"Now initiating the second-generation submarine engine test. First run, set the dive depth to 4000 meters."
"Ten, nine, eight..."
Delta sat on the deck, unkempt, chewing on dry bread. A yawn caused the bread in his mouth to be blown away by the sea breeze.
The listless man, whose mouth suddenly became empty, looked at the bread rolling across the deck, instantly perking up. He sprinted out: "Hey! Wait, my bread! I didn't eat breakfast!"
"Chief, we're testing! Don't go over there!"
An assistant dragged the dejected Delta back, scolding him impatiently: "Chief, you requested this test yourself, why aren't you paying attention?"
"It's just an engine test. The data fluctuation won't exceed a thousand. There's no need for such a grand test; a calculation would suffice." Delta patted himself down and finally found a piece of gum in his back pocket. He sighed, tossed the flavorless gum into his mouth, and mumbled, "Eh? Then why are we testing? And why outside the base instead of using internal facilities?"
"Why, indeed? Hehe..." Delta smiled suggestively.
Because being outside would attract more attention, of course.
"That's a bit..." Vil-V's expression was exceptionally subtle. She turned off the footage, looking somewhat distressed.
To describe it... it was like renting a DVD hoping to watch a movie about a super-spy infiltrating an underwater base, but instead of an action flick, it was a drama that left anyone who watched it with an indescribable feeling. That's how she felt right now.
She glanced at Lin, who hadn't said a word from beginning to end. The helmeted man watched his own personal experience again without any reaction, his psychological resilience truly extraordinary.
Rit's death was not worthy of pity, and one could even say he got what he deserved. But in the very end, that look of resigned acceptance was far more impactful than his terrified wailing as he covered his face to avoid death.
A man who took the child of another father was also a father to his own child. He could kill for his daughter, but also save a complete stranger he'd known for less than half an hour.
Were Rit's thoughts complicated? They seemed quite simple. Vil-V could understand his logic. Yet, even with understanding, there was an inexplicable feeling of heaviness.
Did this man think the same way?
Vil-V's voice softened: "Are... are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Lin had already returned to his room to dispose of his outerwear. He wore his outer armor as usual, revealing no skin, like a corpse trapped in a steel coffin.
Vil-V pressed a few buttons on her self-made player, casually saying, "Alright, our transaction ends here. I will destroy the footage."
"Mm."
Lin turned to leave. The aftermath of this incident wasn't over. He had more matters to attend to, and next, he needed to talk to Mei about The Deepest Reaches.
"Hmm... If you have any future needs, you can come find me." Vil-V waved at his retreating back.
Lin walked out of the workshop, leaving a single sentence behind: "No need."
No need?
Vil-V was stunned.
Did he mean there was no need to find her? Or that her slight sense of guilt was unnecessary?
"I see. The Cocoon, The Deepest Reaches, the higher-ups, the killer..."
Mei listened to Lin's calm narration and gained a roughly thorough analysis of the entire event's framework.
Kevin looked at Lin with some concern: "Lin, what about your injuries?"
"It's nothing, just some scrapes." Lin shook his head. He couldn't seek treatment for these injuries at the medical department, or too much information would be exposed.
However, the combination of old and new injuries was far from as trivial as he claimed. Lin's condition hadn't been normal since the Third Honkai War. He should have been recuperating, but he was barely clinging to life.
"But Prometheus says your injuries are very serious." Mei pointed to the message Prometheus had sent back on her screen.
"..."
Lin glanced at the upper right corner. Prometheus remained silent, empty, as if she were sulking with him.
An Artificial Intelligence, sulking with the person it's assisting.
Lin took a deep breath. The taste of seawater still lingered in his mouth. He said to Mei: "Mei, remove Prometheus from my system. Her personality system has evolved to a degree where she no longer needs to work with a human."
An AI that doesn't follow commands... is unnecessary.
"The intelligence tree diagram is indeed quite complete, and the simulation is near perfect." Mei checked Prometheus's statistics. What Lin said was true. Prometheus's current judgment capability surpassed the very concept of Artificial Intelligence. One could say she was a new intelligent life form born from data, possessing the godlike computing power of an AI.
To reach this level in such a short amount of time, was it because Prometheus's evolutionary logic was excellent, or was it because of Lin?
Judging by the peak of the data graph, which stood head and shoulders above the rest, there was probably no need to consider other options.
Lin brought the data transmission cable from his helmet to Mei. All Mei needed to do now was use her creator clearance to transfer Prometheus's entire system to another carrier to achieve separation.
But Mei pushed the transmission cable away.
"..." Lin stared at Mei silently, waiting for an explanation.
"Prometheus Alpha was originally just a prototype AI. My plan was to have her absorb your combat data to evolve, and then use Alpha's data to develop Prometheus Beta for autonomous weapons in the Moth of the Fire Chasers." Mei wasn't nervous under his terrifying gaze. She slowly picked up her teacup and took a sip. "The development of Beta is already underway, so there's no need to take Alpha back from you. She is already capable of assisting you."
"That's not what we agreed upon."
"There's no difference. Didn't you hear Alpha say it too? She will learn and improve. That doesn't mean the Prometheus assisting other soldiers is the same as her."
"..."
A trap of language.
Mei had planned all of this from the very beginning. From the first sentence Prometheus spoke to Lin, it was a trap set by Mei, waiting for Lin to fall into.
"I don't need an AI that doesn't follow orders," Lin finally voiced his true thoughts.
"But the results show that her judgment was correct." Mei put down her teacup, smoothing the hair behind her ear with a slight smile. "And your actions this time, Lin, would have been significantly more difficult without Prometheus, wouldn't they?"
"...In the past, you would have described that using numbers and probabilities."
"But I feel those things aren't very effective with you."
Lin fixed his gaze on the composed Mei for a moment, then retrieved the transmission cable.
Mei's change after joining the Moth of the Fire Chasers was unimaginably fast. The once shy and unsophisticated girl now exuded an aura of authority from head to toe.
Perhaps this was the person she was meant to be, or rather... the person everyone hoped she would be.
Lin walked out of the office. Kevin followed, grabbing his friend's shoulder, and hesitated: "Lin, you..."
"Kevin, you've become a little quiet," Lin cut him off, turning his head to say.
Kevin froze for a moment, then let go.
Yes. In the past, he would have been laughing and joking with Lin. The atmosphere when the three of them were together should have been relaxed and cheerful.
But ever since the Fifth Branch incident, he seemed to have started standing silently behind Mei, observing everyone.
Like Mei's shadow.
Was that truly the atmosphere of friends chatting just now? Did Mei ever smile like that before?
Kevin withdrew his hand. His pupils flickered slightly, and he said softly: "You too, Lin."
Lin looked at the dispirited Kevin and said, "Remember when I went out on a mission at the Fifth Branch? I saw Su."
"Su?"
"He was investigating Changkong City, but I stopped him. He's working as a doctor now."
"A doctor... That's good."
"Don't let any more people 'change', Kevin."
Lin patted Kevin's shoulder, just as he used to, but this time, the meaning contained within was profoundly different.