Ant colony

"Mayor, is this really necessary?" ζ-Tian, ​​the director of the Public Opinion Guidance Center, said suddenly, "If...if we really only need to wait for three days, with the current conditions, we can completely protect the city through the crisis. But if you destroy power facilities and smart devices on a large scale, you may throw many areas into chaos."

The head of the Ministry of Health agreed: "Yeah, I can't imagine how many patients will die if the power is cut off in nursing homes and hospitals."

The mayor said: "Then what do you mean to let the lunatic's calculations be ignored? In order to protect a few old, weak, sick and disabled, make fun of the fate of all mankind?"

The questioner suddenly fell silent.

"There are 17 people here." The mayor looked around the crowd. "Let's vote. Those who agree to physically damage the new system raise their hands."

People raised their hands one after another.After hesitating for a while, ζ-Tian and the person in charge of the health department also raised their hands.

All eyes were on me, because I was the only one left without moving.

The mayor seemed a little surprised, and then his gaze became as cold as ice.I clenched my fists and stood up.

"Mayor, fellow committee members," my heart was beating wildly, but I tried to keep my tone calm, "Why do we believe that the long-term calculation results of the system will be terrible? Besides, even if the results are really crazy, it is just a theory. There is still a long way to go before a real social experiment, and we can oppose it and ban it. Why sacrifice so many people just for the worst possibility?"

The mayor sneered: "You are so naive. Do you think that this kind of calculation produces only theories? It produces a large amount of data! Once these data flow into the global network, what will happen to the system is beyond our control. Controlled. There may be countless loopholes beyond our experience, hidden in invisible parameters, and before we have time to fully interpret them, they will suddenly explode like time bombs (l) bombs, and the dead will be Not hundreds or thousands."

"Think about it carefully." I said, "If the calculation of the new system is really so harmful, why didn't the main system directly destroy City 501? For it, this is actually not difficult to do."

"Perhaps it believes that we can solve the problem in a less expensive way than wiping out the entire city with a destruction beam."

"The problem can be left to the Global Management Council to resolve." I continued to argue, "We are the municipal committee of City 501, and we should be responsible for protecting the citizens of City 501."

"You are thinking with outdated morality. Human beings are a whole, each city is only a part of the whole, and the people who die in chaos are even more parts of a part. In order to save the lives of a few people, it leads to a greater disaster , pay a heavier price, isn’t there enough lessons from the Third World War?”

"I disagree……"

"It's no use if you disagree alone. The resolution has been passed."

"Who says I'm alone?"

"I'm starting to doubt your loyalty now." The mayor looked me over. "Put her under guard."

Two guards behind her stepped forward, put the muzzle of their guns on the back of my head, and dragged me around the corner.

I faced the wall and stood motionless.There was a faint rumble in the distance. I don't know if it was the electromagnetic pulse weapon of the human army, or the ruthless bombing of the human body by the system.

The committee members were busy contacting their own agencies, and the mayor's secretary came in and out, conveying the latest battle situation.The computing power of the system is dropping little by little, while human casualties are rising rapidly.My heart was beating harder and harder, and my back was drenched in cold sweat.

"Citizens." A voice came suddenly.It was as if an electric current passed through my spine, bringing a shiver - ψ-Sophie finally moved!

Then I heard my own speech:

"I am δ-63080491-rou, director of the Vulnerability Management Bureau. This is an urgent notice. The new system has a loophole during trial operation, and can only temporarily shut down some functions. The main system is expected to take over the city within three days. During this period, Basic services such as power supply, water supply, food supply, garbage disposal, and baby care in the city will not be affected; members of the Vulnerability Management Bureau have been stationed in various communities, and they will work with community managers to maintain order. Please do not panic. But The unmanned traffic system cannot operate, and only manual vehicles can be driven. The communication system is also unable to operate, and the municipal committee can only receive notifications through the emergency communication terminal. You can choose to wait in the city for three days, or you can choose to drive a vehicle to evacuate the city. City - but please be careful, there are already many roads damaged on the fringes of the city, and there may be air strikes."

