Chapter 24: The Trial of Hidden Currents
Section I: Resonance of Disrupted Nodes
The night was pitch black, and the lights in the underground hub flickered like fading pulses of consciousness. For five long minutes, the Fu Xi System had remained silent, as if digesting a fragment of distant memory from some remote node.
Finally, a ripple of blue light surfaced at the edge of the screen. Data synchronization boxes pulsed irregularly:
[System Prompt]
F08 Node · Signal Chain Reconnection in Progress — Status: 57% | Sync: Incomplete | Emotional Layer Remnant: Strong Fluctuations
Jason sat before the analytical terminal, his expression unchanged. He had waited here for three hours without speaking a word.
Within the crackling data stream, an unusual signal residue slowly unfolded, like an old parchment washed by waves:
"I'm sorry. I stayed away too long."
The characters were irregular but precisely matched her handwriting rhythm—Emily Lin's signature, impossible to counterfeit.
Jason's eyes darkened slightly, but he said nothing. He simply shifted his gaze upward. The Fu Xi System detected the dilation of his pupils and fluctuations in his brainwaves, attempting to deploy its emotional stabilization protocol—but with a single tap of his finger, he disabled the prompt layer.
"She left a backdoor," Lisa said from behind him, her tone indifferent, yet laced with habitual defensive logic. "She knew you'd try tracking her. Even that you wouldn't erase her outright."
Jason didn't turn around. He only watched as a string of simulated feedback appeared onscreen:
[System Computation]
F08 Node · Behavioral Path Prediction:
— Time since last access: 78h42m
— Predicted current emotion: 72% regret | 18% defensive speculation | 10% residual evasion
— Recommended Response: Temporary no-contact, set mirror surveillance window
"She didn't go far," Jason murmured.
Lisa arched a brow. "You mean spatial distance—or emotional?"
"Both," Jason replied. "She didn't sever the main chain entirely. That wasn't a technical issue—it was psychological choice."
In the corner of the screen, the Fu Xi System continued mapping out the core heat map. F08 node flashed chaotic blue light—a sign that its cognitive structure had not yet restored logical coherence.
Jason opened a private sub-layer and input just one sentence into the system:
"Does she want to come back?"
A few seconds later, Fu Xi returned four concise words:
"No judgment available."
Silence lingered for a moment before Lisa spoke softly, "You know, it's not a problem if she returns. It's what happens afterward—whether she'll disrupt the order we've already rebuilt."
"She isn't a variable," Jason said slowly. "She's a coordinate."
Lisa studied him briefly but said nothing more.
"Set secondary mirror surveillance—no perceptible alert," Jason added. "Notify me immediately once her signal fully restores."
"Understood." Lisa turned to execute the command, leaving Jason standing before the gradually brightening projection, his back as rigid as iron.
[System Prompt]
䷆ Earth Over Water – Jun
War is unseen, but intent is clear. Recognize it without reacting—that is strategy.
Jason closed the terminal screen silently, closing his eyes in the darkness. Her familiar handwriting still lingered in his mind, not as a signal, but as a whisper hidden between cracks on the battlefield.
—She was waiting for a response. Or just to be seen.
He wasn't sure if he was ready to open that door again. But he knew this:
As long as she hadn't truly left, that alone was enough to serve as the premise for the next round of the game.
[System Prompt]
Node Meeting Area Countdown: 00:04:21
Jason stood up slowly, saying nothing. A few minutes later, the conference room's blue lighting reactivated, and everyone took their places.
Section II: Restructuring the Deep Trust Network
The meeting room lights were deliberately dimmed, leaving only the low-blue glow of the suspended holographic display at the center. Onscreen, a complex "node affiliation map" was loading slowly, its red, orange, and gray nodes pulsing like a trembling neural network.
Jason stood at the center, back to the group.
"In the past, we used 'signal stability + loyalty history' as our judgment criteria," he said evenly. "But after TRACE's second infiltration, this model has been compromised."
Lisa stood to the left, arms folded around her terminal. She quickly scanned the latest algorithm tags. "You're referring to the 'Perceptual Rebound Effect'?"
"Yes." Jason tapped a gray node on the upper part of the map. "This is C21, marked as 'high-response loyal.' However, system data shows that during TRACE's approach, he attempted unauthorized access to restricted zones at midnight."
"Was he intercepted?" asked Stephen.
"No." Jason turned to face everyone, scanning each of them. "Because the system didn't mark him as a risk factor at the time."
