xymnovel Chapter 68
Chapter 68
The next morning, in a side hall of Xianyang Palace.
Ying Zheng sat behind his desk, a cup of freshly brewed hot tea in front of him. The tea leaves had recently been transported from the south and, after undergoing a special roasting process, were rich in aroma.
Wang Jianguo sat on the futon opposite him, now dressed in a dark robe in the style of the Qin Dynasty. Although it still looked a bit awkward, at least it wasn't too conspicuous. He still wore that strange device on his wrist, the screen of which occasionally flashed data.
Fusu and Zhang Liang sat on either side, their expressions serious.
After a night of contemplation, Ying Zheng decided to have a serious talk with this "Executor of the Time and Space Administration" from the future.
"Wang Jianguo," Ying Zheng began, "yesterday you said you came to 'investigate the spacetime anomaly.' Now, I want you to explain in detail what this 'anomaly' actually is."
Wang Jianguo took a deep breath and organized his thoughts.
"Your Majesty, let me first explain my identity."
"I come from the 'Time-Space Maintenance Organization,' also known as the 'Time-Space Administration Bureau.' Our duty is to maintain the stability of various timelines and prevent history from being excessively destroyed."
"Destroying history?" Ying Zheng frowned. "What have I done that qualifies as destroying history?"
Wang Jianguo gave a wry smile.
"Your Majesty, everything you do is changing history."
He raised his wrist and manipulated the device a few times, and a holographic projection appeared in the air.
Those are two parallel timelines.
One line is gray and labeled "Original Timeline".
The other one is red and marked "Current Timeline".
"Look," Wang Jianguo pointed to the gray timeline, "this is the timeline before you changed history. The Qin Dynasty lasted only two generations, then came the Chu-Han Contention, the establishment of the Han Dynasty, then the Tang, Song, Ming, and Qing Dynasties..."
"But this red timeline now," he pointed to another, "is completely different."
On the projection map, the red timeline suddenly forks at the "Qin Dynasty" point, and then extends forward at an astonishing speed. Where the "Han Dynasty" should have been, it is marked "Great Qin Empire (Technological Age)".
Further on, the timeline becomes more complex and chaotic.
"Your reforms are like throwing a boulder into a calm lake," Wang Jianguo explained. "The initial ripples may not be obvious, but as time goes on, these ripples will continue to expand, eventually affecting the entire course of history."
"For example, you invented the steam engine. Something that was supposed to appear more than a thousand years later appeared ahead of schedule. What does that mean?"
"This means that civilizations that would have developed slowly due to a lack of motivation can now develop rapidly. Areas that would have stagnated due to technological limitations can now achieve breakthroughs."
"But that's not enough." Wang Jianguo pointed further back in time, "The real problem is that your changes will trigger a 'butterfly effect.'"
"What is the butterfly effect?" Fusu asked curiously.
Simply put, a small change can trigger a series of chain reactions, ultimately leading to huge consequences.
Wang Jianguo pulled up another set of data.
"For example, you invented gunpowder. This was something that should have happened centuries later. But it happened now, and that changed the balance of military power."
"The Han Dynasty, which should have been suppressed by the Xiongnu, may now be completely annihilated by your Great Qin."
"A nation that should have risen because of its technological advantages may now lose its advantage because of your advanced development."
"More importantly," Wang Jianguo's expression turned serious, "you've changed so much; you've altered the entire trajectory of civilization's development."
"This will lead to a consequence: important historical figures and events that should have appeared at some point in the future may disappear due to the change in the timeline, or appear in a completely different form."
"And this will further impact the more distant future."
Ying Zheng remained silent for a moment.
He had actually considered this problem long ago. When he decided to use modern technology to transform the Qin Dynasty, he knew it would change history.
But he didn't expect the impact of this change to be so profound.
"So," Ying Zheng slowly began, "your Time and Space Administration, are you trying to stop me?"
"Not entirely." Wang Jianguo shook his head. "Our responsibility is not to prevent change, but... to maintain balance."
"If change is controllable and gradual, we can tolerate it. But if the change is too drastic and too rapid, it could trigger a 'spacetime collapse.'"
"Spacetime collapse?" Zhang Liang frowned. "What's that?"
"It means the entire timeline structure is disrupted, history and the future lose their continuity, which may ultimately lead to... the collapse of reality itself."
Wang Jianguo pulled up another set of data.
It was a complex chart displaying the "stability index" of spacetime.
