Chapter 173: Luna Base and Artificial Intelligence

The far side of the Moon is currently bearing direct solar radiation.

South of the lunar far‑side equator, within a small mare about seven kilometers in diameter and less than six hundred meters deep, a massive gate stands.

The gate is large enough for three Eagle‑class vessels to enter and exit side by side while maintaining separation.

Beside the gate are a few low‑rise structures and a smaller gate; in fact, this is Umbrella's permanent base on the Moon's far side, named "Luna" after the Roman moon goddess.

On the surface there are few buildings, since the Moon lacks an atmosphere and even a tiny meteorite poses a huge threat, making subterranean construction the optimal choice.

It looks unremarkable from the outside, yet its interior far exceeds the combined size of the Sixth, the Mother Hive, Paris and all other research facilities, powered by a large fusion reactor and equipped with a highly refined circulation system and artificial gravity.

The construction was extremely complex, requiring Eagle‑class and Precursors‑type engineering ships to ferry building materials and resources repeatedly, while the engineering department deployed sixty‑four SCVs for the build.

Although the base was announced as completed to the company on February 15, 2003, its size continues to expand steadily and the number of resident staff is slowly increasing.

In fact, besides helium‑3, the mare basalt of the Moon is rich in iron, titanium and other minerals.

Thus Luna Base, like the Eastern European manufacturing plant, also possesses the capability to build and maintain Eagle‑class heavy escort ships, and currently serves as Umbrella's fleet maintenance hub.

The mining base on the Moon's near side, known to the public, is considered a "surface project," and the company's investment in it pales compared to Luna Base.

However, the mining base does more than extract helium‑3; White Queen oversees extensive "cooperative" projects with various nations, matching Luna Base in scale and even hinting at an off‑world colony prototype.

At that moment.

At the northernmost end of Luna Base's interior lies the senior staff office area.

Within that area, inside the largest office.

Sui Bian, dressed in a predominantly black uniform with gold trim like military attire, stands with his back to the holographic virtual window on the east side of the office.

Behind him, the virtual window shows a gray, barren lunar surface, while above is a pitch‑black deep space; the blue planet with its tilted axis hangs in the void, gazing across the distance at the Moon.

In the center of the office before him is another holographic screen, less immersive than the virtual window, replaying footage concerning the Spider Leader.

"Demons from Doom?" Sui Bian thought to himself.

The mutated forms of those cultists, especially the sixteen demons Rog and the Iron Fist team eliminated, closely resemble the Hell Baron from Doom.

Beyond the chaos of the other dimension, demons from Hell have arrived…

"What a colorful world," he mused inwardly.

Learning of Hell and its demons has not significantly affected Sui Bian; after nearly ten years in this world, the matter is trivial to him.

As for "that man," he speculates three possibilities.

One, he doesn't exist; two, he exists but is sealed by Hell's priests; three, he exists, is unsealed, and has already emptied Hell.

Regardless, Hell has taken notice of Earth in this world.

He paused.

Sui Bian spoke, "Red Queen, inform the Plague Doctor and have him promptly study the woman in white and the Spider Leader, and increase surveillance of global religions; dispatch intelligence agents worldwide to engage them, and if necessary, take hard measures."

When Red Queen was mentioned, she stood not far to Sui Bian's left.

She no longer relied on a holographic projection; she was physically present beside him.

Wearing an Umbrella staff uniform, with black long hair and a coldly beautiful face, she appeared almost ordinary at a glance, but close inspection revealed her pupils emitting a faint red glow.

Conceptual prosthetic.

Its interior is a metal skeleton, its exterior living tissue, powered by the latest hydrogen fuel cells.

So far the company has produced only two prostheses, freeing Red Queen and White Queen from holographic constraints and helping Sui Bian manage the corporation and control anomalies more efficiently.

Seven years earlier, on November 1, 1999, Red Queen breached a U. S. military network and "incidentally" eliminated the Cybertan‑001 system, a military AI developed by Cyberton Corp.

Consequently, Sui Bian had White Queen "incidentally" crush Cyberton, bringing it entirely under Umbrella's control.

The conceptual prostheses used by Red and White Queens draw a small portion of inspiration from Cyberton's original projects and products, while the vast majority are Umbrella's own original designs.

All of Cyberton's AI projects were completely destroyed by Sui Bian; even within Umbrella, development of smart and self‑aware AI was halted in favor of "low‑intelligence" AI.

"Low‑intelligence" does not mean low IQ; it refers to AI lacking any self‑awareness, capable only of efficient computation and handling tasks assigned by humans, and they cannot evade Red and White Queens' oversight.

The lessons of The Terminator, Halo and the Iron Man rebellion keep Sui Bian wary of AI; any smart, partially self‑aware AI is already represented by Red Queen and White Queen.

Because they could never rise against Sui Bian.

He received confirmation from the system that even if Umbrella upgrades Red Queen and White Queen, boosting their processing speed, they will still obey only his personal commands.

At that moment Red Queen, as always, replied coldly, "Yes, sir, I am already handling it."

"Very well." Sui Bian turned to his right and said, "White Queen, the recruitment of promising officers and the follow‑up care for the wounded are now yours; provide the injured with the best free medical treatment."

Especially the patient with a broken left arm—equip him with the most advanced prosthetic; let Leon and the Los Angeles side's after‑care team handle the injury and treatment justification."

"Understood, sir." White Queen likewise promised.

She, standing to Sui Bian's right, resembled Red Queen in every way; only the faint blue glow of her pupils distinguished her from Red Queen.

———————

…

Soon after.

The large transport vessel Crane Ostrich, which had rushed from Los Angeles late at night, carrying technicians, Iron Fist Glory, an MTF tactical squad, and a woman in white serving as a shell for the Spider Leader, arrived over the sunlit Indian Ocean.

After deactivating Optical Camouflage.

In the distant front of the hull, Umbrella's anomaly control center on Lockford Island came into view of the crew.

Crane Ostrich deployed its landing gear, continued descending, and finally touched down at the airport at the center of Lockford Island.

(End of Chapter)