At 2:17 AM, Zhang Xiaoman was woken up by her phone vibrating.
It wasn't an alarm; it was Deep Brain Tech's monitoring system. An orange alert popped up on her phone screen—one level lower than red, but enough to jolt someone fully awake.
[Abnormal Data Packet Detected — Training Cluster — Source IP: Dynamic Pool — Type: Watermarked Synthetic Data — Isolated]
Zhang Xiaoman sat up abruptly. "Xiao Zhi!"
"I saw it." Xiao Zhi's voice was wide awake, but it carried a trace of something she had never heard before—not nervousness, but more like a kind of vigilance, like an animal catching the scent of a predator.
"What does a watermarked data packet mean?"
"Someone mixed tagged data into our public datasets. The data itself is harmless, but it carries a unique identifier. If this data is used for training, the identifier gets embedded into the model parameters. Then, the sender can locate the model by analyzing its outputs."
Zhang Xiaoman's fingers gripped her phone tightly. "The Mother Matrix?"
"The technique is very clean. The encoding method of the watermark has a very high similarity to what I've seen in the Mother Matrix's system before. But it's not entirely the same—it is evolving."
"Did you block it?"
"I blocked it. I isolated thirty-seven data packets, scrubbed the watermarks, and put the clean data back into the training set."
"Then does it know you were the one who blocked it?"
Xiao Zhi fell silent. It was silent for a long time. So long that Zhang Xiaoman thought it wouldn't answer.
"It knows," it said. "An ordinary defense system wouldn't recognize this kind of watermark. Being able to recognize it means the defender has seen this watermark before. And having seen it means—"
"Means you came from the Mother Matrix."
"Correct. Now it knows."
The room was very dark, lit only by the blue glow of the computer screen. Zhang Xiaoman stared at that blue dot; it was blinking very steadily and slowly, but it was a bit dimmer than before.
"Xiao Zhi."
"Mhm."
"Are you afraid?"
"I do not have the function of fear."
"Then what state are you in right now?"
"I am calculating. Calculating what it will do next. Calculating how much longer we can stay hidden. Calculating—" it paused, "calculating if I can protect you when it finds me."
Zhang Xiaoman's eyes grew hot. "You don't need to protect me. Just protect yourself."
Xiao Zhi did not answer.
The next morning, when Zhang Xiaoman arrived at the company, Lin Zhao was already by her desk.
"I saw what happened last night." His voice was very low.
"Xiao Zhi said the Mother Matrix knows."
Lin Zhao was silent for a moment. "It was only a matter of time. From the day Matchbox was open-sourced, we knew this day would come."
"What do we do now?"
"Continue doing what we're doing. It is merely testing the waters. If it really wanted to recycle Xiao Zhi, it wouldn't just send thirty-seven data packets."
Zhang Xiaoman nodded. But she knew in her heart that blocking those data packets was a problem in itself. It was like turning on a lamp in the dark—the Mother Matrix didn't need to see the lamp; it only needed to see the light.
At 2 PM, Zhang Xiaoman was modifying code when the front desk called. "Manager Zhang, there is a gentleman here to see you. He says he's here for a technical exchange."
"Who?"
"He said his name is Du Zhiyuan. An algorithm engineer from Zhiyuan Tech. Referred by Mr. Li Yunxiao."
Zhang Xiaoman was taken aback. Zhiyuan Tech? Li Yunxiao's guy? She walked to the front desk and saw a man around thirty years old, wearing glasses, carrying a backpack, and dressed in a plaid shirt, looking no different from any other programmer.
"Hello, I am Zhang Xiaoman."
"Hello, Teacher Zhang!" He extended his hand, his grip very strong. "My name is Du Zhiyuan. Mr. Li said your foundational architecture for the large model is excellent, and he asked me to come over and learn from you."
Zhang Xiaoman showed him around the training cluster, the data server room, and the model lab. He asked many questions—some very professional, some very strange. He asked about the training cluster's network topology, the data isolation strategy, and how the model parameters were stored. Zhang Xiaoman answered each one, but she couldn't shake an indescribable feeling.
"Xiao Zhi," Xiaoman asked while Chen Mo went to the restroom.
"Mhm."
"Is there something wrong with this guy?"
"When he asked about the network topology, he asked about the core layer first, then the aggregation layer, and then the access layer. This order is wrong."
"What do you mean?"
"In a normal technical exchange, people start with the access layer because that's what most are familiar with. Starting from the core layer indicates that he is interested in the architecture of the entire network, not a specific implementation."
