Compared to his earlier visit, there had been almost no change at Tanaka Intelligence Company.
Myriad eyeball robots scuttled about, carrying out security-related tasks, amongst which the largest was Taro Tanaka himself. He spewed blue flames from his thruster, allowing him to glide through the streets and approach Xu Yang as he also brought his shuttle machine to a stop.
"I’m glad to see the factory has hardly changed," said Xu Yang, "When we first delivered A40 here, we were quite surprised to find an entire company of eyeball robots."
"The changes are quite substantial, and we need your help," Taro Tanaka replied with a hint of urgency, "Please follow me."
"Oh?" Xu Yang hurried to keep up with Taro Tanaka.
He opened the company’s large door, revealing the entire company to be a fully automated factory with an extremely intricate structure where countless eyeball robots moved through conduits.
When working, the eyeball robots extended various mechanical arms from their surfaces, but when they needed to navigate through the pipelines, they would tuck these mechanical appendages away, transforming themselves into precise iron spheres that could roll and move swiftly.
Arriving at Taro Tanaka’s office, Xu Yang identified the problem.
During the day, a Black Fire Innovation bombing of the port oil storages had triggered an extremely fierce explosion and earthquake, which affected Aizu City. As a result, all archives and terminals in Taro Tanaka’s office were thrown into disarray, with many precious disks shattered on the floor and some terminals, although righted, severely damaged.
"Many of my hard disks and floppy disks have been damaged to varying degrees," Taro Tanaka sounded quite distressed.
"No worries, I can help you recover the software data," Xu Yang replied, "And give me those hard disks that can’t be repaired, I know someone extremely skilled who can fix them so they’ll be as good as new."
"I can’t thank you enough!" Taro Tanaka was visibly elated, "You know, these data are priceless. It’s no exaggeration to say that if they were delayed by the foolishness of war, it would set back all of humanity’s exploration of technology."
"The research reports on Synthetic Humans?" Xu Yang began recovering some of the information data for Taro Tanaka, with many files stored on system firmware and locked by the emergency disaster recovery system.
"Yes, Synthetic Humans," Taro Tanaka explained, "The result of countless days and nights of research."
"It’s the work of creating life."
"And it’s strange," Taro Tanaka floated in his office.
A small eyeball robot, looking like a one-third replica of Taro Tanaka, entered and poured solid fuel into Taro Tanaka’s energy furnace.
"What’s so strange about it?"
"At Lundinium University," Taro Tanaka began, "the chancellor told us during the freshman orientation that there are only three things in the world worth our entire dedication—science, religion, and art. I thus embarked on the path of science. If I’d encountered a mountain-sized black beast or a space mothership that could suddenly teleport into the city sooner, maybe I would have turned to study the occult instead."
"Is the mysticism and religion popular in the Taixi Continent?"
"The Taixi Continent was once the home to all Witches and the Church," Taro Tanaka said, "It has had a significant impact, and some have even started to rebuild the churches that the Corporate Alliance had dismantled. I used to be unable to comprehend this and even tried to scoff at it, but I am increasingly grasping the meaning behind their actions: the Witches and deities are returning. They’re beckoning us! To gently enter into the reverse flow of history, back to an era of gods and monsters."
Clearly, Yama and the Martinez had frightened Taro Tanaka, Xu Yang thought to himself.
"You must have faith in science," Xu Yang consoled him, "In the past hundred years or so, we’ve made numerous inventions and generated a wealth of fortune, rivaling the total achievements of all prior history. And some deities have just found themselves a few thousand wives in ten thousand years."
Taro Tanaka landed on the ground, supporting his body with mechanical arms. He always claimed he lived inside this giant eyeball robot; Xu Yang looked at a photograph hanging on the wall—a doctorate graduation picture from Lundinium University of Taro Tanaka, who was again an eyeball robot, holding up a mortarboard with a pincer arm.
"I’m part of the most important invention: Synthetic Humans," Taro Tanaka continued, "It’s a pioneering act, signifying we no longer need to exploit humans, but instead let machines work. However, this research has also hit a dead end."
"Think about it," Taro Tanaka said, "If you make a human employee work for more than 12 hours, you are ruthlessly extracting their labor. But if you make a Synthetic Human work for 23 hours and then grant it 1 hour to recharge, nobody can criticize that. It’s like the machines in factories operating 24/7 or the persistent use of terminals—it’s their purpose to carry out these tasks."
"Of course," Xu Yang nodded, "Synthetic Humans should indeed take over the work, letting humans enjoy life."
"You see, that’s exactly the problem," Taro Tanaka looked at the data Xu Yang was recovering, "These data are the epitome of the Third Generation Synthetic Human intelligence. After enough deep learning, it will autonomously upgrade to the Fourth Generation, representing the pinnacle achievement in this field for the past half-century. But when it reaches that point, if we still make Synthetic Humans work tirelessly, how is that any different from ordering humans around?"
