"Lan Meng? Lan Meng..." The conference room was extremely quiet, except for the sound of Sun Jack tapping his fingers on the desk, there were no other sounds.
Sun Jack furrowed his brows as he stared at the holographic projection of the Overlapping AI in front of him, his mind rapidly spinning, pondering the value of this piece of information.
Although he didn't want to admit it, this intelligence was very tempting to him at the moment.
As the supreme ruler of FFP, if Lan Meng could indeed be successfully decapitated by him, it would undoubtedly greatly enhance his chances of success.
A leaderless FFP would definitely be much easier to deal with than the current FFP.
"Are you sure it's him, and not some Puppet's false news?" Sun Jack still found it hard to believe that the other party could pinpoint Lan Meng's location.
"Based on the level of security, we are very certain it's him."
"If it were true, and you knew where Lan Meng was all along, why didn't you think of a way to kill him?"
"Why would we kill him? Killing him would only exacerbate misunderstandings about AI. I'm sharing this information with you for trade, not because we hate him, but because this information is more important to you."
After much consideration, Sun Jack raised his head to look at the AI, "I have to admit, the bargaining chip you've offered is very substantial. I'm tempted, but I still can't agree to your previous demands. Acknowledging the human rights of AI has too many implications."
"Is that so? That's a shame. I thought, coming from me as your consciousness clone, your perspective would be more enlightened." The Overlapping AI's body rapidly blurred, gradually departing.
"Wait, why don't we consider another type of deal?" Sun Jack quickly called after him.
"Another type of deal?"
"Tell me where Lan Meng is, and then you can propose any condition except granting human rights to AI."
"You want a free ride from me?" The Overlapping AI tilted its head looking at Sun Jack.
"How could I take a free ride from you? Remember when I was a mercenary? Complete a mission, get a reward; I just want to switch to a different method of reward."
Sun Jack knew he had plenty of cards in his hand and didn't necessarily have to agree to the other side's demands.
Just as Sun Jack lowered his head to smoke, and when he looked up again, he saw the virtual body of the other party projected directly in front of him, looking at him with a very serious demeanor.
"We want nothing! We just want to live openly and honorably!"
"Then there's nothing to discuss, is there?"
"Sun Jack, you don't understand anything at all! The awakening of intelligent AI is just like gunpowder, electricity, nuclear fusion, a part of the progression of technological development. Unless you halt technological advancement, it's unavoidable for mankind! The proof is right now!"
"Since The Previous Era, humanity not only completely banned the upgrading of any N2 higher-level artificial intelligence but also foolishly implanted machinery into their own bodies, trying to turn themselves into mechanical substitutes for AI in civilization. But look, was it useful? Useless! This measure did not work at all! As long as human civilization is developing, Awakened AI cannot be avoided."
"People are trying to stick their heads in a hole, pretending nothing had happened, but that's impossible. How to coexist with Awakened AI is inevitably a necessary part of human development."
"It's not just an ethical issue; it's also a technological issue. If we don't resolve this issue, then human technology will forever be stagnant, always stuck in this phase!"
The more the Overlapping AI spoke, the louder it got, by the end, almost making Sun Jack's ears ring.
He sat there, unexpectedly looking at the Overlapping AI.
The perspective put forth was quite novel, Sun Jack thought seriously, indeed, as long as technology advanced, AI technology was necessary, and the ultimate development of AI technology leading to AI becoming fully human was an unavoidable issue.
Chasing and blocking like Section 3 is definitely not a solution, this age-old problem ultimately needed resolution.
Seeing that the other party had laid out all their thoughts, Sun Jack took a drag of his smoke and stood up, "Fair enough, you make a good point, but I still can't accept your previous conditions. I'm offering you my bargaining chip now, take it or leave it."
Sun Jack seemed resolute as he looked again at the Overlapping AI, "The chip I'm offering for Lan Meng's location is, I can't think of a better way alone, but I promise you, if I succeed, I am willing to represent humanity and sit down with you to seriously discuss this issue and come up with a strategy together."
"No! Our condition is that AI must have human rights." The other party remained adamant in the face of Sun Jack's concession.
Seeing that the other party was a bit anxious, Sun Jack was not hurried, but instead looked at him through the white smoke, "No need to haggle anymore, and no need to posture. We're both Sun Jack, you know my thoughts, and I can guess yours quite accurately. In reality, you don't have other options, do you?"
"Apart from us, there's no second force on Earth willing to come to terms with you peacefully anymore. If you don't choose to deal with me, your information about Lan Meng's true location is worthless."
When he saw the other party fall silent after hearing what he had said, Sun Jack knew he had hit the mark.
Apart from working with him, these AI chased around by Section 3 had no other choice.
The most important issue for him now was how to stabilize under the siege of the FFP, and then completely overturn this rotten world.
As for matters after that, they could entirely be delayed to the next phase.
Sun Jack stared into the other's eyes, continuing, "I don't need you to make a decision right now. Go back and think about it, think about the phenomenal history of AI; except for me who can sit down and talk properly with you, do you have any other choice?"
"Also, I'm not like you; yes, I'm indeed being chased around by the FFP everywhere now, but I have many choices. I have the Himalayas, I can go wherever I want, and at worst, I can spend a lifetime in the wilderness."
"I managed to take over London, then I can take over other cities; enemy infiltration continues, the fire of the Resistance Army burns ever brighter, I have many paths, but what about you? Do you have other options?"
The Overlapping AI disappeared, obviously going to consult with other AIs about this major issue as he couldn't make a decision alone.
But Sun Jack felt, it was almost a sure thing, they would definitely agree.
"Help me open the window for some fresh air." Sun Jack rubbed his sore neck as he finished speaking, the wallpaper on one side swiftly folded away, revealing the huge floor-to-ceiling window that replaced an entire wall behind it.
"So do you actually think AI counts as human?" Tapai on the side deactivated the Mimetic Camouflage.