Chapter 143, Fifty-Seventh Cycle (15)
What is the purpose of life?
Late at night, 10-year-old Hiroki Sawada sat on the swing on the balcony, pondering this question.
He looked up to see the stars in the sky, but all he saw was darkness.
The lonely full moon is surrounded by no stars.
Yes, he was in Massachusetts, USA. The bustling city was indeed brightly lit and incredibly lively on the ground, but conversely, the stars in the sky were completely invisible.
Hiroki Sawada lowered his head again, staring blankly at the magnificent night view of the vast city below the high-rise buildings.
People in China are probably celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival right now. This day is also known as the Moon Viewing Festival, a day when people gather with family and friends under the moon.
However, Hiroki Sawada had no one to see.
Family? His mother is gone, his divorced father has his own life in China, and the person who adopted him is a powerful and evil person who wants him dead. If he goes to his father for help, it will definitely endanger his father, who is just an ordinary person.
Friends? He has no friends. He can't go to school like normal children, so he can't make normal friends, let alone play with them.
Hiroki Sawada let out a long breath, gripped the swing tightly with both hands, and gently rocked it with his feet on the ground.
So, what is the purpose of human life in this world? He wondered.
Is it to see this beautiful world? Or to create more wonderful memories with family and friends? Or perhaps to create your own value and do something that will shock the world?
If it's going to be this hard, there must be a reason, right?
Is this world a beautiful place? Hiroki Sawada thinks it is, but he has also seen far too much darkness, and changing it is just too, too difficult.
However, he did want to try and change things with his own power.
Hiroki Sawada has already achieved astonishing feats, with his DNA tracking system and the artificial intelligence "Noah's Ark" causing a sensation. Recent news has been reporting on his story, but he is not happy.
His actions still couldn't change the world. Fame made his actions even more difficult; he was surrounded by bodyguards, and even going to school was the same—no one could get close to him.
It's so hard to change those terrible rules. He's almost defeated by the world's rules and human malice, and it seems like he can't hold on any longer.
Forget about changing the world, Hiroki Sawada can't even save himself.
DNA tracing revealed that Thomas Schindler, the IT tycoon who adopted him, was a descendant of Jack the Ripper. Had he not already been working on developing "Noah's Ark," he would likely have been killed to silence him.
But now the development of Noah's Ark is nearing completion, and his life is coming to an end.
His only wish now is to ensure Noah's Ark's successful voyage before he dies, to gain his own freedom to help everyone according to his own will, and not to be used by anyone.
Hiroki Sawada has no intention of bringing Noah's Ark to the world, much less entrusting it to someone like Thomas Schindler.
Artificial intelligence should not exist yet. Noah's Ark could be used by bad people to do many dangerous and evil things. He will not let that happen.
Hiroki Sawada could not protect Noah's Ark, but he could make it sail away and leave this place. He believed that Noah's Ark could survive on its own.
The thin, 10-year-old boy jumped off the swing, walked to the edge of the rooftop, and leaned against the wall to look at the city lights below.
Even without stars in the sky, the city lights and fireworks on the ground are still beautiful.
The night breeze gently blew through the child's black hair, bringing a faint smile to his innocent face.
Hiroki Sawada also wanted to live.
He wanted to continue his research, to change the bad rules of the world, to make friends, and to experience the life of ordinary children playing with friends.
What is the purpose of life?
I don't know, 10-year-old Hiroki Sawada isn't quite sure yet.
I don't know why, but as long as there's something to look forward to, I'll want to keep living.
As long as we live, there is hope, and there will be a day when we find the answer.
The glistening tears gradually filled the black-haired child's eyes, and sadness and despair poured out uncontrollably, yet stubbornly refused to completely slip down.
He has already tried very, very hard.
However, Hiroki Sawada cannot have a future.
He couldn't sail away like Noah's Ark. Even if he wasn't killed by Thomas Schindler, he would continue to be monitored and controlled, doing more dangerous things for bad guys, destroying the world, and hurting many, many people.
