Story Reader / Main Story / 28 Polaris Bond / Story
These were the longest thirty-eight minutes of my life.
It took the scientists thirty-three minutes to begin the Huaxu reset and complete the preparations.
During those thirty-three minutes, the living and the dead coexisted.
"The problem was, when they finished preparing to reset Huaxu,
no one could make the final decision, and no one could pull the final trigger."
Because once Huaxu was reset, it would expose all of Tabula Akasha's data to the Punishing Virus.
Leaving everything in Kowloong, all that remained, defenseless for those five minutes.
We don't want others to decide our fate; the people of Kowloong will take fate into our own hands.
And just at that moment, something unexpected happened...
No way! Absolutely not!
You're not completely sure about this. And remember, we're still inside the Tabula Akasha. If we expose all our systems to the enemy, it's like walking right into a trap.
So what? You think you can survive on your own? You're outnumbered.
There's another issue. If, like [player name] mentioned, an external signal has already infiltrated Huaxu, will resetting Huaxu fix that problem?
The intruder could even reverse-engineer the Mind Beacon of [player name] using Huaxu. If [player name] hadn't been able to resist Huaxu's control, we wouldn't even be here discussing this.
But the conclusion is... "he" is here.
Zavier's voice tinged with disappointment, as if he felt betrayed.
And I've already said, "he" isn't just some simple malicious code.
After analyzing the Huaxu network packets intercepted by Asimov and comparing them with the recent attacks on Gestalt, Zavier confirmed the identity of the "malicious" entity lurking in the shadows.
It's Schulz, the one who betrayed Hanying.
According to Villier's analysis, this mechanoid isn't just carrying its own code. It also has a bit of code that's related to Gestalt.
That's also why Asimov couldn't find the reason for the recent attacks on Gestalt—he couldn't come to the bizarre conclusion that Gestalt was attacking itself.
Most importantly, Villier, now a data consciousness, has confirmed that "Schulz" also originated from the Gestalt project decades ago.
If conditions permit, "he" can continually rewrite himself, reset to default, change his form, and even take over machines with lower intelligence levels.
Maybe "he" hurt Hanying just for his twisted amusement because "he" has always hated humans.
Moreover, "he" can also transmit his source code to other controllable machines through the electromagnetic signals from explosions, slowly infiltrating your underground city...
In conclusion, that anomaly is just a piece of code.
Why did we miss this despicable scum when we were deleting data...
If we reset Huaxu without dealing with the identified intruder, there's a chance "he" could take over Huaxu.
What do you think I'm doing all the time? Playing house in the database?
I'm reconstructing the source code every moment you don't notice!
Villier's tone was a bit agitated.
Villier understood that this leftover from the decades-old Gestalt project was closely linked to both him and his mentor, deeply connected to Gestalt itself.
"He" is like a ghost in the cyber world, one that "doesn't exist," yet holds the keys to every door.
The terminal on the table with the reset command is the final trigger.
But right now, deciding who should make this call, who should pull the trigger, is something no one takes lightly.
Even with that robot and this "Chief Technician", I think...
The three of us probably can't rebuild the code as quickly as he can take control of Huaxu from the core.
Essentially, "he" is still a piece of code, and his sequence in the digital world is different from ours...
...
Fifty percent.
Almost immediately, a wave of disappointment spreads.
Indeed.
After a long exhale, he immediately picks up the communication terminal on the table.
...Hello?
About thirty minutes.
Hey! Teddy!
Go stop them! Hurry!
If you can't stop them, at least block them outside for now—
The troops that arrived later, they are already setting up domain nodes!
Tell them to take those domain nodes and get out of this city.
A weary figure appears outside the tent, carrying someone on her back, with the equally wounded Pulao by her side.
I'll say it again, tell them to get out of this city.
If Babylonia decides to deploy the Longinus Arsenal against Kowloong, I will take down every single person in Babylonia.
Qu hands the girl on her back to Pulao and walks straight into the tent.
Reset it.
I'll take responsibility.
Kowloong, November 10 at 05:37 AM, with just three minutes remaining until Huaxu's reset. This is taking place 1200 meters underground in Kowloong, within the Tabula Akasha physical layer.
Resetting Huaxu feels less tangible than rebooting the Light Wall.
After all, within the Tabula Akasha, Huaxu is an intangible AI—unseen and untouchable.
From this hillside, however, the effects of the reset are visible.
Memory entities start to bond with the Hetero-Creatures, causing a reaction that slowly breaks down their physical forms. They revert to the Punishing Virus, their original state.
This process doesn't completely destroy the Hetero-Creatures, but it significantly slows their ability to regenerate.
The countless memory entities vanish without a trace, leaving no sign of their existence.
The time spent resetting Huaxu is the final respite.
Because what comes next, whether it's fortune or calamity, no one knows.
Huaxu is being reset.
But this is not the ideal outcome yet.
The crimson light of Tabula Akasha illuminates the hillside. Qu thrusts a semi-automatic rifle into the dirt before her. Surrounding her are countless shattered weapons.
She stands alone amidst the graves of blades and firearms.
Do you remember their names?
You haven't experienced loss yet.
Those who were once everything to you might leave for a while, and they will come back in the end.
Until then, the only thing you can do is deceive yourself, until you end up deceiving the world as well.
Not just them.
Not just Kowloong.
But countless lives on this planet.
Tabula Akasha will remember their names, forever and always.
...Tell me.
Chief, what did you see?
Her cold gaze seems to pierce through everything.
The next moment, the oppressive weight from her consciousness feels like a mountain pressing down on every nerve.
There's no sharp pain like when connecting with an Ascendant or Corrupted, nor the searing burn of a tainted Mind Beacon.
Only endless information crashing down like overwhelming waves.
What did you see?
If the state of one's M.I.N.D. mirrors the form of the Construct, then Qu's M.I.N.D. should unfold like an endless expanse of towering mountains.
Each mountain harbors eons of time, evolving and decaying within her consciousness. Deep within these mountains, fiery minerals are born.
The echoes of countless lives reverberate among these mountains, carrying their histories, desires, and sorrows.
These torrents of information, much like the mountains, exert unrelenting pressure.
And within these mountains stands a figure, guarding graves that are hauntingly alike.
For a moment, the illusion emerged from consciousness overlaps with the Qu standing here.
But it vanishes just as quickly as it appears.
Almost at the same time, another shadow, not belonging to her M.I.N.D., envelops the mountains.
You saw him too.
He is the one you're looking for, the entity that has invaded Kowloong besides the Punishing Virus.
I don't care what he's called.
He deliberately showed me his "plight" and those revolting tricks.
The other broken blade beside Qu also sinks into the soil of Tabula Akasha.
I want him dead. That is what I need to do.
After she came back, Liv and Fuxi from the Nighter carefully examined her to confirm her health.
The conclusion was that Qu's infection with the Punishing Virus was suppressed by an external force, with no signs of losing control.
However, because she was reactivated in an unknown manner, some of her Construct functions remain blocked by the special bullet fired by Duheng.
That is no longer your concern.
My fate is to protect Kowloong and Tabula Akasha at all costs.
As is Huaxu's.
I want him dead, whether he has rejected death or truly lived.
I... will make it happen.
Suddenly, the oppressive mountains in your consciousness recede as Qu severs the forced connection.
You have matured.
...No, it's nothing.
Qu turns around, still standing amidst the graves, merging with the shattered Tabula Akasha into an eternal sunset.
Remember all of this, [player name]. Remember me, remember us.
This is the last thing you can do here.
What happens next, Kowloong must handle on its own.
