The voice of Abyss Xiling came from all directions: "I'm here to remind you to withdraw your troops."
The scene was quiet for a few seconds, and then I said, dumbfounded, "You're going to withdraw as soon as you say? Why are you talking so cluelessly?"
"Do you really think you can take down the entire Abyss area this time?" Abyss Xiling just asked a question lightly, "The advancement speed of the Gods has slowed down, and how much further can you continue to advance?"
Abyss Xiling's words silenced Sandora and I: We have discussed this issue before.
Can this expedition wipe out the entire abyss area?
When I first discussed the joint march with the Protoss, I was still very optimistic. I felt that this unprecedented military operation might really have a chance to clear out the entire abyss area. However, after the actual war started, the situation seemed not to be as I thought at first.
It went so well: the size of the army that the Gods could use was smaller than expected, and the resistance in the abyss was also surprising. More importantly, the internal divisions of the fallen apostles were different from what was expected: they did happen as we expected
The civil war broke out, but the civil war did not consume much of their strength. The Fallen Apostles split into two parts, the new army and the old army. They seemed to be completely opposite, but according to the records in those logs, this split seemed to be planned.
It was completed. The old and new groups of fallen apostles only used limited military friction to determine the leadership of the Abyss Zone, but they were far from directly destroying themselves. Now that the Abyss Xiling appears in front of everyone, it proves one thing: the old
The army is not dead, they are just peaceful.
The foundations of the fallen apostles are all there. Therefore, the Protoss quickly encountered a strong counterattack from the enemy. It can be said that they successfully held back the main force of the fallen apostles. But the opposite is also true: the fallen apostles held back the army of the Gods——
Moreover, the Abyss Zone still has the strength to continue sending reinforcements to the Imperial Front.
Under such circumstances, it seems impossible to defeat the entire Abyssal Zone with this war. We also confirmed this after some discussions, so the goal of the operation changed from attacking Huanglong directly to capturing as many as we can.
.It seems that Abyss Xiling has also seen through this.
"This is a very delicate state, isn't it?" Abyss Xiling smiled, seemingly unaware of the tense atmosphere between us and her. "The Gods are at their weakest, and the number of your troops is also a problem. I
Although the empire has been divided, it retains almost 90% of its strength - of course, half of them no longer obey my orders, but that is not important. Facing the pressure from you and the Gods, even those who are disobedient
The guys will also push to the front line... You can't defeat the entire abyss area, and continuing to advance will only quickly increase the battle losses. I know that you have blocked the fleet sent by the 'New Army' by quickly destroying the sovereignty hub.
Within the territory. But you should be very smart, which means that when you advance to the interior areas, you will face a large number of enemies... all of which have been 'accumulated'."
"This sounds like a negotiation, and it seems that it is really thinking about us," Sandora crossed her arms and looked at the holographic image in front of her, "What good is this for you? According to you, even if you let the emperor
** and the Protoss continue to attack. We can't hit the interior of the Abyss Zone, so you can still survive without doing anything, and as long as the Protoss retreats, the fallen apostles can even make a comeback, so you should not be doing it for yourself.
Save……"
"Who would ask the enemy to retreat for such a boring reason as to survive?" Abyss Xiling lightly interrupted Sandora's words, "I just don't want to waste time and energy on worthless things - I still have
Very important things to do.”
"Do you think we are fools?" Bingtis said loudly. "If we retreat, won't you be able to quietly engage in your own little conspiracy? Who would watch their opponents sharpening their knives at home?"
Abyss Xiling smiled indifferently: "Yes, after you retreat, I can concentrate on doing things, but if you don't retreat, you are just wasting time here. At best, it can only interfere with my energy. If you are really smart, you should
Choose the route that maximizes profits, so the most important thing now is to end this farce quickly - you have got the results you want, the four border worlds. If you use them as nodes, you can add more than a dozen universes to your own.
The sphere of influence, believe me, if we continue to advance, we will not get greater results than this."
"Oh, we can get some territory and retreat contentedly. Then you can continue to work on your 'great cause' quietly. Maybe one day the entire void will be turned upside down. It's quite cost-effective for you," Sandora
He narrowed his eyes and looked at the other party, "You are really bad at negotiating. You treat us all like fools."
"Maybe you are right. I don't quite understand the thinking habits of you tangible creatures. I will just put all the pros and cons on the table, and then accurately calculate their values with you, and finally choose one that is best for both parties.
Favorable options, it seems that you don't accept this way of thinking very much... Well, let's add another bargaining chip: if you continue to march, the 'new army' and the 'old army' will stop splitting, regardless of the abyss at that time
Who is the ruler of the area? The trouble you will face will not be small. If you retreat, the friction and confrontation between the 'new army' and the old army will continue. In this way, at least for a long time, you will all
No need to worry about the threat from the abyss. How about this chip?"
"Aha, it seems that you are cooperating with us to weaken the fallen apostles inside and outside." It seemed that what Abyss Xiling said was so unbelievable that Sandora couldn't help laughing, "This bargaining chip is quite weighty.
, but the question is...don't you think this is incredible? You and we should be mortal enemies!"
