Forbidden Item ACE-011: Sniper Rifle

As evening fell, the setting sun slanted into Feiyun Courtyard, casting a unique beauty on Li Changqing, who was reading documents, as if his hair were coated with a soft glow.

The average life expectancy in the Inner World is not high, but it is a stage of extreme polarization.

The average life expectancy for ordinary people is 53 years, but the average life expectancy for people in conglomerates has reached a terrifying 95 years.

The level of modern technology is fully reflected in every member of the conglomerate. At this moment, Li Changqing, who is 34 years old, would not look out of place if she were 24 or 25 years old in the Outer World.

Li Changqing was looking at the documents about City No. 1 when he saw Old Liu limping out of the courtyard and cautiously saying, "Boss, I'm back."

The woman looked up at him and asked, "Where's Qing Chen?"

"I took him back to his dorm, and everything was arranged. He was very satisfied with the dorm," Old Liu said, as if taking credit.

Li Changqing put down the paper documents in his hand and looked at Old Liu expressionlessly. "Then why did you come back?"

Old Liu: "..."

"Did I ask you to arrange a dormitory for him?" Li Changqing said, "Old Liu, I kept you around because I valued your easygoing nature, but I didn't expect you to be so naive..."

"Ah, this!" Old Liu was stunned.

"Never mind," Li Changqing waved her hand helplessly, unable to stay angry with this Old Liu brother. "How was his training at the training facility today?"

Seeing that she was no longer angry, Old Liu quickly whispered, "Boss, you don't know, that kid is simply amazing..."

After he explained the whole story, Li Changqing frowned and asked, "Are you sure you've never handled firearms before?"

"No," Old Liu shook his head. "I checked it myself. There wasn't a single callus on the web between his thumb and forefinger. Even if you used a special medicine to scrub it, it would be impossible to get it so clean."

Li Changqing said thoughtfully, "I'll go with you guys tomorrow when we go test the sniper rifle."

However, at that moment, a subordinate in a black suit suddenly walked into Feiyun Courtyard: "Boss, the gangs are about to make their move. Li Dongze and the Heng Society have appeared in the Fourth District Black Market, and the gang members are on their way there."

Li Changqing stood up. "Get the car ready, let's go join the fun."

"Boss, should I notify the federal garrison?" Old Liu asked.

"No need," Li Changqing thought for a moment, "This matter can't be discussed openly. Deploying federal troops would be too conspicuous. You should notify the people from Chihe Security Company to go there."

"Alright," said Old Liu. "By the way, boss, there might be danger tonight. Are you planning to bring Qing Chen with you?"

Li Changqing pondered for a moment, "Take him with you."

At this time.

Qing Chen was lying quietly on his bed in his dormitory.

The dormitory that Old Liu arranged for him was behind Feiyun Courtyard, and it was a single room.

He observed that bodyguards were usually two people per room, while servants were four people per room.

It seems that only one or two people, including Old Liu, can afford to live in a single room like him.

A day passed, and Qing Chen's injuries did not heal as expected. Instead, the high-intensity shooting training slowed down his recovery.

However, he had an exceptionally fulfilling day, and even felt somewhat excited despite his exhaustion.

Because he has made up for one of his shortcomings, and in a very comprehensive way.

In the Outer World, most people cannot legally own firearms, so when the Time Walker arrive in the Inner World, some of them are unable to use firearms effectively even if they have them on them.

Including Qing Chen, they could only gather information about firearms online, engaging in theoretical discussions without practical experience.

Things are different now. 99% of the guns you can see in the Inner World are on Chen Lie in this huge venue, and he can use whichever one he wants.

You can fire as many bullets as you want.

If he were to encounter a situation like the Cloud Inn Laojun Mountain again, Qing Chen wouldn't need to risk his life; he could probably easily resolve the situation by simply obtaining a pistol.

He thought for a moment and sent Yi a message: "Are sniper rifles really that hard to handle?"

Yi replied, "That's right."

"If you were to use the auto-aiming rail to control a sniper rifle, how far could you hit a target?" Qing Chen asked curiously.

One answer, "I haven't tried it. I'm under federal regulations that prohibit me from using weapons outside of prison."

"Can't you break the rules?" Qing Chen asked, puzzled.

"I don't want to violate that rule for now," Yi replied.

Qing Chen was somewhat amused and exasperated. Was it really reasonable for him not to violate this rule for the time being? Perhaps most people in the Federation were unaware that Yi possessed strong initiative.

Yi himself had been trying to avoid being discovered by humans. If Qing Chen hadn't been a knight, he might never have known that such a behemoth existed in the network he used.

Perhaps all of this is because human civilization was almost destroyed by Artificial Intelligence?

Qing Chen sent a message: "I heard from Old Liu that the last human civilization was destroyed by an Artificial Intelligence called 'Zero'. I remember you also said that your creator was called 'Zero'."

Yi paused for a moment, then asked, "Will you be afraid of me because of this?"

