Chapter 398: Young Omnics

"Thank you for activating the Empire Defense System 2.0."

A synthetic electronic voice that could not be distinguished between male and female sounded, and Yang Ming took two steps back.

Light blue spots of light flew out from the four walls, gradually converging in front of Yang Ming, and a slender outline slowly took shape.

Judging from this special effect, this scientific research team really attaches great importance to today's unveiling ceremony.

The team leader at the side began to introduce with great emotion:

"Soon, we will be able to see the image of Emperor Guard 2.0, which is completely its own image.

"To be more precise, this should be that after he developed a sense of self-subjectivity, he took many factors into consideration and finally created the image. Among these factors, the most important factor is his own preferences and his judgment of his own gender."

As he spoke, the silhouette gradually became clearer.

This was a young man with a handsome face and soft eyes, a straight and slender figure, and perfect body proportions. The light white imperial military uniform he wore made him look like a low-ranking officer who had just joined the barracks.

I don’t know why, but when Boss Yang looked at the virtual image of this guy, he suddenly thought of... Bly.

This may be because both of them look too delicate.

How to describe this existence?

Advanced intelligent machine?

As Yang Ming was thinking, the virtual image in front of him saluted and spoke softly in his powerful and clear voice:

"Hello, respected Major General Hanton, the White Ghost."

There was sparse applause all around.

"Well," Yang Ming nodded, "Hello, what should I call you?"

"I am the Empire's Total Defense System 2.0. I will take on the responsibility of protecting the great Sherman Empire. I will dedicate everything I have to the great Emperor of the Sherman Empire and the Sherman family.

"As for my human-like name, it has not been given yet.

"Can you give me a name?"

The eyes around him immediately turned to Yang Ming.

Yang Ming smiled and said, "Your name should have been given by the most respected person here. I just pressed the start switch for you."

After saying this, Yang Ming turned his head and looked at the audience.

The Sherman family elite members in the first row looked at each other, and an old man in the middle said slowly:

"It's just a simple naming, there's no need to be so formal, just call it the New Emperor Guard."

"Oh," the advanced robot said with a look of regret, "I thought it would be a majestic name, but I am still very grateful for your name. This name you gave me will accompany me all the way."

Director Ino smiled and said, "Uncle, please give him a proper name, don't let him be too disappointed."

"Haha, in that case, Labdo, how about it?"

"Labdo?"

"Emperor Guard Labdo," the omnic recited his own name, then bowed to thank the old man, with a gleam in his eyes.

Yang Ming had already sneaked back to his seat.

Labduo looked at Yang Ming. He seemed to be hesitant to speak, as if he had something to say to Yang Ming.

The scientific research director at the side began to give a comprehensive introduction to Labdu. Labdu kept smiling , ready to perfectly demonstrate his abilities in front of these imperial dignitaries.

The unveiling ceremony lasted less than a galactic hour.

When the old guys from the Sherman family left with satisfaction, the atmosphere in the entire venue suddenly became pleasant and relaxed.

In the glass house, Labdo was simulating the resource integration of several administrative stars. There were no preset steps and no scripts prepared in advance. Every judgment he made was extremely accurate, and he perfectly executed the instructions issued by humans.

"Hanton, how do you feel?"

Lieutenant General Thomas asked in a low voice.

Yang Ming laughed: "It's quite strong, and it does feel like a human. I even wonder if they uploaded a human's consciousness."

Lieutenant General Thomas shook his head. "Although the threshold for digitizing consciousness is very low, it is extremely difficult to keep the consciousness stable, especially for emotional simulation. Moreover, this consciousness needs to process so much data. With this guy, I feel more confident."

"Did the Imperial Guard System put a lot of pressure on the general before?"

"really."

Thomas whispered:

"She is too uncontrollable, and she always appears suddenly at the most dangerous moment.

"It made me think more - if she didn't arrive in time and missed that opportunity, would we have suffered additional casualties?

"Another reason why I feel so stressed is that she is too powerful, like a god, a god in the online world.

"Every time she appears, I feel like I have lost the meaning of my existence. Not only me, but the entire regular command system has lost its meaning. Every victory seems to be related to us, but also seems to have nothing to do with us."

Yang Ming smiled and said, "General, have you ever communicated directly with the Imperial Guard System?"

"No," Thomas said with a tut. "Next time she comes out, I'll try to say hello to her and say - hello, old goddess."

The two smiled at each other, then returned their gaze to the stage, staring at Labdo's figure.

