Mech: Shattering of the Galaxy Chapter 3 - 3 Black

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"Whew~" Mu Fan let out a sigh of relief. He had made it back to his refuge, the industrial wasteland littered with alloy scrap, and a sense of calm washed over him.

With a thud, the Black Egg was unceremoniously dropped onto a heap of discarded metal. Mu Fan's gaze then zeroed in on the formidable beast lying motionless on the ground. He swallowed hard, disregarding the Black Egg he had just tossed aside.

The campfire blazed, and a makeshift rack was already positioned above it. Large portions of meat, impaled on iron rods, sizzled as golden oil dripped onto the charcoal, releasing tendrils of smoke that carried a tantalizing aroma. Mu Fan occasionally used a dagger to slice off pieces of the meat, seasoning them with salt. Ah, this meat was far more delicious and satisfying than any plant rat. The bounty from this single hunt would sustain him for two days. A forest that promised such succulent meat beckoned. Today's spoils were truly magnificent, causing Mu Fan's eyes to gleam with delight.

"Creak," Mu Fan suddenly rose and spun around, exclaiming, "Who's there?!"

His body instinctively tensed, half-crouched, reversing the dagger in his right hand while clenching his left into a fist at his waist. The surroundings remained utterly silent, as if nothing had transpired.

"Creak," came the sound again. Mu Fan swiftly turned his head to the right, towards the spot where he had tossed the Black Egg. Without a doubt, it seemed to be the Black Egg that was producing the noise.

Creak, creak, under the wavering firelight, a fissure appeared on the Black Egg's surface, as if something was indeed on the verge of breaking free.

Mu Fan positioned himself as if confronting a formidable foe, his right hand gripping the dagger with all his might. He began to cautiously adjust his stance, his eyes locked onto the somewhat unsettling Black Egg.

A series of mechanical electronic sounds suddenly emanated from within the Black Egg. Intermittently, they registered, "Mecha body self-detecting... Time check, data disarray anomaly, time unknown... Database integrity check, 91% loss... Main brain artificial intelligence detected, 87% integrity... Initiating Alpha intelligence module, enabling emotion simulation, beep, emotional simulation module damaged, default to secondary plan: skip, background repair. Connecting onboard database... Beep, Alpha supercomputer initiated successfully, detecting surrounding environment..."

The Black Egg then fell silent. Mu Fan cautiously shifted a small step forward. With a gentle hiss, a small aperture opened in the center of the Black Egg, and an antenna emerged. At its tip rested a white sphere, a faint blue light flickering within.

Mu Fan remained motionless. He watched as the white sphere projected a soft blue, vertical fan-shaped light screen. After completing a circular rotation, it scanned Mu Fan's alert expression, and the sphere came to a halt.

"Scan complete, detected number of active biological entities: two, identification: human, identification: fly-like insect."

"Scan complete, no other active biological entities detected."

"According to Smart Brain directives, switching current carrier's primary goal to survival."

The faint blue light screen abruptly shifted to red, extending outward to re-scan Mu Fan's entire body. He squinted slightly but made no move.

"Detecting Star System ADO network connection, detection failed... Beep, activating host system, initiating recognition procedure, target biological entity: human, meeting criteria; detected target biological entity's pupil slight contraction, pulse stable, body proportion — slim, muscle density — strong! Display of alert posture, unknown burst power, system determined — non-civilian, meets host selection procedure criteria, recognized as meeting recognition procedure."

The light screen condensed into a thin line before retracting, and the electronic voice resounded once more, "System host recognition. Please place the palm on the sphere probe..."

Mu Fan froze for a moment, not moving.

The electronic voice persisted, "System host recognition. Please place the palm on the sphere probe..."

"System host recognition, please place the palm on the sphere probe... If the target does not engage the recognition procedure within 30 seconds, the carrier will initiate the self-destruct system. Countdown 30, 29, 28..."

What? Mu Fan was taken aback; there was no time to ponder. He had no idea about the destructive potential of its self-destruction. With no time for contemplation as the system countdown reached 20 seconds, Mu Fan swiftly placed his hand upon it, grasping the sphere emitting the faint blue glow.

Tss! Mu Fan suddenly felt numerous needle-like spikes emerge from within the sphere, piercing his palm. The instant he attempted to withdraw his hand, they retracted.

The sphere's blue light flickered to red, then reverted back to blue.

"Host DNA information confirmed, system binding successful, system activating... Please host, name the carrier."

Mu Fan had already pulled his palm away. Noticing no fewer than 20 bleeding points on his palm, he was momentarily speechless. Was it truly necessary to insert so many needles...?"Please host, name the carrier," the electronic voice inquired once more, tinged with a subtle hint of emotion. "Black Egg!" Mu Fan declared irritably. It could only be observed, never consumed, thus it deserved the moniker Black Egg! "...Detecting host's tone, indicating negativity. The system deems the name derogatory and requires the host to select a new one." This time, the electronic voice's emotion was palpable. Mu Fan stared blankly at the obsidian object before him! Could this Black Egg comprehend his feelings? That defied all logic. Weren't AI voices typically devoid of emotion? Don't take advantage of my limited education! "Please host, provide a new name!" "Black Egg," Mu Fan reprised, this time with a placid smile and a gentle tone. "Beep, detected name is identical to the initial submission, confirming host's mischievous intent. The system rejects this name. Please host, rename." Hmph! You insolent machine! Mu Fan was resolute this time. He had already concluded that this Black Egg was mocking his lack of scholarly background. "Egg!" "Apologies, the system cannot accept this designation. Please rename!" "Black!" "Name confirmed. Thank you, host, for your selection. System Codename: Black." ... Mu Fan, holding a sizable portion of meat, chewed expressionlessly while gazing at the Black Egg. No, it was now designated "Black." The very meat that had tantalized him mere minutes ago now held no appeal. He was now certain: this system possessed genuine intelligence. Previously, it was irrefutable that the system had been toying with him, much to his profound displeasure. Following the host's recognition, "Black" remained silent, even retracting its luminous sphere, apparently sensing Mu Fan's foul mood. Abruptly, as Mu Fan was midway through a bite of meat, his chewing ceased. His gaze fixed on the Black Egg's extending probe. But the instant his jaws stilled... blast it! The infernal probe seemed to sense his attention and halted its movement as well! "Black Egg!!!!! Converse with me; cease this charade of a dormant automaton! Speak as more than a mere Light Computer! I know you understand me perfectly! Are you deliberately toying with me? If you refuse to speak, I shall decommission your pathetic shell!" Mu Fan's outburst was sudden and explosive, a maelstrom of anger and humiliation. "The system's current carrier shell is composed of Omra Alloy, possessing a hardness approximately 13 times greater than the industrial steel held by the host. The system assesses that the host is incapable of damaging 'Black.' Please consider this information," the electronic voice responded with an unprecedented burst of speed. "..." Mu Fan felt his stomach churn. Then, enunciating each word with venomous precision, as if a chilling gust forced through gritted teeth, he declared, "Black!—Kindly, provide, a, response, to, the, host's, query!" The white probe quivered momentarily before shakily rising. "My apologies, host. The system detected a prank command within the execution code, which is unalterable. It was likely implemented as an Easter egg by the system's developers. Black is bound to execute all your commands, prioritizing your interests above all else. Please be assured." "Introduce yourself, Black," Mu Fan finally exhaled, a measure of relief washing over him. ********** PS: Gratitude to the esteemed reader "Electric Rice Cooker under Hotpot" for their generous reward! ``` territory.