Starting as a Mechanical Hunter

Chapter 778: Chapter 302: Surprises and Shocks

[You have implanted the Tier 2-Epic equipment ’Reactor Consciousness Device’]

[Your Endocrine System Transformation Rate is 18%, exceeding 15%, judged successful]

[Your compatibility with this equipment is 99%]

[As a Minister of the Six Ministries, you automatically receive the ’Machine Consciousness Department’ inheritance]

[Transformation successful, your Endocrine System Transformation Rate +9%]

As if a second heart started to beat in Gao Gong’s chest, each beat bringing a fiery sensation.

Gao Gong knew that this was the ’Consciousness’ within the ’Reactor Consciousness Device.’

Or rather, a special kind of ’Combat Intelligence.’

Unlike combat chips that excel in simulating moves, learning skills, and judging timing, this ’Reactor Consciousness’ controls nothing else but the energy within the reactor.

Under its control, the efficiency of body energy utilization during combat can increase by at least 40 percentage points.

In the planetary environment, this ’economy mode’ doesn’t seem very important.

But if fighting in outer space, even a small energy deficit could be life-threatening.

Moreover, it also assists in energy-side combat.

Reactor Consciousness Device (Tier 2-Epic): It is not only an energy-saving divine artifact but also an auxiliary combat divine artifact. Installing it is equivalent to cultivating an ’Energy Life’ within the body.

[Your Mechanical System Transformation Rate reaches 200%]

[Your Biological System Transformation Rate reaches 200%]

[Your level is 40]

[Conditions met, do you wish to change class now]

Yes/No

No!

As the hatch opened, and a group of people waited outside, Gao Gong knew this was probably not the right time to change class.

”Greetings, Minister Gao!”

A robot saluted respectfully.

”For the Six Ministers Meeting, how many attended in person?”

”The Minister of Humanity Experiment Department and the Consciousness Prophet of the Machine Consciousness Department, the other three are participating via holographic projection.”

Generally, such meetings could be attended via holographic projection, but according to the unspoken rule of the Six Ministries, a Minister should participate in person for their first meeting, so Gao Gong was present.

’Minister of Human Affairs, Consciousness Prophet.’

With a thought, Ms. Ke uploaded their information into Gao Gong’s brain, linked to his consciousness.

The first that caught his eye were their looks. The Minister of Human Affairs was a man always with a smile, ageless. However, for some reason, seeing this person, Gao Gong thought of a wax figure—exquisitely made, indistinguishable from the real thing, but slightly soul-less, and a bit eerie if looked at too long.

As for the Consciousness Prophet, the head of the Machine Consciousness Department, she was a blind elderly woman with black skin.

The skin color of the planet’s people wasn’t a concern in this era, but Gao Gong could tell that this ’black skin’ wasn’t natural. It was densely packed tiny black metallic dots squeezing out of every pore, hence looking like black skin.

Among the Six Major Departments, the heads of five departments are called ’Ministers,’ except for the Machine Consciousness Department, referred to as ’Machine Prophet.’ The reason is simple: the head of this department possesses the ability of ’prophecy,’ and since the prophecy is related to ’machines,’ they are honorably titled Machine Prophet.

Among them, the ’Minister of Human Affairs’ is the first generation, while the ’Machine Prophet’ is the ninth.

Judging by their appearances, one would think it should be the other way around.

This also subtly indicates that this ’Minister of Human Affairs’ is at least 80 years old.

In the Civilization Era, this could be considered longevity.

In the Cyber Era, some technology might be necessary.

”Let’s go meet these two,” Gao Gong said, looking around. The outside of this small island was no longer a sea surface but thick mist.

Under the mist’s effect, even the Planet Host’s vision couldn’t peek through.

This was the core information mist arranged jointly by the Six Major Inspector Departments, at a Tier 3 Top-level.

The Mother City controls civilization evolution, while the Six Ministries control species ethics.

This is a cooperative yet distanced operational model.

Only the ’Ministerial Authority’ could breach the information mist to enter this island.

...

The island wasn’t large, but it was a closed type, looking like a big metal egg overall. Coincidentally, the surface patterns of the ’island egg’ closely resembled the continental framework of the planet.

Along the way, Ms. Ke continued introducing him.

”This island connects the systems of our six ’headquarters.’ Any proposal unable to be handled by a single department must be transmitted here, where department representatives negotiate and discuss.”

”Usually, it’s quite deserted here, only bustling during Minister meetings or after every corporate war when a lot of post-war interests need distribution.”

”I thought this was all managed by the Mother City,” Gao Gong remarked in surprise.

”The Mother City holds the final decision-making power while we submit proposals.”

The group entered an entirely seamless high-tech building, without doors, as everyone walked right in.

’Nanotechnology Architecture?’

Gao Gong muttered to himself, then got captivated by the scene before him. In the hall floated multiple Virtual Planets, each covered in rapidly changing data.

”Every planet represents a proposal.”

Gao Gong walked to one planet, the data refreshed before his eyes, and in an instant, he understood the ’proposal.’

Continent-level Main Brain!

Simply put, it’s about merging the main brains of all Mechanical Cities in a continent to evolve into a Continent-level Control Center, upgrading from Tier 2 to Tier 3.

Below were a series of topics.

Enhancement and reallocation of human brain computational power.

Construction of the world network.