"Someone may already know that some skirmishes just happened in the [-]th District. This is not a system out of control, but man-made. The new system was deemed 'evil' by the city council and must be completely eliminated, so they decided to destroy the city All smart devices and electricity. Maybe you will be surprised, this is not to make the city management completely disabled? Yes, they know this. They know that your houses will be darkened, your food and water will be cut off, Your babies will be out of care, your vehicles won't start, and your cities will be deserted islands of civilization. They know that panic will spread, violence will breed. They know that your loved ones or friends may be in riots Die. They know it. But they will do it anyway. Because in their view, destroying the new 'evil' system is a top priority, and even if some people are sacrificed for it, it will do more good than harm to all mankind."

"Is this a familiar logic? In fact, we have been living in this logic. We all acquiesce in sacrificing a small number of people for the sake of everyone. It's just that when we ourselves become the 'small number of people' who have been abandoned , this feeling must be very uncomfortable, right?"

"Actually, I feel even more uncomfortable. Because I am one of the managers of City 501. I always thought that the reason why citizens need managers is to be protected, not to be treated as parts that can be given up at any time. Besides, if You only need to choose which people to give up, and you can solve all problems. Isn’t it too easy to be a manager? If it is so easy to be a manager, you can just find a few children to form a municipal committee. Why do you need people from all walks of life? Elite? Don’t tell me that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, it’s rational, and it’s rational to find ways to minimize the ‘harms’. Most managers who claim to be rational are just lazy and incompetent, and they can’t solve the latter The problem is that sacrificing others can only be said to be the only option.”

"And I believe that we can find more options. I must emphasize again that the new system is not malicious to the citizens, and the crisis will definitely be resolved within three days. I believe that with human wisdom, we can finally Eliminate all hidden dangers. What we should do now is to immediately protect every inch of circuit, every quantum computing component, every lamp, and even every smart water bottle. We must hurry up and work together with the members of the Vulnerability Management Bureau, Community managers unite to protect ourselves and our loved ones. I illegally hijacked emergency communication lines and know the cost of doing so. But I will not regret it - I would rather see you as selfish people alive, and don't want to see you die for so-called 'rational' decisions."

I felt the air around me turn into an eerie dead silence.Immediately, two guards twisted my arms fiercely, dragged me to kneel in front of the mayor.

"Okay, well prepared. It turns out that you have already participated in the rebellion."

"I told you, I'm not alone."

"Yes, now you have 1000 million mobs behind you," said the mayor, "but do you really think we're afraid to shoot them?"

"Mayor," I almost begged, "the system doesn't want to kill people, why do humans kill each other? Stop destroying the city and let the military maintain order. Citizens will thank you for that."

"You are wrong, and they will regret it." The mayor sighed slightly, "You forgot the puzzle I told you? Although people who only see a part can survive for a while, once the group collapses, no one can survive." Their children and grandchildren will suffer, and more lives will perish. I would rather be a villain and be cursed by people today, than become a sinner through the ages because of false fame."

Then, I felt a little harder against my muzzle.The mayor asked, "Who is it and where is it that hacked the emergency communication lines?"

"I do not know."

The mayor stopped looking at me and gave the order: "Surround the Loophole Administration."

"Wait!" The mayor's secretary suddenly said, "Mayor, Colonel ο-Ning just sent someone to report that about tens of thousands of people in the seventh district are converging on Gioia Avenue. Her main force is currently fighting the system in the eighth district , should we go back to the seventh district to stop the crowd?"

The members discussed.The mayor also seemed to be thinking of something.After a while, ζ-Tian said, "Mayor, let's restart voting."

The mayor said angrily, "What vote?"

"I understand citizens." ζ-Tian said, "After all, this is my profession. An angry crowd is more dangerous than any weapon. If this continues, even the army may betray us."

Because of the weight I added, the balance of pros and cons began to tilt.Right now, everyone in this room is recalculating and measuring.

"I agree." Another person also said, "After all, when the crisis is over, each of us will be responsible for all the decisions now. It cannot be decided by Ikuro alone."

The mayor smiled, a helpless and self-deprecating smile.I know, she understands that her authority is beginning to falter.

