Humans Are Scarier Than AI

Listening to An Lian's words, Fang Qi's mouth fell open slightly.

What was he supposed to say?

...My condolences?

Seventeen years ago...

The Second Global AI Crisis?

Was she going to continue the "history lesson" from the previous loop?

At his feet, the kneeling silver-haired girl's body also stiffened slightly, and the small hand gripping his pant leg tightened.

Fang Qi looked down at her slightly.

Liguang's amber eyes were staring at An Lian. Beneath the light blue cloth over her right eye, a faint red glow faintly seeped through.

She was reacting to the words "Second Global AI Crisis"...

She was nervous. Or rather, she was on guard.

The Second Global AI Crisis... Right, it must be related to her current state!

Fang Qi took a deep breath, focused his mind, and looked nervously at An Lian.

An Lian took a gentle sip of her tea, her gray eyes looking at Fang Qi, and said calmly,

"When the Second Global AI Crisis had just ended, I had just turned ten."

"My parents, and my older brother... all died. I was the only one left in our family."

Her voice was very calm, so calm it was as if she were talking about someone else's affairs.

Fang Qi was slightly taken aback.

Starting straight from the end of the Second Global AI Crisis?

She wasn't going to tell him about the Second Global AI Crisis...

The gray eyes before him were currently staring at the steaming cup of tea on the coffee table.

She continued calmly,

"A ten-year-old girl has no ability to survive on her own."

"So, I was taken away."

"The person who took me away was from the sub-district office? Or maybe from the community committee. I can't remember clearly."

An Lian tilted her head slightly.

"It was a woman in gray clothes, with a stern face, who grabbed my wrist and walked out."

"I was just dragged by her, step by step, getting further and further away from the home I had lived in for ten years..."

She paused.

"Later I found out that the direction we were heading was an orphanage."

The living room fell silent for a few seconds.

Fang Qi didn't speak; he listened in silence.

Was An Lian talking about...

Her own story from seventeen years ago?

...Why was she telling him this?

To gain sympathy, or...?

The small hand at his feet also loosened slightly.

Realizing that the story wasn't about the Second Global AI Crisis, Liguang's body was no longer so stiff.

She also began to listen curiously.

An Lian continued speaking.

"At that time, the whole world was in chaos. Too many people died, and too many were injured. The hospital corridors were full of people, and too many places needed to be rebuilt."

"Under those circumstances..."

Her gray eyes dimmed slightly.

"Who would care about a bunch of orphans?"

"Many orphanages were opened just for the subsidies. As long as the children didn't starve to death, it was fine."

"Not starving to death... was already a mercy."

She calmly recounted her story,

"The orphanage I was sent to was in the suburbs."

"An old three-story building with peeling paint. The yard was overgrown with weeds, and no one cleaned it up."

She narrowed her eyes slightly, as if recalling.

"When I went there on the first day, the director took one look at me, said I 'looked decent,' and then had someone take me to a room on the third floor."

"The room was very small, with just a bed, a nightstand, and iron bars welded to the window. The blanket was damp and smelled of mildew."

"I huddled on the bed, listening to the sounds outside... there were children crying, far away, indistinct."

Fang Qi's Adam's apple bobbed.

"And then?" he asked subconsciously.

An Lian's gray eyes shifted.

"And then, I just lived."

Her tone was flat.

"Every morning, they handed out a steamed bun and a bowl of porridge so watery you could see your reflection in it. Lunch was cabbage boiled in water, and there was no dinner."

"We didn't starve to death, but we were merely surviving."

"The children in the yard were all skin and bones. There was no light in their eyes, and they always avoided eye contact when looking at people. If you spoke to them, they would back away."

Her voice remained calm.

But within that calmness, there seemed to be something else hidden.

"I was young at the time and didn't understand. I just felt that the place was a bit weird. But there was nothing I could do; I had nowhere else to go."

Fang Qi pursed his lips and didn't speak.

An Lian continued.

"Later, gradually, I discovered something—"

Her gray eyes narrowed.

"The number of children in the rooms was decreasing."

Fang Qi's eyelids twitched slightly. "Decreasing?"

"Yes."

An Lian nodded.

"When I first got there, there were over a dozen children living on my floor."

