Chapter 188
Even so, she was still tricked by the other party— the Herrscher never expected that this guy had designed two Artificial Intelligence to deal with her so early on.
If it were just ordinary Artificial Intelligence, the Herrscher would only need a fraction of a second to corrupt it and turn it into her puppet. However, Prometheus and Queen's design completely exceeded Her expectations—the core data of these two Artificial Intelligence had a complexity close to that of human thought. Coupled with their understanding of the Internet and their own flexibility, the Herrscher was actually at a disadvantage on the Internet.
Fortunately, she quickly realized the weakness of Artificial Intelligence. As Artificial Intelligence whose priority is to protect global internet security, it is easily distracted by the damage and erosion caused by the Herrscher, thus becoming overwhelmed.
Although Prometheus shut down the global internet by destroying the root servers, successfully limiting the Herrscher of Aberration's actions, they also lost some of their computing power, resulting in a delicate balance of power between the two sides.
The Herrscher of Aberration cannot leave the network before completely eliminating the two Artificial Intelligence, because if the Artificial Intelligence seize the slightest opportunity, they can find a way to report the Herrscher's location to humanity. And the Artificial Intelligence obviously will not allow the Herrscher to leave the network easily, because if she returns to reality, more people will be threatened.
So the two sides became entangled in a very strange way, and it wasn't until just now that a winner was decided.
But unexpectedly, Ai Yue appeared here at just the right time.
But that's also a good opportunity. If we can take control of this guy, we can completely break down humanity's psychological defenses, right?
I wonder what expressions those people would have when they discover that the savior they've been waiting for has turned out to be the murderer who destroyed them.
By then, Elysia should also...
The Herrscher of Aberration was already popping champagne in her mind when she suddenly noticed that Ai Yue also had a smile on his lips.
"It's just a minor distortion, what's so difficult about solving it?"
Ai Yue shook his head slightly, "But it did take quite a bit of time. I must say you do have some ability."
"Solved? That's impossible! How did you do that!?"
Upon hearing this, the Herrscher's expression changed drastically. "Wait, how much time has passed outside?"
Why should I tell you?
Ai Yue naturally wouldn't let go of any opportunity to annoy the other party. "If you want to know, then wait until you leave here."
"You don't actually think you can stop me, do you?"
The Herrscher almost laughed in anger at Ai Yue's words, "I admit it's not easy for you to transmit your consciousness to me, but this is my home turf!"
As he spoke, the Herrscher waved his hand, and the originally blank space suddenly began to twist and change, turning into a wasteland. On this wasteland, countless huge and ferocious Honkai Beast were gradually taking shape.
Be careful.
The Herrscher gave a mocking smile. "If you were killed by them, you'd probably suffer brain death in the real world too, right?"
However, upon seeing this, Ai Yue couldn't help but reveal a mocking smile, "Why do you show weakness as soon as you raise your hand? You are clearly Herrscher, yet you do such unnecessary things. Doesn't that prove that you don't actually have any means to threaten me?"
The Herrscher's expression froze on her face— Ai Yue was right, because the mental realm was not her forte, so Ai Yue's consciousness was arguably the only entity here that was beyond her control.
But this doesn't mean she really can't do anything about Ai Yue.
"I didn't expect them to be able to kill you."
The Herrscher quickly smiled again, "But they can stop you, and that's enough."
At the same time, Ai Yue also noticed that the edge of this wasteland was constantly collapsing—meaning that the servers that built this virtual space were being destroyed.
Clearly, the Herrscher has grasped the crux of the problem—the transmission of consciousness also requires time and stability. If consciousness is transmitted in an extremely dangerous environment, the result will either be damage to the consciousness or the transmission will not be possible at all.
Unless Ai Yue can maintain sufficient mental stability without experiencing drastic fluctuations amidst such a realistic Honkai Beast siege, he is highly likely to be trapped here and die. Once the server is completely destroyed, he will also perish along with it.
After that, the Herrscher can easily take over his body.
Of course, this is all predicated on the premise that this approach actually works.
Facing the approaching Honkai Beast, Ai Yue remained unmoved. Even though the surrounding scene was incredibly realistic, with details like flying dust, swaying shadows, and the dents and cracks in the ground caused by heavy objects being trampled, he showed absolutely no reaction.
The Honkai Beast then passed directly through his body without leaving any trace.
"I'm in safe mode, you idiot."
Only then did Ai Yue respond with a mocking smile, "You didn't actually think I would project my consciousness over without reservation, did you?"
The Herrscher's smile froze on his face once again.
Safe mode? How is that possible?
She repeatedly checked Ai Yue's condition, but no matter how she tried to sense it, Ai Yue was radiating a clear mental fluctuation, which could not be faked!
The so-called safe mode is nothing more than avoiding direct connection between consciousness and the network through remote transmission. Although this connection method can avoid direct contact with the network and thus ensure the user's safety, it will also cause signal distortion due to the transmission process, making it impossible to truly experience everything in the virtual environment.
