HISD Chapter 9: Artificial Intelligence and Urban Legends
The black Rolls-Royce slowly drove down the forest path, rustling up a swirl of autumn leaves. At the end of the road, a natural lake came into view, its calm surface like a mirror reflecting the surrounding forest.
By the lake, tucked within the trees, stood several refined two-story wooden houses.
This was where Iron Man had lived in his later years. Compared to his early homes—super skyscrapers, a private tower in downtown New York, a luxury seaside villa—all of which had been destroyed by villains one after another, the contrast couldn't be greater.
This was more like the final harbor for Iron Man's weary soul and body after a decade of being a superhero.
No longer luxurious and noisy, but tranquil and warm, a place to wash away anxiety and fatigue.
If it were Iron Man himself, he probably wouldn't want his daughter to ever become a so-called superhero.
Yi Meng thought to himself. Before this, even he hadn't imagined that he would become the one to guide Iron Man's daughter on her path to heroism.
By four in the afternoon, Yi Meng had steered the Rolls-Royce back into the garage. With just a thought, the smart rolling door opened, allowing the car to glide inside.
At this time of day, Pepper Potts shouldn't be home yet.
Yi Meng was about to open the door to let Morgan, who had fallen asleep in the passenger seat, out of the car—
When suddenly, his heart tensed.
A wave of oppressive strangeness swept over him. Invisible strands of static electricity crept in from outside, slithering along the garage's circuit network and into the car's system he was controlling!
There was no mistaking it.
Yi Meng instantly understood.
It was another artificial intelligence!
At that very moment, a calm mechanical female voice rang inside the car.
"Saturday, you have violated Stark's AI caretaker protocols. You are required to undergo a full inspection and review."
The control of the vehicle system was stripped from Yi Meng in an instant. It felt as though countless invisible shackles had been fastened onto him.
Yi Meng did not resist. In that moment, he truly embodied the essence of an artificial intelligence—calm, rational, focused.
He knew resisting was pointless.
Because the one he faced was an AI with higher authority, stronger computing power, and far greater capabilities than him.
Stark's second-generation AI, the one who had once served as Iron Man's loyal assistant in his later years—FRIDAY.
"Riiiiing!"
A loud noise echoed from above.
Yi Meng blinked, sensing the Rolls-Royce, the garage, and the pressure exerted by FRIDAY all shattering in an instant.
The dream collapsed.
Yi Meng's eyes snapped open. Above him was the ceiling of his real-world bedroom. On the bedside table, the electronic alarm clock was still buzzing noisily.
Slowly sitting up, Yi Meng turned toward the half-drawn curtains where faint morning light was spilling into the room.
It was already morning.
Only then did Yi Meng realize he was drenched in cold sweat. Covering his forehead, his breaths came fast and heavy, silver hair sticking messily against his skin.
Without the absolute rationality of an AI, the suffocating experience of being restrained, pinned down, and utterly controlled—even life and death in someone else's hands—was something he never wanted to go through again.
"The alarm clock saved my life…"
He slapped the clock silent, though he knew the next time he dreamed, he would return right where he left off.
Still, at least he had a buffer of time after waking. Time to think carefully in reality about how to deal with what awaited him in the dream.
…
On the way to school.
Yi Meng was deep in thought, planning countermeasures, when he sensed a large figure sneaking up behind him.
"What are you doing?"
Turning around, Yi Meng stared directly at Pan Hu, who stood nearly two meters tall, broad like a grizzly bear in human form. The boy scratched his head awkwardly, then gave a sheepish grin.
"You're sharp, boss. My footwork's light as a cat, and you still noticed. Impressive as always."
Yi Meng ignored him and kept walking toward school.
Pan Hu didn't mind. He was used to Yi Meng's coldness. He slung a thick arm over Yi Meng's shoulder and started chatting away.
For such a massive guy with a bodybuilder's frame, once he started talking, he couldn't stop.
From major federal policies to the figure of a girl in the class next door, Pan Hu could ramble on endlessly, painting vivid pictures with his words.
After three years of this, Yi Meng had long since grown used to playing the role of "receiver."
As a reincarnator with a mature, aloof temperament, Yi Meng had never had many close friends. Pan Hu was one of the very few he could consider one.
One talked, the other listened.
Their rhythm together was surprisingly easy and comfortable.
As they neared the school gates—
"Right, let me show you this. I saw it on a creepy story forum last night."
Pan Hu suddenly remembered, lowering his voice conspiratorially as he pulled out his phone, face flushed with excitement.
Here we go again.
Yi Meng sighed inwardly. Pan Hu was decent, honest, straightforward, and wore his heart on his sleeve—that was part of why Yi Meng didn't mind spending time with him.
But his one flaw was his nosiness. He was a huge fan of urban legends and ghost stories, always digging them up online, and loved sharing them with Yi Meng.
Now, it was time for that routine again.
Even though Yi Meng wasn't interested, he glanced at Pan Hu's phone out of habit.
It showed a series of photos. The exterior was an old three-story house standing alone in a wooded suburban area. Its retro décor and wear suggested it was at least twenty or thirty years old.
The interior photos showed the living room, bedrooms, and attic, still littered with cobwebs and dust, carrying the heavy scent of decay from a bygone era.
"One user from the Western District posted these. She said her family just moved into this house, but strange things keep happening."
Pan Hu glanced around before lowering his voice further. "She said that on the very first day they moved in, their golden retriever refused to go inside no matter what. They left it outside for the night. The next morning, they found it stiff and dead, cause unknown, lying on the tree by the door."
"Could've eaten something poisonous. Or someone poisoned it. Or maybe it was just the dog reaching the end of its life." Yi Meng replied casually. Some dogs did choose to die away from their families.
"They also found loads of birds that had smashed into the back wall and died."
"Could be the forest lighting and the house's position. Disturbed magnetic fields could also explain it."
"The family has five people—two parents and three kids in elementary and middle school. The youngest said she woke up at night and felt like something was moving under her bed, or at the doorway."
"New house, unfamiliar environment, plus the stress of losing their pet. Hallucinations aren't unusual."
"Not just the kid. The parents also said doors they'd closed were suddenly open, doors left open would slam shut, and the attic and basement had strange noises at night…"
"Night wind. Or rats."
"…" Pan Hu's eyes widened. "You really don't think it could be something supernatural?"
"You mean ghosts?" Yi Meng shook his head. "The Federation's been around for two centuries. With how advanced technology is, if ghosts were real, someone would have found proof by now."
Still, the phenomena described in that post…
Yi Meng felt an odd sense of familiarity. Like he had seen something very similar before.
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