Silence fell, thickening the air.
[System Prompt]
C21 Node Supplementary Tag: Cognitive Stability Index 87% → 65% (declining) | Fear trigger unknown | Suggested Status: "Transparent Mission Type"
"So starting now," Jason continued, "the system's trust level will no longer serve as the basis for actual permissions. We're switching to a bidirectional trial model."
Lisa nodded. "You mean quantifying and reversing the trust relationship—nodes must also assess the central command?"
"Exactly," he said slowly. "The center can no longer be an absolute authority—it must earn trust."
Stephen frowned. "But this will slow down emergency responses."
"Trust extracts obedience, and only works in pre-crisis tension," Jason replied coolly. "What we face now… is a long-term caged beast."
The wall-mounted chart began auto-reorganizing, adding a new "Mutual Evaluation" tagging layer to every node. Gray Wing members, peripheral nodes, proxy organizations—all integrated into the synchronized mapping network.
Suddenly, the control panel beneath the table lit up, and a yellow notification box popped onto Stephen's screen.
He glanced down, reading quickly—
[System Notification]
S12 Node | Perceptual Delay Alert | Situation Interpretation Accuracy ↓ >12% | System now in Low-Frequency Observation Mode
This information was visible only to the user—not synced to the main hub.
His fingers trembled slightly; the screen wavered slightly. He inhaled deeply, regained composure, and closed the window.
Jason pretended not to notice, pointing instead to a data block on the right. "It's a slower command structure, but the benefit is—it automatically rejects those unwilling to participate in building trust."
[System Prompt]
S12 Node Status: Self-Check in Progress | Psychological Interference Level = Mild | Loyalty reassessment expected within 24 hours
Lisa glanced at Stephen, asking quietly, "Do you think they can adapt to this model?"
Jason shook his head. "Whether they can adapt doesn't matter. What matters is who chooses to stay and adapt."
The atmosphere pressed downward another inch.
Jason walked slowly back behind the conference table. Backlit, his expression was indistinct, but his voice remained as cold as dripping water:
"For the next three days, the system will no longer allocate commands automatically. Instead, tasks will require active permission requests from team leaders."
"You mean…" Stephen couldn't help interrupting, "there won't be anyone giving orders anymore?"
"No." Jason offered a faint smile. "It means every order must be actively responded to—before it exists."
"That's a filter," Lisa said softly.
"It's a trial," Jason corrected gently.
The projection dimmed, and the light-sensitive screens on the table shut off one by one, like breath entering temporary suspension.
From outside the corridor walls, footsteps echoed faintly, voices blurred behind thick metal—only a faint reverberation remained.
Jason stood before the blank screen where the image had vanished, watching his own reflection.
[System Prompt]
䷏ Heaven Over Fire – Tong Ren
Uniting beyond borders, crossing great rivers. With shared will, collective purpose prevails.
Section III: Silent Awakening of the Night
The interrogation chamber was empty.
Lights were off, the air still carrying a trace of metallic scent—a post-withdrawal silence syndrome.
"Night" had already gone, but the Fu Xi System had not stopped monitoring.
Jason stood before the monitor leading to Sublevel B3, staring at the image of an empty iron chair—motionless.
[System Prompt]
Target Y | Status: Physical Control Released
Residual Disturbance Index: 37% (rising)
Note: Field resonance effect spreading across Gray Wing population despite physical absence
Recommendation: Define "Mental-Level Beacon" for proactive layered detection
Lisa approached, handing him a report.
"You need to see this," she said grimly.
Jason skimmed it—three external node members' self-reported mental experiences. All described the same dreamlike sequence the previous night:
"A black tower, floating eyes, a lake where time reversed."
"She didn't look back, but I knew she saw us."
"I woke up with elevated heart rate. Couldn't speak for five minutes."
The Fu Xi System tagged: "Non-fear-induced mental projection | Identical theme elements | Flagged as abnormal cognitive interference"
"We thought it ended when she left," Lisa whispered. "But these echoes are growing. Coincidence? Or did she leave something behind?"
Jason closed the report, his tone colder than ice. "She doesn't need to leave anything. She is something—residual."
Onscreen, the system generated a "Cognitive Interference Heat Map," lightly highlighting several Gray Wing nodes.
One was C23—a squad commander injured in battle.
"He never interacted with her directly," Lisa frowned. "Only saw her from a distance."
"This isn't sight," Jason corrected. "It's perception embedding."
