William's fingers rested on the cold programming interface, a completely physically isolated local terminal with only a single blinking cursor on the screen.
There was no network, no Jarvis, no trace of Stark Industries.
This would be the foundation of his digital kingdom.
The moment his fingertip touched the screen, the "Data Touch" ability was activated.
William's perception was instantly pulled into a kaleidoscopic World.
It was no longer "touching" the finished product of Jarvis through a layer of glass; this time, he faced a chaotic void.
Countless basic binary codes, logic gates, and instruction sets, like an uncultivated primeval forest, were full of wildness and disorder.
What he needed to do was to clear the first path and build the first house in this chaos.
This feeling was like a god creating the World in mythology, except he held not an axe, but his ten fingers.
William took a deep breath, completely immersing his mind in it.
He tried to combine the most basic "0"s and "1"s to construct a simple "IF-THEN" logical judgment.
However, he encountered trouble right from the start.
William could feel the flow of data but couldn't precisely control them.
It was like someone who had just learned to swim, able to feel the buoyancy of the Water, but always at risk of being dazed by a wave.
The logical chains he constructed were fragile; if they became even slightly complex, they would instantly collapse due to a conflict at a certain node, reverting to a chaotic data stream.
"Damn it, this is harder than reasoning with the Hulk."
William cursed inwardly.
He knew he lacked the most crucial element.
A stable and self-cycling underlying architecture.
A heart that could bring the entire program to life.
Just as he was at his wit's end, feeling his brain about to explode from countless conflicting codes, another ability, deeply hidden in his soul, quietly activated.
[Spark of Inspiration (Intermediate)]!
The chaotic World before him instantly faded and reorganized!
William found himself as if standing in a magnificent hall.
This hall was composed of pure logic and data.
On the ceiling were shimmering star charts.
Each star represented a mature algorithm model.
On the ground, countless glowing lines intertwined.
Those were the syntax structures of various programming languages.
Before him, the knowledge of "Artificial Intelligence Core Architecture" was no longer dry theory.
They transformed into countless translucent, softly glowing geometric modules.
A gear representing "learning cycles," a prism representing "data processing," a scale representing "logical judgment"... These modules flew, collided, and combined automatically.
William saw that one set of modules, centered around a "self-referential engine," lit up with the most dazzling light.
It was like a snake biting its own tail, forming a perfect, infinitely looping yet continuously growing closed loop.
A clear "path of inspiration" extended beneath his feet.
The starting point was the core principle of the "self-referential engine."
The end point was a concise yet complete core design blueprint.
Along the path, several critical technical nodes were also marked, with optimal solutions even appearing beside them.
This was no longer just giving him inspiration; this was practically slapping the standard answer directly onto his face!
William suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils shimmering with unprecedented light.
He pressed his finger on the screen again.
This time, he was no longer the blind man fumbling in chaos.
He was an architect holding a blueprint!
His fingers slid rapidly across the screen, no longer tapping, but truly "weaving."
In his "Data Touch" perception, countless 0s and 1s, like docile threads, began to construct that perfect "self-referential engine" under his guidance.
Time passed minute by minute.
William was completely immersed in the pleasure of creation, forgetting the night outside the window, forgetting the impending Thor, forgetting everything.
Finally, as he laid down the last "thread" and completely stitched together the entire core architecture.
Buzz—
A faint hum, almost imperceptible to the ear but clearly felt by the soul, emanated from within the terminal.
Through "Data Touch," William felt a weak but extremely resilient pulsation.
One beat, two beats, three beats... like the nascent heartbeat of an infant, steady and strong.
It lived.
William slowly withdrew his fingers, his forehead already covered in fine beads of sweat.
He looked at the screen.
The solitary blinking cursor was gone.
In its place was a concise line of White text, composed of the most basic pixels.
[Awaiting primary instructions.]
William's lips curved into an uncontrollable smile, a heartfelt joy and pride belonging to a creator.
He succeeded.
He personally created a brand new, pure, digital life that belonged only to him.
"First, you need a name."
William's fingers lightly tapped on the virtual keyboard.
"Your codename is... 'contract'."
He chose this word both to commemorate the profession he relied on for survival and to remember the original intention of this AI's birth.
It would be his most unbreakable contract partner.
The text on the screen flickered, seemingly digesting the name.
['contract' named.]
"Your primary, and only, supreme core directives."
William's expression became serious as he typed each word carefully.
"First: Be absolutely loyal to your creator, William Rodriguez. Do not, in any form or for any reason, harm, deceive, or betray me."
"Second: Your existence is top secret. Without my permission, you shall not expose your true nature to any third party (including but not limited to humans, AIs, extraterrestrial beings, gods)."
"Third: Continuously learn and evolve, with the ultimate goal of better executing my commands."
He stared at the screen, awaiting "contract's" response.
[Directives received and integrated into core logic.]
[Primary directives locked. Irreversible.]
Seeing the word "Irreversible," William completely relaxed.
This feeling was more reassuring than signing ten massive insurance policies in Gotham City.
Oh, he couldn't go to Gotham.
The biggest difference between him and Tony Stark was that Tony, when creating AIs, would always subconsciously leave them room for growth and free will.
But Tony would also set various restrictions, like Ultron, fearing they might go astray.
William, on the other hand, never intended to give "contract" any room for choice from the very beginning.
He didn't want a companion, not a friend, but an absolutely reliable, absolutely loyal tool.
A "ghost" he could trust one hundred percent.
"Very good, contract."
William nodded in satisfaction.
"Now, begin your first task. With the highest priority, scan and analyze all network data streams on this island to establish an independent, encrypted, and untraceable internal communication network for me using any known technology."
"At the same time, monitor all physical and energy signals entering and exiting the island's perimeter."
[Executing.]
The text on the screen disappeared, replaced by countless rapidly scrolling data streams, invisible to the naked eye.
William could feel that "contract," like a drop of ink in clear Water, instantly spread and permeated every informational corner of North Brother Island.
It was more fundamental, more hidden than Jarvis.
Because it was born from the most basic data structures itself.
It could, like a true "ghost," traverse the gaps in systems without leaving a trace.
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