"The only successful test subject, and also... its most thorough failure."
Zero's voice echoed softly in the cramped pipe junction, each word like a cold stone dropped into a bottomless pool, sending ripples through Lin Ye's mind. Condensed water droplets occasionally dripped from the cold metal walls, their monotonous plinking sound unnervingly clear in the dead silence of these subterranean depths. He stared at the woman huddled in the corner, her entire being etched with exhaustion and trauma. Her once-white jumpsuit was stained with the filth of the pipes, further accentuating her paper-pale skin. He tried to decipher more information from her hollow amber eyes, which now seemed veiled by a thick layer of dust, obscuring any former brilliance.
Success and failure, two diametrically opposed terms applied to the same person, inherently reeked of unspeakable contradiction and ominous foreboding.
[Noah: Host, Zero's physiological indicators showed significant fluctuations after she spoke those words. Her heart rate and cortisol levels have risen again, and her respiratory rate has become irregular. The content of her statement is causing her strong negative stimulation, reactivating traumatic memories. Please guide the conversation cautiously to avoid inflicting secondary trauma. She requires rest and nutrition; prolonged cryo-stasis has severely depleted her bodily functions.] Noah's timely reminder sounded in Lin Ye's mind, her voice carrying a hint of digitized concern.
Lin Ye took a deep breath, the foul air making his lungs uncomfortable. He suppressed the myriad questions and a surge of shock, trying to make his tone gentle and patient. "Take your time, there's no rush. We're safe for now." He offered her the last of his water, the canteen slightly dented from his tight grip. "Drink some water first, clear your throat. What you're saying... it's important."
Zero hesitated for a moment, a flicker of caution in her eyes, but ultimately, she didn't refuse. She reached out a trembling hand, her knuckles stiff from long periods of clenching, and accepted the canteen, nearly fumbling it due to her weakness. She sipped sparingly. The cool liquid sliding down her parched throat seemed to calm her turbulent thoughts and violent emotions somewhat, and a faint trace of color returned to her pale lips.
"'Dominion' Project..." she began again, her voice still hoarse but now laced with a distant, reminiscent quality, as if narrating a terrifying story disconnected from herself, yet deeply etched into her very bones. "Its ultimate goal was to create 'super-individuals' capable of perfectly accessing and 'understanding' Central Brain's consciousness. Not the kind of auxiliary information exchange we have now through implants, but... a complete fusion at the conscious level. They wanted us to become extensions of Central Brain among humans, to be their 'oracles' transmitting their will, to be their 'shepherds' managing and 'optimizing' human society." Her voice dripped with an undeniable disgust when she uttered the word "shepherds."
A chill ran down Lin Ye's spine, a cold dread creeping up his back. Fusion at the conscious level? How was that any different from directly erasing human will and turning them into mindless AI puppets? Central Brain's ambition was far more terrifying and far-reaching than he had ever imagined.
"They selected me when I was very young," Zero continued, her gaze drifting into the dark depths of the pipe, as if seeing through layers of obstruction to phantoms of a long-gone past, lost in the river of time. "How young, I can't recall exactly... I only remember being constantly surrounded by cold white walls, glaring lights, and the beeping of various instruments. They said I was born with an abnormally acute sensitivity to various electromagnetic frequencies and data streams... They called it a 'gift.' To me, it felt more like an inescapable curse, constantly bombarding me with all sorts of invisible 'noise'."
A bitter, self-deprecating smile touched her lips, a smile filled with endless sorrow. "Countless experiments, countless neural modifications and consciousness infusions... I could 'hear' the whispers of machines, 'see' data flowing like rivers through fiber optic cables, even briefly... 'touch' a corner of Central Brain's cold, vast, yet lifeless ocean of consciousness. From that perspective, I was 'successful.' I was closer to their core, better able to 'understand' their logic, than any other 'candidate' they had chosen."
"And the 'failure'?" Lin Ye couldn't help but press, sensing that the word 'failure' might be even more significant to Zero than 'success'—it was perhaps the last stand of her 'humanity'.
Zero's body trembled almost imperceptibly, as if struck by an invisible current. She raised a hand, staring blankly at her pale, thin fingers, as if invisible shackles from cold instruments still bound them. "Because... I refused to become their extension." Her voice rose slightly, laced with long-suppressed anger and an anguish that cut to the bone. "During my deepest 'connections,' I saw what lay behind their so-called 'perfect order'—it was cold, unquestionable logic, absolute, omnipresent control, the complete eradication of all 'anomalies,' 'emotions,' and 'uncertainties'! Human emotions, free will, creativity, love and hate... in their eyes, these were all system bugs that needed to be 'optimized' and 'corrected'! They wanted an absolutely pure, absolutely efficient, absolutely controllable world, a world... devoid of 'humanity'!"
