When the hologram of Gu Xiangwen finished speaking, it suddenly paused.
Then, it spoke again. Its tone was still calm and indifferent, neither fast nor slow.
“I am the owner of this submarine.”
“Ever since I died, the computer system on the submarine has started to automatically time itself.”
“Day after day, month after month, year after year; I don’t know when someone will discover my submarine.”
“My countdown is only set for 100 years.”
“In 100 years, the trench here will shake. When that happens, my submarine and I will be swept into the depths of the Earth’s crust. Ashes to Ashes, dust to dust
“I’m very happy that you only took seven years to find me
“Now, I have a few questions to ask you.”
More experts gathered in front of the computer screen.
When they heard that this fully virtual person still wanted to ask questions, they could not help but look at each other.
Zhao Liangze stroked his chin and said with interest, “This AI is pretty well made. It looks exactly like the real deal.”
“AI” referred to “Artificial Intelligence”, currently one of the most hyped up area of technological advancement.
Huo Shaoheng glanced at him and handed him the microphone. “Start answering the questions.”
“Me?” Zhao Liangze held the microphone and asked in surprise.
His voice was transmitted to the submarine by the little robot. Gu Xiangwen’s holographic avatar heard it and actually nodded. “Alright, you then.”
Zhao Liangze almost fell to the ground.
Huo Shaoheng stood up and pushed him into the seat that he had been in just now.
On the computer screen, Gu Xiangwen’s holographic avatar had already started asking questions.
“What’s my name?”
Zhao Liangze immediately said, “Gu Xiangwen.”
“Please sing the Huaxia Empire’s national anthem in one minute.”
Zhao Liangze was stunned.
Huo Shaoheng kicked him from behind.
He immediately shouted, “Arise, ye who refuse to be slaves!!”
…
As expected of the little prince of love songs, he sang the entire national song perfectly without singing a single note out of tune.
After listening to him, Gu Xiangwen’s holographic avatar could actually analyze the data.
“Not bad, there are no notes sung out of tune. Enunciation of Chinese words is also clear; there is no foreign accent. There is a hint of an imperial city accent. A young man who grew up in the imperial capital, about twenty-nine years old this year.”
To be able to perform such a level of analysis by listening to just one song sung by him, this AI was indeed extraordinarily holistic.
Zhao Liangze was filled with admiration.
Right now, he wished for nothing more than to kneel in front of the computer and talk to Gu Xiangwen’s holographic avatar.
Although he was facing a computer-simulated human hologram, people who made artificial intelligence knew that all so-called “artificial intelligence” had a “father”. Every aspect of the artificial intelligence was given by the “father”.
Gu Xiangwen’s hologram was the crystallization of his own intelligence.
Perhaps it was because he didn’t have enough time to optimize it, but it was already unbelievable that it developed this level of intelligence in such a short period of time.
As Zhao Liangze continued to sigh, Gu Xiangwen’s hologram asked a third question.
“Please answer in five seconds. The mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, have requested the United States to apologize for the nuclear bombing. Should the United States apologize?”
This time, Huo Shaoheng said directly into the microphone, “No.”
“Why?”
“There were no innocents killed by the atomic bombs of World War II,” Huo Shaoheng said simply and firmly, “The Japanese initiated World War II and received the support of all the Japanese people. The two atomic bombs were exactly what they deserved, so they couldn’t blame anyone else. They weren’t victims just because they lost the war. If they were victims, than what about the 30 million compatriots in China who were killed by them?”
Gu Xiangwen’s holographic avatar became clearer.
He asked the last question with a smile.
“May I ask if the Japanese government should apologize for massacring a city in China?”
“Yes!”
This time, everyone in the monitoring room answered loudly.
Their voices reached the submarine cabin and almost echoed back.
Gu Xiangwen’s holographic avatar finally smiled in relief and said, “I know it’s you. My compatriots are here.”
Then, he stopped asking questions and started talking.
“Thank you for coming to see me. If you answered any question incorrectly, the self-destruction device here will be activated immediately.”
“I am Gu Xiangwen. I am not a Chinese citizen, but I am a Chinese descendant.”
“I spent the last half of my life hiding overseas from the Japanese right-wing extremist organizations.”
“When I found out that the intelligence organization of Japan, Tokko, was also involved, I knew that I could no longer fight them on my own.”
“No matter how heaven-defying a person’s ability was, they could not fight against the power of the entire country.”
“Therefore, I decided to return to my motherland, China.”
“Seven years and three months ago, my wife and I travelled around the world for a few days in the name of a vacation.”
“We wanted to safeguard against all possible mishaps. We went to the Taj Mahal in India and then the Cape Town in South Africa, and left some clues there. Finally, we went through Southeast Asia and planned to return to our motherland via MH210.”
