take this risk, at least in the I can't take any risks until the great cause is completed. I must maintain my current state until the great cause is completed. If you have the ability to be recognized by me, it doesn't mean that you can't accept purification. After all, the empire has survived. I will live or die. It won’t have any impact.”

Abyss Xiling's words made me unable to help but fall into deep thought, and then somehow I remembered a very classic philosophical question: the ship of Theseus.

The Ship of Theseus is a ship that has been sailing for hundreds of years. Every plank and part of it can be replaced. During hundreds of years of sailing, there are always plans to rot and parts to wear out, so the components on the ship are replaced by a Each place is replaced. After such a long voyage, not a single part on this ship is what it was back then, and 100% of the components of the entire ship have been replaced. So is this ship still the ship of Theseus?

The situation of Abyss Xiling is obviously very different from this ship, but there is one thing in common: she is a cluster consciousness made up of a large number of "components", and these components can be easily rewritten by me.

If the entire group of fallen apostles is purified, will the upper consciousness composed of their network nodes be simply purified, or will it be completely rewritten into a completely new existence?

"Your concerns are reasonable," Sandora sighed, "but you have to understand that we will not let the fallen apostles continue to operate. Even if your great cause can save the void, your army of fallen apostles is definitely not a stabilizing factor. You should know that your control over them is limited. Now that a new army has appeared, there may be a second or third one in the future, and you will not have the upper hand every time. The abyss is never stable. : It will get out of control one day.”

"I myself don't expect to maintain peace with you forever, but this is all in the future." Abyss Xiling blinked, "Even after the great cause is achieved, we still have a lot of things to do. Let's wait until everything settles before considering these. I admit it Polluters can easily lose control, but their infection situation is actually... forget it, there will always be a solution when the time comes."

It seems that this is the only way. I put this complicated issue aside for the time being and talked about my next plan: "Next, I will contact the Star Territory and may even invite the Huron Protoss over. You'd better be prepared. Let’s take a look at the speech, your convoluted theories are too confusing.”

Abyss Xiling's body flickered a few times: "Actually, it's all very, very easy to understand. It's just that you, you, you are not very good at growing long..."

I was stunned for a moment: "Mom, don't be scary! What's going on?"

Abyss Xiling raised his hand and pointed at Tavel: "Don't touch that red thing. That is my resonant hair generator. Although it is a bit larger than the ordinary hair generator, but... "

Tavel pressed the resonance generator back in the box with a click, and Abyss Xiling's voice suddenly became normal: "But in fact it is just a resonance device. This device is not assembled according to standard regulations, please forgive me."

"Are you done?" I raised my head and asked Tavel.

"The inspection is complete, there is no problem," Tavel nodded, "My subordinates have installed a monitoring device in this equipment."

Then she turned to Abyss Xiling: "I just installed a scrambling antenna under your resonance generator. In an emergency, it will freeze the activities of the interactive interface you are currently using. I hope you can understand. In addition, you Reading anything here without my authorization or that of His Majesty the Emperor will trigger an alarm, and I hope you understand."

"It doesn't matter. I originally expected the situation to be worse. Then the physical examination was completed and a lot of nonsense was talked about. What is the next step? Are you, the Xiling technician, in charge of the deep diving project?"

I nodded: "Well, you can call her Tavel. This is my best scientist. Give her the pile of wreckage you brought first, as well as your pile of models. I hope you don't need it during this time. Leave the military zone. Wait until I reach an agreement with the Gods before deciding on the next step."

Abyss Xiling nodded, and just when Sandora and I were about to turn around and leave, the door of the research room suddenly slid open, and a short blond girl poked her head and looked over here. My first reaction was that I didn't recognize her. At the second glance of the person in front of me, I saw this blond girl with a small silver-white sign hanging on her chest...

Okay, should I say it was expected or unexpected... Xiling may have sensed the abyss Xiling, and she came running.

I waved to the soft girl Xiling at the door who was hesitant to come in. The latter immediately ran to me and Sandora happily, and then looked at Abyss Xiling and the big box with curious eyes: "I I know who you are, I can feel it...but why are you here?"

"Solve some problems," Abyss Xiling also curiously looked at his "half" that split off 70,000 years ago. "You seem to still retain the original complete structure. It's great. I don't know what I have become." Something."

"Don't destroy my network, and I won't destroy yours," Xi Ling said sternly, "This is for your own good. His Majesty the Emperor's power permeates my nodes. If you touch it rashly, you will be rewritten." .”

Looking at these two cluster consciousnesses from the same origin, I feel that fate is really a wonderful thing: How should the two people in front of me calculate? Sisters to each other? Shadows of each other? Or has it become two individuals with no connection after the "rift valley" was blocked? No matter which theory is said, it makes sense, and after 70,000 years of evolution and self-rewriting, the Abyss Xiling has now become a strange life that even she herself cannot explain. When she sees it again, it still maintains its original structure. How do you feel when you are in mourning?

Probably her one sentence explained all her feelings: It's so good, I don't know what I have become.

"Do you two want to communicate?" I patted Xi Ling's shoulder and looked at Abyss Xi Ling. Since the collective consciousness has no fixed form, the two people with the same origin really have no similarities in appearance. "Anyway, What you have in the real world is just an interactive interface, and conversations of this level will not be controlled. Of course, direct network connection is definitely not possible, and I guess you don’t want to take the trouble yourself."

Abyss Xiling looked at Xiling for a while with a very serious expression, and then waved her hands feebly: "Forget it, let's talk about it later when we have time. I really don't know what to say to her. We have been separated for too long It’s been so long that neither of us can understand each other’s structure, and there’s really nothing to talk about.”

"Me too," Xiling jumped back behind me and Sandora, "I just came to take a look. Now that I've finished watching, I'm going to Sylvia's to buy Tavel cakes. I'll give you two pieces. "

After the words fell, Xiling's figure had disappeared in a curtain of light, leaving only Tavel muttering to himself: "...I don't know when I will be able to eat now."

Xi Ling has a very wonderful attribute, that is, she is distracted. When she is doing one thing, her attention is easily attracted by other things, and then it takes a whole day to remember what she wanted to do in the first place. This may have something to do with her. It’s related to not being used to the “pattern of events” in the real world.

Anyway, I hope Tavel can continue to adapt to her roommate...