MASG chapter 2

 

The pitch-black environment left only fear and unfamiliarity.

Xia Yu wanted to scream, “Help!” but no sound came out. In half a second, his world seemed to collapse like a crumbling mountain before him. He didn’t understand what had happened, but he knew that robots had attacked humans. This shouldn’t be happening.

Nuwa had told him that all machines were controlled by artificial intelligence and would never harm humans. They only protected humans, even at the cost of their own lives.

What was the name of that scene? Xia Yu remained stunned, his ears filled with alarms from the research institute. The sound was particularly piercing—clearly a warning to the remaining humans that something dangerous had occurred.

Run! Run! Run!

Xia Yu was so frightened by the sound that he didn’t even bother to cover his ears. He couldn’t move, his entire body frozen in place. His face was warm and wet, whether from tears or the blood splattering from Professor Wang Qin’s back.

Robots, they’re killing people! Robots are going to kill people!

Xia Yu shuddered violently before shaking off the shock. The two flashing red dots before him had become the most dangerous signal in the world. He began to retreat involuntarily but didn’t know how. He instinctively dodged the danger but couldn’t find a way out.

Nuwa, Nuwa, save me! Xia Yu silently shouted the name of the artificial intelligence in his heart. In reality, his mouth was just wide open with no sound coming out.

Bang! A loud noise shook the ground, completely blasting the two red dots out of his world.

At some point, Wang Qin stood up, her usually meticulous hairstyle now a mess. Decades of dedication to research were visible in her hair. Previously, only the outermost strands were black, but now, the inner strands were clumps of snow-white hair.

“Xia Yu!” Wang Qin’s voice ripped through the despairing darkness. The metal chair she had been holding had either been thrown to the ground or dropped due to her exhaustion, making a loud crash. As she held Xia Yu, his senses returned to normal. He experienced endless oppression and panic during his first encounter with near-death.

He had been in the operating room countless times before, but it held no fear for him. He was pain-deprived, and each surgery provided him with candy. No matter how disfigured his body was upon waking, it would grow back. Deep down, Xia Yu had never considered himself to be dead and reduced to a cold pile of corpses.

But this perception was shattered at that moment. He was going to die—immediately.

“Run!” Wang Qin’s voice pierced Xia Yu’s mind once again, like a blow to the head. His small body trembled, and the urge to survive activated suddenly, but he had no idea where to run.

Everywhere was pitch black, with only the terrifying sound of alarms. Another loud bang echoed from behind—the obvious sign of something shattering. Before he could turn around, a torrent of seawater splashed onto his back.

He could smell the salty, damp air—the essence of seawater. Xia Yu was drenched. The temporarily defeated robot had risen to its feet. It seemed immortal, capable of rising forever. However, the red light in one of its eye sockets had dimmed, leaving only its left eye.

Wang Qin’s sudden blow had shattered the right eye.

Wang Qin knew it had risen again. Truthfully, she hadn’t expected to kill it. It was impossible for a human to kill a machine. Unless ordered by the Supreme Intelligence, all the robots would continue their slaughter. She reacted faster than Xia Yu. Although she didn’t fully grasp what was happening yet, she had a good idea.

The world was truly falling into chaos.

But why was this happening? She couldn’t figure it out either. Nuwa, the world’s most advanced artificial intelligence, had never encountered such a significant command error before. Could someone have broken through its underlying logic? That was practically impossible. The only plausible explanation was that it wanted to do this of its own accord.

This was a betrayal led by it!

But Wang Qin had no time to think about it. She had to do everything she could to help Xia Yu escape. If possible… she would take this as well. She quickly removed her bloodstained white coat and wrapped the fish egg that had slipped out of the shattered observation tank.

The egg was incredibly smooth and harder than it looked. It took several attempts to wrap it successfully. Then, holding the egg in one hand and dragging the frozen, terrified Xia Yu in the other, she rushed out of the lab.

The lab door closed behind them. The robot inside had already picked up its corkscrew again.

What a piercing sound! Xia Yu panted heavily as he fled, following Wang Qin. The usually bright, clean, and fully enclosed corridor had become a terrifying tunnel. The white light bulbs that had once been connected by the dozens of wires overhead were now gone. All he could see were the signs on the ground.

The red signs gave him a chill and reminded him of the robot’s eyes.

Emergency lights were stationed every ten meters, and now they were all on, spinning continuously and turning the dark corridor into a dimly lit space. The lighting and air ducts were malfunctioning. The white, moist gas that should have been sucked away gushed out in all directions and hit Xia Yu’s calves.