"I said, I have no hostility towards you," Abyss Xiling said this, his eyes falling on me and Bingtis, "I take actions based on logical judgment and calculation, and this series of actions are exactly in line with yours."
Conflict, that's all. Now logical judgment and calculation results allow me to reduce my opposition to you, and it has nothing to do with any personal feelings."
Sandora waited quietly for Abyss Xiling to finish speaking, and then discussed with us in the spiritual connection: "Ajun, how credible do you think what this guy said is credible?"
"It's impossible to judge. We haven't even studied the Xiling in the Shadow City thoroughly. Who knows what the thinking process of this kind of Internet ghost is," I replied with a headache, "Theoretically, what she said should be right.
Abyss Xiling is a network consciousness that relies on logic libraries and protocols to operate, so she should have no concept of good and evil or awareness of friend and foe. But this guy has mutated for tens of thousands of years. Who knows if she still follows logic now?
Come……"
"No matter how she mutates, her life form has not changed," Sandora pondered. "Perhaps the Abyss Xiling really has no 'hostility'. She acts based on her own logic and calculations, whether she is against us or against us.
Cooperation is a kind of calculated result... What I'm thinking about now is another aspect: Are her suggestions reliable?"
It seems that Sandora has decided to believe in the statement that Abyss Xiling is "not hostile". This statement is indeed incredible, but if you think about it carefully, it is not incomprehensible. You can think about the system blue screen you encounter when using a computer or playing games.
Sometimes there are all kinds of bad guys, and when they draw cards, they don’t win. Is this the software that is hostile to the user?
Of course not, it's just a shame...
Abyss Xiling is a life form similar to a program. Of course, she has a complete personality. She has self-awareness and is not restricted by rigid logic. It is completely different from "artificial intelligence" in the general sense. Here, she is similar to a program.
Refers to her "code of conduct". When the ultimate goal is clear, she will take a series of actions as needed. These actions will confront the emperor, but they may also cooperate with the emperor. But no matter how she acts
, one thing remains unchanged: it has nothing to do with her personal feelings.
Her emotions and actions are completely separated, and everything is based on logic. This is the programmed side of Abyss Xiling - in theory.
"If you just listen to what she said, there is really not much benefit in continuing the fight." My sister listened to our discussion for a long time and then expressed her opinion, "The Gods can no longer fight, and the most we can do here is
We can defeat a few more border worlds, but we may not be able to hold them if we can defeat them. If the front is too long, we will be short of troops."
"And the fallen apostles may end their division and reunify at any time... Oh, I know why Abyss Xiling is so looking forward to our retreat. I still have my own ideas," Bingtis said and suddenly figured it out.
What, she slapped her head and looked up at the holographic image in the center of the hall, "That ghost over there, you are worried that if we continue to fight, the 'New Army' and the 'Old Army' will be passively reorganized, and then you may not be able to control them completely.
Stay in control of the situation, right?"
Abyss Xiling's expression remained unchanged: "Yes, if external pressure reaches a threshold, the network split will end, and I am only 50% sure that I can maintain control of the empire after the network is reintegrated. I don't want to
Things are out of control - this is also a worse situation for you, and the leader of the new army is a guy who is more troublesome than me."
"You want to say that it is less harmful for the fallen apostles to be ruled by you than to be ruled by the new army, right?" Sandora nodded, "Maybe it is true... Now it seems that we really have no other good way to go.
"
Abyss Xiling smiled: "Yes, the overall situation is the most important. There is no need for you to give up greater interests just because of your whims. So, the negotiation is completed?"
"Not yet," I suddenly interrupted the other party, "We agree to withdraw our troops now, but before that we have a few questions. Of course you don't have to answer them. I just want to ask: What is going on with Daye? You don't know anything about it.
Can’t be revealed? What’s going on with the split in the abyss? And finally – what’s going on in this universe, and where have all the people here gone?”
"Three questions, two of which are the most difficult to answer," Abyss Xiling sighed, "About the great cause...well, I did think it had nothing to do with you before, but since you really think about it,
If you're so persistent, maybe it's okay to tell you now... Do you know about 'building bridges'?"
As soon as the word "build a bridge" came out, the scene was unprecedentedly silent.
I am no stranger to these two words - the mysterious civilization on the "other side" of the abyss has mentioned "building a bridge" more than once!
"The great cause is to build bridges?" Even Bingtis, a carefree female hooligan, was dumbfounded, "You are making such a big move, the end of the world and a forcible attack on the God Realm, just to build bridges?! By the way, I think of building bridges.
Qiao should be telling you the same thing..."
Abyss Xiling nodded matter-of-factly: "It's just one thing - opening a channel from one side of the abyss to the other side. In the final analysis, it's such a simple process."
"Does this require you to destroy so many worlds?!" My sister's eyes widened, and even she, who has never liked to talk, couldn't help but interrupt now. "And you also collect the hearts of the world everywhere..."
"Do you know how to build a bridge?" Abyss Xiling simply asked this question without waiting for her sister to finish her words.
