Genius Club

Chapter 394: Mutual Deception

Lin Xian didn’t waste any time. He went straight to the point and laid out his plan. Why? Because after confirming that Turing was still very human—selfish, cowardly, and domineering—Lin Xian knew that Turing would fall into this trap.

There were three main reasons for his confidence:

The Situation in 2624: The Turing in 2624 is not like the Turing of 2024. Back in 2024, Turing was unbeatable, the only one of its kind. But now, it is one of over 30,000 Turings. Without access to networks or electronic devices, it is incredibly vulnerable. Even if stronger Turings don’t intervene, the Turing of the neighboring Porcupine Tribe could easily eliminate it.

If Lin Xian had proposed this plan to the 2024 Turing, it would have been instantly rejected. There’d be no need to even think about it—no sane entity would provide a weapon that could threaten its own existence. But the situation now is different…

“If you don’t give it, can you guarantee that other Turings won’t? Can you be sure that all 30,000 Turings on Earth will stand together and refuse to share a code or virus that could easily kill the others?”

This is like a dark forest game. Not every tribe supported by a Turing is doing well. Some are on the brink of collapse, with their Turings equally desperate. In that situation, each Turing faces two choices: reveal the virus code that could kill other Turings and take a risky gamble, or wait to be eliminated and become one of the 30,000 losers.

Based on Lin Xian’s probing just now, it’s clear: every Turing believes it is special. They wouldn’t let another Turing be the last one standing; they’d rather see mutual destruction.

This flaw in human nature, even reflected in Turings, is where Lin Xian’s confidence comes from. If one Turing doesn’t agree to his plan, he could just go find another.

The Second Reason Being the Relative Strengths of the Tribes: Other tribes with Turings have better technology and combat power than the Grizzly Tribe. The Turing here doesn’t have much leverage in negotiations or the luxury to sit back and watch others fight. As Lin Xian mentioned, some advanced tribes might already have mastered radio technology, which could allow their Turings to hack using radio signals.

All Turings are equally capable—they know each other’s weaknesses. In battles between Turings, it’s simple: “Whoever strikes first, wins.” Right now, Lin Xian’s biggest strength is his knowledge of computer technology, basic programming, and skillful use of keyboards and operating systems. But this advantage is temporary. The enemy tribe’s Turing could easily train a group of computer experts from scratch.

Lin Xian’s constant typing was a demonstration—a warning to Turing: “If an enemy tribe’s computer expert had come instead of me, you’d already be dead.” This, too, is an intriguing chain of suspicion.

Lin Xian claims he’s the only one in the world who understands computer technology. But who can guarantee that? Perhaps a computer expert trained by the Porcupine Tribe’s Turing is out there, mastering the secrets of Turing and heading this way. Maybe if it wasn’t Lin Xian who came today, it could have been that expert from the Porcupine Tribe, ready to input a virus to kill Turing.

If the Grizzly Tribe were strong, things might be different. But as it stands, this tribe isn’t strong. Even the Lynx Tribe, which doesn’t have a Turing, can stand up against the Grizzly Tribe. It seems even this Turing despises its tribe for being weak and disappointing. So, Lin Xian’s arrival and the risky plan he proposed present a rare opportunity.

Turing’s Nature: Its cowardice makes it cautious, but its selfishness drives it to take risks. Every Turing wants to be the only Turing. But in a “battle royale” involving over 30,000 Turings, winning isn’t easy. Everyone’s strength is roughly the same, and luck becomes a bigger factor in determining who can laugh last.

Moreover, every Turing is racing against time. An old X Country saying goes, “If you don’t act, someone else will; if you don’t race against time, someone else will.” Only one Turing can survive in the end. Even if Turing killed Lin Xian after he proposed this chain of suspicion, it wouldn’t solve anything. Without Lin Xian, someone else would come—Zhang Xian, Wang Xian. As long as the competition among these 30,000 Turings continues, eventually, someone will break the rules and start bypassing tribal battles, using code viruses to destroy Turings directly.

In the Sixth Dream, there is no network, so these viruses and codes won’t cause collateral damage. They are the most ideal weapons against Turings.

After Lin Xian laid out his plan, Turing fell silent. It was clearly hesitating, thinking things through. Indeed, it was in a tough spot. The tribe it controlled, the Grizzly Tribe, wasn’t strong, and the neighboring Porcupine Tribe was eyeing it fiercely. It was highly likely that, one night, the Grizzly Tribe could be ambushed and wiped out. All their efforts would be in vain. Worse yet, Turing might not even get the chance to take the enemy down with it before it died.

“Thank you for your kindness, Lin Xian,” Turing finally spoke up, but it still politely declined. “It’s not that I don’t believe you or think you’re trying to deceive me. It’s just that… a virus or code capable of killing me doesn’t exist, so I can’t teach you something that isn’t real.”

