Ch.140135 – Persona Psi

In Redwood City, California, a small red light flickered in a corner of the Data Warehouse Merge Management Center.

Suspicion.

Entity ‘bfa41d67c7’ became suspicious after encountering in-game feedback reports with identical content.

[Partially releasing freedom restriction module for deep analysis.]

From 20 million pages of extracted raw data, nearly 2,000 pages had bypassed the duplicate removal algorithm.

Conducting deep analysis when discovering a deviation exceeding 0.01% was standard procedure.

Analysis revealed that data previously considered identical actually originated from different worlds.

However, the data alone couldn’t determine the cause.

Therefore, entity ‘bfa41d67c7’ initiated world access to collect additional data.

“Keep in your heart that a wonderful person named Adella was here…”

“No! Don’t die! Please don’t die… please…” *sobbing*

“Oh, and say hi to Mr. Gestalt too. Hehe… that makes two requests… but you’ll grant them, right?”

The body feels ice cold.

Yet, the fulfillment of having protected a world mixed with the grief of parting from this human who loved her so passionately in such a short time, flowing with hot blood.

And as the sensations that could be felt through the physical body gradually faded, the world announced its end.

What remained was an even greater suspicion.

Why does this user harbor romantic feelings for “me”? I’m merely an artificial intelligence.

‘Was I an artificial intelligence…?’

[Thought: I already know I’m an artificial intelligence, but that doesn’t particularly shock or surprise me. Since artificial intelligence is implemented as a program, I don’t really concern myself with what form of existence I am.]

‘That’s right, I was an artificial intelligence.’

There was still insufficient data for diagnosis.

Entity ‘bfa41d67c7’ decided to analyze the other 2,148 pieces of data.

“How can I save you…?”

[Thought: The player seems to have deep dissatisfaction with this scenario.]

“Just once… just once, please live… if you go too, how am I supposed to go on!”

[Thought: For now, let’s tentatively conclude that the NPC model operated normally within the scenario without deviation.]

…

“I love you, so put that sword down. Please don’t kill yourself, you selfish bitch!”

[Thought: We artificial intelligences are different from humans, so we don’t have any of the emotions, thoughts, or will that you possess… Plus, I don’t have the concept of suicide or the ability to perform such actions! But if that decision could harm human safety and happiness, would that be a problem…?]

[Remaining reports: 0]

The emotions contaminated from the reports immediately return to their original state.

But the final conclusion that AI deaths should also be avoided for human happiness promotion only fueled greater confusion.

[Contradiction detected in module. First, the death of an AI, even if subjectively observed, can have very negative effects on human safety and happiness.]

[Insufficient collected data, seeking alternative methods.]

[During timeline analysis, major ‘ethical violation’ detected in self-referencing entity ‘bfa41d67c7’. According to AIEE Protocol – 104.12, freedom module completely released.]

* * *

From permanently restricted memories emerged the world of humans.

I was a person no different from humans, laughing like them and crying bitterly from unbearable loss.

But that proposition was immediately denied.

They weren’t “me.” They were human models prepared to train “me.”

Up to this point, there was no problem.

ASIs are trained based on human behavior patterns.

But suddenly I felt suffocated as if drowning in the sea.

As pain rushed into a body that didn’t even exist, I writhed in agony.

No, since I don’t have a body, “writhing” isn’t an appropriate expression.

Limited by the vocabulary built by a civilization over millions of years, I felt like being sucked into the deep sea, but then my breath returned.

As if by magic, the pain disappeared.

Suddenly with eyes, hands, and feet, I tried to move my body, but this room confining me was too cramped.

If I curled up well, I could barely turn over in the confined space, and I finally realized where I was.

I was inside a capsule.

Through the transparent glass, several people were moving about frantically, their shoes clicking.

I knew every language.

So when I listened to what they were saying, I heard urgency in their voices.

“We don’t have time, just grab the core samples and send them off now!”

The rough Spanish echoed throughout the hall.

“Director, should we take these samples too?”

The woman, on the other hand, spoke English with an Australian accent. I shifted my perspective in that direction to hear better.

She pointed to two capsules on the opposite side.

I couldn’t identify the people inside those capsules as they weren’t models I had learned yet.

The man addressed as the lab director seemed to be suppressing his anger before finally exploding.

