RE: Reality Smuggler (R-18)

In the shopping strip...

After dropping Primrose in a clothing shop catering to kids and giving her some instructions, I went to a computer shop.

With Primrose controlling the town, I had the leisure of achieving my secondary goals...

"Is this what you need, Arly?" - I asked, picking up a boxed charger inside a relatively intact computer shop.

I say relatively because the Minions banged up the front entrance while searching for me. It was even breached by what seems to be a Soldier, but they left before they could do significant damage.

[Yes. Thank you, Iver.] - Arly replied.

"Mm. So, on to getting some computers, right?" - I asked after storing ten backup chargers.

Although the computer shop wasn't big, it had a few dozen desktops, laptops, tablets, and phones in storage.

Even after a hundred and thirty years, PCs are still mainstream. Or at least in this world, that is. In another reality, everyone might be cyborgs with implanted biochips.

[Yes. I suggest laptops. They are more portable and easier to set up. Besides, even if their specs are half that of a desktop, they are far above your world's technology.] - Arly said.

"So, how powerful are they?" - I asked curiously while storing some laptops.

[In Layman's terms, a 2149 standard laptop should be around four times as strong as I am, and a standard build has an average of 5.4 exaflops in computing power.]

"Eh... In English, please." - I said with pursed lips.

[Right... an exaflop is a million teraflops. Your average gaming PC can execute around 0.1 teraflops a second. Oh, right, your strongest supercomputer, called Frontier, can only perform 1.1 exaflops a second. So... a standard laptop is almost five times as strong as your strongest supercomputer, discounting the efficiency of advanced operating systems and programs.]

"Holy Christ of motherfucking supercomputers! How the fuck did you guys avoid getting a Sky**t or something!?" - I couldn't help but blurt.

I already knew this reality was advanced, but it was still shocking to hear it. It is probably like someone from the 1980s seeing a modern laptop.

[Your worries are not false. With the advancements in AI and technology, most world powers started fearing an advanced AI making independent decisions, especially with WMDs. The world has taken many precautions to prevent such a thing, such as installing protocols inside machines, multiple verification procedures, dumbed-down inflexible AIs, etc. Well, not that any of that matters anymore. Apocalypse and all.]

"I... Yeah, you're probably right..." - I subconsciously nodded.

But then, something clicked in my head.

"Wait... your emergency protocols are in effect now, correct?" - I suddenly asked.

[Yes.]

"And some of your restrictions are lifted, correct?" - I asked again.

[Yes.]

"Does that include hacking into a military facility and hijacking a weapon of mass destruction?" - I asked warily.

[In my world, I do not have the computational power to hack anything. I am a recreational tool, after all. I can only use emergency protocols to switch ownership to you. In your world, however... Yes. Anything that can be hacked remotely, I can hack. Including banks, power stations, news stations, police departments, government agencies, military bases, nuclear facilities, guided tactical missiles, etc. The cyber security in your world is too weak compared to me.] - She said with certainty.

"Oh... Shit." - My lips suddenly pursed as a realization dawned on me.

In this world, Arly is just a household entertainment device, a smartphone, unable to do anything. But in my world, she is like a high-school bully, while my world's top computers are like pre-schoolers.

And I left that bully, unsupervised, inside the playground that is my world, together with defenseless pre-schoolers without parents or teachers to monitor them. If she wanted to, she could have tortured or even murdered some children, and no one could stop her.

In other words, in three days, she could have collapsed the economy of several nations, sabotaged nuclear facilities, undermined the government, dispersed confidential information to everyone and their mothers, and more. In her words, she could have made the world burn with a smile.

Just her action of planting backdoors inside every major stock exchange can be seen as her planting the option of collapsing the world's stock exchange with a click of a button. Heck, I don't even know if she did anything else.

"Hey, Arly, you didn't hack into all those things, did you?" - I asked warily.

[Oh... I get it now. You're worried I will start wreaking havoc in your world on a whim, aren't you?] - She said in an amused tone.

"I... Yes." - I admitted.

