Nothing was absolutely correct.
From different perspectives, and for different people, the same thing could produce completely different understandings and desired outcomes.
All Morin wanted to do was wipe out the three AIs. As for those humans who chose to live in a dream and never wake up... he would leave them alone.
Everyone had to pay the price-or reap the rewards-of their own choices. Since it was their selection, they could blame no one else.
That was why Morin rarely made choices for others. Whenever possible, he preferred to let people choose for themselves.
Of course, if someone's choice interfered with Morin's goals, then it was time to verify another of his principles.
Might makes right.
Morin took out the [Master-Level Spiritual Virtual Link Device] from his system space.
The name sounded high-end-spirit, virtual link, and other impressive terms-but its appearance was incredibly plain.
It was just a black helmet. Thin. Minimalist.
Its design was somewhat similar to Magneto's helmet.
If anything, that only emphasized how advanced the technology inside it was.
According to the description, this ordinary-looking helmet allowed Morin to retain all his original abilities inside the virtual space simulated by the Matrix.
Calling it a duplication was one thing.
In reality, it was closer to an unstoppable, large-scale hacking device.
An unlimited account in a game. Total freedom.
What was wrong with a big boss getting tired of the real world and deciding to play in a virtual one?
Morin put on the helmet.
Almost immediately, the device sent a link request.
It was spiritual in nature.
[Spiritual Virtual Device ready. Link and output power require spiritual energy as fuel. Current usable time: Infinite. Please enjoy your pleasant virtual life!]
Morin raised an eyebrow.
He understood why the usable time was infinite.
To borrow a phrase often seen in boss battles-the consumption rate was slower than the recovery rate.
In other words, he recovered energy faster than he used it.
Of course, that was only under normal conditions.
If Morin went all out, or if the Matrix detected him and began restricting him, the consumption would definitely increase.
After all, he wasn't a human perpetual motion machine.
A physics teacher would beat him to death for that.
As spiritual energy flowed in, the device absorbed it and initiated a series of complex reactions.
Within Morin's spiritual perception, a "Morin Smith" appeared before him.
A spiritual body.
Morin could control it freely. Sight, sound, smell-everything was shared.
If this were an ordinary person, their brain would suddenly have to process twice the information.
They wouldn't be able to handle it.
Even if they could process it, they wouldn't be used to it-certainly not enough to use it naturally.
It was like drawing a circle with the left hand while drawing a square with the right.
Very few people could do it.
Strictly speaking, even doing it slowly meant the person was being affected.
Yet some could draw freely.
Sometimes, the difference between people was simply enormous.
For Morin, this kind of multitasking wasn't worth mentioning.
Under his control, the spiritual body projected by the device entered an empty pit.
After briefly examining the data cable, he flowed directly into it.
"Wake up, Neo."
Inside a dim room, a man suddenly woke up.
On the cluttered desk in front of him, words appeared on the computer screen.
"What?" Neo froze.
[The Matrix has you...]
"What's going on..." Neo instinctively hit a hotkey, trying to restore the system.
[Follow the white rabbit]
"Follow the white rabbit? What white rabbit?" Neo muttered.
[Knock, knock, Neo]
"Knock, knock!"
The knocking sound echoed.
Neo nearly jumped out of his skin.
"What the hell..." He looked toward the door, then back at the computer.
The screen had returned to normal.
As if nothing had happened.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
The knocking continued.
"Who is it!" Neo shouted.
"Troy."
Neo glanced at the screen again. Nothing unusual.
After checking several times, he stood, walked to the door, and opened it slightly.
He completed the deal with Troy, handed over the disc, and received two thousand dollars.
"I gotta say, man, you look pretty rough," Troy said, one arm wrapped around a woman. She wore heavy makeup and several metal rings around her neck.
"I just... my computer..." Neo looked back at the screen, hesitated, then asked, "Have you ever had a feeling... like you're in a dream? Like everything isn't real?"
"I know that feeling," Troy nodded knowingly. "I get it when I'm high. That's when you really feel like you're flying. Want some?"
"No, no." Neo shook his head.
"Alright." Troy shrugged. "If you ask me, you've just been stuck in here too long. Come with us to the club. Relax a bit."
"Me? Forget it. I have work tomorrow." Neo shook his head again.
"It'll be fun, right, Daria?" Troy looked at the woman, clearly signaling her to help.
As a junkie, his intentions were obvious.
If he could drag Neo down, he'd eventually bleed him dry.
"...I think so too." Daria looked Neo up and down. A flash of desire passed through her eyes. "It'll be fun. I promise."
Neo froze.
On Daria's arm-
The tattoo was a white rabbit.
"...Alright," Neo said. "I'll go."
