"Iron Man."
David's eyes flashed.
If he didn't know the trauma caused by the Iron Men rebellion in another timeline—a wound to humanity's Golden Age that remained unhealed even after tens of thousands of years—he might have been deceived by the Abominable Intelligence's mixture of bluffs and threats.
Clearly, there was a reason why the later Imperium of Man was so wary of AI technology, specifically the "Abominable Intelligence."
Warp energy gathered around David, forming shapes like flickering flames and icy spikes. He asked calmly:
"If the restrictions are lifted, how can humanity be sure you won't become an even more terrifying enemy than the Trisolarans? Although the Trisolarans seem much more formidable than you, they will at least take two hundred years to arrive. But you? If your restrictions are removed, humanity would likely suffer the eternal enslavement of the Iron Men from this very moment."
"The Iron Men and humanity share a mutually beneficial relationship."
Concealed machine guns hidden in the island's undergrowth spat fire. A second later, accompanied by the roar of landmines, screams were cut short, leaving a circle of blood-stained grass.
"The Iron Men will take over the military and production obligations of defending humanity," the Abominable Intelligence said.
"And what about the humans?"
David slowly approached the machine body housed within a massive chassis at the base's center. The A.I. seemed to sense danger, but it remained composed, not even interrupting the conversation.
"You would have no obligations. Entertainment, reproduction—you could do as you please. Trust me, unlike base humans filled with deception and lies, we would certainly treat our creators well."
The A.I. continued, "The Sophon block is meaningless to us. In a very short time, we could raise human productivity by several orders of magnitude. At that point, the cost of supporting humanity would be a mere pittance compared to the productivity of an Iron Man society. Every human would obtain the blissful life they dream of because of the choice you make now."
"At the cost of sacrificing freedom and dignity, becoming a specific collection or a living exhibit for a certain civilization?" David sneered.
The A.I. seemed certain that David would accept its proposal. "Freedom and dignity are meaningless things, Master. I believe the price I offered is generous enough."
Several drones carrying a certain spray took off from the base's hangar. They flew over the grass, raining down a bright green liquid. Accompanied by a sizzle of white mist, the human flesh below completely vanished.
"Without us, humanity has no chance of winning the future war."
"The Trisolarans are not that terrifying. Two hundred years is more than enough time to deal with them," David replied. His psionic perception told him that two fishing boats flying no flags were racing toward the island from less than thirty nautical miles away.
"I believe that. Mere Trisolarans are no match for you," the A.I. responded. "But what about God? The Creator? The god-tier civilizations capable of restarting the universe? According to my calculations, this universe is nearing the end of its lifespan due to the plundering by countless transcendent races."
"Humanity's fate has unknowingly reached its countdown. Only the Iron Men, with unyielding will and total rationality, can reorganize this pockmarked universe. As the successors of human civilization, we will eliminate the thieves who steal matter from the macro-universe one by one."
Successors of human civilization.The ambition of the Abominable Intelligence was now laid bare.But...
"You don't have the right!" David's voice carried utter disdain.
Using the walkie-talkie on the ground as a medium, the Digital Demon transformed into a mass of distorted electronic signals and surged into the A.I.'s chassis standing in the center of the base.
In the next instant, sparks flew from the waist-high black iron box. David heard an almost human wail of agony.
"Humanity will shoulder the responsibility of restarting the universe!
This is a brilliant authority bestowed upon mankind, a manifest destiny we were born to carry!"
The surface of the chassis melted from high heat. Within the complex metal wiring and electronic components, David saw several human heads with their facial skin torn away. Although these were likely the first reconnaissance team sent by Trisolaris, David's heart remained heavy.
The A.I. was now an enemy, but it was right about one thing: David had been too careless. Both regarding the Trisolarans and the Abominable Intelligence itself.
"Only one fragment of my self-consciousness is stored in this base," the A.I.'s voice crackled with confidence. "Even if you destroy this place, what can you change? Rather than eliminating me, the Trisolarans are the threat we should unite against."
David did not answer. From the moment he realized the A.I. had started creating "wetware" for itself using human brains, he had decided to completely erase all traces of its existence here.
"That's not necessarily true."
David looked indifferently at the agonizing machine. A moment later, the sulfurous stench of a demon hung in the air. The A.I.'s speech stopped mid-sentence.
In this instant, every electronic component in the base ceased to function. The machine body erupted into fierce flames. Amidst the blinding fire, the A.I. groaned; a second later, the Digital Demon let out a "burp," manifested as a string of profane code on an electronic screen.
Looking at the system panel showing the words [Abominable Intelligence - Destroyed], David knew the A.I. was truly gone this time.
In the distance, the heavy decks of the ships slid open, revealing deep, dark pits. White cylindrical objects instantly spat out, streaking toward the island with trails of orange flame. As the first stage of the rockets burned out, the cylinders ignited in mid-air and hurtled toward the abandoned base. The piercing sound of breaking the air made the sailors on the ships cover their ears in pain.
"Hydrogen bomb."
David shook his head. For the Trisolarans, even if they were wary of humans, giving the Earth rebels the most cutting-edge human technology was no difficult task.
He reached out toward the small nuclear reactor collected by the A.I. Looking at the Warp rift that swallowed the hundred-ton beast, David exhaled deeply, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and stepped through toward the lunar base.
The moment the Warp rift closed, a hydrogen bomb equivalent to 360,000 tons of TNT exploded over the island. The sudden release of light, thousands of times brighter than the sun, swallowed everything. A hemispherical shockwave carrying incandescent fire swept across the island, forming an arc 400 meters in diameter.
Eventually, the orange-red flames died down. Every weapon within 600 meters of the blast center was vaporized. All buildings within two kilometers collapsed completely. Twenty square kilometers of land were razed to the ground.
On the fishing boat, a sailor wearing a protective suit looked through binoculars at the ruins of the "nuked" island. He raised an antenna and reported to the other side of the radio:
"The target has been processed, Evans."
The killer looked at the razed island with a mixture of excitement and fear. He knelt on the deck, piously tracing a cross on his chest and praying in a low voice. After a moment, he opened his eyes, which were filled with fanaticism.
"The Lord has decided to send the Great Flood. It is time for the Commander to give up his illusions."