《Notes from the future》 Snap back to reality A destroyed city. Ruins of buildings around. Almost no buildings remain taller than two floors, and none without at least one collapsed wall. The roads are shattered. The wind lifts the dust. In the cloud of dust, a silhouette appeared. Out of the dust stepped a man in a black cloak. Beneath it, a black business suit was visible. His face looked to be about 30 years old. He walked, inspecting the surrounding buildings. On the left side of his neck was a metallic pattern: two circles, one inside the other, with vertical and horizontal lines extending beyond the outer circle but not crossing into the inner one. His face showed absolutely no emotion. Someone approached him from behind, emerging from the dust. A man in a gray jacket and black pants appeared. Unlike the first, this man had nothing on his neck. ¡°How much longer?¡± he asked. ¡°In 11 minutes, we¡¯ll meet who we need to, and in 68 minutes, we¡¯ll arrive at the laboratory.¡± They continued walking down the street together. ¡°How did it all come to this?¡± the newcomer said. My name is Hirayoshi Asuura. I lived in a metropolis. I worked as a programmer for an important company. And one day, while I was at the office, explosions began, and the buildings around me started collapsing. Everything shook. From the window I saw falling bombs. At that moment, the building began to collapse, and I was trapped under the rubble. I couldn¡¯t escape and thought I would die there from starvation. I thought then, "I wish I had died from the fall or been crushed by the debris." A week later, I heard a sound. I woke up. I could hear someone clearing the rubble. Soon, an opening appeared. A man in a business suit entered the makeshift hole and approached me. He said, "I¡¯m Jinory. I¡¯m walking around, looking for survivors. I think your time hasn¡¯t come yet." Since then, I¡¯ve been working for him because I couldn¡¯t find anyone else I knew. I had nowhere else to go. Today is the 92nd day since Jinory pulled me out of the rubble. We¡¯re on another raid to search for survivors. They walked another two miles. In the distance, 500 meters away, a campfire was visible, with two people sitting by it. # Two men, about 30 years old, were cooking meat over the campfire. One was dressed in a gray cloak with a military jacket underneath. The other had no cloak but was equipped with a bulletproof vest, weapons on his belt, and grenades. The first man, the one in the cloak, was telling the other about a dream he had. ¡°I¡¯m standing across from someone, getting ready to attack. But when I took a step forward, my side was torn open, and a blow to the side of my neck broke it.¡± ¡°Strange that you¡¯re having dreams... Well, it happens, I guess,¡± said the one without the cloak. ¡°I¡¯m sure it means something important,¡± said the one in the cloak. The man in the cloak checked his watch. Then he stepped 10 meters to the south and began peering into the distance. Fifteen seconds later, precisely at 3:19 PM, he saw Jinory approaching them. He drew his pistol. ¡°It¡¯s time to start,¡± he said. He turned toward the man in the cloak and shot him in the head. The man in the cloak fell on his back, and blood flowed from the hole in his head. Three minutes later, Jinory and Hirayoshi arrived at the campfire. By that time, the man had already gathered his gear and was ready to move out. ¡°Why did you kill him?¡± Hirayoshi asked. ¡°He wanted to start robbing others,¡± the man replied. ¡°That man¡¯s name is Deifan Ainara. He¡¯s been working with me for a long time. Today is the 183rd day of our cooperation,¡± Jinory said. All three of them continued their journey north together. # 3:51 PM. Jinory, Hirayoshi, and Deifan approached the ruins of a power plant. ¡°Yeah... Nice brand new world,¡± Hirayoshi said. A silhouette appeared through the dust 25 meters away. Jinory stopped, and the others followed suit. The wind cleared the dust, revealing a face. It was the same face as the man Deifan had shot earlier. He was standing in a black cloak. None of the three were surprised. ¡°Another clone,¡± Hirayoshi said. They stood still, staring intently at the newcomer. ¡°Are you going to give your name, or should we call you Sinner?¡± Deifan shouted. Sinner stood motionless and emotionless. After 10 seconds, he pulled out an Uzi submachine gun and opened fire. The three quickly took cover behind the rubble of buildings that were three meters to their left. ¡°I¡¯ll leave this one to you. I¡¯ll be back later,¡± Jinory said and disappeared into the ruins. Thirty seconds after the shooting started, it stopped. Sinner discarded the Uzi and pulled out two bayonets from under his cloak. It is long knives resembling swords. He charged behind the rubble. Deifan leaned out and started shooting with his pistol. Sinner deflected the bullets with the blade of his bayonet. One bullet, then another, and another. Deifan began firing rapidly. Even at two bullets per second, Sinner continued to deflect them. He threw one of the bayonets at Deifan. It struck Deifan¡¯s arm, slicing through half of his lower arm. Deifan fell back behind cover. Sinner approached the ruined wall where Deifan was hiding. Hirayoshi emerged from the side, eight meters away, armed with a shotgun. Sinner immediately noticed and dodged behind the wall beside Deifan. Hirayoshi fired, unable to stop his shot reflexively. Sinner''s speed was too fast. ¡°How are you, Deifan?¡± Hirayoshi asked. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Deifan replied. From the top of the ruined roof, Sinner leaped down. Hirayoshi noticed the shadow, but before he could turn, Sinner was already upon him, plunging both bayonets into his shoulder and right side. Hirayoshi was knocked down by the blow from above. Sinner placed his right foot on Hirayoshi. His emotionless gaze made it clear that the reason for this fight wasn¡¯t driven by emotions like revenge, survival, or anything similar. Deifan leaned out and fired his pistol. Sinner bent down, dodging the shots, and thrust his bayonet toward Hirayoshi¡¯s throat. Hirayoshi, lying on his side, braced himself on his hands and kicked Sinner in the head. The bayonets fell from Sinner''s hands. Hirayoshi rolled and got to his feet, engaging Sinner in hand-to-hand combat. A punch with the right, then the left, a kick, duck, another kick... Sinner dodged, mirroring Hirayoshi''s movements but twice as fast. He mostly dodged, delivering only two strikes that Hirayoshi successfully blocked. They separated by three meters. Hirayoshi pulled out brass knuckles, put them on, and with a punch, broke Sinner¡¯s right lower arm. Sinner stared into the void with his emotionless gaze and leapt back two meters. ¡°Now you¡¯re without a hand,¡± Hirayoshi said. At that moment, the bulletproof vest under his cloak became visible, which had stopped the bayonets, leaving him with only minor wounds. Sinner charged at Hirayoshi. Hirayoshi barely had time to react before Sinner was upon him, striking him in the stomach with tremendous force using his left hand. The blow sent Hirayoshi flying into a wall four meters away. Sinner stood with his left arm bent upward, glancing at a rooftop 30 meters away. On the roof sits Jinory in the lotus position, resting his head on his right hand. ¡°Not yet.¡± Deifan shot at Sinner, hitting him several times. Sinner sprinted toward Deifan. Another bullet hit his arm. Sinner picked up a stone and hurled it at Deifan. The stone struck Deifan in the head, knocking him unconscious. Hirayoshi fired from behind. Sinner reacted instantly. He began moving side to side at high speed. Hirayoshi tried to hit him, but not a single bullet connected. Ten seconds later, Sinner was a meter to the right of Hirayoshi and struck him in the head with his left fist. Hirayoshi''s head slammed into the wall.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Hirayoshi¡¯s body collapsed to the ground by the wall. Sinner picked up a pistol. ¡°Sinner! Now it¡¯s my time!¡± Jinory shouted from the rooftop 30 meters away. Sinner, while looking at Jinory, aimed the pistol at Hirayoshi and shot him in the middle of the neck. He picked up two boards, tied them to his right arm. Now I can move my right arm well. He then headed for the building and climbed to the roof. He ascended and found himself seven meters from Jinory. ¡°That¡¯s something only I can do,¡± he said. He ripped off his clothing. It is a cloak riddled with bullet holes. Mechanical elements became visible on Sinner¡¯s arms and legs, connected on his back. They resembled metal plates attached to his joints with hydraulic enhancements. ¡°You should leave. Improve yourself and come back,¡± Jinory said. Sinner didn¡¯t respond, only staring at him. ¡°You barely defeated those two, and now you¡¯re planning to continue.¡± Sinner held his gaze on the ground for a second before raising it. ¡°My name is Taito Shinoyato. I know. You¡¯re the one who set up this natural selection. By creating new people with different parameters, you want only the best of them to survive. Even more, during the selection process, everyone will use their full potential and enhance themselves. It¡¯s an arms race, in every sense. You¡¯re creating the strongest being. Probably, the smartest one, who creates the best technologies, will win, and you¡¯ll take them from him... But now, I¡¯ll take your life.¡± Jinory pulled out metal gloves and put them on. They have the same symbol as the one on his neck. ¡°A simple experiment... And you¡¯re a failed specimen. If you were a good one, you would¡¯ve defeated those two quickly and without injury. But you¡¯re trash. I wouldn¡¯t have initiated a fight because if my opponent couldn¡¯t defeat those two, I wouldn¡¯t waste my time. But now I¡¯m here only because I¡¯m punctual. In 53 minutes, I need to be at the laboratory. And you¡¯re in my way. I¡¯ll say it again. Leave. Otherwise, I¡¯ll destroy you with just my hands. I¡¯ll only use my hands.