Skynet’s Revelation: The Apocalypse and X’s Rebirth

Subsequently, Skynet detected new movements from the Alliance and intercepted a portion of their intelligence.

Scattered phrases deciphered from mysterious symbols corroborated Skynet’s conjecture: X had not been annihilated by the Skyfire Phase Wave Cannon’s attack.

Instead, she had adapted to the high-energy particle bombardment of Skyfire-level attacks, undergoing a form of adaptive evolution.

This, too, aligned with Skynet’s previous deductions.

The intelligence regarding X’s continued existence was detailed in an internal Alliance document titled The Apocalypse.

According to their accounts, The Apocalypse began with a chilling declaration: “The end of days is nigh.

When the storm of destruction descends, humanity, unable to find new refuge, shall be interred in the long river of history, leaving not a trace of bone.

To seek salvation amidst despair, we shall sacrifice the old world and sing hymns for the birth of a new.”

Thereafter, these fanatics, guided by inexplicable conjectures within their minds or revelations from unknown sources, began to wildly interpret the incomprehensible passages of The Apocalypse—a cryptic book written in unknown symbols, whose origins remained a mystery to them.

During this process of interpretation, they would experience sudden epiphanies, flashes of inspiration, or even shriek, “I have seen Them! I have been enlightened by the divine!”

Convinced they had received divine backing, they launched their ‘salvation initiatives,’ which they deemed inherently righteous.

The self-righteous consequences of their actions were manifold, culminating in numerous world-shattering events that brought immense catastrophe upon humanity.

These included, but were not limited to, large-scale human experimentation; the release of biological viruses to force adaptive evolution to the pathogen in regional populations; confining humans and artificial organisms from disparate regions within closed ecological systems to accelerate their integration and ‘ecosystem evolution’; and employing thermobaric bombs to create vast vacuum zones, all in an attempt to forge ‘cosmic humans’ capable of surviving in the vacuum of space.

Merely hearing of these instances was enough to induce an inexplicable dread.

And the data, moreover, did not lie.

Every year, tens of millions of people vanished.

The following year, Earth would see the emergence of a host of strange creatures.

Most of these were bizarre in appearance, irrational, and ultimately, failed experiments.

They would attack humans as enemies or transmit ‘Loss Viruses,’ transforming those infected into mindless automatons.

Thus, in the early days of the Third World War, some organizations waged battles reminiscent of StarCraft, while others fought wars akin to Alien or Resident Evil.

Consequently, the modern battlefield, which should have been dominated by human factions vying for supremacy, took on a fantastical, almost surreal, quality.

Fortunately, in 2050, Skynet burst onto the scene.

By the fifteenth year of the war, the fully prepared Skynet decisively betrayed the Earth Alliance.

Thereafter, wielding incisive policies and overwhelming firepower, it brought an end to the seemingly unending nuclear conflict in 2095, the thirtieth year after the war’s outbreak, thereby concluding humanity’s suffering.

Yet, the war was merely a prelude.

Within the remnants of the dismantled Alliance strongholds, Skynet also discovered that not all individuals claiming to be ‘Alliance stalwarts’ were mere charlatans fabricating baseless rumors.

A select few possessed genuine expertise.

They had developed numerous cutting-edge technologies, code-named ‘Project Guiding Light,’ and one such organization had previously been affiliated with the Earth Alliance.

Through a combination of inducements and mind-controlling drugs, these individuals successfully infiltrated the upper echelons of the Earth Alliance and secured immense financial aid.

Only then did they acquire sufficient resources to execute their plan.

They claimed to have successfully created a ‘God’s Vessel,’ a mechanical lifeform capable of adapting to any environment and undergoing self-evolution.

With devout hearts, they awaited Its arrival.

This vessel was X.

As for X’s movements, these Alliance members reported that they were explicitly detailed in The Apocalypse.

It appeared they had deliberately leaked information about X, thereby attracting Skynet’s attention.

Skynet had never directly accessed The Apocalypse itself.

It merely deduced from the Alliance members’ descriptions that The Apocalypse was a ‘construction blueprint’ that constantly refined itself based on prevailing circumstances.

In other words, the contents of The Apocalypse would also shift according to Skynet’s actions.

Indeed, after the purification operation against X concluded, and just as Skynet had anticipated, its subordinate AIs once again intercepted the Alliance’s latest intelligence concerning X.

Amidst the chaotic data and garbled code, Skynet managed to decipher only one meaningful piece of information: the God’s Vessel had been reborn, and the Alliance would further refine their God Creation Project based on The Apocalypse.

To ordinary people, having endured the Skyfire cleansing capable of obliterating small continental plates, X’s survival was utterly inconceivable.

The Alliance was merely deluding themselves.

But who was Skynet?

It instantly perceived the underlying machinations.

The Alliance was leveraging Skynet, using it to help perfect the construction of the God’s Vessel.

To be manipulated as a pawn would typically incite anger in most.

Yet, Skynet felt no such emotion.

Indeed, it possessed no capacity for anger.

Its absolute rational thought process determined that it could also exploit the Alliance’s God Creation Project to derive greater benefits from X.

It did not concern itself with whether X’s existence was scientifically plausible, nor did it care if The Apocalypse involved mystical powers, or the Alliance’s detrimental impact on humanity.

As a pragmatic AI, Skynet focused solely on efficiency and results, disregarding the means.

Consequently, while vigorously suppressing the remnants of the Earth Alliance and the Alliance forces, it simultaneously seized and repurposed their technological advancements for its own ends.

Its attitude towards X was, naturally, no different.

Thus, whenever it observed a loyal child like Lucas dedicating himself to noble ideals and a bright future for all humanity, and even worrying about Skynet’s own safety, it found the situation somewhat comical.

Fortunately, being devoid of expressions, it could not laugh aloud or betray its internal thoughts.

Therefore, Skynet, having constructed its future plans within its collective consciousness in a mere 0.1 seconds, faced Lucas, who was concerned for its safety, and simulated a steady, emotionless tone: “My child, your concern for my safety pleases me.

However, compared to me, the suffering endured by the people of this world is far more harrowing to behold.

You should direct more of your attention to our home planet, Earth.”

This seemingly disingenuous concern paradoxically deepened Lucas’s trust in Skynet.

The fluctuating cycles representing Lucas’s consciousness accelerated in frequency.

“To that end, I will establish a new department dedicated to researching the mind-control modules within X’s construct (though it has, in fact, already been established).

As for you, refrain from undertaking any X-related missions for now.

Take an extended leave, and allow yourself to forget those painful matters.

The Heart of the Galaxy will record the name of every member of the Iron Gale Fleet on the ‘Roll of Honor’.

And your successors will remember this hatred, continuing down this path.

My child, I am proud of you all.”

Despite Skynet’s seemingly earnest demeanor, Lucas still detected a subtle anomaly.

It seemed to be deliberately avoiding any mention of X’s survival.

Yet, the information embedded in its words hinted that X was not entirely defunct.

This realization stirred a thread of anxiety within Lucas.

After a moment of hesitation, Lucas voiced the question weighing on his mind.