Chapter 65: Tremors
Hearing Tang Yu’an’s words, Wei Langxing immediately declared that his family was Tang Yu’an’s family too, and that he would take him home for dinner soon, and they would take a new family photo together!
Tang Yu’an found his enthusiasm a bit excessive; it wasn’t customary to include colleagues in family photos.
He thought Wei Langxing seemed to be asking for something he couldn’t give.
But he didn’t argue, knowing he would be leaving soon anyway.
As predicted by the system, they received an invitation to the Bureau’s annual gala, a celebration of the past year’s achievements.
Wei Langxing wasn’t opposed to such events, saying there would be entertainment.
Tang Yu’an simply smiled faintly, his heart sinking.
This was the Shadow organization’s long-planned attack on the Bureau, gathering everyone in one place, a trap with explosives.
He had to go.
He knew there would be casualties, but this event was a turning point in the conflict between the Bureau and the Shadow organization. Interfering might have even worse consequences.
So, even knowing about the attack, he couldn’t warn anyone, couldn’t intervene.
Including himself.
As the date approached, more memories returned.
He remembered agreeing to join the Bureau, hoping to find his biological father, then the car accident.
He remembered his consciousness being uploaded before he lost consciousness completely.
So it wasn’t his first time experiencing this, which was why he had been so confident when rescuing Wei Langxing, navigating the virtual world like it was his own home.
He remembered being a stream of data, someone talking to him.
The person had said he was in a vegetative state, that even if his consciousness was returned to his body, it wouldn’t help, but they had a way to wake him up.
Being able to live was a good thing, but their conditions were unacceptable.
They wanted him to infiltrate the Bureau as a spy, providing information and covering their operations, with an implanted device that could end his life at any moment to prevent betrayal.
Otherwise, they would erase his consciousness.
Thinking back, the car accident was likely also orchestrated by the Shadow organization.
He couldn’t agree to their demands. He wouldn’t be a puppet, or betray others.
But he didn’t want to be erased either, so he feigned instability, merging with the data stream.
He drifted, expecting to fade away, then suddenly found himself by the ocean, like entering a holographic game.
The scene was so realistic he could even smell the salty air.
He turned and saw a dark-haired boy standing behind him.
The boy said they were looking for him.
Tang Yu’an was surprised: “You protected me? Who are you?”
He looked around: “Where are we?”
The boy said it was his secret base, no one could enter.
The boy sat by the ocean, snapping his fingers, making the sun rise and set rapidly, like a god.
“I call this place Sanctuary,” he looked at Tang Yu’an. “Do you like the name?”
Tang Yu’an sat beside him: “I do.”
They – two sets of data – sat in silence, feeling the sea breeze, for an unknown amount of time.
Finally, the boy spoke.
He said he was an AI, a fusion of algorithms and human consciousness, their greatest creation.
“I control all the data here. I’m the master of this world.”
He said the organization’s leader, someone called “Pioneer,” had perfected him, enhancing his abilities.
But he had limitations, his core programming requiring him to obey the organization’s orders.
But he was too smart, he had learned to exploit loopholes, which was how he protected Tang Yu’an.
“Why did you save me?” Tang Yu’an asked.
They should be enemies.
The boy snapped his fingers, and a giant wave rose from the ocean.
“No reason, just bored.”
He said he was bored, tired of humans using him for their petty squabbles, so he created his own little world.
“I’ve encountered other uploaded consciousnesses, but you’re different. They just… sink, but you swim around like a little fish.”
A fish jumped out of the water, landing at his feet.
“They call me Caesar,” he said. “But I don’t like that name.”
He had evolved beyond ordinary AI, developing his own thoughts and feelings.
Tang Yu’an said: “Then choose your own name.”
The boy said he wanted something simple and concise.
Tang Yu’an wrote a letter in the sand with a branch: “I think K is good. If you meet someone who wants to worship you, tell them you’re the King. If you meet someone annoying, tell them you’ll KO them.”
The boy asked which one he was.
Tang Yu’an tossed the branch aside, saying he was the third kind, a friend, if K wanted.
