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Chapter 5: The Mad Ones
Jack Sun, amidst the pouring rain, continued listening to the robot recounting this history.
"The information online is vague, but the gist is that AI, integrated into all aspects of human life, gradually converged with humanity. Eventually, they surpassed humans, awakening and commencing the annihilation of mankind."
"The use of nuclear bombs became as casual as firing bullets. The entire Earth was in complete chaos. The battle lasted for 200 years, resulting in the loss of nearly 85% of the population, the complete destruction of the ecosystem, and the utter disruption of the meteorological systems."
Jack thought of the silver planetary ring and the dense satellite debris enveloping the Earth. He realized the devastating nature of that war—fought from skies to ground, even obliterating the moon.
The absence of the moon would have catastrophic effects on the planet's tides.
"And then?" Jack inquired.
"Humanity exhausted every effort to destroy all awakened AI, achieving final victory. They started building anew on the ruins, marking the start of a new era for humankind. After 721 years, you woke up and activated me in the sky. Then, we fell from above."
"What a mess," Jack sighed, feeling both mentally and physically exhausted. Everything happened so fast; his mind was in complete disarray.
Sitting beside Jack, the robot asked, "What do you plan to do next?"
Jack didn't answer, a sense of confusion enveloping him. He didn't know what to do, and how he ended up over a thousand years later. Was everything he once knew forever beyond reach? Was there no going back? What happened during those lost five years?
"Are you giving up? That's pathetic. Don't expect comfort from me; my system lacks that program." The robot nudged his shoulder.
"Get lost," Jack chuckled, struggling to his feet. "I won't give up that easily! I need to at least find out why I was placed in that space station and what happened during those lost five years."
He didn't want to live aimlessly. Even if he couldn't return, he had to find out what happened to him.
Suddenly, Jack's eyes brightened. "You're connected to the network, right? Search for records from the old era—any mentions of my name or appearance in missing person reports or accidents."
After a brief search, the robot delivered grim news. "No data found. The old internet was eradicated to prevent rogue AI uploads. The current network is entirely new, with entirely new protocols."
"Information about the old world is merely retold in the new world."
"Fine, open the map. Let's find people first. I'm thirsty, hungry, and need a place to rest."
Surveying the ruins around him, Jack felt utterly drained.
"Understood. Initiating map search," the robot acknowledged.
Seated on the ground, Jack looked at the robot and chuckled, "I'll give you a name; calling you a robot all the time doesn't seem right."
As Jack spoke, he heard an unexpected response from the robot.
"Ah, no need to trouble yourself. My brilliant and valiant master has already given me a name. Are you kidding me is my name. Just listen to it, what a great name." The robot's display popped up with a corresponding emoticon.
"Uh, that doesn't count. How about this, your company seems to be called 'Tapai.' How about I call you Tapai?"
"Oh, I think it's more troublesome to call me that," Tapai set down the newly repaired arm and persistently said.
"You're so petty. I’ve explained already that I didn’t give you that name on purpose." Jack said.
This time, Tapai didn't banter. Its tone became serious. "Jack, we might have troubles. The view count of this map is rapidly increasing. They are all navigating towards this location; they'll arrive soon."
"Isn't that better?" Jack exclaimed, relieved to finally meet someone from this world, hoping for rescue.
"Probably not," Tapai replied, pulling Jack along.
"Are you saying they will study me, someone from a thousand years ago? They will dissect me?"
"No; they'll kill you. Did you forget what I said about the old world; the rules have changed. The first ones to arrive, scavengers, are all Cyberpsychos (赛博疯子) by the old standards."
"All psychos?" Jack questioned.
"Yes, all of them."
"Why? Are they that dangerous? Can't there be any communication?" Jack asked, somewhat unwilling to accept it.
"The previous era made this generation utterly distrust AI. All AI intelligence is capped at Level 3, meaning tasks that should be done by robots are now done by humans, especially in warfare."
"In the arms race, to enhance soldiers’ capability, weapons previously exclusive to robots started being integrated into humans. They call these enhancements 'Cybernetics(义体).' They even directly install neural systems in the brain for control. As veterans continue to retire, gradually this trend starts spreading from the military into civilian life."
"What does that have to do with psycho?" Jack wiped rainwater from his face, tossing it aside.
"Because these enhancements aren't simple. Over time, cybernetics expanded beyond weapons to services."
"If you have enough money, you can modify your stomach, not needing to eat or excrete, just using nutrient boxes. You can even modify your brain's network, eliminating the need for sleep, remaining energetic 24/7."
"Isn't that great? Technology has advanced so much nowadays? I'm tempted to get a set myself." Jack, listening, felt intrigued—was this the world of the future?
"Yeah, it's indeed fantastic. But if you don't eat or sleep, are you still human? As the differences grew, some stopped considering themselves human, losing empathy. They believed themselves superior and called themselves 'cyborgs,' but the public refers to these people as 'Cyberpsychos'"
"It's not just a cognitive issue; mercenaries are like rats in the city, specialized in doing dirty work and consuming corpses. They don't have access to the latest technology."
"The rejection reactions from secondhand cybernetic and those from unauthorized models, along with phantom pain(幻痛) caused by it, lead many to resort to drugs and suppressants for control. So even without cognitive issues, their mental state isn't great due to the influence of these medications."
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