Chapter 313
NO.0148: Himself
Before the two of them could express their opinions, the file began to automatically play the voice of Theseus.
"Ms. Fanny, my zombie puppet was attacked by more than twenty zombies in the Nord settlement. This is a brain scan of one of the zombies. As you can see, its shape is extremely similar to the 'Pegasus' of Theseus Path Depth 3."
"These zombies all come from a third-rate faction in the resettlement area. I'm certain their equipment isn't sufficient to complete the zombie transformation surgery on more than twenty people in a short time. However, what I encountered was that this group of zombies was transformed literally overnight. I find this very strange and hope to get some professional advice from you."
"Furthermore, during the mission in the Nord resettlement area, the zombie puppets you modified for me have exhibited autonomous behavior on several occasions. Initially, I thought they had a misunderstanding of the mission or were behaving abnormally due to some malfunction. However, I later discovered that they were actually carrying out my orders, but in a way that was more perfect than my original plan. Could this phenomenon be related to the zombie-like modifications they underwent?"
"Finally, please give my regards to Ms. Carole Christie and tell her that the bouquet of flowers has been delivered to her grave, and I believe she will be very happy with it. I also wish you all the best in your work."
After the recording ended, Christie crossed her arms and said:
"He's quite polite, isn't he? This kid... he seems to have higher emotional intelligence than that clueless kid from before."
Fanny, who had expected the other person to deliver some profound insights, was momentarily speechless. After waiting a while and confirming that the leader wouldn't offer any further opinions, she cautiously spoke:
"I may need to conduct data comparison and verification to determine whether this wing-shaped brain region is 'Pegasus'. Moreover, this model is only accurate to the nanometer level, so the final result probably won't be very accurate... It would be great if we had a sample."
Christie simply waved her hand dismissively:
“That’s easy. I remember there’s a Theseus freight station in the Nord resettlement area. Just have him send some samples over as expedited. Don’t worry, I’ll cover the shipping cost.”
Fanny suddenly felt that her boss seemed to be acting on a whim.
"Well... Tartarus' coordinates are highly classified, and any unidentified unit that approaches will be destroyed by the defense system. I doubt Theseus Cargo's shipments will be able to reach here."
She offered a careful reminder.
Even if it could be sent, the journey would likely be long. By the time it arrives, things on Nord's end will probably be settled.
"You underestimate me, don't you?"
As she spoke, Christie shook her head and index finger together.
Fanny tilted her head.
"I'll go ask those guys for access to the α-level interface later, and then transmit the information directly to the printer closest to the Nord settlement area that the company set up. Then I'll have Theseus fill in the address there, and that'll be perfect, right?"
This answer left Fanny feeling like she had a mouthful of sarcasm stuck in her throat.
Just to pick up a package, you have to go back and forth twice using information teleportation (and die)?
Is this the leeway of those who adjust the limits of human intelligence?
For a moment, she had a vague feeling that working under this Depth 7 would likely lead to a bright future—of course, this bright future had both positive and negative connotations, and was in a state of quantum superposition.
"I just want to get out and stretch my muscles. Staying cooped up in this oppressive place is making me feel rusty... Of course, I can also cause trouble for a potential Theseus path seeker."
Perhaps sensing Fanny's confusion, Christie curled the corners of her mouth and said with a subtle expression.
"A potential Theseusian pathfinder?"
The newcomer to the new Prison Abyss Studio tilted his head again, causing the garnet earring on his earlobe to sway.
"Wasn't he curious why a third-rate force could create more than twenty zombies overnight?"
As Christie spoke, the hatred on her face deepened—as if she were a vengeful seed who had been tricked by Theseus' Path Adjuster and imprisoned in the Narcissus Plain for many years, having its computing power extracted.
"This is one of Theseus's Path Depth 5 abilities—by injecting a genetically modified virus, ordinary people can be mass-produced into zombies and then quickly converted into rudimentary puppets. There's no longer a need for cumbersome modification surgeries or the use of a universal printer."
"Of course, those people's mental models won't be wasted either... Those guys usually conduct destructive brain scans first, extract the person's mental model, and upload it to a cloud server. Then, they implant this virus to erase the original owner's consciousness and turn the body into a puppet—not a single thing is wasted."
At this point, she spat out a disdainful spit, then concluded:
"In short, they are all underhanded tactics."
The tone of the other person's voice made Fanny, who had studied Pegasus for many years, tremble and dare not respond. Noticing that the other person seemed to be frightened by her, Christie immediately put on a warm smile.
She didn't explain her feud with Theseus, the Pathfinder, but instead changed the subject:
"But what he said about the zombie puppet being unruly and becoming smarter, I really don't know why... Do you have any clue?"
As Fanny shook her head, she felt her neck was stiffer than ever before.
“I…I…I installed the latest 'Pegasus' decrypted version onto Theseus’s clones. Theoretically, they should only be able to exhibit the intelligence expected of the original bodies. Considering that these clones have only received training through tactical memory implantation, I feel they shouldn’t reach the level of intelligence described in the letter…”
She nervously straightened her tongue and said.
"This isn't the original design..."
Christie seemed thoughtful.
How did these zombie puppets suddenly become intelligent...?
Her first thought was that Minos, the company director who was also on the path of Theseus, had done something wrong.
However, she had been careful when that little guy Theseus wanted to upgrade to Depth 2. She personally supervised the acquisition of all the printing permissions, and even had the old man double-check that everything was in order before she dared to upgrade him.
He personally inspected all the enhancements and equipment used on the clones.
In reality, it goes without saying that the puppet threads binding Theseus have already been severed. Even assuming, hypothetically, that one thread might not have been broken, would Minos, even with ten times the courage, dare to turn Theseus, nominally the steed of the goddess of the moon, into his puppet?
That guy isn't that brave; he's very afraid of losing his life no matter what he does...
[Old man, those six puppets connected to that little guy, neither you nor the Goddess of the Underworld did anything to them, did you?]
Unable to come up with a solution, Christie asked Charon directly.
【No】
He answered.
This time, they answered quite quickly.
Christie thought to herself, then continued to press for answers:
Do you know what's going on? Who's controlling those puppets?
Charon, however, let out a rare burst of laughter in response.
Who's behind this? Hahahahahahaha
His reaction was as if he had heard some tasteless joke.
If you don't want to talk about it, then don't. Don't be a riddle teller here!
Enraged by this attitude, the ferryman's horse neighed angrily at its rider.
Charon's laughter gradually subsided.
No one is manipulating them, kids, you could say that...
He paused for a moment, as if keeping someone in suspense, and then gave an answer that sounded like nonsense.
[He orchestrated it himself.] (End of Chapter)