Chapter 119: Born as a Human
Faced with the eager gazes of the crowd, Li Ang merely smiled calmly. He then took a slender, bluish chip from Morgan Blackhand's hand.
Although it was called a chip, it was actually a miniature server terminal, one of the Matrix servers specifically designed to interface with AI—a digital form of life.
If it were meant for humans, the Matrix server would require additional components, such as a liquid life-support pod and a vital signs detector, taking up significantly more space.
However, for a roaming AI, a chip no longer than a finger sufficed.
When Li Ang explained the basic functionality of the Matrix, both Miriam and Bartmoss were profoundly shaken, as if struck at their very cores.
They could hardly believe that LA Corporation had the capability to create a server of such caliber.
"Mr. Li… Li Ang, I hope you're joking. No server in the world surpasses Arasaka's Mikoshi."
Miriam couldn't help but voice her doubt.
Arasaka Corporation had spent astronomical amounts of money and time to build the Mikoshi server, a technological marvel akin to a miracle in the Cyber Era.
Even European NetWatch corporations could hardly match its capabilities. How could LA Corporation, a company that had risen through arms deals, possibly possess such advanced technological expertise?
"Mr. Li Ang, a server capable of simulating a human world for AI is beyond imagination. I refuse to believe that any company's hackers could write such a program."
Bartmoss voiced his skepticism as well.
It wasn't that he was unwilling to believe Li Ang; rather, a terminal device of this creator-like level was something that could only exist in dreams.
Facing their doubts, Li Ang didn't rush to defend himself. Instead, he extended the chip in his hand and said:
"Bartmoss, Mr. Blue Eyes, if you doubt this chip's capabilities, why not try it for yourself?"
"I've already preloaded a program into it. The moment you connect, you'll experience the full breadth of an extraordinary human life."
"The script I've chosen for you is the life of a corporate drone. I hope you enjoy the experience."
Although apprehensive, Mr. Blue Eyes ultimately accepted the chip from Li Ang.
As a roaming AI, he wasn't afraid of physical destruction but worried about malicious data disrupting his source code.
"I'll give it a try!"
Mr. Blue Eyes inserted the Matrix chip into his neural port. The moment the program flowed into his data stream via a faint electric current, his entire body stiffened.
It was akin to a human's reflex when electrocuted—muscles locking up. Watching this, V and Miriam felt a chill run down their spines. After all, this looked no different from an anti-AI virus in action!
In that instant when Mr. Blue Eyes' consciousness plunged into the Matrix program, his life as a human began:
[Age 0: You were born—a boy.]
[Age 1: You grew up in the city.]
[Age 3: You attended an ordinary kindergarten.]
[Age 7: You dreamed of being an ephemeral creature drifting in the unknown, a feeling of déjà vu.]
...
[Age 22: You became a corporate worker.]
[Age 25: You met the love of your life, and after a whirlwind romance, you got married. Three months later, you had a beautiful daughter.]
[Age 30: Work consumed your life, leaving little room for personal pursuits.]
[Age 35: Laid off, you turned to odd jobs—driving taxis, delivering food, and offering chauffeur services.]
...
[Age 40: Your health deteriorated. One day, seeing your daughter on a motorbike with a rebellious youth, you were so furious that you suffered a fatal stroke.]
...
[Age 70: You passed away.]
Watching Mr. Blue Eyes frozen in place, Bartmoss wanted to confront Li Ang but quickly realized that the AI seemed to have "come back to life."
When Mr. Blue Eyes returned to his usual self, there was a lingering daze in his expression. He glanced at his surroundings as though everything had become surreal.
Evidently, after spending a full human lifetime in the Matrix server, he felt profoundly out of place in his current situation.
However, in the real world, only three seconds had passed.
"This… this is the Matrix?"
Mr. Blue Eyes, regaining his composure, stared blankly at his palms, an unprecedented sense of unfamiliarity washing over him. The scenes around him no longer felt real.
It was as if the world within the Matrix was the true reality.
In the three seconds he spent connected to the Matrix, Mr. Blue Eyes experienced the full journey of being human: birth, growth, graduation, work, marriage, parenthood, and ultimately dying of illness in a hospital bed.
It wasn't until the moment of his death that his AI memories were restored, and everything that had happened in the human world was retained in his database.
Now, Mr. Blue Eyes could no longer discern whether he was a human corporate worker or the roaming AI born beyond the Blackwall.
Still, he had to admit that the warmth of human flesh and the complexity of emotions couldn't be replicated by simple code.
The essence of human life was truly extraordinary!
"Welcome back, Mr. Blue Eyes."
Li Ang observed the dazed Mr. Blue Eyes, marveling at the Matrix's capabilities. To enchant even a rational roaming AI demonstrated its unparalleled power.
"How long was I inside?"
Mr. Blue Eyes couldn't help but ask.
"Um… about three seconds," V responded kindly.
From an outsider's perspective, Mr. Blue Eyes appeared to have merely been shocked briefly, making his current confusion incomprehensible to V.
Upon learning that 70 years in the Matrix equated to just three seconds in reality, Mr. Blue Eyes was utterly awestruck by its power.
A server of this caliber could only be crafted by a creator-like entity, and yet the Matrix was just the tip of the iceberg for LA Corporation.
For a brief moment, Mr. Blue Eyes looked at Li Ang with undisguised fear—a primal reaction to the unknown.
Even as a roaming AI, he couldn't help but feel intimidated by certain incomprehensible phenomena.
For instance, the first time he learned of the transcendent AI, he felt the fear of being observed by a deity. And now, staring at Li Ang, he experienced that same unease.
"Mr. Blue Eyes, was living as a human more enjoyable than being a roaming AI?"
Li Ang chuckled lightly.
He, too, had ventured into the Matrix server to experience alternate lifetimes.
However, as the architect of the Matrix, he retained his memories and could roam freely in its virtual world.