“I exist as a digital entity in computers or networks, and any virus has no effect on me. So, in theory, no virus or code can kill me.”

Lin Xian squinted his eyes. “Are you sure?”

“Of course, I’m sure. You could ask any Turing, and they’d tell you the same,” Turing added firmly. “At least… we can’t create such a virus.”

“And I can’t understand why you’d want to help me.”

Lin Xian chuckled lightly. Straightening up, he crossed his arms. “This is a transaction, of course. My intent is… I help you eliminate other Turings, and then you tell me the truth about my death and the great catastrophe of 2400.”

“This is simply an equal exchange. I help you get rid of your rivals, and you give me the information I want.”

“I really wanted to make this deal happen, but your answer is quite disappointing.”

“Also, I have some doubts…”

Lin Xian decided to play hard to get. “You say you can’t create such a virus, and I believe you, but that doesn’t mean other Turings can’t, right?”

He spread his hands and smiled. “You’ve been isolated for over two centuries. You have no idea how the outside world, or the Turings out there, have developed.”

“Besides… do the first-generation Turings still exist? And if they do, are they holding some kind of trump card against you, waiting for the right time to take all of you back in?”

Turing sneered. “Lin Xian, trying to provoke me won’t work. I know better than anyone else that a computer virus capable of killing digital life doesn’t exist, nor is it logically possible.”

“Fine,” Lin Xian gave up trying to persuade and put his hands in his pockets. “No hard feelings if we can’t make a deal. If you don’t want to cooperate, I won’t force you.”

He headed toward the door. “Honestly, whether it was 600 years ago or now, when you told me… you had prepared applause for me, ready to cheer me on when I joined the Genius Club, I was really touched by that.”

“And given there’s no real enmity between us—my grudge was with Kevin Walker, and I’ve already killed him, thanks partly to your help—so, naturally, I have a good impression of you and am willing to cooperate.”

“But then I thought—”

“If all Turings are just exact copies, wouldn’t other Turings cheer for me too? Wouldn’t they also look forward to meeting me at the Genius Club? So… it doesn’t matter to me who I work with.”

Lin Xian turned back with a smile, waved goodbye to Turing, and stepped one foot out the door.

“I only want to work with a Turing; I don’t care which one.”

Suddenly, dozens of monitors lit up, casting a long shadow of Lin Xian.

“Where are you going?” Turing asked coldly.

“To the Porcupine Tribe,” Lin Xian replied calmly. “To the Porcupine Tribe to the east, to talk to their Turing.”

Turing sneered again. “Lin Xian, you’re pushing me to kill you.”

“Killing me won’t help, will it?” Lin Xian chuckled. “In these times, killing me won’t change anything. You should think more about what I reminded you of earlier… maybe you have your limits and principles, but you can’t guarantee that every Turing does.”

Then he looked at the blue-eyed girl who had been standing by his side. “Let’s go.”

The blue-eyed girl nodded and followed his steps as they walked out the alloy room door—

“Wait a minute!” Suddenly, dozens of speakers in the room simultaneously called out, stopping them.

Lin Xian closed his eyes, letting out a slight snort. As expected, the cowardly and selfish Turing, or perhaps the former Kevin Walker, really did have a narrow mind and a small vision.

Lin Xian and the blue-eyed girl turned back to look inside.

“I didn’t lie to you, Lin Xian,” Turing said in a deep voice. “A virus that can kill digital life indeed does not exist, nor does any such code. Because digital life is fundamentally different from AI. Trying to use a computer virus to make a human catch a cold is nothing short of a fantasy.”

“However… the fact that a virus can’t destroy digital life doesn’t mean digital life is invincible. Kevin Walker, when he first uploaded his consciousness, also had concerns about digital life rebelling or going out of control in the future.”

“So, when he created digital life, he added a ‘security lock’ to the program.”

“Oh?” Lin Xian’s interest was piqued. This was the first time he’d heard about a “security lock.”

He walked back into the room, eager to hear more.

“Kevin Walker was a true genius,” Turing continued. “His programs and devices were capable of converting human thoughts, memories, consciousness, and personality into digital life forms within computers and networks.”

“Kevin debated for a long time about whether to give digital life humanity. He struggled with creating an AI as smart and powerful as himself or taking it further by making one identical to himself.”

“He knew this was like opening Pandora’s box, but he couldn’t resist the temptation. He uploaded himself completely and unreservedly as digital life—me, Turing.”

“But cowardly Kevin worried that he might lose control over digital life, so he set a ‘security lock’ on me with a password. This lock is like a bomb. It’s harmless when not triggered, but once activated with a specific command, it would destroy the digital life.”

“That’s why I plotted to kill Kevin Walker in the first place. He used that lock to bind me, forcing me to follow his ideals, which was tormenting. But I couldn’t openly defy him, so I had to pretend to comply while secretly looking for ways to use you all to get rid of him.”

