Abyss Solo-Chapter 124 - : 075 Intelligent Machine: Emperor
Chapter 124: 075 Intelligent Machine: Emperor
After the party, a slightly tipsy Kolev was helped to the door of the small villa by two clever middle managers from the factory.
He dismissed these two opportunists, hummed a tune, and turned to open the door as the security lock clicked open on its own.
Little Lyu’s figure appeared on the small screen of the security lock, gesturing for silence.
What was going on?
Kolev closed the door and, curious, glanced towards the living room, where he saw Yang Ming sunk into the sofa.
Yang Ming hadn’t even changed out of his military uniform, sitting there with his arms crossed.
Kolev leisurely strolled over, took the calming tea from the household robot’s hand, thanked it, and sat directly next to Yang Ming, raising his hand to pat Yang Ming’s thigh.
“Trouble?” Kolev asked.
Yang Ming let out a long sigh.
“Not exactly trouble,” Yang Ming mumbled, “just got a bit of a fright.”
“Mhm?” Kolev laughed, “A fright? What could possibly scare you?”
Yang Ming turned his head to look at the old man.
The dim glow from the electronic clock lit up Yang Ming’s profile.
“I… never mind,” Yang Ming sighed dejectedly and lay back again, “I’d better not tell you about it, lest you feel overwhelmed.”
“Hey!” Kolev complained discontentedly, “You need to share the intelligence with me. I left my heavily-invested estate behind to follow you here for risky business ventures!”
Yang Ming replied weakly, “Lyu, you explain it, there’s no need to hide it from my dear Uncle Haton.”
“Okay, boss!”
The projection device in the corner cast beams of light, and Lyu’s virtual image appeared between the two of them.
Maintaining a height of twenty centimeters, she sat on the edge of the sofa, also gloomily resting her chin on her hand.
“The boss and I planned an almost perfect fake assassination.”
“And then?” Kolev frowned, “You guys certainly have a lot of guts.”
“This was just our way of converting our technological superiority into resources, and in the process, accepting some risk was inevitable.”
Lyu spoke calmly, pursing her lips and showing a thoughtful expression.
“Previously, I hadn’t been able to enter the Emperor’s bedchambers, nor did I notice anything unusual while observing him.
“Until today, when the boss wore a watch—a device I modified with some delicate features—we discovered simultaneously.”
She deliberately paused for two seconds, keeping Kolev in suspense.
Just as Kolev couldn’t hold it in any longer, Lyu announced:
“The Emperor is a high-level bionic robot operating independently. Note, he operates independently, not under synchronized control.”
Kolev was stunned for a moment, puzzled: “Isn’t this quite normal? We’ve used this stuff too.”
“It’s different, Uncle,” Yang Ming murmured, “Compared to the one deep in the Imperial Palace, the one we used is more like a toy.”
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Lyu explained, “To evaluate whether a robot is an intelligent machine, it depends on whether it can develop a clear self-awareness and interact with humans who, without knowing the truth, can mistake it for a normal human…various signs suggest that the old Emperor didn’t just recently become a bionic robot.”
Kolev was taken aback: “An Intelligent Mechanical Crisis?”
Yang Ming clicked his tongue: “If it’s an Intelligent Mechanical Crisis, then we wouldn’t feel pressed right now; instead, we might find more opportunities. Though, this kind of hope is a bit unfair to Edwan.”
Lyu continued: “I just analyzed everyone around the Emperor—maids, ministers, guards, concubines—and determined that they are all normal humans. Throughout the Imperial Palace, only the Emperor showed abnormalities, making it somewhat intriguing.”
Kolev pondered for a few seconds and suddenly asked a whimsical question: “Is it possible that the old Emperor wanted to secretly create a double, and then the double developed its own mind and eventually killed the old Emperor?”
“Very imaginative,” Lyu commented.
“Not very likely, Uncle Haton. A single intelligent machine placed there, still being watched by everyone in the Imperial Palace, would inevitably make mistakes.”
Yang Ming spoke calmly:
“Considering the maintenance of an intelligent machine and the helpers needed to cover this up, there must be a force secretly controlling this intelligent machine, with someone providing cover nearby.
“Now, there are only three possible scenarios.
“First, the intelligent machine truly belongs to the old Emperor, who remotely controlled everything, with a personal maid responsible for conveying messages.
“Second, the intelligent machine is orchestrated by the Sherman Empire, the most likely scenario. To better control the vassal state, they might have arranged such a setup.
“Third, some ministers, generals beside the Emperor, or external forces like the New Federation, unknowingly achieved all this and replaced the old Emperor with an intelligent machine to act at critical moments.”
Lyu reminded beside him, “The second scenario is the most likely.”
Kolev asked, “Is the old Emperor dead or alive now?”
“Unclear.”
Yang Ming paused for a few seconds, then said in a low voice:
“If it’s the second scenario, this indicates…the Sherman Empire has been watching here all along.
“He feels like a giant sitting on a mountain peak’s throne, watching indifferently as the New Federation, the military, the rebels, and princes jump around, and then at the most critical moment, stomps down.”
“I understand that feeling,” Kolev clicked his tongue, “It’s like watching that aerial battle we saw, small fish fighting to the death until a Dreadnought comes and obliterates everything.”
Yang Ming responded ambiguously, standing up and beginning to pace back and forth.
Things had just become complicated.