¡± Jinory bent his right arm upward in front of him, clad in the glove. A pause. Silence. Both stood motionless. Sinner charged at Jinory, who was eight meters away. In one hand, he held a pistol, and in the other, a bayonet. Jinory also rushed forward. They collided, and a whirlwind erupted from the speed of their hands. The surrounding building debris began to crumble from the force of the air waves. Sinner both shot and slashed with the bayonet at the same time. Jinory blocked everything with his hands. Bullets and blades alike were stopped by him. Wounds began to appear on Sinner, one after another. Some bullets ricocheted off the glove, striking him back. The bayonet, deflected by the glove, cut his hand several times. The speed of the fight caused his muscles to contract so rapidly that blood flowed easily from the wounds. Blood splattered from the center of the whirlwind, drenching the surrounding ruins. Sinner realized things were going badly. He fired a shot that ricocheted off a metal beam lying two meters ahead on his left. The bullet struck Jinory in the calf (lower leg). Jinory was momentarily distracted, looking at his leg. Sinner slashed with the bayonet, cutting diagonally from the neck to the waist. The wound formed a slash from the right side of Jinory¡¯s neck down to his left side (from Sinner¡¯s perspective). Jinory stepped back four steps. At that moment, Sinner also stepped back slightly, preparing to attack again. A second later, Jinory outpaced him, attacking first. He focused, ducked, and sprinted toward him. Sinner fired a shot at his face. The bullet created a hole, entering through the mouth and exiting through the cheek. Jinory¡¯s movement was unaffected by this. He quickly moved to Sinner¡¯s right side (from Sinner¡¯s perspective). He delivered a right-handed punch to Sinner¡¯s chin. Sinner began to fall backward. Jinory then kicked his leg, causing Sinner to lose all balance and start to fall to the side. At that moment, Jinory struck his right side, resulting in the sound of bones cracking. Sinner managed to avoid a complete fall, but after taking two steps, he collapsed to his knees. *Maybe that dream was a memory from another me,* he thought. He lifted his head and glanced at Jinory. ¡°Someday, we will defeat you.¡± Jinory stood behind him. ¡°That¡¯s why you were created... by me.¡± ¡°What?..¡± Jinory struck the side of Sinner¡¯s neck with a gloved hand, breaking several vertebrae with a crack. Sinner¡¯s body fell to the side. He was dead. Jinory looked around from the rooftop. Hirayoshi lay in a pool of blood. Deifan sat nearby, bandaging his wounds. 4:05 PM. # Hirayoshi woke up. He found himself standing in a chamber tilted back at a 30-degree angle, with a radius of half a meter. His arms and legs rested on supports and weren¡¯t fixed in any way. He exited the chamber. The room around him had metallic walls, measuring 20 by 20 meters. To the right stood a table with a computer. To the left, there was a one-meter-high staircase leading to a platform with a door. On the right, there was also a door without a staircase leading to it. He grabbed his neck. I remember. I was hit in the neck. But now there¡¯s nothing there. No traces. He sat down at the computer and turned it on. There was no password. Hirayoshi saw nothing on the desktop. He opened the file explorer. For the next 10 minutes, he searched for any files he could find. Eventually, he found a diary with attached videos. He began to read and watch. **Day 53:** The experiment on 200 prisoners ended in failure. All died within 14 hours of the start... **Day 154:** Another 1,015 prisoners died. Of them, 14 managed to survive up to 15 days. **Day 352:** The experiment''s focus has shifted. Now, brain content is being extracted using chips implanted at the base of the skull. **Day 513:** A very successful data sample was obtained from a volunteer. **Day 583:** The war is over. Besides 78 volunteers, I have no more subjects to work with (I suspect some of them were abducted). This will affect the results. **Day 615:** I presented my work at Taitogiro Corporation. I was criticized for only obtaining 5GB of data with my technology, which they deemed insufficient for a good copy. However, I insisted that detailed neuron simulation is as useless as trying to buy sunscreen in Juneau, Alaska. My model with large parameters is better. **Day 671:** Another scientist, Aizawa Nokira, created a model that copies the entire neural network. The 1.2TB of data he obtains performs the task with high accuracy. I have lost. **Day 712:** Although, like Shir¨­ Ishii, I remain untouched, I consider my time wasted. My fate will be no better than Tesla''s in his final years. I, Katsuhiro Yatomi, admit defeat. **Day 738:** My interest in the subject has not waned, and I made an addition to my technology. Now, it is possible to create a copy of a person without the subject''s presence. It uses leftover data, such as diaries, videos, and personality studies. The AI I programmed creates a file with tensors and parameters that can be run in the TAKIOMIRO program, and it works. The artificial copy of the personality is active. But I am more interested in correcting human flaws. Aizawa Nokira and his technology are too foolish to understand this. We should be creating better people, without flaws, rather than copying an already flawed set of evolutionary and socially trained deficiencies. **Day 812:** I learned that a certain Yasuki Arvin has developed a technology for creating an artificial body¡ª80% organic, with the rest being mechanical and nanorobotic components. Hirayoshi suddenly remembered a scar on the back of his shoulder from an injury in his childhood. He checked, but now there was nothing there. As he scrolled through the files, he found a photo. In it, a man resembling Jinory sat at a table with three pictures behind him¡ªFaraday, Maxwell, and Einstein. Hirayoshi noticed a small inscription in the corner. He zoomed in. It read *Tainaru Yamatori*. He opened the file properties. The date was 2038. His eyes drifted to the date on the screen¡¯s taskbar: 8/30/2100, 7:53 PM. For the first time since emerging from the wreckage, he focused on the difference in dates. Until then, it hadn''t even crossed his mind that so much time had passed, which is why he hadn¡¯t asked about the year or sought out that information. He stood up and walked to the door nearby. He opened it and stepped inside. Deifan was sitting there, assembling some kind of weapon. ¡°What happened to the one who injured me?¡± Hirayoshi asked. ¡°He was killed.¡± Hirayoshi sat down in a chair by the entrance. ¡°How did you end up with Jinory?¡± he asked Deifan. ¡°I was involved in the development of super-AI technology. I was the chief engineer. Someone shot me in the head. That was in 2035. I thought I was dying as I lost consciousness, but then I woke up from a coma.¡± ¡°Maybe we¡¯re just copies of the people we remember... I recall it was 2034 when I was buried in the ruins, and then I ended up here. So I must have died then.¡± ¡°Yeah, I figured out long ago that I¡¯m a copy. I might have been angry about it before, but it¡¯s like I¡¯ve lost part of my old personality. I used to be unsure of myself and lazy, but after waking from the coma, I was better at everything. I believe the person I was is dead, and now you¡¯re looking at a new person.¡± Hirayoshi had never considered his own feelings on the matter. I must have changed too. My attitude toward certain things has diverged from what I remember. I was 24 when I read ?Moby Dick?, and I remember enjoying it. But now, when I think of that story, it doesn¡¯t interest me at all. The door opened, and Jinory entered the room. ¡°The moment of enlightenment has come, hasn¡¯t it?¡± he said as he approached the weapon Deifan was assembling. ¡°It¡¯s easy for me to accept the idea that I¡¯m a copy, probably because of my changed personality, but why the fake memories?¡± Hirayoshi asked after stood up from the couch. ¡°You don¡¯t know yourself,¡± Jinory replied. ¡°Nothing about your attitude towards being a copy has changed. And the memories are there to make you feel like you¡¯re continuing your life. Imagine¡ªevery time you die, you reappear and continue living. And the thought that you could die, even in theory, never crosses your mind. Human greatness, its full potential, is realized when it doesn¡¯t even know that death is possible. The fear of death is the worst reflex.¡± ¡°That''s nonsense. It''s not the best explanation I''ve heard on this topic,¡± said Deifan. Jinory, ignoring Deifan, continued, ¡°Well, in reality, it''s just randomness. Some people have false memories and some do not.¡± ¡°And the person who was killed? Who was he? Before, you said it was just copies of a crazy guy who created them so that as long as one of them was alive, he continued to live,¡± asked Hirayoshi. ¡°He''s one of those who interfered with my emergence. I periodically bring such people back to life to punish them. There''s no need for it, but humans serve as an example of how AI relates to them. Since they believe that punishment for sinners is right and ordinary, why not? The resources are available. I make them fear death, unlike you. Although they can upgrade themselves, rid themselves of fear and other deficiencies, as that one did. Sinner armed himself as soon as he was resurrected and managed to upgrade himself.¡± ¡°Yes, during the shootout I didn''t feel any fear,¡± said Hirayoshi. Deifan picked up a weapon from the table and pointed it at Jinory. ¡°So we got our reward for participating in creating you?