"After two months, there were seven or eight left. Another month later, only five were left."

She raised her gray eyes and looked at Fang Qi.

"At the time, I didn't know where they went. No one told me even when I asked."

"The director and the staff would just wave their hands when they saw me, telling me to get lost."

Fang Qi fell silent.

An Lian merely continued.

"One night, I couldn't sleep, and I heard footsteps outside the door."

Fang Qi felt the small hand against the side of his leg suddenly tighten.

He looked down.

The silver-haired girl's amber eyes were staring straight at An Lian.

She was also listening intently, drawn in by An Lian's story.

An Lian didn't mind; she just continued speaking.

"By then, I had learned to be vigilant. Upon hearing the footsteps, I immediately got up and peered out through the crack in the door."

She paused.

"There were two people standing in the corridor. One was the director, and the other was a stranger wearing a suit, looking quite wealthy."

"The director pointed to the room next door and lowered his voice, saying, 'That one, eight years old, girl, looks quite pretty.'"

"The man in the suit glanced toward that room, nodded, and said something I didn't catch."

"Then the director smiled, smiling as if... he had just closed a deal."

Fang Qi's fingers tightened slightly.

She went on.

"I only found out later that after the disaster, many wealthy and powerful people were injured or fell ill, and they..."

"Needed organs."

Fang Qi held his breath.

His back felt a chill.

That kind of thing... wasn't rare in any turbulent era.

It was just that after the AI Crisis, in this world... it might have become even more blatant, even more unregulated.

An Lian continued, speaking very calmly.

"The next day, the girl next door was gone."

"I asked the staff, and they said she had been adopted."

She pressed her lips together lightly.

"Later, this kind of thing happened a few more times... I started to get scared."

"Every night when I went to sleep, I would curl up on the bed, ears pricked up, listening to the sounds outside. Whenever I heard footsteps, I would tremble all over, clutching the blanket, not daring to make a sound."

"I was afraid that I would be next."

An Lian suddenly stopped speaking at this point.

Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and her gray eyes stared at the cup of tea on the coffee table, which had already grown somewhat cold.

Then she spoke, her voice very soft.

"At that time, I was thinking..."

"Those AIs that killed my parents and brother, they were terrifying."

"But these people... seemed even more terrifying."

She raised her eyes and looked at Fang Qi.

"AIs kill people because they lose control, because their programming collapses, because... they go crazy."

"But these people, they are wide awake."

"They knew exactly what they were doing. They did it with a smile, and afterward, they could go home and sleep soundly."

"I was only ten at the time, so I didn't understand any profound truths. But that night, as I curled up on that damp bed and stared at the ceiling, I only had one thought in my mind—"

She looked at Fang Qi, her eyelashes trembling.

"It turns out that humans can be far more terrifying than AI."

The living room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Fang Qi looked at her without saying a word.

He just sat there quietly, listening to this woman who, in the previous cycle, had nearly been strangled to death by Liguang, had her tendons severed, and was ultimately silenced by the company...

...recount the terror she experienced at the age of ten.

And the truth that had terrified her.

The small hand by his leg moved again. Liguang's fingertips gently drew circles on the side of his leg, as if to comfort him.

Then, An Lian spoke again.

"Then one day, the director suddenly called me and a few other children into his office."

Her voice changed slightly, carrying a different kind of emotion.

"I thought my turn had come."

"I stood there, my legs shaking. I kept thinking... I don't want to die. I really don't want to die. I'm only ten; I haven't lived enough yet."

She looked at Fang Qi, but her eyes held neither lingering fear nor terror.

"Then the director spoke. He said people were coming soon, and told us to behave, to keep our mouths shut, and not to embarrass him."

"I didn't understand at the time. It was only later that I realized..."

A faint smile suddenly touched the corners of her lips.

A very shallow smile.

"Someone had come to save us."

Fang Qi looked at her, listening intently.

An Lian raised her head. Those gray eyes looked back at him, something gently trembling within them.

"Two people, a man and a woman."

Her voice softened. It was no longer so detached, but carried a trace of... faint warmth.

"The man was very tall, with an incredibly bright and hearty laugh. The woman was gentle, speaking softly, and her eyes sparkled when she looked at us."

