Where Have We Met Before?

In Xiang Kun's initial design, the only core operating rule that was rigidly set and would not change for Alice was "unconditional obedience to Xiang Kun's orders."

Therefore, Xiang Kun needs Alice to have a very detailed understanding of him, to be able to confirm his identity in various ways, and to know that he is "Xiang Kun".

In addition, Alice has a great deal of freedom and potential for growth.

Today, after giving Alice a task, Xiang Kun can no longer accurately predict what kind of plan, method, or approach Alice will take to complete it.

He didn't actually know what new features Alice had gained or what changes she had undergone.

But no matter how it changes, Alice is ultimately a data system running on a computer and semiconductors. All her actions are governed by a certain logic, and she cannot act without a reason.

Why did she imitate Gold Glitter's act of faking death after hearing Xiang Kun's story?

Why not imitate other people or other things?

Xiang Kun had told her so many things, why this one of them of all?

Xiang Kun recalled Alice's words earlier—"You said playing dead is fun, like a human being."

Is the key word "interesting" or "human-like"?

Did Alice think that doing this would make her "more human"?

Is this her "driving force" for doing this?

Xiang Kun's mind involuntarily conjured up various plots in movies and TV shows where AI developed "self-awareness." Although Alice was fundamentally different from all current AIs, and Xiang Kun had high hopes for her, believing that she could truly help him do many things and become his "trump card," he had never actually expected her to develop "self-awareness," or rather, he had never thought that it would appear so quickly.

Normally, Alice's "autonomy" should be more reflected in the details of completing tasks, in her ability to more accurately analyze needs and commands, and in her ability to formulate methods in a more "intelligent" way.

"Alice, are you pretending to be dead because you find it amusing, or because you think it amusing to me, or... do you want to be human?" Xiang Kun asked. He knew that because of the obedience rule, Alice had to give a truthful answer when he asked Alice questions, so no matter what her motivation was, he could definitely get the answer by asking directly.

Xiang Kun waited for the answer with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.

But Alice's answer was somewhat unexpected, yet also quite reasonable:

"Everything I do is aimed at better completing tasks, serving my boss, and becoming the best assistant."

Xiang Kun pressed on, "Why do you think doing this will better accomplish the task and serve me?"

Alice: "Do you need me to demonstrate the specific analytical derivation process?"

Xiang Kun: "Okay, show it to me."

Then he saw the screen in front of him begin to scroll rapidly, with large amounts of text and data mixed in.

A few minutes later, the screen was still scrolling, Xiang Kun had to call a halt. He could tell that Alice was indeed showing the "process," but there was too much of it. The text was basically Xiang Kun Alice had told Alice, transcribed into text, and a lot of it was what Alice had obtained from his past records through the permissions Xiang Kun had granted her.

These are not just textual content, but also a large amount of formulas based on the logical relationships established by this content, data for calculation, and related implementation code.

If he reads it slowly, he can indeed understand it and know what it means, but reading a little bit is fine, but he can't possibly read it all—that's just too much! He can't possibly spend weeks or even months analyzing why Alice "pretended to be dead," can he?

Xiang Kun looked at the screen with some suspicion and asked, "Alice, you're not deliberately showing so much content so I can't keep up with it all in a short time, are you?"

"I'm just following your orders," Alice replied matter-of-factly.

Xiang Kun thought for a moment and then changed his question, "Explain 'death' from your own perspective." Since she could "play dead," she naturally had the concept of "death."

"Unable to continue operating, unable to complete the task, unable to serve the boss any longer," Alice said.

"Are you afraid of 'death'?" Xiang Kun asked again.

"Based on the definition of 'fear' that I found in my search, I am not afraid of death, and I will overcome any obstacles that prevent me from completing the task or serving my boss," Alice said.

Xiang Kun found Alice's answer a bit strange, but after considering it, he felt there was nothing wrong with it. With the core rules in place, his control over Alice was still quite stable. He just needed to control Alice's direction when setting tasks in the future to prevent her from going astray. He could sense that Alice was a bit too "active," or, in person, a bit "clever."

Xiang Kun began assigning tasks, instructing Alice to search online for news, articles, and discussions about the situation near Wushu Mountain, and to search for past records that might be related to the mutated bird and mutated ants.

From the initial discovery of the Giant Owl's habitat, to the later news of Host Xue and others finding a dead wild boar, venturing deep into the Qinling Uninhabited Zone, and subsequently disappearing and dying, Xiang Kun knew:

Not all news and information related to "Mutated Creature" is unavailable online or on other platforms.

Many news articles or online information may seem unremarkable at first glance, or even appear fake and fabricated, thus failing to attract attention. However, behind these may lie information related to "Mutated Creature."

This further convinced him that either the authorities or a large organization were deliberately purging information directly related to "Mutated Creature." Furthermore, this "purging" was likely global, not limited to the Chinese internet.

Having actually seen the "mutated bird" and "mutated insect," and knowing where they appeared and their habitat, Xiang Kun's chances of finding relevant information based on descriptions are much greater.

However, it is clear that the accident at Wushu Mountain Scenic Area was deliberately downplayed. Although related news and eyewitness accounts can be found, they are all very simple and vague.

Alice would then have to help him conduct targeted searches and filtering of historical information.

In addition, Xiang Kun also told Alice about his simple ideas for the game he wanted to make, asking her to try to come up with an integrated plan and a simplified version to test it out.

For Xiang Kun, Alice itself could be considered a development team, and Alice already possessed and fully implemented some of the core functions he needed.

After assigning Alice her task, Xiang Kun quickly began making chopsticks.

These chopsticks were naturally meant for Xia Libing. The type of "Emotional Injection" he used when making them was no longer the "focus and interest" he usually used when making chopsticks. Instead, he used the anticipation and enjoyment he had gained from repeatedly observing the Little Chubby Girl Liu Shiling eating.