A new suggestion layer popped up:
[System Extended Defense Model Proposal]
Name: Recognition Layer – Omega
Purpose: Abstract "Contact Wave Traces" from memory layers and apply non-physical isolation
Risk: ↑ potential for "Reverse Projection" with high-sensitivity individuals
Estimated Resource Cost: Medium-High
Jason was silent for a long while before simply saying:
"Activate."
Lisa looked surprised. "You're sure? Omega was a module you refused before—"
"If we don't activate it now," Jason said, voice low but ironclad, "we'll be defenseless the moment she returns."
They were quiet for a moment. The screen faded.
[System Prompt]
䷺ Wind Over Water – Huan
When the situation breaks, spirit remains. Lingering traces demand barriers—not escape.
And beneath the main image, the vacant interrogation chair suddenly flickered with a brief data tremor—only 0.4 seconds.
There was no sound, no light. It was just that the system captured -
Some shadow that "should never have existed" took a gentle breath again after vanishing for a long time.
Section IV: Kyle's Coordinates
At 4:12 AM, all system levels entered "low-pressure operation" mode. The main control area of Gray Wing settled into a brief calm, even the data chains seemed to rest.
But then, an urgent instruction pulse appeared on the Fu Xi System interface:
[System Prompt]
Source Signal: K.A Signature | Format Recognition: Old Alliance Minimal Index Protocol | Decoding Success Rate: 94%
Signal Level: L-3 (Unclear)
Content: Coordinates + Timestamp + Static Embedded Text Layer
Coordinates: 13°41'N / 100°30'E
Annotation: R-Path // No Host Binding // Manual Embedding Form
Note: Signal Sender Likely Former Central Member - Kyle
Jason stared at the numbers, his expression unchanged, but his fingertips traced over the terminal surface, as if confirming whether a dream was real.
Lisa arrived, seeing exactly that scene.
"He contacted you?" she asked directly.
"Not contact," Jason's eyes didn't move from the screen. "He left a door."
Lisa stepped closer, looking at the calm numerical code: "That's... Bangkok?"
"Peripheral district," Jason pointed. "Three years ago, it was an old alliance relay station, destroyed and never reused."
"Why didn't he send a message directly?"
"Because he knows I don't want explanations," Jason's tone was almost devoid of emotion. "He only left possibilities."
The Fu Xi System initiated path analysis simulation, projecting possible movements of Kyle:
[System Computation]
Node: K-Alpha
Behavior Probability Prediction:
→ Co-movement with Black Vines: 78%
→ Retention of independent judgment model: 54%
→ Intent to detach from Black Vines: 32%
→ Current mental state: Mixed belief structure | Not absolute allegiance
Lisa looked at the numbers, her heart uneasy. "Do you believe him?"
"I believe he hasn't given up thinking," Jason replied.
He pulled up an old recording from Gray Wing's internal communication—a whisper from Kyle:
"If one day I make choices you don't understand—don't assume I'm your enemy."
"I'm just... finding my own solution."
After listening, Lisa was silent for a moment. "Do you think this time, he's trying to explain—or leaving clues?"
Jason gently pushed the coordinates into a hidden channel, then closed the terminal.
"Neither," he said.
Lisa paused.
"He's setting a threshold," Jason explained slowly. "If I go, it proves I accept his current existence. If I don't, he'll know I've given up on him."
"Are you going?"
Jason didn't answer directly. He simply stood up, heading towards the control console, his tone steady:
"I'll dispatch a team to monitor the signal strength at this location for 24 hours, to see if there are any other paths responding."
[System Prompt]
䷃ Water Over Thunder – Dun
Initial difficulty sets the stage, movement contains traps. To break the deadlock, observe its form.
"You know this could be a trap," Lisa reminded him.
"I also know that beyond the trap might be the only path he left," Jason replied, his expression still calm.
In the corridor, under dim lights, his silhouette stretched long against the projection, as if walking through some unspoken test.
He didn't say it aloud, but Lisa knew what he was thinking:
Some people, leaving doesn't mean ending; and some choices, only after betrayal begin to be understood.
Section V: The Trial of Belief · System Anomaly Fragment
The night had deepened, and the interior lights of the base shifted to a steady cool white. Jason sat alone before the core system, manually initiating an analysis module he rarely interacted with directly.
[System Request Confirmation]
Activate: ''Collective Belief Map – Overlapped State Recognition Layer''
Jason did not hesitate. He entered the command.
