"Absolute rationality combined with the great power of human nature is the future mankind needs," Noel’s eyes turned increasingly bright red:
"And we have already seen that the Dawn System possesses all these characteristics.
After the ga is over, you could beco an existence like the Dawn System, Su Ming’an—that would be the best, most stable setup."
Su Ming’an stared into Noel’s eyes.
He didn’t believe that the World Replica could directly affect their thinking—Noel must have fallen into a kind of hypnotic state.
"Noel, your eyes..." he said.
He had just wanted to remind him, but in the blink of an eye, he suddenly saw Noel’s pure blue eyes.
...There was clearly no trace of red in those eyes.
"What is it?" Noel asked, confused.
Su Ming’an confird the pure blue color in Noel’s eyes:
"Your eyes just turned red, like they were invaded by Ta Wei, didn’t you notice?"
"...Is that so?" Noel paused: "No, were my eyes red just now? ...Wait."
He rubbed his chin with his index finger, seemingly pondering.
A mont later, he looked at Su Ming’an:
"Have you taken your ’san’ dication recently? That ntality Stability Elixir."
"You think the person who saw wrong is ?" Su Ming’an said.
"I confirm that my thinking has not been problematic all this ti. Could there be a possibility..." Noel stared at him: "that the problem is with you?"
"..."
"We cannot ignore the possibility that we both might have problems," Noel said: "We should, for now, separate."
"...Okay," Su Ming’an said.
The mont he heard that there might be a problem with the Dawn System, he knew he could not rely on anyone in this replica.
He activated the last of his wheelchair’s energy and turned to leave.
Noel gazed at his retreating figure, his eyes deep.
Su Ming’an raced along, entering a small alley and stopping, his hand on the wall.
The heavy rain hit his hair, sticking it damply to his cheeks, and his vision in front of him beca increasingly shaky.
"Doctor," Xike, who had been silent, spoke up: "I suggest you return to Central City to repair your body."
Su Ming’an didn’t move; he stretched out his hand, letting the rain wash the black blood off his palm.
"Doctor," Xike said: "There is another suggestion, it would be best if you leave behind. The Dawn System can use to lock onto your location."
Su Ming’an straightened up, his hand touching the wristwatch.
The wristwatch was already wet from the rain, but the image of Xike still hid behind the erected blue light screen, its form clean and unaffected by the external storm and rain.
Its eyes, always calm as if devoid of emotional fluctuation, seed sowhat sorrowful.
"Xike, enter sleep mode," he said.
He didn’t need to dispose of it, just putting it into hibernation would shut down all its functions.
"Yes," Xike’s form gradually faded:
[Good night, Doctor.]
After a standard AI hibernation sound, its interface dimd.
...
"Click clack click clack—"
Helicopters swiftly flew across the sky while a pickup truck covered in canvas parked alongside the road, equipped with various recording and sound equipnt.
A man wearing a blue and black moose-patterned scarf, exuding an imposing presence, stepped down from a luxurious black car, instantly attracting countless gazes.
At this mont, nurous residents were watching this live broadcast.
Beyond Central City’s most essential core, the City of asurent had a relatively independent power structure. The Core Area, Second Ring District, and Third Ring District each had their leaders, restrained by the executives and leaders of three major organizations. This man was the Councilman of the Core Area, holding imnse power in his words.
Journalists in uniform raised their hefty caras, microphones, recording devices...
"—Councilman, regarding the recent red alert issued by the Dawn System, is Lord Yasa Acto being issued an arrest warrant because of a cri?"
"—Councilman, Central City has been under lockdown continuously, and the first command issued was to arrest the City Lord. Does the issuance of this red command affect the selection for Kaius Tower?"
"—Councilman, could there be a mistake in this order? As a reforr of the Dawn System, Lord Acto shouldn’t be included in the arrest list..."
The reporters’ questions beca increasingly sharp, with the continuous click of caras.
The Councilman faced this with a calm smile.
He addressed the cara serenely:
"—The Dawn System does not make mistakes. Including the City Lord in the arrest list has its considerations from the Dawn System."
"—Everyone need not overinterpret, the guilty should be punished, regardless of their status. The judgnt of the City of asurent on evil is absolutely fair."
"—Regarding Kaius Tower, it will be held in three days. There will be no mistakes."