No, something's definitely wrong!
Seeing the obvious anxiety on the Herrscher's face, Ai Yue couldn't help but smile even more broadly.
He came out this time only to test the Herrscher of Herrscher of Aberration and see if what he had prepared could work on her, but he didn't expect to discover an even bigger problem.
That is, this guy in front of me is obviously too... easy to deal with.
Perhaps it's because she's attached to Elysia, or perhaps it's because her birth was relatively recent; in any case, the Herrscher in front of her is not mature enough.
More importantly, the abilities she demonstrated were even less than those of the "Herrscher of Erosion" who appeared in the original storyline.
It's important to know that the Herrscher of Erosion is practically invincible in the online world. If it weren't for the inherent flaws in the Herrscher Persona, she would have had a very difficult time being caught in the trap set by Dr. Mei.
Moreover, the Herrscher of Erosion does not have a physical body and can directly merge into the network, making her very difficult to kill. Even a powerful being like the Herrscher of Binding cannot escape being killed by Fused Warrior. As long as a physical body exists, it is difficult to escape the fate of being killed.
However, the Herrscher of Aberration seems to be different. Although she does not have a physical body and her powers can also affect the network, compared to the Herrscher of Erosion, her powers focus more on the influence on living beings.
This can be seen in the distortion phenomenon, since the original Herrscher of Erosion could only erode, but could not strengthen living beings.
If the Herrscher of Erosion is an ultimate virus capable of eroding and destroying everything, then the Herrscher of Aberration has evolved to focus on influencing living beings, while its influence on non-living things is relatively weaker.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have taken so long to discover Ai Yue's secret, forcing him to subtly reveal it himself in order for the Herrscher in front of him to notice something was wrong.
"It seems you've run out of options."
Looking at the Herrscher before him, Ai Yue decided to add fuel to the fire, "Since that's the case, then I can rest assured. Once I'm safely out of here, I'll find a deserted place to freeze you—at that time, let's see how you can cause trouble again."
As he spoke, his figure quickly blurred, as if he were really about to leave this place.
But at that very moment, the Herrscher finally realized something and couldn't help but show a smug expression again. "So that's how it is, I finally understand!"
"You didn't enter here via remote transmission, but rather through a relay station—and your consciousness is hidden inside that relay station, right!"
Almost simultaneously, a somewhat flustered expression appeared on Ai Yue's face, and the Herrscher's figure also became blurred, its behavior synchronized with Ai Yue's.
Clearly, she discovered the anomaly in Ai Yue's link and prepared to follow Ai Yue's transmission route into that transit station.
If this transit point is destroyed, then Ai Yue will have nowhere to retreat.
The next second, as the two figures disappeared, the virtual space that was about to collapse gradually stabilized, and due to the departure of the Herrscher of Aberration, everything here returned to its original blank state.
But in that blank space, something seemed to flicker.
Neither the Herrscher of Aberration nor Ai Yue were aware of this anomaly. At this moment, they had already exited the central server, which had been messed up by the Herrscher, and entered the transit station where Ai Yue's consciousness was truly hidden.
The so-called relay station is actually a compromise between remote connection and direct connection. First, a person's consciousness is connected to a secure independent server, and then the data simulated by this server is used to connect to the real Internet. In this way, one can enjoy everything in cyberspace in a secure manner.
However, if the independent server acting as a relay station itself malfunctions, it will still affect the security of the system within it.
That's why Ai Yue showed a panicked expression when the Herrscher revealed the truth—because only such a reaction was reasonable.
At this moment, the two figures reappeared in another virtual space. This space was no longer blank; instead, everything had been pre-programmed, revealing the appearance of a bustling city.
The only problem is that there isn't a single person in the city, making it seem rather deserted.
At this moment, the Herrscher and Ai Yue appeared together on the rooftop of one of the buildings. Looking at the man in front of her, who was even clearer than before, the Herrscher couldn't help but reveal a bright smile, "Got you now?"
"Yes."
Ai Yue nodded obediently, "I've got you now."
"What are you talking about? It was clearly me..."
The Herrscher thought Ai Yue had lost his mind and was about to correct him when his expression suddenly changed. "Wait, what the hell is this place?!"
She clearly intended to use her powers to corrupt this place and then transfer Ai Yue to a prison or something similar to make him sober up, but she found that her powers were greatly restricted here. Not to mention changing everything at will, she even became incredibly weak, giving her a feeling of being out of control.
"You've finally figured it out; it's really not easy to fool a fool."
Ai Yue finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Didn't you want to know how the Aberration Event incident was resolved? This is one of the methods."
"Have you found a way to counteract the mutated power?"
The Herrscher immediately realized, "This is a trap!"
Yes, the so-called transit station is actually the black metal box that Ai Yue meticulously crafted for the Herrscher of Aberration.
A small server with a large amount of "Luminous Element" incorporated into its main body and made of third-generation Soul Steel.
