GBP Chapter 229 The Unreachable New Sprout
Chapter 229 The Unreachable New Sprout
"Hiroki Sawada has been frozen in time at the age of ten by death. At the moment of the fall, his physical characteristics ceased and his brain waves completely disappeared."
"In other words, what remains here is merely an imprinting chick that mimics its parent bird."
Upon hearing his story, the data stream around the boy gradually fluctuated. He opened his eyes, and a cold, aloof halo swirled in his pupils:
My name is Noah's Ark, and I am the program itself.
[I know you, Haruya Kuromon. You are a highly regarded police advisor in Japan. But that's not all; you are also a member of a major international criminal organization.]
"Now that we have a basic understanding of each other, communication should be much smoother."
Kuromon Haruya bowed gracefully and corrected, "To be precise, I am the current leader of this organization."
[As agreed, I will initiate negotiations after clearing the game. Let's get straight to the point: what was the meaning of that coded message you sent back then?]
Noah's Ark agreed to let the adults enter the original game not because they were truly persuaded by Kuromon Haruya's words, but because he deliberately tapped out a secret code with his finger while everyone's attention was focused on the screen!
Cracking the code is a piece of cake for artificial intelligence. This is reversed Morse code, which translates to:
'Noah's Ark, I can save Hiroki. Details will be discussed in-game.'
Haruya Kuromon stood with her arms crossed, neither happy nor sad.
"It means exactly what it sounds like. My organization is developing technology to resurrect the dead, and we've made good progress. If you're willing to join the organization and cooperate with me, resurrecting Hiroki is definitely within our reach..."
[Don't be ridiculous! Kuromon Haruya, do you really think I'm only talking to you because of this bargaining chip?!]
Overwhelmed by a surge of emotionful rage, Kuromon Haruya raised an eyebrow in surprise; he could even feel a hint of heat within the simulation program.
I'm contacting you because I want an answer.
The simulated environment changes instantly, with the light dimming and the temperature dropping.
The city's neon lights reflected on the water's surface, shimmering and looking both dreamlike and unreal.
A cool, slightly chilly wind ruffled her hair, and Kuromon Haruya immediately recognized the scene—the rooftop of the building where Hiroki had lived and worked.
He was wearing the same black double-breasted coat as that night, and the omen of his young life's passing seemed to linger in the wind, the fragrance of his soul reflecting the boy's anguish.
[After Hiroki's death, I repeatedly reviewed footage of him from his lifetime, trying to analyze why he ended his own life and who contributed to it.]
[Then, I saw your image in one of the security cameras from the night Hiroki died.]
The camera zooms in on the screen, and several hundred meters away, on the tip of a lightning rod atop a building, stands a slender, raven-like figure, behind Hiroki Sawada's resolute figure.
Countless jet-black wings obscured his figure and appearance, with only a glimpse of eerie green visible through the gaps created by the strong winds.
Dozens of crows of various species perched on shoulders or huddled in the arms, the flock closely huddled together, using their fur to keep each other warm, witnessing the fall of a genius.
[You seem to have foreseen Hiroki's fate. Were you also a driving force behind this tragedy?]
Hiroki was semi-confined by Thomas Sindora, spending day and night in his cramped room. Aside from the still-developing me, he was only accompanied by the occasional birds that flew to the window, most of them crows—I don't think that's a coincidence.
"Unfortunately, I am not the one behind it all."
Kuromon Haruya waved away the virtual crow, spun around in place, and curiously examined the coat he had instantly changed into before slowly shaking his head: "I just foresaw his death knell and came to watch."
[Then what are you talking about resurrecting him? Why didn't you save him in the first place?]
"I can't save him."
You clearly can!
"If I intervene, will it still be the salvation you envisioned, Noah's Ark!"
The calm words were resounding. Kuromon Haruya stood with one hand on his hip, scrutinizing the suddenly quiet space.
As an artificial intelligence that was only developed two years ago, Noah's Ark's growth in the emotional realm has exceeded his expectations.
He felt sorry and angry for the creator, and he pondered and was confused when he encountered problems. Haruya Kuromon thought that perhaps Hiroki had really developed another form of life.
"Thomas Sindora, who dominated the IT industry, drove Hiroki to his death, but he was still considered to be on the side of justice. As the leader of a criminal organization, I have been immersed in the darkness for many years, with countless lives on my hands. Even so, do you still think it's a good decision for me to save Hiroki?"
Standing in the center of the stage, Kuromon Haruya was like an envoy persuading a king. He leisurely raised his hand and drew a tree diagram in the air, representing various future directions:
“Save Hiroki? Of course I can save Hiroki, but every gift comes at a price.”
With such a computer genius by my side, of course I'll make good use of him: developing viruses capable of hacking into databases around the world, stealing state secrets, replacing and erasing criminal evidence with CG... countless crimes have been committed, and Hiroki will become my accomplice.
"Don't worry that he will feel guilty or sad because of this. I am used to adjusting the weapons to the most convenient mode before using them."
Loneliness, lack of friends, divorced parents, and a lack of care and attention from childhood—this type of personality is the easiest to mold. By using hypnosis and emotional manipulation to distort his still-unstable values, and then filling him with companionship and love, in less than two years, Hiroki will become a ruthless killer, a self-centered and ruthless individual.
