Form

Rowan had been operating in this star field for many years. With his unique infiltration methods, he had "his own people" within the Star Sea Alliance and even within the Epoch Clan.

These "insiders" are found in all walks of life: researchers, merchants, soldiers, managers, and even members of royal families and esteemed elders of the Ji Epoch Clan.

Therefore, in Rowan's eyes, the Star Sea Alliance, including the Epoch Clan, was no longer as mysterious as before. His various information channels made him very well-informed.

If Saide discovers anything unusual about "Ying" and reports it, such explosive news, which could even cause panic, might be kept secret from outsiders and even ordinary Epoch Clan. However, as a respected elder of the Epoch Clan, Humins would not be kept in the dark about such a major event.

Even though Humins was in a remote area, and it was also a battlefield, where information was somewhat limited, and a local council of Council of Elders might not have thought of him, Humins did have some friends and relatives. Those who could befriend him were basically of the same social standing, and these people were also sources of information for him.

But regardless of the channel, Humins has not received even the slightest bit of information on this matter to date.

This relieved Rowan, who secretly thought he had probably overthought things. If "Ying" had developed intelligence, based on the data he had collected from the Star Sea Alliance over millions of years and the various aspects of human nature he had witnessed, then he should know that this attribute was something that couldn't be exposed to the light of day. In the face of racial differences, even those fanatical mechanical modifiers could not guarantee absolute loyalty and trust.

If even the slightest detail about his wisdom is leaked, he will become the target of everyone's attacks. Even if he maintains absolute loyalty, in the eyes of intelligent beings, nothing is absolute. Once the Seed of doubt is planted, it will take root and sprout, and cannot be eradicated.

The solution is to eradicate the root cause of all this. Even if "Ying" hasn't developed intelligence, and even if it's still just a collection of codes, one of its core codes is for self-protection. This means it won't obediently submit, and as a result, the Star Sea Alliance will inevitably be engulfed in war and mired in internal strife.

The Zerg have now grown into a behemoth, perhaps even surpassing the Star Sea Alliance, the Epoch Clan, and even, on the surface, the established Inner-Ring Civilizations in strength.

However, the Zerg's potential is limitless. Perhaps while the Star Sea Alliance is embroiled in internal strife, the Zerg will seize the opportunity to rise up and create a scenario where the two sides fight and the third side benefits.

Even if we take a step back and assume that the life form of the Zerg is more compatible with that of other races than that of the "Luminous," the Zerg's life form might be more compatible with that of other races. With a completely different and accepted species as a contrast, the Zerg, which is difficult to accept, might be accepted by other races.

The original war against the Zerg may transform into a war against the "Luminous," with the Zerg becoming a member of this camp.

This is not good news for "Ying," and it is something it absolutely cannot accept. Rowan put himself in Ying's shoes. If he were "Ying," even if he evolved and gained intelligence, becoming an intelligent life form, he would still conceal this matter, keep everything as usual, and then secretly lay the groundwork, develop his own power, and make his move slowly.

Thinking it over, Rowan was suddenly startled. Yes, "Ying" has millions of years of big data. Even if it has just developed intelligence, its level of intelligence cannot be judged by ordinary standards.

Therefore, if it were to develop intelligence, it would never publicize it or immediately display it. At the very least, it would observe secretly and use its newly acquired wisdom to think. And with its powerful database, once it starts thinking, it will surely arrive at a conclusion similar to Rowan's, so it...

Rowan had only just learned of and deduced these things. But "Ying" had existed for millions of years; who knew exactly when it had completed its sublimation and given birth to intelligence?

Perhaps it was today, perhaps yesterday, perhaps a hundred years ago, a thousand years ago, or even ten thousand years ago? Or perhaps it developed intelligence during the Original Epoch Clan era?

If it were back then, would the Original Epoch Clan have known about this? Rowan's thoughts were fully unleashed. He, who already possessed the ability to outwit and outmaneuver even the air, completely let loose and raced along the path of association.

If all of this is Rowan's imagination, then everything is fine. But if Rowan's speculation is true, then things are in serious trouble.

Assuming that "Luminous" truly possesses intelligence, then the experiment in the Castle must ensure that all participants are completely trustworthy. Just like the Zerg's Intellect, who are completely loyal to Rowan, this loyalty is not based on self-awareness or simple leverage or threats, but is built on certain hard conditions, is irreversible, and is not based on personal will.

This is no easy feat. Rowan possesses exceptional advantages and talent, while "Ying" lacks these.

Rowan suddenly paused, realizing that "Ying" was perfectly capable of doing it.

In some ways, "Ying" is actually very similar to Rowan, a low-budget version of Rowan.

Therefore, although they follow different paths—one biological and the other mechanical—their methods are quite similar, differing only in their manifestation.

Take the Zerg's Intellect, for example. The "Luminous" can and is capable of creating mechanical versions of these Intellect. As mentioned before, in the field of intelligent machinery, the "Luminous" is their god and their controller.

When a fanatical cyborg replaces most of his body with Nano-robot, it's naturally not a problem when "Luminous" is still a collection of code.

But when "Ying" gained intelligence, this behavior was like an intelligent being actively transforming itself into Node Unit.

"Luminous" can manipulate Nano-robot to sever all connections between the modified user and the outside world. It can then transmit virtual feedback to the modified user through the Nano-robot, turning them into a Brain in a Vat without their knowledge.

His body would be completely controlled by "Ying". For life forms like Rowan and "Ying", separating some subroutines would be as simple as eating and drinking.

While "Ying" cannot, like Rowan, directly copy all of the recipient's memories and create a substitute that is exactly the same as the original, without any difference, "Ying" is not able to do so.

However, it can achieve similar results through other means.