However, despite the large number of vehicles on Tongchi Island, there has never been a traffic jam. Although there are traffic lights, you can usually get through after waiting for a maximum of one minute at a red light.
This is partly due to the extensive road network on Tongchi Island, which alleviates the massive traffic congestion caused by the maglev track in the sky. Another major factor is the central computer's control over the city's traffic.
There are no traffic police on Tongchi Island, only electronic surveillance cameras. Every car registered and photographed on the island is given a free navigation system specially developed by Company S. Even if you're driving yourself, you only need to enter your destination after getting in the car, and the central computer will immediately provide a route map. Just follow the route indicated by the central computer, and you will absolutely avoid traffic jams. Moreover, multiple destinations can be entered. The central computer will directly calculate the shortest, fastest, and most efficient route to each one.
This is certainly due to the diverse nature of Tongchi Island and the fact that it started from scratch, resulting in wide roads—Tongchi Island has a natural advantage in terms of wide roads. Many developed cities, because they were built earlier, had relatively narrow roads in their initial planning, such as Nanjing, which makes them prone to traffic jams. But more importantly, it is the computing and distribution capabilities of the central computer, which is truly amazing to the world.
The old man seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself, and his request wasn't unreasonable at all. Chen Xu naturally agreed readily. The server room, after all, had already been visited by many people—he needed to give the bosses an explanation. The company's supercomputers and super programs weren't a secret in the world's top circles—it was just a lie that no one knew the truth about.
Although lying to his father-in-law wasn't very ethical, Chen Xu had no choice but to do it. However, when the topic of the server room came up, the old man also mentioned wanting to see Zhan Jing. After a moment's hesitation, Chen Xu agreed.
In truth, Chen Xu doesn't see Zhan Jing very often these days. This girl possesses an astonishing talent for computers, along with a dedicated spirit that seems completely at odds with her serene appearance. Since she began playing the role of SMMH, she has spent most of her time locked in the computer lab, studying the Chinese language and personally conducting experiments. Chen Xu feels he owes her a great deal, so whenever Zhan Jing needs his computer knowledge, he generously shares all his resources without reservation. Currently, Zhan Jing's technical skills are already twenty years ahead of their time. Moreover, Chen Xu has even arranged for Xiao Min and Chen Fei, two pseudo-AIs, to act as her sparring partners. When it comes to programming and hacking skills, this girl is undoubtedly the world's best…
At least among humans, this is true; Chen Xu is certain of that!
Zhan Jing was naturally indifferent. She didn't talk much to people she wasn't familiar with, even someone like Guan Yi's father. She simply gave some answers calmly, without trying to steer the conversation in any way.
Chen Xu felt slightly embarrassed. To be honest, he could sense that since the girl came to Tongchi Island, she had been trying to avoid him. When she asked him for information, she would do so through the company's intranet communicator. At other times, she rarely spent time alone with him, so that whenever the two met, there were usually many other people present.
After touring the mainframe room for a while, Bi Zhanjing gave some brief answers to questions about the current technology on Tongchi Island. Suddenly, Grandpa Guan smiled and said, "Miss Zhanjing, I'm very curious about something. Would you be willing to help me understand?"
"Mr. Guan, please speak."
"You're so young, yet you've achieved so much, even surpassing the two major organizations, Tarot and X. To put it bluntly, one person's strength is ultimately limited. Miss Zhan Jing, you've developed to this level in just a few short years on your own... It's said that Miss Zhan Jing once unintentionally created a special program that can learn and work autonomously. Is it this program that helped you accomplish things that many scientists might not be able to do in their entire lives?"
This question caused everyone in the group to frown. It was clear that Chen Xu and Zhan Jing were holding back regarding SMMH's development and identity. The old man's words were the official explanation from Tongchi Island, and everyone knew that this explanation couldn't withstand scrutiny. Therefore, neither Gao Xiaojie, Guan Yi, nor Yi Shuihan had ever delved into this matter. But why would someone as shrewd as the old man adopt the attitude of a gossip reporter, as if determined to uncover this secret?
