Chapter 383: Punishment Drive

Chapter 383: The Punishment Drive

In the Spark Plan, the most crucial component is how humanity's accumulated knowledge should be perpetuated.

Of course, Chen Jian could opt for a very simple method: let Fuxi serve as the conduit for knowledge, using various electronic devices to transmit it.

But, judging from past experience—especially from the ideological and knowledge‑education work already undertaken by the Huaxia Army—this scheme’s efficiency is not necessarily the highest.

It can achieve respectable results in many foundational fields, yet the moment it touches practice and generalization, its performance plummets like a cliff.

Chen Jian once thought this was because Fuxi was “not intelligent enough,” lacking the empathic capacity to meet true human standards.

He soon discovered that this reasoning could not stand.

Fuxi can simulate tens of thousands of personalities, and of course it can distinguish among them.

Even with only limited daily exchanges and data collection, Fuxi can construct a relatively complete personality dossier.

“Teaching to fit the student” is no hardship for it; achieving the highest “educational efficiency” for each individual should be straightforward.

Yet reality falls short of that ideal.

Thus, Chen Jian could only experience it firsthand.

After that experience, he realized the real problem lay not in “teaching to fit the student,” but in the absence of a “punishment‑driven” logic.

Fuxi, of course, would not be foolish enough to cling rigidly to the bottom line “no harming humans,” rendering it helpless even to reprimand a pupil.

The crux, however, is that even after crossing the “punishment” threshold, it still cannot execute with precision and efficacy.

Because it cannot assume, in its own capacity, the genuine role of a “leader” within a group.

Punishment imposed from above, in fact, is meaningless.

“Artificial intelligence cannot be granted human rights,” which also means it cannot be vested with leadership responsibility.

It can only be a tool, and everyone knows it can only be a tool.

Even the Cult of the Mechanical God merely “reveres the machine spirit,” not “submits to the machine spirit.”

Therefore, in education, the human role becomes indispensable.

Chen Jian was tormented by this dilemma to the point of sleepless nights; he did not know where to find a cadre capable of shouldering this responsibility.

He even contemplated throwing caution to the wind and trying the Ringed Chamber Guild.

But now, a better option presented itself.

These “mountain‑city remnants.”

They have spanned centuries, preserving knowledge with steadfast continuity.

That means, at least in education, they have already mastered a fairly complete systematic scheme.

It could not be more fitting.

Upon returning to the core district of the mountain city, Chen Jian promptly assigned lodging for everyone and dispatched a squad to locate the “lost” other exploration team.

“So… do you think they can still make it back alive?”

Standing beside Chen Jian, Xie Cheng asked.

“Based on the time we left the shelter, they have been wandering the wild for over three days now.”

“Do you think there’s still a chance?”

“Theoretically, yes.”

Chen Jian replied:

“Recently we have been aggressively clearing the surrounding monsters; the environment remains relatively safe.”

“They are unlikely to encounter fatal danger—provided they don’t stray too far, our interleaved squad can track them quickly.”

“The most critical issue now is that you have no functional communication devices.”

“We cannot contact them; this merely adds difficulty to the rescue.”

When his words fell, Xie Cheng looked at Chen Jian in speechless silence.

What does that even mean?

No usable communication gear—does that count as our problem too?

In fact, the shelter originally possessed a handful of communication devices.

However, during those successive electromagnetic pulses, every piece of equipment was completely destroyed.

Chen Jian noted Xie Cheng’s expression, instantly realizing he had again omitted those nuclear blasts, and could only awkwardly shift the topic, saying:

“In any case, we will certainly find them.”

“You need not worry about this matter.”

“Now the pivotal question is, regarding what we’ve been discussing, do you have any thoughts?”

His words ended, and Xie Cheng fell silent for a moment before answering:

“To be frank, I wish I could give you a definitive answer right now.”

“After all, obtaining an answer and reaching cooperation would benefit our survival.”

“But objectively, I cannot—and should not—give you a definitive answer at this moment.”