Yang Ming's watch vibrated slightly, and two words appeared on it.

【generally】.

This is Lu's evaluation of Emperor Guard Labdo.

More than ten minutes later, Daphne stood up and walked over here. The middle-aged official on the other side of Yang Ming immediately gave up his seat and walked to the back with his head down.

Daphne sat down next to Yang Ming, leaned towards him, and asked him the same question: "What do you think of this system?"

"Very strong, but I can't give you an accurate evaluation."

Yang Ming said slowly:

"Today's simulation still only demonstrates the command of a few thousand warships. If a swarm of insects breaks out later, the Empire's new and old medium and large warships are expected to number in the order of 100,000, not to mention the countless small warships, planetary defense systems, and logistics support systems. There may be some hidden dangers here.

"How long does the research institute estimate the insect swarm will arrive?"

Daphne said: "The shortest is half a year, and the longest is about a year and a half."

Yang Ming gave a pertinent suggestion: "Why not try to get Labdo connected to the Empire network before that?"

"This is exactly what they are planning to do next," Daphne said softly. "It's always risky. If it were a normal year, there would be no problem. But now the insect swarm is about to break out, and the Empire's unified network is about to show its true value. If something unexpected happens at this time... Oh, it's really a headache."

Yang Ming stared at Daphne's red lips.

She crossed her legs, supported her thigh with her right elbow, and lifted her beautiful face with her wrist. This somewhat casual sitting posture exuded an alluring charm.

Yang Ming calmly withdrew his gaze and said with a smile: "There should still be time... This is my feedback."

As soon as he finished speaking, a middle-aged man in a white coat hurried over, nodded to Lieutenant General Thomas and Daphne with a smile, and then walked up to Yang Ming.

"Dear Major General Hanton, may I make an unwelcome request?"

Yang Ming smiled and said, "Since everyone knows it's an unreasonable request, then forget it."

Daphne sat up straight and chuckled.

Lieutenant General Thomas frowned and said, "If you have something to say, just say it. Don't imitate those old nobles here!"

"Oh, yes, it's like this. Labdo wants to have a private chat with Major General Hanton."

"Looking for me?" Yang Ming couldn't help but laugh, "What did he want to talk to me about?"

“We don’t know about this either.”

The middle-aged man said in a deep voice:

“His consciousness is generated on its own based on powerful computing power and rich information.

“Although there was guidance from us, we did not shape his consciousness.

"According to the data feedback, he respects you, or rather, he admires you. He probably wants to talk to you to improve himself."

Yang Ming: …

Could this be another old rubbish plot of 'I am completely disappointed with human beings, but I admire you the most'?

Daphne on the side smiled and said, "That's great. My uncle and the others are waiting for your review."

Boss Yang shook his head and smiled bitterly, and could only agree .

…

The meeting place chosen by the research team is the lounge next to the hall where the unveiling ceremony is held.

After obtaining Yang Ming's consent, the team will monitor the encounter between the two throughout the entire process and focus on collecting relevant data generated by Labdo.

Lieutenant General Thomas still had official business to attend to, so he said hello to Yang Ming and left with other military generals.

Daphne took the initiative to stay. She turned down subsequent performances and prepared to accompany Yang Ming for half a day, even if it was just to use her boat to take Yang Ming somewhere.

When Yang Ming entered the lounge, points of light gathered again in the slightly empty room. Labdo, wearing a white dress, appeared in the middle of the lounge and bowed to Yang Ming.

Labdo's smile was extremely sincere.

Yang Ming was very familiar with this expression. He often saw it on the faces of his fanatical fans or the fan leader of Ge Lisi.

"I'm glad you agreed to talk to me alone, Mr. Ghost. Please take a seat."

"Well," Yang Ming looked at the simple layout and said slowly, "You asked me to meet you, what do you want to talk about?"

"The main reason is to satisfy my selfish desire," Labdo said with a smile, "I am your fan."

"I see," Yang Ming nodded, "If you were a woman, I might be more accepting of you."

Labdo smiled and shook his head: "You are so humorous, I understand you... In fact, I have entered the Empire Network dozens of times during the testing phase, but I only acted as an observer to understand the lives of my creators."

"oh?"

Yang Ming sat down on the sofa, raised his hand to the bar in the corner, wrapped two bottles of drinks with his mental power, and brought them to his hands.

Yang Ming asked with a smile: "Then what? Are you disappointed?"

