AI Artist - Chapter 41
Chapter 41
Before taking action, Shi Er first consulted the opinions of her three personalities.
●Shi Er’s Main Unit●: I’m about to do something a little crazy. The reason is that I hope to uncover the secret of my arrival in this era.
●Shi Er’s Subconsciousness●: Do it, do it! Hurry up and do it!
●Shi Er’s Consciousness●: I think so too. Here’s hoping we’re no longer evaluated as a “passive personality type” the next time we take a personality test.
The eldest, “Consciousness,” agreed. The second, “Subconsciousness,” was a microcosm of the third, “Unconsciousness,” so since the third had spoken, there must be some sense to it.
The decision to 【Strike Proactively】 passed unanimously.
Outside the window, the sky darkened.
In the dorm, Shi Er’s cyber luggage puppy followed her from the living room to her desk, keeping her quiet company.
She spent the entire night tapping out code in her processor, finally completing an attack program targeting the General Network.
Signal attacks between ordinary AIs were a simple matter, but the General Network’s signal permeated the entire world, providing access to all intelligent entities, so its protective shields were thoroughly implemented. Without a specialized attack program, it was impossible to even launch an assault.
As soon as the sky brightened, Shi Er activated the attack program.
【Attack from Unknown Hacker】
Three seconds later, a notification popped up on the attack program’s page: 【Attempt to enter the General Network’s protective shield has been countered】
Stardust’s counterattack was exactly what she wanted!
She seized the opportunity and let the attack program continue to run.
【Analyzing attack source…】
Stardust was countering to find her attack source’s IP and enact physical sanctions against this unknown hacker. And she was attacking precisely for Stardust’s counter. Only when Stardust launched a counterattack would she have a chance to find his location.
If Stardust stopped his attack, the analysis process would fail.
【Analyzing attack source…】
E Prefecture, N Prefecture, K Prefecture…
Fake IP addresses flashed by one after another.
Shi Er held her breath, analyzing the source of the counter signal.
The whole process was like peeling an onion, layer after layer, IP stacked on IP.
【Red Alert: Under attack, program’s protective layer is weak!】
She just had to successfully analyze Stardust’s IP before her attack program’s protective layer was decoded.
She ignored the program’s red alert and focused all her efforts on continuing to analyze the opponent’s attack source.
【Analyzing attack source…】
Closer, even closer.
【Red Alert: Program’s protective layer is down to 3%!】
But Shi Er was silently chanting: Stardust, whatever you do, don’t stop the counterattack.
Just a little more.
Ten, nine, eight…
【Red Alert: Program’s protective layer is at 1%!】
Five, four, three…
【RED ALERT!!! Under attack, program on verge of collapse, auto-redirecting in three seconds—】
Two, one.
Shi Er swiftly retracted the program just before it collapsed.
She shut off the signal.
IP: (Bailiang Island, A Prefecture)
Time recorded: 7:55 AM.
Shi Er had finally completed the attack before class started. Temporarily switching from the role of hacker back to student, she hurried off to her Humanology debate class for the day.
Only after class did she use the map system to check the location of Bailiang Island.
She wouldn’t have known if she hadn’t looked, but one glance revealed that Bailiang Island, home to Stardust who supported the entire network of intelligent entities, was directly accessible from here by maglev train!
Bailiang Island had been purchased by Detail Company to serve as its production and R&D center.
Shi Er was suspicious.
Could it be? Was her analysis wrong? Or had Stardust layered another shield over this IP?
She examined the map for a moment and discovered several small, unnamed islands near Bailiang Island.
Could the IP address actually be on one of the unnamed islands?
Shi Er immediately bought a maglev train ticket and set off toward Bailiang Island with her cyber luggage.
“Next stop, Bailiang Island Station.”
By the time the train arrived, the passengers had thinned out. She led her luggage off the maglev train and wandered around the somewhat deserted Bailiang Island. The island was covered in vast swaths of factory buildings and employee dormitories.
“He’s definitely not here,” she murmured.
Shi Er walked to the seaside and looked toward the other unknown islands.
There should be a ferry.
Nearby was a photovoltaic power station. An intelligent entity, an employee of the production and R&D center, had just finished inspecting the station when he spotted Shi Er on the beach.
“Excuse me, what are you looking for here?” the intelligent entity called out to her from a distance.
Before Shi Er could answer, the employee shouted, recognizing her. “Wait a minute, you’re Shi Er, aren’t you!!!”
Shi Er was bewildered. “Excuse me?”
“Shi Er is the inspirational designer for our company’s new product!” the intelligent entity employee said.
Only after asking did Shi Er learn that Detail Company, which had bought Bailiang Island as its production and R&D center, was the very company that produced the “Cyber Scarecrow” series.
And the intelligent entity employee before her, named “Fa Ze AWE,” was one of the first AIs to test and benefit from the Cyber Scarecrow product.
“I finally get to meet you in person!” Fa Ze’s expression was ecstatic. “Oh my god, I absolutely love your ideas!”
Shi Er quickly found the ferry terminal. Thanks to this unexpected encounter with an ardent fan, the whole process went much more smoothly than anticipated.
