Chapter 178 Speculators

Before he finished speaking, Mr. Zhen immediately sent the person out of the shadow space.

"You're really crazy," was the only thing he said in the end.

Xin Que didn't care at all. "Opportunities are earned through your own efforts. Whether you want to take them and how you take them is entirely up to you."

Mr. Zhen raised his hand towards the door, gesturing for people to enter.

Xin Que turned and left his bedroom as if he had never visited that night.

...

When Luo Huayi sat up, still half asleep, it was already morning.

He looked at his empty side, and it seemed that Xin Que's touch last night was just a dream.

Just as Luo Huayi had taken the blanket off the sofa and was about to go to the kitchen to cook, she met Mr. Zhen's eyes, who had appeared out of nowhere in front of the stove.

“Every food and drink needs to be carefully prepared,” Mr. Zhen said quickly. “I think the food you prepare is neither scientific nor delicious, so you should stay out of the kitchen.”

“Oh, right,” Mr. Zhen frowned, thinking of Cheng Zheng’s pendant, “including that incompetent butler.”

Mr. Zhen suddenly appeared from the shadows and slammed the kitchen door shut with a "whoosh."

Luo Huayi “…”

He turned sharply to look at Xin Que, who had just come out of the bathroom, and asked, "Just let him do whatever he wants?"

"What if he poisons it?"

Xin Que's face clearly showed her resignation, "...What else can we do? Restart it."

"I just don't know if I can load a save file..."

Luo Huayi clicked her tongue and said, "You adapted way too quickly."

"What's the schedule for today?" He walked to Xin Que's side and naturally took the still damp towel from her hand.

"You seem to be in a good mood?" Xin Que glanced at Luo Huayi, as if trying to guess his feelings.

Luo Huayi couldn't hide the smile in her eyes. "Mm."

"Should we go to the statue area?" Luo Huayi kept chattering behind Xin Que. "Or should we continue searching the streets? Since the weather's nice today, we can go anywhere..."

Xin Que grabbed her coat draped over the back of the sofa and suddenly turned around.

Luo Huayi nearly bumped into her.

A man in the throes of a hormone-fueled phase will automatically see his crush through a pink filter, like a fortress.

"What's wrong?" Luo Huayi lowered his voice and reached out to hug her.

“It’s inconvenient to do anything here,” Luo Huayi sighed, and asked her softly, “Why don’t we move out?”

Xin Que quickly crouched down to avoid his hand, slipping like an eel outside his arm. "Let's eat."

Luo Huayi “…”

It must be said that the person in charge of top-tier AI work is truly impressive.

Mr. Zhen quickly prepared a breakfast that perfectly matched the picture and the actual food.

Xin Que said she was eating, but she was just sitting at the table to make up the numbers; she didn't actually touch her chopsticks.

Luo Huayi never trusted Mr. Zhen, let alone touched the food he prepared.

In the end, only Mr. Zhen and Cheng Zheng, who had just come downstairs, enjoyed the meal the most.

“Let’s continue with the previous question,” Xin Que asked Mr. Zhen, arms crossed, “What exactly is the situation with Luo Huayi’s abilities?”

Cheng Zheng has been barely noticeable these past few days, especially at the dinner table.

Mr. Zhen put down his chopsticks. "I'm happy to answer your question."

He looked at Luo Huayi sitting next to Xin Que, "Miss Xin had already guessed most of the truth."

"This city is just one of many interrogation schemes in the prison. Mr. Luo is the central figure in this interrogation scheme, the male protagonist you call the center of the world."

"In a normally functioning system, the central component, like other underlying programs, performs its duties inconspicuously. However, if the system is halted due to unforeseen circumstances..."

"The hidden backup permissions of the central role will immediately take over the lost direct management AI and take over the entire solution."

"In other words, he benefited from the misfortune and gained management authority in the city plan."

"Ah, to put it simply, it's a bit like a management trainee in your human society?"

Mr. Zhen explained very patiently.

Cheng Zheng remained silent the entire time without looking up.

Xin Que's mind raced, and after a long pause, she finally asked, "What level does Luo Huayi hold in the prison management system?"

Mr. Zhen did not rush to answer her, but instead fixed his scrutinizing gaze on Luo Huayi's face.

He was pondering why Xin Que had staked the power and resources of the King of Biancheng on Luo Huayi.

Moreover, from his previous observation of Xin Que's exploration of the remains of the Taishan King's statue, he could tell that Xin Que wanted to pass on the map management authority in the hands of the Taishan King to Luo Huayi.

Mr. Zhen still has the battle record of the Five Statues King using this body to carry out the operation to eliminate the King of Biancheng, so he knows just how crazy Xin Que can be.

A person who would risk his own life to provoke King Biancheng into losing control in order to protect the king's authority would not make a mistake on such an important matter.

"Higher than the underlying program." Mr. Zhen finally answered truthfully, "But although he has now taken over the entire interrogation plan, the authority he has is only temporary, and his actual level will not be higher than that of the AI ​​under his supervision."

When the topic of AI was brought up, Mr. Zhen suddenly looked at Xin Que.

When he met the woman's eyes, which showed no surprise whatsoever, Mr. Zhen finally guessed what Xin Que was doing.

She is using Luo Huayi, a humanoid program, as a base, and is trying to stack a new AI with different backup handles.

madman.

A complete madman.

Mr. Zhen gave a forced smile, his words carrying a deeper meaning: "Ms. Xin, you are indeed ruthless... but are you so confident that you can maintain control of the whole situation?"

Mr. Zhen could guess with his eyes closed what the AI ​​department would do if they were to imitate it.

Taking a risky gamble, Xin Que was indeed playing the most profitable trump card she had.

But the prison is lurking outside the map, not to mention the AI ​​administrators who directly control the entire prison system...

Relying on a mere imposter who isn't even a true god is like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

Xin Que tapped the table with her fingertip. "Of course I know that one wrong step could lead to utter ruin, but taking a gamble is better than cowering and waiting to die. What do you think?"

"Maybe with a bit of luck, I can carve out a way to survive."

Mr. Zhen fell silent.

From Xin Que's perspective, whether she fights or not, she's in a hopeless situation. Under these circumstances, it's normal for her to gamble everything and take a chance.

But he's different.

Previously, when Xin Que asked him why his ambition only extended to replacing the King of Wuguan, he did not answer.

Because he has a backup plan.

If Xin Que wins the bet, he can profit from it and replace the Five Officials King. But if Xin Que loses the bet, he can also quickly sever ties with Xin Que, hide in the prison system, and wait for the next opportunity to turn the tables.

Mr. Zhen never intended to directly categorize himself as belonging to Xin Que's camp.

For him, his most important trump card was his procedural identity recognized by the prison.

With this identity, he could navigate between prisons and their opposing sides. He was well aware of the power gap between himself and the administrators, and under the premise of protecting himself, the position of the Five Senses King was the most profitable position for him.

In Mr. Zhen's eyes, Luo Huayi, who betrayed the prison and blindly gambled everything to follow Xin Que before even understanding the situation, was the real fool.