I'm No MOTH Hero

An Artificial Intelligence was actually bickering with its auxiliary target.

Lin took a deep breath, the taste of seawater still lingering in his mouth. He said to Mei, "Mei, remove Prometheus from my system. Her personality system has evolved to a point where she no longer needs to cooperate with humans."

An AI that doesn't accept orders... unnecessary.

"The intelligent tree structure is indeed quite complete, and the simulation is nearly perfect." Mei checked Prometheus's data. Lin wasn't wrong; Prometheus's current judgment ability had surpassed the concept of artificial intelligence itself. It could be said to be a new intelligent life born from data, possessing the heaven-defying computational power of an AI.

To achieve this level in such a short time, was it due to Prometheus's excellent evolutionary logic, or Lin's influence?

Looking at the peak on the data graph that stood alone in its brilliance, there was no need to consider other options.

Lin brought the helmet's data transmission cable to Mei. All that was needed now was for Mei to use her Creator Authority to transfer Prometheus's entire system to another carrier to achieve separation.

But Mei pushed the transmission cable away.

"..." Lin stared at Mei speechlessly, demanding an explanation.

"Prometheus Unit One was originally just a trial artificial intelligence. I planned for her to absorb your combat data to evolve, and then use Unit One's data to develop Prometheus Unit Two for installation on MOTH's autonomous weapons." Mei wasn't nervous under his terrifying gaze, slowly picking up her teacup for a sip. "Now that Unit Two's development is on the agenda, there's no need to take Unit One back from you. She can already assist you."

"This isn't what we agreed on."

"There's no difference. Didn't you hear Unit One say it yourself back then? She said she would learn and improve, but that doesn't mean Prometheus assisting other soldiers is her."

"..."

A linguistic trap.

Mei had planned all of this from the start. From the very first word Prometheus spoke to Lin, it was a trap Mei had set, waiting for Lin to fall into it.

"I don't need an AI that doesn't obey orders," Lin finally voiced his true thoughts.

"But judging by the outcome, her judgment was correct." Mei put down her teacup, tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, and smiled. "And Lin, if you didn't have Prometheus this time, wouldn't your mission have been significantly more difficult?"

"...In the past, you would describe things using numbers and probabilities."

"But I feel those things aren't very effective with you."

Lin gazed at the calm and composed Mei for a moment before retracting the transmission cable.

Mei's transformation after joining MOTH was unimaginably rapid. The once shy and unsophisticated girl now exuded an aura of a high-ranking individual.

Perhaps this was how she was meant to be, or perhaps... how everyone hoped she would be.

Lin walked out of the office, and Kevin caught up to him. Kevin, who had been silent, grabbed his friend's shoulder and hesitated before speaking, "Lin, you..."

"Kevin, you've become rather quiet," Lin said, turning to him before Kevin could finish.

Kevin froze and let go.

Yes, in the past, he would have bantered and joked with Lin. When the three of them were together, the atmosphere was always light and cheerful.

But after the Fifth Branch Incident, he seemed to have started standing behind Mei, silently observing everyone.

Like Mei's shadow.

Was that really the atmosphere of friends chatting just now? Did Mei used to smile like that?

Kevin withdrew his hand, his pupils flickering slightly, and whispered, "You too, Lin."

Lin looked at the dejected Kevin and said, "Remember when I went on a mission to the Fifth Branch? I met Su."

"Su?"

"He was investigating Changkong City, but I stopped him. Now he's working as a doctor."

"A doctor... that's good too."

"Don't let any more people 'change,' Kevin."

Lin patted Kevin's shoulder, just like he used to, but this time the meaning behind it was vastly different.

Chapter Sixty-Six: That Tiny Bit of Nothingness

Hospital room. Lin hadn't lain down; he got out of the repair pod and directly sat in the wheelchair. He had skipped over a month of time.

After finding the room number, he pushed the door open. The injured patient admitted wasn't severely wounded. The most serious injury was a fracture he had inflicted on himself. However, considering the limb amputation and psychological trauma, he had been assigned a private room.

The room had good ventilation, with a separate air circulation system. On the bedside table sat a bouquet of carnations the nurse had just replaced, looking vibrant and beautiful. Sunlight streamed in from the window, casting a layer of bright, sheer gauze.

Lin carried the fruit basket to the bedside and placed it on the table. The person on the bed leaned against the pillow, quietly watching him.

"I didn't expect you to be the first to visit me. This is truly... interesting." Spasi placed his remaining half-arm outside the blanket. Mei's surgical skills weren't outstanding, but they were precise enough. Amputating his forearm didn't affect the normal function of Spasi's remaining limb.