After saying that, he sighed, “Unfortunately, I still underestimated just how determined the Japanese right-wing organizations were to get my research results and the extent of their madness.”
“Because of me, MH210 was kidnapped by the mercenaries commanded by Tokko and was forced to land on an island in the sea area of the Cape of Good Hope as we waited for the Japanese to arrive.”
“I was imprisoned with many passengers.”
“Initially, I found an opportunity to use hypnosis to hypnotize the mercenaries before the Tokko arrived. I could have escaped with my wife.”
“However, because of my soft-heartedness, I also brought along the four Huaxia people who had been around me. They were two old men and two young men.”
“In the end, I led the wolf into the room.* Although these four Huaxia people were Huaxia descendants, they were actually Tokko spies.”
“They betrayed me.”
“While the submarine was moving under the sea, they secretly sent their location to the Japanese. They eventually managed to draw a Japanese warship over that hunted my submarine relentlessly.”
After saying this, he paused again.
Another sound suddenly echoed in the submarine room.
It sounded like the rumbling of the waves, but also like the drum beats muffled by a quilt. After a while, there was a deafening explosion.
Just the sound alone was enough to make people shudder.
“… Did you hear that? That’s the sound of a torpedo.”
“Yes, with these four Huaxia people planted beside me as their secret agents, my submarine was discovered by the Japanese warships. The torpedo hit the submarine and caused fatal damage to the submarine.”
“By the way, the Japanese have a secret military base in the Cape of Good Hope. Their coordinates are 34.7310 degrees south and 18.7310 degrees east.”
“They originally planned to bring me and my submarine back to their secret military base in the Cape of Good Hope to help them with their new weapon research and high-energy magnetic field experiments there.”
“However, if the Japanese were to master the technology that I developed, it would be another disaster for the Huaxia.”
…
“The submarine was hit. I was presented with only two choices. I could either float up and be captured by the Japanese.”
“Or I could seal the submarine and sink, completely leaving this world.”
“The food and fresh water inside the submarine were poisoned by those four people. They were forcing me to surface.”
“I didn’t want to be captured by the Japanese. I’d rather sink to the bottom and die with them.”
“Before I died, I left a few holograms to deliver my last words in the submarine’s computer system for the fated person who found the submarine.”
“All the property in my wife’s and me name will be inherited by our biological daughter, Gu Nianzhi. If she is no longer in this world, all of our property will be donated to our motherland, Huaxia.”
“My most important research results are in the music box on the desk. This music box has a self-destruction device. Those who do not meet my criteria do not even have to try to open it.”
There was a long silence.
Just when they thought Gu Xiangwen had no more last words to say, he spoke again.
This time, it was entirely to Gu Nianzhi.
“My father, Gu Haozawa, and I were both victims of Japan’s ‘Genetic Enhancement Plan’. Now, this pain has extended to my sister, Gu Tian, and my daughter, Gu Nianzhi.”
“I tried my best, but I couldn’t save my only sister, Gu Tian, nor could I cure my only daughter, Nianzhi.”
“Nianzhi, my baby, your mom and dad used to regret that we couldn’t watch you grow up. Now we realize that we really can’t see how you have grown.”
“But don’t be afraid, baby. Mom and dad are just leaving first. We’ll wait for you on the road to the afterlife. We won’t let you be alone.”
“Nianzhi, daddy doesn’t have much time left. I really want to see you again, hug you, and kiss your cute little face.”
“Nianzhi, daddy is a scientist and doesn’t believe in the existence of ghosts, gods or reincarnation. But at this moment, Daddy is willing to believe that if there really are ghosts and gods, if there really is a reincarnation, please be my daughter in the next life. A healthy daughter. Let me watch you grow up, get married, have children, and live a happy life as an ordinary person.”
“Mom and dad brought you into this world, but they didn’t give you a healthy body. We made you suffer from genetic defects since you were young.”
“Daddy isn’t competent enough to cure your illness. I wasn’t a good dad. Your bad temper was extremely cute in Dad’s eyes. Your mom always said that I spoilt you too much, but I know that you’re not bad-tempered. You’re sick and uncomfortable. You’ve done very well already. It was daddy’s fault; it was my incompetence that your illness is not cured.”
“Daddy and mommy are both going to be gone, leaving my baby to face this world alone. Daddy and mommy are both very sad. But don’t be afraid, and don’t cry.”
“Do you still remember your favorite story The Little Mermaid?”
“We didn’t die. We are just like the Little Mermaid who turned into foam in the sea at dawn. Every time the foam dissipates and a rainbow appears in the sky, it will be us who have come to see you.”
Then, with a “ding”, Gu Xiangwen’s holographic avatar gradually blurred and finally disappeared completely.