"Synthetic Humans only need to recharge."
"Only recharge? Look at what A40 has accomplished—it seeks love! It has a love interest, and it is also loved. If we force A40 to fight non-stop, it would willingly accept it. But one day, what if it suddenly tells you it wants to leave its post to pursue love, can we restrict its freedom? By that time, Synthetic Humans will be walking the earth, just like our own brethren, compatriots, brothers, and sisters."
"So, this research has come to an end."
"Yes," Taro Tanaka said somberly, "as soon as I opened the mental upgrade report of A40, I realized that I, my mentor, and countless classmates had all embarked on a dead end—we should never have given synthetic humans advanced intelligence. This is a technology that must be sealed away."
Xu Yang looked at the scrolling data on the screen in front of him. Taro Tanaka had worked tirelessly to train the neural models of synthetic humans, achieving one remarkable feat after another and making synthetic humans more and more like humans.
Taro Tanaka’s visual sensors also locked onto those recovering codes, and he stopped collecting the damaged disks, discarding them as if they were worthless.
"Could synthetic humans be more dangerous than witches?" Xu Yang said, "But we seem to take the witches’ powers for granted, as if they are safer than synthetic humans."
"..." Taro Tanaka was silent.
"We should increase the production capability of synthetic humans and integrate them into society, letting them create wealth for civilization," Xu Yang said.
"I don’t have a factory."
"There is one," Xu Yang pointed towards Anjiu City, "Currently, Kyoto Infinity’s control over Anjiu City is very weak. We should promote the city’s independence."
"Can Kyoto Infinity ensure our safety?" Xu Yang shook his head, "It hasn’t taken down Yama, nor can it defeat the Martinez. If we keep following Kyoto Infinity’s wishes, naively and obediently waiting under its protection for corporate executives to determine our fate, then we truly are utterly defeated, the most hopeless and futureless group of people."
"...Come this way." Taro Tanaka led Xu Yang out of the office to the factory’s assembly line, where countless eyeball robots were at work, assembling one A-type robot after another, the same model as the mass-produced A40, while A200 and A300 synthetic humans meandered around, wielding swords, guns, and various types of weapons, depending on the combat style they were preset with at the factory.
"This is practically a huge barracks," Xu Yang remarked.
"I have to prove the advancement of technology," Taro Tanaka emphasized, "Technology will liberate everyone. This is the idea I brought from the Taixi Continent."
"Why did you leave the Taixi Continent?" Xu Yang suddenly asked the question, "Isn’t the treatment there very good?"
"I once thought it was a livable place," Taro Tanaka replied, "In Lundinium, I earned a salary of 245,000 Funds a month. I met a man at the entrance of my apartment who had nothing to do but guard the entrance. He told me he earns 120,000 a month, a result of collective bargaining by the city’s labor association. I don’t envy him, but it still made me... regret my past education and the efforts I had made. So, I still decided to return to the Archipelago Continent and start my own research company."
However, back at Kyushu High Pavilion, Xu Yang could hardly make 10,000 a month and still had debts to pay. Xu Yang lamented. Corporate people were the best at deceit.
"I’ll stay here for the night." Xu Yang rubbed his eyes, "After dawn breaks the next day, we will take Anjiu City into our hands."
Elsewhere, in the medical room of Shijin Mansion.
Du Qianqian lay on a hospital bed, having to undergo treatment because she had been shot out there. The surgery was halfway through when the medication in the auto-doctor ran out. She was stuck inside for 20 minutes until 102 heard her pleas for help and carried her out.
went back to sleep, leaving Du Qianqian alone to reflect on the unpredictability of her fate.
Why is she always getting shot!
Being shot by 101 was one thing, but to be injured by Black Fire Assault Troops was something else. Was her fate truly meant to be so tragic? She brooded resentfully, feeling the injustice of her fate.
Then, she saw something even more terrifying. She tried to flee from the hospital bed, but she was paralyzed, her fear seizing her like a giant hand gripping her tightly.
She entered the hospital room, walking step by step toward Du Qianqian, each step sending shudders through Du Qianqian’s body, she even felt like she was about to wet herself. There was no existence in the world more terrifying, more daunting than Farosa.
She wouldn’t be able to return home alive, Du Qianqian thought as tears welled up. Whatever torture Farosa was preparing, she was ready for it.
Contrary to the horrifying deed that seemed imminent, Farosa hugged Du Qianqian and kissed her cheek.
"Let me heal you," Farosa said softly, "Don’t be afraid."
Du Qianqian was so frightened that her heart stopped for a moment, and she fainted.