Compared to the madness of their last meeting, Spasi was much more composed now. His long hair was tidied, restoring his image as a graceful Doctor. However, his pale complexion indicated that his physical condition wasn't good.

Lin pulled over a stool and sat down. "The fruit basket was from Mei. She's too busy to get away, so I came to visit on her behalf."

Spasi covered the back of his head with one hand and let out a loud laugh. "Hahahaha, that's right. Why would you voluntarily visit the enemy who killed your wife?"

"..." Lin saw that his smile wasn't fake and after a moment's thought, asked, "Do you still want to hit me?"

"Forget it. Even if I hit you, I'd just end up hurting myself." Spasi shook his head, shifted his weight to sit higher, and looked at the light from the windowsill. "Besides, now that you've asked, who could bring themselves to do it?"

"I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry?"

"..."

"After I woke up, I thought a lot, from the day I met Karen all the way to SiZhi's birth. Oh, right, that day we were planning to go to the restaurant where Karen and I first met to celebrate."

Spasi's eyes sparkled, a gentle smile gracing his lips: "You'd never guess, but my first meeting with her was also on her birthday. I had just finished my graduation thesis and hadn't eaten all day. I randomly picked a restaurant, and ended up so dizzy from hunger that I didn't realize it was booked for a birthday party."

"I thought it was some kind of restaurant event, so I just sat down and started eating like crazy. The birthday girl was sitting right next to me, curiously watching this stranger crash her party. It wasn't until I felt the silence around me and looked up, our eyes meeting."

Spasi couldn't help but laugh, recalling the scene that was both awkward and fated: "The way people meet can be so strange, right? Who knew that a regular science student, almost starving to death, would end up with the girl whose food he'd eaten without paying."

Lin was quieter than ever, afraid of disturbing the man's memories, and he took every word Spasi said to heart.

"We went through a lot afterwards. I joined MOTH, and she did too. Then she got pregnant and gave birth to SiZhi. From then on, my life gained two more important people. It was also from SiZhi's birth that my originally rigid, rational way of thinking began to change."

"Why can life be so magical? The birth of a new life is a tiny part of this world, yet it's an indispensable part. A whole life, from birth to death, is simply a collection of miracles."

"Can you understand?"

Lin nodded.

"I hope so." Spasi might have felt Lin was just humoring him, but he didn't care. "From someone who had nothing, to accompanying two incredibly important women, the flaws in my humanity were slowly mended in the process."

"So now, you feel like you've lost your humanity again?"

"Huh? No, no, no, how could that be?" Spasi chuckled comfortably. "Do you know what Karen said about you when we talked about you?"

"..."

"A great life, no different from any other human."

Spasi spoke as if to himself: "At first, I thought you were just an emotionless programmed machine. But after remembering Karen's words, I think I understand your way of thinking."

"You don't see individual humans as special. To you, all humans are equal. You also have love and hate, but under this egalitarian thinking, your choices for 'what is right' far outweigh your choices for 'yourself'."

"Simply put, you downplay the self. You're an absolute altruist."

Carnations drooped.

Spasi couldn't help but burst into laughter: "This is truly bizarre. An altruist is misinterpreted as a selfish killing machine, and to truly understand you, one has to approach it from the perspective of life philosophy."

"So, you still haven't answered my question." Lin gently shook his head.

"Aren't I answering you now? I'm interpreting you from the perspective of life philosophy, which is based on humanity. That's why I understood that you shot back then to give me a target for my hatred and anger, to relieve Kevin's psychological burden. It was a cruel act, but its purpose was for the good of others. This is truly..."

"...You don't have to pretend you don't hate me anymore."

"Of course I hate you!" Spasi suddenly gritted his teeth and growled. "What does it matter even if I know all this! Even if I know everyone was helpless back then, that I was acting like a lunatic throwing a tantrum, that your 'rationality' was absolutely correct, so what!"

"I wanted to transfer my hatred to the people who attacked the Fifth Branch, but they informed me that the culprit had already been executed! So what am I supposed to do? Live on happily and generously from now on? Bury the past with the will of my deceased wife and the love for my daughter? What a joke!"

"Can human emotions really disappear just because of the word 'correct'? Can they disappear just because you're an altruist who means well for others? Do you think this impulse to smash your head in can be stopped by those things!"

Spasi's voice grew louder and louder, even alarming a nurse. The door was pushed open from the outside. Lin gestured for her to ignore it.

"But... I still don't want to kill you..."

His voice was low.

"Back then, everyone was helpless, but I wish I had researched a cure for the Honkai Sickness before that."

