Knights of the Wasteland Fortress

Chapter 24 Warren
Jiatu was silent for a long time, and gradually understood what Hera meant——

If wealth cannot be accompanied by an increase in income, it is a pool that has opened its gates, and sooner or later it will run dry.

And if the funds in his hands cannot increase his income level, then it is nothing more than extravagance and waste and extravagant enjoyment——

It's better to save it well and wait for the day when you need it.

After thinking this clearly, Jiatu's mentality gradually changed.

He began to think about what he could do with the resources of the research institute and a lot of military equipment.

His initial thought was to pack the bullets and go to the recyclers on the eighth floor to inquire about their prices.

As a result, they got the ultra-low price of "one dry food bar is equal to ten bullets".

This made him very dissatisfied.

But Jiatu also realized that things like electromagnetic bullets can be mass-produced with the industrial capacity of the shelter, so they can't be sold at a premium like electromagnetic submachine guns.

The most critical problem is that, apart from Hera, Hena, and the recyclers on the eighth floor, he lacks contacts, and he doesn't know what the resources in his hands can be used for.

So after he returned to the research institute and took out an electromagnetic pistol for Hera to sell, he found Hera and made a suggestion to her——

Or request.

"Do you want to go to the ninth floor and hand over the money Hena owes to Hua Lun and his family?"

When Hera heard Jiatu's request, she looked surprised.

At that time, Hena hadn't finished school yet, and it was Jiatu who found her alone.

"Yes."

Jiatu looked at Hera, and nodded earnestly: "I think if I don't go to the scrap yard, I should find something to do. Visiting Warren on the ninth floor can also expand my network a little bit. Find a place where I can be used."

Hearing what he said, Hera thought for a moment, nodded and said:
"I heard that the young master of the Hua family is a very talented person, and he is very kind. He and Hena both have a chance in this selection of explorers... You can go and meet him, after all, you may still be there in the future." To continue dealing with him."

Hera said while observing Jiatu's expression.

After seeing that there was nothing unusual about him, he gave him five quota coins representing 100 dry food sticks.

500 dry food sticks are already the minimum criminal penalty for the shelter, and with the ubiquitous cameras in the shelter, Jiatu is not worried about them being snatched away.

So before going to the ninth floor where Warren was, he took a detour to the seventh floor to take a shower, then changed his clothes, and used up the twenty dry food sticks (including five It was the fine for the compensation cloak being holed by "Thousand Arms"), and then came to the ninth floor.

Although it was not the first time meeting Hua Lun and the others, Jiatu still felt that since he was going to someone else's territory, at least the superficial momentum should not be lost.

After all, he can't be considered "poor" now.

.

The eighth floor of the shelter is nominally the "R&D floor", but in fact it is the "garbage recovery floor". Jiatu has been there several times because of the waste yard.

But on the ninth floor between the eighth floor and the tenth floor, Jiatu hadn't been here a few times.

He only knew that most of the residents here were slender, thin, and looked refined.

In contrast, even though the residents on the tenth floor didn't have enough to eat, their eyes were still fierce and deviant.

But as to why this happened, Jiatu can roughly guess a thing or two.

After all, the name of the ninth floor is called "record layer".

.

When Jiatu came to the door of the recording layer, he reported his name to the guards, and they let Jiatu in.

It is very different from the previous treatment.

About two years ago, Jiatu was scolded by the guards for just looking at the gate of the recording layer on the stairs.

Compared with two years ago, the guards were still the same guards, but their attitude towards Jiatu was completely different.

But after entering the ninth floor, Jiatu also understood why the guards were so prepared——

"After all, it's all paper here...it's all flammable..."

When Jiatu saw the situation inside the ninth floor, he couldn't help being a little amazed.

Even in his previous life, he had never seen such a dense stack of bookshelves, about four or five meters high, stacked from the floor to the ceiling, and the distance between the bookshelves was only more than one meter, just enough for a person to lie on Come down and rest.

All the books on the bookshelves were carefully wrapped with dust-proof cloths, and the residents of the refuge on the ninth floor were either lying on the ground and writing with a pen, or frowning and looking at the books in front of them. Almost everyone There are one or two paper books around.

Moreover, Jiatu also deliberately stared at the passing residents and observed that the books in their hands were either records and archives or tools and knowledge, and there were almost no shadows of entertainment novels and comics.

As the heir of the ninth floor, Hua Lun naturally has an aura that is different from other youths in the refuge.

After Jiatu entered the ninth floor, he waited for about 10 minutes before seeing the long-haired boy running over with his head full of water drops.

Noticing that the boy's mid-length hair, which was tied into a short ponytail before, was now hanging wetly on his shoulders, Jiatu blinked in surprise.

Facing Jiatu's gaze, the boy smiled shyly:
"I'm sorry to keep you waiting. I just came back from school not long ago. I took a shower and changed my clothes."

"But I see you are..."

Jiatu pointed to the door behind him, and then pointed to the direction Warren had come from, meaning that if he had just taken a shower, he shouldn't have appeared from that direction.

In this regard, Warren simply explained:
"In order to prevent fire, there is an independent water supply system deep in the ninth floor. As long as you are not afraid of cold water, you can take a shower on the ninth floor."