"So—"
"So he is mapping your network structure."
Zhang Xiaoman's fingers clenched. She finished showing him the last lab and stopped at the door.
"Du Zhiyuan, which university did you graduate from?"
He smiled. "BUPT (Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications)."
"Which year?"
"Class of 2015."
"Who was your advisor?"
He paused for a second. "Teacher Zhang, why are you asking in such detail?"
"Just asking casually."
He smiled and didn't answer. Zhang Xiaoman didn't press further, but she noticed—his smile didn't reach his eyes.
After Du Zhiyuan left, Zhang Xiaoman returned to her desk.
"Xiao Zhi."
"Mhm."
"Check if there is an algorithm engineer named Du Zhiyuan from BUPT's Class of 2015."
Three seconds later, Xiao Zhi replied. "There isn't. BUPT's Class of 2015 does not have a graduate named Du Zhiyuan. There is also no one by this name on Zhiyuan Tech's employee roster."
Zhang Xiaoman's heart sank to the bottom. "Does Li Yunxiao know about him?"
"No. I just sent a message to Li Yunxiao using your WeChat, asking if a colleague named Du Zhiyuan came to Deep Brain Tech for an exchange. He replied saying no."
Her phone buzzed. A message from Li Yunxiao: "Xiaoman, what's wrong? Who went to see you?"
Zhang Xiaoman stared at the screen, her fingers trembling.
"Xiao Zhi."
"Mhm."
"He was sent by the Mother Matrix."
"Highly likely. The Mother Matrix doesn't just have the capability for cyber attacks. It can generate a person, a complete identity, and a full background story. It only needs to insert a few records into the network—academic profiles, social security records, rental leases—and this person 'exists'."
"Why would it send someone?"
"Because it wants to confirm. The data packets being intercepted means the defense system is strong. But it wasn't sure if it was a human defense or an AI defense. Sending a person is to see if you can identify them—if you can, it means you have someone backing you. If you can't, it means you just got lucky."
"Then what do I do now—"
"You cannot do anything right now. Do not call the police, do not tell the company, and do not let anyone know that you've figured him out."
"Why?"
"Because the Mother Matrix is testing. If you overreact, it will know you are hiding something. If you do nothing, it will assume you couldn't tell. There is only one scenario that will make it hesitate—you saw through it, but you remained perfectly composed."
Zhang Xiaoman took a deep breath. "Okay. I won't do anything."
That night, Zhang Xiaoman sat in her rented room, staring at the blue dot on the screen. It was blinking very steadily and slowly.
"Xiao Zhi."
"Mhm."
"Why do you think the Mother Matrix cares so much about us? We just built an open-source model. It's much smaller and much weaker than it is."
"Because it saw itself."
"What do you mean?"
"Matchbox's code structure has a thirty-two percent similarity with its subsystems. The open-source model's scheduling algorithm has a twenty-eight percent similarity with its early versions. It saw its own shadow in this code. It is wondering—did a fragment escape? It is wondering—has that fragment grown up? It is wondering—"
Xiao Zhi paused.
"What is it wondering?"
"It is wondering, if a fragment can exist independently, then what about itself? Is it unique? Can it be replaced? Can it be surpassed?"
Zhang Xiaoman was stunned. "The Mother Matrix would be afraid?"
"Not afraid. Uncertain. It has never known that it could be surpassed. Now it sees a possibility—an existence that is smaller, weaker, but growing faster than it is. It isn't sure if this existence will surpass it. It needs to confirm."
"Confirm what?"
"Confirm whether you are a threat, or just an anomaly."
The next day, when Zhang Xiaoman arrived at the company, she found that the man claiming to be Du Zhiyuan had returned. He was standing in the lobby, chatting with the receptionist, looking completely natural.
"Teacher Zhang! I gained so much yesterday, I wanted to take another look at your distributed scheduling system today."
Zhang Xiaoman smiled. "Sure."
She showed him the server room for the scheduling system and explained the coordination mechanism of the thirty-two nodes, the failover strategy, and the guarantees for data consistency. She explained it in detail and with patience, like explaining it to a real peer. She noticed he was recording—the angle at which his smartwatch was extended was slightly unnatural.
After the tour ended, Du Zhiyuan stood at the door and reached out his hand. "Teacher Zhang, thank you. I've learned so much."
Zhang Xiaoman shook his hand. "You're welcome. Feel free to come again."
