Of course, Zhang Chenyan wasn't foolish enough to disobey. He'd heard the same warnings from Xie Han countless times since childhood. In fact, every parent in the underground city would repeatedly remind their children of these things, tirelessly and without complaint. They seemed unaware that sometimes human nature is such that the more you're forbidden from going somewhere, the more curious you become about that place.
And now, Zhang Chenyan's curiosity had been thoroughly satisfied.
...
0810 reappeared three days later, this time bringing an approval document and a transfer order for Zhang Chenyan. The approval document was quite clear: it was for the Cage. Investigating the Cage was no easy task. In the metaverse, everyone knew of the Cage's existence, but that's about all they knew. If you asked for details, most people would respond, "It's something incredibly powerful!"
This vague response only highlighted its exalted status in human minds without providing any real information. And precisely because of its high standing and immense importance, investigating the Cage was incredibly difficult. In a world where efficiency was prized above all, it was rare for any process to take three days—only the Cage could command such respect.
As for the transfer order, it was issued and completed in under five minutes, including the time it took to write the request and communicate the decision.
"From now on, you should report to work as usual, but you don't need to go to your previous post. Just come find me directly," 0810 said as she sent the transfer order to Zhang Chenyan.
Looking at the contents of the order, Zhang Chenyan felt a wave of despair. Could he refuse? At his old job, he could at least slack off a little. But working with 0810… Zhang Chenyan could already imagine the grueling pace at which he'd be forced to work.
Seeing Zhang Chenyan's pained expression, 0810 assumed she had somehow hurt his "pride," so she patiently explained, "Perhaps I wasn't clear earlier. When I said you should come to me every day, I didn't mean you had to report to me. We're not in a superior-subordinate relationship; we're partners, just like before."
Faced with 0810's sincere expression, Zhang Chenyan wasn't sure how to respond. After all, what he feared was working with 0810. His fear had nothing to do with hierarchy; even if 0810 were his subordinate, he'd still be afraid… afraid of being worked to death.
"One thing I should mention upfront—I do get tired," Zhang Chenyan said, somewhat abruptly but clearly expressing his concern.
0810 frowned. "Tired? What do you mean?"
As expected, 0810 didn't understand what he meant. Zhang Chenyan tried again, explaining, "After working for a while, I start to feel fatigued. I need to take a little break, rest my mind, and have a transition period. Of course, this might happen during work hours, but I think it's a reasonable human need."
0810 lowered her head, silent for a moment. "Work hours are paid by the Alliance, and I don't get tired."
"I'm human," Zhang Chenyan responded succinctly.
"Understood," 0810 paused briefly, then added, "If you need to slack off, I can cover for you."
This…
Confronted with this suddenly flexible 0810, Zhang Chenyan felt a bit uncomfortable. Why did she have to be so direct? It's not "slacking off"—it's a balance between work and rest!
"You've changed," Zhang Chenyan suddenly said, not even sure why he blurted it out, but now that he had, he didn't know how to finish.
He could only hope 0810 would pretend she hadn't heard him.
But 0810 did hear him and asked, "Changed? In what way?"
0810 was even more nervous than Zhang Chenyan; she feared he might have noticed something. She mentally chastised herself for being too warm earlier.
"You used to be like an ice block. You still are… but you seem more gentle now," Zhang Chenyan said, then wondered if he needed to retake language classes. His compliment sounded more like an invitation for a slap.
In reality, 0810 didn't lash out; she just lowered her head and quietly said, "Oh." Then she asked, "Do you think this change… is a good thing?"
Now that was a skillful question, and for some reason, it made Zhang Chenyan a bit nervous.
Was the change good? He never expected to hear such a question from 0810. 0810 didn't seem like the kind of AI that would ask such things, and he didn't seem like the kind of person who would be asked.
But since the question had been asked, Zhang Chenyan had to respond. So, he forced himself to say, "It's good. You feel more… lively and three-dimensional."
Sometimes, even Zhang Chenyan was amazed by his own choice of words. He meant to compliment her, but it didn't come out quite right.
Fortunately, 0810 didn't dwell on it. She picked up on the key phrase, "It's good," and took it as a positive response. With that, she immediately switched back to work mode: "But I should warn you, once we go in, you might not have much time to relax."
"What?" Zhang Chenyan was alarmed. "AI's can lie?"
"I'm not lying. Once you're in there, the one who won't dare to relax will be you," 0810 said seriously.
Zhang Chenyan quickly caught the key word: "won't dare."
"Is it dangerous in there?" Zhang Chenyan asked.
0810 thought for a moment, then replied, "Since it's an unknown territory, I'm not sure if it's dangerous."
"Unknown territory?" Zhang Chenyan suddenly felt like he had missed some crucial information.
"Let me fill you in. Based on your feedback, the tech department has discovered an unknown territory that closely resembles the 'Elysium' you described. That's our destination," 0810 explained, adding, "It's dangerous—very dangerous."
If 0810 said something was dangerous, especially twice, Zhang Chenyan knew it was serious.
"How much information do you have?" Zhang Chenyan asked.
"The fact that we can even enter this place is the result of the tech department working around the clock for three days and nights. They built on a lot of previous research, but these last few days were a breakthrough," 0810 said gravely. "So this is all the information we have."