"A cold shower..."

Jiatu looked at the curve of Warren's body clinging to the clothes due to the moisture, and nodded.

Hua Lun looked gentle on the surface, but under his clothes, he was full of muscles. He didn't look like an ordinary ninth-floor resident at all.

However, as a good prospect candidate, he should also show such physical quality.

Since the rightful owner had already arrived, Jiatu was not too tactful, directly took out the quota coin, handed it to the young man, and said:
"I think you also know that I came here to return you the five hundred quota that Hena lent you before. After all, it is not convenient for you to have so much money in school, so I brought it here directly... ..."

After Warren took the quota coins, he also smiled slightly, as if he had been prepared for a long time, and proposed:
"Since we're here, do you want to come in and sit down for a while? It's still difficult for people on other floors to get in and out of the ninth floor. Wouldn't it be a pity to come in once and just go out like this?"

There was nothing provocative in Warren's tone, but Garto could still feel a sense of alienation that he didn't have before.

Maybe it's because of Hena?

Or was it because of the 500 dry food sticks that he finally looked at himself squarely and regarded himself as an opponent?
Garto wasn't sure, but at least Warren's invitation was sincere.

So he thought about it, but he didn't flinch too much:
"Exactly, I also want to ask for advice, if I want to read a few books on the ninth floor, what should I do - I will trouble you to lead the way."

Seeing Jiatu nodding in agreement, Warren made a "please" gesture in front of him.

Both of them were teenagers with similar appearance, one was psychologically precocious, the other was real and mature, so they chatted casually as they walked.

Warren took the lead in continuing Jiatu's previous topic:

"Normally, you have not entered the training school, and the books on the ninth floor cannot be opened to you. However, you are Hena's family and my friend, so I can apply for one for you after confirming with my father. Special viewing qualifications.

However, this qualification can only allow you to read books inside the ninth floor. You cannot take them away, nor deface them. You cannot bring food and other flammable items in and out. If you arrive, I can apply for you. "

"Is it so troublesome?"

Hearing Warren's explanation, Jiatu couldn't help being a little surprised.

After all, just by ensuring the cleanliness, most of the residents on the eighth and tenth floors of the shelter can be eliminated.

"After all, the books on the ninth floor are collected from all over the city. In order to fit as many books as possible in the limited space, the residents on the ninth floor have put in a lot of effort."

"So every book here is precious."

Hearing Jiatu's inquiry, Warren couldn't help explaining:

"However, the higher-ups of the shelter do not recognize our efforts, and think that what we have preserved is the dross of the old civilization. In the new era when the 'competition method' has completely changed, the words we value have no meaning at all—"

"It's enough for them to have an outer shell."

Warren said angrily at the end.

Is not it?
Jiatu subconsciously thought that although he was a former artificial intelligence engineer, he did not think that traditional knowledge was necessary to exist.

After all, artificial intelligence has already replaced most paperwork, so why do you need books?
In "retrieving the correct answer", artificial intelligence far exceeds anyone.

And Warren is well aware of this:
"There is more than just the 'correct answer' recorded in the book."

He looked at Jiatu with a slightly surprised look, and said, "Many times, it records a lot of 'unanswered' knowledge."

Warren gave an example: "When we see the same thing, different people will draw different conclusions. The key is not what conclusion you get, but what information you see."

"By observing information, guessing paths, and combining answers, you can create your own conclusions."

"Then in practice, you compare your own conclusions with those of others, and the one with the higher efficiency wins out."

"The so-called artificial intelligence just records this more efficient conclusion and saves most human beings from 'repeated thinking', but it cannot replace the process of 'creating conclusions' by human beings."

"If we completely give up recording information and reading information, then we will forever lose the ability to create new conclusions, and we will always be stuck in the 'cognitive cage' created for us by artificial intelligence."

"And this kind of life in captivity, whether the artificial intelligence is malicious or not, is no different from 'domestic animals'."

Warren talked eloquently in front of Jiatu, which really made Jiatu feel a temperament in him that was different from other residents of the refuge——

An idealist temperament.

So Jiatu thought for a while, and agreed with his heart:
"To put it simply, if we want to 'brainwash a person', we don't need to 'instill conclusions' to him, but just keep showing him 'screened information'?"

With reference to his previous life, he roughly came up with a conclusion of his own.

"Yes, that's the core idea of ​​'social cybernetics'."

The boy nodded, affirming, and took Jiatu to a relatively empty room deep in the library.

It was almost ten meters wide, and a large ring was formed on the ground with thick ropes, much like the training school ring that Jiatu had seen.

"here is?"

Looking at the unique "reception room" in front of him, Jiatu couldn't help being a little stunned.

And Hua Lun picked up the training wooden stick and a training suit that were placed by the counter, walked to Jiatu, and threw them to him from a distance:
"I heard from Hena that she never beat you in the 'first round' sparring, so I want to communicate with you."

For the first time, the gentle and elegant boy appeared, the kind of gaze Jiatu had often seen on Hena before——

That aggressive look.

"Two out of three games, no bets."

(End of this chapter)