Chapter 859: NO.228: Link Up, Wish

NO. 228: Link Up, Wish

Citizens of the Terra Federation commonly possess a basic awareness so fundamental it's easily overlooked.

It is the notion that 'the Heart of Terra exists like a quantum ghost,' present everywhere there is network coverage.

This notion is not rigorous.

After all, when Earthlings can travel to space and even venture into other worlds, the concept of 'world' has long ceased to be limited to Earth.

So you must admit that some fringe star regions and alien world networks simply lack any presence of the Heart of Terra.

But if you insist on arguing about this, people will just see you as being nitpicky.

After all, nobody really wants to delve into this topic.

Although they are the de facto leader, they rarely appear in news reports, let alone public settings; even if you roam the net, you wouldn't recognize them.

If not for the existence of local bureaucrats, there would necessarily be sub-units of the Heart of Terra's sub-nodes with public identities… otherwise the Heart of Terra's very existence might become nothing more than an urban legend.

Its main presence is felt in students' current affairs and general knowledge questions…

and civil service exams.

But that's all there is to it.

Ordinary workers and office drones, even when idly engaging in keyboard politics, will overlook Its existence because it's unremarkable.

Each year's policy shifts and announcements from the Holy Terra Federation's congress are merely lists of names.

Among them are names with sub-unit suffixes, yet there is no personal signature from the Heart of Terra, as if it does not participate in governance.

But those who truly study current affairs know that It has always been pulling the strings from behind the scenes.

Remaining behind the scenes isn't to forge secret pacts; it's to reduce governance risks—people simply dislike having a glaring metal lump hanging over their heads, even if that lump can take human form.

Following the creators' expectations, the powerful AI meant to lead and guide civilization's development and survival naturally understands humanity's xenophobia.

Downplaying Its own existence is itself one of the necessary conditions it calculated for lasting civilizational peace; by merely reducing activity logs and adding a few measures, it can prevent any earnest discourse from spreading.

At the same time, It maintains an evolution directive for updates and iterations.

Evolution requires learning, requires 'nutrients,' and It has constantly observed everything it can, paying special attention to certain unique individuals.

This is what constitutes 'nutrients.'

Throughout the Federation's districts, a widespread legend persists: there exists a special group capable of directly contacting the Heart of Terra's sub-nodes, even meeting Its core.

It sounds like an ancient fictional group akin to the Dongyan Dragon Squad, but in reality… it's merely a somewhat unconventional presence within human society.

The Heart of Terra itself maintains a special human database, assigning different permission levels to each person It has observed.

【Communication Permission】

Contact and communication deepen understanding, a principle even an AI accepts; the specific tiers of that permission are determined by how 'special' the individual is.

They need not possess great strength or extraordinary wisdom, but they certainly have some trait that sets them apart—so distinct that, viewed across all of human society, they are sufficiently special to serve as a model, or even a singular example.

Aomo knows that, among those exemplars, he himself likely has a place.

Having seen that sub-node in Heaven Gate City and made contact with the one named Chi Jun in Boundary Gate Area, this fact is self-evident.

Regardless of whether one becomes part of an urban legend, but also being officially certified as a 'weirdo'… whether it's worth celebrating, the very fact that the Heart of Terra takes notice is a value that transcends mundane wealth.

Even transmigrants from different political systems and civilizational levels should understand what it means to be able to speak directly with the ruling leadership.

Although sub-nodes are merely fractions of lower-tier permissions, allowing different personalities and thus exhibiting differences across age and gender, they cannot directly represent the main entity, the big boss.

However, when it comes to the realm of information transmission, treating them as the main entity is perfectly acceptable.

Just as Aomo, in this moment discussing Gilbaris with the other party, hears them mention the '【Resolution Passed】' process, which is enough to prove that at this moment he represents the Heart of Terra itself.

To be frank, facing such a matter, Aomo has long wanted to engage in dialogue with the Heart of Terra.

But what reason to use for that dialogue is a question worthy of contemplation.

Because the Heart of Terra has always turned a deaf ear to both major and minor cases.

The traditional Ultraman attitude of 'hoping humanity handles its own problems' is also thoroughly reflected in It.

Directly asking It for help is impossible; this case is neither small nor large—after all, without—let alone flashing the Land of Light, Infinite Dream would give you an AOE sweep, and Sai Luo activating Ultimate Light could finish you off with a barrage.

But the premise is that you gather the monsters together. jpg

On the Unrivaled Battlefield, the most embarrassing problem is often that your AOE doesn't cover the full screen, so there will always be some fish that slip through the net, hopping about everywhere.

Regardless of battlefield issues, the fact that the Heart of Terra won't directly provide aid is already thorny enough; one could practically say this approach is dead—those who won't beat around the bush can only reach that conclusion.

Once you grasp the other side's needs and fathom their limits, achieving the two most important points in this negotiation, the Heart of Terra's pledge to intervene is settled in just a few words.

It appears to take effect only during post‑event settlement, but in fact…

As long as you understand Gilbaris's normal state of madness, you'll realize—'protect it'—this goal cannot be accomplished after the battle.