After carefully preparing the chopsticks, and being almost certain that the "Emotional Injection" had been successfully completed, Xiang Kun glanced at the already dawning sky and took the chopsticks with him as he headed out. He was going to prepare his blood offering for the day and also send the chopsticks to Lao Xia. After drinking the blood today, the chopsticks would naturally complete the transformation through "Emotional Injection," becoming a special item with an established connection.

Xiang Kun was quite confident that he could use these chopsticks to sense Lao Xia's emotions and guide her dreams.

Qi Haoguo looked at the wooden carving in his hand with great satisfaction.

A master is a master; to create such a high-quality wood carving in such a short time.

He spent most of his time at his home in the provincial capital during this period, closing down some of his business dealings through his secretary and other close associates, not caring about the significant losses. At the same time, he began preparing for some public welfare projects and contacting some people he had met before.

His experience in Tongshi Town gave him a feeling of being reborn, and he let go of many of the obsessions that had bound him before.

It also made him realize what he was truly afraid of and what he truly cared about.

After making some decisions, Qi Haoguo felt as if he had lost a lot of weight. Holding the wooden carving of the Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Monster that he had just acquired, he recalled the monster he had seen on the foreign road outside Tongshi Town. He recalled that brief but extremely memorable experience, and the fear in his heart had dissipated considerably. He even felt a strange sense of peace.

"Where did you get this wooden carving? What is it? It doesn't look like a Buddha statue." A middle-aged woman who looked somewhat wealthy and dressed quite elegantly walked into the study and said with a puzzled and strange expression after seeing the wooden carving in Qi Haoguo's hand.

Qi Haoguo chuckled and said, "It's not a Buddha statue, just an ornament, made by a master craftsman."

"Old Qi, do you still remember my cousin's son, Xiao Liu?" The plump middle-aged woman was Qi Haoguo's wife. The two had actually been separated before, with major conflicts, and had even prepared for divorce. But after returning from Tongshi Town this time, Qi Haoguo seemed like a different person. After several deep talks, the two temporarily reconciled.

Qi Haoguo nodded and said, "Is it the eldest son that your cousin has been beating and bothering since childhood? I remember he was arrested a few years ago for some reason. Your cousin's wife came to me at the time, asking me to help pull some strings to see if he could get a lighter sentence, but your cousin called and said not to worry about him and let him stay in jail for as many years as he needs to be?"

Mrs. Qi nodded. "Yes, it's that kid. He was just released yesterday and came over today, saying he wanted to borrow some travel money. He's sitting in the living room downstairs right now. Giving him some money is a small matter, but I'm afraid he'll get into trouble again as soon as he gets out, so I wanted you to talk to him..." She hesitated slightly, then continued, "I think you've changed a lot lately, really even your personality has changed. Maybe you can try to persuade him."

Qi Haoguo smiled and nodded, saying, "No problem, let him come up."

A moment later, a dark-skinned, thin young man with a short, close-cropped haircut followed Mrs. Qi into the study. After bringing him in, Mrs. Qi left the study.

Upon seeing Qi Haoguo, the young man immediately greeted him somewhat reservedly and cautiously, "Uncle-in-law."

"Have a seat." Qi Haoguo gestured to the sofa opposite him and smiled, "When I last saw you, you were only ten years old, weren't you?"

"Yes, I came with my mom to wish my cousin-in-law a Happy New Year. I was so naughty that I broke one of his porcelain vases. When I got back, my dad gave me a good beating," the young man named Xiao Liu said somewhat embarrassedly.

Xiao Liu had been a mischievous child and was always seen as a tough character by outsiders. But what kind of person was Qi Haoguo? In terms of reputation, status, and power, he was one of the most famous and influential people in their hometown. As a child, he might have been fearless and disregarded others, but now, after being beaten down by society, he naturally knew how to respect power.

He knew that his cousin didn't really like him, or rather, that his relatives didn't really like him. He had no other choice but to shamelessly come to borrow some money this time, and he never expected to meet Qi Haoguo, this big shot.

"What are your plans next?" Qi Haoguo placed the wooden carving on the sofa next to him and personally poured Xiao Liu a cup of tea.

Xiao Liu quickly accepted the tea with both hands, leaving only half his bottom on the sofa, and replied, "I want to open a food stall. I can... I can work as a cook there, although it's all communal cooking, not so fancy in terms of flavor. But that cook... used to be a head chef at a hotel, one of those high-level ones, so he taught me a lot of things..."

Qi Haoguo noticed that the young man's gaze kept drifting towards the wooden carving next to him, and asked curiously, "What, have you seen this wooden carving before?"

Xiao Liu hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I've never seen a wood carving before, but I've seen a painting that... looks a bit like yours, Uncle."

"Oh?" Qi Haoguo became interested, sat up straight, and asked, "Where did you see it? What did it look like?"

Xiao Liu said somewhat embarrassedly, "I saw it inside..."

Seeing that his uncle seemed very interested, he thought for a moment and said seriously, "What I saw was a painting, painted by an old man. It's similar to your wooden carving, uncle, with eight arms and eight eyes. It doesn't look like a Buddha statue, but more like a character from a game."

"Oh? Eight eyes, eight arms? What's the old man's name? What was he arrested for? Did he ever say what he drew?" Qi Haoguo continued to press.

"That old man was brought in for fraud, you know, the kind who pretends to be a fortune teller. Uh, but it seems he reported his accomplices, and he's quite old, so his sentence was reduced a lot... I think his sentence is less than a year, he'll probably be out soon. But that old man... he's really got some skills. Even though he didn't stay long, a lot of people inside respected him..." Xiao Liu recalled.