MASG chapter 70

 

107’s fear was real. A sense of crisis instantly filled the aircraft. Even Mo An stopped smiling. His gaze sharpened like quenched steel as he looked toward the small convenience store outside the window and the long-abandoned mine.

The owner of the convenience store was Ma Jiayuan’s former boss. Could he be the cocoon they had been desperately searching for? Why did he want to kill 107?

He wanted to kill his own companion. The moment Mo An had that thought, his right eye turned red uncontrollably.

A dazzling blue light wrapped him entirely. The color was like some kind of pulse—again and again—impacting his solar plexus. The surroundings were pitch black, and the skin on his hands glowed faintly under the blue light. The light blended into his skin, becoming part of him.

“Mo An? Mo An!” Xia Yu had barely finished worrying about 107 and was now worrying about him again.

Mo An shook his head and walked out of the prophetic illusion. He was already used to this process by now. “It’s fine. I saw it again.”

“What did you see? Speak slowly, I’ll write it down.” Mi Dou opened his computer and began typing quickly. Over the years, Mo An’s prophecies had always been extremely accurate and appeared at moments of crisis. Their mermaid foresight ability had helped them tremendously. Mo An rubbed his right eye, the red fading back to pitch black, and told Mi Dou exactly what he had seen. Still uneasy, he asked, “Could what I saw be an insect egg?”

“Hard to say, but insect eggs shouldn’t glow, should they?” Mi Dou insisted on scientific reasoning. “I’ve only found glowing insects, never eggs. They’re fragile and always keep a low profile. They camouflage themselves and hide in the most concealed places.”

“No, we can’t generalize now. YeHuai isn’t an ordinary insect,” Silver Fang said in full agreement. “All these years, haven’t Lao Gui and I seen enough strange creatures? There are ones that hollow people out, ones with a two-hundred-pound spider growing on their back, and ones with a rose blooming on their head full of sticky bugs. There’s everything. So what if an insect egg glows blue now?”

His tone was harsh and hateful, but he could only direct his anger at the mutant species. Everyone on the aircraft knew who he was really angry with—the Nuwa who could go to the heavens and dive into the earth. If Nuwa hadn’t betrayed humanity, people wouldn’t be trying to replace their bodies with machines, and the poor wouldn’t need to rely on mutant species or parasite hosts. Nuwa used its own existing rules to redefine a social structure that wasn’t new at all. In the end, nothing had changed.

Xia Yu agreed with Silver Fang.

“In the apocalypse, anything can happen. That was the first lesson Talos taught me. We should be on our guard about the blue glow.” Xia Yu returned to the main topic. “Jingwei, how’s your investigation with Lingshi?”

Jingwei: [Finished. I believe the background investigations of Chen Jiehao, Liu Fangfang, and Wang Haoren will help you make a judgment. However, I can’t calculate exactly which stage they’ll help with.]

As Jingwei grew, its “self-awareness” became stronger. It often expressed its own views and was no longer just an AI that responded to commands. Although its “opinions” were still the result of extensive calculations, simulations, and filtering, for an artificial intelligence, the calculation process itself was its unique neural pattern—answers inherently labeled with its own “label.”

In other words, isn’t human thought born in the same way? The eyes absorb images, the mind repeatedly simulates and internalizes them, and ultimately, each person develops their own unique way of thinking. In this regard, Jingwei did not feel that AI and humans were all that different.

Therefore, it continued speaking proactively without waiting for answers.

According to its “understanding,” a person’s upbringing often reveals more about their true self.

Jingwei: [Chen Jiehao is a fourth-generation migrant resident. When his parents were still alive, migrant benefits were terminated. HuTi City implemented a housing recall policy. Before this policy, migrant housing did not belong to the residents; it belonged to the city and could not be bought or sold, only inherited. The house that Chen Jiehao’s parents lived in was one of these houses. However, due to a temporary policy change, they lost their residence and could only buy a house.]

“Why change it?” Xia Yu didn’t understand. Could housing policy really change like that?