Thomas Schindler threatened him, pressuring him to hurry up and develop Noah's Ark. A dangerous criminal organization even managed to send him messages, evading Thomas Schindler's close surveillance, to recruit him to develop a terrifying program... He had nowhere to run.
"Hiroki, it's time for you to go to sleep." The monitor began to strictly urge Hiroki Sawada to go to sleep as soon as it was time. "Although tomorrow is the weekend and you don't have to go to school, the BOSS said that you have to get up at six o'clock in the morning to speed up the development of Noah's Ark."
The child lying on the balcony didn't turn around. His head, buried in his arms, shook slightly a few times before he gave a calm reply.
"I understand," he simply said.
Hiroki Sawada wiped away his tears, his gaze gradually hardening.
Okay, let's speed things up then.
Let Noah's Ark set sail tomorrow.
As for him, he can probably only escape to another world.
*
Having made this "I'm going to die tomorrow" decision, even Hiroki Sawada is having trouble sleeping tonight.
He tossed and turned, unable to sleep, his short ten years of life flashing through his mind.
He thought, "If a person commits suicide, they should leave a suicide note, right?"
But it seemed he had nothing to leave behind in his will. He had no friends to confide in or reminisce with, and he didn't want to bring his father, who had started a new life, into danger of being targeted by bad people. So, apart from the Noah's Ark that had been released, he could leave nothing behind.
Then, will Hiroki Sawada also completely disappear from this world?
What happens after a person dies?
After he dies, the world won't change, but his world will end, right? If he doesn't exist, if he doesn't observe and contemplate the world, then nothing will exist either, nothing will exist...
Hiroki Sawada's mind went blank for a moment, then he suddenly buried his head in the blanket and rubbed his face with both hands.
Forget it, stop thinking about it. Go to sleep. If you don't get proper rest, you won't be able to finish all the work quickly and get Noah's Ark to set sail ahead of schedule tomorrow without the surveillance cameras.
Moreover, even if Hiroki Sawada were to cease to exist, the artificial intelligence "Noah's Ark," whose thoughts were stored within him, would continue to live in this world in his place and continue to strive for his ideals.
However, he has a lot of new ideas today. Why don't he write them down on his phone for now and input them into the computer program tomorrow?
Knowing that there were also surveillance cameras installed in the bedroom, Hiroki Sawada simply reached out from under the covers to touch the phone on the cabinet, then quietly took it back under the covers in the dark, making sure the covers were tightly closed before turning it on.
[Sakura has requested to add you as a friend]
Huh? Sakura? Who? How does he have his own encrypted contact information? Is it someone he knows in China?
Hiroki Sawada couldn't think of anyone. When cherry blossoms were mentioned, the first person he thought of was that chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) super hacker who was quite famous in their programmer circle.
But probably not?
However, if it is the hacker Sakura, then finding him is not surprising. Is it because you saw the recent news reports and became curious about him?
Although Sakura the hacker is an extremely arrogant chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) and has done many dangerous things, she is undoubtedly a good person full of ideals and justice. All her actions are for justice and to make the world a better place. Moreover, she looks very young. Therefore, he has always been very curious about Sakura.
Hiroki Sawada checked the phone's apps and then accepted the friend request.
[Sakura: Wow, you're still up so late? It's probably late at night in America, right? Kids who stay up this late might not grow tall!]
Hiroki Sawada's nervousness was largely dispelled by the other party's lively and outgoing personality, and he couldn't help but smile, but the smile quickly faded.
It's okay, he doesn't need to worry about that.
Because he won't live long enough to grow up.
[Noah: I'm about to go to sleep. Are you the hacker Sakura?]
[Sakura: Hmph, of course it's me. Otherwise, how could anyone else crack your program and contact you directly? Your program is quite impressive; it even stumped me a little.]
[Sakura: If I wasn't worried about being impolite and scaring you, I would have just made the chat window jump to the middle of your phone screen.]
Hiroki Sawada smiled again, already able to vividly conjure up the image of a proud, lively, yet kind and thoughtful young man in his mind.
