Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Everyone braced for a powerful counterattack the moment the door opened. Even if resistance was pretty much non-existent along the way to the Cortex Prime, it was a known thing as the damage to the Cortex Prime had caused all defensive systems to go offline. However, behind the door was the central mainframe, and the central mainframe could not go offline. The reason was simple: because the fortress still emitted order after order, it meant that the Cortex Prime was still functioning.

A functioning mainframe would not allow any uninvited guests near it.

Yet, as the door opened, the anticipated attack did not come. There were also no sirens ringing throughout the fortress. In fact, Hao Ren heard nothing aside from the ambient humming within the fortress.

Even so, Vivian still whispered a warning, “Stay alert. We’re already in the heart of the fortress. Anything can happen here.”

Hao Ren raised his shield as he along with Lily shuffled left and right into the circular hall of the Cortex Prime, all the while scouting their surroundings vigilantly.

The massive hall was very wide, but the football-stadium-sized hall had nary any cables or machinery. Plus, it was vastly different from the machine rooms and equipment rooms from before. The hall only had thirteen black machines by the wall, and a massive black cylinder in the center of the hall. Hao Ren’s vision was of course attracted to the rather eye-catching cylinder.

It was about ten meters tall and was sitting within an intricately designed base while the top disappeared into the tall dome above. There was a massive hole there, and the black cylinder probably held even more complex structure within. This odd pillar was about three to four meters wide, and its surface jet black, but there were many lines and nondescript grooves. Before the lines and grooves were flickering lights, giving the pillar some sort of life, and yet, Hao Ren felt some sort of dreadful atmosphere from the slow, flickering lights.

He felt that the massive consciousness behind the pillar was dying, and the slow, flickering light was proof of its impending demise.

“This is the Cortex Prime?” Lily looked in amazement at the black cylindrical pillar, and her base husky instincts almost drove her to scratch the pillar’s surface with her claw, or to give it a bite for a taste. With all her self-restrain and reason she managed to hold herself back from that stupid move, and only circled the pillar from afar as she examined it. “I don’t see any keyboard or mouse… How do we communicate with this thing?”

“I… don’t know either.” N-6 was equally shaken by the appearance of the Cortex Prime before shaking her head in despair. “Most normal executors do not even have the authorization to enter the fortress, and this is the first time I’m seeing how the Cortex Prime looks like. Whatever information we can download from the Bibliotheca is limited, and I know that the center of the Cortex Prime is a black pillar, as to how to communicate, I thought your advanced technology could do the trick?”

“Of course it could, but we hope to gather more information before making a contact.” Hao Ren rubbed his chin. “But I feel that… the Cortex Prime is definitely watching us. We are already here, and if it has not noticed us yet then it’ll be remiss of it right, Mr. Cortex Prime?”

“As you said.” Just as Hao Ren finished, an emotionless digital synthesized voice transmitted from across the hall. “I was indeed monitoring all of you.”

Lily was engrossed looking at the lights and grooves on the black pillar and was surprised by the voice. Her tail bristled as she leaped back to Hao Ren. “Whoa! The Cortex Prime spoke!”

The lifeless black pillar came to “life” as the voice rang across the hall, the lights were brighter than earlier and their flickering frequency increased. Hao Ren then heard a low hum coming from both the top and bottom of the pillar: The cortex seemed to have activated from a low-powered safe mode and the hall was even brighter than before.

“I assumed you’d ‘welcome’ us in a more militaristic faction.” Hao Ren was the calmest of them all, and the Cortex Prime was simply just a powerful AI machine before him with him owning a system that is leagues advanced. The mainframe at CRAPPLE, or the Hivemind of the droids was nothing to him, and the same was for massive pillar before him. Shrugging, he continued, “Based on our data, you are in a state of madness.”

“I have indeed… malfunctioned.” the Cortex Prime sounded a little slow at first but grew smoother by the moment. “But that would not stifle my curiosity. If I’m not wrong, all of you are outsiders from the deep of space, and have crashed onto our homeworld… and that farce on the Zenith… was that your work as well? Just for you to infiltrate my fortress?”

