Brother, just how powerful is our family?

As Qin Weidong was about to leave, Qin Feng called him back: "Wait. There's one more thing."

"Please give your instructions."

"After your sister and the others arrive, the daily operations of the manor will be in your hands. Remember, in front of them, you are just the housekeeper here, not some cyborg manager. Speak and act like a normal human housekeeper."

"Understood. I have already loaded the 'Butler Behavior Model,' which covers the behavioral data of 300 top butlers worldwide and can perfectly simulate the behavior of natural humans."

Qin Feng smiled and said, "Sometimes I'm really curious about the differences between you, created by the system, and real humans."

Qin Weidong tilted his head slightly, a gesture that was remarkably human: "From a biological perspective, we share 97.3% similarity with natural humans at the cellular level. The main difference lies in our nervous system—our brains are a combination of biological computers and organic neural networks, which gives us computing power and learning speed far exceeding that of humans. But in terms of emotional simulation and behavioral performance, we can be completely indistinguishable from natural humans."

"Do you feel lonely? Do you yearn for freedom? Do you... question the meaning of your existence?"

A few seconds of silence filled the study. Qin Weidong replied in his ever-calm tone, "Our core programming includes absolute loyalty to the commander and a willingness to serve. This is the foundation of our existence and our greatest satisfaction. As for the emotions you mentioned... we can simulate them, but those are merely adaptive responses of the program to the environment, not genuine psychological needs."

Qin Feng pondered, "So, you don't have true self-awareness?"

"According to the system definition, self-awareness is a special phenomenon that arises in carbon-based life forms within complex neural networks. Our consciousness structures are different, but our functions are similar. We can think, make decisions, and create, but the underlying logic of these processes differs from that of natural humans."

"I understand." Qin Feng waved his hand. "Go ahead and get busy."

Qin Weidong bowed and left the study, leaving Qin Feng alone.

The sky outside the window was fully bright, and the animals on the African savanna began to stir, with the faint calls of birds drifting in the distance. Watching all this, Qin Feng felt a strange sensation welling up inside him.

Two years ago, he was just an ordinary person, worrying about making a living and anxious about the future.

Two years later, he possessed the power to change the world and was planning to build an interstellar fleet, preparing to face potential global attention.

The turning point in all of this was nothing more than the silent system in my mind.

"With great power comes great responsibility," Qin Feng murmured to himself. "But my initial intention in building all this was never to conquer or rule. I just wanted to protect my family and give them the best life."

He walked to his desk and opened an encrypted folder. Inside were photos of his family, documenting more than twenty years of their lives, from childhood to the present.

His parents' smiles, his younger brother's growth, his younger sister's liveliness... these are his biggest weaknesses, but also his greatest motivations.

"Soon," Qin Feng said, looking at his sister's smiling face in the photo. "You'll soon find out what your brother did in Africa. I hope you won't be too surprised."

He closed the folder, his eyes regaining their resolve.

No matter what the future holds, no matter what challenges he may face, he is ready.

Conventional armies, space fleets, nuclear weapons stockpiles... these are not for aggression, but for defense.

He protected the foundation he had built, the people he loved, and the simple yet precious warmth of home.

---

N'Djamena International Airport, 6:30 p.m. local time on July 3.

The setting sun painted the horizon orange-red, and on the airport runway, flights from all over the world took off and landed.

The airport, the largest in the Central African country, is not particularly busy, but at this moment, an eye-catching convoy is parked outside the airport's VIP passage.

At the head of the convoy were two black Maybach GLS600s, their streamlined bodies gleaming with a dark luster in the setting sun.

However, upon closer inspection, one can find subtle differences between these two vehicles and the commercially available versions: the windows are thicker, the tires are run-flat, and the body contours are more angular.

This is a "civilian disguised version" of the base's vehicle factory. In reality, the vehicle body uses carbon nanotube composite materials, which can withstand all bullets with a caliber of 12.7 mm or less; the windows are three-layer composite armored glass with a liquid crystal layer sandwiched in the middle, which can instantly become opaque; the chassis can withstand the explosion of a landmine with a 10 kg TNT equivalent.

Behind the Maybach were ten Mengshi armored vehicles painted in desert camouflage.

These vehicles resemble the domestically produced Mengshi armored vehicles in appearance, but are larger and have a greater carrying capacity.

The vehicle is equipped with a remote weapon station, with a 12.7mm heavy machine gun and a quadruple anti-aircraft missile launcher gleaming coldly in the setting sun.

The vehicle has firing ports on the side and can carry eight fully armed soldiers at the rear.

Thirty-six guards dressed in desert camouflage combat uniforms were spread out in a ring around the convoy, occupying key positions.

The weapons they wield resemble the domestically produced QBZ-191 rifle in appearance, but their internal structure is completely different. They use electromagnetic acceleration technology to launch specially designed projectiles, achieving an initial velocity three times that of conventional rifles, while maintaining an accuracy of 1 MOA at a distance of 1000 meters. The rifle body is made of the same carbon nanotube composite material as the vehicle body, yet it weighs only two-thirds of a conventional rifle.

These guards were all over 1.8 meters tall, with strong physiques and sharp eyes, and wore tactical sunglasses and communication headsets.

They stood motionless, like statues, with only their heads slightly turned, indicating that they were closely monitoring their surroundings.

Airport passengers and staff watched from a distance, discussing the scene.

Some speculated that it was a visiting dignitary from a certain country, while others thought it was a security team from a multinational corporation, but no one dared to approach. The silent deterrent effect made everyone instinctively keep their distance.

In the back seat of the Maybach, Qin Feng, dressed in a well-tailored dark gray casual outfit, looked at the airport terminal through the one-way glass.

He looked more composed than he had two years ago, and his eyes held a more confident and authoritative air.

"Commander, MU789 has entered our airspace and is scheduled to land at 7:00 sharp." Qin Weidong reported via encrypted communication from the co-pilot's seat.

"What's the situation along the way?" Qin Feng asked calmly.

"The aerial patrol formation is in position, with four Falcon attack helicopters cruising at an altitude of 5,000 meters above the convoy, and two multi-role fighter jets on standby at an altitude of 10,000 meters, ready to respond to any aerial threat at any time. All aircraft have activated optical camouflage and radar stealth, and will not be detected by any monitoring equipment."

Qin Feng nodded: "Where's the ground?"

"We have set up seventeen checkpoints along the 470-kilometer route from the base to the airport, each with a squad of protective bio-engineered humans equipped with light armored vehicles and anti-tank weapons. Miniature sensors and automatic defense devices have been deployed at all possible ambush points along the route. In addition, we have deployed three reconnaissance satellites to continuously monitor the area, and any suspicious activity will be identified and reported within ten seconds."

Qin Weidong paused, then added, "According to intelligence analysis, no threats have been detected in the area. The nearest activity areas of surrounding armed groups are all more than 100 kilometers away from our routes. However, we have still deployed according to the highest security standards."

"Well done," Qin Feng said with satisfaction. "I won't allow any accidents to happen, especially today."

"Understood. In addition, as per your instructions, we have reached an agreement with the airport authorities that flight MU789 will use the innermost parking position, the VIP passage has been cleared, and all unrelated personnel have been evacuated. Airport security personnel will maintain order on the perimeter but will not enter the core area."