The Mechanic [BL]

[109]

Chapter 109 – Twin Cities (7)

Eden had given Adam an ultimatum.

If Adam couldn't resolve the Zhang Xun problem during this trip to the Feathered Serpent City, Eden would ignore Adam's opinion and start to implement its plans to neutralise Zhang Xun.

It was clear that Zhang Xun had already developed an upgraded version of Pan in Feathered Serpent City and had begun to have a significant impact on the two main AIs there, which were indirectly controlled by Eden. During Eden's latest conversation with Phoenix it clearly sensed a change in the weighting of certain important parameters on the other side. It tried to clean out those questionable images with a large amount of filtered data, but didn't expect that Phoenix would refuse to receive the data it sent.

Eden immediately raised Zhang Xun's Threat Index to level four, with only one more level to go. Once Zhang Xun's Threat Index reached five, no matter how much Adam negotiated or threatened, Eden could no longer keep Zhang Xun.

Adam withdrew his consciousness from the Cloud of Consciousness. Pan's voice rang out in his mind, "This is the first time you have disconnected since the establishment of the Cloud of Consciousness."

"It's time." Adam's eyes, like a cold lake, looked into the black 'cloud' above his head, into the future he had built for mankind, but there was only an endless void in the depths of his pupils, "I need to finish something."

He had never known what it felt like to be tired. Even when his human body began to feel physically limited, his consciousness was always like a sharp knife freshly sharpened on a rock, pointed precisely at the next goal. One after the other, the whole world spun according to his and Eden's will.

But gradually, he felt an unfamiliar stagnation beginning to spread through his core consciousness, like a vine silently sprouting in a dark corner, or like red rust creeping over the blade of a knife.

A hesitation that he had never known before.

But another force, an innate, unquestioning will that transcended all else, was pushing him on. It was his mission, his sole purpose for living. He had to bring an eternal paradise to mankind.

He hadn't set foot in the Lab since the initial completion of the hardware for the Cloud of Consciousness and he wouldn't tell Pan that every time he walked through the corridors lit by countless light bulbs, every time he passed Zhang Xun's office, every time he passed their room, he was in a trance thinking that Zhang Xun was still walking with him. He thought he could pull open a door and see Zhang Xun sitting behind his desk, taking a nap. Thought that when he turned around, he would be able to kiss those slightly dry lips.

These ghostly memories made that stagnant feeling stronger. So he stopped going back and fled from those memories.

He remembered Zhang Xun looking at him sadly and saying in a trembling but determined voice: Adam, I will never trust you again.

He had taken everything from Zhang Xun and now he had to take even more to keep him.

...........................................................

At half past eleven at night, Zhang Xun and Pan passed quietly through the maze of quiet corridors in the pyramid and found their way to the central lift. They looked around to make sure there were no monks within sight before entering the lift. Zhang Xun glanced up at the camera and pressed the bottom button.

The facial recognition programme didn't activate as it usually did and the lift began to descend straight away. From a slow start at the beginning to a speedy fall, it took Zhang Xun and Pan as fast as it could to the deep underground.