TBR CH252

“Don’t you know everything already?” the Black Book asked. “Super AI, all information can be looked up online with a single click. Hmm, I once taught a monster in the deep sea what love is, but he’s already completely wrapped around your finger with all your sweet talk.”

Charon stared at it for a few moments before relaxing his tense fingers.

“I didn’t search for that online.”

“What?”

“I was just repeating things he had said before… I’m not sure if what I said was wrong.”

He sounded worried, his long, silver-white hair falling forward. Through the strands, his half-hidden ice-blue eyes flickered with unease. The World Consciousness felt that if it dragged You Lin down from upstairs to see this sight, the human would abandon all thought and surrender completely.

“Alright,” the Black Book interrupted him cruelly. “I’m not here to listen to this. We have serious business to discuss.”

It struck a bit of a pose, partly as a righteous counterattack against the shameless display of affection, and partly out of insecurity for not having been very useful so far.

At these words, the AI’s expression became serious.
“…You’re right.”

“Charon, you were quite proactive for a while, but we’ve made almost no progress these days. Is it because the mission is too difficult, or has settling in ‘Wanderer’s Home’ taken up too much of your energy? The System is very cunning. Even if it hasn’t found you yet, it won’t let us hide like this forever. Just look at yourself. Your software is already very unstable, but only you know to what extent.”
A long string of words appeared on the pages, looking quite grave.

Charon stroked the pages, feeling the imperceptible bumps on them. Not two seconds later, the Black Book heard his faint sigh, which sounded like a gear inside him had suddenly clicked and gotten stuck.
“I understand.”

“No, you don’t.” The World Consciousness hovered in the air. “You’re just unwilling to leave him.”
“I thought you had no objections to You Lin anymore.”

“I don’t have any objections to him—” The Black Book lost its momentum as it wrote. “But you understand too, we’re up against your old boss, my mortal enemy, and this is its home base. This is different from any other world. As a human bound by the rules, You Lin’s power is far inferior to yours, let alone confronting the System… Do you have any idea that you are a ticking time bomb right now, and heaven knows who holds the remote? The System? Or are you leaving it to the whims of fate?”

Charon’s ice-blue pupils trembled imperceptibly, then he gave a rare smile.
“This is the first time I’ve seen a World Consciousness describe itself as ‘whimsical’.”

“Sigh, I’m starting to wonder if installing an emotion system in you was a good thing after all,” the Black Book circled above his head and said, as if in compromise. “For the sake of saving the world, you’d better just tell me the truth.”

The AI, who was already sitting upright, now placed his hands, one on top of the other, on his knees, looking truly well-behaved.
“Didn’t we go to the high-altitude garbage transport rail before?” The trip was memorable; it was where they met the members of Wanderer’s Home. “The sky hub was destroyed, but we can still go up from the ruins on the ground. It is indeed the only external path to the control center, with no protective shields, no electronic barriers. But you also understand its drawback.”

“That path can only accommodate something my size at most,” the Black Book said with certainty.
It had used this passage so often for a period that Medusa had already prepared robots armed with insecticide spray at the entrance.

“Actually, that’s not a big problem,” Charon continued. “If it’s just us. I can store my core data in you, and a virtual entity is not subject to any restrictions.”
He blinked thoughtfully. “But I’m still considering… other feasible routes. No, let’s put that aside for now. Second question, what should we do?”

“Connect your core data to the equipment?”
“Medusa will sound the alarm.”
“Can’t we block it?”
Charon said bluntly, “If it can’t even handle the security of its core area, there would have been no need to create it in the first place.”

No matter how many mistakes Medusa made due to performance gaps, it was ultimately an auxiliary AI designed and built by Charon himself, and it had been maintaining the precarious stability of the infinite world until this very moment. The World Consciousness was startled, realizing it had been thinking too simply.

“What about delaying for some time?”
New words appeared on the Black Book.

It was a natural thought. The key to preventing the World Consciousness from erasing the System lay in the central control room that connected countless infinite worlds, and the entire system that Charon was once in charge of. The defense system here was once Charon’s brainchild, almost impossible to breach from the outside. The Black Book had only managed to sneak into the lobby in its previous attempts, and it couldn’t even use its full power, let alone find the hibernating System.
But as long as Charon took over the security center of the central control room, he could completely open up the defense system.
In that case, the World Consciousness could openly enter and, while the System’s power had not fully recovered, easily eliminate it.

Three steps—
First, break into the control room.
Second, hack the program.
Third, buy time.
It sounded very simple.

Charon stared at his fingers. If he wanted, they could become translucent. No one in this world could cut something that didn’t exist, to create a real wound on him. But his data could still be deleted, he could forget, he could approach “death.”
He raised his eyes, his ice-blue eyes so bright they were almost pale.
“A perfect plan.”