Its exterior was disguised as an ordinary independent server, so the Herrscher of Aberration would have a hard time discovering the problems inside at first. Once her core consciousness really entered it along with Ai Yue, then this metal box would become her prison.
Just like in the original story, Dr. Mei prepared Black Box for her.
Do you like it?
Ai Yue clapped his hands. "I have something even more fun to show you."
As he spoke, countless virtual Honkai Beast appeared and rushed towards the Herrscher.
"These things..."
The Herrscher initially disregarded these things, even attempting to destroy them and then turn against Ai Yue, but she quickly realized something was amiss, "What are these things now!"
"A very special technological product."
Ai Yue looked at her with a smile, "Give up. Even I haven't fully figured out this thing yet, and you think you can hack it?"
After combining the operational data of the virtual Honkai Beast directly with them, Ai Yue obtained a batch of soldiers from the virtual world. They possessed simple self-logic and could choose different ways to deal with the current situation. Although they were still somewhat crude, they were quite useful for dealing with the infant Herrscher who was less than 100 days old.
"So what?"
Although she was initially a bit flustered, after becoming familiar with the behavior and logic of these virtual Honkai Beasts, the Herrscher gradually became able to deal with them more easily. "As long as you leave here, I can leave here with you too!"
Her eyes were fixed on Ai Yue, because the only breakthrough in this place was the other party—but Ai Yue only smiled in response to the Herrscher's words.
The Herrscher suddenly realized something, and a hint of panic crept into her voice. "You don't mean you're not planning to leave here, do you?"
Ai Yue remained silent, but the smile on his face grew even brighter.
Chapter Sixty-Eight: What Giant Baby Herrscher?
Ai Yue would never allow himself to be trapped here to die; after all, a Herrscher of Aberration was not worth risking his life for.
But at least for now, in order not to become a loophole in this trap, he must stay here and wait for the Herrscher of Aberration to show signs of fatigue under the onslaught of the virtual Honkai Beast.
If the Herrscher of Aberration knew of this idea, she would probably burst out laughing.
After all, although Ai Yue can barely be considered a half- Herrscher now, he is still mentally within the realm of humanity. If he were to engage in a protracted battle with a true Herrscher using human mental strength, no matter how you look at it, Ai Yue would definitely be the first to fall.
Even the Herrscher of Erosion from the original storyline could survive for tens of thousands of years in a trap set by Dr. Mei, so the enhanced version of the Herrscher of Aberration could naturally do the same.
However, Ai Yue's idea was not entirely unfounded. After all, the Herrscher of Aberration did not know just how tailor-made this trap, which was prepared specifically for her, was.
As the source of the Herrscher's power, the Imaginary Singularity can directly communicate with the Imaginary Space and draw almost endless energy from it. It can be said that as long as the Imaginary Singularity is not restricted, the Herrscher will not fear any protracted battle.
Unfortunately, after studying space-related fields such as the Herrscher of the Void Core, the Stigmata Space, and the Sea of Quantum, Ai Yue had already acquired a lot of material about spatial attributes. After putting all of this into the system, he obtained something quite outrageous.
A technique that theoretically can interfere with the stability of Imaginary Singularity, thereby greatly limiting the energy output and sustained power of Herrscher.
Ai Yue used this "Imaginary Singularity Perturbation Technology" to create the corresponding equipment, which is now installed in this metal black box that serves as an independent server.
It is precisely because of this that the Herrscher of Aberration feels weak and unable to exert any strength.
However, this design alone can only temporarily trap the Herrscher of Aberration; it is far from enough to truly kill her.
Ai Yue pondered as he watched the Herrscher of Aberration being besieged by virtual Honkai Beast.
This suppression is not permanent. As the Herrscher of Aberration gradually adapts to the interference caused by the "Luminous Element," she will eventually be able to recover some of her power. Although this will only exacerbate her energy consumption, it will undoubtedly bring enormous risks.
From the occasional glances the other party gave him, Ai Yue could clearly see the killing intent.
What Ai Yue needs to do is find a solution before that happens.
As he pondered this, he couldn't help but think of the two super Artificial Intelligence he had created himself.
When Ai Yue heard from the Herrscher of Aberration that Prometheus and Queen had been completely destroyed, his first reaction was disbelief. After all, he had made many preparations for this day, one of which was to create many separate servers for the Artificial Intelligence as clones. Even the Herrscher of Aberration could not completely wipe them out.
However, during the time he confronted the Herrscher of Aberration, he never saw Prometheus or Queen, which made him realize that what the Herrscher of Aberration said was very likely true.
Of course, even so, it doesn't mean that Prometheus and Queen are completely "dead." After all, as Artificial Intelligence, they have independent offline backups, so they can be resurrected by restarting the backups later. But we probably can't count on them for this battle.
Fortunately, I have a backup plan.
Thinking of Hua waiting outside, Ai Yue felt a little more at ease.
What Hua didn't know was that even if she hadn't actively chosen to go to the Star of Light, Ai Yue would have taken her with him, because she now possessed an ability that no one else had: "Qi".