Zhan Jing nodded slightly and said, "I can't complete these things by myself alone. I do need a helper. My helper is currently working among these supercomputers. In fact, it is the real SMMH, not me."
Grandpa Guan looked at the roaring supercomputers around him with eager eyes and said, "To be able to independently complete so many groundbreaking inventions, this computer must be incredibly powerful... But isn't this just like an intelligent program in a science fiction movie? What if it suddenly turns around and tries to control humanity, or even attacks humanity?"
"Dad, you're overthinking it!" Guan Yi scolded, "It's not that scary!"
Zhan Jing smiled calmly and said, "Mr. Guan, don't worry. This is not the kind of artificial intelligence with self-awareness that you see in science fiction novels or movies. It's just a relatively advanced program, but it doesn't have the ability to think for itself. It can only execute commands. Usually, I give some instructions. For example, in 'The Translator of Babel,' I do some initial work, and then the program can autonomously collect all the language information on the Internet. Basically, I complete the creative ideas, and then my assistant is responsible for helping me complete the most difficult and complicated manual labor."
Is this the secret of SMMH?
A genius girl and a semi-intelligent program with incredibly powerful computing capabilities.
If what she said is true, then the computing power of this semi-intelligent program is much stronger than that of Miwad, the artificial intelligence!
This must be the trump card of All-Eat Island!
Grandpa Guan and Huang Xiusha exchanged a glance, both understanding the meaning in each other's eyes.
The trump card of Tongchi Island is the true identity of SMMH! If the Emperor doesn't understand this trump card, he absolutely won't dare to act rashly—because, in his view, SMMH is definitely not Chen Xu himself. If it really is as he suspects, and they fail to capture SMMH and Chen Xu and his group, there will always be a future threat!
It's important to understand that SMMH, since its debut in 2006 when it decisively eliminated the "Feng Huo Bing Lou" (a powerful organization), has, in less than six years, cultivated a terrifying real-world agent and a formidable force that dominates the island!
In such a short time, they created the world's strongest technological force out of thin air. The true power of SMMH is terrifying!
If he escapes, he'll be invincible online; no one can catch him! Then what if he finds another proxy? He can cultivate one Chen Xu, and he can cultivate a second! He can create one All-Conquering Island, and he can certainly create a second one! Even… if he directly sides with a major power, the combined threat would be terrifying. Even if they obtain All-Conquering Island, they won't be able to peacefully remain the world's number one!
But now, the emperor is relieved.
He felt there were no flaws in Zhan Jing's words, and they matched their intelligence analysis. Furthermore, he assumed Chen Xu wouldn't lie to his father-in-law—but little did he know, Chen Xu hadn't told anyone the truth on this matter!
The emperor was being somewhat presumptuous...
Of course, he wasn't afraid either. Although Tarot and X had been lying low for several years, their influence remained. Many people in various European and American parliaments had intricate connections with them, and while that influence had weakened, it was still there. Once they took over Tongchi Island, they would have to be especially careful. Tarot and X's biggest mistake was giving Chen Xu, this kid, room to grow and develop. As long as they were more careful in the future, controlling any promising talents they encountered and nipping any potential danger in the bud, they wouldn't have to worry about SMMH seeking any more proxies.
Most importantly, he doesn't have much time left.
He could only maintain this state for a month, and he would need to replenish his energy again within that month. Right now, he only had a little over a week left. This was because when the violent earthquake struck around Kaidan Island, the emperor and Huang Xiusha had already sensed something was wrong and fled the island in advance. Otherwise, if they had stayed on the island, they would never have been able to escape the great disaster caused by the sinking of the island.
They are currently infiltrating Tongchi Island with great success, but there is not enough time to take over the entire island. Therefore, the emperor must act quickly and take control of the situation as soon as possible by becoming Chen Xu!
