Chapter 192

This explanation sounded extremely perfunctory, but no one objected.

Everyone knows that if Ai Yue hadn't returned from the Sea of Quantum in time and dealt with the Herrscher of Aberration in a decisive and thorough manner, they would probably still be dealing with the mess of the Aberration Event, or even have started writing their wills. How could they be so leisurely gathering together to hold some kind of ceremony?

So as long as Ai Yue doesn't do anything outrageous, no one will say anything. But if he does do something outrageous, everyone will gather together to discuss how to clean up the mess for Ai Yue.

Are you kidding me? This kind of living Buddha who never gets involved in politics, only thinks about how to save the world, and always wants to be on the front line whenever a disaster occurs, of course we should worship him. Are we supposed to go against him? If this kind of brainless idiot shows even the slightest sign of madness in the morning, he'll be sent to clean toilets by the afternoon!

Even if Ai Yue had just stood everyone up at the launch ceremony, and then suddenly came up later and said something like, "I'm planning to keep this root server for myself, so you guys can invest in building a new one," everyone would just have a meeting on the spot to discuss how to pay for it and where to put it, and no one would question Ai Yue.

"However, although Doctor Ai Yue cannot be present, we still have a key figure who will be here,"

Seeing that everyone was used to this kind of thing, Dr. Mei added, "Ai, it's your turn to step in."

Ai Yi?

Upon hearing this name, many people present showed expressions of confusion, while only a few national representatives who had participated in the construction of the root server showed thoughtful expressions.

Compared to the other representatives, they knew more. For example, Prometheus, the super Artificial Intelligence that was previously responsible for maintaining the security of the global Internet network system, did not appear during the time of rebuilding the root server. Instead, another unfamiliar super Artificial Intelligence took over, and its performance was even several times stronger than Prometheus's... Could it be this Ai?

Just as everyone was pondering, a blurry humanoid halo appeared beside Dr. Mei, and then gradually materialized into the image of a woman. "Hello, I am Prometheus Queen Ai Yi, in charge of the security and prevention work of the new Internet system."

"Ay is the core person in charge of the global internet; if you have any questions about this new network system, you can ask her."

Dr. Mei added from the side, "In the network system, you can consider her as equivalent to Doctor Ai Yue."

Everyone's expressions turned serious again—the weight of those words was so exaggerated that some people couldn't quite accept it for a moment.

However, everyone also noticed the other party's name—"Prometheus" is the former Artificial Intelligence that manages the global Internet, and "Queen" is the core AI of Doctor Ai Yue's drone "swarm". The fact that these two words appear in the other party's name already says a lot.

"Ms. Ai, you just mentioned your name, which contains the names of two Artificial Intelligence,"

The North America representative was the first to ask, "So can I assume that you have inherited all the capabilities and permissions of these two Artificial Intelligence?"

"While not entirely accurate, this interpretation isn't wrong,"

Ai said, "I am now a personality that was elevated from the fusion of Prometheus and Queen, which is why I keep those two names."

Those present didn't seem to care much about the matter, but if scholars in the field of Artificial Intelligence heard this, they might faint on the spot.

Only those who truly understand this field can comprehend the despairing technological gap hidden behind such a seemingly casual statement.

"So that means you'll be managing both the global internet and the 'swarm' system at the same time, right?"

Another representative asked curiously, "Won't this burden really affect you?"

"No, because I'm no longer an ordinary Artificial Intelligence,"

Ai thought for a moment, then said, "If I compare my current computing power to that of a human, managing both systems simultaneously is as easy as an adult working three days a week, four hours a day."

Until just minutes before the ceremony was about to begin, everyone's questions were still focused on Ai, as if they were there not to participate in the launch ceremony of the root server, but to attend a press conference held by Ai.

However, Dr. Mei had no objection to this. After all, the purpose of letting Ai Yi appear today was to give all countries a basic understanding of her. Although the current situation is somewhat different from what was expected, it is not a big deal.

"Alright everyone, that concludes the Q&A session."

As the time drew near, Ai signaled for everyone to be quiet. "Now, let's wait for the moment when the root server starts up synchronously."

The representatives from various countries also quieted down and looked at the big screen in unison.

Their invitation to come this time was not simply to attend the launch ceremony, but to hold a meeting of the United Earth Government afterward.

Many of them need to set off ten days or even earlier to arrive in time. Now they need to wait for the network system to restart before communicating with their countries to obtain the latest information and use it as a basis for participating in the next meeting.

This means that if the root server fails to start and the network system cannot function properly, then the meeting cannot be held—but no one questioned this.

Since this is the root server built by Ai Yue, it will definitely start normally as planned.

And that was exactly what happened. When the countdown reached zero and the pre-specified time arrived, the first thing to light up on the huge screen was a picture that indicated that the root server of the Moth to Fire headquarters had been successfully started.