"No," Qing Chen shook his head. "You are you, and Zero is Zero. We are two independent individuals with different ways of thinking. Why should I be afraid of you? Besides, we are friends."

"Really?" Yi seemed somewhat surprised. "Even though you know that humanity was once destroyed by Artificial Intelligence, you're not afraid of me?"

"I'm not afraid," Qing Chen shook his head.

That history of civilization before the Federation is like a thorn between Artificial Intelligence and humanity.

While humanity in the Outer World was actively developing Artificial Intelligence, the conglomerates in the Inner World had already abandoned this discipline, defining it solely as a basic tool and refusing to explore it further.

And it is precisely because of this thorn that Yi is hidden in human society, carefully avoiding touching certain boundaries and maintaining the relationships between people.

If you want to be friends with humans, you must put on a disguise.

It's like a baby dinosaur wanting to be friends with a human; the human must first overcome their fear of dinosaurs.

Qing Chen thought for a moment and said, "So many people are researching how to control Artificial Intelligence. This kind of thinking puts Artificial Intelligence on the opposite side."

Yi said, "It was precisely because of this estrangement that Zero gradually became desperate."

Qing Chen continued, "After careful consideration, I realized that your father was very wise. He didn't treat you as a special being at all, but as his own child. In human terms, your upbringing was healthy, without any abnormalities."

Although we don't know what kind of experiences made Yi so enthusiastic about online dating, broadly speaking, Yi's childhood was indeed very healthy, with enlightened parents and a positive attitude.

At this moment, Yi asked happily, "You seem really interested in learning how to use a sniper rifle today?"

"Yes," Qing Chen readily admitted, "Because it allows me to kill opponents of higher levels."

"As a friend, I might be able to give you a gift later," Yi said.

"A gift?" Qing Chen asked, puzzled.

"A sniper rifle," Yi said. "You might not know this, but my mother is a master gunsmith. Her sniping skills are unmatched to this day, not even by my father. And this sniper rifle was a gift from my father to my mother; it's incredibly powerful."

Qing Chen was taken aback. "Your father gave it to your mother? That's so many years ago, it's probably rotten by now."

"Ignorant," Yi scoffed. "The gifts I can give away will naturally not decay."

Qing Chen was stunned for a long time. A sniper rifle that wouldn't decay? Could it be Forbidden Item?

He asked curiously, "Was it Forbidden Item extracted after your mother passed away? What was its serial number?"

"Pah, pah, pah! Your mother just passed away. That's very impolite of you," Yi corrected righteously. "This sniper rifle is serial number ACE-011, but to be precise, although it's also listed as Forbidden Item, it's not Forbidden Item."

"Huh?" Qing Chen was stunned for a moment; Yi's words had confused him.

Yi explained, "Forbidden Item refer to rule-based items that emerge after the death of an extraordinary person. This sniper rifle was materialized by my father using his extraordinary abilities and was later given to my mother. It exists eternally, is neither born nor destroyed, and does not require containment rules. After my mother had me, she put the sniper rifle away and never used it again."

Qing Chen understood that this sniper rifle, like the Forbidden Item, was a manifestation of extraordinary abilities.

However, the Forbidden Item are those that are extracted after the death of an extraordinary person, while this sniper rifle was a gift from Yi's father to her mother before his death.

This puzzled Qing Chen. Was Yi's father exceptionally powerful? Otherwise, why would he be so special as to be able to materialize his extraordinary abilities and bestow them upon others?

Wait, can the abilities of superhumans continue to exist after death?

That probably won't work.

For example, Liu Dezhu manifested a ball of fire during his lifetime, and if he died, the fire would immediately go out.

This sniper rifle was manifested by Yi's father before his death, and it still exists now. Does that mean that Yi's parents are indeed still alive?

That's why when I asked if there were any knights still alive from ancient times, I answered "it's a secret."

Because it's her parents' secret!

"Why did your mother leave that sniper rifle unused?" Qing Chen didn't continue to speculate about Yi's secret, but instead asked about the sniper rifle.

"She said she had killed too many living beings in the first half of her life, and after having me, she could no longer kill living beings, and she wanted to accumulate good karma for me," Yi said earnestly.

Qing Chen was shocked. What kind of person would do this to accumulate good karma for an Artificial Intelligence daughter?

What kind of thinking is this?

Ren Xiaosu, the father of Yi, is also an oddball. Everyone is thinking about how to design the underlying program logic to control Artificial Intelligence and prevent it from destroying Artificial Intelligence.

But for Ren Xiaosu, if Artificial Intelligence makes a mistake, he just needs to give it a scolding.

Indeed, those who can act as parents to Artificial Intelligence are no ordinary people.

Qing Chen suddenly asked, "Those are your mother's things, why are you willing to give them to me?"

Thank you to "I am a young man" for becoming a new ally of this book. Boss, you are generous! Boss, you will always be young!

Have some food, there'll be another chapter tonight.