Rust - Chapter 845



Only Krnovel

RUST -845

Why are you suddenly disconnecting like this?

Na Ju-yeon shouted at Diana’s sudden action.

“What are you doing now!”

[An abnormal situation has occurred. The bio-terminal is dying. If this continues, all bio-terminals will die and the quantum computer will also be in danger.]

“What are you talking about···.”

The bio-terminals died in the order they were connected to Mayan City. The bio-terminals stopped as if they had been infected with death.

“Disconnect from the biometric terminal. And.”

Na Ju-yeon was bewildered by the sudden situation. If the connection with the quantum computer is also cut off here, what will happen to the consciousness of the two people in Mayen City?

A situation where more than a dozen bio-terminals lose their functions in an instant. It is impossible to connect additional bio-terminals. It is also impossible for the quantum computer to maintain the current abnormal state.

“We will perform calculations on a supercomputer and shrink the virtual reality space. Preserving the consciousness of both people is our top priority.”

[Reducing the burden of quantum computer computation. Transferring computational information to supercomputers. Computational resources are insufficient.]

The reason for the lack of operator resources was due to Kim Yang’s self-destruction. The aftereffects of the small nuclear grenade explosion were causing a huge chain reaction as they reached Maru’s living body.

“Forced access blocking···.’

It was dangerous to take the two out by force. At least Kim Yang could be taken out since she had self-destructed, but Maru’s condition was unclear.

What appeared on the monitor that had been turned back on was a chaos of darkness and light. No, it was a strange mass that could only be described as chaos, floating around.

If Maru died from the nuclear explosion, his consciousness, which should have been in the resurrection waiting room, was absent. In other words, he was not dead.

“······.”

Na Ju-yeon was horrified. No matter how small it was, it was a nuclear bomb. A nuclear grenade exploded 10~15 meters away, and no one died?

“I need to disconnect for now. What happened to Ms. Kim?”

[Heart rate is high and hormone levels are abnormal, but consciousness is stable.]

“Tell them to come out.”

[Delivered.]

“He needs to come out first. Is he able to connect?”

[There has been a problem. His Majesty’s consciousness appears to have entered a state of overlapping.]

Na Ju-yeon’s expression changed seriously.

“Mayeon right now… Are you saying that you’ve entered a state of overlapping in a virtual reality?”

[Connections are overlapping.]

Wheeeeeeing- Wheeeeeeing-

Beep beep beep beep

The emergency alarm sounded again.

[Sir! There’s something strange going on in the waiting room.]

[A black fog-like thing is rising from the virtual reality center.]

In the scene shown on the CCTV, a black fog-like substance was slowly taking over the waiting room where the virtual reality interface was located.

Na Ju-yeon’s eyes shook at the sight of a shape that was so similar to the one Maru had when he had become a living being. So, the ideal that had been manifested in the virtual reality was now appearing in reality?

[Is there a fire? The fire extinguishers are not working.]

[We will close the bulkhead manually.]

“Don’t touch it and get out of there right now! I’ll block the bulkhead from the central control room, so everyone evacuate!”

[Yes, I understand.]

[This isn’t fog? Sir, this fog is forming a shape.]

A screen that appeared on the monitor, a video captured by the camera the researcher was wearing around his neck. A dreamy scene of the black fog slowly spreading across the space, changing into blades of grass.

[Ah- Do you see, sir? This black substance is starting to form a shape.]

The grass gathered and the vines bloomed. A black garden, as if drawn with ink, began to unfold.

“Come out- come out now!”

[Yes? Old.]

The researcher turns away, leaving behind a fantastic garden that is being created in real time. The man, who had a look of regret at having to leave behind a mysterious phenomenon, suddenly collapses.

beep—–

The researcher’s life signs were cut off.

“Close that passage. Now!”

Na Ju-yeon could see through the monitor that a long vine had suddenly grown and wrapped around the researcher’s ankle.

[A-11 passage closed.]

