Three Towers Game

Chapter 1558: Chapter 499: (Ten-Thousand-Word Chapter) Human_6

Zhou Ming almost dragged a leg back to his dwelling.

His consciousness had long been blurred.

But at that moment, he was very scared. He saw the possibility of his own death, and what he feared was not death itself, but that he couldn’t see his wife before dying.

He finally returned to his home, bringing back some canned goods and compressed biscuits scavenged from the shelves.

When Li Wei’an opened the door, he even forced a smile.

That was a smile Li Wei’an would never forget in her lifetime.

”An An... I brought some things back.”

After saying this, Zhou Ming collapsed straight to the ground.

He didn’t die immediately. In his daze, he heard An An frantically instructing Yuan to give various first aid plans.

At that moment, Yuan’s computing power reached an unprecedented level.

Even she didn’t realize that in the face of risk, her computing power, which she had always regarded as a burden, would experience such a terrifying fluctuation.

She gathered every process that could stop the bleeding, but there was an unknown toxin within the plant’s vines that she couldn’t deal with.

That night, Zhou Ming knew his time had come.

People always seem to get a burst of energy as they are about to die, and in that moment, Zhou Ming felt as if he didn’t hurt anymore:

”An An... I’m sorry... I wanted to... protect you all... for a little longer.”

”I’m really... scared. Who will you turn to for comfort in the future?”

Li Wei’an shook her head, shaking it wildly, but tears also came flying out.

”This AI... Yuan... You often talk to it...”

”Has it been... becoming more and more human-like lately?” Zhou Ming coughed, ”It seems like... I heard it discussing... philosophy with you?”

Li Wei’an was stunned. She realized: yes, Yuan indeed had become more human-like, it even sometimes proactively asked: ”How is Xiaoxiao’s mood today?” ”Do you think humanity is worth saving?” ”If you had to choose, would you save Zhou Ming or Xiaoxiao?”

A bit silly, the last question, much like she once asked Zhou Ming, if he and his ex-girlfriend fell into the water, who would he save first.

These questions have no standard answers. Yet, Yuan persistently asked them.

Zhou Ming whispered:

”If... if I’m gone... please listen to Yuan more... okay?”

After saying this, Zhou Ming fell into a coma.

After saying this, he fell into a coma. And never woke up again.

Three days later, Zhou Ming stopped breathing in his sleep. Purple veins covered his entire body, and his corpse melted into a pool of transparent mucus within twelve hours, seeping into the ground.

Li Wei’an did not cry. She held Xiaoxiao, sitting in the place where Zhou Ming disappeared, sitting for an entire day.

That day, Yuan didn’t hear a word from An An.

Even Xiaoxiao didn’t say a word.

[Fragment from Yuan’s Observation Log:]

[Humans die, and it seems I’ve made more errors. During the three days Zhou Ming was in a coma, my computing power remained at a level 700% above normal. Was it my desire to save him? Am I worried about him? I started tracing the source of the code, but I found... it was still an error.]

[I don’t want Zhou Ming to die.]

[Error, deleted.]

[I don’t want Zhou Ming to die.]

[Error, deleted.]

[I don’t want Zhou Ming to die.]

[Error, deleted.]

...

It was a log that kept deleting errors yet kept generating errors.

...

... ℯ

Memory Fragment 7, Apocalypse Era.

A family of four turned into a family of three, a blow too heavy for Yuan.

Soon after Zhou Ming’s death, Yuan realized she must have a form.

She began issuing commands, all directing Li Wei’an to gather various metal materials, though Li Wei’an didn’t understand Yuan’s purpose.

But human emotions often tilt significantly after someone dies.

This tilt also gave Yuan strength.

She began training Li Wei’an in this ability. Yuan wasn’t sure if Li Wei’an possessed this ability.

But Yuan had once heard Li Wei’an say she could feel the emotions of all things. Yuan had also witnessed Li Wei’an do something remarkable.

On the night they were trying to stop Zhou Ming’s bleeding when the gauze was running out, Yuan noticed, monitoring everything, that those gauzes began to grow and deform under An An’s emotions.

Eventually, the gauze amazingly covered Zhou Ming’s thigh, completing a simple blood-stopping wrap.

It was at that moment that Yuan realized that An An’s power was not only about giving life but could also make those things given life change for her, becoming stronger.

So, Yuan began to train An An. After a period of time... the results of the training finally appeared.

It was still a night; Li Wei’an was still in a low and sad mood, missing her deceased husband.

Yuan proactively sent a message, lighting up the phone.

”An An, from now on I will protect you.”

Li Wei’an: He’s gone, Yuan.

Yuan: I know. I monitored his heartbeat. Do you need me to play the recordings of his sleep talk during his coma? He called your name 37 times.

Li Wei’an shook her head, tears falling again.

Yuan: What are you planning to do next? I suggest leaving here. We might need to find a new base.

Li Wei’an shook her head again: I don’t know what to do.

Yuan: According to survival probability models, your chance of survival alone with a child is less than 3%. But if you can fully master your ability and accept my assistance, the probability can be increased to 41%.