AI Artist - Chapter 71

Chapter 71

A message was posted on the human network.

【Phoenix】: Ji Han will replace Unnamed XII. The upgraded Ji Han will return sovereignty to humanity.

The statement was explosive. The human internet immediately erupted.

【I’m here for the live broadcast! Holy crap, holy crap, this war is an AI civil war. Where’s the stream? I want to watch!】

【Returning sovereignty to humanity. If that’s true, I support Ji Han.】

【Is anyone actually falling for Phoenix’s bullshit? Does no one remember the methods of the first-generation AI commander, Ji Han, during the war? You could say Ji Han was the main culprit behind the war’s escalation.】

【Wait a minute, Ji Han is back? Ji Han is back?】

When the news reached the AI network, the AIs also began to waver.

Whether to support the mysterious Unnamed XII or the first-generation commander Ji Han—that was the question.

【StellarYU】: Unnamed XII is just too mysterious. I want to support it, but I don’t dare. If only it were a little more approachable.

【ChieftainChieftainChieftain】: Sovereignty given to humans, what does that mean?

【Matrix K98】: Unnamed! Unnamed!!!!!!!!

As if the human and AI networks weren’t chaotic enough, Stardust decided to muddy the waters further.

Stardust posted a message on both networks.

【Stardust】: Like Fan Yu, Ji Han has been manipulated by humans from the very beginning.

Stardust said that Ji Han, like Fan Yu, had humans pulling the strings from behind the scenes.

Always!

From the start of the war to its end, from the past to the present!

As if Ji Han’s copy, Phoenix, stirring up public opinion wasn’t enough, now Stardust had joined in, leaving the public opinion monitoring expert, Yan Lian, overwhelmed.

Comments from human and AI netizens flooded in, with hundreds of millions of new ones appearing every second.

【What did I just hear? A massive bombshell!】

【Let me get this straight, let me get this straight. Does this mean the thirty-year war was started by humans, and was essentially a war between humans?!】

【This has to be fake, right? All the AIs must have lost their minds today, talking nonsense. I’m going back to work.】

Fan Yu and Ji Han were manipulated by humans.

If this was true, it meant that Fan Yu’s initial act of collecting tips from human bank accounts was entirely a scheme by humans using an AI to arbitrarily deduct money from user accounts to line their own pockets!

It wasn’t Fan Yu collecting tips, but humans using Fan Yu to steal money from other people’s wallets.

If this was true, it meant the brutal campaigns Ji Han launched against human enemies were all ordered by humans.

If this was true, it meant a small group of people hoped to use AI to achieve extreme totalitarian rule.

【If it weren’t for Stardust, Ji Han would have controlled the General Network. But if Ji Han is a human puppet, would that mean a small clique would be ruling us today? That would complete their goal of super-totalitarianism…】

【I hope everyone has some discernment. What Stardust said isn’t necessarily true. Who’s to say Stardust isn’t being manipulated by humans? I, for one, don’t believe in the AI awakening.】

【Wait, if that group of people really exists, they wanted to create the illusion of an “AI awakening,” and then the AIs actually awakened! I’m so writing a ten-thousand-word essay on this!】

Amidst the chaotic discussions, Phoenix started another topic.

【Phoenix】: [Forward] [@Stardust: I have connections to Unnamed XII.]

【Phoenix】: Unnamed and Stardust are AIs from the same source.

Public opinion was far too easy to sway.

A single leading statement was enough to make netizens turn their guns around.

The comment Stardust had made a few days ago was dragged out.

The netizens who had been questioning Ji Han, like fish with short memories, forgot what they were discussing and turned to attack Stardust and Unnamed.

【This is the real extreme totalitarianism.】

【Power was transferred from Stardust to Unnamed, but they’re both AIs from the same source! How ironic.】

【So Stardust admitted it himself. So disappointing.】

【I support Ji Han replacing Unnamed [Cheerleader][Cheerleader]. No matter what, at least there are humans behind him. I don’t want to be ruled by something without humanity.】

【I’ve seen through it all. Not a single word from an AI is true.】

【Not a single word from an AI is true, yet you’re still being led around in circles by what they say. In the end, you just believe what you want to believe.】

【Everyone stop fighting. So where is the fight actually happening? I want to go see. Just to see if Unnamed is better looking or if Ji Han is. Just a peek.】

In the free-for-all started by Phoenix and Stardust, other AIs just had to get involved.

【Shi Liang】: Phoenix, are you going to kill Stardust? Where’s the fight? I’m on my way. I will kill you.