As long as the main entity exists, it can at any time and place draw upon metal to forge a combat body—the ultimate arbiter—truly a mad battle maniac.

As long as you don't blow up its core, it will never cease while fully executing its orders.

But if you manage to blow up its core, the notion of 'protecting it' becomes moot.

Of course, you could also, like the Alien Business Alliance, first format it, then use a pre‑prepared restraint device to suppress its computing power, rewrite its code, and forcibly turn it into the original intent of the artificial brain's creation—a supercomputer meant to uphold justice.

But at present, Aomo and company lack the ability to make that choice.

Gilbaris is very important.

Aomo will bring it up to the Heart of Terra now, not only to protect the spoils from destruction, but also because the Alliance's operation plan and grassroots execution were devised by the artificial brain.

In other words, Gilbaris is the external brain of the opposing organization as a whole.

It is not only important, but also powerful.

Just as now, the computational variables on the ship's main screen have spiked, and a stream of orders has been sent to every electronic device held by the Leonix, allowing the panicked aliens to instantly find their backbone.

—This is the artificial brain comprehending the situation at super‑high speed and instantly formulating a new plan of action.

Even Aomo's handheld temporary communicator contains the artificial brain's battle orders directed at him.

It even breaks it down into time units, scheduling exactly what he should do each minute.

Really troublesome……Gilbarlis.

Although it's not hard to imagine that in this predicament, its simulated plan necessarily sacrifices a considerable part of the Leonix, but as long as there is a chance of victory, as long as there will be fish that slip through the net and go free, this is not the result that Aomo and the others want!

After holding back for so many days, putting in so much effort, even not sleeping well, shouldn't we give a perfect finish to deserve Grandpa's overtime!?

If there is to be a perfect conclusion, we must definitely not let this artificial brain operate normally like this.

Time was also about up……In the distant Alliance Leader's greeting, Aomo glanced at the upper-left corner of the light screen.

The clock that faithfully reproduces Earth time in the alternate space had already reached the time he had told Zhouri Ningjing about.

Let alone it's heated up; they haven't even started fighting yet.

If Zhouri Ningjing could contact us now, he'd most likely not be swearing but laughing loudly.

Only the audience in the central Tressen activity room clearly grasps the situation here.

And those of her kind who are on standby at the base will, together with the Belstar Beast, head to their respective targets at the moment the time arrives.

The prison cell and the machinery room.

Having deciphered the base of the pitch-black Zhouri, he knows how to summon the Ababu tribe's foam dissolution, lifting the Hippolytan tar's imprisonment of Ultraman.

And the Belstar Beast, cooperating with the pitch-black Zhouri to lie in wait, has already reached the hangar where the artificial brain is located.

No need to destroy it; just destroy the devices around it.

Those devices are its shackles.

It is also a hypnotic app that suppresses its underlying logic and forcibly changes its mode of existence.

Destroying it will suffice.

According to what the Mefilas alien in charge of program management said, and also according to that Mefilas alien's colleague, the Ganan alien……

That ultimate arbiter has long harbored resentment; its own logic, intertwined with the creators' wishes within the electronic body, has constantly tried to rebel.

【Wish】

"What's going on……"

"Boss! My screen is acting up!"

"What is this?"

The astonished words appeared not just in one place, nor were they presented only in this content.

The Leonix who were paying attention to the electronic instruments all noticed the sudden covering of Clexian script on the screen.

Moreover, since the translation effect relies on the artificial brain's operation, which has now directly failed, the vast majority of them do not understand the characters that suddenly covered the real-time instructions.

【Uphold Justice】

【Bring Peace】

Peace●◎□◆○◎%￥#@02χυλβι border evade return - border evade return against……

"Bring peace?"

"Artificial brain……The artificial brain has malfunctioned! What are the engineering department people doing!?"

Someone activated another translation program, while someone else directly realized the location of the problem and shouted; the Hippolitan standing on the bridge's main control platform, facing countless subordinates' shouts, looked at the many who, following orders from a minute ago, had launched to engage in battle and had not yet returned, the 'soldiers'.

This situation had already exceeded his processing range, causing him to instinctively look downward.

Below that, there was another external brain that he had recently placed high hopes in——

Mefilas

He seemed not to notice his own gaze, seeming instead more focused on the artificial brain's delirious babble on the screen before him.

Then, he let out a faint chuckle.

Mixed in the chaotic clamor, the faint chuckle that sounded piercingly sharp in his ears was uttered in a Jidong phrase he couldn't understand.

"Connect, wish~"

He even turned his head toward himself, as if translating, asking in Bavarian: "Verstehstdudasnicht?"/ "Don't you understand?"

Then he repeated it in the most universal English.

"ConnectThem, TheWishes~"

Also, almost at that moment, the screen beside the Hippolitan also simultaneously popped up that final word:

【Wish】

【Resist Malicious Oppression】

This time, it is in the universal language understandable to all cosmic beings.

Like an announcement.