Chapter 267
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Chapter 267: Excessively Intelligent Artificiality
"Alright, that’s settled. I’ll head back now."
Ji Yongxing set down the stainless steel cup and prepared to return to the research institute through the secret passage.
The small devices he was developing to disrupt signals could only last two to three hours; any longer, and the internal network’s security system would detect them.
As he rose from his chair, a wailing sound, mingled with an electronic voice, emanated from the back room of the basement:
“Dad, take me with you, Dad, save me!”
Ji Yongxing rubbed his temples, feeling that [Skydome] was far from the powerful and composed artificial intelligence he had envisioned during its design.
He approached the cell once more, observing the cameras that were curiously peeking around, and retrieved several components from the pocket of his white coat:
“You’ll assist Dr. Lin well here and record the data; these are all for you.”
“Really, Dad?”
“…I kind of regret saying that, to be honest…”
Under [Skydome]’s own light, several components that could enhance its performance were inserted into the corresponding slots.
The expression on the screen seemed a bit more animated than before:
“Dad…”
Ji Yongxing cast a sharp glance, causing the green expression to adopt a whiny tone.
“The great [Pioneer], Your Excellency…”
“Just call me Dad…”
Ji Yongxing felt a bit overwhelmed. He gently stroked the artificial leather lid of [Skydome] and said slowly:
“Behave, and once the equipment is complete, I might come to visit you often.”
With that, Ji Yongxing exited the room, stepped back into the secret passage leading to the research institute, and began to ponder whether this thing was evolving a bit too quickly.
A few minutes later, after seeing off the researcher, Lin Qingliu entered the room:
“Any thoughts?”
“Can you install some wheels on it for me?”
Lin Qingliu instinctively sensed this would lead to a bad development and replied with a stern face:
“Change it.”
The highly mobile camera lightly tapped the lid:
“Then I want to dye this thing green.”
“What size wheels do you want?”
—
After Lin Qingliu saw off Ji Yongxing, El and his capable assistant managed to exit the sewer.
Two hours later, as the sky began to lighten, Team One, fully armed, opened a hidden manhole cover behind a building in the inner city.
“Captain, this, this…”
The stench before him seemed to solidify, relentlessly attempting to wrench the gas mask from the young man’s face.
"What’s the matter? Don’t want to go down?"
A cold voice crackled through the earphones.
"It’s not that…"
The man glanced down the manhole, then at his teammates, who were reveling in his misfortune. With a clenched jaw, he leaped down.
He was part of the Internal Affairs Clean-up Team’s [Butterfly] squad, which had recently let a fugitive slip away during a capture mission.
Unlike other captains, Zhuang Mian had never been adept at disciplining her teammates through physical punishment.
For those who hadn’t caused significant harm, her customary penalty was to spearhead the next mission.
This was a purely random form of retribution, as members of the Clean-up Team never knew whether their next assignment would involve aiding influential figures in some dubious yet straightforward task or, as now, plunging into a sewer rife with enigmas and uncertainties, potentially battling the elusive "Heart Snatcher" in a deadly confrontation.
After a ten-second interval marked by a resounding crash and splashing noises, a confident voice finally emanated from the Clean-up Team’s communicator:
"All clear below. Proceed."
Upon hearing her teammate’s report, Zhuang Mian was the first to descend.
Her recent days had been relatively tranquil, no longer requiring her to track down [Believers], and merely handling routine cases.
Those thorny cases were effortlessly resolved by Zhuang Mian, who possessed the ability to enter dreams.
To conceal her superpowers, she always left her interrogation subjects battered and disoriented.
After all, they were merely vermin detrimental to Hope City, and Zhuang Mian harbored no qualms about dealing with them.
Lately, her life had taken a turn for the better.
After several months of accumulated tasks, Zhuang Mian’s squad had achieved an impressive completion rate.
Her decisive nature had garnered the attention of her direct supervisor and their superior, with only a promotion opportunity eluding her.
Last week, that opportunity materialized.
Her covert partner, a boy with gray hair, reached out to her once more, offering her a significant achievement.
At that moment, one of the two hand-drawn sewer maps by El lay quietly in Zhuang Mian’s personal storage locker.
In Zhuang Mian’s eyes, it was more than a mere map; it was her next appointment letter.
As long as she collaborated effectively with El, the series of thefts involving the Heart Snatcher would undoubtedly yield her credit.
As anticipated, her teammates ahead soon made a discovery.
"We’ve got a situation here!"
The seldom-traversed sewer had fostered peculiar molds in numerous corners.
The prolonged accumulation had transformed these algae into natural impression boards, capturing scratches and footprints.
Suddenly, mildew-induced scratches appeared a short distance ahead, spreading outward like footprints.
After a cursory investigation, everyone ventured further.
"Captain, you’re truly remarkable… Few in Hope City pay heed to the sewer’s existence, and the toxic gas here far exceeds permissible levels. Prolonged activity is untenable."
Zhuang Mian’s lips curled into a brief smirk before her expression turned grave; she suddenly felt a pang of concern about encountering her familiar gray-haired companion around a corner ahead.
But recalling his ability to meticulously chart the entire sewer, Zhuang Mian reasoned that he must possess his own unique methods, alleviating her worries.
Thus, she cleared her throat and spoke in an uncharacteristically didactic tone through the communicator:
"A month ago, a thief concealed stolen goods beneath a manhole cover near the north second gate of the inner city. Several of you participated in that operation.
"At the time, I considered that, although the sewer is perilous, it serves as an excellent escape route for the audacious. I then commenced investigations, delving into those theft cases without leads…"
It must be acknowledged that, when it comes to shooting first and drawing the target later, humans invariably manage to figure things out on their own.
Having served as the Clean-up Team’s captain for half a year, Zhuang Mian had gradually accrued some modest authority.
Though it paled in comparison to her meteoric ascent during divine enlightenment dreams, it nonetheless signified progress.
Under the guidance (tacit approval) of Lin Qingliu and the concealed Paster, Zhuang Mian and El had formed a clandestine squad.
Working in concert, the two had recently made life quite disagreeable for several inner city leaders.
And they both had reaped substantial benefits from it, with a promising future of seamless collaboration ahead.