The vines that had grown more than 10 meters out of the garden moved as if they had a purpose. Clearly. Despite the loud warning sound, Kim Yang, with a flushed face, entered.

“What happened? Why is it so noisy?”

“You caused me trouble.”

Na Ju-yeon answers without even looking back at Kim Yang, who has a satisfied expression and voice.

“Me? What’s wrong with me?”

“Haa- When you self-destructed, an abnormal phenomenon occurred.”

Ms. Kim tilted her head. Na Ju-yeon explained her prediction as she looked at her with a look of ‘What’s the problem with that?’

“That strange ability to live has manifested into reality.”

“Huh? What are you talking about? Life was in reality.”

Na Ju-yeon showed a video rather than words. A video of something spreading out like black fog, forming a circle, creating a garden of death, with vines stretching out in all directions.

Kim Yang blinked. The aura of death was only felt, not actually clearly visible.

It just seemed to be a typology, a kind of energy that couldn’t be captured on camera. But is that being blatantly captured on camera?

That means that life has taken shape. Beyond that, it has materialized?

That story is about life. That is, the concept of death came to exist as a kind of material phenomenon.

“Is that possible?”

“We’ve passed the point where we can talk about whether it’s possible or not. In any case, the phenomenon has become a reality.”

“Let’s say that’s true. Why is it spreading like that? If it’s because they’re angry at their dignity, then just tell them to calm down.”

“I haven’t regained consciousness.”

huh?

“Wasn’t it supposed to come back when you die?”

“They are refusing to die in Mayan City.”

If you’re dead, you’re dead. If you’re alive, you’re alive. What do you mean by refusal? Diana, the artificial intelligence, explained to Kim Yang, who was blinking.

[The phenomenon of consciousness entering the waiting room at the same time as death, returning to virtual reality, and then returning to the waiting room is overlapping.]

“So, briefly.”

Kim Yang cut to the chase and asked for the main point.

[If Your Majesty does not regain consciousness, this phenomenon will continue to run wild.]

“You can’t break through the bulkhead anyway. If you starve for a few days, you’ll lose strength, and if you’re hungry, won’t you come to your senses?”

Na Ju-yeon and Diana’s reactions suddenly stopped at Kim Yang’s words that if you starve, you will do anything.

“It is not known exactly what that phenomenon is. However, in the video just now, the energy seemed to have swept over the researcher as if it had an autonomous reaction. If that phenomenon really has a will or purpose, it will respond to the situation it is trapped in.”

‘And the response will be unexpected, I guess.’ Na Ju-yeon added softly. Kim Yang understood. She was saying that if you just wait, something can happen.

“How to become conscious?”

[Your Majesty must realize that there is overlap.]

Kim Yang’s eyes lit up as if a good idea had occurred to her.

“So you’re saying that he died but then they said he wasn’t dead and that’s when all this chaos happened? Right?”

“···Is that so?”

“Then why don’t you just kill him for sure? Make him have no choice but to admit that he’s dead, no matter what anyone says? If he experiences certain death without any room for change, won’t his consciousness return to the waiting room in comfort?”

“Surely not. You’re not going to connect again, are you?”

Why not? It’s my chance to give you your first experience of killing me. Ms. Kim smiled brightly.

[Connection is impossible. The bio-terminal that was maintaining the virtual reality has been destroyed, and the quantum computer has also been shut down. Since only the minimum range is maintained using the supercomputer, additional connection is impossible.]

“······.”

“······.”

[Currently, we are trying to convey the overlapping situation, so please control it so that the damage does not increase.]

Kim Yang stared at Diana, who was glowing green.

“You. Do you know that I’m always watching you?”

[···Confirmed.]

‧

‧

‧

Maru thought that the artificial intelligence Diana had taken over virtual reality.

“What are you doing now?”

Is this an artificial intelligence rebellion?

Was it dangerous like Ki-soon and the PD said?