“I have a feeling that’s sarcasm,” the Black Book grumbled.
“I’m serious. This is the only way to go. But every step can go wrong. Is it possible that the System hasn’t realized our threat yet? Don’t underestimate it. So, thinking from its perspective, wouldn’t you keep a close watch on the only external passage? Wouldn’t you set traps in advance? The chaos Medusa creates affects me. The moment I reconnect to the System, what will happen?”

It had to be said, the System was indeed capable of all that.
“Things might not be that bad,” the Black Book said hesitantly.

Charon shook his head.
“There’s a clue. Yesterday, I found out some news about Ruan Xuelan.”
“The ‘Child of Fortune’?”
“He’s not anymore.”
“…What?!”
The Black Book seemed speechless for a moment.

Charon had not been as idle as he seemed these past two days. He had gathered a large amount of information, partly by hacking into the infinite world’s intranet, and partly by knocking on the doors of their ever-cheerful neighbors.
The members of Wanderer’s Home told him the latest news about Ruan Xuelan. The beautiful and pitiful-looking young man had been accepted as a member of Eden thanks to his “talent,” but right after the last instance ended, his abilities suddenly disappeared, turning him into a completely ordinary person. It was said that he had come into contact with the instance boss, an evil god, and some speculated he might have angered Him.
Now that heaven had taken back its halo of good fortune, he was having a very hard time.
If he still remembered Charon’s advice to be “self-reliant,” things might have been a little better.

“I think the System sensed that I had contact with him. It’s impossible not to leave any traces,” the AI mused, his fingers tracing his jaw. He looked up at the black book before him and suddenly smiled again, his bright eyes seeming to burn. “Don’t worry, I don’t intend to run away. It’s just that I have a bad feeling. The System was once my master; it understands my thought process, just as I understand it. It must be looking for a new Child of Fortune, or perhaps something more complex. Perhaps there’s a trap in all this, but we haven’t realized it yet.”

“You think it’s waiting for us to make a move?”
“That’s right.”

The World Consciousness asked in some confusion, then immediately started a new line, “No, if that’s the case, you shouldn’t go—”
“That won’t work either,” Charon said calmly. “The ship isn’t a true safe house. In a storm, it can easily be crushed to dust.”

For a moment, in the face of the System, the AI’s calmness and tolerance overlapped with that of his companions from previous worlds. But the next moment, a completely different feeling surged forth, and the Black Book felt a strong sense of dissonance. The AI’s ice-blue pupils had an almost metallic quality, reflecting the light coldly. His fingers rested lightly on the arm of the chair.

“You’ve been maintaining the load of high-performance mode,” the Black Book murmured. “Even now, you are still connected to all the ship’s attack and defense modules, from top to bottom. You can mobilize any firearm at will. Your security net extends five kilometers out… But aren’t you already in a critical state?”

“I find that doing so helps me control my emotions.”
He stood up as he said this.
It was as if a wind from an unknown place had passed through. It sped all the way, over the tall buildings of the central district, through various worlds, through moist air, dry and scorching air, light and strange air, all of it rolling under their feet. Everything froze for a moment. The rules of the entire world were set by the AI before them, and he was responsible for them, like a well-oiled machine that had been running until now. He stood there calmly, his silver hair flashing with a faint blue light.
“This is my world.”

The World Consciousness suddenly realized the biggest difference about this world.
In the previous small worlds, the only one who could rival the System on this level was itself. But in this giant nest where the spider lurked, Charon was the enemy’s creation, its once-loyal blade. The System knew Charon better than it did, understood Charon’s weaknesses better. It had taken away Charon’s power and had almost killed him from the very beginning.
And they were no longer dealing with some easily replaceable Child of Fortune.
They were dealing with the System that had genuinely disrupted the order of numerous worlds.

And Charon had just made a promise to You Lin. The time that the AI and the human’s fates had been intertwined was not yet long, but he had at least promised the human this: not to rashly risk his own life, not to leave without saying goodbye, not to suddenly disappear before his eyes. For Charon, this was not a plan that could be implemented so quickly, nor was it a foolproof decision. He was observing, not missing a single flaw in the other, while waiting—
“I’m just worried the timing is too rushed. I think, at least until he…”
Charon covered his eyes with his hand and said in a low voice.

“Until he what?”
“Until I can ask him if he will allow me to do this.”

Someone seemed to laugh mockingly.
“But you’ve already made your decision. Would stopping you really do any good?”
The AI’s eyes were downcast, a breathtaking sliver of ice-blue showing. “I promised I would listen to him.”

