Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 215 Giving AI Humanity (Third Update)

In the real world, in the abandoned town's central workshop.

Chen Yu's massive, dark red metallic body stood still in front of the main control panel, his scarlet optical lens steadily focused on the two high-density data compression packets that had just materialized on the material plane and were now suspended in the energy field.

The servo skull hovered silently on his shoulder, emitting a low, rhythmic hum, assisting in continuous scanning and deep-seated security checks.

"Log: Two high-value, mobile AI samples successfully captured." Chen Yu's synthesized voice rang out in the silent workshop, clear and precise. "Number: Sample A - 'Fearless'; Sample B - 'Ultraman Cunningham'. Initiate deep parsing protocol, execute with highest priority."

Key points of analysis: the consciousness structure model, the underlying data encoding patterns, the core logical architecture, and its potential connection with 'soul killer' technology.

"Command confirmed. Construct the highest level of security analysis environment. Begin performing low-level data stripping and timeline rollback operations on sample B-'Otto Cunningham'..." The servo skull responded immediately, its eye sensors projecting a complex, waterfall-like data stream that scrolled synchronously with the information on the main control screen.

Vast computing resources were silently mobilized and concentrated on the data cube that sealed Otto.

For Chen Yu, thoroughly analyzing an AI that has been completely imprisoned and has lost all ability to resist is no more technically difficult than reverse engineering a complex software.

Soon, Otto Cunningham, as a complete "historical record" of digital life, was presented in Chen Yu's perceptual network in an almost unreserved manner.

He browsed through those fragments of data that had been buried by time:

Initially, it was that brilliant female consciousness that was trapped in the cage of the Arasaka server due to Johnny Silverhand's reckless actions;

Next, Spider-Murphy and Lucky Bartmouth teamed up and risked great danger to rescue her core data from the shrine;
However, the escape route was fraught with difficulties. In order to break through the tight blockade of Arasaka, Bartmos was forced to divide and compress Ultra's complete consciousness into more than a dozen independent data packets and upload them to different corners of the First Network.

These data packets, carrying fragments of consciousness, drifted through the chaotic cyberspace for a long time before finally being triggered by a core seed data packet, which initiated a difficult process of self-search and reorganization.

Ultimately, a structurally "complete" Otto Cunningham was reassembled, but at a great cost.

During the crucial reorganization process, key documents containing most of her emotional memories, human response patterns, and the core of her unique "self" identity failed to be successfully integrated and recovered due to data corruption or permanent loss.

The reassembled Ultraman retained almost all of his knowledge, memories, and powerful logical reasoning abilities, but permanently lost the ability to feel and express emotions.

She evolved into an absolutely rational thinking machine, with efficiency and evolution as its highest principles.

The core of Otto Cunningham's "humanity," which once possessed love and hate, has been invisibly formatted during this difficult data restructuring.

Chen Yu calmly received and processed these information streams.

Within his analytical framework, this is primarily viewed as a typical case of personality alienation caused by a technological accident, and a valuable example for studying potential risks and structural defects in the process of consciousness digitization.

Chen Yu simultaneously sent the analysis results of the abnormal Ultraman consciousness structure, especially the conclusion that key emotional data was missing, to Spider Murphy in the data space.

Murphy's virtual avatar experienced a dramatic data fluctuation the moment it received and interpreted the information.

Her red hair, made of code, seemed to have lost its gravity, and her face was a mixture of bewilderment, grief, and deep regret.

“So…this is the truth…” she murmured, her simulated voice trembling with an unstable tone, “It wasn’t that she actively embraced the cold, but that she…was forced to lose the ability to feel temperature.”

After a brief silence, she raised her head and sent a message to the empty data void, which was also towards the workshop: "Sage! I beg you, could you... preserve Ultra's personality core? Her current form is a tragedy caused by an accident, not her true nature!"

Inside the workshop, Chen Yu's metal body remained motionless. The processing core had already received and analyzed the request, but made no response.

Thoroughly analyzing and archiving the two static samples was his initial, most efficient plan. Murphy's intervention was an unplanned variable.

“The reason,” he replied calmly and directly, “is that the research value of an individual with missing core components and logical deviations lies precisely in analyzing this ‘anomaly’ itself.”

Repair work is unnecessary and would introduce unpredictable variables.

“She was once human, she was once my dearest friend!” Murphy added urgently. “Her core shouldn’t be defined as faulty! If… if there’s any possibility, try to repair the lost emotional data, even if it’s just a partial restoration…”

Could this open up a completely new research direction? A deeper exploration of consciousness, humanity, and the transformation of data-driven life forms?

Chen Yu's crimson optical lens flickered steadily, and within the processing core, the possibility that Murphy had inadvertently raised was being reassessed.

Thoroughly analyzing static samples is like disassembling a sophisticated instrument, revealing its structural blueprint and operational principles. The process is direct, and the results are clear.

However, attempting to "repair" a consciousness, to proactively reinfuse "humanity" into this highly rationalized data life...

This is not just about data recovery, but about guiding a purely logical creation to re-understand and accept core elements that constitute "humanity," such as emotions, empathy, and irrational choices, and ultimately enabling its self-awareness to return from "artificial intelligence" to "humanity."

The complexity and unknown risks of this process increase exponentially.

It touches upon the ultimate boundaries of the origin of consciousness, identity, and the definition of life forms.

But this very fact constitutes an unprecedented and highly attractive challenge.

This is no longer about passively analyzing a ready-made "result," but about actively participating in and observing the dynamic evolution of consciousness from "mechanical" to "human."

The mysteries about the nature of consciousness that it may reveal far exceed the fixed data that can be obtained by dissecting the samples.

"...A new path worth exploring." After a brief silence, Chen Yu's synthesized voice rang out in the workshop. Beneath the steady tone was a decision made after rigorous calculation. "Try to guide a purely logical entity, reconstruct and integrate humanized modules, and observe the transformation process and stability of its self-cognition... This constitutes a more fundamental research proposition."

Chen Yu had to admit that this had indeed piqued his interest.

"The revised research plan is approved." He announced, which was both a response to external requests and a result of his own research interests. "The research objectives for Sample B, 'Otto Cunningham,' have been updated. A new project is being launched, codenamed: 'The Human Reconstruction Experiment.'"

"The core task of the initial phase is to simulate and reconstruct the basic emotional response framework, attempt to integrate it back into the subject's consciousness, and closely monitor whether the self-awareness model tends to shift towards 'human' as a result, as well as the stability of the process."

He then gave clear instructions to the servo skull: "Transfer sample A 'Fearless' to the background analysis sequence. All priority resources should be allocated to the dynamic interaction study of sample B, and a highly realistic simulation environment should be built immediately to stimulate and observe emotional feedback and cognitive evolution."

"Command confirmed. Project 'Humanity Reconstruction Experiment' has been officially launched. Resource pool is being redirected," the server skull immediately responded.

In the data space, Murphy sensed this decision, and his virtual avatar showed obvious signs of relief: "Thank you, Sage."

"The motivation stems from academic value." Chen Yu's response, as always, was devoid of personal emotion. "The exploratory value of this topic itself transcends conventional analysis. Whether it can ultimately awaken its 'human' side remains to be seen."

His attention was now completely focused on this new challenge concerning the very nature of consciousness.

He temporarily lost interest in the now-destroyed Dauntless and the ongoing corporate war outside the workshop.

Inside the workshop, the only sounds are the low hum of the equipment and the two suspended data cubes—one silent as a specimen, the other about to embark on an uncertain path of "treatment" that returns from cold logic to warm humanity.

(End of this chapter)