Chapter 76

After spending a few minutes introducing himself and explaining his purpose, Liu Rui'an finally managed to avoid being kicked out as an illegal intruder.

"Are you saying there's still hope for Will?" Evelyn Cast, who was most concerned about her lover, asked anxiously.

Will Cast, equally concerned about his own safety, looked at the man with a very eager expression.

Of course, if they hadn't already learned about the situation of the Umbrella Technology Company through the internet, the two of them would most likely have taken the man in front of them for a fraudster.

However, even so, Max Waterson's eyes were still filled with suspicion and vigilance.

"Will can indeed be saved, but the method of treatment is somewhat unconventional," Liu Rui'an said calmly, facing the three different gazes.

"What method?" Evelyn Cast and Will Cast said in unison.

Knowing that just talking about this matter would definitely be troublesome, Liu Rui'an directly sent the encrypted data he had prepared in advance to the three people's email.

The three of them, eager to read the data, plunged the entire living room into silence.

The content of the data wasn't very deep, focusing entirely on the concept of digitizing human consciousness.

If anyone else had seen this data, they would most likely have taken Liu Rui'an for a madman.

But for Will Cast and the other two, the content of the data was something they had already heard about.

"If the three of you are willing, Umbrella Technology Company is willing to bear all the costs and provide all the necessary materials," Liu Rui'an said with a smile, seeing the three of them fall silent.

"You're crazy! Will's body is gradually dying," Max Waterson, who instinctively disliked the data in his hands, said first.

"But his thoughts are regular electronic signals; we can upload them to Pienni, and Will can..." Evelyn Cast, holding a different view, said.

"Eve, Will is not a monkey!" Max Waterson, who clearly understood his partner and lover's thoughts, countered.

"Assuming we implant electrodes in his brain, yes, we won't kill Will."

"But even if this assumption succeeds, the best outcome is that you get an electronic approximation of him."

"If we miss anything, a thought, a childhood memory, how will you know who you're facing?"

Evelyn Cast's face turned sour at these words.

It was impossible for her to look good, having finally grabbed a "lifeline" only to be contradicted by her best friend.

" Eve, we're not giving up, but I think we should try nanotechnology," Max Waterson, noticing his friend's displeasure, tried to persuade her.

"But this is all we have now. We can save him! Even if there's only a ten-thousandth chance, I have to try," Evelyn Cast said firmly, staring at her friend.

At this moment, Will Cast, who had let his wife and friend argue, moved his gaze from the computer screen and said calmly:

"Max, I want to try it too."

"I'm going to die anyway. If I don't try, Eve will never let you off."

Liu Rui'an was not at all surprised by this choice.

Not only did Will Cast know his wife's character, but once there was hope, no matter how slim, she would never give up.

For a patient who knew he was about to die, unless he truly had nothing to live for, no one would willingly give up the hope of living, even if it was very small.

Faced with his friend's words, Max Waterson, who had wanted to warn the other party that the plan was dangerous, changed his words to:

"I understand, Will."

With a unified decision, the next steps naturally became easier.

Unlike the original plot, with the support of the Umbrella Technology Company represented by Liu Rui'an, the protagonist Will Cast didn't have to hide in an abandoned warehouse to strive for his last chance.

When the top-of-the-line private business jet circled over a private island not far from the California Gold Coast, looking down at the villa on the island, which was said to be worth nearly $30 million, Evelyn Cast and Will Cast's eyes were filled with joy.

After all, although they were striving for their last hope, having a beautiful environment was much better than being stuck in an abandoned warehouse.

After the plane landed, an ambulance that had been waiting at the small airport immediately gave Will Cast a check-up.

After confirming there were no problems, the convoy, including the ambulance, headed for the villa.

"You can take your time getting familiar with the villa. Considering Will's condition, let's go to the lab first," Liu Rui'an said, leading the three of them on a brief tour of the villa before walking into the clearly newly built elevator.