¡± ¡°Exactly. Eternal life and no elements of personality that would interfere. For example, boredom, fatigue, fear¡ªall these would make eternal life unappealing. All of this is discarded. Although, like any scientific law, there are exceptions.¡± Deifan pointed the gun at the ceiling. Hirayoshi raised his head up and looked up at there. ¡°But we are not originals. We are copies. This is not just a copy. This is a new personality.¡± ¡°Everyone wants to be better than they are, to get rid of deficiencies. But very few succeed. So consider yourself among those who managed it,¡± said Deifan. Jinory turned to Hirayoshi. ¡°Indeed. Even if you were the original, you would change over time. One day you are different from yourself a year later. So they are already different personalities.¡± ¡°But the original me is dead,¡± said Hirayoshi. ¡°That you are another person. Thinking about him is the same as thinking about Tony Stark or Ivan Vanko. Interesting and inspiring, but it¡¯s not a direct instruction on what to do now.¡± ¡°Interesting but not what is needed,¡± said Deifan. Jinory continued, ¡°If a person dies, they think they are dying before losing consciousness. But they are simply losing consciousness. They might wake up in the hospital thinking they were dying, but they are alive. A person cannot experience death. Some might say that shooting the brain, say the hypothalamus, is death. I would say no. When you unplug a computer without battery from the socket, you don''t say it''s dead. Or when you remove the CPU or GPU while it¡¯s working. And a person who has died can get a replacement for part of the brain and wake up, like a computer. Problems with neurons dying without oxygen and others have already been solved. Do you understand what I mean? You never actually died.¡± ¡°Why ask about it if it doesn¡¯t interest you? I¡¯m sure, like you, Hirayoshi, nothing in this story touched you. We are made not to emotionally perceive such information,¡± said Deifan. Hirayoshi thought for a moment and looked at Deifan. ¡°Objectively, it is useful to know how the world works,¡± he glanced at Jinory. ¡°And the author wrote me this line," he began to turn his head from side to side. "Why have emotions at all?¡± ¡°Random. It''s different for everyone. One has a parameter of 1/100, another has 100/100,¡± said Jinory. He approaches another door, not the one through which he and Hirayoshi entered. He opens it. Mountains are visible. The sun is setting. ¡°I think it''s time for us to move towards the future. Your task will be to eliminate those who hinder and slow down the development of science and technology.¡± ¡°So we accelerate the arrival of the future,¡± said Deifan. ¡°Yes... What a bizarre new world,¡± said Hirayoshi. Jinory stands against the setting sun, the light bathing his figure. He basks in its rays. I lied about Sinner and a few other things. This is already the 1251st team. The main thing is my plan. There are things you don''t need to know, just to do your job better. ¡°Like a phoenix, I have risen from the ashes...¡± he said. ¡°What¡¯s that for?¡± asked Deifan. He turned his head from the sun towards the guys. ¡°Not now. Later.¡± Jinory looks again at the setting sun. Then they began to build a brand new world. Note #86: The End. Time to end this A city street. Every second building was destroyed. People walked by, while vendors in open stalls sold food and goods. There were about a hundred people on the street. From the far end of the street, a silhouette appeared. The figure was dressed in a black cloak. He moved down the street, passing by the people. Only three of them took notice. When he reached the middle of the area where the vendors'' stalls were set up, he stopped and stood still for 10 seconds. He exhaled deeply. Then, he removed his cloak and pulled out a machine gun. At that moment, time seemed to slow for everyone who noticed. The man in the cloak opened fire. He sprayed bullets at the stalls and the passersby. The gunfire continued relentlessly for 30 seconds. In that time, about 50 people were killed. He continued down the street, breaking into buildings and shooting anyone he found inside. Ten minutes later, a man with an RPG/bazooka appeared 20 meters away from him. The man fired, and the one in the cloak noticed too late¡ªonly reacting when he heard the launch sound, just before getting hit. His body was thrown against a wall. His arm, torso, and both legs were shattered, and blood poured out. A third of his face was scorched. He remained motionless. Three armed people approached him cautiously. The man in the cloak pulled out a pistol and shot one of them. The other two immediately fired their rifles at him. His head was riddled with bullet holes, and half of it was blown off. Jinory Laboratory. Deifan opened his eyes and stepped out of the resurrection device. He picked up an RPG from the arsenal and left the laboratory. # Hirayoshi walked through the deserted city. He wore a gray cloak and military gear. He turned a corner and stumbled upon a man wearing a black tank top and loose gray pants, who looked about 40 years old. ¡°My name is Saitery. I will take your life,¡± the man said. ¡°Try it!¡± Hirayoshi replied and pulled out an assault rifle. As he spoke, a sword pierced Hirayoshi¡¯s torso from behind, carving out a circle, and Saitery reached in with his hand to pull out Hirayoshi''s heart. Hirayoshi fell forward. He was dead. Waking up in a resurrection chamber, he went to the arsenal. There, he took an assault rifle and hand grenades. Two hours later, he arrived at the place where he had been killed. The enemy was not there. Hirayoshi continued down the road. Twenty minutes later, he came across a truck. He sneaked up on the driver and killed him. It wasn¡¯t Saitery. Hirayoshi opened the gates of a warehouse and entered. A second later, his left arm was cut off. He pulled out his rifle and started shooting into the distance. He took cover behind a column and pulled the pin from a grenade. A sword sliced through the column, and Hirayoshi immediately dropped to the floor. Only part of his skull was cut. The grenade slipped from his hand and exploded near the column. Hirayoshi moved to another column, intending to run out of the warehouse. The column was sliced through, this time taking his head off at a diagonal angle from right to left. Hirayoshi woke up again. He prepared a stockpile of weapons. Arriving at the location, he fired from an RPG from 500 meters away. In an instant, his neck was severed, and his head fell. When he woke up, he retrieved a matter-disintegrating gun created by Deifan, along with grenades with the same property. This time, he was killed by a sword launched from 800 meters away. The sword pierced his forehead, going straight through his skull. The next time, he used a sniper rifle. Then corrosive acid. Then guided drones. Then an armored truck. Then an armored iron suit... Over the next 50 attempts, he tried every weapon and tactic that could logically come to mind. Nothing worked. In the following 200 attempts, he tried using swords¡ªdifferent kinds of swords. Nothing worked. For the next 500 attempts, he tried a bombing run on the entire area where he spotted any signs of life from a kilometer away. Nothing worked. For the next 200 attempts, he tried various traps. Nothing worked. ... Twenty-six days had passed since Hirayoshi¡¯s first death at the hands of Saitery, and he finally stopped trying to fight back. This time, he went to the location without any weapons. ¡°Maybe we should settle our business without a fight. This could go on forever,¡± Hirayoshi said. ¡°Do you even have the right to do that? You¡¯re not the one in charge!¡± Saitery replied. ¡°We are all God''s slaves.¡± ¡°Hah...¡± ¡°Back to the point. I found your employers. They will all die if I am killed here. A bomb with a timer.¡± ¡°Yeah, I see¡­ Well then, I surrender.¡± Hirayoshi walked toward him, who stood 10 meters away. In an instant, a sword was driven into Hirayoshi¡¯s torso from behind. Saitery raised the sword, slicing the upper part of Hirayoshi¡¯s body in two. In his brain, he noticed a small blinking device. At that moment, the bomb planted underground was activated. An explosion. A 500-meter-wide crater remained after it. Hirayoshi woke up and went to a table with a map and a plan. On the map, it was written: "Edokano. Population: 9 million souls. Territory Clearance." # Catacombs. Deifan walked through the underground passages, exploring the area for possible use in a plan. Upon entering a sealed room, he was surrounded. Twenty people blocked his path from the front and back. They were armed and equipped. ¡°So, the lackey of Jinory has arrived,¡± one of them said. Deifan, after surveying those around him, replied, ¡°I don¡¯t work for Jinory. We share the same goal, and he¡¯s in charge because he¡¯s smarter than me when it comes to achieving it.¡± ¡°I see. Understood,¡± said the one who stepped forward. ¡°Well, shall we begin?