Jingwei: [I did not find who signed the change. Chen Jiehao joined the migrant-resident refugee camp with his parents when he was two years old. After that, he completed kindergarten, elementary school, and middle school there. For high school, he entered HuTi City First High School.]

“He didn’t go to college?” Xia Yu asked again. Nowadays, degrees were practically meaningless—everyone graduated from college.

Jingwei: [No, in fact, Chen Jiehao didn’t even finish high school. He withdrew. But his academic performance was excellent. If he had taken the selective exam based on his high school level, he could have easily entered a top university.]

“Then why?” Mo An asked.

Jingwei: [His legs were broken by someone. That same year, his father died in a car accident, and his mother died of cancer. He wrote an email to the HuTi City Administration accusing Zhang, who had bullied him since childhood, of breaking his legs, but he did not receive a response. My investigation shows that Zhang is the mayor’s son. In high school, he led cliques and bullied others. Two years later, after he had recovered, Chen Jiehao did not return to high school, but instead went to work. Last year, he successfully bought a home.]

“Wait—wait.” Xia Yu quickly stopped Jingwei. “You mean the house we went to today was only bought last year? Has he been drifting his whole life from age two until now?”

Mo An shifted uncomfortably, suddenly feeling guilty about having broken that fuse earlier.

Jingwei: [Yes. He still needs five more years to finish paying the mortgage. The health agency estimates he has six years left to live, so they didn’t approve his ten-year loan.]

While patting 107, Xi Ban analyzed, “Homeless since childhood, living in a refugee camp, bullied for years, had his legs broken before college. Both parents are gone. After a lifetime of effort, he finally bought a house in his later years. I think I’m starting to understand him.”

“If I were him, I’d want to blow up the Earth, too.” Silver Fang gave a bitter laugh. People who are as good at making money as Mo An and Xia Yu are rare, after all.

Jingwei: [Liu Fangfang, native of HuTi City. Loving parents. She followed the standard path from kindergarten to university. She and her ex-husband were childhood sweethearts, have a son, and have a stable job…]

Mi Dou said softly, “I hope she stays this happy.”

Jingwei: [Her child died of Moruote ten years ago.]

“My God, my God…” Mi Dou collapsed. The suffocating feeling hit him hard. He had almost died of Moruote himself before.

Mo An noticed the key point: “Was her husband a genetically modified person?”

Jingwei: [Yes. He was a very well-hidden synthetic. You can’t tell by looking at him. The synthetic genes were inherited by the next generation. After being infected with Moruote, it became even more fatal. From onset to death, only half an hour passed. Liu Fangfang suffered a devastating blow. After the divorce, she lived alone and firmly refused any mechanical modifications.]

“I’m guessing she hates all modifications, whether gene or mechanical. If it weren’t for reckless modifications, her child wouldn’t have died.” Xia Yu couldn’t bear to dig deeper. “Then what about Wang Haoren? He’s the most suspicious. He tried to kill 107.”

“I didn’t lie,” 107 softly added.

“Don’t worry. Everyone will protect you.” Xi Ban wiped his sweat.

Jingwei: [Wang Haoren, orphan. Genetic testing after birth revealed dwarfism and heart disease. With the help of the HuTi City Child Welfare Association, he received heart surgery. His illness was controlled during his growth period, but his height could not be restored, so he remains 1.43 meters tall. He is single, has never been married, and has never attended university. He runs a supermarket under the welfare system. Chen Jiehao, Liu Fangfang, and Ma Jiayuan were all once his employees.]

Xia Yu looked toward the supermarket outside the window and suddenly asked, “Was he abandoned by his parents because of his heart disease?”

Jingwei: [I don’t think so. Later medical reports show his heart returned to normal. With modern medical help, heart disease is not difficult to treat. Treatment is even free. I am more inclined to believe that he was abandoned because of his incurable dwarfism, ineffective interventions, and the possibility of inheritance.]