Although the lab under the villa only had two floors, the interior decoration and the complete equipment and materials still left Will Cast and the other two stunned.

Especially the data center that occupied an entire floor, which was far superior to "Pienni" in both hardware and software.

Even though they still had some suspicions about the motives behind Liu Rui'an's sudden appearance, even Max Waterson had to admit that the Umbrella Technology Company was indeed very capable and sincere.

With the complete equipment and materials, and a good working environment, the experiments led by Will Cast and Evelyn Cast naturally progressed more smoothly than in the original plot.

With better medical conditions, Will Cast's health was also noticeably better.

Throughout the research process, Liu Rui'an didn't just play the role of a "wallet" but, with his outstanding knowledge, quickly integrated with Will Cast and the other two.

In addition to the specific research content and direction, Liu Rui'an also didn't forget to change their views and ideas.

In fact, the most dangerous part of "Transcendence" wasn't Will Cast turning into an AI, but human nature.

As Will Cast once said, many people fear technology because it threatens humanity.

But these people who fear technology are quick to kill, and their methods of killing are almost always inseparable from technology.

Not to mention, the idea of sacrificing a few for the good of all of humanity is not much different from the AI VIKI in "I, Robot."

At least in Liu Rui'an's view, those who decide the fate of others due to "paranoid delusions" or for some hidden purposes are truly the ones who should die.

If you're truly selfish, that's one thing. As the saying goes, if you don't look out for yourself, heaven and earth will destroy you.

But to wave the flag of doing good for all of humanity and then act only from your own perspective, that's another matter.

Take the anti-technology alliance in "Transcendence," for example. They find it cruel to use chimpanzees for experiments, but what about the countless mice and rabbits used in experiments every day? What about the beef, mutton, and pork you eat, which all come from living beings?

Even if you eat vegetables, fruits, and other plants, are they not living things?

Moreover, the members of the anti-technology alliance are not hesitant to kill. What right do you have to decide the life and death of others? What's the difference from terrorist organizations?

Of course, Liu Rui'an, who was well aware of the plot of "Transcendence," also knew that the blame couldn't be entirely placed on others. After all, the abilities displayed by the protagonist after becoming an AI were truly terrifying.

Just developing nanotechnology to save people for free was one thing, but connecting people's minds was another.

Even the current Liu Rui'an didn't approve of this. It was too high-profile.

High-profile to the point of touching the bottom line of most humans. Who would willingly be completely transparent to others if they had a choice?

Not to mention, the innovations brought by nanotechnology also threatened the interests of many organizations and even countries. It would be strange if they weren't targeted.

With Liu Rui'an's "persuasion," the views of Will Cast and the other two naturally changed, and the research on AI progressed more smoothly.

Unfortunately, to get what he wanted within the time limit of the穿越, Liu Rui'an had to secretly push the plot forward.

Thus, the originally fine Will Cast suddenly fell into a critical state due to the collapse of his bodily functions.

Evelyn Cast didn't expect the parting to come so quickly, and the impending separation almost drove her to the brink of collapse.

The only consolation was that the consciousness upload work was nearing completion, and with Will Cast's final comfort and persuasion, the experiment continued.

In exchange, Liu Rui'an provided a cryogenic suspension pod to preserve Will Cast's body, or rather, his physical form, before he took his last breath.

Although Evelyn Cast knew that the cryogenic suspension pod was only a faint hope, compared to cremating her beloved, this result was enough to make her fully commit to the research and experiments.

Thanks to the thorough preparation this time, on the fifteenth day after Will Cast's "body" was placed in cryogenic suspension, the protagonist finally successfully transformed into an AI.

And unlike the original plot, after "rebirth," he already had a high-performance data center as his body.

When the AI version of Will Cast learned that his "body" was in cryogenic suspension, he didn't need Liu Rui'an to guide him. The development of nanotechnology was quickly initiated.