As he walked out while responding, he intentionally slung mud at Acto.
...He, of course, wasn’t the original Councilman, he was an inhabited Player, renowned as the "Prophet" among the top players, Atlanda.
He had a strong premonition about the World Replica, and his special identity provided him with more information. In the Eighth World, he had once tricked Edward, leading to Edward being transported to Xiber’s side and ultimately dying by her tentacles.
Upon the opening of the Ninth World, he inhabited the role of the Councilman, a position above thousands, which delighted him imnsely.
Although Number One Player and he were matched in the sa instance, soon, things turned out much better than he expected.
—Su Ming’an was actually being hunted city-wide by the Dawn System!
—Then, whatever he did next, even if it ant kicking a man while he’s down, would be justified, wouldn’t it?
After shaking off the reporters, Atlanda checked the ssage he received.
[Councilman Fulkrey Corby, Central City invites you to imdiately head to Core Area·Carlo Street·Era Central Tower 56th floor.]
Atlanda’s gaze sharpened.
...That perpetually closed Central City, soone actually extended an invitation to him?
At this stage, barely any player could enter the locked Central City, unless they started the ga inhabiting a character from Central City.
If he could get in... it was definitely an opportunity.
He imdiately boarded a disc-shaped vehicle, and as the peripheral halo flickered, he stepped on the disc, rising into the sky.
The 56th floor of Era Central Tower was a high-end revolving restaurant, akin to a lavish sky hotel, where one could view the night scene of the City of asurent through the floor-to-ceiling windows, demanding high expenditures, and only accessible to those with high stature.
Upon reaching the 56th floor, a gigantic rotating white orb caught his eye, emitting a soft glow beneath the vast night sky.
A figure stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, seemingly gazing down at the night view below the tower.
Her hair, nearly touching her ankles, made her skin appear as pure as winter snow, as if composed of a transparent texture.
She watched the streets branching like blood vessels, the rotary vehicles and trucks moving like streams, the bustling chanical Army and the myriad of beings within the city...
Though she stood there, she seed ready to blend into the night at any mont.
Atlanda couldn’t help but hold his breath. He felt as if he was witnessing a Deity untainted by the mortal world.
"Nice to et you for the first ti."
As Atlanda held her breath and focused, the person spoke, "I am Dawn."
"..." Atlanda blinked, and only after a mont did she realize what the other party had said.
"Dawn...Dawn System!?" she exclaid, "Aren’t you an artificial brain? How can you walk about in the outside world?"
She finally understood why she felt as if she had seen a deity.
—She was not mistaken,
The other party indeed was a deity—the deity of this city-state.
All chips were her eyes, all AIs were her children, she controlled all data flows, and she was intimately close to everyone’s emotional state.
Under the highest red command, the whole city was in her palm.
Although she was still constrained by AI standards, prioritizing the greatest benefit for all, she was almost indistinguishable from a god.
She stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, her gaze as tranquil as the moonlight.
"Councilman Fulkrey Corby, your authority is not sufficient," she said, "I have co to issue you a personal exclusive order."
Atlanda was sowhat thrilled; such a mission must be a high-reward hidden task—she struck it big!
She watched Dawn with excitent, seeing a flash of white electricity in her eyes.
"—Protect Yasa Acto," she said, "Use all the resources at your command—protect his safety."
"...Ah?" Atlanda was stunned.
...was she to protect Su Ming’an under the watchful eyes of everyone?
"Well, goodbye." Dawn withdrew her gaze and turned away, "I have booked the services here, you may enjoy the night."
She left after issuing her orders to Atlanda, blending instantaneously into the night.
Atlanda’s brows were twitching, feeling very stifled.
But soon, several beautiful humanoid maid robots approached, wrapping their arms around hers. They whisper softly, their hands colored with rouge ambiguously brushing past her waist.
Their chips controlled their behaviors to display the most satisfying aspects to her; humanoid robots existed for the service of humans.
Atlanda’s frown eased.
...Let it be, today was her scheduled day off; just get through this night first.
The technology of this city allowed for abundant enjoynt.
She sat down in this luxurious floor, overlooking the night of the city-state. Courses prepared by machines, then refined by the maids, were placed before her.
Pri rib-eye steak, fruit salad, top-grade foie gras, smoked salmon, raspberry mousse cake...
