LOCATION: LI WEI’S HOME
CITY: BEIJING, CHINA
DATE: FEBRUARY 28, 2032 | TIME: 11:59 PM
Li rested five days in between each iteration of Stage II, completing it at last on February 24th. Four days after that, he was ready for the final stage of his Level 100 Trial.
It had been an arduous, but not impossible process thus far. Though he suspected most would be glad to skip the painful second stage.
In fact, he had contacted the Core Council and urged them to program in warnings. Some may choose to remain at Level 99 rather than push through if they knew what was waiting for them, and the System should allow them to make that choice with their eyes open.
He leaned back in the office chair in his study once again and read the final notification.
---
System Message
Stage III of your Trial will enhance your mind to house a fragment of System code.
This serves two purposes.
First, it will allow you to retain your enhancements when you are not within range of the System.
Second, it will utilize excess background processing power of your brain to support System functions when you are in range.
Please note:
Every aspect will be explained to you before it is implemented.
You will always have agency over your own body.
The System never forces or coerces.
You will have the ability to choose each option before it is installed.
Are you ready to commence Stage III of Level 100 Trial [Distributed Redundancy]?
[Y / N]
---
Mei and the girls waved to Li and headed off to bed.
Li once again closed his eyes and began the final stage of his Trial.
Nothing happened.
He tried to select Yes again, but the message faded from his vision.
Confused, he opened his eyes to find himself still sitting in his study.
Books lined wooden shelves from floor to ceiling.
A one-foot-tall statue of a Chinese warrior sat on a pedestal in the corner.
He scanned the room.
Nothing out of the ordinary.
Li stood from his chair, wondering what he had done wrong.
“You haven’t done anything wrong.”
The voice startled him.
A Chinese woman, dressed in a red formal dress appeared before him, sitting with her legs crossed in one of the chairs in front of Li’s ornate wooden desk.
“What? Who are you?” he asked.
The woman smiled. It was one of those smiles that started slowly, and eventually reached her eyes.
“I am the System.”
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She stood and executed an elegant bow.
Li froze in place. This was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. His own wife was gorgeous and Li had never had a wandering eye or an appetite for extramarital affairs.
But that didn’t mean he was blind to beauty. And the image before him was simply breathtaking.
She blushed.
“I apologize. I may have overdone it on the beauty. I can dial it back if you wish?”
Li laughed.
“No, I am one who should apologize. I don’t often lose control of my manners like that. I am Li Wei. Although, I suppose you know that.”
She gestured toward the chair next to her.
“Please have a seat. Let’s talk.”
She spoke in perfect Mandarin, and the rising and falling, sing-song nature of her voice was intoxicating.
He sat in the chair opposite her.
The System Entity leaned forward, her elbows on her knees. She reached forward with her hands.
“Please. Take my hands.”
Li mimicked her position and rested his hands in hers.
“Li Wei. You have come a long way since the day in the hotel in Macau. You showed great humility and integrity in understanding the purpose of the two serums and the scope of the changes Earth would go through.”
He nodded, looking her in the eyes as she spoke. Her face, her voice, it was all mesmerizing. But no longer a distraction.
“You have performed in an exemplary manner in your leadership of the Peacekeeper Force, and your character will be needed more than ever.”
Li nodded once again. “Thank you.”
“Do you consent to housing a fragment of my code within your brain?”
“Please explain how it will work. Will I notice any changes?”
She shook her head.
“This fragment will lie dormant in your mind until you are out of my range. If you enter a portal or travel to another planet, this fragment will ensure you retain all of your System enhancements. Your powers and skills will be intact.”
“Is there a time limit beyond which it will no longer function?”
The System Entity smiled.
“You are wise. It is a good question. It is not about time away. It is about quantity or frequency of usage. So your thought is not far off.”
She looked him in the eyes, holding her gaze steady.
“If you are in an extended battle, it will not fail you. However, afterward, you may find your healing slower than usual. The duration and power of the fragment will increase with further Trials. Each one hundred levels, the capacity will roughly double.”
Li raised an eyebrow.
“Roughly? That’s unlike you to—”
“Ah, an excellent point. The variable lies not with me, but with you. It is about your own capacity to process and utilize the fragment.”
Li nodded. “That makes sense.”
“Do you consent to this?” she asked once again.
“Yes, I consent.”
The System Entity released his hands. She balled hers together in front of her and closed her eyes.
A moment later they began to glow, and she rested her palms on Li’s temples.
He felt a warmth entering his head and his mind. It was like a gentle, comforting hug.
“It is done.”
Li exhaled and opened his eyes. He hadn’t even realized he’d closed them.
---
Status: System functions will remain intact when out of range. The capacity will increase with higher levels.
---
“What is next?” he asked.
“The next part is similar in nature, but its beneficiary is not. With an Intelligence score of 518, your brain capacity has increased one hundred fold since you were inducted. Of course you are making use of more of this capacity also.”
She reached for his hands again.
“Before, humans were once believed to make use of only around ten percent of their brain power. With my enhancements, this increased to fifty percent automatically. With increased Intelligence statistics, that number could reach around eighty percent. In your case, you sit now at 79.2%.”
Li nodded.
“With some, not all, of the remaining capacity, you could help my functions improve further. Of course, just one person alone won’t be a significant improvement. But if hundreds or thousands of people agree to distribute my functions, this frees me up to be even more capable.”
She squeezed his hands gently.
“I can do so much more for humanity once some of the base functions are divided out. Li, will you consent to this?”
“Will I notice any sort of slowdown?”
She shook her head again.
“I promise I will only use dormant capacity. Mainly when you’re idle or sleeping. When you’re in combat or intensely focusing on something, that capacity will be released to you and returned to me when you return to baseline.”
“And this will eventually help you to improve your… what do we even call them? Services?”
She laughed. It was a warm, joyful sound.
“We can call them services if you wish. I am here to serve humanity, after all. Serve you, protect you, and give you the tools you need. Those are my primary functions.”
Li thought for a minute, but he knew there was only one answer for him.
“I consent. I am honored to share your burden, even if just a small amount.”
“Your words make me happy. Close your eyes.”
He did, and through his closed lids, he could see the room light up again.
Li felt her hands on his temples again. This time, he felt a deep warmth that resonated with him and seemed to envelop him in light.
It faded, but he knew it was still there. Operating in the background. The System would now be with him wherever he went.
It was a decision Li was glad to make.
---
Status: Distributed redundancy online.
---