Chapter 103: Direct and Straightforward

"F***! Stay away from that old man! He is absolutely no good, a lunatic! Damn it, who in their right mind would support him in conducting this kind of research? The bastard is a genius, truly." David suddenly sprang up, gripping his phone tightly and shouting into it. His words were a jumbled mess of profanity and incoherence, leaving Li Daoran completely bewildered, unable to fathom what had triggered such a fit.

Hou Liang frowned, equally confused about what was happening. However, among those present, no one had more authority on computer networks than David. As a world-class expert in the field, David was the only one capable of instantly grasping exactly what Yuan Muye was doing.

Natasha and Charles exchanged a look, and Natasha said, "Slow down. What is it? What is Yuan Muye doing? What on earth is happening to make you so worked up?"

David’s eyes were bloodshot, his face flushed with surging blood, and he was flailing his arms like a madman. But he was no ordinary person. He quickly splashed cold water on his face until he was shivering, then thrust his head directly into the freezer, biting down on a few ice cubes.

After a few shudders, he pulled his head out, blood trickling from his lips where he had bitten down too hard in his agitation. Finally, he regained his composure. Shaking the ice shards from his hair, he muttered incoherently, "The old bastard... he’s trying to turn human beings into virtual entities. He wants to upload people into the network. Normal artificial intelligence aims to make virtual networks as smart as humans, but this old freak is doing the exact opposite. He wants to take a shortcut and turn humans into intelligence—true artificial intelligence. No, that’s not right—he’s creating true virtual humans."

"Those rats, snakes, and animals on the screen... those are the sluggish test subjects from his lab. It must be. He’s hit a wall; the experiment hasn't succeeded. I don't know where he went wrong, but it hasn't succeeded because there are no humans on that screen."

"Only a madman would have such an idea, let alone put it into practice. This is technology beyond our imagination—like turning stone into gold. It’s nonsense. It’s impossible, absolutely impossible." David struggled to recover from the shock, muttering to himself. The others were left stunned and horrified. They hadn't expected Yuan Muye’s true goal to be this; if he succeeded, he would be creating a new species and stepping into the realm of gods.

Li Daoran overheard David’s words. Though they were slightly garbled, he understood the gist, as David hadn't used technical jargon but rather plain, understandable language.

Yuan Muye, seemingly unaware of anyone’s presence, continued to manipulate the computer, cracking the restrictions on the energy gun.

"Master Yuan," Li Daoran called out.

Yuan Muye raised a hand, signaling for silence. Li Daoran obeyed. When Yuan Muye entered his element, he carried the air of someone who controlled everything—focused, meticulous, and precise.

Before long, animal images on the screen kept vanishing, replaced by new ones in a rapid, scrolling blur. Realizing that each of those images represented a living soul, Li Daoran couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

When Yuan Muye finally looked up, the activity on the screen ceased, and everything froze.

Yuan Muye picked up the energy gun, stroked it briefly, turned, and handed it to Li Daoran. "It's been cracked. Faster than I expected, thanks to this mainframe. Otherwise, forcing a break would have been difficult."

Li Daoran opened his exoskeleton armor as a sign of respect. After David’s outburst, he understood just how capable the man before him was; David’s harsh words were clearly driven by his covetousness for Yuan Muye’s technology.

Instead of taking the gun, he stepped out of his mech and said, "This gun isn't of much use to me. You should keep it for your own protection, Master."

Yuan Muye looked at him in surprise. Li Daoran’s sudden shift from arrogance to deference was startling. He shook his head with a smile. "If I keep it, it’s only for self-defense—or perhaps suicide. In your hands, it can take down enemies. You should take it. It can only be bound once; once bound, it will automatically generate your password."

Given the way Yuan Muye put it, it would have been inappropriate for Li Daoran to refuse again. He took the energy gun with both hands, quickly bound it, and holstered it in his exoskeleton. With his hands empty, he asked, "Master, what exactly are you researching here? Tian Ye said it was artificial intelligence. Is this place very important?"

"Nonsense," Yuan Muye said, glaring at Tian Ye. "The girl is ignorant and just spouts rubbish. I am researching biology here. Nature is so beautiful, and the mysteries of life are endless. The virtual world is merely a fleeting cloud. Artificial intelligence is nothing but a delusion."

If Li Daoran didn't know the truth, he might have been fooled by such heartfelt rhetoric. But with David having exposed the secret, he couldn't believe a word of it. However, calling him out directly wouldn't be appropriate.

"I find those mice, snakes, and lambs on the screen quite interesting. But they all seem to be the same size. Tell me, if a human were to go in, would they be that size too?" Li Daoran turned his gaze to the screen, speaking with an air of casual curiosity.

Yuan Muye was startled. He wondered if Li Daoran was speaking carelessly or if he had genuinely deduced something and was fishing for information.

Unsure, Yuan Muye probed, "They are just ordinary drawings. If one were to draw a human, naturally, they would be drawn larger than the rest."

"Why not draw one, then? Have you run into a problem?" Li Daoran asked point-blank.

From this point on, the cards were on the table. Li Daoran had cut straight to the chase, and Yuan Muye realized that this soldier truly knew something. He was not to be underestimated—though Yuan Muye had never truly looked down on him, Li Daoran continued to surprise him time and time again.

Yuan Muye looked at Tian Ye and said, "Tian Ye, go back first. See if they are ready; it's time for us to leave."

Tian Ye nodded, then asked, "Master, do we have to leave?" She hesitated, even casting a pleading look toward Li Daoran. Li Daoran remained unmoved, and Yuan Muye waved his hand, signaling for her to leave immediately.

Helpless, Tian Ye turned, opened the door, and left.

Yuan Muye rubbed his lower back and said, "I'm old, I'm old. Each generation of talent surpasses the last. The future belongs to you young people."

With this self-deprecating opening, which served to elevate Li Daoran, Yuan Muye began his first lesson for him.

Li Daoran hurriedly demurred. He looked around and discovered that the laboratory didn't even have a chair; he couldn't even find one to offer the old man.

"Enough, I’m not that old yet. Sitting while working makes it easy to lose focus and leads to neck strain. Therefore, my workspace has never had chairs. If I really need a rest, sitting on the floor is just fine—you can sit, you can lie down. Rest is rest, work is work; you have to distinguish between the two." With that, he actually sat down on the floor.

He didn't sit cross-legged in a formal posture, but rather hunkered down like a farmer in a field, squatting and then dropping back to sit on the floor. Though the movement was unrefined, there was a certain unrestrained ease to it.