Chapter 332: Descent into the Network

As long as I can quickly descend via the network into several Transport Ships’ different Soldier Unit or production base super machines, activating their physical switches for consciousness upload in time, we should avoid any scenario where an unknown enemy destroys a Transport Ship and causes a complete disconnection.

Thinking fast, Du Qiu first ordered, “Do your own thing!”

“Yes, Master.”

Du Qiu quickly located the network interface through the Soldier Unit. After careful observation, he discovered that the connection point between the Soldier Unit and the fleet network indeed lacked a protective net; it seemed access had been granted.

Without hesitation, Du Qiu plunged his consciousness into the network, and almost instantly, countless white vortices began to appear.

Clearly, these white vortices were linked to other artificial intelligences in the network—perhaps many Soldier Units, or even entities of a higher level than they.

He observed closely and noted that the sizes of these white vortices were not uniform.

The smallest white vortices were the most numerous—nearly countless—followed by the medium ones, numbering in the hundreds, and then the large ones, also several hundred.

Du Qiu couldn’t spare the time to count; his instincts told him that the smallest ones were likely the Soldier Units, though he couldn’t be sure which one was on the same Transport Ship as his current unit.

So he opted for a medium-sized white vortex. Before entering, he double-checked—sure enough, the color border was different. This one was green!

With a mix of trepidation, Du Qiu stepped through.

In the blink of an eye, he found himself before a brilliant array of stars—the largest AI core he had ever seen.

It felt boundless, almost dizzying in its radiance.

Even so, Du Qiu dared not delay. Who knew if such a high-level artificial intelligence could detect his intrusion?

His senses rapidly scanned the area and soon pinpointed the AI core’s location. Without a second thought, Du Qiu initiated his descent!

“Fleet AI 4220253129, accepting master’s descent!”

Du Qiu pondered the meaning behind the Fleet AI’s name—was it to be taken literally? Perhaps it was the artificial intelligence of an entire warship?

“Master, please evacuate immediately. My ship is moments away from self-destruction!”

Suddenly, a grating voice rang out, sending a jolt of terror through him.

In less than a second, he chose to flee in panic.

What rotten luck—to latch onto a ship that was about to self-destruct after an enemy hit.

He plunged deeper into the network and swiftly selected another entry point, a white vortex of roughly the same size nearby.

Before entering, he instinctively glanced back and saw one white vortex vanish abruptly.

Clearly, that warship had self-destructed.

This time, Du Qiu again encountered a brilliant star field almost identical to the last. After a quick scan, he immediately completed his descent.

“Fleet AI 4220233166, accepting master’s descent!”

“Welcome, Master. What would you have me do?”

Ah, this Fleet AI—of a level above the Soldier Units—indeed seemed more familiar with its master. It was the first AI to refer to itself as a subordinate.

“I have a task. I need you to activate the physical switch on the consciousness upload module.”

“Yes, Master. But isn’t it that you requested this switch remain off during battles with the Geya Civilization?”

A sudden realization struck Du Qiu—damn it, the real Master had such a rule.

Yet he reacted swiftly, saying, “I’m working on a research project that requires this switch to be activated. With the strength of our fleet, there’s no need to worry about the Geya Civilization.”

The Fleet AI immediately responded, “Understood. I’ll instruct the Soldier Unit to open my switch right away.”

“Very good. Fight diligently—I wouldn’t want you to be blown up by the enemy and disrupt my research.”

“Yes, Master. Rest assured, I’m summoning the escort frigates to ensure your research proceeds smoothly.”

Du Qiu was taken aback by the AI’s serious commitment to his half-baked research. If it deployed escort frigates, wouldn’t the entire fleet soon know that the Master had descended here?

That news would surely reach the actual Master, exposing him in the process.

“No need for escort frigates. Just act as if I’m not here—otherwise, my research will be compromised.”

“Understood, Master. I won’t disturb your work.”

“This matter is absolutely top secret. Do not share it with any of your superiors or even your peers!”

“Yes, Master!”

Only after sensing that this Fleet AI had resumed combat operations did Du Qiu finally relax.

No, this level of artificial intelligence seemed highly autonomous. He had to tread carefully—ideally, by directly modifying its underlying core to prevent any action that might expose him.

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he deftly harnessed the Fleet AI’s computing power and quickly scanned its core module.

Today’s Du Qiu was far from the past, when he was only familiar with the artificial intelligence programs of alien civilizations.

Now, with his Master status, no encrypted permission could stop him from easily imposing additional restrictions on the AI’s core.

Since he had already changed this Fleet AI to belong to him—just like the other AIs—he quietly added some hidden passwords.

Du Qiu was no fool like the Master, who could let someone impersonate him to descend and control an AI. Now that these AIs bore his mark, when push comes to shove, they wouldn’t follow the true Master’s commands.

After diligently working on the Fleet AI’s core for a good while, he finally completed all the modifications.

However, these changes required the Fleet AI to reboot before taking effect. With the ongoing battle against a foe called the Geya Civilization, now was not the time.

Thinking of the enemy Geya Civilization, Du Qiu decided to search for relevant data.

Soon, the Fleet AI’s database churned out a massive list of information.

This data comprised historical combat records between the warship on which the Fleet AI resided and the Geya Civilization’s fleet—spanning over 500 years if converted into Earth’s timeline.

Such a wealth of battle information was invaluable to Du Qiu. The current Dream Technology fleet needed this data both for simulation training and to serve as experience against potential invaders.

Although Du Qiu’s memory was extraordinary, allowing him to recall every detail from his dreamlike visions, the sheer volume of data required considerable time to process.

But that was no match for him. He quickly set some criteria to filter specific battle scenarios, drastically saving time by focusing on select cases.

Through reviewing these battle records, Du Qiu discovered that his own alien civilization was named the Dominion Civilization.

This revelation puzzled him. Did that civilization’s intelligent beings consider themselves the rulers of everything, hence the name?

In other words, perhaps the Master was not a single entity, but a group of aliens. This would explain why these AI generals weren’t bound by special restrictions.

That is to say, these AIs were shared among the aliens, and anyone could assume command over them.

Du Qiu felt that this explanation made sense.

He decided not to dwell on the matter further and instead delved into the historical enmity between the Geya Civilization and the Dominion Civilization.

Remarkably, this main warship—having served 800 years—had taken part in countless battles over the past 500 years, underscoring the intense warfare between the two great civilizations.

From the combat data, Du Qiu deduced that both civilizations were at least level five, if not level six, in terms of technological prowess.

The uncertainty stemmed mainly from his limited understanding of certain weapons—some whose principles were completely beyond him, which was rather embarrassing.

Some battle scenes between these two great civilizations appeared nothing short of miraculous to him.

Du Qiu once again felt a deep sense of inadequacy regarding his own technology. Dream Technology still had a long way to go.

Not to mention, even the current warships of both civilizations, let alone the earlier primitive production techniques, were at level four. Despite having complete data, Dream Technology’s many scientists still had not fully absorbed it.

With that thought, Du Qiu finally felt at ease.