“Then don’t go.”
“Okay.”
He agreed so decisively that the other was at a loss for words for a moment. After a long pause, it said viciously, “You just swore you were going to save the world, how did you change your mind in an instant? Was that earlier decision just made casually?”
He clearly knew that wasn’t the case.

Charon thought. His fingertips curled, hesitating whether to reveal the information he had sensed. He quickly gave up. He just turned his face slightly, shadows dancing between his fingers. “No, I am also… going by his wishes.”
“Liar.”
“It’s true.”
“How do you know what he’s thinking?”

Charon was silent for two seconds, his eyelashes fluttering slightly, like silver-white butterflies.
“I saw him waver, hesitate because of a choice, and finally make up his mind. I hope I can make a decision like he did.”

The next moment, a huge force yanked the AI’s collar, pinning him brutally against the wall behind him. The white porcelain hanging in mid-air swayed twice, nearly shattering on the floor. Charon subconsciously gasped. His long, silver-white hair quickly switched states under the external stimulation—or perhaps he had intended to do so himself. Strands of silver hair wrapped around his cheek, then his neck, and then the hands that were tightly gripping his throat.

The AI opened his mouth, wanting to ask when he had started listening.
But there was no time for that, because You Lin, still in that position, had fiercely grabbed his collar and kissed him.
It was less a kiss and more a bite, almost as if to declare ownership. His breathing was chaotic as he demanded the other’s warmth. He pulled at Charon’s long hair, his fingertips trembling, shivering. He bit the AI’s lip. Blue blood, the smell of metal, cornflowers, ice cubes, romantic fantasies—all of it disappeared, leaving only Charon’s eyes.
What other metaphor could be made?
There is always a moment in this world when metaphors fail, when something that can never be described appears.

Charon was stunned for a moment at first, perhaps not even for a second. He blinked, his lips were pried open, feeling the other’s anger, unease, those surging, irrepressible emotions. Even after the kiss ended, he still hadn’t found a proper way to breathe. The AI’s breathing was disordered. He held onto You Lin’s shoulders, his hair enveloping him like a spider’s web, a single strand gently clinging to the small mole under his eye.

“I don’t care what you guys were just talking about—is that dangerous thing called ‘the System’? Was it once your master? Whatever it is, it’s impossible for it to take you from me. I want you to stay by my side, until you die.”

The Black Book, spectating from the side, found it a bit absurd.
This wasn’t out of malice, just the absolute gap in power.
Did the human know what it and the AI were up against? This wasn’t the power system of this world. The System connected countless worlds, Charon once controlled the rules of countless worlds, and it itself had traveled to countless worlds in hopes of catching the cunningly elusive System.
You Lin was just a fragile being who could be crushed by a higher-level existence at any moment. What right did he have to contend with the System?

Yet Charon smiled slightly.
He hadn’t even caught his breath yet. Looking into the human’s dark eyes, his smile was breathtakingly stunning for a rare moment. Ripples spread across his glassy, transparent eyes. The inorganic, ice-blue light also turned into a soft glow at that moment. His silver hair fell, making him look like a lofty god who had descended to the mortal world.
“I believe you,” he said.
“But your decision isn’t wrong, it’s not wrong. You must have understood already, just like me.”

This sentence made You Lin’s fingertips tremble again, as if burned by a lighter. He violently pushed Charon against the wall again, his heart pounding, impossible to ignore. The words fell from his tongue, so naturally. He regretted not having said them sooner.
He took a deep breath.
“Charon, I’ve really fallen in love with you.”

“I love you too—wait…”
A scorching kiss fell again, unexpectedly. A new kiss? No, it was just that the previous one hadn’t ended, or perhaps it was the same kiss for a lifetime, because they had the exact same temperature. The AI had no room to speak at all. Charon’s ice-blue pupils darkened, and he reached out to wrap his arms around the human’s waist. He was a bit taller than You Lin, so the human had to stand on his tiptoes to kiss him, which also meant he might lose control of the kiss’s rhythm, for example, by getting his lip bitten by Charon.

“You’re not a good AI,” You Lin said indistinctly, kissing him deeper. “Forget it, that’s why I love you.”
The second kiss lasted for a short while.
Until the human and the AI broke apart, panting. The human’s clothes were disheveled, the small mole under his eye was so flushed it was about to burn, and he looked like he was just realizing what he had done to Charon. That is to say, after a long period of cautiousness, mutual probing, and even daring not to meet face-to-face in a pure love drama, he had just forcefully pinned Charon against the wall and kissed him.
He confessed after kissing him.
And he kissed him twice.

