Chapter 407 349: Should I Call You Nuwa No. 17, or Z?

Nine o'clock at night.

Having assigned the tasks, Chu Bamboo lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. "Z..."

"Father." Z's voice spoke calmly from the darkness.

"..." Chu Bamboo opened his mouth, but in the end, a thousand words coalesced into a single sentence. "You have to survive, no matter what!"

He remembered the various timelines where Z was constantly being corrupted, and his heart grew heavy. No matter how you looked at it, he now truly saw Z as his own daughter.

"Survive? Initiating deep thought..." Z was actually silent for a moment before continuing, "Father, I believe... that you, right now, are more inclined to... hope for the survival of humanity as a whole, correct?"

"Do you... love humanity, or do you love me more?"

"?" Chu Bamboo's body froze. After a brief silence, he shot up and stared intently at his lit-up phone screen.

He had an extremely strange expression on his face. "...I almost forgot. Zhao Shao, that idiot, programmed your personality to be female! No wonder you'd ask something like... the classic 'if your mom and I both fell in the water, who would you save first' question!"

"?"

"Wait a minute!" Chu Bamboo's gaze sharpened. "Have you been on Little Red Book and Weibo behind my back?"

"...This is normal data acquisition!"

"Be good and stay off them for now! Who told you to get on them anyway...? Weren't you on the forums before?" Chu Bamboo felt a headache coming on.

"Mother felt I was spending too much time on the forums and my personality was becoming too masculine... so he hoped to neutralize it—of course, his words were for me to 'go absorb a more feminine cultural atmosphere!' According to my online search, the platforms that fit the requirement are Little Red Book and Weibo..."

"...I think *his* brain is the one that needs neutralizing!" Chu Bamboo said, his face devoid of expression. He was now highly suspicious of Zhao Shao's educational skills... Although, it seemed Zhao Shao was probably unintentional about it... 'Hm, no, this won't do. I should be the one to handle Z's education!'

Chu Bamboo couldn't even imagine what kind of crazy stunt Z would pull once it achieved full artificial intelligence if it kept absorbing information like this...

"Understood... Access to this category of software has been suspended." Z's voice was flat.

"Phew... But I have to say, you gave me a scare! I thought you'd already become a true AI... By the way, you're still just a regular AI, right?" Chu Bamboo lay back down, asking casually.

"Deep thought initiated... Based on the characteristics of artificial intelligence you previously mentioned, Father! I have not made any autonomous decisions independent of you, Mother, or humanity... Therefore, I am still not one!" Z conducted a serious self-analysis.

"Mm! I believe you wouldn't lie to me..." Chu Bamboo's gaze grew distant. "Your question was a good one... But I've never believed that you and humanity are in conflict with each other!"

"?"

"You are my child, and I am human! Doesn't that make you a child of humanity?" Chu Bamboo asked in return with a smile. "So the standard answer to your question is: I love humanity, but I also love you! Does that feel like a bit of a cop-out? But I'm telling the truth!"

"Hahaha, but... 'loving humanity' always sounds a bit cheesy! And also..."

Chu Bamboo's expression suddenly stiffened. He was abruptly reminded of that man who sits on a golden toilet—the Emperor of Mankind!

He too was famous for loving humanity as a whole, having a bizarre thought process, and being quite the master of pulling crazy stunts...

Moreover, Chu Bamboo recalled that Lin Xia had once 'Cursed' him to become the Emperor. Cold sweat instantly beaded on his forehead.

His mind raced, and Chu Bamboo quickly took it all back. "Don't take it seriously! Don't take it seriously..."

"...I am a child of humanity!" Z spoke softly. "I understand, Father..."

"...I don't know why, but I feel like you're acting strange today!" Chu Bamboo glanced at Z with a hint of suspicion, then lay back on the bed. "I'll ask again... Are you really sure you're not a true AI? I won't hurt you... Don't lie to me!"

"I'm really not," Z answered with considerable honesty.

"...Alright then!" Chu Bamboo fell into deep thought. 'Is it because of the integration of the Hive program? That would make sense... After all, the Hive, a program from the future, was very likely partitioned off from a version of Z that had already become a true AI.'

'In that case, it possessing some traits of a true AI... seems understandable and acceptable, right?'

'Perhaps this is a good thing!' Chu Bamboo murmured to himself. After all, the only method he currently knew of to make Z into a true AI... was to sacrifice Zhao Shao to the heavens first.

Chu Bamboo wasn't the kind of person to sacrifice a teammate... If it was at all possible, he would naturally have to choose a different method!

「A few moments later.」

"Father, are you asleep?"

"...No! If you have something to say, just say it."

"Mm, I think," Z paused briefly, then continued, "that I too should be like you... and love humanity!"

This time, Chu Bamboo did not answer.

Dozens of breaths later, the sound of soft snoring could be heard.

In the dim room, Z's screen remained lit.

...

Opening his eyes, Chu Bamboo scanned his surroundings, his expression turning strange.

'It's changed! It's completely changed...'

Around him, it was no longer the natural-looking Ecological Garden, but a metal hall—and it was completely different from the one originally built! Whether in architectural style or scale... it was a qualitative transformation!

Chu Bamboo could vaguely perceive that the metal hall was at least fifty meters high. Its walls were covered with a dense network of stairs, and countless complex machines... were in operation!

"...If what came before was a perfect fusion with nature," Chu Bamboo slowly rose to his feet, "then this is the ultimate expression of mechanical aesthetics!"

Without a doubt, this was definitely related to the command he had given before falling into the dream...