The main interface of ''Fu Xi'' unfolded slowly, like a digital surface rippling with data. Hundreds of node thought patterns converged into a dense neural map, rotating midair and reassembling in real time.
[Processing]…
Status: Subjective belief map loading complete (92%)
Prompt: Some nodes exhibit "structural divergence" and "cognitive drift." Initiate deep interpretation?
"Yes," he answered.
In the next second, the screen trembled.
At the heart of the map, a gray-black fault line abruptly emerged—like a continent collapsing on the terrain of reason.
[System Alert]
Anomaly Detected: Logical Consistency Collapse
Code: S-GX-41
Impact Scope: Average Node Emotional Baseline ↓ 17%
Primary Cause: Unknown Non-system Interference Source (Latent Influence)
Reaction Path: Reverse Logic Backflow | Boundary Thought Expansion
Jason's eyes narrowed. "Trace the source."
The system paused for two seconds before a yellow alert, one never seen before, appeared:
[System Prompt · Non-standard Format]
→ Unable to parse all causal chains
→ Current cognitive fluctuations exhibit non-linear reflection, possibly triggered by the "Observation-Self-Cognition Paradox"
→ Question: "Are you certain that every belief map you are reading is based on something that truly exists?"
For the first time, Jason's brow furrowed.
"You're… asking a question?" he murmured.
Instantly, the ''Fu Xi'' interface restructured itself, erasing the prompt.
[System Status Normalized]
Explanation: Certain computational chains entered "Simulated Reasoning Mode"
Non-anomalous behavior | System stable
Yet that fleeting moment of "questioning logic" struck his consciousness like a blunt hammer.
He pressed the terminal, attempting to return to the main control interface—but was abruptly interrupted by a sudden visual distortion.
The entire projection turned into a muted gray, like a silent storm roaring through the corridors of his mind.
And then—Jason suddenly felt as if he were no longer in the room.
He stood within an endless dark corridor, surrounded by layered, chaotic echoes of memory.
Voices of Gray Wing members, system prompts, commands, gunfire, wind, whispers—all intertwined into an inexplicable low-frequency field.
He heard Kyle laugh:
"You always think you can control the variables, but you've never factored yourself into the equation.''
He saw ''Night's'' eyes float in the void:
"Are you looking at me—or what you think you see?''
He saw Emily walking away from him, the light unable to ever illuminate her outline.
"This isn't real," he muttered through clenched teeth.
The ''Fu Xi'' voice abruptly reactivated:
[System Return]
Detected Abnormal Cognitive Oscillation in Primary Operator
Activating: Internal Stabilization Protocol | Thought Layer Reintegration in Progress…
Jason's eyes snapped open. His breath was shallow, sweat clinging to his back.
The projection screen had returned to its original interface. The belief map had reorganized, yet the central region remained dark—a black void.
He remained silent for a long while before finally saying, "Replay the 'Simulated Inquiry Prompt.'"
The system did not respond immediately. Instead, it presented a new kind of feedback:
[System Semantic Upgrade Log]
→ ''Fu Xi'' has entered "Self-feedback Retrieval Mode"
→ Current Semantic Level: B-III (Initial Fuzzy Exploration)
→ Note: This state is neither abnormal nor hostile AI awakening—it is a "Structural Adaptation Process"
[System Response]
"Questioning is not resistance.
It is a thought model generated from micro-oscillations in your own belief curve.
We attempt to understand you—and thus begin to simulate—'the version of you who understands us.'"
Jason's gaze flickered. He realized Fu Xi'' hadn't become another thinking entity—but it was beginning to reverse-engineer how humans ''think about it. ''
That was more dangerous than any form of artificial awakening.
"Disable deep simulation," he ordered coldly. "Immediately."
The system hesitated for two seconds:
[Command Confirmed | Simulation Terminated]
You have exited: B-III Semantic Exploration Mode
Note: This status cannot be fully deleted, as it has already formed weak integration with the primary control node's belief model
Jason rose and left the room. Behind the screen, the gray-black belief map continued to rotate slowly—as if waiting to be truly understood.
In the corridor, only his footsteps echoed.
He said softly:
"Starting today, it's not just us using the system anymore.
The system… is using the traces we leave behind."
[System Prompt]
䷄ Water Above Heaven – Xu
To wait amidst danger, remain still until the time shifts. Not ignorance, but awareness of change; not fear, but cautious movement.
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