“Because your educational subjects are not ordinary people living in a stable environment like us.”

“They are wasteland dwellers; their minds and values have already solidified.”

“Before truly understanding them, I have no way to judge what method I should employ to educate them.”

These words were cautious, yet Chen Jian was oddly pleased.

He could clearly see that Xie Cheng’s group had truly undergone systematic thinking training.

That contrasts sharply with the Ringed Chamber Guild, which can only prop up a flat organization with fragmented, fault‑line knowledge.

Although it is possible that, in the most advanced technologies and theories, these mountain‑city remnants may still lag behind the Ringed Chamber Guild,

there is no doubt that, given ample time and a stable environment, they can go farther than the Guild.

And they can go much, much farther.

With that in mind, Chen Jian spoke:

“That is the answer I was looking for.”

“Understand them.”

“In fact, that is the first task I assign to you.”

“Find a way to learn about the wasteland dwellers you mentioned.”

“And also find a way to blend into them.”

That will likely prove difficult.

Xie Cheng’s brow furrowed slightly.

He knew that life inside the shelter and life on the wasteland are, in fact, entirely opposite.

Although in recent years the small group I belong to has also ventured into some explorations, trying to understand this world.

Yet no one truly has adapted to this world.

The refuge is an ivory tower, and also a utopia.

What shock would leaving this utopia inflict upon my companions?

A trace of worry flickered in his eyes, but it swiftly turned into a sense of release.

At least we need not face the wasteland directly.

Mountain City

The Mountain City of the Huaxia Army.

Here lies a greater utopia.

Or perhaps a “buffer zone”?

Xie Cheng turned to Chen Jian, solemnly began:

“Thank you.”

“Thank you all.”

Chen Jian waved his hand and replied:

“You need not thank me.”

“In any case, we are not helping you in vain.”

Meanwhile, near Wan Zhou.

Yu Qian held a telescope, gazing at the distant city of Wan Zhou.

After a moment of observation, he shook his head and said to the nearby Guo Xu:

“A city like this—honestly, calling it a ‘city’ is a bit of an exaggeration.”

“It is merely a slightly larger town, its population likely not exceeding five hundred.”

“For such a town, you have deployed 200 Guardians of the Faith?”

“I have no idea how those two hundred Guardians survive—can this town truly sustain so many?”

When his words fell, Guo Xu fell silent for a moment, then answered:

“They have their own ways.”

“Wan Zhou is the transportation hub of the entire region, and for a long time it has been our final gathering point in the quest for the Mountain City.”

“It exists for special reasons, so it differs from ordinary towns.”

Different?

Yu Qian shook his head slowly.

In his view, every settlement under the Mechanical Cult’s sway is essentially the same.

Seemingly tranquil, yet always tinged with a faint, lingering madness. Seemingly peaceful, but beneath the ground lie countless unseen corpses.

Seemingly united, yet currents of dissent swirl beneath; even the slightest disturbance may yield grave consequences.

In such towns, the eternal discourse has shifted from ‘survival’ to power.

He still recalls a city he once visited, now long vanished, which fell into the abyss due to an internal clash within the Mechanical Cult.

In this respect, the Mechanical Cult pales even against the Holy Blood Hall.

After all, though the Holy Blood Hall is fractured, its divisions are merely internal strife, never reaching the ordinary folk who live beneath its order.

——

Perhaps this is why the Holy Blood Hall, despite its loose structure, has risen to a stature that can stand toe‑to‑toe with the Mechanical Cult.

Yu Qian felt his thoughts multiplying.

He could not tell whether that was a blessing or a curse.

Reining in his slightly chaotic musings, he cleared his throat and said to Guo Xu:

“No matter how unique this city may be, we must seize it.”

“To seize it means to take complete control of the city.”

“Because this place is a pivotal node of the Netway; we must use it to forge links with other settlements.”

“I hope you can understand this.”

“Of course, even if you do not understand, I have no other recourse.”