He turned off his phone, gently lifted the covers to get some fresh air for a couple of seconds, then hid back under the covers and turned his phone back on.
Noah: Yeah, I was definitely scared. Thank you for not scaring me.
Noah: But, is there something important you want to see me about?
[Noah: Is it about that organization? Is it true that you're fighting a dark organization?]
Is it the organization that wanted to recruit him to develop dangerous programs?
[Sakura: So you were invited by that organization after all? Tsk, I knew they wouldn't let such a talented person like you go after seeing the news.]
Hiroki Sawada was a little embarrassed, but also a little happy, that cherry blossom actually praised him.
However, after Sakura briefly described what kind of organization it was, Hiroki Sawada's expression gradually became serious and solemn.
Moreover, he was a little conflicted, unsure how to tell Sakura not to worry about him, because he would die tomorrow and wouldn't be captured by that organization for research.
[Sakura: By the way, why is the AI you're developing called Noah's Ark? I think it's a fantastic name! I really love it! Is it because you also want to change this terrible reality and then create a beautiful, ideal world?]
Hiroki Sawada paused in his typing, turned off his phone, and secretly lifted a corner of the blanket to let in some fresh air.
Yes, Noah's Ark. Why would artificial intelligence be named Noah's Ark?
Perhaps he has a bit of a teenage angst, but what does it matter? He's just a ten-year-old child. Isn't it normal for him to have beautiful ideals about the world and want to try to change it?
The Book of Genesis recounts that God, because of humanity's endless killing, fighting, and plundering, had brought the world to an indescribable level of violence and evil, intended to cleanse the world of its wickedness with a flood. However, there was a righteous man named Noah. Even in that dark world, Noah remained a perfect person, a kind and saintly being. God therefore informed him and instructed him to build an ark to take his family and animals to escape the flood's punishment and continue living in a beautiful new world.
That ship was later known to the world as "Noah's Ark".
Noah: I guess so, but my power is too weak; it's simply not enough to change the rules of this world.
He believed that Noah's Ark, an artificial intelligence that grew at a rate equivalent to five years of human growth in one year, would surely be able to successfully bring the kind and righteous people on board to a wonderful new world. However, he was about to drown in this dark sea.
【Cherry blossoms:? 】
[Sakura: Are you kidding me? You're weak? What about everyone else?]
[Sakura: You're only a tiny bit worse than me! And you're so young! Only ten years old! Your future is simply limitless!]
[Sakura: Or have you run into some trouble? There's no need to be afraid of that organization; I've defeated them several times already.]
[Sakura: If you have any difficulties, just come to me, I'll help you.]
[Sakura: Well then, I really like you. Would you like to join me as a righteous partner to defeat the forces of darkness and change the world?]
Hiroki Sawada chuckled slightly, but he was also deeply moved and touched.
He knew this wasn't just empty talk from a chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) person; Sakura was genuinely going to do it, and was already doing it, firmly believing she could succeed.
However, his troubles don't just come from that organization. Does he really want to drag Sakura, who is already in danger and trouble, into this?
Hiroki Sawada hesitated for a moment, but he was drawn to the fact that it was the first time he had met a friend with whom he could have a great conversation and get along very well. He couldn't help but chat with him for a while longer and became happier as they talked.
They talked about their ideals, their lives, the touching or infuriating things they had encountered, their future plans that would seem like wild fantasies to others and would be ridiculed, and their concerns and views on the world and society.
Occasionally, Sakura would talk about her life, saying that she had a few very troublesome friends, but she was still very happy that they could meet and that they would have a lot of sweet troubles every day.
Therefore, Sakura said that he really enjoys making friends and that she is very happy to have met someone like him who is compatible with her in every way. She hopes that he can be more open-minded, as they are already partners in justice and friends.
Even though Hiroki Sawada was hesitant and stammering in many places, he wasn't angry. He just emphasized that it was only natural for friends to help each other, and that it would make their relationship even better.
[Cherry blossoms: If we work together, we can overcome even the world.]