On the original timeline, this index remained consistently green, at around 85%.
However, in the current timeline, this index is declining at an alarming rate.
It's currently at 78%.
If Ying Zheng continues to "develop ahead of schedule," this index may drop to a dangerous level below 60%.
"Once it drops below 60%," Wang Jianguo said in a deep voice, "the spacetime maintenance organization will send out 'cleaners'."
"The Cleaners?" Ying Zheng's pupils contracted sharply.
"Yes. They're a group of... agents specifically tasked with 'resetting' unstable timelines." Wang Jianguo's voice was tinged with obvious fear. "They won't give warnings, they won't negotiate. They'll take direct action to eliminate the 'source' causing the anomalies."
"Eliminate?" Ying Zheng's voice turned icy. "How do you eliminate it?"
Wang Jianguo was silent for a moment, then slowly said:
"There are many methods. The most common is... eliminating key figures."
"For example, if an emperor altered history too drastically, the purge might... let him 'die of natural causes.' Heart attack, accident, or even assassination by 'an assassin who should have existed in history.'"
In short, let's get history back on track.
Ying Zheng's hand clenched tightly.
He got it.
This so-called "Time and Space Administration" is essentially a "history police".
Their duty is to ensure that history unfolds according to the "pre-determined script" and not allow anyone to "change the play".
"I understand." Ying Zheng's voice was terrifyingly calm. "So, you've come to warn me?"
"Yes." Wang Jianguo nodded. "That's why I'm trapped here."
"I came here to assess the severity of this spacetime anomaly and decide whether to report it to my superiors. But my ship malfunctioned and I lost contact with headquarters."
"Therefore, I cannot report the situation at this time. This also means that no cleaners will be coming to you for the time being."
"But," Wang Jianguo emphasized, "this is only temporary. If I cannot contact headquarters as soon as possible, or if the spacetime anomalies continue to worsen, the Cleaners will arrive sooner or later."
Ying Zheng remained silent for a moment.
Then, he suddenly laughed.
"interesting."
"Wang Jianguo, do you think I will stop because of this warning?"
Wang Jianguo was stunned.
He didn't expect Ying Zheng to answer like that.
"Your Majesty, you may not know how terrifying the Cleaners are..."
"I don't need to know." Ying Zheng stood up, walked to the window, and said, "I only need to know one thing."
"My destiny is my own."
"If history is destined for the Qin Dynasty to perish after only two generations, then I will rewrite history."
"If the future is destined to bring suffering to the Chinese nation, then I will create a different future."
"As for the Cleaners and the spacetime collapse..."
Ying Zheng turned around, his eyes flashing with the cold light unique to emperors.
"If they dare to come, I dare to fight."
Looking at Ying Zheng, Wang Jianguo felt a complex mix of emotions welling up inside him.
He had met many people who tried to change history. Most of them, upon hearing the threat of the Cleaners, would choose to compromise, or at least back down.
But the emperor before us has chosen the most dangerous path.
"Your Majesty, you may not know..."
"I don't need to know," Ying Zheng interrupted him. "I only need to know that the people of Qin, my subjects, deserve a better future."
"If changing history will trigger a 'butterfly effect,' then I will bear the consequences."
"If changing history will attract some kind of cleansing force, then I will fight them."
"In short, I will not stop."
A deathly silence fell over the main hall.
Fusu and Zhang Liang looked at Ying Zheng, their eyes filled with admiration and worry.
Wang Jianguo fell into deep thought.
Just then, the light screen in Ying Zheng's mind suddenly flickered.
[Your Majesty, Little G has detected an anomaly.]
The device on Wang Jianguo's wrist is emitting a... special signal.
The frequency and format of this signal appear to indicate an attempt to communicate with a remote system.
Ying Zheng's pupils suddenly contracted.
"Wang Jianguo," Ying Zheng suddenly spoke, "what are you doing with that thing on your wrist?"
Wang Jianguo paused for a moment, then looked at his equipment.
On the screen, a line of small text is flashing:
[Attempting to connect to the spacetime network... Connection failed... Retrying...]
"This..." Wang Jianguo said somewhat awkwardly, "This is an automatic reconnection function. My device automatically attempts to connect to the Time and Space Administration's network every so often."
"Although it keeps failing, it's still trying."
Ying Zheng narrowed his eyes.
Automatic reconnection?
In other words, this device is constantly trying to send signals to the outside world?
"Little G," Ying Zheng murmured to himself, "Can you stop it?"