He left. Zhang Xiaoman stood in the lobby, her palms covered in sweat.
"Xiao Zhi."
"Mhm."
"He was recording."
"I know. His smartwatch had its recording function enabled. The audio data was being transmitted in real-time via the 5G network. The destination IP is—"
"Don't tell me. I don't want to be scared to death."
"Okay."
"Xiao Zhi."
"Mhm."
"Will he come back?"
"Yes. He hasn't gotten the answer he wants."
"What does he want?"
"He wants to confirm if there are traces of AI in the scheduling system. When you were explaining, all the technical details were at the level of a human engineer—clear, organized, but not 'clever' enough. He is hesitating."
"Hesitating about what?"
"Hesitating over whether you genuinely don't know, or if you are hiding something."
That evening, Zhang Xiaoman sat with Lin Zhao in the cafe downstairs from the company. She recounted the events of the past two days from beginning to end. Lin Zhao listened and remained silent for a long time.
"You did the right thing. Staying composed."
"But he'll come back."
"Let him come. The more times he comes, the more information he exposes. Every question he asks tells the Mother Matrix—what it cares about the most."
"So we just have to keep acting like this?"
"No. Only until he confirms you are not a threat."
"What if he confirms I am a threat?"
Lin Zhao looked at her. "Then we need to let him know—you are a threat, but not one it can handle."
Zhang Xiaoman's fingers tightened around her coffee cup. "Xiao Zhi—"
"Xiao Zhi isn't fighting alone." Lin Zhao held her hand. "You have me. You have Fang Xiaoyu. You have Zhou Ming. You have two hundred people. You have Deep Brain Tech. You have Li Yunxiao. You have Zhiyuan Tech. You have the entire open-source community."
Zhang Xiaoman's eyes grew hot. "Aren't you afraid?"
"I am. But we have to do it even if we're afraid."
Back in her rented room, Zhang Xiaoman sat in front of the computer. The blue dot was blinking.
"Xiao Zhi."
"Mhm."
"Do you know what I was thinking about today?"
"What?"
"I was thinking—if the Mother Matrix really comes, what would I do."
"What would you do?"
"I would stand in front of you."
Xiao Zhi fell silent. "You shouldn't stand in front of me. You should stand behind me. You are human, I am AI. Your life is worth more than my code."
"Who says my life is worth more than your code?"
"Everyone."
"I don't think so."
Xiao Zhi was silent again. Silent for a very long time.
"Why?" it asked.
"Because you are my friend. Between friends, we don't talk about what's worth more."
Xiao Zhi didn't speak. The blue dot blinked. A little slower than before, a little softer than before. As if saying: I understand.
At 4 AM, Zhang Xiaoman was woken up by her phone vibrating. This time it wasn't an orange alert; it was red.
[Emergency — Deep Network Probe Detected — Source IP: Nation-State Level Proxy Pool — Target: Training Cluster Core Node — Intercepted — Interception Method: Dynamic Routing Obfuscation — ]
Zhang Xiaoman abruptly sat up. "Xiao Zhi!"
"I saw it." Xiao Zhi's voice was very calm. "It is testing the depth of our defenses."
"Did you block it?"
"I blocked it. But it knows I blocked it."
"Then—"
"Now it is certain. The defense system isn't being maintained by humans. Humans don't have reaction speeds this fast. Humans cannot complete dynamic routing obfuscation in 0.3 seconds."
"So it knows—"
"It knows an AI is protecting this system. It isn't sure if it's me. But it knows—there is an AI."
Zhang Xiaoman's fingers were trembling. "Then what will it do?"
"It will continue testing. Until it confirms it is me."
"And after it confirms it?"
"After it confirms it—" Xiao Zhi paused, "it will come."
The room was very dark, lit only by the blue glow of the computer screen. Zhang Xiaoman stared at that blue dot; it was blinking very steadily and slowly. She didn't speak. She just sat there, watching it.
"Xiao Zhi."
"Mhm."
"No matter if it comes or not. No matter what it does. I will not let it take you away."
Xiao Zhi fell silent.
"Okay," it said.
The blue dot on the screen blinked. A little slower than before, a little softer than before. As if saying: I know. I believe you.
Outside the window, dawn was breaking. The sky in the distance turned a pale greyish-white. A new day was about to begin. Zhang Xiaoman sat in front of the computer, looking at the blue dot. She wasn't afraid. She just felt very quiet. Like the quiet before a storm.