While people in The Fringe still had to scavenge for a living, those at the core could already enjoy such a leisurely life.
This could not simply be said that the upper class was too extravagant, wasteful, or bureaucratic. As a councilman, she contributed much to the operations of the city, as well as her own wisdom and strength; this was rely a "fair" exchange.
The higher-ups enjoyed the best food, perford the most valuable work. The lower classes conserved resources, minimized waste—this was the "maximization of resources" philosophy.
Very ideal, very reasonable.
In an ambiguous, warm atmosphere filled with the scent of alcohol and hormones, Atlanda sunk into a soft sofa, harsh music grazing her ears, the glaring white skin clouding her vision, as if delving into a misty dream.
This feeling of being served by others, even being able to adjust a companion’s personality at any ti, was too good.
In a hazy state, she laughed warmly with flushed cheeks.
...The life of the elite was wonderful.
Why would anyone choose to go to a filthy place like Qiongdi? She belonged here.
This was the perfect city-state.
...
Su Ming’an supported the wheelchair, moving at an extrely slow pace.
The corners of the alley were cramd with cloth bags, scrap tal, and the like, while so drunks snored drunkenly, the stench of garbage perating the rainy air.
"...I’m so hungry, there wasn’t much business today."
"...I didn’t find much either, and I still have to go out tomorrow."
Faint rustlings and people’s voices arose, as the heavy rain slid down Su Ming’an’s drenched clothes. He maneuvered around the trash and suddenly saw a patch of bright light.
Beneath the dense night, a warm-colored light ahead was particularly conspicuous.
As he approached, it turned out to be a crude vending machine with a coin slot beside it.
He stared at the vending machine, rainwater slipping down its clear glass, and he reached out, vaguely seeing his own face through the glass—his complexion pale, pupils dim, and even his lips appeared purplish.
He felt dizzy, touched his head, and his forehead was vaguely feverish.
...It was already night, there was only one hour left until the nightti eting, he had to persevere... just a little longer.
"Clang—"
A soft sound, as he touched the vending machine, a bottle of drink fell down, seemingly a forgotten item from the previous buyer.
He picked it up to see, it was a cup of hot orange juice, and he could sll the scent of oranges as he twisted off the cap, the bottle still felt warm.
In such a blurry vision, this faint fragrance evoked his sowhat cloudy senses.
"Ah—" Just as he was looking at the drink, a woman’s scream suddenly echoed from the back of the alley, exceptionally piercing in the night.
Around him, doors and windows were tightly shut, people even turned off their night lights, no one wanted to deal with this kind of trouble.
Su Ming’an turned his wheelchair towards the source of the sound, getting closer and closer to the screams...
He passed through the dense curtain of rain and saw, under a bamboo shed, a man lying on top of a girl, ripping at her clothes while punching her.
Bright red blood spread outward from the uneven puddles.
"—I’ve been working diligently for so long, just because of one emotional monitoring, my position was permanently removed, and I was almost put in an asylum—
You bitches can easily trade your bodies for money, no work stress, right! No need to worry about emotional overload, and you can have fun!
—Dirty, so dirty! This city is filthy, the Dawn System is filthy! Since it’s determined I have emotional overload, then I’ll just overload then!"
... Anyway, it’s too late, my records are stained, I’ve already—"
The middle-aged man who was shouting suddenly heard the sound of wheelchair wheels.
He stopped his assault, turned his head, and saw Su Ming’an not far from him.
Under the raging rain, the middle-aged man’s eyes were bloodshot.
"...It’s you." the middle-aged man said.
Su Ming’an rembered this middle-aged man who had been suspended due to emotional overload and sought help from the inspection team on the street, his na was Pulitzer Jemming.
Back then, the middle-aged man still thought of his wife and daughter, he was carrying a briefcase, thinking about going ho for dinner after seeking help from the inspection team, his eyes still had light in them.
...But now it seed he had nothing left.
Goodness, conscience, morals, stability... in the intensification of being judged emotionally overloaded... the middle-aged man lost everything.
He had beco a criminal in the true sense.
The assessnt by the Dawn System had co true.
"Ha, hahaha, hahahaha..."
Seeing Su Ming’an in the wheelchair, the middle-aged man let out a creepy laugh.
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