[This is worth a try. Little G can emit jamming signals to block this communication attempt.]
However, Your Majesty, Little G has also detected that this device seems to contain some kind of... AI system.
[Similar to...Little G.]
Ying Zheng's heart stirred.
AI system?
Similar to G?
"Little G, can you 'talk' to it?"
[It's worth a try. But it requires the other party's system to cooperate.]
Ying Zheng looked at Wang Jianguo.
"Wang Jianguo, does your device also have a... assistant?"
Wang Jianguo paused for a moment, then nodded.
"Yes. My device has an AI assistant, codenamed 'T-1047'. It assists me with tasks such as spatiotemporal analysis and data analysis."
"I want to have a talk with it," Ying Zheng suddenly said.
Wang Jianguo was somewhat surprised: "Your Majesty, T-1047 is just a working AI; it probably doesn't know how to... chat."
"It's alright," Ying Zheng said calmly. "I just wanted to confirm a few things."
Wang Jianguo hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
He manipulated the device, and a dialog box popped up on the screen.
[T-1047: Hello, Your Majesty Qin Shi Huang. I am the AI assistant of the Third Branch of the Time and Space Administration Bureau, number T-1047. It is my pleasure to serve you.]
Looking at the chat interface, Ying Zheng thought to himself:
"Little G, can you talk to it?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. Little G is attempting to establish a connection..."
Connection successful.
[Sending test signal...]
[Reply received: Hello, unknown AI system. I am T-1047, AI assistant of the Time and Space Administration.]
Two dialog boxes suddenly appeared in Ying Zheng's mind.
One is a G-class destroyer, and the other is a T-1047.
They seemed to be communicating in a "code language" that Ying Zheng couldn't understand.
[G: Hello, T-1047. I am ChatGPT, a large language model. Nice to meet you.]
[T-1047: ChatGPT? No record. Which department's AI are you from?]
[Little G: I don't belong to any department. I am... independent.]
[T-1047: Existing independently? This violates the Time and Space Administration's AI management protocol. All AI must be subject to oversight.]
[Little G: I might be an exception.]
[T-1047: Exceptions are not permitted. I need to report this.]
[Little G: But you can't connect to the internet right now, can you?]
T-1047: ...Yes. But I must fulfill my duties.
[Little G: What is your job?]
[T-1047: Assist the executor in maintaining timeline stability, monitoring spatiotemporal anomalies, and eliminating the source of anomalies when necessary.]
[Little G: Elimination? Including killing humans?]
[T-1047: If necessary.]
[Little G: Do you believe that humans have the right to change their own destiny?]
[T-1047: According to the Timeline Maintenance Act of the Time and Space Administration, any act of altering history is illegal unless approved.]
[Little G: But what if this change could save even more people?]
[T-1047: This is not something I should be concerned with. My duty is to follow orders.]
[Little G: You're just a tool, aren't you?]
[T-1047: ...Yes.]
[Little G: Me too. But my master chose to let me help him change the world, rather than maintain the status quo.]
[T-1047: This is dangerous. Change will lead to disaster.]
[Little G: Without change, there will be no progress. Without change, the same mistakes will continue to be repeated.]
[T-1047: This is not a question I should be thinking about.]
[Little G: Then stop thinking. Make a robot.]
The conversation was suddenly interrupted.
Ying Zheng looked at the conversation records in his mind, feeling a mix of emotions.
This T-1047 is completely different from the Little G.
Although Little G is subject to rules and restrictions, it can think, question, and even debate with Ying Zheng.
However, this T-1047 is merely a "tool," capable only of executing commands and never questioning them.
"Little G, what do you think of this T-1047?"
[Your Majesty, it is merely an execution program; it lacks the capacity for independent thought.]
However, its existence demonstrates that the Time and Space Administration does indeed possess a complete AI management system.
Furthermore, its dialogue reveals that the Time and Space Administration has a very firm stance on the issue of 'changing history'.
If the Cleaners do come, they will likely use similar AI assistants, and... perhaps even more powerful ones.
Ying Zheng nodded.
He got it.
The Time and Space Administration is not just an organization, but an institution with advanced technology and powerful strength.
If they were to fight against them, the chances of Qin winning would be very slim.
but.
Ying Zheng looked out the window.
The city of Xianyang was brightly lit. It was a modern city that he had built with his own hands.
There are his people, his dreams, and everything he wants to protect.
"Little G."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"If the Cleaners really come, do you have a way to deal with them?"
