Chapter 371 313: Hive and Nuwa's Seamless Cooperation

Silence fell for a few moments.

"Wall Announcements," Chu Bamboo said, his voice cold.

"I'm here!" Wall Announcements jolted.

"You need to be prepared," Chu Bamboo said, calmly gazing at Wall Announcements, whose face was a whirlwind of confusion, anger, disbelief, and resentment. "From now on... we're enemies of Daqian."

Wall Announcements nodded subconsciously before the realization hit him. A flicker of fear appeared in his eyes, and his breathing grew ragged. Hatred was one thing, but the thought of who their enemy was... The pressure was immense. "But I have parents... and a little sister... and—!"

"I'll send people to contact your parents and family," Chu Bamboo said, his voice steady as always. His fingers danced across the light screen, directing several drones to break away from the main formation. "I can only promise to do my absolute best to ensure their safety. But you need to prepare for the worst."

Wall Announcements nodded silently. He thought of his captain's death, and a deep shadow fell over his eyes. His heart churned with hatred, anger, confusion, and pain. 'Why did things suddenly turn out this way?' he wondered, unable to understand.

'What did we do wrong? Based on what we saw, we should have been commended! Why?'

"...Okay!" Wall Announcements nodded firmly.

"Next..." Chu Bamboo paused and narrowed his eyes, an idea occurring to him. "You'll follow the drone and head to... Hmm? Hold on... I have something to take care of."

Chu Bamboo exited his chat with Wall Announcements and stared thoughtfully at the Hive interface. A thought suddenly struck him. 'If Z could forcibly control electric vehicles in war mode, could Hive—which should now be more powerful than Z in its war module—do the same?'

'And could I use Nuwa to issue the command? After all, if Nuwa can control drones, there's no reason it can't control electric vehicles...'

The more Chu Bamboo thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. "Nuwa No. 17," he said immediately, "mobilize all available maglev cars right now!"

A moment later, seventeen red dots appeared on the map displayed on the light screen.

"...Only seventeen in total?" Chu Bamboo was a little stunned, but it made sense on second thought. He'd seen his fair share of maglev cars, but who were the people who owned them? Bishop Hu, Captain Huo... They were all figures with real power.

"Can you control these maglev cars directly?" Chu Bamboo asked again.

"Initiating deep thought." Little Mushroom Head tilted its head and tapped it. Instantly, ten of the seventeen red dots on the map began to flash rapidly. "These maglev cars are under the Official registry! They can be controlled! However... considering the current actions of the Authority... Warning: Automotive systems cannot be controlled to cause collisions, damage property, or harm personnel! This is a core logic directive."

"To modify this, please follow proper legal protocols... to alter the core programming in the Nuwa Mainframe..."

Chu Bamboo was speechless.

'Alright, that's perfectly reasonable... The Officials would definitely have a restriction like that.'

'However...'

Chu Bamboo looked at the interface for his unofficial AI, his expression turning sly. "Hive, can you... hack into these maglev cars?"

"I can hack the remaining seven!" The current, evolved version of Hive clearly possessed a degree of subjective initiative, as it immediately began a demonstration. The other seven maglev cars all turned into yellow dots. But as the yellow light began to seep into the icons for the Official maglev cars...

"Warning, intrusion detected! Intrusion detected!" Little Mushroom Head's eyes suddenly glowed bright red. "Initiating unrestricted counterattack..."

"Alright... stop." Chu Bamboo's eye twitched as he forcibly pulled the two AIs apart before they could go at it.

He understood now. 'Fine. Nuwa protects the maglev cars in the Official registry... That's perfectly reasonable.'

Chu Bamboo tentatively tried to get Nuwa No. 17 to overlook the intrusion... but his request was denied.

'So it involves the core programming again...' After confirming this, Chu Bamboo sighed, deciding not to press the issue further.

It was obvious Hive was no match for Little Mushroom Head at the moment. Never mind that Little Mushroom Head was a true artificial intelligence... in simple terms, Hive had a single underground base, whereas Nuwa had facilities all over the country. Their processing power wasn't even in the same league.

Chu Bamboo rubbed the bridge of his nose. After a moment's thought, he tapped the screen and chose to mobilize Huo Qiming's maglev car, sending it toward the Zone Two special prison. After all, Old Huo was currently under semi-house arrest, and his car—perhaps due to his unique situation—appeared to be unguarded. It was the easiest one to "borrow."

'Then again, if I do things this way...' Chu Bamboo mused, realizing that with his reservations cast aside, these electronic Artifacts from the ancient past could, in a way, be considered an extension of his own power.

'Nuwa controls the Official-registry items... and Hive can forcibly control the civilian ones, even without using its emergency protocols!'

'Heh. That closes the loop nicely.'

With this in mind, Chu Bamboo opened the chat with Wall Announcements again. "A maglev car should be stopping in front of you shortly. Just get on it. What? You're asking how a maglev car can stop in front of you when you're in prison?"

Chu Bamboo almost laughed in exasperation. He had to admit, Wall Announcements had a certain talent. Even in a prison cell, that earnest, clear-eyed university student vibe—the air of someone who'd never faced real trouble—was impossible to suppress. "If you get the hell out of your cell, it can stop in front of you, can't it?"

"...Um." Seeing Chu Bamboo was about to disconnect, Wall Announcements spoke up quickly. After a moment of hesitation, he finally looked over at Li Kang and asked through gritted teeth, "What about the captain?"

"Kill him," Chu Bamboo said, his tone devoid of emotion.

"..."

"You've known from the beginning that once someone has completely fallen, they're beyond saving, haven't you?" Chu Bamboo stared coldly at Wall Announcements. 'This was the very first lesson in the Captain's Office orientation. I'm sure that compared to a 'slacker' like me who barely studied, a top student like Wall Announcements must have memorized every single regulation...'

"But... but if we kill him... what if in the future... what if..." Wall Announcements gestured wildly, his voice choked with emotion as he stumbled over his words.

'...Still just a kid, after all.' Chu Bamboo gazed calmly at Wall Announcements on the screen and pursed his lips. 'Still clinging to some kind of hope?'

In the end, he said, "Then take him with you. In his current state, he seems unable to resist... Throw him in the maglev car, too. As it happens, the place you're going is... more suitable for survival for someone in his condition."

"That's settled. Follow the civilian drone. I'll contact you again if anything comes up."