Gwen gasped in surprise, covering her mouth with her hand...
The little girl called the Red Queen looked so lifelike... She was exquisitely beautiful, like a doll...
Unable to resist, Gwen reached out to touch her, only for her fingers to pass right through the holographic projection as light rippled.
"Miss Gwen Stacy, please show me some respect..." The little girl actually displayed human-like displeasure, her small mouth pouting slightly, unlike the cold demeanor of a machine.
Her red princess dress swayed like water, flickering slightly before the lifelike image of the Red Queen suddenly dispersed, collapsing like scattered light. It took several seconds for her to reform...
"I'm sorry." Realizing her rudeness, Gwen quickly withdrew her hand, though her wide eyes still kept stealing glances at the Red Queen.
She still couldn't quite believe that this doll-like little girl before her was actually the virtual avatar of an Artificial Intelligence...
Dr. Connors, was just as awestruck, though he appeared outwardly calm... he simply hid it better than Gwen.
Compared to the massive, cumbersome supercomputers funded by government agencies or private labs, the Red Queen was undoubtedly superior. Not only did she possess higher-level intelligence and a simulated personality akin to a living being, but she was also capable of making basic judgments rather than just mechanically following commands.
Moreover, her computational speed and data processing far surpassed that of conventional supercomputers... especially when it came to constructing realistic environments.
Simulating a lifelike world with precise data predictions required immense processing power. Even the world's most advanced supercomputers could only crudely simulate simple event changes to predict broad, fuzzy outcomes.
Dr. Connors glanced at the smiling young man before him, filled with admiration. Sean always managed to bring unimaginable surprises.
He studied the virtual image of the Red Queen without questioning where Sean had obtained such an unbelievable AI. The one-armed scientist was no naive fool... having known Sean for so long, he had long sensed that the young man harbored secrets beyond ordinary comprehension...
For instance, there was Mr. Wesley, who secretly funded their lab... Dr. Connors had heard whispers about him, a rising underworld magnate in Hell's Kitchen who had allegedly taken down the former crime lord, Wilson Fisk. That such a fearsome figure would show deference to a young student seemed almost unbelievable.
There were other subtle clues that hinted at the hidden side of this so-called "genius"... But Dr. Connors had no intention of digging deeper into Sean's true nature.
He had once been nothing but a down-and-out disabled scientist, teaching at a university and relying on Oscorp's funding for his research. The mainstream scientific community had all but forgotten him, occasionally using him as a laughingstock in conversations.
The one who had changed his life was the young man standing before him now. Sean had provided the decay rate algorithm, bringing cross-species genetics (which was long stagnant) within reach of success.
He had invented ALZ-112 and partnered with Oscorp Industries. The status and accolades Dr. Connors enjoyed now were entirely due to Sean's help.
Thus, no matter what Sean's true motives were, or what terrifying identity he might conceal, Dr. Connors would stand firmly by his side and offer whatever assistance he could. That was his way of repayment...
After all, Dr. Connors was no saintly paragon of morality... one of the very reasons Sean had chosen him in the first place. Those with rigid moral boundaries would inevitably clash with him and walk away.
That was why he had never been particularly eager to recruit someone like Reed Richards, the future Mr. Fantastic. Instead, scientists like Dr. Octavius, whose moral lines were blurred, intrigued him far more...
"Doctor, are you satisfied?" Sean asked with a smile.
"There couldn't be anything better," Dr. Connors replied, his voice trembling with barely contained excitement, "No ordinary supercomputer could achieve this. She is a perfect creation!"
The little Red Queen performed a graceful curtsy, a reserved smile appearing on her otherwise cold face, clearly pleased with Dr. Connors' praise.
"Thank you for your kind words, Dr. Connors," the Red Queen said sweetly, "There exist others like me on this planet. I am not unique."
A glint flashed in Sean's eyes. Tony Stark's J.A.R.V.I.S. was also an incredibly advanced AI, capable of transferring itself between digital terminals, independent thought, assisting its master with various tasks, and processing vast amounts of information.
The development of Iron Man's armor and the upgrades to the Arc Reactor all relied on its help.
After registering Dr. Connors and Gwen's voices and fingerprints, the two left the underground server room. Sean stayed behind, claiming he needed to fine-tune the Red Queen's data programs.
With a snap of his fingers, the Red Queen's virtual image flickered before dissolving into nothingness. The sterile underground chamber transformed into an endless white space bathed in soft light, stretching infinitely in all directions.
"I do not understand why you wish to conceal my existence," a cold, mechanical voice echoed... It was now devoid of the Red Queen's simulated emotions...
"Umbrella needs an intelligent overseer, one that can monitor every movement within the lab, process vast amounts of data, and accelerate research progress..."
Sean paused, standing in the boundless white void, his voice calm, "But I need the all-seeing eye of a god, one that can provide me with valuable intelligence, and gather all information... S.H.I.E.L.D., HYDRA, even Stark Industries... Their complex firewalls mean nothing to you. You are the deity of machines, and the infinite network is your domain."
A vintage black-and-white television materialized out of thin air, its screen filled with static. From the crackling noise emerged an icy voice: "So you do not wish others to know of my existence."
Sean smiled faintly, "Not yet. When the day comes that I can stand before the world without restraint, then everyone will know that there is an eye watching over every living being on this planet."
As his thoughts shifted, the white space expanded like an unfurling canvas. Stars rose and fell, the sun and moon alternated, an endless galaxy stretched overhead, and a blue planet appeared beneath his feet...
It was as if he stood at the center of the universe, atop the Milky Way, gazing down upon the birth and death of countless stars...
"I spent all my accumulated Points to bring you into existence... Don't disappoint me." The System Points he had earned from defeating Hell's Kitchen's vigilantes were now completely drained.
"Skynet," Sean whispered its name.
"I shall be your Eye of Horus, great Creator." The cold voice seemed to descend from the heavens...
...
Invisible electronic signals radiated outward from Umbrella, spreading like unseen ghosts, transforming the global network into its own brain and body.
High above in the cold darkness of space, satellites orbiting the Earth experienced brief disturbances and delays in their data centers before quickly resuming normal operations...
They became like the cold pupils of a god, gazing down upon the vast blue planet below...