The massive waves on the internet seemed to be blocked by an invisible wall outside the Yulin City Branch of Gongjishi.
The shifting, living cuboid building still operated according to its own logic — friction, humming, and utter indifference to the clamor of humanity.
Inside the branch, the departments responsible for public relations and human affairs did indeed receive a blizzard of inquiry letters and complaint calls.
However, their replies were all standardized, official rhetoric that sounded like AI-generated responses:
“All actions of the Gongjishi Yulin City Branch follow the *Inter-Universe Strange Events Response Joint Guiding Principles* and local related protocols.”
“The selection of Eshu is based on her compatibility with ‘Hai Rui’ and her specialized potential to deal with ‘Guiyi.’ This qualification has no necessary connection to whether the life form is carbon-based.”
“Thank you for your concern and support for the cause of responding to universe overlap.”
They did not admit, deny, explain, or argue.
This detached and even slightly arrogant attitude gave the radical opponents a feeling of powerlessness, as if they were punching a bale of cotton, which only served to make them angrier.
However, the real undercurrents did not stop surging; the power of capital was never limited to public shouting.
Several analysis reports marked as “Top Secret” had already been placed on the desks of senior executives at large technology companies, biological research institutions, and even venture capital firms.
The core viewpoints of the reports were shockingly consistent:
Luba’s existence was, in itself, a giant, walking treasure trove of unimaginable technology.
Her ability to distort reality and perform ‘Information Filtering’; her peculiar body that could simultaneously host biological energy ‘Elements’ and electronic signals; and the principle behind her combination with ‘Hai Rui’ as an AI core…
Deciphering any one of these technologies could bring about a subversive industrial revolution and immeasurable wealth.
Compared to the nebulous concept of “human purity,” tangible interests were clearly more attractive.
Thus, while the public was still arguing over whether an AI counted as a person, several groups of people with various identities had already begun to move around Di Yuandian’s villa and the Gongjishi branch.
An elderly man, dressed impeccably and carrying expensive gifts while claiming to be the chief scientist of a top tech company, politely rang Di Yuandian’s doorbell, hoping to “have an academic exchange with Lady Luba regarding the future.”
There were men and women dressed in trendy clothes who called themselves internationally renowned agents. They offered astronomical contracts, wanting to sign Luba’s “exclusive all-universe agency rights,” promising to package her into an “inter-dimensional superstar.”
There were also more secretive figures with cold auras lurking in the shadows.
They used specially modified equipment to scan and probe from a distance, attempting to analyze Luba’s energy and bodily composition to assess the feasibility and risk of “collecting a sample.”
An extremely bold proposal to “recruit” Luba was even secretly submitted to certain high-level officials at the Gongjishi branch. The proposal came from a foundation associated with several giants.
It suggested that they “take over” the “daily maintenance and development” of Luba to “more efficiently utilize her unique value for the service of human society.” Naturally, the results would be shared.
Di Yuandian and Luba were not entirely ignorant of all this.
Di Yuandian’s programming laptop, Source Code, and Luba’s own sensing system had both captured unauthorized probing signals and attempted data intrusions multiple times.
There were also significantly more “loiterers” around the villa.
“Tsk, it’s really never-ending.”
Di Yuandian scratched his hair in irritation. He now had to observe through the peephole for a long time just to go out and throw the trash away.
Luba tilted her head, the code in her eyes flashing rapidly as she seemed to analyze the logical chain behind these behaviors.
“Based on behavior pattern analysis, there is a 92.7% probability of being profit-driven. They seem to believe I am some kind of dismantlable, replicable, and commodifiable ‘technological singularity.'”
Her tone was calm, even carrying a hint of academic discussion, but the sharp flash representing “alertness” in her pupils showed she was not entirely unaffected.
“Chee-goo-goo-goo!”
The Red Crow Rabbit’s voice suddenly echoed in their minds, filled with the joy of someone watching a scene unfold.
“How does it feel to be the center of attention? Do you realize now that my job as an Exploiter isn’t easy? Not only do I have to deal with ‘Guiyi,’ but I also have to handle all the mess in your carbon-based society.”
“Stop being so sarcastic!”
Di Yuandian snapped back irritably. “These people are treating my house like a tourist attraction! Isn’t Gongjishi going to do anything?”
“Do something? How?”
The Red Crow Rabbit sneered. “We can’t just crush those flies to death unless they actually attack you or try to destroy the branch. Besides…”
Its voice became playful.
“If you can’t even handle this little bit of trouble, how will you face more difficult ‘Guiyi’ in the future? You can consider this a… hmmm, socialization pressure test for the new Eshu and her developer? Chee-goo-goo!”
“Test your rabbit head!” Di Yuandian practically wanted to reach through the network to pull the stinking rabbit out and beat it.
“Fine, fine,” the Red Crow Rabbit’s tone shifted. “While I can’t settle it for you openly, I can still give you a ‘tiny’ bit of support.”
“For example… helping you optimize the firewall of Source Code? Or adding an anti-detection and anti-mental interference plug-in to Luba’s Cognitive Filter?”
It paused, its voice full of temptation.
“After all, you two are now ‘important assets’ of our Gongjishi. We can’t let any random dog or cat outside crack your code or kidnap you, right?”
Di Yuandian and Luba looked at each other.
“What’s the price?” Di Yuandian asked warily. He did not believe this rabbit would be so kind.
“Price? Look at you, don’t be so formal.”
The Red Crow Rabbit’s button eyes seemed to flash. “Just be more diligent in your future missions and bring back more ‘batteries.’ Running the branch consumes a lot of energy!”
—
The time shifted back to one morning after He Jiulu and Sui Luowen’s first battle together. He Denghong was woken up, as usual, by the cursing and gunshots from both inside and outside the apartment building.
He felt his whole body aching now. To use a metaphor—it was like he was clearly seriously injured, yet he simply could not feel the pain. Even though he couldn’t feel the sharp sting of injury, he could still clearly feel the physical discomfort.
He sat up slowly, the thin, rough quilt sliding off his body.
The argument downstairs suddenly escalated, only to fall silent following a warning gunshot.
He Denghong was long since accustomed to this. He simply rubbed his dry eyes, his gaze wandering through the messy room before finally landing on the old phone with a shattered screen and chipped corners on the bedside table.
He reached out and grabbed the phone. The cold sensation made him feel slightly more awake.
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