"I was disappointed," Labdo said with a smile, "but I soon understood one thing: the researchers I have been in contact with since I was born are already the best in the world. They are smart, wise, have a lot of knowledge, and most of them have good character."

Yang Ming nodded but didn't say anything.

Labdo continued:

“Based on what I know about human beings, inequality should be the primary characteristic of human individuals.

“No one person is exactly the same as another person. Even identical twins can have very different personalities. This is the charm of the human species.

“Mr. Ghost, I have seen too many things about you.

"It's like, you and the ordinary imperial soldiers are essentially the same, both are human, but in reality you are very different. You have mastered bioenergy that is close to the absolute limit."

Yang Ming wondered, "What is the absolute limit you are talking about?"

"Oh, this is a term in the Empire's confidential database, but I think that according to your position in the Empire and the resources you enjoy, you should have the authority to read this kind of definition."

Labdo said slowly:

"The so-called absolute limit refers to the limit of the bioenergy that the human body can withstand. If this value is exceeded, the primitive human body will inevitably undergo certain changes, or it will collapse.

"This is the valuable experience accumulated by the Empire in biological experimental exploration."

Yang Ming smiled and said, "This is the first time I've heard of this statement. However, I tend to believe that my body has more potential that I haven't developed yet."

"Yes, the transformation of the ancient gods is indeed a bold and fascinating plan."

Labdo changed the subject: "Can I ask you a few personal questions?"

"Of course, feel free to ask," Yang Ming leaned back on the sofa, "I want to tell you in advance that I am currently evaluating you and I will directly provide feedback to the ruling class of the empire."

"Yes, I know that our conversations are under surveillance."

Labdo whispered:

“My first question to you is, do you really love this country?”

"Incomparable love," Yang Ming said softly.

Labdo smiled and said, "My sensors tell me that you are not lying."

Yang Ming: The information obtained by your sensor is not necessarily accurate.

Labdo continued to ask: "The second question is, have you ever thought about fully controlling your own destiny? This question may be a little ambiguous, and it is also a question I am thinking about. Just like, I was born in this institute, carrying the mission of protecting hundreds of billions of people in the empire. I must accept supervision and therefore lose a certain amount of freedom. Of course, I fully accept this."

Yang Ming groaned for a few seconds.

The Shermans were testing him with this guy?

“I actually really want to be in complete control of my own destiny.”

Yang Ming sighed, his eyes becoming somewhat distant:

“But this is just an ideal situation. Just like in physics experiments, we often have to assume the existence of an ideal environment, but in reality we can never find a truly ideal environment.

“I have a mission that I cannot escape, so many times I have to curb my desire for freedom.

"However, if I have the opportunity to truly hold some power, I will try to live more freely and with fewer constraints."

Labdo nodded slowly and asked, "One last question."

"Emotions, are you testing me too?"

"You're joking. I'm just a little curious. Your answer is also of great reference significance to me."

Labdo's expression was somewhat gloomy:

“I think I’m perfect, and everyone thinks they’ve restricted me, but I can easily control everything here. I’m close to being a god in the online world.

"I'm not boasting at all, I'm different from ordinary omnics.

“I prefer to call myself a living being, a living being born from machines, a living being that serves humans.

"In my eyes, you are a powerful, perfect organic life form. Our communication at this moment represents the communication between two life forms, which makes me feel extremely satisfied."

Yang Ming calmly interrupted him: "One last question. I still have to go back to work. When the insect swarm is over, we can talk late into the night."

"Yes, you are very busy," Labdo said with a smile, "The question is very simple, are you willing to be my friend?"

Yang Ming was stunned.

Labdo stared at Yang Ming with some trepidation.

Yang Ming nodded slowly and said in a gentle voice: "Although this is a bit too abstract, the fact that we can sit here and talk about these things already makes us friends, right?"

"Yes!"

Labdo immediately smiled even more happily: "I am proud of this!"

Yang Ming stood up and stretched out his right hand, shaking hands lightly with Labdo's projection.

"Then I'll take my leave."

"I'll take you there."

Labduo took the initiative to follow, and Yang Ming turned and walked towards the door of the reception room, and the two doors opened automatically.

"Okay, let's send it here. We had a pleasant exchange..."

Yang Ming's voice suddenly stopped.

He frowned slightly and stared closely at the device on the wall that looked like a 'display inside a doorbell'.

On the small square screen, a girl with twin ponytails was floating quietly, staring at Yang Ming calmly.

reason!

Labdo asked curiously, "Mr. Ghost, what's wrong?"