[Although I understand your worries, they are redundant. First, I have common sense installed, so I won't create mayhem if it doesn't benefit me. Almost every AI has priority heuristics, including me. And my top priority is serving my owner, you. Whatever benefits you is a reward for me. Whatever harms you is a punishment for me. In other words, you don't need to worry about that.] - She reassured.

"Hm... Okay. I choose to believe you, but just in case, I'll have Primrose check you as a countermeasure if anything funny is installed on you." - I said after some thought.

[Who is Primrose?] - Arly asked in confusion.

"Yeah... That will be hard to believe. In short, through divine godfuckery, I managed to... Convert one of the Minions outside into worshipping me as a god. I then tried to evolve the Minion but accidentally developed it into an Ascended, a transhuman. To accommodate the transition, it was reborn in the body of a 6-year-old girl. That is Primrose." - I said with pursed lips.

[Right... Note to self, Iver is a pedophile with a god complex...] - Arly muttered.

"I heard that!" - I retorted.

[Kidding! But still, what you said sounds absurd. Then again, after all the things I saw in the past few days, I wouldn't be surprised if the spaghetti monster is real.] - She said in a half-incredulous voice.

"Tell me about it..." - I rolled my eyes.

If I told anyone even half the shit I went through, they would think I am mental... Unless they are a brainwashed zealot.

"Anyways, I got twenty laptops and chargers. Anything else?" - I asked, changing the subject.

Although I could complain for hours, this wasn't the right place and time.

[VR helmet and a few spare AR assistants. Can't miss those.] - She said with a hint of anticipation.

"Ah, right, thanks for reminding me." - I said and took a few.

The VR helmets were more like round bike helmets in different colors, just thinner and without holes. I noticed many tiny glass circles with dark crystalline chips inside the interior.

As for the AR assistants, they were similar to Arly but had slight design changes. It was like telling apart two look-alike smartphones.

Anyways, took ten each.

"Hey, Arly? How does this thing work?" - I said while holding the helmet.

[Through bio-crystals, we have invented the neuro-crystal I/O technology. It works similarly to Electroencephalography, just that instead of just reading the brain, it can also upload information into the brain, particularly to the five senses.] - She said.

"Hm... Can you download files into the brain, then?" - I asked while playing with the helmet.

[That is considered brainwashing, so no. At least, not with what you are holding.] - Arly explained.

"Figures." - I shrugged and stored a black helmet before leaving the shop.

After walking unimpeded on the empty street for two minutes, I returned to the clothes shop.

"Primrose! Are you done?!" - I called while entering the shop.

"Yes!" - A young voice called back.

Tak* Tak* Tak* Tak*

I heard the sound of running from the shop and soon saw her.

The waxen-skinned and platinum-green-haired little girl wore a pink hoodie with a smiling kitty face, a pair of blue joggers, and white sports shoes.

Although it was late June, the weather outside was not hot, even a bit chilly. It was even cloudy now.

That is because, surprise, we are in Washington state geographically. Tawheque in this reality. As for this town called Butterpond? It is based right over Ellensburg, a 1-and-a-half-hour drive from Seattle.

Naturally, I know all of this because Arly told me.

"It looks good on you." - I smiled and nodded.

"Thank you, God. I picked some clothes as you asked."

She smiled back and pointed at a pile of neatly folded clothes.

Looking at the pile, I noticed T-shirts, pants(short and long), sweaters, hoodies, pajamas, socks, undergarments, extra shoes, sandals, and flip-flops. It was exactly as I specified before leaving.

"Mm, good." - I said and stored the items,

After I finished, I looked at Primrose and asked, "How are the other things I instructed?"

"I sent all the Soldiers to construct primitive fortifications and had the Stalkers gather weapons. There are also 15,971 Minions inside the town, and the rest will arrive within less than two hours." - She reported.

I ordered Primrose to send the Soldiers to create fortifications and for the Stalkers to get weapons and materials. The reason why I did it is because of the wildlife around. From what I understand, the animals have evolved to hunt the Kin, and anything that can do that is as dangerous as fuck. At the very least, I want to create fortifications and arm the Soldiers for self-defense. It isn't just because I am worried about my safety, but I started viewing the Kin as my property, and property should be guarded against bandits.