"Ring ring, ring ring!"
The phone rang.
"Sorry, let me change. Wait a second," Neo said, closing the door.
Two seconds later, he opened it again and stuck his head out.
"Please wait for me."
Neo ran back and answered the phone.
"Hello, this is Neo."
"Hello, Neo." A brisk voice responded. "This call is encrypted. The people outside don't know you answered-by that, I mean everyone outside."
"Your earlier feeling was correct. Including what happened on your computer. None of it was a hallucination."
"Who are you?" Neo frowned.
"A free human," the voice said. "At the club, you'll meet a woman. Most of what she tells you is true. Emphasis on most."
"We'll meet again soon. Don't be too surprised. And don't tell anyone about me-it would be a real headache to deal with."
"Oh, right. Let's set a code phrase."
"How about [GOODBYE AI]?"
"What are you talking about?" Neo was completely lost.
After the call ended, his feeling was simple.
Something was said.
But not everything.
Something was known.
But not fully understood.
So what was the point of that call?
"Knock, knock!" Troy shouted. "Hurry up! Why does it take so long to change?"
"Coming!" Neo hurriedly changed, opened the door, and left with them.
He felt it.
The answers he had been searching for were close.
"To destroy someone, you must first drive them mad."
Inside a phone booth, Morin hung up, yawned, and headed toward his destination.
"To lose after gaining."
"That's the perfect revenge."
The club.
An underground club.
Lights. Music. Twisting bodies.
Mixed odors. Revealing outfits. Seductive lips.
Alcohol. Powdered substances. Pills.
Pure chaos.
Total disorder.
In the middle of it all, one person stood out.
Neo leaned against a metal door, watching the crowd dance.
A sense of contradiction grew in his heart.
Is this reality?
What's the meaning of all this?
Is it illusion, or truth?
The words on the computer. The phone call that seemed to say everything and nothing.
And the Matrix.
Troy and the others had already drowned in the atmosphere. They tried to pull Neo in, especially Daria.
Neo refused.
Firmly.
He wasn't stupid.
On the contrary, he was very smart.
If not for the words that predicted the future and that strange phone call, he never would've come.
Questions piled up.
Answers were nowhere to be found.
So he waited.
He waited for the one who could tell him the truth.
And then-
They arrived.
"Neo."
The voice wasn't loud.
Yet it cut through the noise with ease.
"Who are you?" Neo turned toward a beautiful woman in an off-shoulder, low-cut top, her collarbones perfectly framed. "I've never seen you. How do you know my name?"
"I know a lot about you." She smiled. "I'm Trinity."
"Trinity?" Neo frowned. "The one who hacked the IRS database?"
"That's me."
"...Huh." Neo was surprised. "I thought you were a guy."
"A lot of men do."
Nearby, Morin leaned against the bar, beer in hand, and raised an eyebrow.
Hacked the IRS?
As an IRS employee himself, shouldn't he do something about that?
"What is the Matrix?" Neo asked.
"I can't tell you that yet," Trinity said, shaking her head. "Not here. All I can say is-you're in danger. I asked you here to warn you."
"Warn me about what?"
"They're watching you, Neo."
"Who?"
Trinity stepped closer, close enough that Neo could hear her breathing.
"Everything you suspect..."
"...is true."
Trinity eventually left.
Neo sat alone in a booth, frowning.
She had said a lot.
That he had always sensed something wrong.
That they were like him.
That the truth was out there.
If he kept searching, he'd find it.
In short-
She said something.
But not everything.
Neo thought it was nonsense.
Why couldn't anyone just speak clearly?
"What're you thinking about?" A stranger sat across from him and placed a full mug of beer on the table.
"Thanks, but I don't-"
Neo froze.
Once.
Because someone bought him a drink.
Twice.
Because the man's face was absurdly handsome.
For the first time, Neo felt someone might rival-or surpass-his own looks.
Three times.
Because as the man drank, a sentence echoed in his mind.
[GOODBYE AI]
"You are-"
"Looks like you've run into some trouble," Morin said casually, finishing the beer. "Some things are better kept inside. Spiritual communication is much more interesting."
"Confidentiality-wise, it's excellent."
Ignoring the buff notifications from the long-neglected [Beer Human Physique], Morin sent a telepathic message.
[Don't speak. Just think. Think about your questions. I'll answer anything you're allowed to know.]
Neo stayed silent.
Morin hadn't moved his lips.
Yet the words were unmistakably in his head.
So Neo tested it.
You're very handsome.
Morin raised an eyebrow.
[Thanks. You're not bad yourself.]
If the eyes meet, both sides have faces to feed on.
Still shocked, Neo asked the question that had haunted him for years.
[What exactly is the Matrix?]
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