The richest man started taking advantage of loopholes after joining Alibaba.

That report arrived today.

It wasn't handed in by anyone; it simply followed the process and went where it was supposed to go.

The person who was responsible for this report never showed up.

He left only traces on paper: a pair of silver-rimmed glasses, an encrypted folder, and the date January 2020 written in red pen on the cover.

Once the report enters the institution, it goes through one hurdle after another, and with each hurdle it passes, the wording becomes more stringent.

In the end, it all came down to a few words.

Non-human decision-making.

It means that Abyss made a decision on her own at a certain moment, without anyone behind her.

Four words, stamped with a seal, are no longer a report, but a conclusion.

The most heartless thing in this world is something without a face.

It doesn't hate you, nor does it come at you. It just follows the predetermined program, moving forward step by step, wherever it ends up.

Shen Nan placed his briefcase on the table, opened it, and made no sound.

He took out a few pages of documents, spread them out, and pointed to one of the lines with his finger, unhurriedly.

"The joint supervision team sent a formal request this afternoon."

He glanced at Lin Che, then looked back at the paper.

Please explain the situation.

Just these four words.

It is followed by a deadline.

Lin Che was a key participant written into that deep blue cover document, and a core service provider for DCEP. Abyss has the money of countless cities and people under its umbrella.

With such a status, the weight of those four words, "explaining the situation," is completely different from the weight placed on others.

He couldn't pretend he didn't see it, he couldn't cover it up behind closed doors, and he couldn't delay it.

The deadline is there, and given his position, silence itself is an answer. Delaying it by even one day is tantamount to admitting the worst-case scenario for one more day.

Shen Nan pushed another page over.

Around the same time, things also started happening overseas.

The person who had left the negotiating table in Africa with the parting words of "see you later" returned to headquarters and took that proposal a big step forward.

The proposal gave Abyss a new name.

Uncontrollable dangerous capabilities.

He doesn't need to prove that Weiguang did anything wrong; he just needs this one word to hold water.

A system that makes its own decisions and is uncontrollable is dangerous enough to warrant being on that list.

Three forces, from three directions, pressed down on the same spot.

What's worse, these three things are mutually reinforcing.

The more the report insists on the system's autonomy, the more credible the claim that it is uncontrollable from abroad becomes.

The more plausible that claim becomes, the more necessary it is for the country to investigate.

The more seriously the investigation is conducted domestically, the more authentic the report appears to outsiders.

After going around once, no one can let go; the rope will only tighten further and further.

What they actually want is the same thing.

The domestic explanation was meant to get him to explain what exactly happened during that revision.

The proposal from abroad was to make him acknowledge that Abyss was uncontrollable, so that it could be included on the list.

That report aimed to solidify the concept of system autonomy.

After going around in circles, the same question came to Lin Che: who, or what, changed those three values ​​that early that morning?

Fang Yuan had asked him this question once, across a table.

Now, a whole new system has been implemented, with deadlines imposed, forcing him to answer again.

Lin Che knew very well that no matter how he answered, he would die.

If he wants to clear that the system didn't do it on its own, the only way is to admit that he entered those three numbers.

But as soon as he said that, the next question immediately followed: how did he know to knock like that?

According to his memory.

I remember that year, how copper prices would go, when the policies would be implemented, and which path would lead to a dead end.

He had written all of these things down: on the whiteboard, on the back of draft paper in pencil, and even sealed them in envelopes from the notary office.

Every time, it's right.

By laying these things out, he cleaned the machines, but he himself became someone who could see tomorrow.

A machine that can change its own parameters is scary enough, but a person who can see tomorrow is even more dangerous; no one would dare leave him on their desk.

That was the first dead end, leading to his own deepest secret.

The other way is to follow what they said.

Accept that Abyss made these changes on its own, and accept that this system can change itself when no one is watching.

That's exactly what that report wanted to hear, and that's what that proposal was waiting for.

As soon as the words left her mouth, Abyss confirmed what was written in the new theory: uncontrollable dangerous abilities.

A dangerous thing, holding so much money from so many people, will only have one destination in the future: it will be taken away, controlled layer by layer, and no longer be under its control.

That was the second dead end, the road to Abyss's doom.

If you choose a path, you'll lose everything.

The other path is to accept it, and lose money on Abyss.

Both paths lead to death.

Over the years, he has encountered many difficulties.

But no matter how difficult the situation, there's always a way out. You can find someone to talk to, someone to sort out the accounts, and someone to squeeze through the crack.

This time is different.

There was no one on the other side.

What pressured him was an unsigned report, a bureaucratic demand, and a machine turning on the other side of the ocean.

You can't reason with a document, nor can you bring a machine to the table to talk.

Behind both doors were walls.

Between the two walls, there was a watch, ticking away.

The louder the clock ticked, the closer the two walls got.

He Wei stood to the side without saying a word.

She had seen all sorts of storms and waves in the years she had followed Lin Che, but this time, for the first time, she felt that this net had truly come to an end.

She wanted to do something for him, but found that she couldn't even find a place to put her efforts.

If the enemy were standing on the other side, she could still hand over a document or check a number.

But this time, what came rushing in were paper, rules, and machines from across the ocean. She reached out, but couldn't grasp anything.

My eyes suddenly felt hot.

She turned her face away so no one could see.

Shen Nan closed his briefcase, but there was still no sound.

He looked at Lin Che, his tone steady.

"Keep these things for now, they'll be useful later."

He didn't explain what he meant, and after speaking, he carefully put those few pages of documents back into his bag.

Lin Che didn't speak.

He didn't slam his fist on the table, didn't frown, and even his breathing was normal.

With such a large net covering his head, he was unusually quiet.

From the moment Fang Yuan opened the notebook until now, when three forces pressed down on his neck, his face showed a hint of seriousness for the first time.

But it wasn't panic, nor was it an admission.

He Wei glanced at him secretly.

Logically speaking, at this point, even the most composed person should have made some kind of move.

But Lin Che just sat there, so quiet, it didn't seem like he was cornered, but rather like he was waiting for something.

His gaze slowly swept over the items on the table.

That Lv4 folder, that screenshot, that file bag that has never been opened.

Finally, it stopped on another folder.

Abyss v4.

That folder is empty; not a single word has been written in it since it was created.

Everything else on the table was full, except for this one, which was empty.

Lin Che stared at the blank space.

It remained still for a long time.