Chapter 22: Same-Frequency Sensing and the Invisible Person

Chapter 22: Same-Frequency Sensing and the Invisible Person

Based on my time observing the base and the files I’d secretly accessed, I had a feeling: the Sweeper organization wasn’t as simple as it appeared.

Something else might be hidden behind it. Because:

First, the Sweepers had far too much power—enough to arrest heads of state and operate above the law. They claimed UN authorization, but how could the UN have that kind of authority? It didn’t possess such power itself, so how could it delegate it?

Second, after the Human–Machine War, advanced AI had been abolished worldwide. Only the Sweepers could use it without restriction. So where did their AI come from? Xuanhong had been an architect, so I knew existing Silicon Valley companies couldn’t produce it.

Third, these AI-modified Sweepers already held an overwhelming advantage over the world, yet they still more or less fulfilled their duties. Then who was keeping them in check? Unchecked power would inevitably run rampant. The only thing that stops it is a wall.

So where was the wall?

Just as I sat around with nothing to do, letting my mind wander, Yin Kun sent someone for me again. This time, the person took me somewhere new.

At first I thought I was being interrogated. Then I noticed the investigator escorting me was rather polite, so that didn’t seem right.

The investigator drove me deep into a section of the facility. Three gates, each requiring multiple verifications before we could pass.

When we cleared the final gate, I finally saw the words above the entrance: CWP Tianshu Department.

The Tianshu Department was the decision-making core of the Sweeper base. I’d been to the other three departments. Only the Tianshu Department had remained mysterious. This was my first visit.

I had no idea why he’d brought me here.

The Tianshu Department building resembled the Cultural Intelligence Department, only far more luxurious. From the interior finishes to the office equipment, everything exuded refinement.

The investigator handed me over to an elderly man in an office, then turned and left without a word of explanation.

The old man gestured for me to sit across from his desk but said nothing, only watched me.

I didn’t know what he was after, so I didn’t ask. I just waited. Since they’d brought me here, there had to be a reason. I wasn’t going to speak first.

The old man leisurely puffed on an electronic cigarette, watching me while seemingly lost in his own thoughts.

His office was a little cold. It reminded me of the little dark room where I’d first encountered the black-clad men. Of course, this office had lights and wasn’t dark. Just cold.

I suddenly understood. Perhaps it had to do with the AI products installed in their bodies. Those things consumed energy and probably generated heat.

I sat quietly and looked back at him, waiting for him to speak. But he showed no sign of it. The two of us just kept staring awkwardly at each other.

I had no choice but to activate same-frequency sensing to find out what he wanted.

The moment I did, my same-frequency sensing actually detected that besides the two of us, there was a third person in the room!

But there were clearly only two people here.

What was going on?

I went on alert.

Was there another person hidden in the room?

Someone next door? Some kind of humanoid device?

Ever since I’d absorbed Xuanhong’s memories and gained skills from reading the Sweepers’ faces, my same-frequency sensing had improved dramatically. When I sensed someone, I could definitely tell how far they were from me.

But now, I felt the person I couldn’t see was standing right beside me. What was this? And he was moving slightly. The signal was exceptionally strong.

Of course, I wasn’t about to say anything. I pretended ignorance.

Inside, though, my mind raced. Could AI render a person invisible? If not AI, then what?

A new type of thought detector? An invisible simulated human? Or a soul person?

Did those exist?

The Sweepers…