The First Order

When Ren Xiaosu, who had already deemed the Zong Consortium as an enemy, heard a vehicle approaching, his first thought was that the Zong Consortium must have sent someone to ambush Wang Shengzhi’s convoy. This was probably because they wanted to prevent Stronghold 178 from building close ties with the Central Plains.

One by one, the members of Wang Shengzhi’s convoy drew their weapons from the vehicles’ trunks. Meanwhile, Zhou Yinglong got up barehanded.

Ren Xiaosu glanced at Zhou Yinglong and determined that the burly man from the Northwest was definitely a supernatural being. Otherwise, Zhang Jinglin would not have sent him here alone, nor would Zhou Yinglong not grab a weapon when facing a possible enemy attack.

However, when the Zong Consortium’s convoy finally approached, it surprised them. The moment the people in the vehicle got out, they immediately expressed that they were not carrying any weapons with them. The leader of the group was an unfamiliar young man.

A few people dressed in chef’s attire jumped out of the cars behind them. They were carrying some pots and pans, while some even carried portable gas stoves.

The young man said with a smile, “Good evening, everyone. I’m the Zong Consortium’s Zong Xiang. I heard all of you wanted to have a taste of our Zong Consortium’s delicacies, but since you can’t go to our stronghold due to your schedule, I’ve brought my chefs out here instead so you can get to enjoy authentic food like caramelized potatoes, Hundred Blossoms Chicken, and roasted whole goat.”

When Ren Xiaosu heard this from inside the vehicle, he sneered. The Zong Consortium was clearly eager for everyone here to die, yet they pretended to be really welcoming.

Before Zong Cheng revealed his intentions, he had acted really warm and hospitable too. But in the end?

Even now, Ren Xiaosu could not understand why Zong Cheng would attack them. This was what Ren Xiaosu was most furious about.

Looking at this young man named Zong Xiang, Ren Xiaosu was very sure that he and Zong Cheng had a close relationship. He was considering if he should kill Zong Cheng on the spot. But what would he do after killing Zong Xiang? That would not be enough to sate his fury.

Ren Xiaosu needed to make sure the entire Zong Consortium was destroyed. Just killing Zong Xiang alone would not erase his hatred.

Ren Xiaosu was even considering intentionally creating a conflict between Wang Shengzhi, Zhou Yinglong, and the Zong Consortium. For example, killing Zong Xiang and framing it as though Wang Shengzhi and the others had made the move. But if he did that, they would not be able to return to the Central Plains safely, right? These people had saved his life, so he could not do that.

Ren Xiaosu took a slow, deep breath to calm himself down. He wanted to gain the support of Wang Shengzhi and Stronghold 178 to use their power to seek out the best opportunity to destroy the Zong Consortium.

As the saying went, slap not a smiling face. Even Zhou Yinglong was not saying anything at this moment.

After the food was prepared, the aroma spread throughout the entire campsite. Zong Xiang asked the chef to cut him a slice of mutton. He grabbed it and put it into his mouth. “Let me taste it first for you all…. Mmm, it’s cooked. The meat is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, so please enjoy it. I won’t disturb you any further and hope that you’ll have a pleasant journey in the Northwest.”

After saying that, Zong Xiang actually left with his men.

The taste test seemed more like it was to prove to Wang Shengzhi and the others that the food was not poisoned.

When Zong Xiang departed, Zhou Yinglong spat on the ground. “What good can possibly come of a hyena trying to please you?”

Wang Shengzhi smiled and said, “Why do you hate the Zong Consortium so much?”

“When Commander Zhang left the stronghold, the Zong Consortium loved throwing themselves at Stronghold 178, and even secretly sent their people behind the walls. That ended with the news in Stronghold 178 always getting leaked in advance.” Zhou Yinglong said with a dark expression, “This group of hyenas kept fighting for power and benefits in Stronghold 178, creating a foul atmosphere in the organization. It was only later on that we found out the Chief of Staff was actually a bastard son of the Zong Consortium. Commander Zhang was quite upset after he found out about this. Since then, Stronghold 178 stopped accepting outsiders. That was mainly to prevent people with ulterior motives from infiltrating the stronghold.”

“How did you guys learn he was an illegitimate son of the Zong Consortium?” Wang Shengyin asked.

Zhou Yinglong sneered. “Through torture, of course.”

Ren Xiaosu thought to himself, ‘Doesn’t that make him a sleeper agent? Who knows how long that bastard son of the Zong Consortium was lurking to even rise to the role of chief of staff.’

Wang Shengzhi nodded. It was no wonder the people from Stronghold 178 hated the Zong Consortium so much. He smiled and said, “We used to worry about such matters too.”

Zhou Yinglong was stunned. “Have you stopped worrying?”

“Mhm, it’s been resolved,” Wang Shengzhi replied.

“Can this be resolved too?” Zhou Yinglong frowned. “It’s impossible to guard against those with ulterior motives once they get into the stronghold.”

“We have artificial intelligence to depend on.” Wang Shengyin smiled as she explained, “Our AI can use a camera to analyze whether a person is suspicious.”

This time, it was Ren Xiaosu’s turn to be confused. What was this artificial intelligence that was being talked about?

Ren Xiaosu was not the only one who was dumbfounded. Even Zhou Yinglong was confused. “What the hell is that?”

Wang Shengyin explained, “Al is something that our predecessors researched before The Cataclysm. It was fortunate that we managed to preserve all of the data from their research. To put it simply, we want our computer program to have the ability to analyze things independently like a normal human being. However, our AI doesn’t really have sapience. Currently, the philosophy behind AI is still—”

“Don’t tell me all that. I can’t understand it,” Zhou Yinglong interrupted. “Surely what you’re talking about is mysticism, right?”

Ren Xiaosu suddenly felt like he could identify with Zhou Yinglong. Anything he could not understand would immediately be deemed superstitious.

He knew what machines and programs were, but to make machines and programs think like humans? Was that even possible? Ren Xiaosu did not believe it. Machines were just machines.

Due to The Cataclysm, humanity’s scientific advancement deviated. Whatever research that remained behind would continue to get studied and become the mainstream research direction of the organizations. This would allow them to instantly gain a lead over the other organizations in certain fields.

Wang Shengzhi said, “Your Stronghold 178 can also deploy our AI to screen for any spies.”

Zhou Yinglong wasn’t stupid. He chuckled and said bluntly, “Although I don’t know what that thing is, and it might be very reliable in screening for spies, our Stronghold 178 will never allow something like that to monitor us. What if you can operate it remotely? We don’t have the technology to fight you.”

Wang Shengzhi did not mind. “It’s fine, I was just offering a suggestion.”

Zhou Yinglong wondered, “Even your machines have become intelligent. Please don’t tell me you live in a floating stronghold in the sky or something.”

Wang Shengyin laughed. “That’s pseudoscience. What kind of propulsion can support an entire stronghold and make it float high in the air? Humans can’t achieve something like that. There isn’t actually much of a difference between our stronghold and your stronghold except we live a little more prosperously, have more high rises, and have better living conditions. We have factories and grain fields outside the stronghold just like you. The nanomachines the Yang Consortium and Li Consortium developed are not something we have.”

The entire conversation, Ren Xiaosu did not say a word. As a refugee, he should not understand these things, and nobody cared if he could understand them.