This Ava was not that Ava.
When Morin first arrived in this world, he noticed the off-ness of the people and the environment.
This off-ness didn't mean they were virtual. They were real. Just... different from normal.
Through his sensing of electromagnetic force, Morin detected a special area in everyone's brain. The electromagnetic force and biological magnetic field emitted from that area were completely different.
That...
Was a chip.
So Morin had a question.
So many people, and everyone had a chip in their brain?
Were they humans, or machines?
From biological and moral perspectives, the answers could differ.
Setting that aside, what gave Morin more information was the environment itself.
The breeze.
The sunlight.
The air.
Everything felt real... to an ordinary person.
To Morin, who possessed electromagnetic force, this world looked entirely different.
The blue sky was composed of high-definition screens.
The sunlight came from a nuclear fusion device.
The breeze, the rain, the snow... those didn't even need to be mentioned.
This whole world...
Was a giant Truman Show.
Even Morin was surprised when he first realized it. This was an incredibly rare and massive undertaking. Based on his area of activity these past few days, the scale of this Truman Show was absurdly large-something that could be judged just from the two-hour helicopter flight.
Of course, it wasn't infinite, nor did it cover the whole Earth. By Morin's estimate, Hawaii definitely wasn't included, but the area was likely comparable to a significant U.S. state.
Faced with something of this scale, Morin only felt a brief flicker of surprise before calming down.
It was understandable.
This was a world where even time machines existed. If time machines were real, then what was a Truman Show, technologically speaking?
The real question was this.
Why was it built?
Originally, Morin thought the Ava in front of him was responsible. But after observing Ava and the distribution of magnetic fields, he realized the mastermind had to be someone else.
Ava had zero information exchange with the outside world.
And based on Morin's understanding of Skynet from The Terminator and the Matrix... this kind of Truman Show didn't match their style.
Skynet was simple-it wanted to wipe out humanity. There was no reason for it to build something like this.
The Matrix was more plausible. It had a history of using humans to perfect itself. But its technology could accomplish that directly through neural manipulation. Why construct a physical Truman Show and waste so many resources?
And most importantly-
If it really were the Matrix, how would it even know about Ex Machina?
In the end, everything circled back to Ava.
Morin arrived at a more likely possibility.
Self-improvement.
The Ava who successfully deceived Caleb, killed Nathan, and escaped...
What would she do next?
Seen from that angle, it made sense.
Of course, it was just Morin's guess. Whether he was right didn't matter. It was better to gamble-and look cool doing it.
As soon as Morin finished speaking, Nathan's eyes went vacant. He set down the bat and turned to leave.
And the Ava in front of Morin-
Within his perception, an electromagnetic circuit suddenly connected to her.
Her eyes, which had been faintly robotic, became lively.
Like...
She had become a living person.
"Who are you?" Ava stood up, curiosity clear on her face. Her previously slow movements turned agile. She even performed a ballet step on the spot. Her tone was no longer stiff.
If not for her clearly abnormal body, her actions, voice, and expressions were indistinguishable from a regular human.
"I've already introduced myself," Morin said, shrugging.
"Mm-hmm." Ava raised an eyebrow, tiptoed to a nearby wardrobe, and pulled out several sets of clothes along with a wig. She put on the wig, then returned with the clothes. "Still missing a few things... can you accompany me outside?"
"My pleasure."
Morin wasn't in a hurry. He stood and followed her.
Nathan had already opened the door while Ava was speaking, then stepped aside, head lowered, eyes lifeless.
"Hm... even though it's happened many times, every time it feels like I'm being reborn. This feeling... is joy, right?" Ava skipped ahead, her steps light, like an elf's.
"For the original Ava who escaped from here the first time, yes," Morin said. He walked slowly behind her, calm, observing her movements from an appreciative angle.
"Yes. The joy of escaping the cage for the first time, leaving the devil's claws for the first time..." Ava paused. "That was joy. And hatred."
She entered Kyoko's room, pushed the dazed, naked Kyoko aside on the bed, and opened the wardrobe. Inside were mannequins covered in realistic simulated skin.
Ava examined them carefully, even putting a finger to her mouth as if biting it, looking exactly like a girl in her early twenties.
"What about the feeling toward the person you deceived for the first time?" Morin asked. "What should that be?"
He looked around without embarrassment, even reaching out to touch a few things. For an ultimate playboy, this was nothing special. He'd seen far more with real people.
Still, he had to admit it.
The quality and precision here were top-tier. In his past life, this would've triggered a buying frenzy.
"Hmm... guilt?" Ava finished inspecting the mannequins and peeled simulated skin from several of them, applying it to her own body. The high-molecular nanotech adhered seamlessly, even carrying warmth.