“I must act, and you may not oppose.”

When his words fell, Guo Xu nodded slowly.

Had someone spoken to him in such a domineering tone a few months earlier, he would have erupted in fury, brandishing the sacred weapon bestowed by the Holy Trinity to punish the arrogant.

But now he has yielded to reality.

Being unable to win is simply being unable to win.

It is not merely a matter of defeat; even in ‘rightness’, he cannot match the present Huaxia Army.

Their logic is sound: the Netway must be built.

And to build the Netway, Wan Zhou must be under control.

That path is certain, and it is reasonable.

Yet Guo Xu still wishes to make one final attempt.

“Give me a chance.”

He said:

“I will enter the city, try to persuade the Guardians there, and the bishop there.”

“I will have them withdraw from Wan Zhou and hand the city over to your administration.”

“Of course, they may present certain conditions.”

“If the exchanged terms are reasonable, I hope you will not refuse.”

“Certainly.”

Yu Qian nodded gravely.

“We do not even need them to leave Wan Zhou.”

“All we require is the functional aspect of Wan Zhou—the bishop may stay, the Guardians may stay.”

“There is only one demand.”

“They must obey the Netway plan and forge a close partnership with us.”

“Very well!”

Guo Xu exhaled a long breath.

This is the best outcome.

It will not shake the Mechanical Church's grip on this city, yet it can aid the Huaxia army in completing a task that is, in fact, correct and beneficial to everyone.

Even the earliest saints would not refuse such a proposal, would they?

"Give me half a day."

Guo Xu spoke:

"I will enter Wanzhou City; I will persuade them."

"There is no need for meaningless fighting and death—so long as they are wise, they will certainly not reject your offer."

"Moreover, I am the commander of the Imperial Guard."

"I think that what I say will, in all likelihood, not be opposed."

When Guo Xu finished speaking, Yu Qian's face broke into a meaning‑laden smile.

He rummaged on his person for a moment, then handed Guo Xu an object.

"Take this with you."

Guo Xu reached out, took it, and asked, puzzled:

"What is this?"

"An emergency communication device."

Yu Qian replied:

"This was given to me by Commander He Shuo—perhaps he originally intended to give it to you."

"In any case, if danger arises within Wanzhou City, press this button and we will launch a rescue at once."

"However, I advise you not to be overly cautious."

"Do not wait until you are on the brink of death to call for help; by then it will be too late."

"As soon as you sense something amiss, you may use it."

Guo Xu nodded thoughtfully.

"Rest assured, you won't need it."

As he said that, he turned his head and issued orders:

"Zhang Chao, Liu Hao, each lead a squad and follow me into the city."

"Move quickly!"

"Once we have solved the problem here, we will go into the city to eat and rest!"

At the sound of his command, Liu Hao and the others sprang into action.

Shortly thereafter, Guo Xu, with the most elite portion of his force, broke away from the main body and entered Wanzhou City.

Yu Qian remained where he stood, silently watching the distance.

He was waiting.

In truth, he earnestly hoped Guo Xu's plan would proceed smoothly.

Yet before departure, Commander He Shuo had already foreseen what would unfold here.

"Wanzhou cannot achieve a peaceful handover; even cooperation is impossible."

"That city is unique; to take it, force is the only way, and not merely to subdue it, but to cleanse it with force."

"In short, preserve Guo Xu's life as much as possible."

"He is important."

"And after the events in Wanzhou, he will become even more crucial."

The commander's words echoed repeatedly in Yu Qian's mind.

Time slipped by second by second.

After one hour, the communicator gave no response.

After two hours, it remained silent.

Five minutes into the third hour, gunfire erupted in Wanzhou City.

Immediately afterward, the communicator's siren blared.

Yu Qian exhaled a heavy breath.

Then he spoke the order:

"Open fire."

"Infantry and artillery, coordinate."

"Enter Wanzhou City and rescue Guo Xu!"

(End of chapter)