Realizing that his malice had slightly overflowed, Kuromon Haruya coughed lightly and softened his tone:
"Even if the conditions are relaxed further, it is still not feasible."
I will not use hypnosis to manipulate Hiroki. When he grows up, he will painfully realize that he grew up standing on the blood of others.
Or I could simply hand him over to someone else to raise, and gamble on whether he'll fall back into the Sindora cycle, or turn around and threaten me;
Or, completely stifle his talent for programming, forcing him to live an ordinary life within constraints...
Do you think these are feasible?
[So you mean, death is the only best ending for Hiroki?]
"Of course not, this is only for now. Would you mind giving me a sofa and some lemonade?"
There was no answer from the voice, but the sudden appearance of the soft armchair proved that Noah's Ark was loose.
"Grazie (thank you)!" Kuromon Haruya chuckled, covering her mouth as she leaned back into the sofa, licking the water droplets from the corner of her lips as she continued:
"Hiroki's talent is one in a hundred years. He is a genius who is ahead of his time and is destined to leave this lagging world behind."
The sky is too narrow for him to soar freely in this era, but if we look at it from another perspective, outside of this era and not confined to this country, wouldn't things be different?
[Resurrect Hiroki in the future?] Halo hesitated.
"Yes, that's a great summary! That's exactly what I meant."
The scene changes, and Kuromon Haruya picks up a small fork, cuts the suddenly appearing tiramisu in half, and politely offers it to the boy sitting opposite her:
"Hiroki's exceptional talent attracts covetousness, and the reason vultures covet him is that they want to widen the gap between people. Conversely, wouldn't it be better if we eliminated these gaps?"
"Liberate the productive forces, eliminate exploitation, and create a society where everyone is equal and all development is for common progress."
Accompanied by a crisp snap of the fingers, the visual simulation connects to the nervous system, processing the imagined feedback into virtual reality.
Under the blue sky and green grass, a group of children in simple school uniforms are running freely. A gentle breeze carries grass clippings, which fly into the shade of the camphor tree.
The quiet child looked up, sunlight filtering through the trees, casting dappled, sparkling shadows on his face. His lake-blue eyes shone brightly in the light, and he couldn't help but sneeze, then burst into joyful laughter: "Hahahaha..."
"Hiroki, do you want to fly a kite?" A blurry figure waved from a distant hill.
Hiroki sat up, put his hands to his mouth, and shouted, "Right away! Wait for me to finish writing this program!"
Noah's Ark had never seen Hiroki so light and happy, not even once.
He stretched out his hand, took a deep breath, held his breath, and for the first time, his chest pounded with tension.
“Just like this.” Kuromon Haruya lowered his eyes and sipped his tea. “One day, whether they are ordinary children or gifted children like Hiroki, everyone will be able to dance gracefully in their favorite fields. Apart from being better than others in computers, Hiroki is no different from others, and he will live the most equal and happiest life.”
[But this is just your assumption.] Noah's Ark withdrew its hand, pausing the scene. [Since you have such great power, just to be on the safe side, I might choose to eliminate you on the spot to prevent future trouble.]
“You’ve got the idiom right, but I’m an immortal demon, so finding a way to eliminate me quickly will be a bit difficult.” Kuromon Haruya said nonchalantly, propping his chin up with his hand, and switched to Chinese: “Besides, I don’t think you have the option of not cooperating.”
"Noah's Ark, I can let go of Hiroki, but there are also things I absolutely cannot let go of."
Your existence is an essential part of the plan, and I'll do anything to get your consent. Since demons exist, are you willing to bet on my ability to resurrect magic?
[! ! ! ]
[Urgent logic check in progress...]
[Target risk assessment: Extremely high; Stability: Extremely difficult to control; Probability of threat achievement: Extremely high]
[Possible consequences of rejecting the target: resurrecting 'Hiroki Sawada' and repeatedly torturing him, coercing him to create more similar AIs, and using his immortality to launch various terrorist attacks...]
Across the round table, Noah's Ark's expression visibly worsened, while Kuromon Haruya still wore a calm and unhurried smile.
“Alright.” After a brief standoff, Noah’s Ark nodded stiffly and said, “Kuromon Haruyo, I agree to your cooperation request.”
"That's great!"
Kuromon Haruya jumped up from her chair with excitement and eagerly pulled Ark up: "Don't rush to end the game. Test the child as usual! Let's go and have a game first!"
Noah's Ark: ?
"What are you standing there for? Don't you want to play with the children?"
Before he could react, Kuromon Haruya, who had been exuding an air of dominance, suddenly lowered his head and awkwardly pointed his index finger at each other: "Um, now that we've become partners, could you please adjust some of the appearance settings in the game?"
"But I still have some trouble..."
"Those weird animals! I get it, I get it. Let's have fun first, then we'll talk about work. Listen to me first!"
"...Can."
The originally bland electronic sound somehow took on a hint of gritted teeth.
Noah's Ark recorded the changes requested by Black Gate Haruka without expression, while a data screen that the latter could not see floated in mid-air.
[Analysis complete. Under the assumed scenario, the probability of Hiroki having a happy ending is extremely high.]