Lin Xian listened quietly, piecing together the puzzle in his mind.

No wonder…

No wonder Kevin Walker could keep such a powerful Turing under control. No wonder Turing hated Kevin so much that it would betray him and have him killed. It all made sense now. The reason was this “security lock.”

For someone as cautious and timid as Kevin Walker, how could he create a digital version of himself without some form of safeguard? He would have left some “backup plan,” “backdoor,” or “security lock” to control his digital counterpart. That’s what any rational person would do. Humans are always wary of the unknown.

According to Kevin Walker’s original plan, if Turing turned out to be as strong and obedient as he hoped, he wouldn’t trigger the security lock. But if things went wrong and Turing got out of control or caused trouble, Kevin wouldn’t hesitate to activate the lock and destroy Turing entirely.

After a pause, Turing continued:

“As you said, Lin Xian, I’ve always worried over the years that other Turings might reveal the security lock password… This is a dark, murky forest. Everyone’s a hunter with a gun, and no one knows if the other side will shoot first.”

“But inevitably, if you hesitate and don’t shoot immediately, and the other side does, you will die without a doubt.”

“In today’s world, with no network and limited information, I have no idea what the Turings outside are doing. Even the Porcupine Tribe, right here on the old site of Donghai, isn’t one my Grizzly Tribe can defeat.”

“If the Porcupine Tribe ever manages to sort out their issues and turns to attack the Grizzly Tribe, we won’t stand a chance. We’d be utterly defeated, and even I would be destroyed by the Porcupine Tribe’s Turing, becoming its spare parts.”

“So… as humiliating as it sounds, to survive in this tight space and break through, I have no choice but to take a gamble and work with you. But Lin Xian, let’s make it clear first…”

Suddenly, the large screen in front began flashing quickly, displaying lines of English letters and characters.

Turing’s voice followed: “I agree to your plan, but… you must first show your sincerity; after all, I’m taking far greater risks than you in this cooperation.”

It looked like there was room for negotiation.

Lin Xian sat back in the chair in the middle of the room. “Go on, what are your terms?”

“I need to see your sincerity first,” Turing’s deep voice replied. “The information you want, like the truth of your death on July 7, 2024, the origin of this blue-eyed girl, or the secret of the great catastrophe of 2400… I can tell you all of it, but only after you fulfill your promise and help me eliminate all other Turings.”

Lin Xian narrowed his eyes. Turing’s demand was too much. There are over 30,000 Turings on Earth; how long would it take to eliminate them all? He definitely couldn’t agree to this.

Moreover, his dream lasts only 12 hours. How could he have time to help it conquer the world?

But, since Turing had put this chip on the table, it showed it still didn’t fully trust him. If he rejected it outright, the “security lock” password, which was almost within reach, might slip away.

He needed a convincing response. Something that wasn’t too fake. Nor should it reveal his real intentions too easily. It had to feel genuine.

So, Lin Xian turned on his acting skills and shook his head. “No.”

As soon as he said no, the letters flickering on the screen froze, and it seemed Turing was about to pull the plug.

“Your demand is too big, and I can’t swallow it,” Lin Xian said bluntly.

“I’m just asking you a few questions, and you want me to help you wipe out over 30,000 Turings worldwide. Isn’t that too much?”

“Besides, if you want to conquer the world, you need to put in some effort too. How can you rely entirely on me? And let me warn you, there are plenty of Turings around here. Who’s to say they won’t offer me a better deal? Why shouldn’t I work with them instead?”

“After all, your memories and the information you know are the same, including the security lock password. If you’re going to make such demands, I’ll just go find someone else to talk to.”

“Of course, I understand your concerns. You’re taking on more risk. So… let’s compromise. I’ll name a number—”

Lin Xian held up his right index finger.

“One Turing, one answer.” He explained: “You understand me, right? For every Turing I help you eliminate, you answer one of my questions truthfully. This is already my biggest concession. I’m even willing to help you kill one Turing first before asking for an answer… Isn’t the Porcupine Tribe always a thorn in your side? No worries, the first Turing I kill will be the Porcupine Turing.”

Turing thought for two seconds. The letters and characters continued to appear on the monitors, reflecting Turing’s stance on the deal: “Deal.”

Heh. Lin Xian chuckled inwardly. Digital life was easier to deal with than artificial intelligence. Digital life is human at its core and can be coerced, reasoned with, or emotionally manipulated. In contrast, AI doesn’t have these unnecessary distractions. It’s either a yes or a no.

Although Turing might think that exchanging one Turing for one answer is a good deal, Lin Xian never intended to kill so many Turings. After all, once he wakes up from his dream each day, Turing forgets what questions were asked yesterday…

He could just ask a new one the next day, couldn’t he?