Chapter 220 – Zero’s Secret
“Not exactly,” Tu Ran leaned comfortably against the seat. “Eliminating Zero would at least ensure that, for a short while, no prying eyes are watching me.”
She planned to take advantage of the time while Zero was malfunctioning to deal with all the unresolved matters.
By the time the next AI took over, she would once again be a righteous pioneer, with no one able to find any dirt on her.
“No need,” Xie Xu said on the other end. “Do you still remember the person who guided you the first time you went to the Ansa Black Market?”
“The mechanical head?” Tu Ran asked.
Xie Xu was stunned by her highly concise description.
“…Yes.”
Not only did she remember, but the impression was deeply ingrained. She had always been curious whether the person was “human” or “machine.”
Now that she didn’t have to be as cautious with Xie Xu as before, Tu Ran asked directly, “Is he still human?”
“You could say he is, and you could say he isn’t.”
Tu Ran: “…Could you be a bit clearer and not so vague?”
As expected, once people had something to rely on, their attitude became firmer.
Xie Xu explained, “He was once human. After suffering severe brain trauma, Xiao Jiu replaced his skull with a mechanical one. However, shortly after, his body developed a rejection response. The skull, which was compatible with nearly all humans, was strongly rejected by his immune system, causing rapid organ failure.”
“In an emergency, at his request, I digitized his brain’s consciousness and uploaded it into a computer, allowing him to transcend the limitations of human physiology and achieve digital immortality. Later, with the help of others, I created a human body for him and transferred his consciousness into it, enabling him to live in human society just like before.”
Tu Ran was speechless with shock. Digital immortality had been proposed in the first world, but the human brain’s hundreds of billions of neurons and trillions of connections made the digitization of consciousness impossible for decades. Yet, in the second world, this technology had already been achieved?!
Tu Ran took nearly a full minute to compose herself before finding her voice again. “So… why did you suddenly bring him up?”
Xie Xu was silent for a moment. “He has a name. It’s Zero.”
Zero?!
Tu Ran asked with difficulty, “This Zero… isn’t the same Zero, right?”
“They’re the same,” Xie Xu confirmed on the other end. “By chance, I uploaded his consciousness into Zero’s mainframe. He consumed the original Zero. Now, he is Zero.”
Internally, Tu Ran gave him a thumbs up. “You really are something.”
Xie Xu remained silent.
“You two seem to have a pretty good relationship.”
“Yes,” Xie Xu replied.
“So, the reason you’re telling me not to target Zero is because he’s under your control. You can manage him, and Zero poses no threat to you.”
“Exactly,” Xie Xu answered honestly.
Now it was Tu Ran’s turn to fall silent.
She didn’t know what to say. It seemed like she had just stumbled upon explosive information.
Zero was the mechanical head, and the mechanical head was Zero. Xie Xu had a good relationship with Zero, or rather the mechanical head. It seemed like they were even in a superior-subordinate dynamic. The problem that had troubled her for so long was resolved by Xie Xu in just a few words.
She no longer had to find some way to infiltrate the Xie family’s estate and destroy Zero’s mainframe.
But now, she had an even more perplexing problem.
“You’ve already got Zero under control. You can do whatever you want. You could walk through the Federation with no resistance. So why are you still working with me?”
“Zero is only useful to me in this world. In other worlds, he’s not as effective as you.”
“Other worlds?” Tu Ran frowned. “The Threshold?”
“Including the Threshold, but not just the Threshold.”
Tu Ran began to doubt her understanding. “Are you saying there are other worlds besides the Threshold? Like my and Li Wenchuan’s home?”
“As of now, this topic isn’t essential to discuss,” Xie Xu said, not intending to reveal more to Tu Ran about the other worlds. “Let’s talk about our collaboration.”
“That was a rough topic shift,” Tu Ran remarked.
Xie Xu didn’t respond to her comment.
“When we were in the underground level of the Songwu Research Base, I mentioned that I wanted to solidify our partnership,” Xie Xu said calmly. “I’ve already demonstrated my sincerity. The fact that Zero was consumed—apart from you, I haven’t told anyone else. I’ve entrusted you with a secret that could shake the entire Federation. My actions have shown my good faith, and now I want to know what you think.”
Tu Ran considered her words carefully. “As long as my personal safety isn’t threatened, I’ll prioritize our partnership.”
Her safety had to come first, no matter the situation.
If it hadn’t been for her original self’s connection with Xie Xu, she wouldn’t have been dragged into this world only to be threatened by him and entangled in this mess until now. Now, she even knew one of Xie Xu’s most earth-shattering secrets—bigger than the secret of his private research institute.
As the saying goes, “It’s easy to get on a pirate ship, but hard to get off.” Having stumbled into this far, it was better to be complicit with Xie Xu than to carry his secret and be hunted down by him.
She knew how powerful Zero was. In the past, when Zero stood against her, she cursed it as “the Federation’s dog” and hated it to the core, wishing she could destroy it instantly.
But now that Zero was on her side, it had become an invaluable asset. With Zero around, she felt as if she’d grown wings; nothing in the Federation could threaten her anymore.
She didn’t have any grand ambitions, but as long as she could dominate for a time, that was enough.
“Alright, I’ll take it that our partnership is solid for now,” Xie Xu said. “Though not indestructible, it won’t fall apart at the slightest hit.”
Tu Ran chuckled. “You could say that.”
“Senior Tu Ran, you’re smiling so brightly. Did something good happen?”
Her smile was so radiant that Le Qin, who was nearby, couldn’t help but notice.
Tu Ran’s expression didn’t change. “I’m just happy that I’ll be off work soon.”
Le Qin was a bit surprised by the reason, but after thinking it over, it made perfect sense—it was just like Tu Ran’s style.
She glanced at the time. “It’s currently 9:30 Federation Time, which means we still have nine and a half hours left until we’re off.”
Tu Ran’s joyful smile quickly turned into a bitter one.
Nine and a half hours?
Was this some kind of joke?
So much had happened in just one day. From morning until now, she hadn’t had a moment to rest, and now she was being told that there were still nine and a half hours left to make a full twenty-four hours?
Was Federation Time really this long?
“Sister Tu Ran, if you can’t keep smiling, don’t force it. The expression on your face is creeping me out,” Xiao Di, who was sitting in the passenger seat, exaggeratedly rubbed his arms after catching a glimpse of Tu Ran’s strained smile through the rearview mirror.
Tu Ran dropped the smile and leaned back in her seat with a sigh. “The life of a corporate slave is so exhausting…”
In the first world, it had been exhausting not being able to find a job. Now, in the second world, she had found a job—and it was even more exhausting.
Outside the car window, the multicolored lights of neon signs cast fleeting shadows on her face, flashing by in endless variations.