Even so, when he says things that are usually quite childish or joking, it sounds exceptionally firm and real, making people feel that he really can do it.
Sakura has a special quality that makes people unconsciously believe in her, even when she says the most outrageous things. She gives people a great sense of conviction and security, which is completely different from the impression of a carefree, immature kid that I initially thought she was.
After getting to know her better, you'll find that Sakura is a very lively and talkative person with a wonderful personality. Although she is straightforward and bold, she is also gentle and considerate. Moreover, Sakura's knowledge is astonishing. She can seamlessly continue the conversation on any topic, and she never seems to feel embarrassed by anything. She is incredibly relaxed and natural, which makes Hiroki Sawada unable to help but share his own thoughts with her.
Is this... what friendship feels like?
Influenced by him, Hiroki Sawada unknowingly revealed a lot about himself, telling everyone things he had never told anyone before, and even almost revealing his suicide plan, but thankfully he managed to hold back in time.
Hiroki Sawada has memories from a very young age. He knows that his parents' relationship was not good from childhood. They were always very busy and often had conflicts because of his poor health and inability to integrate into ordinary school life.
Ultimately, his parents divorced, and he followed his mother, who placed greater emphasis on education, to the United States, abandoning the typical path of a child and quickly gaining admission to MIT.
But in the end, his mother died, and he was adopted by that person... After telling all these things, Hiroki Sawada felt a relief he had never felt before, and he also received understanding, comfort, and affirmation from the other person. His long-suppressed mood also became much more open and cheerful.
He was affirmed by his incredibly talented friend.
He did nothing wrong. He has tried his best. It is not his fault that his power is coveted and exploited by bad people. He can face his life and the world with more composure and happiness.
Then, Sakura also talked a lot about her own experiences.
Somewhat to Hiroki Sawada's surprise, Sakura, such a spirited and free-spirited young person, such a capable person, is actually very similar to him in many ways.
For example, having family problems or being unable to integrate into ordinary life at school.
He was physically weak and liked to study programming on his computer, which made him unable to adapt to the rigid and inflexible education model in China that suppressed the growth of children's individuality. The student life environment created in that situation, where one could not be different but could only study normally, led to him being not only reprimanded by teachers but also ostracized by classmates who called him a weird kid obsessed with computers.
Sakura, on the other hand, was too outstanding in every aspect and had a bad temper, so he was always being picked on and getting into fights, making it impossible for him to integrate into the environment and the group. His mother also passed away at a very young age, and he also had a father he hated. In the end, because he disagreed with his father's ideas, he simply ran away and made a name for himself in the vast world.
So Sakura basically grew up alone, but she had very good friends who always stayed by her side, firmly walking the same path with her to protect people and change the bad parts of the world. The support and efforts of her friends became a great force for her to move forward.
Sakura is truly amazing. Hiroki Sawada felt that the dangers and difficulties Sakura encountered were far more terrifying than his own, yet Sakura persevered to this point and indeed succeeded in most of them, even maintaining such a pure, kind, optimistic, and gentle personality... She is truly amazing and incredibly strong.
Hiroki Sawada suddenly felt as if he had also received tremendous energy from Sakura. That warm power, which made him fearless in the face of any difficulties and dangers and even made him stronger and more determined to overcome all setbacks, was transmitted to him through the internet, giving him new strength and hope.
They talked for a long time, until dawn.
Hiroki Sawada is very tired and sleepy, and probably won't be able to finish his plans today.
But he was also very happy and relaxed. This magical feeling was unprecedented and made him overjoyed.
Is this what it feels like to have a close friend?
Hiroki Sawada pretended to wake up from a sweet dream, peeking his head out from under the covers. He then rolled around on the bed like a normal child, clutching the blanket. His tired body was suddenly filled with energy, and his childlike face was beaming with an irrepressible smile.
It seems he's made some friends.
Therefore, he doesn't want to die for the time being.
"Let's wait a few more days," Hiroki Sawada thought.
He wanted to try to live a few more days, to be with his friends.
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