Neo's throat was gripped, his face blank with confusion. Who was he? Where was he? What had happened? Wasn't Russell one of the good guys?
Although Neo possessed the Savior program and was part of the Matrix Core, effectively a high-level NPC within the system, his values had always led him to believe he was human.
This was also one of The Architect's predetermined settings. The Savior had to be human. Only a human Savior would sacrifice himself for humanity's survival.
"How tragic. Machine civilization believed it had surpassed humanity, yet in the end, it still couldn't break free of humanity."
Russell gripped Neo's neck and tightened his hold slightly, cutting off his air like a proper villain. "So, Oracle, destroying Mr. Anderson means destroying the Matrix Core. Do you think I dare?"
"You wouldn't!"
The Oracle calmed down and shook her head. "If you kill him, the system will indeed suffer a catastrophic collapse. But everyone connected to the Matrix will die, and with Zion's destruction, humanity will be wiped out. You can't bear that price."
"No, you're the ones who truly can't bear it."
Russell held fate by the throat and lifted his chin slightly like a victor. "You depend on humans to survive. Without humans, machine civilization is nothing."
The Oracle refused to yield and emphasized, "We can. Machine civilization can endure all kinds of harsh living conditions. We only need time to adapt."
"Good. I like tough programs like you. Learned that from humans, right?"
"..."
The Oracle said nothing, apparently accepting it by default.
"Since both sides are prepared to bear the cost of humanity's destruction, then Mr. Anderson has no value left. By your logic, a program without value has no reason to exist and must be deleted immediately."
Russell grinned. Before the Oracle's