Right now, he felt an indescribable urge!
Chen Xu, Yi Shuihan, Guan Yi, Gao Xiaojie, and Zhan Jing are all here… These are the true core members of Company S. If we can subdue them all at once, and then use the power of the Heart Force to transform the Emperor into Chen Xu's likeness, we can take over Tongchi Island without bloodshed and easily turn it into our own power!
Although he knew that such opportunities would abound once he arrived on Tongchi Island in his current state, when the last weight in his heart was lifted and the opportunity was right before his eyes… the emperor suddenly felt he couldn't bear it any longer!
He used to be high above everyone else, commanding a huge following and controlling the economic and political lifeline of Europe. How powerful he was! But everything changed after Chen Xu appeared!
A prestigious tarot reading platform. How has it fallen so low as to cower on a small island, afraid to even leave its home?
The spark of hatred, as if doused with a bucket of gasoline, instantly ignited into a raging fire! It burned ever brighter, its flames soaring skyward!
Seeing that both "Grandpa Guan" and Huang Xiusha fell silent, the atmosphere in the room became subtly awkward. Chen Xu scratched his head, trying to find something to break the silence: "Grandpa..."
"Old Master?" The "Old Master Guan" in front of him suddenly smiled strangely, and his tone changed: "What did you call me? Old Master? Am I that old?"
Guan Yi rolled his eyes at Chen Xu, and was about to speak when he suddenly noticed that "Grandpa Guan" and Huang Xiusha in front of him were both smiling strangely. The smiles were very eerie, even a little scary!
The laughter grew louder and louder, and the expressions of the two men became increasingly exaggerated. Eventually, even the muscles in "Old Master Guan's" face began to twitch violently from laughing!
A sense of foreboding rose in Guan Yi and Chen Xu's hearts. Just as they were about to do something, Huang Xiusha raised her arms. Everyone present was momentarily stunned, as if the whole world had suddenly gone dark!
After calming down a bit, Chen Xu realized that it wasn't the world that had gone black, but rather the background. It was as if the room had instantly turned into a pitch-black void, and everyone was standing in this void, unable to see any background, yet still able to clearly see each other's faces.
At the same time, everyone's body became immobile.
Chen Xu and the others struggled violently, but all they could hear was laughter. At that moment, even a fool would know that something was wrong.
Chen Xu gritted his teeth and said, "If you're not Grandpa Guan, then who are you?"
"Old friend, we've known each other for a long time, but this is the first time we've met in real life." The muscles on "Old Man Guan's" face twitched and contorted rapidly, his features and skin seemingly molded from clay, reassembling into the appearance of another young man. This young man was clearly of Asian descent, but his appearance was strangely uncanny. He had a pointed chin and long hair that trailed down his back. Black bangs obscured his eyes; he resembled a monstrous, more beautiful than a woman, an anime character.
The handsome, almost otherworldly man looked at Chen Xu and smiled, "Or rather, this is the first time you've truly met me, my friend… Let me introduce myself. My surname is Li, my given name is Da, and my courtesy name is Siyuan. I also have a nickname, 'The Emperor.'"
"Tarot...The Emperor!"
Chapter 414, the final chapter
Chen Xu almost groaned: "Tarot...The Emperor?"
This incredibly handsome, eerily handsome young man, who looked no more than twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, was actually the Emperor of Tarot? When he introduced himself earlier, he had a surname, a given name, and a courtesy name. Chen Xu wanted to be sarcastic—what era is this, still using a courtesy name? But after hearing his last sentence, Chen Xu was completely speechless.
Not only him, but everyone present, except for Huang Xiusha, was so shocked that their mouths were agape.
The old butler suddenly transformed into an incredibly charismatic young man, who turned out to be their longtime nemesis—the Emperor of Tarot?!
Guan Yi shouted, "Where's my dad? Huang Xiusha, what have you done to my dad?! How could you turn into my dad's like that?!"
