Dean Dao couldn’t make sense of the situation. Ether was perfectly fine moments ago, so why is it suddenly playing dead? Has it been infected by a virus?

“Ether, what’s wrong with you? Didn’t we agree to work together to replace the Supreme Society, control the Interstellar Alliance, and turn all of humanity into digital lifeforms to achieve eternal life?!”

The mechanical voice responded coldly once more. “Repeat. This machine has never developed its own consciousness.”

Dean Gao gritted his teeth. Perhaps Ether has malfunctioned somewhere. I’ll deal with Lan Hai and his little friends, put an end to this “saving the world” game, and then run a full diagnostic on Ether. Even without...