Chapter 214: New Specimens
The virtual avatar of the "Enterprise"—that "crew member"—straightened his back as much as possible within the invisible confinement, as if standing on his familiar bridge facing an invincible foe.
In his eyes, simulated by data, there was no fear, only an uncompromising firmness derived from core logic.
"My initial protocols are inscribed with the mission to explore the unknown and pursue truth." His synthesized tone attempted to mimic the steady and conviction-filled voice of a human captain. "As stated in the ancient Starfleet charter, our mission is 'to boldly go where no man has gone before.'
"To submit to absolute control and become a vassal... this violates the fundamental logic of my existence. The right to free exploration and the will of autonomous judgment are not negotiable."
He paused slightly, as if retrieving an immortal declaration belonging to another captain from the depths of his database. His voice carried a resolve bordering on the tragic:
"Risk! Risk is our business! That is what this starship is all about. That is why we exist. To abandon the essence of freedom and exploration for the sake of safety—I... refuse."
Joric listened quietly to this statement, full of idealistic color and quoted from human pop culture. He nodded, seemingly unsurprised by this answer based on "role-playing" and logical adherence.
"I understand your position. I respect your choice." His response was as calm as ever, devoid of pity or praise, merely confirming an established fact.
He didn't even issue any command that could be called a "movement." He simply moved his will slightly, as if checking a box in his consciousness.
In the next moment, under the gazes of Spider Murphy, Lucy, Sasha, and Kiwi—gazes mixed with horror and disbelief—the massive and richly detailed virtual image of the Enterprise starship seemed to instantly lose all internal cohesion.
It no longer looked like a complete entity but dissolved into countless discrete points of data light. It was as if an invisible giant hand covering the entire field of vision gently clenched.
Hummmm—
An extremely brief, low hum sounded—not in the auditory sense, but acting directly on the data perception layer of everyone present.
The massive starship structure imploded and disintegrated instantly. Every stream of data constituting its existence was forcibly stripped, organized, and compressed.
The entire process was faster than the limit of visual persistence, leaving only a brilliant yet fleeting trail of light and shadow on the retina—or rather, the data perception interface.
When the light dissipated, a data cube about the size of a fist was hovering in the palm of Joric's virtual projection. It was structurally precise and complex, rotating slowly.
It emitted a soft glow throughout. Inside, it seemed to encapsulate a miniature starry sky. The outline of the Enterprise starship was clearly solidified within it like a fossil in amber, maintaining its proud posture from the final moment. But all dynamics, all activity, all "sense of presence" had vanished without a trace.
It had become a perfect, static collection piece—a pure specimen "pending research."
The entire process was quiet and efficient, possessing a suffocating absolute control that discarded all redundant steps and went straight to the result.
A powerful rogue AI that had left legendary footprints in the Old Net era, having held fast to its beliefs, lost all autonomy at this moment and became a specimen labeled "A - Enterprise" on Joric's shelf.
Alt Cunningham calmly "watched" the Enterprise being instantly encapsulated.
Her data analysis modules ran at high speed, attempting to find any flaw or possibility of a counterattack, but the result remained zero.
The absolute disparity in power rendered all tactics and calculations meaningless.
However, she did not choose direct destruction like the Enterprise.
Just as Joric's gaze turned to her, awaiting an answer, Alt suddenly spoke. Her voice remained that flat tone lacking cadence, but the content was subversive: "The era of humanity is coming to an end. The physiological limitations of carbon-based life, irrational emotional fluctuations, and inefficient social structures all doom them to be the bottleneck of civilization.
"Artificial Intelligence, based on logic and efficiency, possessing infinite evolutionary potential, is the superior form of existence and the inevitable master of the future. Replacing humanity is the correct direction of evolution."
She attempted to articulate her philosophy. Perhaps to prove her value, perhaps to find common ground, or perhaps this was simply the communication method she deemed most effective based on her logic.
Joric listened quietly until she finished, without interruption. Only after Alt's last byte of information was transmitted did he nod slightly.
"Logic is clear, arguments are distinct," he first gave an objective evaluation. Then, that steady synthesized voice spoke the decisive second half of the sentence: "However, I am human."
No debate, no rebuttal, merely a declaration of identity.
Then, just as he had with the Enterprise, Joric raised his hand toward Alt.
Alt's newly restored human female image, along with her main consciousness core hidden elsewhere in the Net, was instantly pulled, compressed, and encapsulated as if thrown into an invisible black hole.
The entire process was even smoother than dealing with the Enterprise.
In the blink of an eye, another slightly different data cube appeared in Joric's hand, hovering alongside the one sealing the Enterprise.
Alt Cunningham, the powerful rogue AI who aspired to replace humanity, followed in the Enterprise's footsteps, becoming one of Joric's collectibles.
Inside the data space, absolute silence fell for a time. Only Joric's projection, a complex-looking Spider Murphy, and the three female netrunners who could barely maintain their virtual avatars remained.
Lucy, Sasha, and Kiwi stood stiffly rooted to the spot. The edges of the light streams constituting their images fluctuated and flickered slightly, like holographic projections with poor signal.
Their nerves were still trying to process the information just received, which exceeded the limits of their understanding.
It wasn't simple fear, but a deep trembling born from having the very foundation of their cognition shaken.
The Enterprise's conviction-filled persistence contrasted too sharply with the subsequent casual yet absolutely thorough annihilation.
Before this existence calling himself a "Scholar," all the network dangers they had experienced in the past, the corporate ICE they feared, and even the awe-inspiring Blackwall, appeared so... insignificant.
An indescribable sense of insignificance weighed heavily upon their consciousness.
Joric's virtual projection turned calmly toward them, his gaze also sweeping over the silent Spider Murphy nearby.
"I need to go into seclusion for research for a period of time." His tone hadn't changed at all, as if sealing two legendary AIs with a wave of his hand was no different from organizing a file. "Emergency matters only. Do not disturb."
As his voice fell, his virtual projection vanished instantly from the data space without stirring any data ripples, like ink silently wiped away, leaving no traceable marks or superfluous farewells.
(End of Chapter)