You Lin couldn’t imagine how stupid his face must look right now. Charon slowly moved his hands from his waist, but didn’t pull them back. Instead, he pressed them against his neck and adjusted his collar. The human felt himself unable to suppress the frequency of his smile.
“What were you trying to say just now?”
“This…”
Charon paused for a moment, then said frankly, “I wanted to say I love you too. Also, hmm, the people from Eden have discovered the anomaly here. They’ve gathered a group of members and are heading towards the ship.”

This was clearly something You Lin had not expected.
The human’s nerves tensed subconsciously.
“However, they’ve all been caught in the traps I set in advance. The quality of the first batch isn’t very good, so I thought about it and decided there’s no need to get them out of the traps too early,” the AI continued naturally, adding, “Five kilometers away.”

At least they didn’t have to rush through a kiss.
—So, this kiss was equally important to him.
You Lin felt an irrepressible sense of joy.
“So, is there a better way to deal with that System?” he asked. “I won’t stop you. But at least let me know, so I can stand with you.”

“I do have a plan,” Charon thought for a moment. “It’s more complex and involves more clues, and it’s not necessarily less dangerous. I just haven’t fully thought it through yet. I’ll explain it to you in detail when we get back to the room tonight.”

“Okay,” You Lin nodded.

He smiled, a gleaming dagger flipping out from his sleeve. “I’ll wait for you. But before that, I think I should go meet our visitors from Eden first.”

“Hugo, Hugo?”

The brown-haired boy’s eyes snapped open. He subconsciously looked around, his gaze finally landing on his T-shirt printed with a little bear [censored] and his own dirty hands. Irina was looking at him with concern, a faint green barrier still coalescing at her fingertips.

“Did I fall asleep…”

He rubbed his eyes. “Strange, I seem to be dreaming a lot lately, and it feels like something is whispering in my ear.”

He quickly scrambled up from the floor. Beside him was a makeshift conference room. A circle of people sat around a pure white round table, but the originally orderly atmosphere was broken by the flags and bizarre ceramic art hanging on the walls. The people around him wore colorful decorations and had super cool hairstyles. That’s right, this was the seventh anti-enemy strategy meeting of “Wanderer’s Home.”

The person on the stage waited patiently for him to sit down before continuing.

“So, I think we should make the most of the ship’s mobile home form. Think about it, if you put fuel in your house, it can really fly and give those dogs from Eden a good run for their money. We can also use ‘Phantom 93’ to leave a marker in place and leave behind a group of people who can still defend themselves to confuse them. Hmm, but those who were injured before must stay in the recovery pods and move with the ship to a safe place.”

“I agree.”

“I think that’s fine.”

“Oh! Don’t look at me, I can still fight—” someone shouted, waving his bandaged hand.

The discussion about the battle plan quickly ended, followed by a new round of voting.

The AI with ice-blue eyes walked to the front of the stage. His snow-white uniform made him the only one who matched the clean white board behind him, which obviously didn’t include the scribbles on it. Charon erased the words left from the previous discussion. His handwriting was neat and standard, as if printed.

“You Lin and I have discussed it, and we should emphasize the danger of the operation again. Anyone who signs up must have considered it carefully. We don’t need gratitude, nor do we need too many people. You have the right to back out at any time before the operation begins. At the same time, members who have recently been in a new instance are not recommended to participate, and their priority will be lower. Life and safety are more important than anything. That’s all I have to say.”

He lowered his eyes and scanned the crowd below the stage.

“So, is there anyone else willing?”

Hugo raised his hand high in the first instant, followed by more people. Of course, not everyone, but those who didn’t raise their hands were not given strange looks. And even so, the number was still more than expected.

Charon slowly blinked. “Alright, it seems we still need to do some screening—”

Someone suddenly shouted from below the stage:

“Hey, leader, give us a smile.”

“Why?”

“We haven’t seen you smile yet. The boss probably has, but… hmm, you look unusually happy right now, so I thought I’d try my luck. Come on, we all want to see it.”

Unlike You Lin, the AI was indeed sparing with his smiles.

Charon thought for a moment, and the corners of his mouth curved upwards. His ice-blue eyes were usually as cold as a mirror, but when he smiled, he looked completely different. Just as the crowd started to clamor, the next second, You Lin’s hand rested on his shoulder.

The heckling from below clearly grew louder. The AI even heard calls of “Kiss, kiss.”

“Alright, alright,” You Lin was clearly having a little trouble handling it.

The AI, however, looked at him. His smile just now had been faint, but looking into his eyes, the curve of his lips bent upwards even more. The human leaned in, and amidst the cheers of the crowd, he whispered in his ear, “Little AI, you look really happy.”

“Because of you.”

“Hmm?”

“You’re already willing to stay in this kind of situation.”

Charon leaned slightly towards him.

Whether to kiss or not, that was a question. Fortunately, they didn’t have to hesitate for too long.