Chapter 326: Echoes of Command

Once that familiar voice rang out, Du Qiu let out a relieved sigh.

Based on his numerous experiences with entering AI cores, hearing that line meant he could now control the AI.

“Master, what are your orders?”

Hearing those words, Du Qiu paused in surprise. Previously, whether it was the Processor, the Custodian, or the Energy Supplier, they had all operated silently after being activated. Now, this unit was actually asking for instructions.

“Oh, nothing special. Just proceed according to plan—as if I hadn’t shown up.”

Du Qiu decided not to interfere hastily. He needed to quickly ascertain the unit’s level and determine the extent of its authority before making any further moves.

“Yes, Master. In that case, I won’t notify the commander.”

A pang of worry hit Du Qiu. Thank goodness he hadn’t issued any orders prematurely—had he not commanded it, might it have reported directly to its superior?

“Hmm. I have descended upon you, and you have my special affairs to handle. Without my permission, you must not report to any superior!”

Still uneasy, Du Qiu issued his directive, confident that as its master, the orders he gave would be executed meticulously by the unit.

“Yes, Master. I promise not to inform any allies or superiors.”

As expected, the unit agreed, putting Du Qiu instantly at ease.

The unit continued on its task, while Du Qiu began to tap into its computing power to glean more information about the unit itself.

Time was short tonight. Du Qiu intended to quickly locate the unit’s consciousness upload module and modify it, so that next time, when he enters through the dream realm, he can directly attach himself to the unit.

Luckily, although the unit wasn’t as colossal as the four super machines at the production base, its consciousness upload module still existed—and Du Qiu had even found its physical switch right at the back of its head.

When the unit reached the section near the array of super machines, Du Qiu commanded it to activate its consciousness upload switch.

Just after Du Qiu had instructed it not to switch off the upload module on its own, time was nearly up.

Du Qiu decided to voluntarily disconnect from the unit.

Opening his eyes, Du Qiu emerged from the cryo-chamber, feeling a turbulent mix of emotions.

Unexpectedly, there was fresh progress from that alien civilization in his dreams. He wondered what new boon this time might bring him.

He hoped to uncover information related to warships in the fleet network—if there were any plans or blueprints for building them, even better.

At the very least, he expected to get details on fleet navigation in outer space, which would hugely benefit the space fleet currently still in the blueprint phase.

Though these prospects were promising, Du Qiu couldn’t shake an uneasy feeling. The closer he got to interfacing with these higher-level alien AIs, the more he risked exposure.

The fact that this very unit had actively sought confirmation—and nearly reported directly to its superior commander—suggested that these advanced AIs were well acquainted with their master. One misstep, and he might be compromised.

He realized he needed to find a way to alter the underlying code of these high-level AIs to safeguard his anonymity.

Du Qiu wasn’t overly worried about exposure since he could always retreat, being in a consciousness upload state.

However, he fretted over whether the technology of that alien civilization could trace his retreat path and hunt him all the way back to the Solar System.

That could spell catastrophic disaster for human civilization.

Yet, giving up the promise of receiving advanced technology would be a bitter and agonizing decision.

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“Minister, after performing the autopsy, we suspect that the Watanabe Minghui in the villa might be an imposter.”

Minister Xiao Mingcheng of the Security Department said this while cautiously eyeing Ning Shuangshuang.

“What are you staring at? Get on with it!”

Xiao Mingcheng’s expression hardened as he continued, “In our database, we found a genetic profile from Japan’s Ministry of Health that shows Watanabe Minghui’s DNA is completely different from the one found on the corpse in the villa.”

During our investigation, we contacted classmates of Watanabe Minghui from both middle and high school, and they confirmed that the person in the villa bore a striking resemblance to the one they remembered.

But since a massive explosion at the villa left the imposter nearly unrecognizable, we can’t be certain whether she was wearing a mask resembling Watanabe Minghui.

Putting it all together, we believe the real Watanabe Minghui must have vanished at some earlier point, leaving behind a fake to divert our attention.

She even planted a large amount of explosives. In short, if the boss were lured to the scene, it was highly likely that the enemy’s plan would succeed.

This imposter Watanabe Minghui is like a coiled viper—extremely dangerous and requiring utmost caution.

Listening to Xiao Mingcheng’s account, Ning Shuangshuang furrowed her brows and asked, “Before Director Hao Ren was kidnapped by the fake Watanabe Minghui, when was the last time he saw the real her?”

Ning Shuangshuang’s question earned Xiao Mingcheng’s admiration. Given the level of intimacy between Hao Ren and Watanabe Minghui, it was impossible for Hao Ren to mistake a fake for the real one.

In other words, the fake must have taken her place after their last meeting.

“Minister, our monitoring indicates that Director Hao Ren and Watanabe Minghui had a date two weeks before the incident. They even caught a late-night movie together.”

“Two weeks ago?” Ning Shuangshuang asked in surprise. “How come they hadn’t seen each other again until now?”

“According to our intel, Director Hao Ren was on a business trip to Persia and only returned the day before the incident.”

“That’s quite the coincidence. Get someone to thoroughly check why Director Hao Ren went to Persia and who he met while there.”

If she recalled correctly, Director Hao Ren had submitted the necessary documents for a marriage review to the Security Department the day before his trip to Persia, as he was set to marry Watanabe Minghui.

Clearly, that date must have finalized their marriage arrangements. Hao Ren then submitted the documents the next day and left on his business trip.

“By the way, Minister, one of our informants mentioned that he reported directly to Watanabe Minghui—meaning Director Hao Ren was lured to the villa by the fake Watanabe Minghui.”

“Hmm. In any case, import Watanabe Minghui’s DNA data into our tracing database. Hopefully, with its robust capacity, we can track her down.”

“Yes, Minister.”

After Xiao Mingcheng left, Ning Shuangshuang sighed. This time she had even called on Leng Yanran for assistance, yet the guy had carelessly chopped off the fake Watanabe Minghui’s head.

And he did it right in front of Hao Ren. That dark, burly fellow now seems a bit unhinged.

Otherwise, Ning Shuangshuang wouldn’t have gone through so much trouble having Xiao Mingcheng review Hao Ren’s recent activities—she could have just asked directly.

Thinking about Hao Ren’s current state, Ning Shuangshuang felt a pang of worry. After all, Hao Ren is one of Du Qiu’s prized disciples; they share a close, unbreakable bond.

Du Qiu is currently on Mars on business, and she hadn’t wanted to disturb him. Now, with things turned out this way, she wasn’t sure if Du Qiu would be upset.

Having joined Dream Technology to help Du Qiu set up the Security Department, Ning Shuangshuang never imagined the company would grow at such a breathtaking pace.

Not only was the Heaven Realm project completed in less than six months,

but space exploration has already reached the edge of the Solar System. Du Qiu even mentioned that robots had already established a forward base in the Kuiper Belt and set up an astronomical observatory.

She couldn’t have imagined that so many natural disasters would strike Earth in just a few months.

Nor could she have guessed that all these calamities were merely the prelude to an even greater disaster.

Ning Shuangshuang walked to the window of a building in the Dream Technology Industrial Park, where heavy rain pounded outside.

Recently, the Tanga Federation had been experiencing torrential downpours, and the temperatures were much lower than usual. Clearly, the climate was becoming erratic.

The heavy clouds blocked her view of the sky.

She couldn’t help but wonder what Du Qiu was up to on Mars at that very moment.