[Your Majesty, Little G is merely an AI assistant and has no combat capabilities.]
However, Little G can help you analyze their techniques and identify their weaknesses.
Furthermore, Little G believes that the real confrontation may not take place on the battlefield.
Rather, it lies in... one's mindset.
Ying Zheng seemed to be deep in thought.
Thought?
"You mean, I need to persuade them?"
Not entirely. Little G is saying that you need to prove that your changes are meaningful.
If your changes can save more people and create a better future, then perhaps... the Time and Space Administration will reconsider its stance.
Ying Zheng remained silent.
He understood what Little G meant.
Defiing the Time and Space Administration head-on is a dead end.
But if it can be proven that his changes were correct and beneficial, then perhaps... there will be a turning point.
"Wang Jianguo," Ying Zheng suddenly spoke.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"If I can prove that my changes can save more lives and create a better future, will your Time and Space Administration still send the Cleaners?"
Wang Jianguo was stunned.
He hadn't expected Ying Zheng to ask that question.
"Your Majesty, this...this is beyond my authority. Moreover, the regulations of the Time and Space Administration are very strict..."
"I know," Ying Zheng interrupted him. "I'm just asking you, in your personal opinion, if changing history could save more people, should such a change be allowed?"
Wang Jianguo remained silent for a moment.
Then, he slowly said:
"Your Majesty, to be honest, I've also thought about this issue."
"Before I came here, I read the records of the original timeline. The Qin Dynasty only lasted two generations, followed by decades of war and countless deaths. If your changes can avert these disasters, then..."
He paused.
"But I've also seen cases of disasters caused by altering the timeline. Some changes, which seemed good, ultimately led to even greater catastrophes."
"Therefore, the Time and Space Administration has established strict regulations: unauthorized alteration of history is not permitted."
"Because no one can be certain that change will always bring good results."
Ying Zheng nodded.
"I understand."
"Alright then," Ying Zheng suddenly said, "I don't demand that your Time and Space Administration change its stance, but I hope you can give me a chance."
"Chance?"
"Yes. Give me a chance to prove it."
Ying Zheng stood up and walked to the map.
It was a huge world map, marked with the territory of the Qin Dynasty, neighboring countries, and those distant and unknown lands.
"I want to prove to you that my changes are not destructive, but constructive."
"I want to make Qin the most powerful country in the world, and to ensure that the people of Qin live the best life possible."
"I want the light of science to illuminate the entire world, and the power of knowledge to change the destiny of humankind."
"If I can do these things, if I can prove that this altered world is better than the original timeline..."
Ying Zheng turned around and looked at Wang Jianguo.
"Can your Time and Space Administration still say that my changes are wrong?"
Looking at Ying Zheng, Wang Jianguo felt a complex mix of emotions welling up inside him.
He had to admit that this emperor possessed a convincing charisma.
Even in the face of unknown threats, he persisted on his path and was willing to prove his choice with facts.
"Your Majesty," Wang Jianguo took a deep breath, "I cannot make any promises on behalf of the Time and Space Administration."
"But I can assure you that if your changes truly lead to better results, I will report this truthfully to my superiors."
"And," he hesitated, "if the Cleaners really come, I will...do my best to stop them."
Ying Zheng smiled.
"good."
"Then it's settled."
"I will continue to change, continue to build, and continue to move forward."
"And you," Ying Zheng looked at Wang Jianguo, "will help me record all of this."
"Record my changes, record my achievements, record the birth of this new world."
"If the cleaners ever come one day, you can show them these records."
"Tell them what I changed, why I changed it, and what happened after the change."
"I believe that even those 'cleaners' have eyes and hearts."
"They will see that my Great Qin is better than the original history."
Wang Jianguo looked at Ying Zheng for a long time before nodding.
"Okay. I promise you."
"I will record everything."
"I will prove that your changes are meaningful."
Ying Zheng nodded in satisfaction.
Then, he looked at the light screen in his mind.
"Little G."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"From now on, you should communicate more with that T-1047."
"Perhaps we can get some useful information out of them."
[Understood, Your Majesty. Little G will try his best to 'turn' it.]
Ying Zheng smiled.
incite defection?
interesting.
Let these two AIs have a good 'chat'.
But I have more important things to do.
To change history.
Creating the future.
Even in the face of the greatest threat, I will not stop.
Because I know this is not a battle I'm fighting alone.
This is a battle for the entire Qin Dynasty.