After Brain-Machine Transformation, keeping the Mechanical Main Brain, would it indirectly form a beehive society?

Enhance corporate regulations and relax the control over artificial data.

It can be seen that each of these topics is closely related to the ’Continent-level Main Brain’, concerning network, storage, ethics, and regulation, quite complex.

Gao Gong walked to another ’Virtual Planet’.

Another collaborative proposal emerged.

’Mechanical Microorganism’

Simply put, it’s leveraging the enormous computational power brought by the Electronic Brain Plan, allowing mechanical engineering to penetrate the microscopic domain, implanting ’Nanorobots’ into every cell, enabling all life on the planet to evolve into Advanced Mechanical Life.

Gao Gong found it increasingly familiar; you old fox, isn’t this just the ’Micro-Mechanical Cell’? The standard configuration of cosmic Mechanical Life; you intend to elevate all life on the planet to Tier 3 at once?

Below, naturally there’s a series of topics, like ’Machine Ethics or Biological Ethics’, ’Will it interfere with the evolution of Biotechnology’, ’Is there no meaning to Civilizational Fusion itself’.

’Virtual Human Plan’

’High-tier Species Fusion Plan’

’Super Exoskeleton Transformation Plan’

’Soul Transformation Plan’

After all this effort, your Cyber Test Field is focused on ’Planned Technology’.

If the plan is passed, next the Mother City will guide it, quickly supporting one or two Super Corporations to implement the social transformation plan.

That’s Corporate War.

Of course, not all ’plans’ are formulated by the Six Ministries.

Most of them are natural evolutions from the corporate-pointed Technology Tree.

Such explorations in ’Unknown Technology Domain’ are also encouraged by the Six Ministries, such as Puppet City, Hive City, and Nightless City, which all came about this way.

”Minister, what are you thinking about?”

”Nothing, I was just wondering, can the Six Ministries really control species ethics with such rapid technological iteration?”

On the Technology Tree, there are not only apples but also poisonous apples.

If you highlight a ’Civilization Poison Core’ like the Punk Group, it would be quite amusing.

”At least in the first 63 years, we didn’t encounter problems.”

”Trust me, soon there will be problems,” Gao Gong said meaningfully.

”Haha, it seems our new Minister of Shell Mobile Division doesn’t have much faith in us inspectors.”

A voice sounded, Gao Gong turned around, only to see Mr. Ren wearing a red suit, walking over with a smile.

”Mr. Ren.

”Minister Gao.”

The two shook hands simply.

”Minister Gao controls our inspectors’ only force department, if there’s no confidence, it’s not a good thing.”

”Confidence doesn’t matter, as long as we can fight,” Gao Gong said nonchalantly.

”Please,” Mr. Ren didn’t mind and actively extended his arm.

”Oh, right,” Gao Gong thought of something on the way and suddenly asked: ”I heard Mr. Ren was assassinated at the celebration party of the Electronic Brain Plan, is it true?”

”Just some small fry, nothing worth mentioning.”

”Was anyone hurt?”

”No, it didn’t affect anything.”

The two walked to the center of a group of ’Virtual Planets’, where there were six large chairs, the backrest seemingly formed by a cluster of graphics cards, looked quite imposing.

This is the Chair of the Watcher, once the minister sits, they can directly connect to the ’Department Core’, similar to the ’Shell Attack Center’ processing center.

Thus, a large amount of data transmission and computation can occur instantly between the two, eventually resulting in conclusions.

For each proposal, each minister has one voting right, with the minority obeying the majority.

However, before the official meeting, there’s still a time for small talk.

An old lady holding a black cat was sitting in a chair, dozing off.

”Prophet Lady, the new Minister Gao has arrived.”

Mr. Ren gently patted the old lady’s back; she drowsily opened her eyes, revealing two blood-rimmed black holes.

”Is it the new Minister Gao? Child, come, let me touch you.”

The child doesn’t want to let you touch.

Gao Gong felt somewhat resistant.

But Mr. Ren softly said: ”The Machine Consciousness Department mainly deals with anti-program incidents in Artificial Intelligence, offering data correction. The Prophet’s apocalypse can help you better control your Mechanical Body.”

In plain terms, it cures AI rebellion.

Does that mean there are benefits?

But Gao Gong was still a bit skeptical; being a Virtual Experienced Driver, he understood well that any information level manipulation could possibly be a big trap.

He quietly activated the Ascension Talent ’Divine Knowledge’.

Then, something that made Gao Gong’s eye twitch happened; this old black-skinned lady from inside to outside, from head to toe, was crawling with Memory Worms, densely packed, burrowing in and out. Some worms had grown to the thickness of forearms, clinging to her face and poking half their head out from her eye socket, quite frightening.

Without a word, Gao Gong retreated three steps, bowing deeply.

”Madam, forgive me for troubling you, I’ll sit down first.”

Then he retreated several steps more and sat on the farthest seat.

Mr. Ren sounded surprised: ”Manager Gao, what’s this? That’s apocalypse, not every minister enjoys such a benefit.”

”Well, my eyesight’s not great; just grew one yesterday, nerves still hurt, let’s skip it this time.”

Gao Gong glanced at Mr. Ren, his eye corner twitching again.

He saw a golden radiance in the other’s abdomen, continuously emitting and disintegrating.

Golden Avalanche!

Good lad, it’s you!