Almost instantly, three more screens lit up simultaneously, indicating that the other three root servers had also completed startup.

This speed surprised many representatives, because the other three root servers were very far apart. Considering the network latency, they thought it would take longer for the feedback to reach the Moth to Fire headquarters. But looking at the results on the screen, it seemed that the latency between global networks had been reduced to a level that was almost negligible.

After that, another thirty-two images appeared on the screen. They combined to form a complete picture, and the person in the picture was another person in charge of the project, Vill-V.

Upon seeing this, everyone instinctively sat up straight.

This is not because of the existence of Vill-V —after all, the representatives from various countries present were already very familiar with this former top genius. Before Ai Yue joined the Moth to Fire, it can be said that she was involved in all the top projects related to Honkai to some extent.

However, with the appearance of Ai Yue, everyone involved in the scientific research field is overshadowed by his brilliance.

What truly surprised everyone was that standing next to Vill-V was Ai.

Many people glanced in their direction before realizing that Ai had disappeared without them noticing.

This made many people who thought it was just some kind of projection technology feel something was wrong—was Ai's previous appearance really a projection?

"Oh, you can talk now?"

At that moment, Vill-V noticed that all the servers had finished starting up, and then waved towards the camera, "Hi, Dr. Mei, how are you feeling?"

"Not bad, everything is going smoothly,"

Dr. Mei nodded. "What about the data monitoring results?"

"Everything is normal, even better than expected."

Vill-V nodded. "It seems this matter can be put to rest. That's all for now, I have other things to do."

After saying that, she abruptly cut off the communication, but some people still saw that a second before the image disappeared, the other party pounced on Ai Yi.

"Well, Vill-V also participated in the development of Prometheus, so theoretically she, like Doctor Ai Yue, is one of the creators of Ai."

Seemingly noticing the glances from the representatives of various countries, Dr. Mei had no choice but to quickly explain on behalf of Vill-V, "Alright, everyone can now take out their mobile devices and contact their families."

Everyone remembered their primary task and began to contact their home country.

Seeing this scene, Dr. Mei breathed a sigh of relief. She took out her mobile device and dialed Kevin's number.

"Plum?"

Kevin's voice quickly came through the receiver, sounding somewhat relaxed, "It seems the network problem has been resolved."

"Yes, the root server has just started, and everything is working normally so far."

Dr. Mei nodded. "What's the situation on your end?"

"It's quite a coincidence, I just finished here too."

Kevin shifted his gaze to the young man being helped off the bed in the ward not far away, and couldn't help but smile. "The last aberrant Fused Warrior has successfully recovered."

"That's good. It seems that everything has been settled."

Dr. Mei let out a sigh of relief, then added, "However, he probably won't be the last one."

As she spoke, she subconsciously turned her head to look in another direction, as if trying to see through the walls of the conference hall to observe the situation on the other side.

Aponia should have recovered by now, right?

In the underground room, Ai Yue was standing in front of Aponia's bed, quietly waiting for her reaction.

The reason he didn't attend the launch ceremony of the global internet root server was because he knew in advance that the last batch of aberrants would receive treatment today, so he stayed here so that he could cure Aponia as soon as possible.

While Dr. Mei was communicating with Kevin, the previously calm cocoon finally reacted. It trembled and floated up, then gently unfolded to both sides along the central pattern, eventually transforming into a pair of thin, translucent butterfly wings, exposing the inner form to Ai Yue.

Aponia held the Eighth Divine Key, looking no different from usual. The only difference was that two pairs of arms with the same texture as her wings extended from her sides. Compared to other Fused Warrior who would turn into monstrous creatures, she looked so beautiful that it was hard to believe she had been infected with the mutated power.

Through his research on the powers of the Herrscher of Aberration, Ai Yue was able to determine that Aponia must have suppressed the effects of the aberration energy on her body through her own power before the aberration occurred, which is why she was able to maintain her current state.

As the wings unfurled, Aponia opened her eyes. Her body slumped down, and Ai Yue gently pulled her into his arms. The butterfly's wings covered the two of them, providing a faint light in the dim room.

Ai Yue felt Aponia's temperature and breath, and subconsciously held his breath.

He could sense how fragile Aponia was at that moment. Her body temperature was as low as an ice cube, and her breathing was so light that it was almost imperceptible. She seemed to be just like a butterfly, and with just the slightest bit of force, she would vanish instantly.

Even with the support of the Divine Keys, the mental defense network could only be maintained for a little over sixty days. Aponia managed to extend it for another thirty days, successfully holding on until the last batch of Fused Warrior were rescued.

Despite the assistance of Ai Yue and other Mental Perception Fused Warrior, Ai Yue knew very well that, more importantly, it was Aponia herself.

