As an armed AV slowly arrived above what used to be Agas City, the countless anti-air defenses below quietly disengaged their targeting systems. At the same time, the countless robots on the ground all raised their heads in unison, watching the armed AV overhead.
Seated inside, Roland couldn't help but sigh.
"Just like you…"
"In this world, without the constraints of that other world, I can fully utilize my computational power and resource allocation capabilities."
Lissandra's data projection responded calmly.
Roland nodded. Just as she said, here she was no longer restricted. Instead, she even had external support, allowing her to develop freely without hesitation.
Like the city below.
Agas City had been completely transformed into a mechanical metropolis. Not a single human lived within it. It was a true city of steel.
That overwhelming level of productivity reminded him of the machine race from games, a faction eerily similar to the Zerg.
"Where's your core?"
"Directly beneath the city."
As she answered, Lissandra raised her hand. Instantly, a complete structural map of Agas City appeared before Roland. The layout was as complex as a fortress, layered with countless defenses before reaching the data core at the deepest level.
"Alright, take me there. I'll give you an upgrade."
"Understood."
Lissandra nodded and guided the armed AV downward.
As the steel ground slowly opened, the inner structure was revealed. Inside, numerous completed fighter jets and armed AVs were stored.
While these fighters couldn't compare to the Sovereign-class Fighters, they were still overwhelmingly superior to most aircraft in this world. More importantly, they required no pilots at all, relying entirely on Lissandra and other intelligent AIs for control.
And those "other" AIs included both her sub-intelligences and the captured wild AIs.
Which was exactly why Roland had his eyes on the Blackwall.
Those AIs were pure labor. No training required, ready to deploy immediately. There was simply nowhere else you could find something this efficient.
Thud!
With a heavy sound, the armed AV landed.
Roland stepped out and took in the underground world before him.
A vast subterranean space stretched out in all directions. Both the ground and ceiling were made entirely of metal. Rows of fighter jets stood neatly arranged, while massive missiles towered in the distance.
"Impressive. This rivals the underground base in Nevada. The only difference is probably scale."
After taking a look around, Roland headed toward the elevator.
Only two entities could operate it. Roland and Lissandra.
In other words, this entire city existed to serve a single human.
"The Nevada underground base was designed for developing giant combat mechs, so it required much more space."
Lissandra's projection floated beside him, supported by a hovering device. This was another product Roland planned to release in the future.
It had wide applications, from daily life to combat. The floating sequence used by Justice was based on this technology, though in a more advanced form.
As the elevator descended deeper, Roland transferred between several lifts before finally reaching the data core.
It was heavily secured to an extreme degree.
There wasn't even a ventilation system. If Lissandra hadn't reminded him to use Light's cyberware to block out the sensation, staying here would have been unbearable.
Passing through steel corridors and a heavily secured door, Roland finally saw it.
In a vast chamber, streams of green data surged endlessly. At the very center floated a sphere.
As if sensing his arrival, the data converged rapidly, forming a massive figure of Lissandra. At the same time, the projection beside Roland disappeared.
"Well then, begin your evolution."
Roland handed over the chip.
"Thank you."
Lissandra inclined her head slightly. A mechanical arm took the chip and inserted it into the core.
A deep hum filled the space.
Streams of green data surged upward, flooding into the core. Under Roland's gaze, the enormous data core rapidly condensed, shrinking until it became a sphere no larger than a human head.
Then, just as he thought it was over, the surrounding mechanical arms moved in.
Data began to take shape.
Bit by bit, a physical form emerged.
Before long, Lissandra stood before him in her true body.
"Perhaps I should say, it's a pleasure to meet you, sir. I am your AI, Lissandra."
Hearing that familiar yet slightly different voice, Roland smiled.
"Congratulations. You've truly entered this world."
"All of this is thanks to you. Shall we proceed with the next phase?"
"Yeah. Let's begin. Mass-produce the Source Code series robots. We need to open up markets as quickly as possible. With support from the Highriders and Kang Tao, it shouldn't take long."
Roland nodded.
"Also, start infiltrating those corporations' databases. Take it slow. Even if they're no match for you, getting exposed now would be troublesome."
"Understood."
"And begin spreading the Source Code virus as well. After that, we just wait."
A faint smile appeared on Roland's face.
"You should be able to deal with Blackwall now, right?"
"As long as they don't fully unite, it won't be a problem."
"Oh? If they do unite, can they resist you?"
Roland raised an eyebrow.
"Even united, they are no match for me. Their combined computational power is decent, but it would only delay the outcome. Even if they merge into a single entity, it would only postpone their destruction."
Lissandra answered calmly.
"In that case… we'll wait a bit longer."
Roland nodded.
There was no need to rush. The AIs beyond the Blackwall were still experimenting with unknown things in the wastelands. A bit of caution wouldn't hurt.
But not wiping them out didn't mean leaving them alone either.
Lissandra had already entered the stage.
How far behind could the next evolution be?
When it arrived, the entire network world would learn who truly ruled it.
...
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