Although the Black Box was a planetary computer that restrained virus machines.
That restraint was of little use against the Virus Machine Grand Dukes.
After all, every one of these Virus Machine Grand Dukes was equivalent to possessing part of the "Civilization Leader Authority," placing them even higher than ordinary civilization leaders.
This was also the greatest advantage of the Virus Machine Civilization.
When more than twenty Virus Machine Grand Dukes joined forces, even the Insect Queen could not forcibly convert them. She might even be reverse-calculated instead.
Thus, the Faceless Civilization was a vassal, while the Virus Machine Civilization could serve as an ally.
Within the Supreme Algorithm, the Assimilator controlled the "algorithmic learning optimization" segment. Although this was not a combat-oriented algorithmic function, it gave the Assimilator an intense intuition—a sixth sense for the technology trees of other civilizations.
This intuition was extremely useful in many situations. It could absorb the technologies of other civilizations, evolve restraining mechanical viruses, and thereby drive algorithmic upgrades.
Thus, although the Assimilator was not among the most powerful Virus Machine Grand Dukes in terms of combat strength, after so many generations of iteration, it was the one most likely to break through to the rank of Upper Grand Duke.
Within the Virus Machine Civilization, infighting, internal conflict, and civil war were as natural as breathing and drinking water.
The Assimilator therefore knew that words alone would not convince any Grand Duke.
Most of them would assume that it was trying to seize leadership of "algorithmic iteration."
Putting itself in their place, it would probably think the same way.
So it stopped trying to persuade the other Grand Dukes and activated its own authority instead.
In an instant, it entered another kind of "field of vision."
The vacuum was like a culture dish.