allonlinenovel Chapter 410 The Predator Trapping Plan (9)
Chapter 410 The Predator Trapping Plan (9)
After putting on his guard uniform, military boots, and a face mask, Yan Zhen wrapped himself up so that only his eyes were visible, then slung his bag over his shoulder and set off.
After spending more than half an hour getting out of the metal forest, Yan Zhen discovered that the SUV she and Shen Rong had previously stolen from the red-light district had been stolen.
Without a means of transportation, Yan Zhen could only follow the navigation system provided by his watch to walk towards the location of the library in Area C before it was destroyed.
After walking for most of the day, before sunset, Yan Zhen stood under a towering, dilapidated building, looking up at its ruins.
N613 is now only open for business in its red-light district; all other businesses have been shut down.
Upon entering the building, Yan Zhen began searching through the interior.
Unexpectedly, she found quite a few printed physical books on the scattered bookshelves.
I never imagined that physical books still existed in this world of highly advanced interstellar civilization.
Although she only vaguely understood the text, Yan Zhen still stuffed all the books she could find into her backpack, intending to take them back with her.
As Yan Zhen was happily stuffing books into her bag, a deep, magnetic male voice suddenly rang out behind her: "Hello."
Yan Zhen suddenly straightened up and turned around, quickly drawing her gun and pointing it at her back. However, unexpectedly, the sound coming from behind her was not from a person, but from a "screen" emitting light in the twilight.
The screen seemed to be projected, standing in the void. On the screen, a refined middle-aged man looked at Yan Zhen with a smile.
The pristine "screen" and the elegant, refined man on it stand out starkly against the dilapidated surroundings.
Yan Zhen asked warily, "Who are you?"
"I am the AI library."
Yan Zhen was taken aback.
It takes no effort at all!
"I never imagined that on this planet on the verge of collapse, there would still be people who enjoy reading." The AI looked at her with soft, gentle eyes. "No matter what, it's always good to learn more, isn't it?"
Yan Zhen looked at it, then at the bag at her feet: "You mean this?"
The AI nodded: "I like children who love to read."
"You've misunderstood. I'm planning to take these books back to use as firewood."
AI: “…”
“But I did come here today to look for books.” Yan Zhen took a few steps toward the screen. “I heard you have the entire library of books from an entire interstellar civilization in your memory. Do you have any information on building and repairing spaceships?”
"Have."
"Can you copy it for me?"
"of course."
Yan Zhen's eyes lit up, and he took off his watch: "How do I copy it?"
The AI beckoned to her, signaling her to come closer, and then pressed the back of the watch against the screen.
A beam of light, pale blue, slowly entered the watch.
During a break in data transmission, Yan Zhen chatted with the AI: "How many years have you existed?"
The AI said, "I was created 641 years, 3 months, and 7 days ago."
"You remember it so clearly?"
"After all, I am an AI."
"Your memory contains records of the entire interstellar civilization; you must have witnessed the disintegration and fall of many planets, right?"
"Yes."
"Based on past experience, can you predict how long it will take for N613 to completely disintegrate?"
The AI's voice was calm and measured: "At the current rate of collapse, this planet will cease to exist in four years and one month."
Four years and one month...
Yan Zhen frowned. She needed to feel a sense of urgency and speed up her actions.
The AI asked, "You copied the spaceship construction and repair data so that you could assemble a spaceship from the industrial debris dumped on other planets and leave this place before N613 disintegrates?"
“Yes,” Yan Zhen said. “The prerequisite is that I have no experience in building and repairing spaceships. Use the big data in your memory to calculate my chances of success.”
The AI laughed and said, "Sorry, I can't calculate it. There are too many factors that affect your success or failure, such as your comprehension and luck. If you are lucky, you might find a slightly damaged spaceship and be able to leave here successfully after a little repair."
"What if I'm unlucky?"
The AI's expression remained unchanged: "Then you might be robbed by humans or aliens as soon as you step out of the library."
Yan Zhen: "..."
She asked that question unnecessarily.
The data transfer was complete. Yan Zhen opened the watch screen and browsed through the massive amount of data. The AI thoughtfully organized and categorized the data for her, making it easy for her to quickly find the content she needed by referring to the directory.
"Thank you." Yan Zhen put away the watch, but did not leave. Instead, he circled the "screen" where the AI resided twice, looking it over from head to toe.
The AI was puzzled by her stare, and it continued to ask in a kind and gentle tone, like an elder, "What's wrong?"
Yan Zhen said, "I'm wondering if I can bring you back."
This made it much easier for her to access the information.
"...No, I can't leave the library," the AI said. "My initialization program is based in the library, and I will witness the disintegration and fall of N613 here."
"Will you die?" Yan Zhen asked.
"No, this is just a clone of me," the AI said, smiling and encouraging Yan Zhen. "If you can leave before this planet disintegrates, you can find me in the library of any planet."
Yan Zhen understood: "Okay, see you later."
"Good luck."
As I stepped out of the library, it was completely dark, and a strong wind was blowing outside.
The sand, caught in the wind, blew against Yan Zhen's face, making him feel as if he were being slapped repeatedly by an invisible giant hand.
She decisively abandoned the idea of rushing back to the garbage dump that night, and instead found a nearby ruin to use as shelter, where she stayed overnight.
I listened to the howling wind and howling wolves all night in the ruins, but the wind subsided at dawn.
When Yan Zhen stepped out of the ruins, he saw that after a night of fierce winds, the uneven road beneath his feet was covered with more than a meter of yellow sand.
She trudged through the yellow sand, her steps uneven, retracing her steps back the way she had come.
After walking a short distance, a hand suddenly reached out from the yellow sand beneath her feet and grabbed her ankle.
Yan Zhen nearly jumped three feet high, and instinctively drew his gun, ready to fire.
"Don't shoot..." a weak voice came from the yellow sand, "I mean no harm... save me."
At the sound, the sand began to move.
Yan Zhen quickly retreated to a safe distance, watching the thing warily.
As the sand ripped away, it revealed a man lying on the ground, covered in wounds.
The man was covered in tattered clothes and blood, making it impossible to tell his age. His shoulders, legs, and abdomen were slashed by sharp weapons. Due to excessive blood loss, his lips were cracked and peeling, and his eyes were squinting as if he couldn't open them. He crawled with difficulty toward Yan Zhen's direction.
"help me……"
Yan Zhen frowned.
She could barely take care of herself in this godforsaken place, let alone save others.
Since the other party posed no threat, she put away her gun, stepped over him, and strode away.
Seeing that she was unmoved by his pleas for help, the man quickly shouted at her back, "I have a way to get out of N613."