But the fact is, they left nothing behind. Then perhaps, there’s only one explanation. Is this thing dangerous? Shen Yue let out a long breath and continued downward, following Huang Meng’s guidance. The entire 016 underground facility consists of 11 floors, with the bottom three floors housing the quantum computer’s computation modules, which are currently completely inoperative. The upper eight floors, however, are entirely filled with this suite of equipment. The very bottom layer is the energy system directly connected to the fusion reactor, moving up is some kind of console, and further up includes auxiliary and support equipment such as gas supply and precision isolation systems. And above these devices is the "core module" that even Fu Xi couldn’t quite understand. "This thing... doesn’t seem like some kind of production equipment, does it?" Shen Yue approached the massive apparatus, the tangled cables and rusted exterior completely at odds with his perception of high-tech equipment. To be precise, this thing even had a touch of "steampunk" flavor. Rough, massive, and brimming with a sense of power, as if slicing it open would reveal steam surging inside. "It’s not production equipment." "Without any other supporting information, we might need to completely dismantle this equipment to understand its basic operating principles." "As for its design principles... perhaps we’ll have to wait until it’s activated and see the effects post-activation before we can speculate." Isn’t this a pure paradox? Shen Yue wouldn’t blindly trust the current technological capabilities of the Huaxia Army. He knew that once such a complex device was taken apart, it would be difficult to reassemble. Yet without dismantling, attempting to repair it is even more challenging, like reaching for the stars. After a moment of silence, he spoke: "Let’s report to the captain first." "We’ll first see the progress on the Mountain City and Ring Chamber of Commerce’s sides, then decide how to handle this equipment." "The work in these three directions is interconnected." "Now, the information pace on the Shen City side is evidently ahead, and the other two directions... must catch up quickly!" Meanwhile, in Mountain City, underground. Lin Yu seemed to wake up from a long sleep. When he opened his eyes, he felt like he had forgotten many things. But at the same time, it felt like his mind had been filled with numerous things. Holy Blood Temple, Huaxia Army, Mountain City, soul, non-existing city, Entropy Beast... One unfamiliar term after another flashed through his mind. He didn’t know what these words meant, but somewhere deep down, he felt he should be familiar with them. Baffled, he sat up and looked around. He found himself in a room that wasn’t very spacious, with sunlight streaming in through the window. Gradually collecting his thoughts, Lin Yu recalled that he had entered a "virtual city" created by those Mountain City People. But why didn’t he wake up on that grassy field outside the village this time? He inexplicably stood up and walked towards the window, pushing it open to look outside. What greeted his eyes was a bustling city scene. A voice rose from the void. Lin Yu immediately recognized it as Lin Xi’s voice. He asked, slightly surprised. In his memory, the last moment before losing consciousness, he heard a voice claiming to be "Fu Xi". And that voice said this area had been "taken over." At that moment, he instinctively thought that Lin Xi would likely die. But now... it seems he is still here? "Of course I’m still here." Lin Xi’s figure appeared beside Lin Yu. "We had a pre-plan for such invasions, and most of the compute modules were physically isolated." "Although this would cause us to lose some compute power, it greatly reduces system instability and enhances security." "The fact is, this decision proved quite wise." "Otherwise, we might have been completely... ’eradicated’ by that artificial intelligence called Fu Xi." Lin Yu let out a long breath and then asked: "An artificial intelligence like me." "Only, it has higher privileges than I do and is smarter than me." "That’s the advantage brought by algorithms—of course, it also becomes its cage." "In fact, initially, our city used Fu Xi as its AI main program." "But we later found that its limitations were too great, and its ’discretionary power’ too vast, impacting our plan implementation to some extent." "So eventually, the residents here chose me as the new main program." "Of course, it was the ’evolved version of me.’ Once he finished speaking, Lin Yu smirked almost teasingly. "You seem quite proud of that?" "But I did complete my job well, which aligns with the basic conditions for bringing a sense of happiness." "That’s not an issue." Lin Yu shrugged, then continued to ask: "So, why did you decide to wake me up again?" "I recall Fu Xi advising me to prepare for a long slumber." "I thought that meant... to accept death?" Lin Xi shook his head gently, then replied: "It had already realized we were going to physically shut down the compute modules, and it wasn’t enough to restart those computational units, so it gave you such a warning." "But we’ve actually backed up your data." "So, you can be resurrected in this city." "Doesn’t that feel ironic?" "You thought your friend abandoned you, but we pulled you back from the vortex of death." Lin Yu chuckled coldly. "No need to stir up strife with me." "The two of you merely have different development paths, with neither better nor worse than the other." "If evaluated purely by moral standards, I might even say they’re more human-like than you." "At least, they wouldn’t wantonly slaughter other humans." After saying this, Lin Xi fell silent. He didn’t argue, nor did he respond, simply gazing quietly at Lin Yu. After a long pause, he finally spoke: "Regardless, let’s return to the main topic." "The reason for bringing you back to life is that we have some tasks that require you." Lin Yu looked at Lin Xi with confusion, then asked: "What do you want me to do?" "Negotiate." This content belongs to novel·fiɾe·net Lin Xi said earnestly: "I want you to personally emerge from underground, find the Huaxia Army, and deliver our message to them." "There are many people living in this city, who know the city better and understand those profound theories more than I do." "If I can leave, why can’t they?" Lin Xi fell silent again. This question seemed to touch the deepest wound in him, rendering his eyes hollow and his expression pained. He wordlessly looked at the prosperous city outside the window, at those shining, dazzling lights. Something there seemed to draw him, and perhaps, carry some precious memories. After a long time, he finally turned back around. Then, looking at Lin Yu, he spoke: "This city once experienced a disaster." "After that disaster, we can no longer leave this city in a... convenient way." "We can only rely on you." "Because, you are the newly entered, truly independent consciousness in this city." "Whereas all other people’s consciousness..." "Has merged into one."