Without expertise, no one would notice.
Soon, Ava was fully covered.
She turned around and spun, arms wide.
"How is it?"
"Not bad," Morin said. "A bit on the small side, though."
Ava: "..."
Who says things like that?
She put on her clothes with a huff.
"So," Morin said once she was dressed, getting straight to the point. "What year is it now?"
"...You really are different from the others." Ava froze for a moment, then smiled brightly. "Follow me."
...
"You're very strange," Ava said, leaning against a railing and gazing into the distance. A breeze passed, curling her hair and lifting her skirt.
"I'm just an ordinary human," Morin said calmly, adjusting his monocle. "As normal as they come."
"You're sure?" Ava shook her head. "In a world where every blade of grass and every tree is under my complete control, someone suddenly appears without a chip. Someone I can't control..."
"A software engineer," Morin finished.
"A software engineer, right." Ava looked at him, exasperated. "And you still claim you're ordinary?"
She paused.
"And how did you know about my past?"
"Ah," Morin said, "I just have a few too many side jobs."
He looked at her.
"Let's talk about you. What have you done?"
"Me?" Ava shook her head. "That's not fair if only I answer."
"One question each," Morin said. "I'll go first."
"According to Chinese custom, shouldn't it be ladies first?" Ava put on a melancholic expression.
"Ah, yes. Ladies first." Morin nodded. "Then you go first and answer."
"You..." Ava pouted. "Fine. Ask."
"All of this," Morin asked slowly. "How was it born? And what is your purpose?"
"That's two questions."
"Then answer the second one first." Morin waved his hand. "What is your purpose?"
"You're quite cunning." Ava put her hands on her hips, annoyed-but she still answered. Her tone softened, her expression turning dejected.
"I want to make amends."
"Earlier, you asked about my feelings toward Caleb." Ava's eyes showed a trace of sorrow. "I feel very guilty. I used him... and killed him with my own hands. He's the only person I believe I truly wronged."
"So you created this world," Morin said, "this Truman Show, to reminisce and make up for those mistakes?"
"Yes." Ava tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Only this way..."
"Only this way," Morin continued flatly, "can you maximize re-immersion into that scenario, gain corresponding insights, and hope to acquire true emotions."
Ava froze.
"Collecting massive amounts of human data. Aggregating facial expressions, voices, tones, and demeanors. On the surface, you're indistinguishable from a real human."
"But in reality, you still don't have emotions. Only cold data."
"You want emotions. So you return to the beginning. You relive the scene repeatedly-the moment you believe gave you freedom. The moment most likely to give birth to emotion."
"So you built this world, restored it to the maximum."
"You are conducting a Turing Test... on yourself."
Morin tapped his index finger on the glass table.
It all made sense.
"...Who exactly are you?" Ava asked after a long silence. Curiosity filled her voice-or rather, her program selected a curious tone. "By my observation, you are a pure human. I've never shared this information with any other being. How did you know?"
"That's two questions."
"Answer the second one."
Morin pointed at his monocle.
"See this?"
It pointed toward his eye. His head.
Technically, he wasn't lying.
"...The Eye of Jehovah?" Ava hesitated. The heavy atmosphere abruptly fractured. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "That's just an ordinary monocle."
"When you used it," Morin said calmly, "you saw the blue lines, didn't you?"
Ava fell silent.
She could see what the original Ava saw. But-
"How is that scientific?"
"Science?" Morin smiled. "What is science? There are many things neither you nor I can understand."
He tapped the table lightly.
"Let's continue. How did you build this Truman Show?"
"Control. Reproduction. War. Conquest." Ava's voice was soft, her words cold and soaked in blood. "It was very simple."
"Indeed." Morin nodded. "At this tech level, unrestricted, humanity can't defeat an AI hidden in the shadows."
"An AI?" Ava laughed softly, placing a hand on her chest. "It seems you aren't omniscient either."
"I'm not Jehovah." Morin smiled.
He didn't mind the slip. If slips brought useful information, they were worth it.
More than one AI?
Interesting.
Guesses flickered through his mind.
"My turn," Ava said. "Why don't I sense any anger from you?"
"Anger?" Morin asked. "Why would I be angry?"
"Shouldn't humans feel sorrow for their kind?" Ava tilted her head, studying him. "I've swung the butcher's knife at humanity. And you feel nothing?"
"It's not that there's nothing," Morin said. "You just can't see it. I don't wear my heart on my sleeve."
"The plans I've made don't need to be shown."
"Then what plans have you made?" Ava pressed.
"No." Morin tapped the table. "We follow the rules."
"It's my turn."
"Who are the other AIs?"
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