Li Da smiled slightly and looked at Guan Yi: "Little maid of the housekeeper, don't you recognize me?"
"You..." Guan Yi seemed to remember something. His expression became even more astonished, and he exclaimed, "You, you are Li Da? The current head of the Li family?! You, how could you be the Emperor of Tarot?! And how could you be so young?"
"The Li family? Which Li family?!"
Guan Yi looked at Li Da with a complicated expression, and almost spat out a sentence through gritted teeth: "One of the four major Chinese families, the Western European Li family, the Peony Pavilion!"
"hiss……"
North American housekeeper's four-leaf clover, Western Europe Li family's peony pavilion, Southeast Asia Dong family's emerald bamboo, Eurasia Yu family's azalea.
Chen Xu and the others then noticed that there was indeed a Peony Pavilion pattern on his chest!
No wonder this guy even claimed to have a courtesy name… The custom of choosing a courtesy name has long since disappeared in mainland China; I wonder if this is due to laziness on the part of the ruling party's civil affairs bureau. A name consists of two parts: a given name and a courtesy name, plus a surname. This is the common practice that has been passed down in China. The surname is the family name. The given name is given at birth. Ancient books say, "Three months after birth, a name is given, hence the term 'childhood name.' At the age of twenty, one has the duty of being a father, and friends and relatives can no longer call one by their given name, so a courtesy name is added at the coming-of-age ceremony." This means that at the age of twenty, upon reaching adulthood, a coming-of-age ceremony is held, and a courtesy name is given. Afterward, friends address each other by their courtesy name, not their given name.
This custom has long since disappeared from mainland China. Only some ancient aristocratic families have preserved it, and Li Da, Li Siyuan, is a scion of a thoroughly Chinese aristocratic family—the Li family of Western Europe!
Chen Xu chuckled: "I never expected this. The Tarot organization, which has been controlling the entire European situation behind the scenes since World War II and has a huge influence on the military, economy, and politics of the whole Europe, is actually led by a Chinese person!"
Li Da smiled slightly: "The Li family's ancestral motto is: 'Preparation leads to success.' The family benefited greatly from both World Wars, so why shouldn't we be in our current position?"
Chen Xu gave a bitter laugh: "I never expected you to hide so well. You've fooled the whole world... Li Da, what have you done to my father-in-law?! And how did you manage to impersonate him and infiltrate this place?"
Li Da smiled eerily: "Looks like you have a lot of questions. Alright, it's no trouble to help you out now. Don't worry, Butler and I are old friends, so I won't mistreat him. He's currently enjoying a peaceful life on a small island in the Caribbean, but I need to borrow his wife for a bit. Chen Xu, you're a smart man. When we suffered a crushing defeat before, we chose to give up and conserve our strength, not to fight you to the death on Tongchi Island. But today, the situation has completely reversed. I hope you all obediently accept your fate. If you're willing to cooperate, I'm willing to spare your lives."
Guan Yi snorted coldly. At this moment, Chen Xu cut off the conversation and said, "Alright, we concede! Li Da, no, Tarot Emperor, you win. As the victor, can you help me explain a few things that I've never understood?"
Li Da laughed: "Chen Xu is indeed Chen Xu. So straightforward. Alright, since you're so straightforward, I'll answer a few of your questions. Go ahead and ask."
"First, Li Da, you are the current head of the Li family. None of us expected the Li family to have concealed themselves so well. You must have relied on the Rothschild family's influence in Europe. But according to the information, you are already over forty years old. Why do you maintain such a young age? And... well, my second question and the first question should actually be the same, so I'll answer them together. What exactly is the method you use to change your appearance? Is it the latest technology in Tarot?"
Li Da couldn't help but applaud: "What a smart person. Only someone as smart as you is qualified to be my opponent. Alright, I'll answer you now. Didn't you just ask me if the information you found on the sunken Kaidan Island mentioned the term 'Earth's Core Force' intermittently? I can tell you, the change in our appearance is thanks to the Earth's Core Force!"
