Skynet System

Early morning, the streets of Yong'an City were slightly damp, as the street sweeper had just passed by.

My uncle sat in the driver's seat, while Meng Chuan sat in the passenger seat, lost in thought about his fist techniques.

Meng Yongzhi was the first to break the silence:

"Chuan'er, how has your training been with Master Luo lately?"

"It's going quite well, I've gained a lot. Master Luo is not only powerful, but his teaching is also very professional."

Meng Yongzhi praised him:

"Is that so? Your uncle never dreamed that Master Luo would accept you as a personal disciple, but sometimes when I see you practicing martial arts until you forget to eat and sleep, and then think about it carefully, I feel that all of this is what you deserve. This must be what they mean by 'Heaven rewards the diligent'."

Hearing his uncle's praise, Meng Chuan didn't know what to say. He knew that his own hard work was certainly crucial, but without the system panel and One Proof Eternal Proof, he could never have achieved his current opportunities and strength.

"Oh, right, has Senior Bai contacted you recently?"

"Not yet. Master Luo asked on my behalf a couple of days ago; the research and judgment team hasn't arrived yet. Uncle, please don't be anxious."

"Haha, I'm not anxious, it's just that... I've already bragged about it, so you must tell me the moment there's a result."

Qindu Branch Bureau.

Meng Chuan and Meng Yongzhi parked the car at the entrance. As soon as they walked through the gate, someone was there to receive them.

A spirited young policewoman strode forward, took Meng Chuan's hand, and said kindly:

"You're little Meng, right? Come on, follow me inside first, the Police Chief is waiting for you."

Meng Yongzhi went off to chat with his former classmates from the police academy.

In the reception room, Meng Chuan noticed that besides Mountain Shaking Ape Long Jiu, there was also a young man in a white lab coat in the room.

Seeing Meng Chuan arrive, Long Jiu spoke up:

"Little Meng is here? Let me introduce you. This is Fang Jianxing, the director of the Technology Department at our Yong'an General Bureau. Hearing that our little hero was coming today, he specifically rushed over to meet you."

"Hello, Director Fang."

The young man in the white lab coat stood up and extended his hand, a cheerful smile hanging beneath his square-rimmed glasses:

"Hello little Meng, there's no need to call me Director; it makes it seem like there's a generation gap. I'm not many years older than you, just call me Brother Fang."

As Fang Jianxing stood up, Meng Chuan was finally able to see his full appearance. He was thin, and the veins on his extended right hand were particularly prominent.

"Alright, Brother Fang."

After the two shook hands, Long Jiu gestured for them to sit:

"Sit, everyone sit. Little Meng, your Brother Fang once studied abroad. After returning to the country, he joined the research and development of the national Skynet project. We are all rough men who only know how to use brute force; your Brother Fang is the one who uses his brain. You should learn a lot from him."

Meng Chuan nodded with a smile to show his agreement, but thought to himself:

Skynet, does it have anything to do with Tong Family Alley that night?

Master Luo had told him before that because the Skynet near Tong Family Alley had malfunctioned and failed to detect the coverage of the Heavenly Demon Force Field in time, the tragedy had occurred.

Fang Jianxing smiled and waved his hand:

"I don't deserve such praise, Police Chief Long. I only participated in the research of Skynet; I didn't hold a leading position. You are overestimating me, Police Chief Long. We should learn from each other."

"Brother Fang, you are still very impressive. By the way, Police Chief Long, was it because of this Skynet that Master Luo was able to rush over and save me back then?"

Hearing Meng Chuan mention the Tong Family Alley incident, Long Jiu's expression dimmed slightly. After a moment of silence, he said faintly:

"Yes, at that time our Skynet system detected abnormal magnetic field fluctuations and determined that a Heavenly Demon had appeared.

Afterward, combined with big data analysis to confirm the victim's identity, and considering Master Luo's speed, we notified him to go save you."

"Your will was strong enough to withstand the first wave of the Heavenly Demon's invasion, allowing you to hold on until Master Luo provided support, and even to save yourself while avenging all the elders and fellow villagers in Tong Family Alley."

Hearing Long Jiu's words, the night of that day surfaced in Meng Chuan's mind again.

In the pitch-black alley, the hanging corpses, the rampant laughter of the Heavenly Demon—for a moment, his heart was filled with anger.

"Police Chief Long, Brother Fang, why didn't Skynet detect the Heavenly Demon Force Field in Tong Family Alley before? So many people had already died, could there be..."

Fang Jianxing adjusted his glasses and spoke first:

"I can answer this question. It has been less than three years since Skynet was successfully developed and put into use. To be precise, the Skynet system in our Yong'an City only began large-scale installation at the beginning of last year.

It is quite normal for there to be some minor issues, because it's not just our Yong'an; the Skynet systems in other cities also have various minor problems that require subsequent debugging and repairs."

Fang Jianxing paused for a moment, then continued:

"As for what you are guessing, it's fine, you can say it boldly.

I think you are wondering if there is a mole among us, right?"

Meng Chuan didn't speak, and Police Chief Long took over the conversation:

"Little Meng, you can rest assured about this. This time, not only in our Qindu District but across all branch bureaus in the entire city, we conducted a major screening of all staff members in the Skynet department. The results of the screening indeed did not find any suspicious personnel."

"Furthermore, having experienced this large-scale tragedy in Tong Family Alley caused by the Skynet malfunction, and in order to learn from history and keep our guard up, our Technical Department, led by Director Fang and funded by the state, is currently conducting a massive overhaul of all Skynet equipment across the city."

Fang Jianxing continued:

"I am also deeply saddened by the Tong Family Alley incident. For this large-scale maintenance operation, I have already signed a military pledge, guaranteeing that our Yong'an Skynet system will operate flawlessly for the next five, or even ten, years."

After hearing their explanations, Meng Chuan felt that he might have indeed been overthinking things.

"Thank you, I understand. Brother Fang, I thank you on behalf of all the people in this city."

Meng Chuan stood up and bowed.

Fang Jianxing suddenly asked:

"By the way, Little Meng, I have a small question: how did you manage to survive the Heavenly Demon's first possession back then?"

At that time, Meng Chuan had not yet passed the first Blood Qi barrier and could not even be considered a Martial Practitioner; even with his current strength, he would have had no chance of breaking free.

"Perhaps it was my willpower that helped me. When I saw the carnage in Tong Family Alley, my blood instantly rushed to my head, and there was only one thought in my mind: to kill it."

Hearing Meng Chuan's words, Fang Jianxing was the first to applaud:

"The human body still holds many secrets we have yet to discover that are worth exploring. As the saying goes: true willpower can pierce through solid rock. I think Little Meng's willpower is somewhat like that."

He then raised his hand to check the time and continued:

"Time is about up. Well, Police Chief Long, Little Meng, I'll be heading off now; there are still some matters to attend to at the General Bureau."

Hearing that Director Fang was leaving, Police Chief Long called out:

"Alright, Director Fang, I won't keep you then. You research personnel have busy schedules."

He simultaneously pulled out his phone to make a call:

"Xiao Yue, come down to Building Three and drive Director Fang."