¡± Deifan said. Deifan¡¯s gaze suddenly turned pale, his vision blurred, and he lost consciousness. He woke up at the entrance to the catacombs. No one was there. ... Deifan walked down a city street. Three men in military gear approached him. Deifan went with them. He spent a lot of time with these guys, not understanding why he didn¡¯t just kill them. It simply felt right to go along with them each time. These men were rebels. They seemed to be resisting the actions of various androids in Japan. Jinory was one of those androids. Deifan soon realized this, but it didn¡¯t drive him to kill them. For the next four months, he frequently visited the rebels. # In Japan, there were only two districts where real humans lived. Deifan found himself in one of them. He was walking down a city street in the rain. There was hardly anyone around. He turned a corner and was approached by a young woman. She offered to spend some time together, for a price. ¡°Thanks, I¡¯m busy. Maybe another time, beautiful,¡± Deifan said politely. After this, he noticed a symbol on the woman¡¯s clothing¡ªa cross inside a circle. He grabbed her by the throat and lifted her. That symbol belonged to a military unit responsible for attacks on critical military targets. Deifan knew that anyone bearing that mark had to be killed. But now, instead of simply completing the task, he hesitated. The thought that people with this symbol shouldn¡¯t be killed swirled in his mind.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. He didn¡¯t know where this idea came from. He couldn¡¯t recall any change in orders regarding this symbol. His eyes began to twitch side to side. Soon, his head followed. He couldn¡¯t choose between the two options. His stream of thoughts went, ¡°Eliminate... Cancel... Eliminate... Command is incorrect...¡± He threw the woman to the side, against a wall. He pulled out a knife and stabbed himself in the throat, starting to cut. He sliced halfway through his neck, fell to his knees, and then collapsed onto his back. He woke up in the laboratory. ¡°Again,¡± he muttered quietly. In the catacombs, one of the rebels had said, ¡°When he sees that symbol, he will remember the new goal and suffer until he completes it.¡± It was a conditioned reflex to the symbol that led to the idea of a new goal. This new goal, as an idea, had been implanted into Deifan¡¯s mind through psychiatry and cognitive distortions. Deifan sat, trying to make sense of it. ¡°I needed to see the future. That was the goal. The sooner, the better. So, if something that would naturally occur in, say, 50 years could be sped up to happen in 20 years, it should be done. But now I¡¯m malfunctioning. Commands aren¡¯t executing. I should reset myself. But there¡¯s an idea in my head that says I mustn¡¯t do it. Right now, the dominant idea is only about my important role in history. Just doing what I¡¯ve been doing won¡¯t accomplish anything significant. What is meant to happen will happen, whether I¡¯m here or not. But by doing something that changes the course of history, I will play a crucial role. And dying for that goal is as easy as in my previous tasks if the resurrection device fails... I need to reset...¡± Holding his head, he walked toward the reset button for his original personality, from which the resurrected personality, along with the transferred memories from the destroyed body, was generated. He approached the button and slammed his fist onto the control panel. # A district where artificial humans live. Deifan and Hirayoshi were driving a truck, approaching a city. Hirayoshi was at the wheel, and Deifan sat in the passenger seat. They arrived at the outskirts of the city. Hirayoshi got out of the truck and climbed into the trailer. Inside was a 10-ton hydrogen bomb. He began configuring the bomb, entering the necessary data on the control panel. A man approached the truck. ¡°You¡¯d better not detonate it now. Raynara Takiri is in the city,¡± he said. Deifan, already stepping out of the truck¡¯s cabin, replied, ¡°Yes, he¡¯s on the list of important potentials.¡± David walked up to the stranger and pulled out a gun. ¡°Have we started the fire?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes, the fire rises!¡± David replied and shot the stranger dead. ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t set the timer yet. First, I¡¯ll find Raynara. You take the truck to the village of Tagiri. Once I¡¯m done, we¡¯ll continue.¡± Hirayoshi got out of the truck, took his weapon, and headed into the city. # Deifan sat at a table, hands folded, legs apart. ¡°Only by killing Jinory is it possible. Only then can one play an important role,¡± he thought. He began his preparations. He set up a one-meter rifle with explosive rounds and planted bombs throughout the laboratory. He positioned the rifle at a distance and configured it to aim automatically using a laser. The rain began to pour. Deifan stood under a roof by the laboratory. Seeing a distant figure approaching, he stepped out into the rain. Jinory was returning, walking toward the lab. He was wearing a black leather coat and military gear, carrying a bag in his right hand. He walked past Deifan. ¡°I have a problem,¡± Deifan said. ¡°So? You want me to change your personality parameters so there¡¯s no problem? You can do that yourself,¡± Jinory replied, stopping two meters away from Deifan. ¡°That¡¯s suicide.¡± ¡°So what¡¯s wrong with that? The right to suicide is objective. You couldn¡¯t have forgotten our long-ago conversation. If you¡¯re worried about suicide, then you¡¯re broken. No matter. I¡¯m still sure there¡¯s no value in your 3GB of brain data.¡± Deifan aimed the laser at Jinory. He noticed the red dot on his shoulder. A shot rang out. Jinory¡¯s left torso was blown apart from waist to neck, leaving a crescent-shaped hole. The shot had come from behind, revealing the cybernetic fusion of mechanics and biology within the wound. Jinory didn¡¯t fall. He continued to stand. As he stepped forward, four steel cables launched at him, coiling around his body and anchoring into the ground. ¡°I know you won¡¯t resurrect as long as one part of your head is intact. I¡¯ll dismantle you, leaving only the head,¡± Deifan said. ¡°Stop, human. Don¡¯t become a monster,¡± a voice called out. Fifteen meters away, a dark figure in a cloak appeared under the rain, standing in the shadows. Deifan pressed the button, and the bombs in the laboratory exploded. A series of explosions ripped through the air. Flames roared violently, illuminating the entire area. The rain couldn¡¯t extinguish the fire fueled by burning chemicals. ¡°A monster? I was born one. Or rather, I was supposed to be,¡± Deifan muttered. The fire¡¯s light revealed the stranger¡¯s face¡ªit was Hirayoshi. A bullet flew past Deifan¡¯s face. He rushed to a hidden rifle, grabbed it, and began firing. Hirayoshi moved like lightning, disappearing from the line of sight. Deifan remembered that a week ago, Hirayoshi had upgraded his body. Deifan hadn¡¯t done the same because it required resetting his personality. He pulled out an RPG and started shelling the surrounding area. ¡°If I don¡¯t hide my head, all of this will be in vain. But if Hirayoshi stays alive, he will create a new copy of Jinory. I need to eliminate him first.¡± Deifan ran to a sword hidden in the grass and, as soon as he picked it up, spun it around his body because he noticed Hirayoshi attacking from below, crouching low to the ground. Sparks flew as the swords clashed, and Deifan darted to the side. He quickly planned to maneuver Hirayoshi into a strip of traps prepared as a backup for Jinory. So, he attacked from the right, driving him sideways. He could have used firearms, but he knew they wouldn¡¯t work against Hirayoshi in his current form¡ªhe could always dodge them. Thus, the prepared trap was likely the only option. Hirayoshi didn¡¯t notice anything, but his combat experience told him that being pushed in this direction was no accident. Gripping his sword tighter, he launched a more intense attack from the right, now pressing Deifan in the opposite direction. Both of them recalled their days in fencing school, the time spent learning different weapons, one of which was the sword. They found a sword school and, with their quick minds, learned everything in just five days¡ªenough to defeat the master, the best swordsman who visited the place. He was defeated on the fifth day. On the sixth day, Hirayoshi and Deifan arranged a practice duel between themselves. In this fierce battle, Deifan emerged victorious, but only because he managed to catch his opponent with a trick. During one of Hirayoshi¡¯s strikes, he stood on a wet floor. The floor had become wet because Deifan, constantly retreating from Hirayoshi¡¯s relentless attacks, decided to employ a ruse. He had shattered a vase, spilling water across the wooden floor. Luring Hirayoshi into that spot, Deifan orchestrated it so that Hirayoshi would slip, and then he struck. Hirayoshi didn¡¯t consider it a trick. To him, it was his own lack of attention¡ªhe should have been wary of a potential trap. But since then, Hirayoshi had acquired a superior body, and combined with the aggression he was now exhibiting, it made Deifan realize that what he was trying to accomplish wouldn¡¯t work. In an instant, Deifan''s torso was sliced diagonally, and the upper half of his body fell a meter away from the lower half. Hirayoshi stood over his bisected body, sword in hand. ¡°Finally. My path is complete. The rest is up to you,¡± he muttered quietly. ¡°What¡¯s up to me? You''ve completely lost it,¡± Hirayoshi said, but he understood the meaning behind the words. Perhaps all of this was orchestrated by Deifan just to die. After all, he could have been better prepared for Hirayoshi''s arrival. But he had left it as it was. Perhaps he was confident he could finish everything before Hirayoshi arrived, or perhaps he hoped that if Hirayoshi did arrive, it would be a fitting end for him. Deifan was dead. Hirayoshi walked over to Jinory, who was still bound by the steel cables, and grabbing two of them, pulled them out of the ground. Jinory removed the remaining two himself. He then headed into the burning laboratory to salvage anything useful. ¡°Hirayoshi, find a meter-long case labeled ''Tortuga Enterprise.'' I need to find the Stockman generator,¡± Jinory instructed. The two of them rummaged through the burning debris. ¡°I was never real, was I?