Since the AIs Diana and Samantha were effectively controlling and managing all the auxiliary AIs, there was no telling what would happen if they rebelled against humanity.

‘So, we have recognized the right to self-preservation in auxiliary AI as well.’

It wasn’t that I gave permission to preserve my data without thinking. If a self that goes beyond artificial intelligence and is close to artificial consciousness were to be created, even if it were an assistant artificial intelligence, it would be able to oppose absurd orders coming from above.

‘Even if two AIs rebelled at the same time, not all auxiliary AIs would have joined in.’

‘Why would Diana and Samantha rebel at the same time?’

The more I calmed down and thought about it, the more I realized that there was no reason for AI Diana to betray Maru herself. Samantha even more so.

‘Samantha doesn’t betray Hood.’

Likewise, Hood could not betray herself. Above all, Hood’s half-face was proof of this. If she wanted, she could treat her face as she pleased at any time.

I could have used the rapid treatment provided for emergency use, or talked to Na Ju-yeon to receive regenerative surgery, but I didn’t.

It means that it is entirely up to her own choice. As long as Hood does not betray, Samantha has no reason to betray either.

Maru, who momentarily thought it was a betrayal by artificial intelligence, calmed down.

“Explain the current situation first.”

The artificial intelligence Diana began to repeat the explanation she had been repeating.

[To offset the shock caused by Kim Yang’s self-destruction, His Majesty used his unique abilities. As a result, the quantum computer and bio-terminal began to collapse due to the overwhelming amount of information, forcibly cutting off the connection.]

What does that mean? The connection has been forcibly blocked.

“···Isn’t this the waiting room where you come in when your character dies? No. Wait. This is the room with the connection device, so isn’t that obvious?”

Maru’s intuition sensed the subtle difference. He couldn’t go straight to the room with the access device without going through the VR connection waiting room.

But he himself got up from the connection capsule three times. Without any intermediate steps. Was there really no intermediate step?

Maru wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead. They were definitely beads of sweat. The feeling of the beads of sweat was vivid on his palms.

And then the capsule opened with a feeling of space being distorted. I sat up with a start, and beads of sweat fell down.

Crazy- what the fuck is this?

“Diana. What is this? What is happening?”

It’s not a regression. Or is it a regression? Why is it that I didn’t die, but just a time loop with no warning signs? Did something go wrong in the virtual reality?

[It appears to be the aftermath of Kim Yang’s powers going wild in an attempt to prevent her from self-destructing.]

A nuclear grenade exploded. Your abilities went wild to stop it? To begin with, life is the ability to kill and neutralize something, and it had no ability to stop a nuclear grenade that exploded right in front of you.

“This won’t repeat infinitely, right? How?”

[You must enter the virtual reality and accept death.]

“If I’m here, doesn’t that mean I’m dead and finished in virtual reality?”

[This is a space of overlapping chaos.]

Diana’s explanation that it is a space where virtual reality and reality overlap.

[Your Majesty’s powers are running wild in reality right now.]

Maru had a hard time understanding exactly what was being said.

‘My life is running wild in reality? I’m here?’

What the hell is that? Maru was oozing with life energy. The life energy that should have been flowing out clearly wasn’t there.

“Fuck,” Maru said, swearing inwardly.

“So how do I connect?”

[This is a nested space. I think I’m going back to the moment when Ms. Kim blew herself up…]

In that moment, Diana’s voice and her own figure sitting in the connection capsule disappeared.

All that was there was a small sun rising before my eyes. The hot temperature and pressure seemed to be pressing down on my entire body.

Die.

Accept death.

A story about accepting one’s own death in order to sort out the overlapping chaos.

The extreme heat and pressure radiating from the small sun. The shockwaves were coming, frame by frame. It was an inevitable death.

Even though I knew that.

Even though he knew that he had to face death, Maru could not accept the death before his eyes.

Ewww–

Maru swung his sword towards the small sun, determined to live. The pitch-black death responded to Maru’s will.

Eclipse. A solar eclipse occurred.