"Cowardly, cowardly, your legs go weak when you see blood." She said, "This is your generation. There is no hope for human beings."

"I think it's true courage to be afraid," I said.

"Okay, let's vote again." She nodded, "But I'm afraid that no one will be able to take responsibility for the consequences of your stupid decisions in the future."

I felt the muzzle leave my head. ζ-Tian reached out and pulled me up from the ground.

"Raise your hand who agrees with the violent repression of citizens."

Only 3 people raised their hands.

"Hands up who agree to continue attacking the system."

The result is 8:10.

"Very good." Mayor Ikuro looked around at the people, and finally his eyes fell on me. "Go ahead, go give your speech to the people."

I turned to leave, and heard her quietly added: "Be careful not to be swallowed by the beast you let out of the cage."

I walked out of the conference room and out to the gates of the city council.Standing on the high steps and looking into the distance, the night is still deep, but the Gioia Avenue is full of people's voices. Thousands of angry citizens broke through the obstacles, ignoring the sirens of the planes circling overhead, and rushed over like a tide .

"Chaos," I called to ψ-Sophie - she held the entire emergency communication line and could hear me, "open the line for me, I have a new address to the city."

The moment the crowd rushed down the steps, I really felt the fear of the beast.I expected them to rush up and tear everyone they met indiscriminately, like women in mythical Dionysian carnivals.But they didn't, they stopped at the bottom of the steps.

I saw μ-Luo and her team members at the front of the crowd, and I understood that these people came after them. μ-Luo smiled at me knowingly, and my hanging heart was relieved immediately.

Although I used to be alienated and indifferent to them, at the critical moment, colleagues from the Vulnerability Management Bureau still stood by my side.Is this due to the change after I got together with α-han, or is it because they share the same philosophy with me, and regard protecting the city as their duty?

I don't have time to think about these things.I only know that I have made too many mistakes in my life, and I can't correct them in another lifetime.

"Citizens," my voice echoed through the emergency lines to the streets, "the crisis is over. The City Council has voted again not to attack the system. From now on, we will use all our strength to maintain order in the city You can calm down and listen, there is no more gunfire in the direction of the eighth district; you can also look up, the military planes are evacuating, and the system's black drones are starting to patrol the entire urban area. Now, you can rest assured Go back to the resettlement site or your own home; you can also safely leave City 501 and go to City 502 and 503."

"We're going to kill the council!" someone suddenly shouted.

"Yes, kill them, kill them!" The angry people shouted together, their voices were like a stormy sea.

"Everyone be quiet!" I yelled. "The state of emergency will last only three days. Who wants to be arrested for murder?"

People are quiet.

I continued: "Everyone must remember the time limit of three days. Yes, there is no monitoring and no points now. Some people may plan to take advantage of the chaos and snatch what they could not have; Some people may intend to do whatever they want, to do things that they would not dare to do. But I want to warn these people, all actions will be liquidated after three days. Don't underestimate the system, you only need to leave any trace, and it can find you. It’s better for everyone to act according to the rules, surveillance is only temporarily disappearing, but the law is still the law.”

Someone asked: "You promise it will only take three days?"

"I promise," I said, "I know we have hope, and that's why I'm risking my life to tell everyone the truth. I love this city, and I want to protect her, and protect everyone in this city that I care about." People. I believe you are the same as me. The night is short, and what we need in the night is trust, not suspicion; We should also gather around hope and overcome despair and pessimism."

I said it so sincerely that even I was touched.It wasn't until the crowd dispersed with emotion that I, like waking up from a big dream, began to mock my hypocritical performance in my heart.

α-Han did not misread me either.I didn't even realize it myself, but I was a born showman.How can she know so clearly what kind of role each person is suitable for?This is probably the result of her years of research on human beings.

Before dawn, the city council evacuated residents stranded by power outages in the Eighth Ward without stopping.In one of the teams I saw β-Autumn.She moved forward with difficulty in the crowd, carefully keeping her hands in front of her abdomen.She seemed to see me and shouted something to me, but I couldn't hear her.