“So you knew all along.” Hao Ren was surprised. “And you just watched on quietly without any reaction?”

“I had only just completed the compilation of information.” The Cortex Prime spoke, its voice devoid of any emotions. “You had managed to conceal yourself from my information network at first, and you had isolated the skies of Zenith and had hacked and altered much of the security system on the surface, which says a lot of your technological prowess. Outsiders, tell me why are you here.”

Lily forked her hands on her waist as she puffed her chest. “We are here to maintain the peace and to save civil….”

Vivian immediately pulled the idiot back. “Who would believe you if you say that now… Would you believe it yourself?”

Hao Ren stepped forwarded as he ordered the MDT, without a word, to land on the floor as he looked up at the black pillar. “You probably wouldn’t believe her, but what she said is the truth. We mean no harm, and the incident at Zenith was not by choice, but you have probably already received the reports. In that ‘battle’, my droid swarm did not…”

“Did not destroy anything.” the Cortex Prime finished Hao Ren’s sentence. “I used 1.4 seconds to process this illogical report. In that few hours long ‘battle’, your army had pretty much paralyzed all defensive systems on Zenith, but yet you had yet to use any lethal weaponry, and all damaged squadrons were safe… What is the meaning of this? I fail to understand.”

Hao Ren frowned as he realized some dissonance. As the highest AI program of the survivors, this Cortex Prime’s human-like quality was even lower than an executor like N-6. While the Cortex Prime had already displayed plenty of thought and deduction capability but…

Hao Ren was hard-pressed to describe this feeling, and could only use ‘lack of humanity’ to describe it.

And just as he started wondering about it, N-6 spoke. “Cortex Prime. Please trust these outsiders. They have indeed come to help us. They are searching for the embers of civilization across the universe and to protect them. I have seen their technical capabilities, and perhaps they could help us retake our homeworld, and fix your malfunctions…”

Before N-6 could finish, the Cortex Prime interrupted her. “Serial number E75-3C6215, Executor code N-6. You were supposed to have been destroyed in our homeworld in the previous operation. I had confirmed your signal was lost, and yet you have returned… Did this outsiders aid you?”

N-6 looked up at the Cortex Prime, her voice firm.” Yes, Cortex Prime. I can also prove that my personality has not been altered.”

“There is no need to prove anything.” the Cortex Prime said before turning its attention to Hao Ren. “Outsider, I am not able to determine your origins or your goals, but let me be clear: We do not need the aid of outsiders, we will complete our calling. Please return home.”

“But you are dying.” Hao Ren interjected as the MDT floated to his side. “Your servers are going offline and the malfunction is affecting every calculation unit in this fortress. I have checked, you are using the last of your functioning units to maintain this conversation. We can help you, but I need to know why are you doing this. Your mission is to protect humans and to help them retake their homeworld. Your rejection of our aid contradicts your calling.”

“You had once forbidden anyone to approach our ship, and yet you then deployed a squad to look for us. And now that we are here, you are declining to take the conversation further.” Vivian too was perplexed. “I’m sensing that you are conflicted… Care to tell why?”

The Cortex Prime chose silence.

A few seconds later, Hao Ren broke the silence. “Its probably the humans right? The ones living in the Inevitable Palace, something happened to them?”

The black pillar suddenly shone brightly.

“Seems like I’m right.” Hao Ren sighed. “The humans are almost extinct, aren’t they?”

“You could detect the life signatures within the Inevitable Palace?” the Cortex Prime asked.

“I can’t because that palace of yours seemed to prevent any detection of any life-signs. This is probably to stop the Devourer from detecting them? But my daughter can, she can see through those layers of screens. “Hao Ren patted his pocket as he called Lil Pea out and held her in his arms. “You probably wouldn’t have guessed it. She is the last life form of one of the universe, as the Apotheosis of Life, she can hear voices of a soon-to-extinct race.”

Lil Pea looked curiously at the pillar before giving it a friendly wave. “Hullo, I’m Lil Pea!”

“Greetings, I am the Cortex Prime.”