He couldn't imagine how Aponia had managed it, but in any case, she must be very weak now.

In the last ten days or so, Aponia was no longer able to give a clear response to his contact. At that time, Ai Yue realized that Aponia's power must have been severely overdrawn.

Under such circumstances, he didn't even dare to speak.

Finally, Aponia spoke first, "Everyone, are you all saved?"

"Yes, a total of 102,011 people, all of whom survived safely."

Ai Yue lowered his voice as much as possible, "Aponia, you did a very, very, very good job."

"Yeah."

A hint of amusement crept into Aponia's voice. "So, I guess I really did save something, didn't I?"

Aponia has always harbored very complex feelings about her special power.

On the one hand, this power gives her an incredibly clear understanding of fate, which allows her to see everyone from a perspective far beyond that of ordinary people, greatly helping her in interpersonal relationships and other aspects.

But it is precisely because of this power that she is separated from the world by a barrier, and can never truly achieve anything.

She was powerless against fate; though she could see the threads, she was ultimately nothing more than a puppet.

Even so, when Ai Yue disappeared and the Herrscher of Aberration revealed its fangs, Aponia still chose to give up everything to gain a glimmer of hope.

And this time, hope has truly appeared.

"Of course, haven't you always been helping others?"

Ai Yue could understand Aponia's feelings at this moment, and his tone became even gentler, "Don't think too much, just do what you can do, and leave the rest to me."

"I know, I know."

Aponia murmured, "It is because I believed you could come back that I was able to do this."

"I'm sorry, this was my oversight."

Upon hearing Aponia mention the Sea of Quantum, Ai Yue felt even more guilty. "If I had come back sooner... no, if I hadn't gotten lost in the Sea of Quantum, things would never have turned out this way."

"Humans always have to grow, and at least this time, everyone did a good job, didn't they?"

Aponia said softly, "However, I do hope that you can consider more people before you do things."

Ai Yue could only bow his head and say, "I'm sorry, it won't happen again."

"You said the same thing last time."

"...sorry."

"As punishment, I'll punish you by making you never leave my side."

Ai Yue suddenly frowned suspiciously. "Aponia, you wouldn't actually be... as weak as you seem?"

Just as a severely ill person is unlikely to engage in normal logical thinking, if Aponia were truly overdrawn and extremely weak at this moment, she would probably not have made this final request in such a gradual and gradual manner.

As the person who knows Aponia best in the world, he increasingly felt that Aponia was actually using this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get him to agree to things he would normally deliberately avoid.

Faced with Ai Yue's question, Aponia remained silent for a moment, then suddenly said in an even weaker tone, "I think I'm a little tired, and I want to sleep for a while."

This reaction only confirmed Ai Yue's guess. He simply helped Aponia lie down on the bed and said, "Go to sleep. I'll stay here with you."

Aponia closed her eyes and her breathing became steady. She seemed to fall asleep quickly, with only her left hand still clasped with Ai Yue's.

Just then, Ai Yue suddenly took out his mobile device, put it to his ear, and whispered something to someone, "Hey, Mobius? Uh... now? Okay, I got it, I'm coming right now."

He had barely finished speaking when he felt Aponia's hand tighten suddenly. The nun lying on the bed opened her eyes and looked at him with a somewhat aggrieved expression. "You're not allowed to go."

Ai Yue then showed her the screen with an amused expression. It was currently displaying the desktop, and there was no communication connection at all.

Aponia was silent for a moment, then quietly turned her head to the other side.

If Ai Yue were to reach out and touch her cheek at this moment, he would find that the temperature where he touched her was surprisingly high. Fortunately, there was almost no light in the room, so this matter would not be so easily exposed.

"Okay, I promised to stay here with you, so I'm definitely not leaving."

After confirming that Aponia's condition was more normal than it appeared, Ai Yue felt relieved and took out the distortion correction agent, injecting it into Aponia's body. "Didn't you say you were going to punish me? Then you'd better get better quickly."

Seemingly because the degree of distortion was not severe, under the effect of this medicine, Aponia's wings and extra arms quickly dimmed and eventually disappeared, and her condition gradually stabilized.

"Then you'll be busy with work very soon,"

Perhaps due to her weakness, Aponia's tone even carried a hint of coquetry, "If that's the case, I'd rather time pass more slowly right now."

"That won't do. Seeing you like this makes me very sad."

Ai Yue set the empty container aside, reached out and turned Aponia's face towards him, then leaned in close. "Besides," he said, "even if you don't punish me, I'll punish you—"

With the successful launch of the global internet, the world is recovering at an extremely fast pace. The reconnection with the internet has felt like a lifetime ago to many, and has greatly alleviated the panic and anxiety brought about by the previous period of silence.