He hadn’t put on shoes yet, so his feet were cold and slippery.

If that weren’t enough, he wouldn’t be so frightened. The cries for help, screams, and footsteps were all heard in this enclosed space. Undamaged by sound insulation, they were exceptionally clear. Xia Yu could infer what was happening around the corner from these sounds. He could hear the clicks of the robots’ specialized communication devices.

The smell of blood grew stronger. He might have stepped in it because the liquid beneath his feet had suddenly become thicker. He didn’t know where to run, but Wang Qin held him, hoping that by following Professor Wang, he could escape alive.

Just as he thought this, Wang Qin’s hand loosened its grip.

Wang Qin fell to the ground. It wasn’t just the corpse that had tripped her; she truly couldn’t run. Xia Yu stumbled and fell on top of her. His hands touched her clothes and found them damp and warm.

Blood… Xia Yu looked at his hands in the flickering light.

“Don’t stop, don’t stop…” Wang Qin grabbed his wrist, stopping him from looking. “Xia Yu, keep running. Don’t stop.”

“I… I…” Xia Yu knelt beside her and shook his head, still trying to help her up. But this time, Wang Qin didn’t get up. Instead, she steeled herself and pushed him forward.

“Run! The elevator is just ahead! Run! If the research institute is breached, it will enter its self-destruct sequence!” Her roar echoed through the corridor, resonating and piercing Xia Yu’s heart.

“I can’t leave, but I can still…help you delay.” Seemingly using her last bit of strength, Wang Qin thrust a corner of her white coat into Xia Yu’s hand. “Listen…”

“I don’t want it.” Xia Yu loosened his coat and reached for Wang Qin’s hand again. He cried, “Let’s go together! Let’s go together! Don’t die!”

“Listen to me! Listen to me!” Wang Qin, who was usually gentle with Xia Yu, seemed like a different person now. She shoved another corner of her white coat into Xia Yu’s hand. “Run forward, and you’ll find an elevator. I’ll give you this…this.”

As she spoke, she removed the electronic bracelet from her wrist and placed it on Xia Yu’s. However, Xia Yu was too thin, and the bracelet slipped off his slender wrist. She had no choice but to pick it up and put it on his arm again.

“Be good and wear it! Run to the front and use it to open the door. The elevator is right there!” Wang Qin said quickly, tears streaming down her face. “You have to live well…”

“Let’s go together. Okay?” Xia Yu, who was already tearful, was now crying like beads from a broken string. “Let’s…”

“I’ll buy you some time. You go! Aren’t you going to take me to see the ocean? Okay, you go first, and then I’ll go.” Wang Qin’s words were slurred, and blood oozed from the corners of her mouth. “Swipe to open the elevator, go in, press the red button, and you’re out. My bracelet has the highest rank here; you can go. And then…”

“I don’t want to…” Xia Yu still wanted to take her with him.

“You have to. This is…our agreement, okay?” Wang Qin reached out her hand and made a pinky-hook gesture once again. “Our agreement… First, you’ll save the world. Second, you’ll raise this mermaid. Third, you’ll go see the ocean.”

Xia Yu didn’t hook pinkies with her. Instead, Wang Qin reached out and grabbed him.

“Okay, this is our agreement. Now… run!” Wang Qin pushed him hard. The noise behind them grew louder as countless red dots approached. Xia Yu shuddered. He had always obeyed Wang Qin, and in his current state, he chose to obey again. After taking two steps back, he turned around and broke into a desperate run.

It was so heavy! The fish eggs he was carrying felt incredibly heavy, yet he found the strength to keep running. The only thing on his mind was Professor Wang’s final promise: save the world, raise the mermaid, and see the ocean.

Behind him, Wang Qin’s tiny figure lying on the ground gradually faded from view. The moment it vanished completely, she collapsed, unable to hold back her tears.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. You’re just a little jellyfish. You don’t know anything… Run, run.”

Behind her, more and more red dots gathered. Robots packed the corridor densely, carrying out a bloody massacre rapidly. Human blood splattered and formed beautiful patterns on the silvery metal surface. As it flowed, the patterns shifted again and again.

“I’m sorry,” Wang Qin finally said as Xia Yu fled. After struggling to her feet, she resolutely turned around and used her fragile human form to block the unstoppable machine, buying Xia Yu a final moment.

The machine was undoubtedly indestructible, but the human soul still shone.