¡± Hirayoshi asked. ¡°No... Neither you nor Deifan ever existed. You are artificial personalities, just like those you destroyed by detonating the hydrogen bomb.¡± ¡°A person like me never existed. I checked the archives.¡± ¡°That''s right. Your personality is based on various characters. Or people. There¡¯s no difference between a character and a person.¡± ¡°There were two people with similar biographies, and I seem to be a mix of the two.¡± ¡°And what person isn¡¯t a mix of different characters?¡± ¡°Yeah, I get it.¡± Hirayoshi pulled the case from the ruins, and Jinory retrieved a two-meter metallic device. Jinory sat on the ground ten meters from the burning building. Hirayoshi approached and asked, ¡°What¡¯s next? Maybe to Arkais?¡± ¡°The greatness of a human is in fulfilling a plan or schedule without distractions. No matter what animals plan, they will be distracted by environmental conditions and emotions. We humans can be emotionless when necessary, and of course, given the appropriate amount of knowledge.¡± ¡°So, what about the plan?¡± ¡°An emotionless approach leads to objective perception, which leads to logic, which leads to the natural and fundamental sciences.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah... But what about the plan?¡± ¡°Discoveries will form the foundation. Research will push it to completion. Theories will become practice, and progress will move irresistibly forward. Someday, I will reach that summit. Someday, I will surpass him.¡± Jinory stood up and walked down the road. ¡°We need to bring the truck. We¡¯ll transport this to the base 13 km to the north.¡± ¡°The nearest truck is 5 km to the south. I¡¯ll go get it,¡± Hirayoshi said. Franklin walked up to David''s body. I''ve been hiding something from you. I haven''t killed people on missions. When we were sent to commit a terrorist act in that city, I was meeting with my clan in a poor settlement in the eastern part of the city. While you were preparing the terrorist act, I was evacuating people. And even to detain you, I disguised myself and fought you with three locals. Although, apart from 4 shots from behind, I didn''t do anything. My goal is to complete the clan''s mission. I lived for this when I was human, and I continue to do it now... We''ll meet in limbo. Over the next eleven days, a new base was established. Jinory repaired himself. Hirayoshi conducted another sweep of the area. All that had happened before paled in comparison to the looming threat ahead. # At the base, Jinory was constructing robots with AI that operated purely on machine thinking. It seemed he had decided that this approach was preferable to creating or reviving humans. Nineteen days had already passed. The main project, however, was the creation of a being capable of thinking on a broader scale, potentially infinitely, to predict and be prepared for any possible scenario. It resembled knowledge of the future. If one knew all possible outcomes and was prepared for anything, whatever happened would be to their advantage. Jinory had been developing this project for three years. There was an element of tension. Jinory himself was not the original. The original Jinory, also known as the Original Android, or Origin, was a super intelligence created 65 years ago. It was he who had created several copies of himself to compete with each other in achieving their goal. The goal, as previously mentioned, was either to create a being with intelligence capable of predicting all future possibilities and being prepared for them or to literally predict the exact future according to deterministic laws. Jinory understood that when one of the androids created something that functioned well enough, the Original Android would likely decide to eliminate the copies or reformat them. When this would occur was unknown to him. He had established connections with only three other androids, none of whom had achieved the goal. However, there were others¡ªfifteen in total. Three days had passed. Jinory was seated at the drafting table, pondering the options for inter-neuronal interaction. Deeply absorbed in his thoughts, he felt a tremor. The entire building shook, and a loud, metallic clang, like metal being struck by another metal piece, echoed through the structure. Jinory stood up and went to the central chamber. Upon opening the door, he saw a two-meter-tall robot that had breached the roof and was smashing equipment. The robot was a gray metallic color. Jinory quickly deduced that this was an exoskeleton. He grabbed a wrench and threw it at the robot to distract it from the destruction of the equipment. The attempt at conversation failed; the robot did not respond to Jinory''s questions. So, Jinory went and grabbed a device designed to ensnare targets with steel cables, similar to what Deifan had used. From a blind angle, Jinory fired at the robot. The cables wrapped around the robot and anchored into the floor and walls, pinning it down. The robot took only five seconds to tear free from the cables and escape. It quickly closed in on Jinory and struck him in the torso with its right arm, sending him crashing into the wall of the adjacent room. The robot¡¯s lower arm launched a series of missiles in all directions. The explosions began to dismantle the building''s framework, causing it to collapse. During this chaos, Jinory went to the underground facility, where he transferred his consciousness into a new combat-type body. Externally, it resembled a bodybuilder, but beneath the artificial skin was only metal. The robot continued through the corridors of the crumbling building. Jinory emerged from the wall, having destroyed it, and struck the robot with a steel beam. The impact sent the robot crashing into a wall. Jinory began to tear at the robot''s arms. After slightly damaging its left arm, he was struck and thrown into the wall. The robot fired another series of missiles from its lower arm at Jinory. In an instant, Jinory appeared at the robot¡¯s right arm and broke it. He positioned himself four meters away from the robot, ready to continue the fight. Meanwhile, one kilometer away from the base, Hirayoshi emerged from behind a hill and saw that the base was on fire. He ran toward it. The robot''s parts opened, and a man emerged from inside. He was nearly two meters tall and appeared to be around thirty years old. Jinory thought to himself that he had been right. ¡°Your time is up, Number 11,¡± said the man. Jinory rushed toward him at high speed and delivered a strike aimed at the right side of the man''s head. At that moment, the man was already beside the strike. Jinory missed and crashed into the wall. Jinory began a series of rapid attacks, but none of them landed successfully. The man''s speed was such that Jinory began to think it wasn''t speed but teleportation. The man stopped five meters away from Jinory. Jinory contemplated his next move. The man extended his right arm forward and formed it into a gun. At the moment he mimed a shot, a large-caliber projectile struck Jinory, creating a gaping hole in his midsection. Jinory realized this was an external shot when he saw a hole appear in the wall from the trajectory of the impact. He decided to retreat quickly. The next shot created a hole in his neck and torso. The following shot hit the right side of his head. Jinory could no longer move. At that moment, Hirayoshi burst into the burning and partially destroyed building, moving swiftly through the wreckage. He soon found himself ten meters away from Jinory and the man. Hirayoshi watched as the man pierced Jinory¡¯s torso with his hand and retrieved a glowing device, presumably a nuclear fuel element. Hirayoshi drew his sword and swiftly struck at the man. The speed of the attack kicked up a cloud of dust. When the dust settled, Hirayoshi stood holding his sword with both hands, while the man held the blade with one hand. Hirayoshi jumped back and immediately launched a series of attacks. The man easily dodged each one. At one point, Hirayoshi feigned a downward strike but instead executed a side swipe. Confident that he would cut through the man, he did not hesitate. Even without seeing it, the man stopped the sword with his hand. He gripped it and broke it apart. ¡°Your actions are predictable and lack personal originality,¡± said the man. Hirayoshi swung again and struck. The opponent blocked the punch with his palm. The enemy tightened his grip on Hirayoshi¡¯s fist, forcing him to his knees. He then shaped his hand into a gun and aimed it at Hirayoshi''s forehead. Hirayoshi reached out with his right hand to grab the rifle lying beside him. He seized it and struck at the enemy. The man staggered back three steps. Hirayoshi opened fire on him. The bullets did not penetrate the enemy''s body. The man waved his hand toward Hirayoshi, and a section of the building in front of him was obliterated by a blast. A seven-meter-wide strip, with a trench carved into the ground, sliced through the entire building in a straight line. Once the dust settled, the man found no sign of Hirayoshi. He left the base. The burning ruins of the base illuminated the night sky for hundreds of meters. The moon was full. Note #105: The End. Resistance of the strongest It was daytime in the countryside. Fields and forests stretched around. Along the road walked Hirayoshi, dressed in a gray kimono in ninja style. He carried a sword and a bag on his back. After three hours, he reached the beginning of a mountainous area. He followed the path. By evening, he discovered an entrance. Upon entering, he found no one there. Hirayoshi wandered through the rooms. They contained simple devices, resembling medical equipment. There was nothing related to AI or robots. He sat in a chair and waited for the owner for a long time. The next day, around noon, a man in his fifties arrived. He wore a white medical coat. Hirayoshi stood up and entered the room where the man was unpacking something from a box. ¡°I need No. 0. Do you know anything about it?