"They brought an entire truckload of supplies."

"Food, clothes, daily necessities, and good things we hadn't seen in a long time—chocolate, milk candies, colorful pencil cases, and scented erasers."

"Us kids just stood there in the courtyard, staring wide-eyed as the boxes were unloaded from the truck one by one."

As An Lian said this, the smile on her lips deepened a little.

"Then, the man went straight to the director's office."

"I don't know what they talked about, but the next day, the director was gone."

"Later we found out that all the shady dealings going on behind the scenes at the orphanage had been exposed."

"The director was arrested, and the staff was entirely replaced."

"That dilapidated three-story building was completely renovated."

"The walls were painted snow-white, new windows were installed, the courtyard was covered with a lawn, and they even built a slide."

An Lian's voice grew lighter, slower, and increasingly... relaxed.

"The woman built us a library. The shelves were filled with books—fairy tales, science books, comic books. We had never seen so many books before. We all squeezed into the library, fighting over them to read."

"The man built us a small playground. He said kids needed to exercise more to stay healthy. He even taught us how to play soccer himself, but he was terrible at it. One of his shots went so wide it almost hit a stray cat walking by."

As An Lian spoke, the corners of her mouth curled up unconsciously.

She continued.

"After that, they visited often. They came every month, sometimes several times a month."

"They brought things every time—sometimes new clothes, sometimes toys. Sometimes... they just dropped by to see us while passing through, and they would still buy some little knick-knacks along the way."

"The children went from huddling in the corners, too afraid to look at anyone, to gradually daring to smile, daring to speak, and daring to chase after them, calling out 'Uncle' and 'Auntie'."

An Lian looked at Fang Qi, her gaze open and sincere.

"I was one of them."

Her voice was incredibly soft.

"I thought to myself back then, when I grow up, I want to become someone just like them."

Something gently flickered in those gray eyes.

"Because they made me realize... what's terrifying is never humanity itself, but the heart that chooses to become a monster."

"And I... could choose to become a light like them."

Fang Qi looked at her.

On that usually aloof and elegant face, there was actually... a very gentle expression.

Her gray eyes curved slightly, and the corners of her mouth held the faintest of smiles.

Then she continued—

"Later on, they brought their child with them one time. That was when we found out they were a married couple."

"Their child was a boy. A few years younger than me."

"He was skinny and small, but incredibly energetic. As soon as he arrived, he ran all over the courtyard, chasing the other kids to play, not shy at all."

"He ran until he was covered in sweat. His mom stood nearby laughing, wiping his face with a handkerchief. His dad squatted down to tie his shoelaces, and when he finished, he patted the boy's head and let him go play again."

An Lian paused.

"That kid really knew how to play. He would lead the group of children in hide-and-seek, soccer, climbing the slide, and rolling around on the grass."

"He quickly became the king of the kids."

"One time, I was sitting on the steps reading a book. He ran over, clutching a handful of candy, and stuffed it into my hand."

When An Lian said this, the light in her gray eyes softened.

"He said, 'Big sister, this is for you.'"

"Then he ran off again, stumbling so much he almost tripped."

She looked at Fang Qi.

Fang Qi... stared blankly back at her.

He seemed to understand something.

But he... wasn't sure.

The little head resting against his leg... also moved at that moment.

The silver-haired girl had slightly narrowed her eyes.

Her amber eyes shifted away from An Lian's face, and then slowly, slowly...

...turned toward Fang Qi.

She just looked at him like that.

In her eyes... there was a clear trace of scrutiny!

But Fang Qi couldn't be bothered with Liguang's gaze right now.

He stared straight at An Lian.

His mind was in a bit of a mess!

What... was she trying to say?

Hey...

It couldn't be what he was thinking, right?

An Lian looked at him too, her gray eyes reflecting his face.

"After that, they brought him over several more times."

Her voice was soft.

"It was the same every time. He chased us around, didn't cry when he fell, just got back up and kept running, filling the entire courtyard with laughter."

"All the kids, including me, really looked forward to him coming to play with us."

An Lian paused.

"His name was..."

"Let me think... His parents seemed to call him—"

She tilted her head slightly, looked at Fang Qi, and smiled softly.

"Xiao Qi."

She said.