111·? ? ? :Loom

118.

She was smiling, a fairly standard way of expressing friendliness, but at this point, she didn't quite match Red Robin's impression of her.

After all, the farmer was fearless and always had a kind of self-confidence that he was unaware of. But who knows, even the most devilish Bigger might have his best moments, like right now... But Tim Drake always felt a little awkward - because he could tell that smile was not genuine.

"There's no one here named Aria. Visitor, are you new here? We usually address each other by numbers instead of names, because there are so many people involved in the operation, and names don't really convey identity information..."

Yes, if you think about it, the farmer sees everything she experiences as a game. In order to separate "reality" from "virtual", most people do not use their real names in the game.

The trust he had unilaterally placed in her and the evidence he had shown now seemed insufficient for Aria to trust him.

Wait, had he heard somewhere about the other name she had chosen for herself?

Although it was a bit of a test of his nerves to read out this long list of names in a serious manner, Red Robin still did it.

"So you are," he took a deep breath, "an AAA agricultural and sideline products distributor?"

"But I think Aria is a good name... You, you, you! How did you know?!" This spell-like name successfully broke the polite mask that the child in front of him had worked so hard to create. Aria jumped up like a rabbit whose foot was stepped on, and almost got hit with a headbutt, which added another item to Red Robin's physical examination report: suspected of being hit by a heavy object recently.

The AAA produce dealers circled the field, looking at him as if Tim Drake had suddenly grown extra eyes.

"How did you know?" Damn it, she had been hiding it secretly. When other executors asked her, she just smiled and said she hadn't thought about it yet. But now someone has gotten there first?

Red Robin touched the ground with one knee to reduce the height difference, and gently drew a path between them with her finger. She was on one end of time, and the other end was pinched in her fingertips. "Haven't you realized it yet? I come from a farther time."

…

"...Are you saying that someone in the future has entrusted you to me now?"

The word "entrust" was too strong, but seeing the obviously excited look on Aria's face, Tim decided not to correct her.

"So, what's the trouble?" Little Radish Head circled around him two or three times, trying to figure it out on his own. "Did you lose your signal mirror? It's a hassle to get that thing, but don't worry. I can help you build one..."

"It's a much bigger problem than this."

Tim Drake leaned slightly aside and gestured for her to look at the robot that was parked in the corner, waiting for him to complete the guidance process. "Do you know where it will take people?"

“!”

Aria's eyes widened, and a tangible question mark slowly emerged from above her head.

"How did you do that?"

Seeing that the visitor was still confused, Carrot Head simply ran a few steps to the robot. She was obviously quite familiar with the structure of this kind of creation. She verified it in a few steps and let it project the task.

The information on the blue curtain wall rolled slowly like a stream. The upper part was in a language that Tim Drake could read, while the two lower parts showed strange distortions and turns, which were obviously beyond his ability.

Red Robin glanced at ten lines and quickly took in all the information displayed on the curtain wall.

Ignoring a string of irrelevant personal information, the more I read Drake, the more silent he becomes.

Number: AAA21****02; Mission Type: Confidential; Current Mission Status: Abnormal; Pass Authorization: Forbidden

The several bright red anomalies in the blue were particularly conspicuous, but Drake roughly understood the information it displayed.

The farmer, Aria, has never been allowed to return.

Recalling Aria's assurance that all problems could be solved here, and looking at the smaller version of the farmer standing before him, although Drake still hadn't figured out how the timeline was messed up, at least he understood a little bit at this moment.

——Something must have happened in the near future that made Aria start the "game". Perhaps it was this "game" that made her embark on an adventure without knowing that she could not return.

Retrieving the keyframe from memory, Tim Drake blurted out: "...Pioneering Plan?"

"She even told you that?" The child snorted, sounding a bit envious. "That's against the rules. It seems you two are really good friends."

No, actually, it was the memory he peeked into… Although it was not his original intention, Drake was still somewhat glad that he still grabbed a few pieces.

"So what exactly is the Pioneer Project?" Realizing that this question was a bit abrupt, Red Robin quickly added, "I suspect the problem she encountered is related to the Pioneer Project. I don't know much about it..."

"Is this part of the assignment? And you're also answering my questions?" Aria's eyes dimmed and she shook her head. "I'd love to help you, but I actually know very little about this."

"I'm only an apprentice executive now. I need to accumulate x number of sidereal days before I can apply for the assessment."

Although he had no right to accuse her people of employing child labor, Tim Drake frowned slightly.

He doubted whether the training she received was within the capabilities of a child.

...But reality did not give him more time to explore this issue.

Perhaps because they stayed too long, the robot began to make its presence known with beeps.

"Yeah, the Mastermind is calling."

Little Radish Head brushed off the non-existent dust on his clothes and tilted his head to point him in another direction.

"If you want to know more, perhaps it would be better to talk to it directly?"

Noticing his suspicious look, Aria puffed out her chest, "Of course, as a trustee, I will face the Mastermind alongside you."

Obviously she wants to know too, right?

…

However, the plan of the small Aria still failed.

In front of a door that was sealed even more tightly, she was refused entry by the mastermind.

