Counterfeit Hero

Chapter 1144: Chapter 2: Mixed Emotions_5

Only a little kid wearing underpants could be seen, sitting steadily on the console with his fleshy legs crossed. Fatty was next to him, chirping something in his ear. The expressions of the big and small pair were unusually serious, the little guy’s plump face constantly nodding, seemingly receiving Fatty’s instructions.

Margaret was about to lose her mind.

Though she knew that this little demon kid was definitely not as naive as a typical three or four-year-old, she wasn’t foolish enough to believe Fatty would entrust a critical mission to a child at this moment!

But, this is the bandit army..... a world gone mad.

”Merge control of Bandit No.6 and Fierce Bandit No.7 into SkyNet, the main pilot to abandon manual operation and switch to automatic control.”

Fatty’s order stunned everyone.

Margaret tugged at Fatty, exclaiming in shock, ”Are you crazy, going for automated control now?!”

Ignoring Margaret, Fatty commanded, ”Execute the order, countdown, three, two, one!”

Almost simultaneously with Fatty finishing the countdown, the main control pilot relinquished control of the spaceship. At the same time, the green light of the ship’s SkyNet System lit up, indicating that the nearby Fierce Bandit No.7 had simultaneously handed over control.

At that moment, Margaret saw that the pink-cheeked little boy, whom Fatty called Pipi, suddenly had his right index finger split open, revealing a silver-white data port resembling a finger bone, which plugged into the console.

Oh God! Margaret quickly covered her mouth!

On the virtual screen, a dark brown asteroid rapidly enlarged before their eyes.

Countless eyes watched the main control pilot, who had already let go of his hands, with a vacant expression, while the main control pilot dumbly watched the spaceship swiftly charge towards the tumbling asteroid.

”Turn! Quickly!” Margaret’s fingers dug into Fatty’s flesh.

The asteroid still enlarged.

Just as the main control pilot couldn’t help but reach out, a beep sounded, the spaceship sharply pulled up. The peculiar sharp edges of the asteroid seemed to brush against the ship’s bottom, and then drifted away into deep space.

Everyone had just breathed a sigh of relief, and before they could even rejoice, they noticed the spaceship accelerating!

”Auto-system malfunction?!”

The crew stared at the soaring speed in the main control system, all dumbfounded.

Everyone knew the ship’s automatic piloting system wouldn’t evade stones that don’t pose a threat to the vessel!

In such situations, time must be given for the navigator to issue an evasion command! Yet, the original cooperation between two pilots and four navigators could only reach a speed of thirty kilometers per second, now it’s exceeding this velocity, how can a pilot get those complex calculations done?!

”General!”

”Fatty!”

Sechter and Margaret shouted simultaneously.

”Ignore it!” Fatty’s face twitched, equally alarmed.

Hundreds of planets of varying sizes rapidly enlarged before their eyes. The largest exceeded a kilometer in diameter, the smallest about fist-sized.

The distance between these asteroids wasn’t wide, ordinarily this would be a leisurely passage, but now, it’s a dead-end! No pilot could maneuver a massive armed merchant ship through it without touching any of the asteroids.

This is a spaceship, not a Space Fighter!

”Pipi!” Fatty glanced at the little kid’s underpants, ”I’m not threatening you. Hit one, I’ll strip a piece off you! You decide!”

Margaret watched aghast as the little kid rolled his eyes at Fatty, her gaze slowly shifted to the boy’s right index finger.

The console’s electronic system flickered wildly, countless data surged across the screen like a tide.

Drawing nearer, the warship performed a deft tail-slide maneuver into the gap between two massive rocks, then climbed upward, leaping over an asteroid approximately a hundred meters in diameter, quickly turning to sidestep. Several small stones slid past the ship’s stern, less than ten meters away. The rolling data on the screen showed that the system-identified space boulders had a closest distance of merely 0.4 meters!

0.4 meters!

The control room fell silent. Bandit soldiers stared wide-eyed, their faces awash with an incredulity akin to seeing a ghost. This was a cosmic spaceship traveling at tens of kilometers per second. Not a nimble fighter jet, nor a flying car street-bound. Likely, even a flying car couldn’t achieve such precision!

No one knew of the Artificial Intelligence’s existence, thus when this strange scene unfolded before the bandit troops, they entertained one singular thought... this is a Ghost Ship!

A Ghost Ship, controlled by spirits!

Amidst the chaotic rock cluster, the spaceship weaved like a spiritual fox running through a jungle. The increased speed, coupled with bypassing major detours, rapidly widened the distance shown on-screen from six black warships. The gleaming white light-net veered further away behind!

Spurred stones fell back, seemingly impossible-to-pass gaps became risk-free illuminated passages. Behind, Fierce Bandit No.7 shadowed tightly, mirroring each maneuver without a fraction of discrepancy!

Upon exiting the obstacle area and reaching the Jump Point, six black warships had been distanced into dense starry dust.

As Bandit No.6 began jump preparations, Fierce Bandit No.7, in a flash of blue light, appeared alongside, Margaret trembled, softly closed her eyes.

Meanwhile, she gripped Fatty’s arm tightly.

Ignoring Fatty’s grimaces, unwilling to let go!

She finally understood why intelligence showed Fatty unmarried yet had a three or four-year-old son. She also comprehended why Fatty brought his son along for this near-suicidal mission.

Artificial biological skin, hair, weren’t entirely indiscernible.

Though hindsight, this didn’t prevent Margaret from discerning the true nature of this little boy. Seeing his finger plugged into the control panel, recalling the spaceship’s unprecedented flying moves, thinking again of his innocent facade......

No further evidence was needed, God could testify, this was Artificial Intelligence! A fully awakened, self-aware Artificial Intelligence.

In an instant, Margaret felt blood from her entire body rushing to her head, her body quivered uncontrollably.

For years, the Feiyang Republic had speculated the Binart Empire possessed Artificial Intelligence, based on intel and various signs. Otherwise, they couldn’t explain why the defeated Binart Empire caught up with the Feiyang Republic in just three decades! Their economic data, technical standards, all pointed to this astonishing hypothesis.

As far as Margaret knew, even before her birth, Artificial Intelligence research had become the Feiyang Republic’s largest allocation, prominently ranked project.

Yet, until the war commenced, the Feiyang Republic’s Artificial Intelligence showed no awakening signs.

Many guessed Feiyang possessed Artificial Intelligence capable of countering Binart’s. But who knew, Feiyang Republic had persisted to barely keep pace with the Binart people due to one person tirelessly, painstakingly, sacrificing everything - Hastings?!

God, when closing one door, opens another.

Margaret stared dumbly at Fatty, at the little kid who finished controls, lifting taut underpants boasting before Fatty. Mixed emotions surged!

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