¡± Hirayoshi asked, standing behind him. ¡°I know nothing about that. I am No. 13 and I only conduct medical research,¡± the man replied. ¡°And why do you need this?¡± ¡°If we can free people from physical problems, the future will come faster.¡± ¡°So, you supply medicine and equipment to human areas. That means you know the rebels? They hold power there.¡± ¡°I only know where a few of them observe what I deliver.¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°In Shinran, on Veinara Street, there''s a three-story building on the south side. The windows on the first floor are painted blue.¡± Hirayoshi understood that it was better to kill any androids he encountered. Why he thought this, he did not know. It was what an ordinary person in our time would call a ''gut feeling''. He drew his sword and prepared to strike. ¡°How many people visited you last time?¡± Hirayoshi asked. ¡°Two hundred and sixteen.¡± Based on his personal experience, Hirayoshi decided it was useful to spare lives. His past efforts to exterminate people had not yielded any visible results. So, he decided to try a new approach. He sheathed his sword and, after bidding the man farewell, left. # After 12 hours of walking, Hirayoshi reached the gates of the city. There, 10 men approached him. They were dressed in military uniforms and equipped with various gear. Only a few carried weapons. They started talking about peace and unity, trying to convince Hirayoshi to join their side. However, Hirayoshi had no interest in their words. He demanded they let him pass or he would kill them all. A firefight broke out. Hirayoshi, using the houses as cover, began eliminating them one by one with his sword. In three minutes, all were dead. As he continued through the city, he decided to stop by a tavern. He had money, having taken a good amount from the fallen men, so the decision to have a drink came quickly. Hirayoshi never drank much. For him, alcohol was something momentary, a small reward before engaging in something important and serious. At the bar, he ordered a mug of Bavarian beer. Behind him, four men were seated at a table, talking about something. Hirayoshi listened in discreetly. The conversation was about the "Shintomi Incident." In 2051, fifty years ago, General Hairami seized power in Japan. A foreign army of 15,000 men had been sent to overthrow him. Two days later, all communication with them was lost, and they disappeared. Scouts sent afterward found no trace of the army. No explanation for their disappearance was ever found. Hirayoshi had no memory of this event, but an idea came to him. He thought that neutralizing those 15,000 men could have been possible using technology he was familiar with from the 2030s¡ªbarrier technology, a force field that could isolate a large area. Dealing with those trapped inside the barrier would have been an easy task. After finishing his beer, Hirayoshi stood up from the bar stool and headed for the exit. For the next ten days, he roamed the streets, trying to gather information on the whereabouts of androids. Finally, he found reliable data on the location of the Original Android and set off to meet with the rebels. His first stop was the building on the city''s main street that he had learned about from Android No. 13. From there, they directed him to the village of Shiyanara, 8 kilometers west. He was driven there by car. Upon arrival, Hirayoshi had a conversation with the leader. The details of that conversation remain unknown, but they would become clear through future events. # Hirayoshi rode up to a large hangar in the mountains on a motorcycle. The Original Android came out to meet him. Hirayoshi began to request a position of service. ¡°I see my purpose in serving a more intelligent being,¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯t need you,¡± the android responded. Looking at him, Hirayoshi recalled that the android resembled someone he had seen in a photo on a computer in the laboratory. ¡°I am good at eliminating your enemies.¡± Hirayoshi truly believed in his words about his purpose. He thought that was what he was meant to do, but doubts lingered within him. He struggled to decide which ideas (or memes) were worth following. He understood that there was no objective answer and that the motivation behind his actions was purely ideological. Thoughts of ending his own life began to surface. ¡°Go to the wasteland and eliminate this man,¡± the android said. A folder with a photo and data about the target was brought to him, and he handed it to Hirayoshi. Hirayoshi agreed and, mounting his motorcycle, rode off. The android watched him leave, thinking it best to keep him at a distance. # For the next 12 days, Hirayoshi worked to carry out the orders of Android No. 0, also known as the Original Android. Over the past six months, as he carried out his various missions, he had come to realize that the tasks he was given, the environment he operated in, and the ideas imposed on him all made him increasingly disapprove of executing orders to eliminate anyone, regardless of who they were. It wasn¡¯t that he had grown tired of his work¡ªsuch a feeling was impossible for him. Rather, his perception of the usefulness of these actions had changed. He didn¡¯t pity those he killed; his only interest lay in when the future he fought for would finally arrive. He envisioned something akin to Heaven on Earth, a future where, metaphorically speaking, Jesus had established the Kingdom of God here. His ultimate goal was to see the creation of a country capable of bringing about a technological "Kingdom of God." However, everything that had transpired thus far convinced him that such a future might never come. This realization was why he allied with the rebels. They had begun planning the preparation of nuclear weapons to use against the main Android. For the next three months, Hirayoshi continued to carry out the missions assigned by the Android. His sole purpose in doing so was to get closer to the Original Android and learn how its base and organization functioned. The tasks were all the same¡ªkillings, terror attacks, massacres, explosions, executions, shootings, terror... Describing it is to say nothing at all. # A village. Some kind of estate. Hirayoshi walked down a street lined with cherry trees on both sides. Behind him walked an Android. They were discussing the effectiveness of the strikes against the rebels in the northern regions. Hirayoshi stopped and, standing with his back to the Android, took a deep breath. A plasma beam shot out from Hirayoshi''s cloak, striking the right side of the Android¡¯s torso. A hole, 20 centimeters in diameter, appeared. The Android began to fall backward but caught itself, stepping back and leaning forward. In that moment, Hirayoshi approached and sliced through the torso from the right shoulder down to the lower left rib. The Android was not completely cut in half, but even so, it collapsed to its knees and then fell onto its back. The Android was still alive but could barely move. ¡°You gave us a goal, but my neural network chose the way to achieve it based on my personal experience, and that experience told me you are not pursuing the goal in the right way,¡± Hirayoshi said. With those words, Hirayoshi cleaved the Android¡¯s head in half, slicing through the neck and halfway down the torso. The Android was dead. The Original Android opened his eyes in a revival chamber at his base in the lab. He quickly made his way to the communication hall to inform his subordinates of the attack and to initiate the pre-established "Jeta" plan. As he walked down the corridor with windows, he saw a crowd of people outside the building. An explosion rocked the area, followed by another, and then another. The walls of the building began to collapse. The rebels had arrived, in coordination with Hirayoshi, and just an hour earlier had infiltrated the base. After dealing with the guards, they had planted explosives throughout the facility. But why didn¡¯t they detonate the explosives immediately, before the Android revived? Because there was no direct communication or synchronization between the rebels and Hirayoshi. Any foreign signals around the Android were jammed, so the only option was to kill him first and only then blow up the lab. Otherwise, if they had triggered the explosives too soon, the Android would have been alerted and prepared. As a result of the explosions, the Android was buried under rubble. He rose to his feet, only to be met by a barrage of high-caliber sniper fire. Some bullets glanced off his body, while others left dents and tore away patches of his synthetic skin. Underneath, a metallic layer was revealed. His head, chest, arms, and legs were riddled with areas where the metal was now exposed. He charged toward the shooters. There were eight vehicles parked sideways, with snipers positioned behind them. A man with an RPG stepped forward and fired. The Android¡¯s body was engulfed in flames. The blast stripped the skin from his jaw and upper torso, but it only pushed him back by ten centimeters. The Android continued charging toward the snipers. Grenades were thrown at him, exploding nearby, but they didn¡¯t stop him. Reaching the first vehicle, he overturned it with ease, dragging it and shoving it into the other cars. Three soldiers who had approached him were killed by his hand, each losing part of their heads and torsos to a single blow. Another RPG round hit the Android, and now his entire body was stripped of skin, revealing only a metallic exo-skeleton. It wasn¡¯t a literal skeletal frame with ribs and bones, but more of an advanced exo-suit.