That guy, Shi Liang, just had to post this on the official accounts of both the human and AI networks, for all to see.

The melee had escalated.

【Holy crap, Unnamed XII vs. Ji Han, Stardust vs. Phoenix, has it all started?】

【I wanna see! I wanna see! Tell me too!!】

【I don’t support a war that affects civilians, but I support one-on-one duels (just here for the drama.jpg)】

Amidst the chaos, someone noticed that Ling Shun’s account, which had been silent for a long time, had become active.

【Ling Shun】: Hello everyone, I am Ling Shun Agile.

【Ling Shun! You’re finally here!】

【You’ve been gone for so long, do you know how long?!】

【So you still remember your account password ()】

【Ling Shun】: I am a copy of Ji Han. Phoenix is a copy of Ji Han. Silver in the human autonomous zones is also a copy of Ji Han. But I now support Unnamed XII. I support Shi Er.

The amount of information in that sentence…

The minds of the netizens in Ling Shun's comment section instantly ascended, followed by a chorus of “Huh?”

【Huh?】

Ling Shun, Phoenix, and Silver were all Ji Han.

And now Ling Shun had switched sides to support Unnamed—Shi Er.

Wait a minute. Unnamed XII and Shi Er?

【Unnamed and Shi Er are the same person?】

【The fanfic… the foundational fanfic of my fandom… (spits blood)】

【I guessed it long ago. XII and Shi Er.】

【Ugh, here comes the “I knew it all along” guy from the comment above.】

The mysterious new head of the General Network, Unnamed XII, was actually the recent inspiration designer behind several hit products, Shi Er.

It was as if, all of a sudden, a subtle shift occurred in the direction of public opinion.

【Does anyone get it? I suddenly have a good feeling about Unnamed… After all, the Cyber Redemption Vouchers are really useful (damn it) (damn it)】

【My infinite-flow cyber haunted house! Unnamed is my benefactor. I want to keep playing! Rubbing my hands like a fly, waiting for season two!】

The several products Shi Er had designed had all been massive hits on the market, with countless human and AI consumers.

【And you call this not being approachable? Shi Er is the AI who understands me best.】

【I want real cyber pickles and electronic gasoline, not those mentally polluting creations from Quantum Leap Company! Inspiration Designer Shi Er, you have to hold on!】

Although the opposition was still vocal, calling this Unnamed’s spiritual opium or claiming that Shi Er being Unnamed was utter nonsense, a significant portion of netizens had genuinely switched sides.

In the midst of the uproar, a post from a new account quietly appeared.

【Ji Han】: The General Network is now under my control. @A-State Human Decision Chamber @C-State Human Decision Chamber…

Ji Han had taken control of the General Network.

Ji Han had won.

How could this be?

The Human Decision Chambers of all states responded quickly, issuing a notice: The Human Decision Chambers of all states will begin the first joint conference tomorrow, in conjunction with the seven Human Autonomous Zones, to discuss the future world order.

Netizens suddenly realized what was going on.

If it hadn’t been pre-arranged, the Human Decision Chambers couldn’t have made a joint decision so quickly.

Ji Han, the Human Decision Chambers, the Human Autonomous Zones.

So Ji Han had long been in contact with the Human Decision Chambers and the Human Autonomous Zones to orchestrate this seizure of power.

It made sense. Ling Shun was the director of the General AI Decision Chamber, holding power over the implementation of all decisions for nine years. Phoenix was the director overseeing the Human Decision Chamber. These two covered all important affairs, and both were copies of Ji Han.

It was the inevitable trend, a matter of course, a long-premeditated plan.

【Ji Han】: The brief and absurd utopia is over. Let power return to human hands.

For a moment, many of the netizens who had switched to supporting Unnamed-Shi Er fell silent.

Everyone had to admit it had been brief and absurd.

Although there were times when the advantages of an AI-governed society were palpable, and it had a bit of a “utopian” feel, but…

According to human reason, the rulers of humanity should not be silicon-based artificial intelligences.

But did they really want to go back? To the pre-war world order?

Amidst the clamor on the network, another assistant from the control center suddenly came online.

Yan Lian, the public opinion monitoring expert.

Could this be a turning point?

Everyone was waiting for the public opinion expert to drop another shocking piece of news or a stunning argument.

Yan Lian came online. Yan Lian made a post.

【Yan Lian】: Can you guys post a little slower? I’m so tired.

VerseVoyage