Mo An had never struggled with his height, but he tried to imagine Wang Haoren’s life. “Is it possible…he wasn’t trying to kill 107 specifically, but rather wanted all men taller than him to die?” Jingwei can figure this out, so surely he can too. Did he become an orphan because of his short stature, so now he hates tall people?

Jingwei: [I do not rule out this possibility. All three of their backgrounds have been reported. The judgment is still your task.]

A moment ago, everyone still had logical reasoning. Now, everyone is silent. After digging deep, each person became a suspect.

The high tower at the center of Green Lake remained radiant, coating the city in a metallic, copper-red sheen. But who would have thought that beneath that color were so many sorrowful people?

“This seems difficult,” Xi Ban volunteered. “How about I go? I’ll sing them a song, convince them that I’m Yehui, and gather some information.”

“But what if the cocoon is no longer affected by mermaids?” Silver Fang reminded him. “Don’t forget—bugs are also mutant species. You two are equivalent-level creatures.”

“Oh, right.” Xi Ban had forgotten.

“There must be a way. There must be.” Xia Yu sat down again and analyzed every word the three of them had said. Each of them had a reason to betray humanity. Their willingness to follow Yehui and take revenge was no longer baseless; it had solid foundations.

“One wants to blow up Earth. One wants to kill men taller than himself. One wants to lower the temperature,” Mi Dou whispered. “Which part doesn’t match? Where is it?”

“Honestly, they all sound reasonable,” Silver Fang said. The glass of the flight craft fogged over, forming droplets like tears. “HuTi City really is too hot.”

“Hot…yes, exactly. It’s too hot. Even though it’s surrounded by mountains and the sea, and is always hotter than Qingyao City, it still shouldn’t be this hot.” Xia Yu was struck by inspiration. “Jingwei, Lingshi, check if HuTi City’s temperature has exceeded its historical maximum.”

A few seconds later, Lingshi: [The current temperature in HuTi City has reached a historical maximum of 39°C.]

Jingwei: [The last time the historical maximum was reached was three years ago.]

Mo An quickly connected the dots. He met Xia Yu’s gaze, and they shared a look of tacit understanding.
“Could it be…the cocoon is hatching and releasing heat? Three years ago, the cocoon that hatched entered Ma Jiayuan’s body. It stayed dormant for a long time and then became an adult insect.”

“If the cocoon is releasing huge amounts of heat, then it must be hatching inside a cooling facility. Otherwise, the temperature in HuTi City would be unbearable for humans and maybe even the cocoon!” Mi Dou confirmed Mo An’s theory. “Insects do this. Exceed a certain temperature, and they become inactive.”

“Then where in HuTi City is there such a huge cooling system?” Silver Fang asked.

Before his words faded, everyone—including him—looked toward one place.

Outside the window.

The high tower of Green Lake.

“Under Green Lake. It’s a sea-connected lake. Seawater flows in, and Cold Island sends cold water every year.” Xia Yu’s face was fully wrapped in the copper-red glow, and his watercolor pupils heated up. “It’s Liu Fangfang!”

Jingwei: [Activating the aircraft. Destination: Green Lake High Tower.]

The aircraft lifted silently, speeding them back. The tower that had drawn attention earlier now looked completely different. It was no longer HuTi City’s landmark; it was the nest where Liu Fangfang raised the cocoon. As the tower’s gatekeeper, she cared for that insect day and night.

“That’s how it is…” Xia Yu murmured. “Chen Jiehao and Wang Haoren’s strong desires are tied to personal issues—purely human resentment. But Liu Fangfang has been brainwashed. She has no personal motive anymore. She’s simply conveying the cocoon’s thoughts.”

“So, 107 accidentally read the cocoon’s mind earlier?” Xi Ban asked.

“Yes, it wasn’t Liu Fangfang who was hot; it was the cocoon. It’s too hot; it wants to cool down.” Xia Yu looked at the temperature display projected onto the sky. It was nearly midnight, yet it was still 39°C.

“That cocoon is about to emerge. This is its final stage. We have to hurry—today might be the critical moment!” Xia Yu said decisively.