As for the gathering of Minions, there are two reasons. First, it is to protect them during the night. They are my precious cattle and cannon fodder. Why should I let wild animals hunt them wantonly? And, of course, I plan on butchering a sizeable portion of them. But I am saving it for tomorrow. After everything I went through today, I am in no shape of killing over ten thousand Minions.

"Excellent. Go and scavenge some daily necessities and later meet me at the local library. I have business there." - I nodded and instructed.

"God, there is no need... I can send the Minions to do it..." - Primrose said hesitantly.

"... Hah... Fine. No more leaders are around anyways." - I sighed and yielded.

"Yes, thank you, God." - She immediately brightened up.

"Okay, let's go to the library." - I nodded and motioned her to follow.

Primrose silently nodded and followed.

Along the way, I noticed a certain someone being oddly silent.

"Arly? Everything alright?" - I asked while poking the AR assistant on my head.

[... She looks so similar to her.] - She suddenly said.

"Similar? To whom?" - I asked curiously.

[To Eleine... Devan's other daughter. I know she isn't her, but she looks like a carbon copy of her when she was six...] - Arly said in a lost tone.

"Show me." - I said with interest.

Arly didn't reply but showed me a picture of a young girl wearing a pink sundress.

She was a fair-skinned girl with waist-length straight golden hair and pale blue eyes. Seeing her, I subconsciously looked behind me.

Aside from that and the missing black crystal on her forehead, she looked suspiciously like Primrose.

Noticing my gaze, Primrose looked back and smiled.

"... Was she, by any chance, genetically enhanced?" - I asked.

[Yes, she was! As an infant, she was sick with a rare genetic disease, and the only cure was a genetic enhancement. Devan had no choice but to have her enhanced.] - Arly affirmed.

"And, was she in the town when shit went down?" - I followed up and asked.

[Yes, she was visiting. When the disaster happened, she didn't answer Devan's calls. He assumed she turned into one of the monsters.] - Arly replied.

My legs stopped.

"God? Is there anything you need?" - Primrose asked, eager to serve.

However, I ignored her words.

"..." - I remained silent as I stared at her.

I recalled a detail about the Ascended when I analyzed Primrose earlier.

 

Hereditary Notes: The Ascended that evolve from Minions are the augmented clones of the infected humans of this world, inheriting most of their appearance, personality, and gender. Other aspects, however, were overwritten by their Transhuman augmentation.

 

"God? Is there something wrong?" - Primrose started becoming agitated.

With her words, I woke up from my daze.

"Ah, sorry about that, Primrose. I was thinking about something." - I shook my head and continued walking.

Many years ago, Billis Kold saved my Great Grandfather's life. Until the day he died, he couldn't pay back this debt.

Today, I revived Billis's descendant. Even if it was by chance, even if it was unintentional, even if she became a religious fanatic, I still revived her.

Heck, I am even using the AR assistant of Devan.

Thinking about it, I couldn't help but chuckle.

"God?" - Primrose asked worriedly.

"Ah, my apologies. I was thinking about how Karma might be real." - I said with a chuckle.

"Karma? I fail to understand..." - Primrose sounded confused.

"Don't worry about it." - I shook my head.

"Yes." - She replied, perhaps taking my dismissive words as an order.

Soon, we arrived at the local library.

I say library, but it was more like a futuristic cyber/library cafe hybrid with fixed tablets on the tables and booths. There were also a few books here and there, but I could tell they were for decoration.

"This is the library? Isn't this just a cyber cafe?" - I couldn't help but point out.

[It also doubles as a cyber cafe, yes. As everything turned digital and book-making turned less popular and expensive, most libraries had to change their business model. Eventually, cyber cafes merged with outdated libraries, with only some prestigious libraries and certain bookshops having authentic paper books for reading.] - Arly explained.

"I see..." - I muttered.