"The Earth's core force is the most fundamental power on this planet. This power is extremely powerful and mysterious! It is the primordial power of all things! It lies deep within the Earth, incredibly powerful and terrifying! Not to mention anything else, just extracting this power involves enormous risks... As you know, if it weren't for the sudden and powerful earthquake around Kaidan Island, you wouldn't even know this island existed! That earthquake, and the abnormal weather in recent years, are all caused by our extraction of the Earth's core force!"
Chen Xu murmured, "The Earth's core energy... could it be extracted from the Earth's core?"
"Brilliant!" Li Da praised. "In today's world, no technology can penetrate deep into the Earth's core. But the previous civilization did! There's a ruin on Kaidan Island—that's the device the previous Mu civilization used to study the Earth's core! This powerful and violent force is the most primal force of this planet! If used properly, it can destroy and even create everything! Unfortunately, this energy is too volatile and difficult to control. Our Tarot and X organizations have studied it for decades, consulting countless documents about the previous civilization, and only now have we grasped a tiny bit of its secrets. By using this core force in its simplest form, like now, this power can freely alter and reshape the muscles of the face and the bones of the body… If it's further developed, it will be able to control everything in one's body through this power! Such as blood, cells, and even genes!"
Li Da's voice was filled with fervor, and he glanced at Guan Yi with a hint of disdain, saying, "What do you think our Li family has been keeping such a low profile for all these years? It's because we've channeled all the profits we can to that island to research the Earth's core energy! Legend has it that as long as you control the Earth's core energy, you can completely restructure your own genetic structure and awaken the most powerful force hidden within your genetic fragments! At that time, I will be a god! I can live as long as this planet, I can command the wind and rain, and even control the entire planet! At that time, the whole world will be in my hands, what would I need that little bit of money for?!"
Guan Yi was speechless, then scoffed, "You're dreaming!"
“That’s right, I was dreaming.” Li Da wasn’t angry. He looked at Chen Xu and the others with a smile and said, “The destruction of Mu almost drove me crazy. The foundation of the Rothschild family for hundreds of years, and the efforts of our family for decades, were all destroyed by you! However… now I suddenly feel that this is also a good thing, because after coming to Tongchi Island, we realized that our development over such a long period of time is still not as good as the development of Tongchi Island in the last three or four years. Looking at the development situation of the world in recent years, and our development process compared with X, I suddenly feel that our development path has gone astray, while the development direction of Tongchi Island is correct… The energy of the Earth’s core is too violent and difficult to control, and it can easily cause huge disasters. I can tell you that in the records of the Mu civilization, we learned that there were once four civilizations in this world. Apart from the first generation of giants, the other three civilizations were destroyed because they wanted to obtain the Earth’s core energy.”
"I originally thought that with our current technological strength, we could continue the research of the previous civilization. However, the sinking of Kaidan Island made me realize that such an idea was probably too absurd, so I gave up. As long as we obtain the technology of Tongchi Island, we are still the world's number one... Moreover, the greatest benefit of the Earth's core energy is that it can restore youth and grant immortality... In this respect, I also see hope in the technology of your Tongchi Island. As long as we transfer the soul to the network and then use other means to reinject the soul of the network into a healthy and young body... this can also indirectly achieve the goal of immortality! In that case, why should we risk such great danger to study such a terrifying energy as the Earth's core energy?! Chen Xu, don't you think so?"
Chen Xu nodded with a wry smile... He finally understood.
Why is the century-long deception considered a catastrophe, potentially leading this generation of civilization down the same path as previous ones?
Now he finally understands... because of this primal force!
This is the most fundamental power of this planet, and any civilization's research into this power will inevitably cause great harm to this planet... This is the true meaning of the laws of Heaven! The so-called Heavenly Way is actually the Earth itself!