"Why can't I go in?" Aria paced back and forth in front of the door. If there weren't other visitors present, she would probably have argued for a dozen more times.

However, the door's refusal is always cold and non-negotiable: "Sorry, Executor, there is only one authorized visitor at the moment. You are not qualified to know more information at this time."

Drake could understand what the main brain meant. It seemed that it already understood the relationship between itself and Aria. In order not to cause turmoil in time and space, the fewer people who knew about it, the better.

Just as Red Robin was about to have a good communication with her, Carrot Head tugged at his clothes.

"Looks like you'll have to go in on your own," a child said with a soothing smile. Aria mimicked Drake's previous expression with a wink. "Don't be afraid! Just answer whatever they ask."

"Even though I don't know what to call you yet, don't worry, your friend is very good at judging people - I'm indeed super reliable."

She emphasized the word "super" and put her hands on her hips. "I'll make sure you get back safe and sound!"

Derek suddenly wanted to rub Bigger's head while she was still in her prime.

…

When the door closed, Red Robin could still see her waving her arms through the gradually closing gap, trying to convey some strength to him through her body language - in fact, the prototype of her future lawlessness could be seen now, but Red Robin chose to ignore it.

When the door closed tightly and he turned to face the mastermind that Aria had mentioned, the gentleness that had finally risen from Red Robin's face quickly faded away, like dew under the morning sun.

He'd experienced numerous attempts at creating artificial intelligence that ultimately led to disaster. He also knew that something called "Brother Eye" lay within Bruce's Bat-Computer, its progress unknown and its architecture unknown. Perhaps one day he'd be able to successfully obtain the information, perhaps one day Batman would declare it completely complete...

But when Red Robin actually faced a mainframe so huge that it took up most of the space, he still felt a chill running down his spine and up his shoulders.

The first computer in human history was born in a room of 170 square meters. Since then, it has been continuously streamlined, with the ultimate goal of iterative generations being to carry the maximum computing power in the smallest volume.

Over time, people may have forgotten the collective subconscious solemnity they once felt when standing in front of the behemoth and listening to the sound of its calculations.

"Please relax, visitor." There were no messy lines, and all the conductors were buried under the transparent material. When the main brain spoke, the air trembled slightly, and those solid and hard things seemed to breathe again.

The mastermind even joked: "If you need, I can talk to you in another form."

The light flickered, and in the next blink of an eye, "Aria" stood out from the light and shadow. She was much older than the little kid at the door, but she was quite different from the farmer Drake knew - her eyes were steady, but her aura was like a sharp knife that could cut through the water.

"We've calculated that there's a 74.25% chance that this image will help you relax." Aria smiled. "Perhaps this will be more conducive to our subsequent conversation."

Tim Drake looked like he'd seen a ghost.

"Oh, sorry. It seems that I am facing the remaining 25.75% of the situation." The main brain canceled the projection, and now it finally returned to that cold and inorganic state.

"I've heard your voice," Drake confirmed after searching his memory. "You will have Aria join the Pioneer Project in the near future, becoming the 10,001st executor—even though she has no idea what she'll actually be going through."

"I haven't seen a second executor at the base besides her. This is almost impossible for a base with such an amazing throughput and normal operation." Although looking up, the aggressive light in Red Robin's eyes was brighter than the signal light of the main brain when it was operating. "Then, can I assume that Aria is so crucial to the entire plan that you have to carve out a separate space to keep her captive?"

"The Mastermind can predict future timelines, which is why you projected the image you just saw. Something must have happened after the start of the 'game' to cause the Mastermind to lose control, leaving you completely unaware of what happened next. So, after the malfunction, it deliberately guided me, allowing me to meet a younger Aria, and infer our relationship from this."

"—out of curiosity or the need to continue controlling?" Red Robin smiled faintly, apologizing promptly—even if it was to a machine: "I usually assume the worst of everyone..."

"So you think the answer is the latter." The main brain paused for a second, seemingly selecting the most convincing option from a massive amount of calculations. "If I really wanted to hurt you..."

"That's exactly what I was worried about," Red Robin looked behind him, "...well, so I did a little trick."

Aria didn't know when the dog sneaked in. She glanced at the main brain. Before it projected the image of a human, people would always subconsciously run towards her kind.

——Not to mention, this was a human being who was entrusted to him not long ago.

"Metaphors like Schrödinger's cat are no longer popular these days," Red Robin said, stepping forward to block her behind him and making a joke that the AI ​​might not understand. "But think about whether you locked the door before leaving today."

This is a blatant threat - if it really intends to do something, Tim Drake can let Aria know everything now. As for how the timeline will collapse after that, this is a problem that the main brain should consider.

Red Robin was unarmed, but the sword was in his hand.

————————

Tim Drake

If there is anything you don't understand, please let me know and I will edit it immediately.

By the way, a piece of not-so-cold knowledge: Beagles are often used as experimental dogs because of their dull pain sensitivity, strong immunity, and lack of aggressiveness.

Also, send some red envelopes to everyone who commented on this chapter. Sorry for the long wait.