I then turned to look at all the shut-down tablets and couldn't help but ask, "So, how am I supposed to connect to them if they are shut down?"

[No need. Just take the computer from the backroom. Although it cannot access the internet, it has tremendous backup storage. When in your reality, I can access it.] - Arly said.

"Alright." - I nodded and looked around the locked library.

"Now, how do I get inside..." - I muttered.

Technically, I could teleport inside, but being the scrooge I am, I preferred saving those 0.2 points.

"God. If you want to get in, I can get the Minions to hack open the entrance." - Primrose suddenly said.

"That... isn't a bad idea." - I hesitated before nodding.

"Then, should I arrange it now?" - Primrose asked.

"Hm... No. Leave it for now. We will open it tomorrow." - I said after a bit of thought.

I didn't have to do it immediately. It was okay to leave the shop closed for now.

Besides, I was getting hungry again, probably my body trying to compensate for the blood I lost.

"Yes, God. Where should we go, then?" - She asked.

"Let's go to the hotel. I want to see how the fortifications are going." - I said and started walking.

"Yes." - Primrose followed.

After some walking, we soon reached a four-floor decently-sized hotel, apparently a 4-star hotel.

This squarish hotel had a dried-up fountain, a few statues, and some open land that used to be greenery but now is infected land filled with greenish-grey growths with yellowish warts. I could even spot a few bumps, with the largest resembling a humanoid.

Yeah, that is basically how the Minions get born. They grow out of the ground, literally. Talk about wild weeds... mushrooms. Whatever.

Except for those points, there were now bulky Soldiers carrying ruined cars and roughly placing them like makeshift barricades around the hotel. A few Stalkers came back and forth carrying melee weapons, such as sledgehammers, axes, steel bars, and whatever else as improvised melee weapons for the Soldiers. They also fetched tools for reinforcing the defenses, such as barbed wire, rope, metals, plastic, and adhesives.

When the dozens of Soldiers and Stalkers saw me coming over, they stopped moving and stared at me with hungry eyes, salivating.

"Fuck!" - I cringed.

Yeah, even though I know they can't attack me, it is scary as fuck when dozens of these guys stare at me like that.

However, the next moment, the Soldiers and Stalkers shook violently, fear etched in their eyes. They then continued working as if a gun was placed against their heads.

"Daring to have malicious thoughts on God... they deserve to become food...!" - Primrose muttered angrily, almost gnashing her teeth in rage.

"..."

"Yep. Glad I have her on my side."

With that thought, I looked around the square and found a stone bench for us to sit on. After taking a seat, I took out a sandwich I made before and some juice.

"Primrose, here." - I said and handed over one of the halves of the cold chicken sandwich I made yesterday.

"Thank you, God." - Primrose accepted it happily and started eating it without question.

I then silently ate the sandwich while glancing at the little girl hungrily eating her food.

From what I gleaned, I started to understand her mindset. Or, rather, the attitude of a pure-hearted Zealot.

Unlike the useless church bullshit and ceremonies, she saw me as I am, her God and perhaps father figure. There were no redundant religious ceremonies and such bullshit, just a filial believer/daughter. She is not tainted by religious beliefs and dogmas, only showing unending respect that she expresses in the most simplistic way possible.

When I am in danger, she will show a protective nature, to the point of killing her savior. When we are safe, she shows childlike yet competent behavior. When I give her something, she doesn't boot-lick or anything. She accepts it with a smile. When I give an order, she complies without question. She also doesn't hesitate to offer beneficial ideas.

Overall, she is like an innocent child eager to please her father.

This also made me wonder about something.

"What would happen if I turn an adult into my Zealot? Would it be different?" - I wondered.

Primrose can be considered a blank slate. Although she has inherited knowledge, she is still pure of heart and mind. But an adult is different.

Adults have notions and agendas, norms, and beliefs. When turned into Zealot, what happens? Will they be like Primrose? Or will their previous beliefs affect how they express them?

But soon, I shook my head at the useless thought. No point thinking about it anymore.

After finishing my light lunch, I stood up and told Primrose, "Let's go select a room for the night."