CHAPTER 1366: THE AFTERMATH (3)

Erik would be staring at the empty space if it wasn’t that all he was seeing was a projection in his mind going on in a fraction of a second, yet with him still being able to recall and understand frame by frame.

The pieces of what the biological supercomputer itself was connected—the neural interface matrix described by Dr. Hayes had striking similarities to the biological supercomputer itself.

Erik knew this because after years of having and using the biological supercomputer, and thanks to his increased intelligence, it wasn’t hard to understand it.

But of course, Erik was skeptical by nature and didn’t usually lean too much on things without proof, even if it was obvious.

"Could this be what you are?" he asked. "This artificial system she mentioned?"

[It’s possible,] the biological supercomputer said after a moment of silence. [The neural interface matrix designed to process multiple mana signatures... In simple words, it’s made to handle multiple brain crystal powers, like I can do. Everything matches my fundamental architecture. But we need more information.]

"Then let’s keep watching."

Erik accessed the next file. The screen flickered, and Dr. Ella May Hayes appeared once more. The difference in her appearance was jarring.

Her face had grown gaunt, with deep hollows beneath her cheekbones. Dark circles shadowed her eyes, and her lab coat hung loose on her now smaller body. Her hair, once just streaked with gray, now appeared almost completely silver.

A lot of time must have passed, or at least a huge amount of stress was involved in her deteriorating image.

"Research Log 2311," she said in a raspy voice. "Unfortunately, our resources continue to dwindle, which further slowed down the experiments. We also received word yesterday that Qarshold has fallen to the thaids."

She paused, swallowing hard.

"Qarshold was one of our last major supply centers. Their research facilities were important in our continued work. With its fall, we’re now operating on limited resources."

Dr. Hayes rubbed her temples; exhaustion was clear in every movement she made. She couldn’t take it anymore, especially knowing she was the one who created the monsters that were now taking over the world.

"It’s only a matter of time before the creatures reach the Lorogia region. We are facing a pressing deadline."

She stood up and moved to a different station. The camera followed her, revealing a laboratory far less pristine than in previous recordings, with equipment that had been repurposed and makeshift repairs clear throughout the space.

"Despite these problems, we’ve made progress." A hint of determination crept into her voice. "Thanks to Laur—I mean, Dr. Hayes Jr., we’ve found out about a potential way forward."

Erik’s attention sharpened at the mention made by Dr. Hayes.

"My daughter..." The woman said, a flicker of pride lighting her worn eyes. "She has given crucial insights that allowed us to advance our understanding of how to make the neural interface matrix. Regrettably, she will be sent to the west in the coming days. Her input would have helped us a lot in the project, but her talents are required elsewhere."

She sighed. "I guess it can’t be helped... There are not many of us anymore... humans, I mean, and getting researchers has become impossible."

The woman said that as a way to express her desire for her daughter to stay there with her, but it wasn’t like she had a say in the matter.

The Silverline corporation was the only thing preventing Hayes and her family from being killed by the ever-growing horde of thaids roaming the continent. They were their saviors, but also their captors.

Dr. Hayes then pulled up a series of complex diagrams on a nearby screen.

"Regardless, we believe we can create what amounts to an artificial intelligence capable of processing multiple mana signatures simultaneously, thanks to some cultivated specialized neural tissues. The key is to understand how to maintain consciousness within a synthetic-biological framework while preserving the ability to interface with brain crystals."

Dr. Hayes moved to another station where a containment unit held what appeared to be neural tissue suspended in a nutrient bath. Small electrical impulses visibly coursed through the tissue.

"We’ve managed to cultivate specialized neural tissue with enhanced receptivity to mana, as we said in the previous reports. This tissue will form the foundation of our prototype, but we are not sure these alone will be enough for our purpose."

She turned back to the camera, her expression grave.

"However, I must emphasize that this is entirely theoretical at this stage. The difficulty lies in preventing degradation. Besides, we fully need to understand how to create this matrix and how to make artificial intelligence out of it using the tissues."

Dr. Hayes sighed, her shoulders slumping.

"The ethical implications remain... troubling. But with humanity’s survival at stake, we must try."

She didn’t specify further, meaning that everyone there, even their higher-ups, knew she wasn’t exactly doing something legal. Maybe she was experimenting with humans even back then, proving this chain of madness started way before the Blackguards did what they did.

It was just that humanity still had the numbers back then, which meant that a few deaths were not a problem. It was different in the modern days, when humans were far less than thaids, and when even a single life was important for the species’ survival.

Erik noticed her hand trembling as she reached for a datapad. She reviewed something on the screen, then looked back at the camera.

"Lauren..." At that point, she gave up being formal. "She believes we can achieve stable integration within the month, provided we don’t find further complications. She’s implemented several safeguards to prevent the issues we found. But it’s all a theory, of course. We need to test this."

Dr. Hayes moved to a sealed chamber at the far end of the lab. Through its transparent walls, Erik could see a complex apparatus surrounded by monitoring equipment.

"This is where we’ll conduct the first tests. If successful, we’ll have created an artificial consciousness capable of working with multiple brain crystal powers simultaneously—something no creature can currently achieve. The only problem will be integrating this technology with humans. We have several ideas available, but we need to see if they will work."

She placed her palm against the chamber’s surface, her reflection visible in the glass. It was clear there were many things going on in her mind. Most of them must not have been pleasant.

She sighed.

"I never wanted this," she said, allowing herself to vent.

Dr. Hayes composed herself and turned back to the camera.

"End of log 2311."