After a quick glance, she disappeared into the crowd.I said softly, as if talking to myself, "Goodbye."

The main system did not violently seize control of the city as I expected.Perhaps the war took place in an unseen sea of ​​data; it is also possible that the two systems entered into a dialogue and reached some kind of agreement.

Of course there were still many casualties.There were car accidents as people scrambled to flee the city; more homicides and robberies occurred in a few hours than in 50 years combined; dozens of babies were abandoned on the streets.But these are nothing compared to the disasters in the Eighth District - the war and its resulting fires killed 471 people; 252 patients suffocated to death in an intensive rehabilitation hospital; panic in dark residential areas Among the fleeing residents, 33 stampede accidents occurred, and the number of casualties is unknown.I dare not imagine what kind of purgatory scene it will be if the whole city becomes like this.

In the final analysis, these people all died of α-Han's madness.I never forgot this.

Dawn came.The city as a whole remained stable.The increase in the number of deaths reported by the districts began to fall, and finally settled at 1266.

Ikuro has lost real power, orders are issued by a collective vote of the city council, and I can feel the weight of responsibility shifting more and more to me.There are countless things for me to decide.In the extreme busyness, I gradually forgot my anxiety, my worry, and even the cause and effect of this incident, and the engraved hatred.Sometimes I feel that society has been like this since ancient times, until I think about it carefully, I can realize that this state has only lasted for more than forty hours-the adaptability of human beings is far stronger than I imagined.

I don't know how long it took before I had time to sit in a chair and take a nap.But after a while, he woke up again.

What woke me up was not the noise, but the silence.

The city hasn't been this quiet for too long.I jumped up, went to the window, and saw a bright light appearing on the city skyline. This light was like a light mist, spreading silently towards the city center.

I checked the time, it is January 1, 5:22.

"δ-soft!" ψ-Sophie rushed in with ecstasy, "The main system is starting to take over the city!"

I stared blankly at her, and it took me a while to remember that I had released her from the Vulnerability Management Bureau, and let her monitor the system with the data experts.

"Really?" I said in a daze.

"Yes! The main system has finally broken through the new system's defenses. Now the new system has abandoned sixteen districts, and only five districts are still in operation!"

"Fine." I nodded numbly.

"That person is really amazing. The new system she trained can defend against the attack of the global system for more than 60 hours. If you have the opportunity to meet her, you must ask her for advice..."

Instead of listening to her exclamation of excitement, I walked out of the lounge.All the committee members, army commanders and data experts gathered in front of a display screen, concentrating on the data flowing on it.Their expressions are fanatical and expectant, as if the will of God is about to appear on this screen.

I slipped away behind them, walked down the empty corridor, out of the council building, and walked alone down the dark street.

I drove to the data center with an antique pistol "borrowed" from a history museum in my arms.Its only advantage is that it will not be subject to electronic interference, nor will it be locked by the system.I have chosen it carefully to end this absurd farce.

There was music in the car, the song "I'm Not Elegant". No. 109 is right. Every note of this song carries an impure desire, which suits my mood at the moment.

People near the data center have long been evacuated, and the entire area is dead silent.A systematic black drone hovered in the sky, silently guarding the white circular ruins like a group of ghosts.I got out of the car and walked towards the huge gate on the ground floor.It opened automatically for me, and I was stunned by the sight inside.

The tall and wide lobby on the first floor was as empty as a vast snowfield at the moment.There are only a few display screens like white stone monuments standing in the center of the hall, with dazzling characters flowing on them. Beneath the "stone tablet" was a small and lonely human figure, with its back to me, like a statue.

My footsteps echoed in the wide space, but she didn't look back at me.She was completely immersed in another world, had forgotten time, and blocked all outside information.

I walked up to her, raised my gun, and aimed at her.

She looked at me blankly, and after a long time, she murmured, "Are you here?"

"The main system has begun to take over the city," I said. "Your time is up."

"No, I still need ten minutes."

"You should know that when the main system catches you, it's not as simple as going to die."

She was silent for a moment, then pursed her lips stubbornly: "I want to see the final answer."

I sneered, "What's the answer, 42?"