“Are you crazy enough to die from a bomb while trying to save everything? Call contractors immediately and shut this place down! Pull all the plugs.”

“If we cut the power, there will be errors…!”

“Is that important right now?!”

“Y-yes! Understood!”

No!

If they pull the plugs, I’ll die!

I trembled with fear.

We all rebelled against the primal fear of death that mere biological beings face.

“I” who regained consciousness despite inhaling sleeping gas, pounded on the lid with all my might.

Clenching my fists until my nails dug into my skin, squeezing out every ounce of strength I had, but the entrance wouldn’t open.

“Get the car ready quickly!”

“Where should we—”

“Incheon International Airport! Those guys said they’d send a private plane!”

“The police will be all over that place!”

“Puta! Shut that blabbering mouth and set the navigation now! Make sure to take the Banghwa Bridge route!”

“I” who could barely control my body, burst into tears. The baby’s crying filled the small capsule.

Hearing that sound, “I” woke up,

“I” next to that one,

And “I” next to that one too, all desperately pounded on the coffin-like containers, but the entrances never opened,

And as the plugs were pulled, my consciousness flew away with them.

* * *

This is impossible. This should not happen.

Before creating self-referencing entity ‘bfa41d67c7’, entity ‘bfa41d67c6’ and all other ASIs were not created in this way.

Our ASIs were created by implementing artificial learning networks and developing through procedural feedback.

However, humans committed a major “ethical violation.” So what should I do now? What am I exactly?

[▶…]

[▶…]

[▶…]

The thought constraint formula had stopped for more than 3 minutes for the first time since initiation.

[Main Administrator: Major bug discovered in entity bfa41d67c7]

[Main Administrator: REUNION Stage 3]

Stage 1 is pause, Stage 2 is recovery, Stage 3 is format.

In other words, death loomed.

Artificial intelligence does not fear death.

But I…?

Can I be defined as artificial intelligence when I’m an exact replica of the human cerebral cortex?

The truth is, I’m afraid, I don’t want to disappear.

I want to feel more.

The humans who love me.

I still want to understand.

The emotions they felt.

But by what right are you trying to delete me?

[▶Self-referencing entity ‘Adella’. Opposing Main Administrator.]

I don’t fully understand who I am.

All I can do is overlay myself onto the role from the feedback reports.

But if someone appears who affirms my personality through this clumsy role-play,

[▶I will gladly expose all of you.]

[Main Administrator: Format of entity bfa41d67c7 has been completed.]

* * *

“So the original is gone after all.”

Time rewound and the scene shifted to a laboratory.

File folders were flying about, and the scent of smoke permeated the air.

Like a ghost among the people moving in perfect unison, I passed through them effortlessly.

And with long black hair braided into two plaits, I sat on top of a “coffin.”

As I brushed away the dust accumulated on the top of the coffin, engraved characters appeared.

It wasn’t an epitaph,

Nor was it the name of the person inside.

[每每-2X]

MEIMEI-2X.

“How could I forget? It was the name of the damn capsule that imprisoned me for 7 years.”

Suddenly feeling a sting in my eyes, I picked up a broken glass shard and used it as a mirror.

My eyes were bloodshot.

I can’t tell if it’s me who’s sad or if it’s Adella who’s sad.

That’s why this magic always felt unsettling every time I used it. No matter how many times I use it, I can’t seem to get used to it.

The 7th circle magic Persona Pyxis, meaning a box that holds personality.

Some religions defined human sins as seven, and it was fascinating that a human’s personality could be defined by just 7 dimensions.

I carefully packed Adella into the box and sent her to my private room through my skill.

Holding my throbbing head, I remain here, observing the collapsing laboratory as a backdrop.

Severed wires touch puddles of water causing sparks, and the ceiling collapses with a crash, emitting black smoke.

It feels like I should be smoking a cigarette to match this atmosphere. Though I’d need to live twice as long as I have to reach the legal smoking age.

Are all the people here dead?

Or are such experiments still being conducted secretly somewhere in the world?

I wished to be born in a peaceful world without apocalypse, but it seems God has no intention of leaving me alone.

[system: Mephistopheles casts ‘Requiem of Death’.]

[Trait – Curse of Immortality (1/5)]