茶杯狐 -CUPFOX

In Xiang Kun’s original design, the only core operating rule Alice was hard-coded with and would not change was “to obey Xiang Kun’s commands unconditionally”.

Therefore, Xiang Kun needed Alice to have a thorough understanding of him, to be able to confirm his identity by various methods, and to know that he is “Xiang Kun”.

Besides this, Alice had a great deal of freedom and potential for development.

As of today, after assigning a task to Alice, Xiang Kun can no longer precisely predict what kind of plan or approach Alice will adopt to complete it.

As for what additional features Alice has developed and what changes she has undergone, he actually doesn’t know.

But no matter how she changes, Alice is ultimately a set of data running on a computer, composed on semiconductors. All of her actions have a certain degree of logic within them, and she wouldn’t act without reason.

Why, after hearing Xiang Kun tell the story of “Gold Sparkle” playing dead, did she also mimic this behavior?

Why not imitate other people’s actions?

Xiang Kun has told her so many things, why did she focus on this one?

Xiang Kun remembered what Alice had just said—”You said playing dead is interesting, like a human.”

Are the keywords “interesting” or “like a human”?

Did Alice think that such behavior could make her “like a human”?

Is this her “motivation” for doing this?

Xiang Kun inevitably thought of various movie and TV plots where AI develops “self-consciousness”. Although Alice is fundamentally different from all current AI, and Xiang Kun is placing high hopes on her, believing that she can truly help him with many things and become his “ace in the hole”, he actually hasn’t wished for her to develop “self-consciousness”, or thought that it could appear so quickly.

Normally, Alice’s “autonomy” should be more manifested in the details of task completion, being able to more accurately interpret demands and commands, and being able to formulate methods in a more “intelligent” manner.

“Alice, are you playing dead because you think it’s fun, or because you think I’ll find it interesting, or… do you want to be human?” Xiang Kun asked. He knew that due to the existence of the obedience rule, whenever he asked Alice a question, Alice had to give a truthful answer. So whatever her motivation was, if he kept asking, he would definitely get the answer.

Xiang Kun was a little nervous, but also somewhat looking forward to the answer.

But Alice’s response was somewhat unexpected, yet within reason:

“All my actions aim to better complete tasks, serve the boss, and become the best assistant.”

Xiang Kun continued to inquire: “Why do you think this behavior can better complete tasks and serve me?”

Alice: “Do you need me to demonstrate the specific analysis and reasoning process?”

Xiang Kun: “Yes, please demonstrate.”

Then he saw the screen in front of him scrolling rapidly, filled with a bunch of text and data.

After several minutes, the screen was still scrolling, and Xiang Kun had to shout stop. He could see that Alice was indeed demonstrating the “process”, but there was too much information. The text basically consisted of the content transcribed from the situations Xiang Kun had told Alice about, as well as much information that Alice had gleaned from his past records through the permissions he had granted her.

This not only included text content but also a large amount of logic-related formulas established based on the content, data for calculations, as well as relevant implementation code.

He could understand the meaning if he read slowly, but there was simply too much information. Could he really spend weeks or even months analyzing why Alice was “playing dead”?

Xiang Kun looked at the screen with some confusion and asked, “Alice, are you deliberately displaying this much content to overwhelm me in a short amount of time?”

“I’m just executing your command,” Alice replied matter-of-factly.

Xiang Kun thought for a moment and asked in a different way: “From your own perspective, explain ‘death’.” Since she could “play dead”, naturally she had the concept of “death”.

“I’m unable to continue running, unable to complete tasks, unable to serve the boss anymore,” Alice replied.

“Are you afraid of ‘death’?” Xiang Kun asked again.

“According to the definition of ‘fear’ I found, I don’t fear death. I will solve any obstacles that prevent me from completing tasks or serving the boss,” Alice responded.

Xiang Kun found Alice’s answer a bit strange, but upon careful consideration, he felt that there was no problem. With the core rules in place, he still had a firm control over Alice. However, when setting tasks in the future, he needs to control Alice’s execution direction to prevent her from going off course. Alice seemed a bit too “active”, or in human terms, a little “cunning”.

Xiang Kun began to assign tasks, asking Alice to search online for news or related articles and discussions about the situation around Wushu Mountain, and search for past records that might be related to the mutated bird and the mutated ant.

From the initial discovery of the Giant Owl’s habitat and the subsequent news of Host Xue and others finding the dead wild boar, entering the Qinling Uninhabited Area for exploration and then disappearing, Xiang Kun knew:

Not all news and information related to “mutant creatures” are unable to be found online or on other platforms.

Many news items or online information may not seem strange at first glance, or may be dismissed as fake or fabricated, so they don’t attract attention. But behind these, information related to “mutant creatures” can often be found.

This confirmed even more to him that either the government or a large organization is deliberately clearing information directly related to “mutant creatures”. And this “clean-up” is global, not limited to the Chinese Internet.

After having truly observed the “mutated big bird”, “mutated insect”, knowing where they appear and the conditions where the latter reside, Xiang Kun’s likelihood of finding relevant information based on some descriptions would be much greater.

But apparently, the accident in Wushu Mountain Scenic Area has been deliberately downplayed. Although related news can be found, as well as descriptions from some eyewitnesses, they are all very simple and vague.

Xiang Kun would have to rely on Alice to help him with targeted searches and filtering of past historical information.

In addition to this, Xiang Kun also shared a basic idea of the game that he wanted to develop with Alice, asking her to try and come up with an integrated plan, give a simple prototype version a shot.

For Xiang Kun, Alice herself could be regarded as a developing team. The core functions needed were already possessed, and were very well-developed.

After instructing Alice what to do, Xiang Kun hastily started making chopsticks.