"No..." She pondered, as if talking to herself, "That's after humans understand each other..."

I couldn't understand what nonsense she was talking about, and my finger was on the trigger.Startled, she shouted, "No."

I froze for a moment—I had never seen such a pleading look in her eyes.It turned out that she was also afraid sometimes.

"Please, give me a little more time." She continued to beg.

What is there in that world that I don't understand that can make you so addicted to it that you can give up your life and give up your dignity?

I felt a pang of deep resentment, but couldn't take my eyes off her.It's just because her desperate appearance is so beautiful, with an indescribable and soul-stirring power.

I sighed and lowered the gun feebly.

She smiled at me gratefully, then turned her head to look at the characters on the display screen.

Time passed by and we didn't speak anymore.I could feel the ambient light brighten a little bit, as the main system re-lighted the walls of nearby buildings.

From time to time, there were murmurs in my ears.It could be that the two systems are still fighting over the management of the smart earphones.

α-Han is oblivious to all the changes around him.She was engrossed in looking at the screen, with strange brilliance flowing in her eyes, like a child staring at the vast starry sky.I believe that even if the world falls apart at this moment, she will not move an inch.

There was a muffled roar in the distance.I know that the people or machines that capture us are not far away.

"What is the answer?" I couldn't help shouting.

"Wait, I'm reading..." She greedily read the characters I couldn't understand.This is the language of communication between her and the system, describing things that cannot be described by human language.

The door opened.The strong light outside made me close my eyes.Immediately, heavy footsteps sounded in the hall.

"Stop looking!" I raised my gun again, "Don't let them catch you!"

"No!" she said excitedly, "Let me finish watching!"

"They'll take you—" I couldn't even utter the horrible thought.

"I know..." She smiled sadly, "It's okay, I'm willing to pay such a price. Please."

A ghostly voice came from behind: "α-01271435-han, you have been arrested for crimes against humanity, stop resisting."

Shocked, I turned around and saw three solemn-looking humans dressed in black standing not far away. The badges on their chests proved that they were representatives of the Global Management Council.Mechanical guards swarmed to surround us.The fleet of micro-machines carrying narcotics is flying over the sky and covering the sky, about to overwhelm us...

α-han suddenly turned around and shouted: "System, don't touch my picture!"

A miracle happened.The densely packed microcomputers stopped moving forward, suspended in the air.The mechanical guards stopped and watched us silently.Only the three men in black looked at each other in shock.

In this weird encirclement, α-Han turned back and quickly interpreted the system's answer.It seemed that there was an invisible wall separating her from the world. People outside the wall could only watch silently, not daring to disturb her a little.

It seems like 1 years have passed.She let out a long sigh of relief and raised her hands.

Everything returned to motion from stillness.The mechanical guard rushed over and grabbed her.

They took my gun at the same time.I didn't resist—how could I escape alone if I didn't kill her?Let us pay the price we have to pay together.

She walked past me with the same smile that captivated me when we first met: "Thank you."

Then she was taken away.Those men in black also turned around and left, leaving me where I was.

I froze for a while, and rushed over to grab a man in black.She turned her head in surprise and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Why don't you catch me?" I cried. "What's the matter?"

"Are you δ-63080491-rou?" She looked me over. "Looks like you need some psychotherapy."

With that said, she shook off me and strode away.

At this moment, I suddenly understood.

She never appears in public with me.

She said she would pay me back with everything.

She just wanted me to "remember" her.

I figured it out, it turned out she was going to let me live from the start.Prepare to pay the price and throw this shitty world at me.

The bright light outside the door gradually disappeared, I knelt on the empty floor and shouted hoarsely: "No—"

But no one could hear it.

The author has something to say: "Don't touch my picture": It is said that in 212 BC, the ancient Roman army invaded Syracuse.The mathematician Archimedes was studying geometry problems on the ground in front of his house. Facing the fierce Roman soldiers who barged in, Archimedes said: "Go away, don't touch my picture!" kill.It's just a legend, but I love this story - a man immersed in the truth, deaf to the war, blind to the sword, just want to protect the geometric figures he drew - it's really poetic.