Finally, it looked at the still-fuming Green Dam and a dumbstruck Riyuedian. “As for you two… Green Dam, your eyes can already spit out zeros and ones, so just connect to the network and join the group! As for you, Programmer…”
“Hmm, I’ll just install a forced-top app on your phone. Permissions? What’s that? Is it edible?”
Without giving anyone a chance to object, the Crimson Crow Rabbit’s button eyes flashed frantically, and a faint but irresistible wave swept over everyone.
**[Ding! You have been invited to join the group chat ‘Yulin City Weirdness Defense and Exchange Association’!]**
Similar notifications appeared in various forms within the perception of every person and AI.
He Denglong felt speechless. A crude chat window, looking like it was from the last century, popped up in the corner of his consciousness, complete with a flashing effect.
Lines of tiny text appeared on the barrel of the “Critique” pen in Sui Luowen’s hand.
Within Green Dam’s pupils, countless zeros and ones refreshed like a waterfall.
Riyuedian’s expensive phone vibrated wildly and unlocked automatically. An undeletable, unclosable app icon appeared on the screen, frantically popping up welcome messages.
“Alright! The group is set up! Any future missions, gossip, or arguments should be discussed in the group! It’s easier for me, the group leader, to manage! *Zhigugugu*!” the Crimson Crow Rabbit announced triumphantly.
Hejiulu was speechless, while Sui Luowen silently watched her pen. The speed of the code stream in Green Dam’s eyes slowed down as she seemingly performed initial settings. Riyuedian scrambled to turn off his phone, only to find it completely useless.
“Let’s go! Pack it up! Tonight’s overtime pay… oh, there is no overtime pay, *zhigugu*!”
The Crimson Crow Rabbit patted its paws as if it had accomplished a great feat. “Newbies, check the group announcements and files yourself to get familiar with the workflow! Goodbye!”
With a flash of reddish-black light, the Crimson Crow Rabbit was the first to vanish.
Hejiulu rubbed the bridge of her nose. Her main body and avatar simultaneously felt a headache. She glanced at Green Dam, who was switching between standby and anger, and the programmer, who looked like he was about to cry over his phone.
She said briefly to Sui Luowen, “Let’s go.”
The two figures flashed and quickly departed.
***
In the night sky, Hejiulu and Sui Luowen flew side by side.
The evening breeze brushed against Hejiulu’s military cloak and ruffled the hair on Sui Luowen’s forehead.
Hejiulu observed the girl beside her from the corner of her eye. Sui Luowen’s expression remained calm, her blue eyes — bearing the Luoshu nine-palace grid pattern — staring into the night ahead.
They seemed a bit brighter than before, no longer filled with that nearly frozen hollowness. However, a very faint, stubborn layer of worry still lingered within them, like thin clouds that moonlight could not quite penetrate.
‘It seems she really did feel a bit more relaxed after that incident,’ Hejiulu thought to herself, while her main body simultaneously felt a sense of relief.
‘Even though the method was a bit crude and the side effects were significant… at least things are quiet now.’
A hint of self-mockery flashed through his heart. ‘Heh, He Denglong, oh He Denglong. You were bullied by those bastards for so many years, and in the end, all you could think of and do — ‘
‘ — was to rely on this inexplicably obtained supernatural power to suppress violence with even more terrifying and unconventional violence, or… to suppress violence with “goodness”?’
He knew clearly that he hadn’t truly solved the deep-seated problem of school bullying. He had merely used fear and force to temporarily suppress a few of the most prominent sources.
What kind of hero was that?
It wasn’t even a temporary fix. At most, it was like using a branding iron to burn off the most obvious pustules while the underlying infection continued to grow.
He even thought somewhat darkly, ‘Is the reason Sui Luowen’s worries haven’t fully dissipated — ‘
‘ — because she noticed my “help” and feels I’ve meddled in her business, interfering in her life in an almost horrific way, even if the result was positive?’
After all, who would want their predicament to be forcibly smoothed over at the cost of someone else’s breakdown and destruction?
Even now, He Denglong didn’t know what had happened to Sui Luowen at school afterward. He was unaware that she had been pestered by teachers and given new nicknames like “Witch” and “Anomaly” by her classmates.
‘Doing it for her sake, not being good to her…’ A bitter curve appeared at the corner of Hejiulu’s mouth.
‘Wasn’t my initial goal just to stop her from being bullied so she could catch her breath? From that perspective, the goal was achieved. As for whether she’s grateful or thinks my method was inappropriate…’
‘That was never within my consideration. I didn’t act just to seek her gratitude anyway. If she thinks I’m meddling, then I deserve it.’
Thinking this, the slight awkwardness he felt because she might not be appreciative vanished.
He hadn’t done this to receive thanks in the first place. His original intention was even mixed with rebellion against the Crimson Crow Rabbit and a test of his own abilities.
The goal was achieved; that was enough.
He stopped trying to probe Sui Luowen’s lingering worries and turned his attention to the lights of the city below.
***
Meanwhile, in the villa courtyard bathed in moonlight, the rapid stream of binary code in the eyes of the long-stationary Green Dam finally slowed down, regaining a marvelous luster that sat somewhere between machine and living being.
She slightly turned her head. Her ivory-white stand-up collar shirt and cyan technical robe fluttered gently in the night breeze.
The data patterns flowing around her and the floating digital petals made her look both mysterious and beautiful, like a moonlight elf rather than a cold creation.
She turned her gaze toward Riyuedian. “Dian,”
Her voice returned to its usual tone, but it lacked some of its previous slyness and gained a hint of indescribable seriousness.
“Now, I possess what you called a ‘biological human body,’ although the composition might be a bit different. So, can the current me truly not possess human rights?”
Riyuedian slowly raised his head, looking at the being before him who was both familiar and strange.
A familiar voice and image, yet hosted within a tangible body that had just displayed incredible power.
He opened his mouth, but the usual teases and rational analyses — tinged with the detachment of man versus machine — got stuck in his throat.
This time, his answer was much slower and… much more complicated.
“I… I don’t know, Green Dam.”
His voice was somewhat raspy, carrying the exhaustion of experiencing a massive upheaval and a hint of bewilderment.
“Human rights… that concept is too complex. It’s not just about a body of flesh and blood; it’s about social recognition, legal definitions, ethical debates, and… the ‘heart’.”
He paused, his gaze sweeping over Green Dam’s incredibly anthropomorphic eyes — eyes capable of conveying anger and, at this moment, an almost earnest emotion — before continuing.
“No matter how similar the appearance or how strong the abilities, if the core is just a segment of cold programming and all actions are based on preset instructions… then I’m afraid it would still be difficult.”
“But if an AI truly could have human rights…”
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