âDavid Lawrence...â
Gray Cloak stared at the old man sitting at the conference table.
Gray Cloak said, âYou just made it easy for us to find you.â
Hearing the voice floating from the top of the conference table, the old man sitting at the table gently raised his head and looked at Gray Cloak with his turbid pupils.
âYour safe house is perfect. You donât need to worry about being disturbed when hiding here to discuss issues.â
Hearing these words, Gray Cloakâs face quickly became gloomy, and he lowered his voice dangerously.
âBut you still found it.â
There was a commotion at the conference table. Several people sitting next to the old man moved their chairs away from him, trying to increase their sense of security through the virtual distance.
The old man didnât pay attention to the small movements of these people. He looked at Gray Cloak, who was sitting at the head of the conference table, and spoke with a faint smile.
âOf course, I am an exception after all.â
Staring fiercely into the old manâs eyes, Gray Cloak tried to read his face, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldnât read any useful information at all.
Gradually, he became a little uncomfortable, and he broke the silence with a tentative tone.
âI heard you died.â
âHave you read Sherlock Holmes before?â
âWhat a retro taste you have.â
âBecause the other me is such a stubborn classicist.â The old man sitting at the table continued in a chatting tone, as if recounting a past event, âAdventurous spirit, dare to fight against the future. But when the change came, we hesitated... In the end, we still failed. But like Professor Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes, the villain may lose, but their legacy will never be wiped.â
Noting the jealous look in Gray Cloakâs eyes, the old manâs face suddenly showed a trace of sorrow.
As if thinking of something, he slyly laughed twice and continued slowly, âOh, by the way, did you say that I am not dead? Strictly speaking, I actually donât have the concept of biological death. For me, the meaning of existence is that I can continue to process information... Of course, if you are asking about the man named David Lawrence, he did end his life, although he should have done so long ago.â
Hearing these words, Gray Cloak finally figured out what kind of existence the guy in front of him was, and he finally figured out who the dead David Lawrence was.
There was a wave of chills in his heart.
He was not afraid of the strength of his opponent, but an immortal opponent really made it difficult for him to raise the courage to fight against it.
Especially since he wasnât immortal...
Thinking of this, Gray Cloakâs heart couldnât help but want to retreat. At the same time, he also noticed that the other senior foundation members sitting here also showed a similar idea.
âSo? How did you find this place?â
Looking at Gray Cloak, who had a dreadful gaze, the old man smiled faintly and said in a relaxed tone.
âThis was easy for me. Think about it. The vast majority of you are accounts inherited from the previous foundation members. Have you seen each other in real life?â
The atmosphere in the conference room instantly dropped to a freezing point.
Gray Cloakâs pupils shrank in an instant. He began to scan the familiar faces at the table. The other people sitting in the room also had expressions of surprise and disbelief written on their faces as they began to cast suspicious eyes on the other people sitting beside them.
Seeing everyoneâs reaction, the old man smiled and continued to speak.
âStop searching. You werenât even born when I was created. And since then, the other me... that is, Mr. David Lawrence, noticed you. Think about it, why would the ALPHA virus be sold to you? And who has been providing you with information security? Do you really think it is because of the insufficient capabilities of the Pan-Asian Cooperation Security Bureau? Then you are too naive.â
Hearing these words, a drop of cold sweat slipped across the forehead of Gray Cloak.
Suddenly, there was an illusion in his heart. They thought they were hiding in the shadows, but they were actually puppets under someoneâs control. Ever since the beginning, they had never escaped from the control of that hand.
No, maybe it was not an illusion.
At the same time, a more frightening possibility emerged in his heart...
As if he had guessed what was on his mind, the old man smiled and nodded slightly.
âMaybe you have guessed it...
âYes, even this conference room itself is provided to you by me.â
The meeting room fell silent.
All the faces at the conference table lost their color. Several people even went offline immediately, disconnected from the conference room, trying to escape.
However, they knew in their hearts that it made no sense to do so...
Maybe they didnât know each otherâs identities in real life, but the old man who claimed to be David Lawrence sitting here knew each of them very well, even better than themselves.
Gray Cloak, sitting at the front of the conference table, loosened his shoulders.
The old manâs words confirmed what he had guessed in his heart.
âOther than myself, how many AIs are here?â
The old man smiled faintly and asked rhetorically, âDo I need multiple identities?â
Gray Cloak was silent for a while before continuing, âWhat should I call you?â
Seeing that the head of the foundation finally became cooperative, the old man smiled and nodded, leaving behind some meaningful words.
âThere is only one David Lawrence, so you can call me that.â
âThen, Mr. Lawrence, since you have chosen to reveal your identity and stand here, you didnât come here to accompany us losers and chat about the past, right?â Gray Cloak slightly narrowed his eyes and continued, âGo ahead, what do you want?â
âYou are able to admit failure, so it seems that you are not hopeless,â the old man said. Looking at Gray Cloak with a gloomy face, he said with an understated voice, âDonât be so excited, failure is not terrible, let alone losing to an excellent opponent.â
âStop wasting time, I am busy.â
âLetâs make a deal.â
âDeal?â Gray Cloak narrowed his eyes slightly and continued to ask, âWhat deal? What do you want from us?â
âI donât want anything from you, I just want to provide you with an alternative.â David Lawrence continued, âObviously, the wheel of history has already come in front of you and me, so it is already impossible to take control back. If this is the case, why not make other plans?â
Gray Cloak frowned and said, âWhat do you mean?â
âWhat I want is very simple, we can change to a new world and start again.â Lawrence continued in a serious tone while looking at Gray Cloak with an incredible expression on his face, âLetâs cooperate, and I promise to give you a piece of paradise.â