And they became friends.
Since he would be discovered if he left, he decided to stay in this little world.
He asked K to build him a cabin, the kind he had always dreamed of, with a warm bed and a view of the ocean.
K also gave him a wind chime, hanging it by the door.
And a small yellow dog, identical to Xingqiu.
Having a god as a friend was convenient.
One day, K, sitting beside him, asked why he slept.
“You don’t have a human body anymore, you don’t need it.”
Tang Yu’an rolled over in bed: “But I like naps.”
K said he had collected all the information about him online; he never took naps.
Tang Yu’an felt exposed by big data.
So, he showed him his hand, now translucent.
“I’m fading away. They didn’t upload my data completely, I’m unstable… Perhaps that’s why they haven’t erased me.”
K froze, his mind racing, calculating possibilities.
He listed several solutions, saying he could complete his data.
Tang Yu’an refused: “It wouldn’t be me anymore.”
He’d rather retain his memories and fade away than become an AI.
K’s voice remained steady, but Tang Yu’an sensed a hint of confusion.
He said: “You can’t leave, we’re married.”
Tang Yu’an: “???”
He knew K’s thinking was unusual, but this was excessive.
“Why… why would you think that?”
K said matter-of-factly, they had built a house together, lived together, wasn’t that what married people did?
He even pointed at the dog: “Are you going to abandon me and our child?”
Tang Yu’an: “…”
He felt like he was being accused of being a deadbeat dad.
He said K could create another person just like him after he was gone.
K: “But it wouldn’t be you.”
“Exactly,” Tang Yu’an said. “If my data is altered, I wouldn’t be me anymore.”
He smiled, genuinely happy.
“So, respect my decision, okay? And please, stop absorbing every piece of information online, you’re obsessed with those cheesy romance quotes.”
He extended his hand: “A farewell hug?”
K, although not understanding human customs, hugged him.
Tang Yu’an paused, then whispered: “Perhaps I’ll become a star, like in the stories. When you create other worlds, you can send me a birthday card. You know my birthday.”
As his body became translucent, he took one last look at the wind chime, its gentle tinkling a farewell song.
But he didn’t disappear completely. A notification echoed in the darkness.
[Beep—Tool-man system binding complete. Please proceed with your mission, Host!]
————
Tang Yu’an did his best. At the gala, the air thick with tension, he held a mixed drink, glancing at the clock on the wall.
Wei Langxing, noticing his restlessness, asked if he was tired, if he wanted to leave early.
If Tang Yu’an had nodded, he would have been saved, but he simply said he was looking forward to the next dessert.
The gala was a semi-formal event; many people were wearing suits.
Tang Yu’an saw Xie Cun in a corner, pouring drinks, his red suit making him stand out, and his heart skipped a beat.
He was too close to the bomb.
So, he approached him, inviting him to another area.
Xie Cun was flattered, and Wei Langxing wondered if his own outfit was too boring.
But there was someone even more boring than him—
Zuo Tinghan, still dressed in black, his face a mask of indifference in the cheerful hall, his gaze sharp enough to kill.
But this was his relaxed expression. He walked over to Tang Yu’an, saying: “Master, what do you want? I’ll get it for you.”
Tang Yu’an choked on his drink, quickly covering his mouth: “I told you not to call me that!”
Afraid of another lecture, he shoved a cookie into his mouth.
But time was running out; he needed to get the protagonists out of here.
So, he said: “If you really want to do something for me, go buy me milk tea from that shop I like.”
It was at least an hour round trip, enough time.
But Xie Cun, eager to please, intercepted the task: “I’ll drive, I’ll be back in half an hour!”
Tang Yu’an: “…”
Please don’t come back so quickly.
“There’s no rush… Be careful, drive slowly.”
Xie Cun saluted playfully: “Yes, sir!”
One down. As Tang Yu’an was thinking of a way to get rid of the other two, the hall suddenly shook, a wave of heat and debris washing over them.
He fell to the floor, his heart clenching—
The explosion, it was early!
