“Okay,” Black spoke in a tender cybernetic voice after remaining silent for about a minute, “Based on the knowledge you have learned, how many years of study would that be equivalent to, according to the Interstellar standard? This is to adjust the level of technical language needed for the following explanations.”

“Zero,” Mu Fan answered without hesitation and thought that it was rare to hear this robot say anything nice.

“Sorry Master, Black is unable to explain. Please acquire some knowledge of basic space physics before questioning.” Mu Fan then stared at Black with eyes like a dead fish as he spat out its name coldly, “Black… Egg!”

“Master, please put down that 317.4 kilograms of iron ore. Black would be happy to answer all of your questions.”

“Speak!” Mu Fan said with an indifferent expression as he dropped the rock onto the ground.

“Based on incomplete data from the detector, it can be concluded that Black is not within its original time and space, and the diverged time difference cannot be calculated due to the loss of the database. Calibration could be performed once we are connected to this galaxy’s network via Host’s authorization.”

“Please believe that as a governable A.I., Black is incapable of lying to its primary authority,” Black said immediately after seeing Mu Fan’s skeptical expression about what it said.

“Unable to confirm due to loss of database, however based on the remaining data from before Black’s time and space leap, there is an 89.1% chance that Black is from a parallel universe; Black belonged to a level SSS core research laboratory of the Ace Empire, which is ranked third in its Galaxia parliament.”

“Black-Complete: Development cycle of 14408 atomic days. Scale: Planetary-level super intelligence core. Functional Level: Highest ranking known to date, seventeen times more powerful than previously nominated A.I.. Based on incomplete database records, there was an energy response detected 0.7 light-years away from the core research laboratory, the reason for the energy response remains unknown. Energy level detected at, energy level… Beep… Unable to calculate due to loss of database, disorder of time and space, and damage to Black’s body. With the probability of one in a trillion, a time and space passageway was generated between two parallel universes and Black’s core was ejected due to programmed self-defense mode. Current landing site: unknown. Black’s secondary authority is Alpha A.I., while primary authority belongs to Host.”

“Explanation completed…”

Mu Fan sucked in a deep breath and felt his head was spinning around trying to comprehend this explanation; it was the first time he felt that something extraordinary had been introduced into his cognitive world.

“Black, what functions do you still possess?”

“Black is currently in Alpha A.I. mode with database loss at 91% and planetary-level super intelligence loss at 100%. Alpha A.I. was the most advanced A.I. in the Ace Empire and it is capable of…”

“Can you be used as an optical computer?” Mu Fan asked, interrupting Black’s reply.

“Alpha A.I. is considered high-class artificial intelligence, which is fully capable of self-awareness and therefore has the ability to learn and adapt from the environment. Since it is not a piece of typical hardware, Host would need to provide related equipment and accessories for Black to fully acquire functions as an optical computer.”

“That’s good. What do you need me to provide you with?” Mu Fan asked, staring at Black Egg. He was unaware of the impact a fully self-conscious artificial intelligence would have on this world.

He felt an inexplicable impulse from the bottom of his heart, and if it was to be described in words, then it would be like a commoner’s desire to explore the vast universe, or a hawk piercing through the clouds to chase after its dreams.

…

– Virtual Mech Training Room, Dingchuan Academy –

– Planet Blue (UGF Subdivision Four), 9 light-years away from Planet Loga –

“Leader Rayno, Senior Lu Qingxue is at a disadvantage right now. Although she had just become a Platinum 2-stars candidate a few days ago, wouldn’t it be too unfair for her to go for a professional-level survival tournament right now?” The shorter of the two men with a crew cut seemed worried as he watched the white mech battle on the light screen.

“It’s too early to say that, and I think Qingxue can win. Earlier on, an instructor had estimated Qingxue’s ability to be above Platinum 2-stars, and she’s been practicing some new techniques lately,” Rayno said as his gaze locked onto the light screen in front of him. His grey uniform accentuated his nice and firm figure, and as the leader of Dingchuan Academy’s Mech Combat team, his capability as a Platinum 4-stars fighter was the strongest known within the academy.

PO Battle Network is a platform for holographic mech combat that belonged to the PO Intergalactic Corporation. This holographic technique is able to simulate battles that were 95% similar to reality using full-body neuronal connections to have real-time coordination with the brain.

Two types of battle modes were offered in the PO Battle Network. The first one was Fantasy Mode which was more recreational, where players would fight in a mech provided by the company. The simulation level of this mode would be lower along with its difficulties as players could perform actions based solely on their imagination. This battle mode would be more suitable for beginner-level players, or simply recreational players who wanted to experience the feeling of riding a mech. Normal civilians could not afford even the cheapest and lowest-equipped mech that was worth millions of star coins, so the appearance of PO Battle Network fulfilled many people’s dreams.

The second one was Real-time Battle Mode, which was a paradise for academies, militaries, and mech maniacs. The mechs offered in this mode were based on data collected from real-life mechs, which also include military-use mechs and some exclusive mechs that the PO Corporation had acquired. It also provided all the equipment and accessories, including engines, armor, weapons, etc., for personal mech customization; and players could therefore choose to assemble their own dream mech. However, because of the 95% simulation limit, some issues of the mech which could arise in reality, such as system failures from mech maintenance or incompatibilities of mech parts, were not all present in the PO Battle Network. On one side, the player could battle with their full force without worrying about these problems; but on the other side, it would be incorrect to believe that a good player in the PO Battle Network would perform just as well in real life. Candidates who relied solely on virtual battles and theories would be unable to handle unexpected situations that occur in real life.

Based on an algorithm which could calculate the number of kills, battle honors, technique scores, and many other data together, the PO system would then rate the players from the lowest to the highest rankings: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Mastery, and then eventually King; and for every ranking before Mastery, the player would be further leveled from one star to five stars. With 85% of the players still at the beginner’s level in the PO Battle Network, it was hard to level up and therefore Platinum 2-stars would definitely be considered as strong and powerful players.

The Real-time Battle Mode’s tournaments could then be divided into three types: Performance Tournaments, Restriction Tournaments where heavy-force weapons were banned, and finally the Undifferentiated Tournaments. The survival tournament was part of undifferentiated tournaments and was the one watched by Rayno’s group of people. It was considered the most dangerous and terrifying tournament in the PO Battle Network because it had no restrictions on weapons and the only rule was to survive; thus the last survivor in the tournament would also be the winner. Furthermore, the simulation level would be adjusted to 95%+1%, with that 1% being pain reception simulated at 100%!

“Oh no! Someone’s attacking from behind! Qingxue is in danger!”