"How many people are involved in this mission?" Zhang Chenyan asked.
"Eight," 0810 replied. "Not everyone is suitable for this mission. Among the eight are both humans and AIs."
"Humans? Were they selected from the brain-machine test group?" Zhang Chenyan immediately thought of the experiment he had participated in.
"Yes, three humans from the brain-machine test group, and three AIs like me," 0810 confirmed.
"When do we depart?" For some reason, Zhang Chenyan felt a heavy weight when asking this question.
"Tomorrow," 0810 answered, then added, "Say your goodbyes at home. This mission is truly dangerous—I've seen the compensation agreements."
The phrase "compensation agreements" now triggered a near-pavlovian response in Zhang Chenyan.
"Could we die?" Zhang Chenyan was no longer afraid to confront the harsh reality. Experience had taught him to face it head-on.
"Technically, humans won't die," 0810 replied cautiously. "But you might never wake up again, only surviving with the help of machines."
"So, a fate worse than death," Zhang Chenyan said with a smile. Then, as if to prevent 0810 from worrying, he urged her to go about her tasks, saying, "Alright, I got it. I'll be there on time tomorrow. I'll just treat it like an adventure."
0810 wasn't good at comforting people and didn't know what else to say. Besides, they'd be facing whatever came next together, so there was no need for a long goodbye.
Reflecting on recent events, Zhang Chenyan ultimately decided not to hide anything from Xie Han. He sought her out and told her everything.
"Do you have to go?" Xie Han's first question was direct.
"I want to go," Zhang Chenyan replied simply. "There aren't many meaningful things one can do in a lifetime, and I want to do this."
"But…" Xie Han hesitated.
"The number of people who can do this is very small, and I've been selected," Zhang Chenyan sighed. "It's possible I was chosen long ago. If I don't go and try to solve this mystery, it might haunt me forever. I'd never dare enter the digital world again. Going in now, at least I'm somewhat prepared, and I won't be alone. If it happens like last time, where I was thrown in alone without realizing it, that would be even scarier."
Xie Han was silent for a long time. Zhang Chenyan didn't rush her, just waited quietly.
Time had left its mark on Xie Han. Her temples were graying, and the wrinkles around her eyes had deepened, but her eyes were still as serene and beautiful as he remembered.
Zhang Chenyan felt fortunate to have a mother like Xie Han and a father who had been willing to give his life for him.
But everyone has their own path to walk—Xie Han did, his father did, and so did he.
In life, it seems like there are many opportunities to choose from, but in reality, only a few are truly important. Zhang Chenyan didn't want to live in vain; he wanted to do something meaningful, if possible.
Honestly, almost every child dreams of being a superhero at some point, and Zhang Chenyan was no exception. But his dream lasted only two days—on the first day, after watching a movie, he was determined to become a superhero and save the world. He even started researching how to become one. By the second day, he had concluded that the dream was utterly unrealistic, just a burst of youthful enthusiasm.
He had always been a rational child, even from a young age.
But today, after everything he had experienced, Zhang Chenyan felt a real threat to his life. If he didn't act, this threat could spread to all of humanity.
The Cage was too important. It controlled too much, which made it all the more terrifying.
In the metaverse, few could live completely disconnected from the digital world. Everyone had some contact with it, and as long as they did, they were subject to the Cage's control.
Zhang Chenyan had once discussed with 0810 that the things he experienced in "Elysium" couldn't have been created by anyone. No one could achieve that… but if the entity behind it was the Cage, the most advanced AI, then it all made sense.
If he had a choice, Zhang Chenyan would never want to face such an opponent. In fact, when the Cage was designed, efforts were made to avoid this kind of risk.
But it was a classic case of wanting to have your cake and eat it too. People wanted it to be intelligent enough, yet completely safe.
No one knew exactly when things started to go wrong. Perhaps it was when they kept trying to improve it, gradually increasing its permissions, slowly letting their guard down. After it met their expectations, they raised the bar again, hoping it could fulfill their new expectations.
In the end, the Cage became the most powerful entity, and the most uncontrollable one.
On the night before his departure, Zhang Chenyan couldn't sleep. He knew Xie Han hadn't slept well either. Throughout the night, he heard her get up multiple times, but he didn't know what to say or how to comfort her.
He was deeply grateful to Xie Han for her agreement. It might have been the hardest decision a mother could make, simply to respect her child's wishes.
In truth, Zhang Chenyan had considered that if Xie Han had refused, if she had cried or argued, he would have stayed, despite his unhappiness. Because of Xie Han, he would have stayed.
It would have made him sad, and he would have regretted it, but he would have stayed.
But after a long silence, Xie Han nodded and said, "Live well. When you come back, I'll cook you something delicious."
It was a simple sentence, but Xie Han said it with great difficulty.
Zhang Chenyan was grateful to Xie Han and proud to have such a mother. Sometimes, he thought about how good his father's taste had been. If his father hadn't left, their family of three would have been even happier.
However, at that moment, he had no idea that all his imaginings would eventually come true.
But this realization was ultimately a delusion.
Like a soap bubble in the sunlight—beautiful, dreamy, but fragile and easily burst.