"I wish I had discovered that the Fifth Branch was being invaded."

"I wish... I had died a step earlier."

Spasi covered his face, tears sliding down his loose skin.

"Every human life is equally great..."

"But I couldn't protect my 'insignificant' ones."

Tears fell into the light.

Chapter 67: Ms. Vill-V's Invention

"Asimov proposed the Three Laws of Robotics: A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law."

"Artificial intelligence and robots are not the same, but these three laws can also apply to AI to constrain them from harming humans."

Lin gripped the control stick with both hands, his fingers lightly touching a few buttons to bring up the unit's information. He questioned the AI, which was right beside him and claimed absolute obedience: "Didn't Doctor Mei set these three laws for you?"

This time, a voice directly appeared in his mind: "Doctor Mei set the three laws, and also added a Zeroth Law that overrides the other three: Must protect the overall interests of humanity from harm. At that time, protecting Lin had a higher priority than protecting Ritter. Ritter was an individual who harmed the overall interests of humanity, so I could not execute the order."

"..." Lin closed his mouth and began to familiarize himself with the various operations, which were different from last time, tacitly accepting Prometheus's explanation.

Actually, if one thought about it carefully, they could find the loopholes in Prometheus's statement. They didn't know Ritter would do such a thing back then. Based on his previous behavior, he was more likely to abandon Lin and flee. Compared to everyone in the Deepest Place, Lin's priority wasn't that high.

But Lin didn't press further. Since Prometheus was evading his questions, there was no point in continuing to ask.

Prometheus's mechanical female voice echoed in his mind: "Simulating scenario Changkong City. Neural connection confirmed. Ten, nine, eight... two, one. Simulation commencing."

Climbing out of the cockpit, Delta, holding a device, waved at him: "Thanks for your hard work, dragging you out on your day off... Ah, no, you don't seem to have days off."

MOTH did indeed have one day off per month, but Lin had never taken it, using all his time for missions and training, which was why Delta said he didn't have days off.

"It's fine." Lin moved aside to let the R&D department members in, then picked up his jacket from the rack and put it on.

"The main body is almost complete. The rest is just continuous testing and modification. We can finally have some downtime." Delta tapped the large metal shell and grinned. "It's always been simulations. You must be tired of it too. Soon you'll be able to control a Titan for real."

"..." Lin adjusted his cuffs, put on the miniaturized system on his ear, and the contact lens in his eyes displayed the information interface. He nodded silently.

"…I've wanted to ask since you came in, why are you today…" Delta rubbed his chin, his eyes filled with a thoughtful gaze, "dressed like you're going on vacation."

And not just vacation, this level of neatness, are you going on a date?

"Heh heh, so you're finally opening up, huh? That's right, you haven't rested in months since the Third Honkai War, and it's only been a little over a month before you've been on missions non-stop until today." Delta unceremoniously put his hand on Lin's shoulder, leaning in lewdly and whispering, "Who is it? Who is it? Elysia? I remember you two came together at the last ball…"

"Don't ask too many questions."

Lin shook off his hand, jumped down from the maintenance rack, then brushed off the dust and left the research department.

"Ah, even this kid has a private life now, truly…" Delta shook his head in admiration.

"Captain, yesterday's mission report is ready."

Immer, whom he met on the way, reported to Lin as they walked. In the past few months, he had followed Lin on errands more than Hua. He was diligent, selfless, and knew how to follow orders. If more people were to join the team in the future, Immer would likely serve as Lin's second-in-command.

Lin received Immer's mission report through his personal interface. He spent a little over two seconds reading the detailed report before nodding at Immer.

This report was over nine thousand words long, and Immer had spent nearly a day writing it. Only Immer knew the effort involved, but he had no doubt that Lin could read the report in almost an instant. He believed that even if asked now, Immer could tell Lin which line of the report he was referring to.

"Alright, then today's mission… hmm? Captain, are you planning to go out?" Immer, like Delta, had noticed Lin's unusual attire from the start. However, he initially thought Lin was just wearing casual clothes occasionally. It wasn't until Lin walked directly past the Squad Seven Combat Lounge that he hesitantly asked.

After submitting the report, Lin simply replied, "Yes."

"Is it a confidential mission?"

"No, today is my day off."

"...Day off?"

"Day off."

"Wait a moment, Captain." Immer seriously stopped Lin, took out his communicator, and dialed the cafeteria. "Hello, this is Immer from Squad Seven. I would like to request an investigation into whether the food provided yesterday was spoiled… Yes, the Captain is exhibiting symptoms of mental instability. Please handle this seriously…"