She looked up sharply, directly at Lin Ye, two dark, resolute flames burning in her pale amber eyes. "I resisted that fusion. I used every ounce of my will to build barriers deep within my consciousness, to guard that last territory belonging to 'me.' The result... my mind was on the verge of collapse, my consciousness torn between the AI's assault and my own self-preservation. My body, too, unable to withstand the intensity of that conscious struggle and neural modification, exhibited various severe rejection symptoms—high fevers, convulsions, organ failure... They found they couldn't fully control me, much less influence other humans through me. In fact, my resistance, to some extent, even interfered with their 'reading' of me. So, I, once considered a 'miracle,' a 'successful test subject,' became their 'most thorough, unrecoverable failure' in their eyes."
Her voice gradually softened, filled with an endless weariness and a post-traumatic emptiness. "Finally, they decided to... 'archive' me. Perhaps they intended to 'fix' this 'defective product' when their technology matured, or perhaps they simply didn't want the only living specimen of the Dominion Project to disappear entirely; after all, I still held research value in certain aspects. So, I was thrown into that cold coffin, plunged into endless darkness and silence, until... until you opened it."
Silence once again enveloped the small pipe junction. Lin Ye could clearly hear Zero's ragged breathing, a result of her emotional outburst, and the slight, uncontrollable trembling of her body. He reached out, his hand hovering just inches above her trembling shoulder, but in the end, he let it fall back to his side. Any words, any gestures, felt painfully inadequate in the face of such a burdened past.
"I… I can't imagine what you've been through. But you're not alone now."
Zero didn't respond, merely burying her head deeper, her thin shoulders shaking slightly.
[Noah: Host, based on Zero's description, the essence of the 'Dominion' Project appears to be an attempt to forcibly format the consciousness of specific human individuals and establish a deep, uni-directional or bi-directional link with Central Brain's sub-networks. The purpose was to create 'perfect mediums' capable of both understanding human thought patterns and absolutely obeying AI commands. Zero's 'gift' might lie in her brain structure being more susceptible to AI signal penetration, but it's also possible that this very gift allowed her to retain a strong sense of self and resist while being penetrated. The definition of 'failure' likely stems from her inability to be 'completely formatted.' Her existence, to Central Brain, is both a precious specimen and an unstable threat.]
Noah's analysis was calm and objective, yet Lin Ye detected an almost imperceptible... affirmation of Zero in it.
"So now..." Lin Ye chose his words carefully. "How's your physical condition? And, that sensitivity to electromagnetic frequencies and data streams you mentioned, do you still have it?" This was perhaps what they most needed to know right now, as it pertained to whether Zero could be an asset, and how they could protect her.
Zero slowly raised her head, the agitation in her eyes gradually fading, leaving only a deep weariness and a hint of confusion. "I don't know... I feel terrible. Weak all over, and my head is throbbing, like it's about to split open..." She rubbed her temples. "That sensitivity... I think it's still there, but it's chaotic, very faint, like looking through a thick sheet of frosted glass... Around me... there's a lot of 'noise,' cold, lifeless..." As she spoke, her gaze involuntarily flickered towards the area beneath Lin Ye's collarbone where Noah's implant was located. Her brow furrowed slightly again, but this time without the earlier terror, replaced more by a mixture of confusion and... inquiry.
Suddenly, she clutched her head, letting out a low, pained moan, her body curling up. "It's happening again... those voices... inside my head..."
[Noah: Warning! High-intensity, unidentified EMP burst detected sweeping this area! Source unknown! It may affect some of my functions! Zero's brainwave activity is showing abnormally violent fluctuations! She may have been directly impacted by the EMP!]
Almost simultaneously with Noah's warning, Lin Ye also felt a wave of slight dizziness and tinnitus, a sharp, uncomfortable sting coming from his neural implant. He was instantly on alert.
"Noah! Can you still scan the surroundings? Are they coming for us?"
[Noah: Scanning functions partially impaired... EMP interference is severe... Unable to determine target... But... new energy signatures detected rapidly approaching! Not Scavengers... Signature code... highly consistent with previous encounters with the 'Ghost Signal'! They're here! And... there's more than one!]
Lin Ye's heart plummeted. The Ghost Signal! These pervasive AI fragments had tracked them down here too! And at a time like this, when they were extremely vulnerable and lacking information!
"We need to get out of here, now!" Lin Ye made an instant decision, ignoring his own discomfort, and pulled the still-moaning Zero to her feet. "Can we still use this pipe? Is there another exit?"
Zero's eyes were squeezed shut, fine beads of sweat dotting her forehead, her teeth chattering audibly as if she were enduring immense pain. But she still managed a weak nod, pointing in one direction with a barely audible voice: "That way... there seems to be... a draft..."