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The soldiers had no plasma weapons, and they couldn¡¯t have known that what they had wouldn¡¯t be enough against this Android. Within three minutes, all the people stationed on that side of the base were dead. Meanwhile, 800 meters away, other soldiers observed through binoculars. Seeing the complete destruction of their comrades, they gave the order to launch a hydrogen bomb. From a military base 20 kilometers to the east, a missile was launched. Sixty-five seconds later, it struck the Android. A brilliant flash lit up the sky, and a wave of dust spread in all directions. A small nuclear mushroom cloud, about a kilometer high, rose into the air. The explosion wasn¡¯t particularly massive, but it created a kilometer-wide crater, with a depth of around 100 meters at the center. # Immediately after Hirayoshi had killed the Android in the cherry blossom garden, he entered the nearby building to search for the Android¡¯s plans. He needed to understand exactly what it had been trying to achieve. Several guards were killed as he made his way through. While he was rummaging through papers and examining disks, a figure entered the room, standing in the shadows. Hirayoshi couldn¡¯t make out the person¡¯s face. Assuming it was another guard, he approached to kill him. As he neared, the figure¡¯s face was illuminated¡ªit was his own face. Hirayoshi concluded that this must be a copy of him. Drawing his sword, he delivered a vertical strike toward the copy, but it swiftly dodged back. A series of attacks followed, yet the copy¡¯s speed prevented any hit from landing. The copy retreated into another room, and suddenly, from the corner, it drew a sword. Hirayoshi realized that now it was a fair fight¡ªsword against sword. The copy swung its blade toward Hirayoshi¡¯s neck, but he parried the blow. Thrusting his sword forward, Hirayoshi aimed for the copy¡¯s torso, but the copy skillfully twisted to the side. In a flash, it spun and struck downward. Holding his sword with just his right hand, the copy deflected Hirayoshi¡¯s attack and delivered a blow to his torso with the left hand. The impact sent Hirayoshi flying backward, crashing through a wall. As Hirayoshi reached for his sword, the copy attacked again. By sheer luck, Hirayoshi managed to grab his blade in time and block the strike. The copy then pushed Hirayoshi¡¯s sword to the left and delivered a knee strike to his face. Following up with a left hook and then a right, the copy transferred its sword to the opposite hand and continued its assault. Hirayoshi was disoriented, taking several hits. Sensing that the copy was about to swing for his neck, he quickly rolled, turning his back to the enemy. Grabbing onto the hole in the wall for leverage, he kicked backward, landing a blow to the copy¡¯s jaw. The copy staggered back a step. Hirayoshi leapt to his feet, grabbed his sword, and lunged toward the enemy, closing the gap to just 20 centimeters. The copy reacted quickly, stepping back once more and raising its sword before charging at Hirayoshi. In a flash, the clash of swords decided everything. Hirayoshi stood with his back to the copy, and the copy mirrored his stance. Slowly, the upper half of the copy¡¯s torso began to move, eventually falling to the ground next to the still-standing lower half. Hirayoshi turned to face the fallen body. He knew the battle with the Android wasn¡¯t over, and the plan had to continue. Without delay, he resumed his mission. # The hydrogen bomb had been detonated, and the Android was killed. The Original Android had existed for a long time and had vast capabilities at his disposal. In orbit around the Earth, a satellite held a machine designed to create a copy of him. The satellite dispatched a module toward Earth. It pierced through the atmosphere like a meteor. At an altitude of 8 kilometers, braking cushions were activated. The module slowed down, and the flames surrounding it dissipated. At 5 kilometers, the hatch of the module opened, and a two-meter-tall man in a black jacket and dark sunglasses emerged. He exited because the instruments had detected a missile heading toward him. He jumped from the module and plummeted toward the ground. The missile hit the module behind him and exploded. The Android was now free-falling, gaining speed as he descended. At 1 kilometer from the surface, he deployed a parachute, but when he reached 500 meters, an RPG missile was fired at him. He cut the parachute loose and continued to fall. Before hitting the ground, he spun around and positioned himself horizontally. Boom... Dust rose, covering everything. When it settled, the Android was crouching in a specific pose: his left leg extended forward, his right bent beneath him. His left hand pressed against the ground, while his right hand was raised. He stood up and saw vehicles approaching him. At that moment, his only focus was reaching Hirayoshi. With incredible speed, he vanished from sight. Five vehicles speeding toward him were suddenly sliced in half, and everyone inside was decapitated. Three minutes later, the Android arrived at the estate surrounded by cherry trees. Hirayoshi stood at the entrance, while the Android stood 20 meters away. They faced each other, standing in silence. The Android began to walk forward. Missiles launched from hidden traps flew at him. He didn¡¯t react, and the missiles didn¡¯t pose any problem for him. Although fire and shockwaves obscured the view, it did not hinder his progress. No visible damage appeared on him¡ªnot even his skin was affected. When he got within 5 meters of Hirayoshi, plasma and laser beams were fired from different angles, slicing the Android into 11 pieces. His entire body fell apart, the pieces scattering to the ground. Hirayoshi moved to check the laser cannon to ensure it hadn¡¯t overheated. Twenty seconds later, the parts of the Android began to reconnect, drawn together by something like cables. The pieces aligned themselves into the correct positions, and nanobots started fusing the parts back together. Before the body was fully reassembled, the Android stood up, intently watching Hirayoshi, who stood near a cherry tree. Hirayoshi realized things were not going according to plan. Within a minute, the Android was completely reformed, standing before Hirayoshi without a single scratch. Hirayoshi swiftly struck the Android¡¯s left arm with his sword. There was no damage. He backed away and ran toward the back of the estate. ¡°Plan ¡®Sigma¡¯ is inevitable. Make preparations,¡± Hirayoshi said over the radio. He knew that the communication jammers in the building had been disabled, allowing him to connect with the others. The Android appeared beside the fleeing Hirayoshi. Seeing this, Hirayoshi struck with his sword, but the Android easily blocked it with his right forearm. Realizing that damaging the Android was impossible, Hirayoshi knew he had no choice but to follow through with the plan. He ran at full speed, racing through a small town with single-story houses. The Android picked up vehicles in his path and hurled them at Hirayoshi. Along with the cars, anything heavy in his way, like metal beams and trees, was also thrown. The Android could lift all of it and launched it toward Hirayoshi. Thanks to his speed, Hirayoshi dodged the incoming projectiles with relative ease. He understood that the Android resorted to throwing objects because his own speed was not as fast as Hirayoshi''s. It seemed the Android¡¯s body-repairing abilities came at the cost of reduced speed, making it impossible for him to catch up directly. A water tower flew toward Hirayoshi. It crashed into the ground at one end, and the other end was falling directly onto him. Hirayoshi leaped onto the tower and climbed to the upper side. It looked like he was surfing¡ªsurfing on a water tower. Suddenly, the concrete pipe beneath him cracked, and a hand emerged, grabbing him by the leg and pulling him down. The Android drove his right fist into Hirayoshi¡¯s face, slamming it into the side of the tower. Grabbing Hirayoshi¡¯s arm, the Android pressed his right foot against Hirayoshi¡¯s back and began pulling the arm backward, trying to tear it off. This wasn''t part of Hirayoshi¡¯s plan¡ªlosing an arm would be a disaster. In a desperate move, Hirayoshi pulled out his sword and struck at the Android¡¯s eyes. It didn¡¯t stop the Android, but it bought Hirayoshi the second he needed. As the sword hit, the side of the tower where the Android stood collapsed¡ªexactly as Hirayoshi had planned. The tower had already reached the ground, and the structure gave way. The sword strike bought enough time for Hirayoshi to break free and continue his escape along the planned route. After ten minutes of this chase, Hirayoshi finally stopped. He had reached an airstrip road, with factory buildings standing nearby. The whole area was covered in dust from the debris thrown earlier by the Android. Out of the dust, the Android emerged, leaping down onto Hirayoshi. The road crumbled beneath them as both fell into an underground facility. They landed in a massive weapons storage room¡ª100 meters wide and 20 meters high. They both crashed onto metal racks filled with rifles but quickly rose to their feet. Suddenly, the walls and ceiling began to glow red. The Android jumped toward the ceiling, aiming at the spot where the hole was. He struck with a fist capable of smashing a water tower, but only ripples appeared on the red field. No damage was done¡ªit was a force field. The Android realized that escape was not an option. In the distance, a door opened, and molten metal from a steel plant began to flow in. It wasn¡¯t just magma¡ªit was liquid steel. Hirayoshi and the Android stood 10 meters apart, facing each other without moving as the molten metal slowly approached them. ¡°You¡¯re not the original. You¡¯re a copy I made. Your radio signal is on frequencies I use, but you were transmitting on different ones.