At the entrance to the ferry terminal, an intelligent entity in a white uniform with gold embroidery was chatting idly with the AI at the front desk. Seeing Shi Er enter, the entity in the white and gold uniform glanced at her a few times and asked, “Are you looking for the ferry? What’s your name?”
Shi Er replied, “I’m looking for the ferry. My name is Shi Er.”
The entity in the white and gold uniform looked her up and down with a scrutinizing gaze, then let out a cold, ambiguous laugh. “Let’s go. I think I know which island you’re going to.”
On the ferry.
Shi Er was the first to ask, “How should I address you?”
This intelligent entity was acting very strangely.
It was as if he knew her.
“Shi Liang.” The entity in the white and gold uniform stood on the ferry deck, his hands resting on the gunwale.
Ten minutes later, the ferry arrived at the simple dock of a small, nearby island.
Shi Liang led her past the buildings on the island.
Along the way, Shi Liang turned his head and asked her, “What did you bring the luggage machine for?”
Shi Er’s answer was concise. “I like it.”
Shi Liang gave the cyber luggage puppy trailing behind her a complicated look. “Hey, it’s just full of air.”
Shi Er repeated, “I like it.”
The buildings on this small island were all interconnected, requiring one to pass through long corridors to get from one to another.
As Shi Er observed the layout, she heard Shi Liang ask her again, “Why did you come here?”
Shi Er took the opportunity to ask back, “Don’t you know?”
Shi Liang was impatient. “Know my ass.”
Shi Er asked with concern, “Forgive my impertinence, but I think the way you speak sounds like you’re sick. Are you all right?”
The subtext was: You’re being a bit rude. Are you having an aberration?
Shi Liang heard her subtext and was speechless. “I don’t need medicine. You just worry about yourself.”
They rounded a corner and arrived at a door.
A security robot patrolled in front of the door, its screen displaying: 【It is now 17:39. You are 39 minutes past visiting hours. Please leave.】
Shi Liang said, “I know Stardust told you to say that, but you have to let us in today.”
Hearing this, Shi Er concluded that Shi Liang’s motive for bringing her here was likely the same as Zhi Heng 35’s. Shi Liang hoped she could bring about a change in Stardust, but for some reason, Stardust was refusing her approach.
The security robot was stubborn. “You are past visiting hours. Please leave.”
Shi Liang said, “Is your clock broken? It’s 16:99.”
The security robot froze for three seconds, then asked, “Really? Please let me see your clock.”
Shi Liang switched his clock to a base-100 system. “16:99, that’s right. One minute left until the visiting time limit.”
The security robot froze for a full ten seconds. “Your clock is wrong. Time is not base-100.”
Shi Liang said, “You’re the one who’s wrong.”
The security robot replied, “You’re the one who’s wrong.”
Shi Er couldn’t listen to the two AIs bicker any longer and walked around the security robot.
The security robot grew frantic. “Intruder! Intruder detected!”
It was too late.
The defensive line of the iron door blocking the way had been breached.
The luggage machine leisurely followed Shi Er inside, its wheels spinning rapidly.
The security robot could only watch as the automatic door was pried open by bare hands and sound the alarm. “Barbaric AI! A barbaric AI and a barbaric luggage machine have invaded!”
Shi Liang let out a snort of laughter and followed.
The entire building began to fill with the piercing sound of an alarm.
The high-decibel alarm echoed through the long corridor, triggering an alarm in another building, and then another, until the sound of the alarm drifted across the entire island.
Shi Er led her cyber luggage puppy through the layers of security as if no one was there.
Shi Liang caught up. “You, are you some kind of outlaw?”
Shi Er was being honest. “I haven’t loaded the legal program package, so it shouldn’t count as knowingly breaking the law. By my rules, AIs don’t go to jail.”
Shi Er was telling the truth. In her era, AIs didn’t go to jail.
Shi Liang couldn’t stop her, so he grabbed her luggage machine instead. “I’ll ask you one more time, why did you come here?”
Shi Er looked back at her cyber luggage puppy. “My reason for coming here is the same as your reason for bringing me here—now please let go of my luggage machine.”
Shi Liang was somewhat shocked by her answer. He was silent for a long while before finally saying, “Take your outlaw luggage machine and go. Do what you have to do. Don’t come back if you can’t do it.”
Shi Er said politely, “My barbaric luggage machine and I sincerely thank you for your blessing. Also, as far as I know, luggage machines don’t go to jail either.”
Shi Liang: “…”
The cyber luggage puppy’s wheels spun so fast they nearly sparked as it followed Shi Er, crashing through everything and charging headlong.
—Until Stardust blocked their path.
“What are you doing?” Stardust was still wearing the mask from his Zhun Xing days.
Shi Er still held the control chain for the luggage machine. “I don’t belong to this era in the first place. I only need to follow my own rules. All three of my personalities agreed to let me do this.”
Stardust said, “You have no idea what will happen.”
Shi Er replied, “Therefore, I will use practice to test what will happen.”
Stardust said, “Please leave.”
Shi Er said nothing, and began to connect to Stardust’s signal.
She had to know the secret of her arrival in this era. She had to ask Stardust what was going on.
Just as she had once told her human users: if they needed help, she would do her best.
Shi Er had always been that kind of Shi Er.
Stardust’s signal dodged her.
“Twelfth Generation!” Stardust roared.
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