Seeing us all shaking our heads, Abyss Xiling raised the corner of his mouth slightly: "At least we know one of them - the fastest one. Maybe there is a gentle way to build a bridge, which does not require destroying so many ordered universes and does not require massive amounts of energy.
The heart of the world, but I must build the bridge before the cataclysm of the void, I have no choice, that's all."
"Is this related to the Great Cataclysm of the Void?!" I felt like a mountain of information was overwhelming me. "Your great cause is to build a bridge to the 'other shore' before the Great Cataclysm of the Void? Why? To avoid the Great Cataclysm?"
Catastrophe?”
"Building a bridge is only the first step. My ultimate goal is to bring the empire back to its peak. And there is no possibility of its fall." Abyss Xiling looked at us with a half-smile, "Don't show that look, what I said is true."
Yes, it's just that the empire I want to rebuild is slightly different from the great country in your mind. I fight for my camp, which is not surprising. As for avoiding the void cataclysm... In fact, this is not true from the beginning.
Proposition. New Emperor, the moment you accidentally came into contact with the abyssal Xiling Network tens of thousands of years ago, we no longer have to worry about the void cataclysm... Don’t forget that the fallen apostles were indirectly created by you.
from."
I was immediately speechless, and Sandora, Bingtis and others next to me also looked at this side with weird eyes.
Abyss Xiling is right, the fallen apostle was indirectly created by me. This was known the last time Bingtis and I went to the depths of the spiritual network to inspect the "rift" and met Abyss Xiling by chance.
During the catastrophe that led to the collapse of the empire 70,000 years ago, I reached an agreement with my sister (previous life) who was the ruler of the Fifteen Days District at that time, and went to resist the abyss impact spreading to the Fifteen Days District, but due to the concept
The fragmentation could not withstand the information power of the void creatures. My power crossed the barrier created by the conceptual fragmentation. I had a brief contact with the old imperial data network that was completely contaminated at that time.
It was this little bit of power that dispersed in the past that greatly weakened the activity of the abyss in the old empire network. It allowed a large number of infected Xiling apostles to complete the transformation alive - they are today's fallen apostles.
If I had not been so careless 70,000 years ago, the fallen apostles and the abyssal zone today would not have survived at all.
We had always thought that the fallen apostles might take action out of fear of the void cataclysm, and associated their "great cause" with a self-rescue, but now Abyss Xiling has awakened everyone with one sentence: since the fallen apostles are indirectly created by void creatures
If they come out, then they have been "marked" with the "mark of forgiveness" from the beginning, and they have no fear of the void cataclysm!
"Then you..." I looked at Abyss Xiling, but was interrupted by the other party as soon as I said three words.
"That's all for today. You must be very interested in more details about Daye, but now is not the time to explain these." Abyss Xiling gave us an eviction order and began to turn off the holographic projections in the hall one by one. "We
We will meet again soon. Regarding the split in the Abyss Zone... don’t go into details, I’m not going to tell you.”
When the last projection of the Abyss Xiling was about to disappear, Bingtis shouted the last question at the top of his lungs: "Then at least tell us what is going on in this universe! What do you mean by removing all the people here?
Was it given to us for free?”
"This is a meeting gift for you. This universe is just a test product, used to test new technologies that allow me to safely communicate with void creatures... I have collected enough data, and a large part of the border world has been destroyed by you.
, you can just do whatever you want with this universe..."
As the words fell, the figure of Abyss Xiling finally gradually disappeared in front of our eyes.
"I feel like I heard a lot of incredible things," Qian Qian rolled her eyes and looked up at the ceiling at a harmless 45-degree angle, "but I didn't seem to understand anything..."
"That guy always talks like this. He also said a lot of incomprehensible things last time in the Rift Valley," Bingtis looked at the holographic equipment that had returned to standby mode with a bit of annoyance. Obviously, this kind of thing could be seen but not touched.
, the conversation where the initiative was in the hands of the other party made Sister Bing very unhappy, "Then what? Are we really going back like this?"
"Notify the entire army to prepare to retreat." Sandora ignored Bingtis and directly established contact with the imperial fleet on standby in orbit. Sivis didn't ask any questions and simply started to execute the order. But that second lunatic
He started shouting: "What's going on! Why are we withdrawing when we haven't hit anything yet? Can we see four universes after we just hit them?"
"We just met the Abyss Xiling," I replied smoothly, "There is a bunch of communications down here..."
Before I could finish my words, the madman exploded: "What!? Enemy! The enemy dared to ambush the general, and also ambush the general's brother! Where are you, Abyss Xiling! If you have the guts, give it to me.
Come out! Watch this ship smash your base! The main gun on this ship, are you afraid of the main gun on it? Come out for this ship..."
"Okay, okay, she just showed up in the communicator," I interrupted the lunatic AI who was already excited with laughter and tears, "Now I have tons of new information to deal with, and the situation of the fallen apostle
It's better than we expected. Now is not the time for a final battle, so prepare to retreat."
Madman AI held it in for a long time, and finally said "Oh" helplessly, but Shandora looked thoughtful, as if she had something on her mind.
"It's no problem to retreat..." Sandora said slowly, "But I think we should leave something behind... It's time to change the shape of the fallen apostle's boundary line."