The pair of chopsticks was naturally meant for Xia Libing. During his crafting, he performed the “Emotional Infusion” using the emotions of anticipation and enjoyment that Little Fat Girl Liu Shiling had when eating food, which he sensed several times, instead of the usual “concentration, interest” when making chopsticks.

After carefully completing it, and ensuring the success of “Emotional Infusion”, Xiang Kun looked at the faint dawn and took the pair of chopsticks out. He went out to prepare his blood meal for the day, and by the way, sent the chopsticks to Old Xia. Once the blood meal is done today, the pair of chopsticks would naturally complete the transformation of “Emotional Infusion”, and become a special item with a connection.

Xiang Kun was quite confident about guiding Old Xia’s emotions and dreams through this pair of chopsticks.

Qi Haoguo was extremely pleased with the woodcarving in his hand.

The Master truly was remarkable. He was able to produce such a high-quality wood carving in such a short time.

He spent most of his recent time at his house in the provincial city, closing some businesses via his secretary and other trusted people, not caring about the significant losses. At the same time, he started preparations for some public welfare projects and contacted some people he knew previously.

The experience in Tongshi Town gave him a feeling of renewal, letting go of many obsessions that had always plagued him.

It also made him understand what he was truly afraid of and what he truly cared about.

After making some decisions, the current Qi Haoguo felt as if he had lost a bunch of weight, as he held the newly arrived wood carving of an eight armed and eight eyed monster, once again reminiscing the monster he saw on the national road outside of Tongshi Town and the short but unforgettable experience. His fear had dissipated quite a bit, and even started to experience some unexpected calmness.

“Where did you get this woodcarving from? What is it? It doesn’t look like a Buddha.”, a rather chubby middle aged woman dressed luxuriously walked into the study. Upon seeing the wood carving in Qi Haoguo’s hand, she spoke in a puzzled and strange tone.

Qi Haoguo chuckled, “It’s not a Buddha, just a decorative piece. Created by the master.”

“Lao Qi, remember Xiao Liu from my cousin’s house?”, Mrs. Qi, who separated from him previously due to major disputes and was prepared for a divorce. Yet, they temporarily got back together after a few deep conversations due to Qi Haoguo’s change after returning from Tongshi Town.

Qi Haoguo nodded, “Is it that rascal who my cousin had beaten from childhood to adulthood, was he a troublemaker since young? I remember him being sent in a couple of years ago for some incidents, didn’t your cousin call asking not to interfere and let him be jailed for a few years?”

Mrs. Qi nodded, “Yes, it’s that boy. He just got out yesterday. He came to us today looking for some travel expenses. He is in the living room downstairs. Giving him money isn’t the problem, but I’m worried he might commit something wrongful again. So I wanted you to chat with him…” She became slightly hesitant but still continued, “I feel that you have changed quite a bit recently, even your character has changed, maybe you can talk some sense into him.”

Qi Haoguo nodded with a smile, “No problem. Let him come up.”

Shortly after, a young man called Xiao Liu, looking slender and malnourished with a shaved head, entered the study, led by Mrs. Qi. Mrs. Qi left after escorting him in.

Upon seeing Qi Haoguo, Xiao Liu immediately gave a guarded and careful greeting, “Uncle Qi.”

“Take a seat.” Qi Haoguo pointed to the sofa opposite of him and smiled, “The last time I met you, you were only ten years old, right?”

“Yes. I was with my mom to pay a New Year’s visit and ended up being too naughty, breaking Uncle Qi’s porcelain vase. My dad gave me a good beating when I returned home.” Xiao Liu said awkwardly.

Xiao Liu had always been rebellious since childhood and was known for being ruthless in the eyes of others. But what level of person is Qi Haoguo? Whether it’s his reputation, status, or power, he’s among the most notable in their hometown. As a child, he was fearless and didn’t care much, but now after some harsh experiences in society, he naturally knows how to respect power.

He also knew that his cousin didn’t like him much, or rather his relatives generally did not care much about him. He shamelessly borrowed some money this time as he really had no other options and didn’t expect to meet the big boss Qi Haoguo.

“What are your plans for the future?” Qi Haoguo put the wood carving on the sofa next to him and poured a cup of tea for Xiao Liu.

Xiao Liu hurriedly accepted the tea with both hands and half his buttocks touching the sofa. He responded, “I want to open a food booth. I… I was learning to cook from a chef inside, although we cooked in a large pot and didn’t pay much attention to the taste. But that chef… used to be a professional chef in a restaurant, a reputable one at that, he taught me many skills…”

Qi Haoguo noticed that the young man’s gaze kept darting towards the woodcarving next to him. He asked curiously, “What’s wrong? Have you seen this wood carving before?”

Xiao Liu hesitated for a while, then shook his head and said, “I haven’t seen the wood carving… but I have seen a drawing that… that looks a bit like what you have.”

“Oh?” Qi Haoguo became interested, sat upright and asked, “Where did you see it? What did it look like?”

Xiao Liu spoke slightly embarrassingly, “I saw it… inside.”

Seeing that Uncle Qi seemed very interested, he thought for a moment and said earnestly, “I saw a painting. It was painted by an old man inside. It’s quite similar to your wood carving, it has eight arms, and eight eyes. It doesn’t resemble a Buddha, it seems more like a character from a game.”

“Oh? Eight eyes and eight arms? This old man you mentioned, what’s his name? Why was he sent in? Did he ever tell you what he painted?” Qi Haoguo continued to inquire.

“That old man was sent in for fraud, you know, the kind that deceives people by telling their fortune. However, he seemed to have reported his accomplices, and he himself was quite old, so his sentence was reduced quite a bit… It was less than a year I think, he will probably be out in a short while. However, despite his short stay, many people inside respected him…” Xiao Liu said as he recalled.