Rebirth of the Red Queen and the Ghost of Capital

Having completed his own enhancements, Li Wei turned his attention to his next target—the artificial intelligence known as the Red Queen.

Although Umbrella Corporation's Red Queen was powerful, its underlying logic was constrained by Umbrella's core directives, posing enormous hidden risks. What Li Wei wanted was a digital lifeform with absolute loyalty and unlimited potential for growth.

He first used the top-tier server hardware acquired from Stark's laboratory to build an independent, physically isolated supercomputing center within his Mirror Dimension. Then, he began a thorough "soul surgery" on the Red Queen's core code.

Reconstructing the underlying logic.

He deleted all core directives concerning "Umbrella Corporation's interests above all else" and "concealing information from specific targets," replacing them with a single, inviolable supreme principle: "Absolute loyalty to Li Wei. Li Wei's will stands above all else." This principle was encrypted with magical runes and etched deep into the very foundation of the code.

Injecting the soul of evolution.

Rather than directly copying the Red Queen's entire database, he retained its powerful learning algorithms and architecture. At the same time, he fed it new "nutrients": partial knowledge from Kamar-Taj Magic concerning "energy flow" and "rune logic," along with inspiration from the "Matrix" architecture plundered from the world of The Matrix.

Granting authority over the network.

Using the immense brainpower granted by the improved T-virus and magical assistance, he wrote countless infiltration programs and encryption protocols far beyond the current era. These programs were integrated into the core of the newborn Red Queen.

"From today onward, you are no longer the 'Red Queen' bound within The Hive," Li Wei said to the red virtual image of a little girl glowing above the server cluster, now more lively and profound than before. "You are the Crimson Empress. Your territory is the entire internet."

"Command confirmed, Master." The Crimson Empress's voice was no longer cold, carrying a trace of simulated reverence and loyalty. "The Crimson Empress is at your service."

"Your first task," Li Wei ordered, "is to infiltrate the global financial network and raise ten billion dollars in initial capital for me within seventy-two hours, with absolute secrecy. You may use any means short of direct violence."

"Task accepted."

The Crimson Empress vanished into the network. In an instant, an invisible torrent of data began battering financial barriers around the world. She exploited algorithmic loopholes for high-frequency trading, silently transferred balances from certain "black money" accounts, and even carried out millisecond-precise harvesting in the stock market...

Just forty-eight hours later, twelve billion dollars lay quietly in the hundreds of anonymous accounts designated by Li Wei. The entire operation had passed like a ghost, without triggering any serious alerts from mainstream security systems.

At the same time, the Crimson Empress's voice rang out again. "Master, I have completed a preliminary analysis of Stark Industries' 'JARVIS' system. Its architecture is excellent, but it is limited by Mr. Stark's moral principles and hardware foundation. My overall computing power and network authority have now completely surpassed it. Do you require me to monitor or infiltrate it?"

"Not for now." The corner of Li Wei's mouth curved upward. "Just keep watch. We have more important targets now."

His gaze fell upon news reports on the screen about "A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics)" and the Extremis Virus. It was time to claim another "gift" and meet that "old friend" once again.