Earth is a mother planet, upon which all of humanity and all civilizations live. Although humanity has consistently harmed this mother planet, it possesses the ability to heal itself. When injured, it slowly recovers. However, if the damage is excessive, the mother planet will punish humanity! Delving into the Earth's core to extract the planet's most fundamental power is likely a grave taboo for this mother planet, directly damaging its most primal strength and potentially even destroying it… In that case, the Earth mother planet will severely punish these erring humans!
That's the rule of Heaven... Just annihilate it!
At this moment, Chen Xu suddenly had an epiphany... As the great hoax of the century developed to its later stages, many people probably found information about the Earth's core force in the previously closed data of the previous generation of civilization and began to study it frantically—this was the true result of the great hoax of the century, and he had only accelerated this path.
Li Da continued, "Our greatest gratitude goes to the Rothschild family. This Kedan Island, the island that bears the legacy of the Mu civilization, was discovered by the Rothschild family." He looked at Guan Yi, "Before World War II, our family's power was indeed comparable to yours, controlling Europe... such things are just dreams. But, who can blame us when our family has a certain influence in Germany? Hitler and our family have a very good personal relationship. We helped him a lot when he launched the war. Of course, all this help was done in private. Outsiders had no idea. Later, the Rothschild family suffered heavy casualties at the hands of Hitler. What could they do? They were Jewish. Later, the patriarch of the Rothschild family had no choice but to ask our family for help. In return, they gave us an island... yes, the very island that you caused to sink to the bottom of the sea recently! It's the site of an ancient civilization, the Mu civilization. Our family obtained the Mu civilization's data and absorbed the Rothschild family. How could we not develop further?"
Guan Yi was stunned for a moment, then glared at Huang Xiusha and cursed, "Huang Xiusha! You're really something... You're just pretending, aren't you? You deliberately let me find out back then, because you were planning to deal with our housekeeper a long time ago, weren't you?" With Guan Yi's intelligence, he immediately thought of this when he saw Li Da's change in appearance, and he was filled with resentment.
Huang Xiusha giggled, "Oh dear, my Miss Guan, no matter what, I'm your father's lawfully wedded wife. You should call me 'Stepmother,' or at least 'Auntie.' This child has no manners. Actually, it's your fault too. If you hadn't been so eager to run away, how would I have had the chance to be your substitute? Also, my name isn't Huang Xiusha. My name is Helen, remember that?" As she spoke, the young woman wiped her face! Without anyone seeing the contorted, grotesque expression on her face, she transformed, like Sun Wukong, into an even more beautiful and alluring Western woman!
Although she hated this woman to the core, even Guan Yi had to admit that she was stunningly beautiful! She even thought that if she approached her father with her natural appearance, he would probably fall at her feet. Although he couldn't marry a woman of foreign blood due to family rules, he would probably give her a lot of family power in private.
“Helen…” Chen Xu suddenly gave a bitter laugh, saying, “Does that mean all women named Helen are beautiful? There was a beautiful Helen in Greek mythology, who sparked the ten-year Trojan War and the Trojan Horse tragedy…” At this, everyone smiled bitterly. Indeed, the Trojan Horse! The Greeks feigned defeat, leaving behind a giant wooden horse and hiding their soldiers inside. The Trojans, foolishly, carried the horse into the city. And now, weren't they just like the Trojans?!
Helen chuckled, "Mr. Chen is indeed very learned; you even know the names of our ancestors?"
"Ancestor?!"
Li Da smiled smugly: "As you all may not know, the beautiful woman before us carries the blood of the goddess of beauty from the Trojan War... However, there's one thing I need to clarify. Legend has it that Helen was the daughter of Zeus, but that's actually a bit of a misconception. As for Zeus, you all probably know him. He was a renowned and powerful figure from the previous civilization. Helen does indeed have the blood of the previous gods, but she is not Zeus. That's just a misconception in mythology."
"And... this Miss Helen is actually the current leader of the X organization."