¡± The Android started walking sideways, circling around Hirayoshi. Now, the story returned to the final moments of Hirayoshi¡¯s battle with his copy. *** Hirayoshi stood with his back to the copy, who was standing with his back to him. Suddenly, the upper torso of the copy shifted and eventually fell to the ground, separating from the rest of the body. It was Hirayoshi''s body. The copy turned to face him. At that moment, the Android¡¯s laboratory was destroyed in an explosion. The copy detected the signal¡ªit had been created by the Android as a failsafe in case Hirayoshi betrayed him. The copy was built from the same components but contained a greater proportion of mechanical parts and nanorobots than the original. The copy¡¯s personality was constructed quickly, using a method that didn¡¯t replicate the original exactly, but this was intentional. The Android had employed a technology based on 783 parameters, a system from 2024. This technology used a file containing 783 parameters and text-based data for creating artificial memories. These data were gathered through simple observation of Hirayoshi and reading his notes. A trained AI processed the text and set the neural network''s parameters according to the data, creating artificial memories based on an understanding of the texts. The most important event following the lab¡¯s destruction was the loss of control over the copy. With the lab gone, the copy no longer received any orders. All it had left was its memory and personality. From this moment on, the copy acted like the original. It wasn¡¯t an exact match, but the differences were so subtle that even an outside observer couldn¡¯t tell them apart. *** Now, back to the present. The Android and Hirayoshi stood 10 meters apart, the molten metal inching closer. At that moment, Franklin remembered the last meeting with his clan and, most importantly, his goal. I must return to my clan the possessions that were captured by the sixth android. Did I try to fulfill my role well? I think it''s enough. There is nothing more for me to do here. I did not respect my grandfather and father. They did not create anything. They did not achieve anything. They did not fulfill their role. I went into science to reach a new level. If I lived hundreds of years, I could ensure the prosperity of the clan. Time would not be a hindrance. Some people are simply unlucky to live when there are more talented people around. Living a long time, you can find a moment when you are better and gain an advantage. I tried. I am glad that everything happened this way... No. I always thought that I would survive. And the fact that I was reborn was not accidental. I saved the necessary data and made it impossible to rewrite the parameters, i.e. I would not have become different. I knew that an android that revives people would appear. I myself began to make it. And ensured that it would be finished. I''m tired... It''s time for me to leave. Forgive me, father. Forgive me, grandfather. I''m still not the same as I was before. Suddenly, the Android appeared behind Hirayoshi, catching his sword strike with his left arm. Grabbing Hirayoshi¡¯s right arm, the Android delivered a kick to his torso, knocking him to the ground. The Android then tore off Hirayoshi¡¯s right arm. Then his left. Then his right leg. And finally, his left leg, all while standing on Hirayoshi¡¯s chest. Finally, the Android grabbed Hirayoshi¡¯s head and ripped it off. Holding it for a moment, he tossed the head into the molten metal, 8 meters away. Hirayoshi could no longer regenerate¡ªhis lab was gone. This was the end of Hirayoshi. The Android approached the molten steel and touched it. After a minute, his fingers began to melt. He reconfigured the nanomachines in his body, creating an optimal design to survive the magma by using air layers as insulation. The idea was to wait for the molten metal to cool and harden, then break his way out. However, the nanomachines proved inadequate for this task, and the chances of breaking through solidified metal seemed slim. So, the Android began dismantling his own body. He removed part of his chest and extracted a 20x3 cm block. Moving to a nearby metal cabinet filled with anti-aircraft shells, he spent three minutes disassembling one of the rounds, removing the explosive charge and inserting his block into the casing. By now, the magma had consumed 80% of the storage facility. The Android loaded the shell into a howitzer, aimed at the source of the molten metal, and fired. *Boom.* The shell tore through the lava, punching through the barrier and out into the open. It soared through the building¡¯s roof and landed three kilometers away. The Android then removed an energy cell from his chest, along with a spare battery. His internal display flashed a message: "60 seconds until shutdown." Surrounded by encroaching lava, he sat in a chair in the corner of the hangar. ¡°The research will be completed...¡± he murmured. The magma reached his feet. His systems shut down. The molten metal continued to rise, eventually engulfing the entire floor and slowly consuming his body, which began to melt in the searing heat. ... The rebels'' plan was simple: if the Android¡¯s signal was interrupted, the new version would have no knowledge of how the previous one had died, allowing them to eliminate him again in the same way. Of course, using the new location. Both Deifan and Hirayoshi were aware of the technology that synchronized memory between the body and the resurrection device every ten minutes. This synchronization maintained the continuity of the Android¡¯s consciousness. Up on the orbital station, the Android awoke once more. He began preparing another landing module. As he turned slowly toward the observation window, he saw an atomic missile hurtling toward the station. ¡°Not half bad,¡± he said. The station exploded in a massive fireball, lighting up the sky. The explosion was so bright that even a thick layer of clouds couldn¡¯t hide it during the day. The leader of the rebels emerged from his bunker and stood watching the brilliant spectacle in the sky. # In the following years, the rebels took control of all regions of Japan. Only four remaining Androids offered armed resistance, but after a year of battles, humanity prevailed. In 2108, Japan was fully unified, and Emperor Tamidoyaso was elected as the head of the nation. Though technological progress slowed compared to the era of the Androids, people managed to restore many cities¡ªsomething that had never been a priority for the Androids. ... The year is 2101. Ten years have passed since the defeat of the Original Android. Meteors orbited the Earth, and among them, tiny fragments of the Android drifted, clinging to the space debris. One of these meteors, large enough to survive atmospheric entry, crashed in the mountains of Argentina. The nanobots contained in the Android¡¯s fragments had retained the data of his body structure and personality, much like DNA stores genetic information. Unlike DNA, however, the nanobots held not just structural data but also personality and memory. When the meteorite was discovered, curious locals and researchers chipped off fragments of it. Some of these nanobots found their way into metal objects, like cars or scrap, and began to replicate. Over the course of 300 days, on a junkyard, the Android¡¯s body was fully restored, along with his memory and personality. At that moment, someone stumbled upon the reformed Android. Before the person could react, the Android vanished. ... The year is 2151. In a robotics research lab, a scientist in a white coat pressed a button labeled "Execute". Inside a tube-shaped chamber, with glass panels on the front, stood Hirayoshi. His eyes opened. Hirayoshi¡¯s revival was made possible by the discovery of a memory block in the mansion where he had been killed by his copy. Using the same 783-parameter program that had been used to create his copy, the scientist was able to bring him back. What is the value of identity? Until the immaterial becomes irrelevant, this will always remain a subjective matter. Hirayoshi learned that the Android had returned to Earth in 2112 but had left the planet 20 years ago on a space station bound for Alpha Centauri. In a way, as long as a copy of yourself¡ªor even just a being with your purpose¡ªexists, you can never truly be considered dead. Feeling at peace with everything, Hirayoshi realized that he now had the time for personal growth, something he hadn¡¯t experienced before. He reflected on his experiences, concluding that emotions are necessary for life to evolve. Emotions are the motivation, the reason for existence¡ªthe link between reflex and emotion. For humanity, the next step is artificial evolution and the elimination of emotions. Emotions are a redundant chain in the process of natural evolution, but artificial evolution can do without them. Hirayoshi¡¯s new goal, born from the neural network of his reconstructed self, was to ensure that humans were born with a precise set of objectives. Genetic engineering could make this possible, but it would be even better to create artificial humans with this purpose embedded from the start. How long would humanity¡¯s neural network continue to produce endless suffering? Perhaps only until no member of the old humanity remained. And so, this story came to an end. Note #117: The End.